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From: SRA@MIT-XX.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: protector psychology
Message-ID: <3227@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Sun, 11-Aug-85 11:30:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.3227
Posted: Sun Aug 11 11:30:02 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Aug-85 04:00:41 EDT
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: Rob Austein 

    From: rlk@ATHENA.MIT.EDU

    Rob Austein's response doesn't work, because Brennan didn't worry
    about his bloodline either and he got the original tree-of-life.

Of course he worried about his own bloodline.  *All* of his decendents
(except Truesdale) were in Sol system.  That's why he didn't even tell
the UN and the Belt what was going on.  Even Truesdale's kid was in
Sol system.  And Brennan knew damned well how old Truesdale was, so he
knew that Truesdale would make it to Protector ok.  Of course, *after*
Truesdale became a Protector he was at risk, but that's what
Protectors are for, yes?  And there can't be an instinct/drive in the
original Tree-Of-Life against letting your decendants become
Protectors, for obvious reasons.  Even so, Brennan was worried sick
about Truesdale, if you remember -- he actually made some irrational
decisions, he was so upset, and it cost him his life.

    PS Why didn't the library on Pak have any reference to the ringworld
    being built?  It did have the reference to the expedition to Earth,
    which was much smaller.

Now, I ask you, if you were a Protector paranoid to build something
like the ringworld, would you be silly enough to leave traces to be
found by the first family that decides it wants a *lot* of elbow room?

--Rob
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