taw@s1-c.arpa (08/30/85)
From: Tom Wadlow <taw@s1-c.arpa>
Given that the Pak Protectors built the Ringworld, and that there are
maps of Earth, Mars, Down, Kzin, etc. in one of the large
(boy is *that* an understatement) oceans, one might also suspect
that there would be a "map" of the Pak homeworld there. This
would be reasonably conclusive proof that it was indeed the Pak
that built the Ringworld, as the other maps were of planets in
the immediate neighborhood of the Ringworld, but the Pak homeworld
was much closer to the galactic core, and therefore unlikely to
be visited by the STL ramships. Unless that was where those ships
originally came from.
I recall (but don't have my copy of Ringworld Engineers handy to check)
that one of the maps was listed as "Unknown". Perhaps that is the
map of Pak. I wonder what might be there.
Tom Wadlow (S-1 Project, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
MILNET: <taw at MORDOR> <taw at S1-C>
UUCP: ..!ucbvax!dual!mordor!taw ..!decvax!decwrl!mordor!tawtaw@s1-c.arpa (09/11/85)
From: Tom Wadlow <taw@s1-c.arpa>
Paula Sanch points out that the Protectors induced large-scale
vulcanism on the Pak home planet to get metal to build the
evacuation fleet. Thus, the Map of Pak might be unrecognizable.
True, the Protectors *may* have ripped up the landscape to
get metal for the evacuation fleet. That is Truesdale's and
Brennan's speculation. Even if they did muck up the Pak homeworld
in order to escape the explosion of the galactic core, they must
certainly have recordings of what the planet looked like before
they destroyed it. If they are going to "decorate" the Ringworld
with Maps of Earth, Kzin, etc. (which surely must be built from
recorded information) a Map of Pak (before the fall) is not
unreasonable.
Tom Wadlow (S-1 Project, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
MILNET: <taw at MORDOR> <taw at S1-C>
UUCP: ..!ucbvax!dual!mordor!taw ..!decvax!decwrl!mordor!taw