A certain RMN Officer...

SharkHunter wrote:Meanwhile, I have a pairing for Susan Hibson in mind...

Warner Caslet...

Can't quite see this happening, although it might. With Alfredo Yu having been assigned as Grayson CNO (at least I think he was, I've been re-reading all the early books again ).

I think he'd poach his former apprentice out from the Protector's Own to act as part of his staff in Yeltsin.

roseandheather wrote:

exiledtoIA wrote:

Maybe Susan is a cougar?

Please. We all know that Susan is destined for Stephen Westman.

Here's a project for you: find someone for Bernardus van Dort. (Not Dame Estelle. She's taken.)

Rose, I hate to disagree with such a charming young lady as yourself.
However, Westman couldn't hold Susan's interest for more than a weekend.
I mean come on, he didn't use ANY powered armor in any of his attacks. and his attacks were against his own people.
I can't see any long term possibilities here.

Somtaaw wrote:

SharkHunter wrote:Meanwhile, I have a pairing for Susan Hibson in mind...

Warner Caslet...

Can't quite see this happening, although it might. With Alfredo Yu having been assigned as Grayson CNO (at least I think he was, I've been re-reading all the early books again ).

I think he'd poach his former apprentice out from the Protector's Own to act as part of his staff in Yeltsin.

I believe it was Judah Yanakov who was promoted to High Admiral - he was recalled from 8th Fleet after Wesley Matthews died in Oyster Bay.

JeffEngel wrote:The "it" there was Henke/Tourville, not Henke/Oversteegen. It's entirely possible she and Oversteegen have a history that already includes nekkid touching - they're certainly familiar.

Why rose wants to inflict Oversteegen on Abigail Hearns is beyond me. I don't know whatever vicious crime Abby's committed off-screen to merit that kind of punishment....

I would honestly not be at all surprised if Michelle's and Michael's relationship had at some point included sex. It was probably frustration-fuelled, belligerent-sexual-tension sex, but I would be utterly un-shocked if they'd had it. In fact, if she weren't in his chain of command, I wouldn't be surprised if they were still having it.

Yes, how dare I inflict upon Abi Hearns someone who already deeply and profoundly respects Grayson culture, comes from the same sort of aristocratic upbringing she does with the same sense of aristocratic responsibility and noblesse oblige, and whose conservative and somewhat traditional personality would fit perfectly with a young woman who is in almost all ways still very much a classic Grayson, with the accompanying faith and determination to retain her femininity.

I'm telling you, it's a Regency romance in space waiting to happen!!

(The fact that I would totally, absolutely, and without question marry Oversteegen myself if the opportunity came up has nothing to do with this, of course.)

Rose is on point with the Abigail/Oversteegen connection. Much better match for him than Michelle.

Besides, Westman is my favorite Talbotter and he satisfies the "Marry a Commoner" thingy in the constitution.

Ruth on the other hand, that's a conundrum. Hmmmm, how about a certain Peep flag officer. Rather young for his rank but he got his first command the hard way at Second Hancock?

... and IIRC he's in the Manticore Binary System as we speak.

roseandheather wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:The "it" there was Henke/Tourville, not Henke/Oversteegen. It's entirely possible she and Oversteegen have a history that already includes nekkid touching - they're certainly familiar.

Why rose wants to inflict Oversteegen on Abigail Hearns is beyond me. I don't know whatever vicious crime Abby's committed off-screen to merit that kind of punishment....

I would honestly not be at all surprised if Michelle's and Michael's relationship had at some point included sex. It was probably frustration-fuelled, belligerent-sexual-tension sex, but I would be utterly un-shocked if they'd had it. In fact, if she weren't in his chain of command, I wouldn't be surprised if they were still having it.

Yes, how dare I inflict upon Abi Hearns someone who already deeply and profoundly respects Grayson culture, comes from the same sort of aristocratic upbringing she does with the same sense of aristocratic responsibility and noblesse oblige, and whose conservative and somewhat traditional personality would fit perfectly with a young woman who is in almost all ways still very much a classic Grayson, with the accompanying faith and determination to retain her femininity.

I don't think their backgrounds are that closely comparable.

Michael Oversteegen comes from a wealthy, politically advantaged hereditary class. Personally, he's of the belief that that obliges him to merit the advantages birth has delivered to him, which is certainly a whole lot more pro-social than the attitude taken by many, many people coming out of precisely the same background, such as Pavel Young or Michael Janvier. Moreover, he's well aware that the rest of the universe does not revolve around Manticore or its customs and will take people on their own terms - at least those who, by birth, merit, or position, get up to a comparable peer status. And he's a fine officer and a man of wit and personal integrity.

