cthia wrote:Reading the latest bonding with Harahap makes me go back to one of my original notions that the MAlign could try and discredit treecats across the galaxy and by extension Manticore, by claiming that the entire mechanism of bonding is nothing less than a form of brainwashing by the treecats.
Instantly, the victim is speechless. Stares into nothingness and...
Bim Bam BOOM! VOILA WALLA BANG BANG! BONDED!
Wait, can something be propaganda if its true? (Yes, the answer is yes.)
[propaganda]
Surrendering only to attempt to murder the first high value target you come across is called perfidy. Furthermore, its the sort of action that would allow the enemy to justify simply shooting your forces when they surrender hence forth, especially if performed by the ranking officer in the system. This sort of action is the sort of thing no sane or honorable officer would commit.
Now, consider the case of Honor Harrington surrendering to the Peeps. Everyone agrees Honor Harrington is normally very honorable and mostly sane. She surrendered knowing she would be executed for crimes she had already been convicted of. But upon learning that her Treecat partner would be destroyed, who was
not a member of the military and
not covered by the Deneb accords, she immediately resorts to attempting to murder one of the
unarmed Havenites. Every person there could have been justifiably killed at that point, although Cordellia Ransom was kind enough to show mercy despite Harrington's treachery.
Furthermore, after Harrington's eventual escape (accomplished with yet more treachery) far from being reprimanded the Queen, also paired with a Treecat, rewarded Harrington with new "lands" and a new title!
Of course, that is only a single anecdote. To better see the obvious effects of brainwashing we should compare Manticore's treatment of a second alien race. The Medusans. The Treecats were given protections in Manticore's Constitution, their habitats given protection, and they are allowed to freely wander Manticore's worlds and steal whatever they like. Indeed they are well known for the theft of foodstuffs. The Medusans had their lands taken. This despite the fact that the Medusans had shown the ability to speak.
Nor does the brainwashing effect only those bonded to Treecats. There was a rather famous case were a man was attacked by Treecats, and the local police forces went to the aid, of the Treecats! Again compare this to the treatment of Medusans.
Its only gotten worse. Now the Treecats have convinced the Manticorian government they have have the ability to detect any lie and the government trust the Treecat proclamations, no matter how absurd. Indeed it is the supposed basis of proof for the Malign! These are horrifyingly dangerous creatures. The only sane, humane, option is restricting Treecats to Sphinx and removing all humans from the surface. If Manticore isn't willing to do so, other Star Nations must immediately bar Treecats from their systems. Would you allow a Gremlin to wander free? Or a Growler? Or a Medusan? No![/propaganda]
But seriously, Treecats definitely alter the minds of their victims when they bond in a way that could be called brainwashing. I'm still wondering when someone who isn't a Neo-Luddite will make a Treecat-Human Chimera. Or maybe try and use uplifting techniques on Treecats. I thought it was implied that some Earth animals got that? What could possibly go wrong? Don't say Mule.