Artist interpretation of human that eats tree of life.Ī combination of, constant warfare, keeping the important things secret, and a lack of ambition to develop luxuries means that though far more intelligent than most others the Pak had inferior technology. It isn’t always possible, and they are smart enough to know when leaving aliens alive is a better option. The only ethical action would be, removed those if possible unless there are overriding reasons not to. Other intelligence species are by definition dangerous. Breeders producing the best most brilliant warriors are the only ones having offspring to survive has been shaping them this whole time.Īny action that increases the safety of your descendants is by their definition ethical. War has been the norm for hundreds of thousands of years. On the Pak homeworld, the only significant danger left is other Pak. All effort has just a single purpose, the protection of their descendants. Pak protectors have neither the need, nor a desire for luxury, entertainment and such. This they do with brilliant ruthlessness.

They wake brilliant, without primitive emotions desires and beliefs, but with only a single goal, protect their descendants at all costs.

Their skin becomes a tougher leather-like hide.

They loose their teeth and lips and gums fuse into a beak.

Their joints expand, giving the muscles greater leverage.

Their skulls soften and expands to make room for the brain to grow even larger than human brains then harden again.

The root, called tree of life root, consumed in middle age, changes these breeders. The Pak breeder is an Australopithecines, roughly as smart as chimpanzees. The Pak, because of a virus in a roots they eat have a third stage, the Protector. Humans have two basic stages immature children, and mature adults. Humans are what the Pak evolved into after the symbiotic virus died out when they colonized Earth. In Larry Niven’s Known Space,the Pak are the ancestors of the human race.

Few science fiction aliens come close to them to being as brilliant, ruthless, and dangerous. His handling of how brilliance, without the tempering of emotion, would lead to vicious violent being, was perfect. Even as a high school kid I was impressed. I first came across the Pak in the library of the Boone County High School, reading Larry Niven’s 1973 novel Protector, about five years after it came out.

Larry niven the protector