He's not, however, a near-absolute ruler with the power of life and death over his subjects, like Steadholder Owens. The traditions of deference to a Steadholder are certainly not his, and as much as he may be inclined to let Graysons be Graysons out of respect, etiquette and not being a natural radical, he's unlikely to fit in there. "Conservative" isn't a natural kind - it's relative to a given place and time. On Grayson, if they're both going to express themselves freely and honestly, Michael Oversteegen and, say, Cathy Montaigne aren't going to look enough different politically to impress Grayson's conservatives. (Oversteegen can probably content himself with comments that they don't quite get, like he did with Admiral Draskovic - Cathy, well, they'll understand and then their heads will explode.)

That set won't be one that Abigail's going to care to be in either - but then, they already regard her and her father as class traitors. Still, she can understand them well enough, and they represent part of her social milieu short of some lunatic fringe. She's accustomed to that deference, as much as the full-bore version of it aboard ship clashes with shipboard life and mixed crews, and as much as she and her father may look forward to a somewhat more egalitarian Grayson. At any rate, I figure they suppose that Grayson changing in a way that dials back the power of Steadholders and opens up opportunities to women isn't necessarily a bad thing. But note that the kind of changes they figure are probably good and shouldn't be ruled out are leading to the sorts of circumstances that are perfectly obvious to anyone from Manticore, be he however "conservative" by Manticore's standards.

Michael Oversteegen likes the society he lives in, and being of the part of it he is - much as he may not care for some of the company that puts him in. He can be a perfectly urbane visitor elsewhere, but he's not going to slip right in. Too much of his identity is bound up in being a Manticoran aristocrat, with the duties of one as he identifies them and the privileges. I don't see him leaving that. Likewise, the service of her planet is too much a part of Abigail Hearns for her to leave it - or to let it pass up the changes it needs to survive.

Seriously though, about Abigail...

I'm going to hazard a guess that if she survives the current conflict, she'll marry a Matthews or a Yanakov. Later on "in that generation" one is the high admiral and one is the commandant and head-mistress of the Grayson version of Saganami Island.

SharkHunter wrote:Seriously though, about Abigail...

I'm going to hazard a guess that if she survives the current conflict, she'll marry a Matthews or a Yanakov. Later on "in that generation" one is the high admiral and one is the commandant and head-mistress of the Grayson version of Saganami Island.

I think by this point in time, Grayson is so firmly tied to Manticore, they'd just keep using Manticore's Saganami Island. Especially after Honor started making the Advanced Tactics Course start putting students in the shoes of being in non-Manticoran shoes.

And that the Manticoran BuPers saw those advantages, so we'll likely see Abigail coming in to be the ATC's Commandant, just like Honor.

And also potentially going to start seeing Havenites attending Saganami Island, easy now Rose remember to breathe *gets a crash cart and stretchers just in case*

The thought of Havenites starting to get that Edward Saganami tradition passed onto them, let alone helping them get a better handle on engineering? That's going to boost Havenite naval efficiency by at least 200-300%

BrightSoul wrote:Rose is on point with the Abigail/Oversteegen connection. Much better match for him than Michelle.

Besides, Westman is my favorite Talbotter and he satisfies the "Marry a Commoner" thingy in the constitution.

Ruth on the other hand, that's a conundrum. Hmmmm, how about a certain Peep flag officer. Rather young for his rank but he got his first command the hard way at Second Hancock?

... and IIRC he's in the Manticore Binary System as we speak.

*flourishing bow* Thank you! I admit that the Michael/Michelle UST is a bit ridiculous, but I don't think they're right for each other long-term.

Ruth is a conundrum, and one I (shockingly) don't have an answer for. Westman, though... I would probably be cheering for him to get with Helen if she weren't just so perfect with Paulo, but surely there has to be someone somewhere in Tenth Fleet who can handle him!!

roseandheather wrote:
Ruth is a conundrum, and one I (shockingly) don't have an answer for. Westman, though... I would probably be cheering for him to get with Helen if she weren't just so perfect with Paulo, but surely there has to be someone somewhere in Tenth Fleet who can handle him!!

Isn't Lars Zilwicki single at the moment? Just a thought.