PeterZ wrote:pushmar wrote:"I've been watching you too long."
Oh, she has, has she?
Let the cruel teasing begin! Mr. Weber, thanks, and I expect I'll speculate a bit about this. Too bad books take so long to write, but its beginning to look like it'll be worth the wait.
That's the key sentence.
Watching is the key word.
watch [ woch ]
1.observe: to look at and keep your attention on something or somebody over a period of time
2.keep lookout: to keep a lookout for something that might appear or happen
3.monitor something or somebody: to keep something or somebody under observation as a protective measure, to gather information, or to exert control
Does RFC mean 1 or 3 and does it matter? -rubs hands-
If he means 1, then Aivah personally has observed Merlin/Ahbraim/et al for a long time. This is the obvious interpretation.
If he means 3, then someone or something has been watching Merlin's
seijin crew. Trouble is that Aivah wouldn't use watching in this context because Safehold doesn't have the tech to see things beyond the observer's physical visual range. The connotation wouldn't occur to a Safeholdian to use
under observation synonymously with personally
watching.
Yet, Aivah did use
watching and not
under observation to describe her source of knowledge. Even if she knowingly used the term to mean under observation, it implies she has knowledge that other means of viewing from a distance are possible. Sure, rumors credit Merlin nwith visions of far away things. Unless she had those capabilities it wouldn't be wise to tweek a
seijin's tail who does have those skills. Her crew might be subject to more intense scrutiny.
All of this conjecture suggests Aivah does have knowledge of Terran Federation Tech. That suggests she belongs to a group like Shan-wei's seedlings or Schueler's progeny. I doubt her group has many doodads, but she has access to some.