Your Favorite Sophont in the Marches

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Aslan and Vargr appear to both eat defeated opponents, and everyone likes roasted K'kree except the K'kree, who are out to exterminate all carnivores, and realistically, all other life except K'kree. After all, other herbivores are competing with the K;kree for food.

As in another thread, I believe that Aramis said that in one of the modules, a K'kree killed another sophont, I think a human, because it smelt milk on its breath. That pretty much makes the idea of human servants for K'kree a total non-starter for me. Killing lactation human females is going to rapidly eliminate human slaves.

And are you ready to swear with complete and absolute certainty that canabilism is not still taking place on Earth?

Uh, it wasn't milk, it was meat, dude had eaten meat and they smelled that and yes wasted him. But if they killed anyome with milk on their breath they'd be dead already as a species.

As to the Aslan and Vargr eating other sophonts, uh..no. I mean maybe there are some Vargr out there who might but on the whole it isn't mentioned in any canon source I've read.

Also, no one who wants to stay out of prison should be eating sophonts, that is criminally insane behavior and pretty sure most sane societies will prosecute that (excepting only emergency situations and even then the eaten had best been dead of other causes or it might get down to murder).

Yeah, it happens here, trust me I know, but then the authorities put that dude in prison. And as to the low tech societies it wasn't as wide spread as people think, it happened but as you'll note not in the first or even second world nations.

 

[aramis]

Go, carefully reread JTAS 21 p 45 right column. They consider milk to be bloodlike.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Really now?

Go, carefully reread JTAS 21 p 45 right column. They consider milk to be bloodlike.

I'd have to dig it out, my memory of Sophontolgy is pretty much confined to the Alien Modules so it is possible I missed something from other sources, I mean as much as I hate it I have been wrong before.

EDIT: Also then how do they survive if they think milk is bloody enough to kill over? Weird.

 

[whulorigan]

I'd have to dig it out, my memory of Sophontolgy is pretty much confined to the Alien Modules so it is possible I missed something from other sources, I mean as much as I hate it I have been wrong before.

EDIT: Also then how do they survive if they think milk is bloody enough to kill over? Weird.

K'kree are not mammals; they do not 'nurse' their young. Their females feed them pre-chewed/predigested food. "Nursing" is an alien behavior.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Riiigght, I knew that...

K'kree are not mammals; they do not 'nurse' their young. Their females feed them pre-chewed/predigested food. "Nursing" is an alien behavior.

I forgot that. See, I was wrong, okay then maybe the milk thing is a thing for them then. My bad.

But I stand on the Aslan and Vargr not eating people. That I think I would remember it being kinda creepy and well not very civilized behavior by star faring sophonts.

 

[aramis]

I forgot that. See, I was wrong, okay then maybe the milk thing is a thing for them then. My bad.

But I stand on the Aslan and Vargr not eating people. That I think I would remember it being kinda creepy and well not very civilized behavior by star faring sophonts.

Magnus, HUMANS are known to occasionally be cannibals. And some humans eat our closest related species (chimps, banoboes) and the even smarter dolphins. Why would carnivorous species not be sophontophagic?

At least a few would gleefully eat outgroup intelligences.

 

[kilemall]

Other science-fiction venues, particularly Babylon 5, have expounded upon this question. But as far as I'm concerned, Traveller was there first! (Well...right after Isaac Asimov.)

(Interestingly, I believe it's worth mentioning that, (if I understand correctly,) MWM has a degree in sociology.)

By following a thread that psionicly endowed people would use their abilities to control society, that led down to the logical conclusion the all of that society would be essentially brainwashed. The psionics would control the populace by "adjusting" any unwanted thoughts among that populace. And they'd be happy about it! Because, if not, you'd just "adjust" them until they were.

Brilliant!

And to my way of thinking, a little disturbing. Which made them the perfect "bad-guy" for the Imperium. After all, who would ever want someone to come in and, *poof*, suddenly you were not allowed your own thoughts and feelings? Those thoughts and feelings were now dictated by the state. I can certainly see why the Imperium would fight to the death, if needs be, to prevent that from happening.

Cordwainer Smith's Instrumentality would adjust people until they were measurably happy, a major theme and adjustment was the realization that humanity was dying out because it was in forced happiness and safety, a guaranteed 400 year lifespan, but really needed the reality threats and consequences to be 'vital'.



No psionics but in the wheelhouse.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Cordwainer Smith's Instrumentality would adjust people until they were measurably happy, a major theme and adjustment was the realization that humanity was dying out because it was in forced happiness and safety, a guaranteed 400 year lifespan, but really needed the reality threats and consequences to be 'vital'.



No psionics but in the wheelhouse.

If memory serves, that universe did have psionics, but (except in one plot-relevant case) only the equivalent of "Send Thoughts". Psionic ability was required on Norstrillia on pain of painless death. And then there were Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons...

The Game of Rat and Dragon was also set in that universe, but the psionics in that story aren't anywhere near the scope envisioned for the Zhodani in the OTU (it's human-to-cat only, though there doesn't seem to be any in-universe barrier to human-to-human telepathy).

 

[Grav_Moped]

Specially trained and high-powered Zhodani in groups can allegedly bend reality, so a spinal mount analogue of the Kittons might not be beyond their ability.

The result would be an Empress Wave Motion Gun.

Ok, maybe it could be countered by ship-sized psionic shields requiring a LOT of Energy Points...

 

[Condottiere]

Going by Discovery, Klingons eat humans.

K'Kree might actually be quite delicious to a wide array of carnivores.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Where is the Kkree enclave, and the Sandmen?

Oh, you talking about the past.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Blue Ghost]

No solomani option?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

No solomani option?

How are they a favorite of yours in the Spinward Marches?

 

[Blue Ghost]

How are they a favorite of yours in the Spinward Marches?

*shrug*

I figure they get around. I mean, Solis conquered the Sylean Federation, and Solis established the Swordys, sooo… eh, you know

 

[Condottiere]

Vikings - when they encountered them, the Vargr found they bit off more than they can chew.

 

[Cryton]

Yes! Sword Worlders!

Thanks for adding the humans that had JTAS: Contact! articles and/or Alien Modules!

 

[Ullarsskald1957]

The big fluffy felis domesticus that owns our ship's Captain/Pilot.