The great Treecat conspiracy.

Torlek wrote:

SharkHunter wrote:Welllll, mayyyyybeee.

Our favorite SL news gatherer has enough journalistic integrity that she'd likely want to actually "meet" a treecat if even just to say she's being fair about her conclusions.

I'm not sure that the MAlign wants any 'cat peering inside* the heads of their better assets, even those outside the Onion but with really good connections and a Mesan knowledge base that there's other stuff going on.

[yes, I know... treecats don't actually peek inside at a mind reading level, but they can pass on a whole lot of insight by how a person reacts, etc.]

The question is how much she knows about treecats. I do not see why she should know more about treecats, than the average Solarian. I would not give detailed briefings to my field agents about stuff that does not affect their operations. I can imaging her asking for and getting an interview with Admiral Gold Peak to talk about the occupation of Mesa. Who knows maybe the alignment comes up. You know in passing.

Given that one of the reasons for attacking Mesa is to find evidence of the Alignment, it is a virtual certainty that the subject of the Alignment is going to come up, if only because O'Hanrahan will bring up the subject of the Manticore fixation on this fantasy. If fact, if she doesn't and knows there is a treecat present, that in and of itself is a significant piece of information, although it may well escape Henke and company at the time.

stewart wrote:

Quinlan73 wrote:Another thing to consider is that most Sollies that have even heard of treecats wouldn't know just how smart they are and would dismiss any reports that the Manties are working on giving them equal status in their society.

Even the MA may not know their full capabilities. All they wanted to find out is how their telepathy/empathy worked and if they could duplicate it in humans.

---------------

The Detweillers likely DO know their capabilities, especially after the 'cats came out in the open. The Detweillers have been trying (and apparently succeeded a couple of times) to capture Treecats since Stephanie Harrington's day.
Whether the rest of the MA knows of their capabilities is a moot point WRT to the MA.
Whether O'Hanrahan knows will be pertinent if she has an interview with Michelle Henke.

-- Stewart

The MA has tried a couple of times to get treecats, there biggest effort was the Richtman scandal in 1500 PD. The Mesans spent probably spent a couple of billion MD$ in the unsuccessful effort. IIRC the Mesans/Manpower succeeded in capturing 1 treecat that died shortly afterwards. And any research that is being conducted is in a desultory fashion.

repeat of of topic see http://forums.davidweber.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3901

Poker

Here's a fun question to add to the thread. How much can a treecat get telempathically if they can see you on an HD screen vs. within their close proximal range? AKA is a mind glow transmittable?

Something like Alfredo or Nimitz observing a hi-res display informing their partner about the "behind the scenes..." emotional byplay. Could they do that any better than the humans?

SharkHunter wrote:Here's a fun question to add to the thread. How much can a treecat get telempathically if they can see you on an HD screen vs. within their close proximal range?

Something like Alfredo or Nimitz observing a hi-res display informing their partner about the "behind the scenes..." emotional byplay. Could they do that any better than the humans?

I suspect not as well, as they have little experienc in reading body language, etc. since they have the mind-glow to read instead. Without that, they are going to be somewhat at sea (to mix a metaphor.)

--evil laugh--

They'll just take over the governments of free--election star systems. Also known as... how do you win an election against a 'catted political leader? given that integrity seems to be a key component of WHO a treecat bonds with, and they're furry lie detectors and assassination guards all in one seemingly cuddle-able package. 'Til they go all protecto-berzerker anyway.

Even then, they seem to only go after folks the average man on the street would probably agree needed killing anyway. I mean, I'd vote for a Congress critter with a 'cat... Picture the newscast "Hipper killed ________today. Explained afterwards that ________ was a sexual predator targeting children. In other news..."

SharkHunter wrote:--evil laugh--

They'll just take over the governments of free--election star systems. Also known as... how do you win an election against a 'catted political leader? given that integrity seems to be a key component of WHO a treecat bonds with, and they're furry lie detectors and assassination guards all in one seemingly cuddle-able package. 'Til they go all protecto-berzerker anyway.

Even then, they seem to only go after folks the average man on the street would probably agree needed killing anyway. I mean, I'd vote for a Congress critter with a 'cat... Picture the newscast "Hipper killed ________today. Explained afterwards that ________ was a sexual predator targeting children. In other news..."

Yeah, and any politician without a treecat is going to be toast against one with. What a great way to start the "Great Treecat Conspiracy" - with disgruntled politicians pushing the theory on the grounds that they have remained pure by rejecting the insidious influences of the 'cats - order 50 yards from stock, and cut to fit.

As a great idea for a new HD show, why not have a signing treecat panel _in the studio_ (forget long distance) making comments in the corner of the screen on "Into the Fire" (or whatever that interview/current events show on Manticore is called). The humor possibilities are near endless!!!

fallsfromtrees wrote:

SharkHunter wrote:--evil laugh--

They'll just take over the governments of free--election star systems. Also known as... how do you win an election against a 'catted political leader? given that integrity seems to be a key component of WHO a treecat bonds with, and they're furry lie detectors and assassination guards all in one seemingly cuddle-able package. 'Til they go all protecto-berzerker anyway...

Yeah, and any politician without a treecat is going to be toast against one with. What a great way to start the "Great Treecat Conspiracy" - with disgruntled politicians pushing the theory on the grounds that they have remained pure by rejecting the insidious influences of the 'cats - order 50 yards from stock, and cut to fit.

SharkHunter wrote:--evil laugh--

They'll just take over the governments of free--election star systems. Also known as... how do you win an election against a 'catted political leader? given that integrity seems to be a key component of WHO a treecat bonds with, and they're furry lie detectors and assassination guards all in one seemingly cuddle-able package. 'Til they go all protecto-berzerker anyway...

fallsfromtrees wrote:Yeah, and any politician without a treecat is going to be toast against one with. What a great way to start the "Great Treecat Conspiracy" - with disgruntled politicians pushing the theory on the grounds that they have remained pure by rejecting the insidious influences of the 'cats - order 50 yards from stock, and cut to fit.

jgnfld wrote:As a great idea for a new HD show, why not have a signing treecat panel _in the studio_ (forget long distance) making comments in the corner of the screen on "Into the Fire" (or whatever that interview/current events show on Manticore is called). The humor possibilities are near endless!!!

Not for the human panelists, except for maybe the occasional Crown Loyalist who actually isn't trying to twist things for his own POV.

I think the conspiracy goes way back,

From chapter 13 of Fire Season..

He fell silent, but they were aware of his faint mind-glow growing stronger. Now that he had a sense of the direction from which Left-Striped was coming, Climbs Quickly turned to Death Fang’s Bane.
“Bleek!” he said, then pointed, making at the same time a motion similar to that of hands on the stick of the air car. He felt her flash of delight and amusement, then heard her making mouth noises to Shadowed Sunlight and the boy who drove the larger flying thing. The two vehicles turned almost as one.
<Useful,> commented Nose Biter grudgingly. <Can you always get her to obey so easily?>
<It has taken time,> Climbs Quickly admitted, <but once I felt certain that the mouth noises substitute for mind-voices, I knew we had to find a compromise.