SPOILER - Political/Security Changes via Treecat

Memory Singers aren't a panacea solution. Some concepts are just too difficult to learn from someone. They have to be experienced and completely internalized first. Sam's and Nimitz's kits are the key. They will encounter very different concepts, thought processes and fundemental ways of thinking that no other treecat ever has. Their understanding will be shared by the singers. I don't think that any treecat who was not raised from infancy steeped in those concepts can hope to become comfortable with some of these concepts. That will be true with or without Singers.

PeterZ wrote:Memory Singers aren't a panacea solution. Some concepts are just too difficult to learn from someone. They have to be experienced and completely internalized first. Sam's and Nimitz's kits are the key. They will encounter very different concepts, thought processes and fundemental ways of thinking that no other treecat ever has. Their understanding will be shared by the singers. I don't think that any treecat who was not raised from infancy steeped in those concepts can hope to become comfortable with some of these concepts. That will be true with or without Singers.

A non-Empath/ non-Telepath really cannot tell what a Treecat knows

Nimitz

I'm not sure Armored Treecat Marines are a way to go.

Could they be done....probably but there are several challenges. The least of those is taking the Treekcat (probably aready a Scout) out of the Picketwood and aquainting him/her with all sorts of techincal things including the powered combat armored designed both for the Treecat physiology AND the way they think. The way they think being telepaths/empatch who need to learn all kinds of things and get comfortable with them.

Makeing a Scout an Armored Cat Marine might be cool but they have to LEARN things first.

Sure, you could take a Cat that has learned all about Marine tactics (since they will have to interface with the Marines) but you have to give the recruite actual experience in using said suit even if they have a MemorySinger template/copy of a memory to work from.
What does everything do?
Why does it do it?
Walking/running/jumping with augmented cababilities needs to be experienced and transfered to mussle memory along with your wetware memory.
Take the Cat(s) our on the range and have them work with 1st the normal weapons of the same type that have been adapted to Treecat physiology. THEN train them with the suite on (haveng first mastered said suit) and retrain with the weapons redesigned for Treecats in CombaT Armor.

I do like the pulsars for Treecats (and training them in their care/feeding and use).

Next I want to see Treecats learing a bit about themselves as a species and unerstanding more of the techincal stuff they will eventualy have to learn.

Now we get to Sam's and Nimitz's kits. They will experience schooling just like Katherine, Raoul and the youngest child. Those kits may never truly understand some concepts, but all those concepts they are able to pick up, they can. Having a deeper understanding of those basic concepts will make learning to use complex tools easier. It makes translating speech into the written word more likely.

The kits' understanding will can be shared with other treecats, but even so only the reasonably young can really internalize, become fluent so to speak in that knowledge. So, the 'cats' ability to utilize human tools will range in inverse proportion to their age. Most trained scouts will be able to use pulsers. Younger scouts may be able to read and write and use coms. Only the youngest can learn to use the most complex tools.

In many ways treecat society will be shattered. The younger generation will be massively separated from their older clan mates not by a choice, but by a capacity to understand. Those oldsters will be most likely to live traditional lives, while the youngsters will be more comfortable living in human society.

PeterZ wrote:

Nimitz1923PD wrote::?:
If Treecats start showing up in battle-suits that cute furry harmless protection goes out the airlock

Nimitz

That went out the airlock when Nimitz and Honor protected Benjamin against those Macabeus assassins. Not sure if there was any footage of that, but everyone who reads about that episode knows Treecats are deadly up close. Give the pulsers and everyone knows they are deadly period.

(snip)

There is footage of that all right; from chapter 21 of _The Honor of the Queen_: "What you're about to see has been playing nonstop over the video nets even since the assassination attempt, courtesy of the palace surveillance system, Captain."

(snip)
[/quote]
There is footage of that all right; from chapter 21 of _The Honor of the Queen_: "What you're about to see has been playing nonstop over the video nets even since the assassination attempt, courtesy of the palace surveillance system, Captain."[/quote]

There is also video of an Honor Harrington being hung by the neck until dead - CGI is a wonderful thing

Nimitz

I can see no reason for treecat battlesuits. The prime advantages of treecats are scouting and their empathic sense. A treecat can't match a marine in sheer combat power.

Note, also, that Nimitz can't aim a weapon properly. He's accurate with a laser sight--but laser sights are out of the question for a battlefield. One laser is fine, but when there are multiple lasers you have a big problem figuring out which laser is yours.

Loren Pechtel wrote:I can see no reason for treecat battlesuits. The prime advantages of treecats are scouting and their empathic sense. A treecat can't match a marine in sheer combat power.

Note, also, that Nimitz can't aim a weapon properly. He's accurate with a laser sight--but laser sights are out of the question for a battlefield. One laser is fine, but when there are multiple lasers you have a big problem figuring out which laser is yours.

If You are being shot at by anyone regardless of species I can see a lot of reasons for Battle-Suits

Nimitz

pappilon wrote:

Fireflair wrote:I feel that the treecats will definitely help with vetting people for important and sensitive positions. They will also be able to cut back on MAlign infiltrators.

What they won't be able to do is deal with crafty spies and smart operators. A good spy won't be trying to get into a position to do things for themselves they'll try to influence some one who's already there. Maybe it's subtlety pumping them for information without them realizing how much they're giving up. Or maybe it's encouraging some one to take actions that they don't see a problem with which help the MAlign agenda without knowing it.

I think you guys are totally overestimating the number of treecats actually available for all these super dooper super high security jobs. At this point in time they number in the mid 2 digits.

And I think you over estimating how easy it is to penetrate intelligence services. and How many people they would be vetting. If 1 percent of treecats decide to assist the GA that's right around 100,000. They can certainly make a dent in enemy intelligence services. That's not to say spies or other individuals won't be able to obtain information through elicitation and what not. But I think the GA could hamper MAlign and other intelligence significantly with some strategic placement of treecats.

Nimitz1923PD wrote:

Loren Pechtel wrote:I can see no reason for treecat battlesuits. The prime advantages of treecats are scouting and their empathic sense. A treecat can't match a marine in sheer combat power.

Note, also, that Nimitz can't aim a weapon properly. He's accurate with a laser sight--but laser sights are out of the question for a battlefield. One laser is fine, but when there are multiple lasers you have a big problem figuring out which laser is yours.

If You are being shot at by anyone regardless of species I can see a lot of reasons for Battle-Suits

Nimitz

You misunderstand.

I can see a role for armor. However, there's no reason to give that armor anything more than light self-defense firepower. An armored treecat is going to be vastly inferior to an armored marine. All their advantages go away when you put them in armor and I've already explained they can't shoot straight, either.

Treecats should be considered equivalent of other specialists the marines might escort to a target, not combatants in their own right.