Mesa biotech and Emily Alexander

so.
we know that Mesa or at least the MA has pushed the limits of genetic engineering to unknown heights. Just because they are the bad guys doesn't mean that they haven't produced stuff that can help the rest o the universe (see nazi scientists working for the us after ww2).

Its been rattling around in my head that somewhere in Mesa there might be a way to help heal Emily, and with Mike on her way to take out that system perhaps that knowledge will be making its way to the star empire in the not too distant future?
Perhaps leading to a Prime Minister Emily Alexander Harrington

Nope. It's a plot device. There are all sorts of ways to bypass that sort of damage, we just can't make any of them quite work. We are within 10 years of being able to do it with electronics routinely, organic repair is father out.

You have to hold a title in your own right to become Prime Minister. Emily, despite being Lady Harrington-White Haven, doesn't qualify.

Sure, Elizabeth could give her a title like she did Willie Alexander. But then she'd have given quite a few titles to that family - in addition to Willie's barony, there's the Harrington earldom and duchy. Granted, it would solve the 'dilemma' of Raoul's little sister only getting half of Skydomes and none of the titles.

I see Emily being used as the dark plot device. Perhaps very bad things will happen to her by a Mesa hit team using their nasty bio tech weapons.

Why? She is a stationary target. Horrible as this sounds, it might get employed in a future Honor book as a way of horrifying the Mesa bad guys. Just me.

This also has the convenient effect of clearing the way for a proper marriage for Honor. But there is the possibility he will NOT survive the attack either.

HB of CJ wrote:I see Emily being used as the dark plot device. Perhaps very bad things will happen to her by a Mesa hit team using their nasty bio tech weapons.

Why? She is a stationary target. Horrible as this sounds, it might get employed in future Honor books as a way to horrifying the Mesa bad guys. Just me.

This also has the convenient effect of clearing the way for a proper marriage for Honor. But there is the possibility he will survive the attack either.

David has said that he's planning on wrapping this up with two more books: Shadow of Victory and another to be released on the anniversary of the first book. He's also floated the idea of another series 20 to 30 years in the future. If he does that, either he's going to have to invent another big bad, or he's going to have to have the MAlign lay low so everybody thinks they're gone. A MAlign strike against Honor's in-laws isn't consistent with either scenario.

munroburton wrote:You have to hold a title in your own right to become Prime Minister. Emily, despite being Lady Harrington-White Haven, doesn't qualify.

Sure, Elizabeth could give her a title like she did Willie Alexander. But then she'd have given quite a few titles to that family - in addition to Willie's barony, there's the Harrington earldom and duchy. Granted, it would solve the 'dilemma' of Raoul's little sister only getting half of Skydomes and none of the titles.

Actually Emily can only be Lady White Haven because Honor is Duchess Harrington in her own self. Also Baron Grantville has his own heirs. As to Katherine it depends on how Honor's and Hamish's wills are structured specifically. One Raoul could get everything, two Raoul could inherit the earldom then pass it to Katherine as he take the Duchy and Steading and split Skydomes, three Roaul inherits the duchy and stealing while Katherine gets the earldom when Hamish passes.

I'm not convinced that Honor's will has anything to do with who get what title after her death (which I hope will be a long time ahead anyway). Any system of inherited titles has rules on how they are inherited which are not over-ridden by a will, or by agreement within a family. They're set in stone and no argument or negotiation is possible - apart from the times that actual or alleged illegitimacy gets in the way, of course, and even then the fight is over which person has the right to inherit _under the rules_.
Cheers
John

saber964 wrote:

munroburton wrote:You have to hold a title in your own right to become Prime Minister. Emily, despite being Lady Harrington-White Haven, doesn't qualify.

Sure, Elizabeth could give her a title like she did Willie Alexander. But then she'd have given quite a few titles to that family - in addition to Willie's barony, there's the Harrington earldom and duchy. Granted, it would solve the 'dilemma' of Raoul's little sister only getting half of Skydomes and none of the titles.

Actually Emily can only be Lady White Haven because Honor is Duchess Harrington in her own self. Also Baron Grantville has his own heirs. As to Katherine it depends on how Honor's and Hamish's wills are structured specifically. One Raoul could get everything, two Raoul could inherit the earldom then pass it to Katherine as he take the Duchy and Steading and split Skydomes, three Roaul inherits the duchy and stealing while Katherine gets the earldom when Hamish passes.

John Prigent wrote:I'm not convinced that Honor's will has anything to do with who get what title after her death (which I hope will be a long time ahead anyway).

I'm too lazy to search pearls, but RFC has already answered this. Honor cannot 'will' her titles to different people. Regardless of what she might want, any and all Manticoran inheritable titles she has at the time of her death will follow the standard Manticoran rules of inheritance (everything goes to her first-born child). Any and all inheritable Grayson titles she holds at the time of her death will follow the standard Grayson rules of inheritance (which barring some bizarre circumstance that made Honor Protector, are largely the same now, and the most prominent difference doesn't matter because Honor's firstborn is a son).

What Honor puts in her will is very much germain to to the topic. Honor can cut Roaul completely out of any non-titled lands much like Catherine Montainge did when she dumped her title on her younger brother Henry. IIRC 70-80% of the Montainge family fortune was not entitled in the Earldom of the Tor. This actually happened in England when the heir got the title and land associated with the title but the second son got the crown jewel a distillery and brewery that was 90-95% of the family fortune. Conceivably Honor could pass the Duchy and Steading to Roaul and Katherine gets Skydomes.

saber964 wrote:What Honor puts in her will is very much germain to to the topic. Honor can cut Roaul completely out of any non-titled lands much like Catherine Montainge did when she dumped her title on her younger brother Henry. IIRC 70-80% of the Montainge family fortune was not entitled in the Earldom of the Tor. This actually happened in England when the heir got the title and land associated with the title but the second son got the crown jewel a distillery and brewery that was 90-95% of the family fortune. Conceivably Honor could pass the Duchy and Steading to Raoul and Katherine gets Skydomes.

My point was that Honor has absolutely no choice in the matter of who gets the Duchy (or the Steading, for that matter). If nothing happens to Raoul between now and Honor's death that would prevent him from inheriting it, he will inherit it. There is absolutely nothing Honor can do to prevent this. The same goes for the Earldom of White Haven, subbing Hamish for Honor.

Sure, she can do whatever she wants with her other money and property (within the bounds of Manticoran law), but that's not what we were discussing.