Honorverse ramblings and musings

JeffEngel wrote:

cthia wrote:I've been trying to find any textev explaining treecat hierarchy. Is it the elder male, or the elder memory singer? The memory singer certainly has the most general(pun) knowledge.

From the clan meetings, it looks like they wrangle things out til there's a tolerable general consensus, with "hierarchy" being a matter of senior members of various treecat "professions" being the chief participants in discussions. The "professions" include memory singer(s), scouts, hunters, farmers, and treecat crafters of nets, flints, etc. Seniority in a profession represents not just time or experience in a profession, but to a certain extent the will and ability to articulate and advance a position in clan meetings. Drop Samantha in any treecat group and they're going to be nodding and following her lead soon enough. The lady is some sort of treecat messiah.

It can work for them because treecats have a lot more uniformity of outlook and attitude than humans tend to, telepathy gets them high-speed communication, and empathy helps expression and prevents cheating. (It works too - better than one may suspect - in small groups of humans, but the relevant treecat groups are a bit larger and much better at it.)

I know that Nimitz did, but do treecats generally bond outside of their clan? Haven't read "Treecat Wars" yet.

It looks unusual but far from unheard-of. Memory singers in particular may move out of their birth clan, since each clan really, really needs one and can do without several.

It's odd that the clan hasn't given Nimitz a new name regarding his exploits amongst the humans and his visit to many far reaches of space. Perhaps he should be called "traveler." I think he's called "prankster" or something like?

"Climbs Quickly" may still suit a treecat who travels at hundreds of c regularly, whose human went from a daughter of yeoman stock to Steadholder and Duchess Harrington.

Drop Samantha in any treecat group and they're going to be nodding and following her lead soon enough. The lady is some sort of treecat messiah.

JeffEngel wrote:

cthia wrote:I've been trying to find any textev explaining treecat hierarchy. Is it the elder male, or the elder memory singer? The memory singer certainly has the most general(pun) knowledge.

From the clan meetings, it looks like they wrangle things out til there's a tolerable general consensus, with "hierarchy" being a matter of senior members of various treecat "professions" being the chief participants in discussions. The "professions" include memory singer(s), scouts, hunters, farmers, and treecat crafters of nets, flints, etc. Seniority in a profession represents not just time or experience in a profession, but to a certain extent the will and ability to articulate and advance a position in clan meetings. Drop Samantha in any treecat group and they're going to be nodding and following her lead soon enough. The lady is some sort of treecat messiah.

It can work for them because treecats have a lot more uniformity of outlook and attitude than humans tend to, telepathy gets them high-speed communication, and empathy helps expression and prevents cheating. (It works too - better than one may suspect - in small groups of humans, but the relevant treecat groups are a bit larger and much better at it.)

I know that Nimitz did, but do treecats generally bond outside of their clan? Haven't read "Treecat Wars" yet.

It looks unusual but far from unheard-of. Memory singers in particular may move out of their birth clan, since each clan really, really needs one and can do without several.

It's odd that the clan hasn't given Nimitz a new name regarding his exploits amongst the humans and his visit to many far reaches of space. Perhaps he should be called "traveler." I think he's called "prankster" or something like?

"Climbs Quickly" may still suit a treecat who travels at hundreds of c regularly, whose human went from a daughter of yeoman stock to Steadholder and Duchess Harrington.

cthia wrote:Thanks Jeff. I always found the hierarchy a bit puzzling, but I didn't sweat it. I thought it'd all be ironed out as soon as I read Treecat Wars or some other title which afforded my pleasure.

Drop Samantha in any treecat group and they're going to be nodding and following her lead soon enough. The lady is some sort of treecat messiah.

That may have answered another question, of what singular treecat would have the "charisma" to speak to an emergency unprecedented assembling of all treecat clan.

"Treecat Messiah." Now that's a title worth reading that should be included in the proper thread!

JeffEngel wrote:"cthia"]Thanks Jeff. I always found the hierarchy a bit puzzling, but I didn't sweat it. I thought it'd all be ironed out as soon as I read Treecat Wars or some other title which afforded my pleasure.

Drop Samantha in any treecat group and they're going to be nodding and following her lead soon enough. The lady is some sort of treecat messiah.

That may have answered another question, of what singular treecat would have the "charisma" to speak to an emergency unprecedented assembling of all treecat clan.

"Treecat Messiah." Now that's a title worth reading that should be included in the proper thread!

cthia wrote:Thanks Jeff. I always found the hierarchy a bit puzzling, but I didn't sweat it. I thought it'd all be ironed out as soon as I read Treecat Wars or some other title which afforded my pleasure.

JeffEngel wrote:I've read the first two of the Stephanie Harrington books and have been waiting (eagerly) for a better deal on Treecat Wars, because I am cheap....

Drop Samantha in any treecat group and they're going to be nodding and following her lead soon enough. The lady is some sort of treecat messiah.

cthia wrote:That may have answered another question, of what singular treecat would have the "charisma" to speak to an emergency unprecedented assembling of all treecat clan.

"Treecat Messiah." Now that's a title worth reading that should be included in the proper thread!

JeffEngel wrote:I'd not be surprised to see it put on her or Sorrow Singer down the road. Memory singers tend to be... forceful individuals and they stand out even among that crowd.

cthia wrote:In In Enemy Hands, how many RMN ships were captured? Is there a hard number on that? And exactly what did the RHN do with them? Did the RMN ever see them again incorporated into Haven's navy?

Luckily, RFC planned, it was right before the Ghost Rider tech saw the light of day. I'm not sure what Haven got as far as tech from those captured ships, but it must have been something.