Speaker-to-Animals

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since April 2008.

Speaker-to-Animals (or later Chmeee) is a fictional character in the Ringworld series of books, written by Larry Niven.

In Ringworld, Speaker-to-Animals is a junior diplomat who is trained to deal with other species without reflexively killing them. He is recruited by Nessus, a Pierson's Puppetteer, as a member of an expedition to explore the Ringworld.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Background 2 Physical description 3 Character Traits 4 References

[edit] Background

This section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (January 2008)

Speaker is a Kzin and a trained diplomat posted to the U.N. His name is a polite manner for Kzin to refer to non-Kzin races.

Following their return to Known Space, he is given the name of Chmeee (the "ch" is pronounced like a guttural German "ch", as in "ach") and given breeding rights by the Kzinti Patriarch.

In the sequel The Ringworld Engineers Chmeee, along with Louis Wu, is kidnapped by the Hindmost (the exiled leader of the Puppeteers). The Hindmost wants Louis and Chmeee to uncover the secret behind the creation of the Ringworld. Chmee escapes and manages to conquer the Map of Kzin and become its new leader.

Chmeee appears briefly in The Ringworld Throne and Ringworld's Children. His son, Acolyte, is a supporting character in these novels.

As a member of the Kzin species, Speaker-to-Animals is extremely dangerous and always ready to fight despite the fact that he is a diplomat. He was the one that caused the most damage to the Ringworld village of Zignamuclikclik and were he not a part of the Docile Kzinti project, he probably would have leveled the village to the ground. He is also responsible for the expedition's safety on Ringworld and therefore is in charge most of the time.

[edit] Physical description

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (January 2008)

Chmeee is a Kzin, an alien race of large catlike beings, ranging in size from 6 to 9 feet in height and 300 to 600 pounds in weight. They are covered with a thick coat of long fur that comes in various combinations of orange, yellow, and black. Their tails are naked and are similar in appearance to a rat's tail. Kzinti ears are hairless, pink, and shaped liked a segment of a Chinese parasol (or Cocktail umbrella); they can fold back flat against the head for protection during a fight.

Chmeee was badly burned during Ringworld; and as a result, his body was covered with scars. After involuntarily receiving an injection of the Kzinti analog of boosterspice, his scarring gradually disappeared.

[edit] Character Traits

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (January 2008)

Honor: Chmee is very concerned about his own honor. Late in the novel Ringworld, he is deprived of food. Rather than eating Louis Wu and appearing to be a coward, he would rather starve in reach of meat and be seen as honorable.

Warlike: Chmee is very warlike. He is always on guard in case he is attacked. There are numerous examples in both novels he appears in where he sees things as weapons first, tools second. Early in the second novel, he gores Louis Wu on accident because Louis shook him awake. Chmee is a fantastic fighter and will kill without a second thought.

[edit] References