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From: okie@ihuxi.UUCP (Cobb)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Protectors
Message-ID: <1249@ihuxi.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Aug-85 09:51:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxi.1249
Posted: Fri Aug 23 09:51:43 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 01:48:47 EDT
References: <3352@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 36

> From: Dave Godwin 
> 
> 1.  Brennan invented a breed of Tree-Of-Life variant that would live in a free
> 	atmosphere.  This is how Roy Treusdale got turned into a Protector.

I recently reread "Protector" also... and I thought Brennan developed the
variant virus to survive in a human being.  To my way of thinking, that
doesn't necessarily mean it could live in a free atmosphere.  If this is
the case, then I can see the virus disappearing from Home eventually,
thus making it viable for resettlement.  Agree?  Disagree?

>     And did they also remove all trace of their presence ( fake cities, etc )
>     from same ?  I guess they had to have, but this is a bit heavy on my
>     suspension of disbelief.

Remember, Pak think big.  They (supposedly) built the Ringworld.  Cleaning
up Home would be *peanuts* compared to that, and necessary if they wanted
to keep any true Pak that might escape from the battle with the Home Pak
from eventually getting back to Earth.

> 2.  The Home Protectors beat off the Pak Protectors.  If they hadn't, humans
>     would know.  So what happened to the winners ?  Did everybody die ?

"There are some things man was not meant to know." (a quote from Niven)
Maybe they did.  Maybe they didn't, but are out there building more
Ringworlds.  Maybe they tried to go back to the Core worlds to root out
(excuse the pun) the remaining Pak, to eliminate any further threat to
Earth from that source.  Some questions just never get answered.

On the subject of the vacsuit in the ramship on the spaceport ledge...
I don't know.  I'll think on it.

B.K.Cobb
ihnp4!ihuxi!okie

"One day we must decide who rules this expedition."