Jack Brennan

Jack Brennan is a fictional character in Larry Niven's "Known Space" universe, from the novel Protector.

Jack Brennan was a smuggler who lived in the Asteroid belt in Sol system. He found an artifact in Uranus's trailing trojan point and was on his way to Earth's Moon to sell the artifact. Brennan was kidnapped by Phssthpok the Pak Protector and was left in confinement near Tree-of-Life root. After eating the root, he transformed into the Pak Protector stage of human.

As a Human Protector, he steals Pssthpok's ship and sets off for Alpha Centauri. From the point of view of flatlanders, he makes a pit stop in the far reaches of the solar system, and then continues his journey. In reality, he had constructed a base called Kobold and began his watch on humanity. He "samples" humans every decade, alternating from the belt and from Earth. He abducts them for a few months and sends them back with no memory of the encounter, except for the advisement that the time is missing from their lives, and the promise of payment subject to the condition they not investigate the event. Also, he was watching Saggitarius for evidence of more Pak Protectors coming, because when he turned protector, he deduced that if the Pak learned of humanity, they would attempt to exterminate the species. In effect, he was leading a one-man war against an entire species.

The last human he kidnapped was named Elroy Truesdale. Truesdale eventually figured out that it was Brennan who kidnapped him, and with the help of a Belter named Alice Jordan, he funded an expedition to the far reaches of the solar system in search of Brennan. As they near Kobold, Brennan kidnapped them again, and promises to give them the deed to Kobold. They spend a few months there and Brennan eventually tells them that he will be leaving, having discovered the Pak have sent two fleets of ships in the direction of Sol. He agrees to take Truesdale with him to fight the Pak.

After many years in close confinement with Brennan and a few skirmishes with the Pak, Truesdale eventually figures out that Brennan is a relative of his. He also deduces that Brennan is going to seed Tree-of-Life virus on Home in an attempt to destroy the Pak. Truesdale eventually kills Brennan, but not before being affected by Tree-of-Life virus. He leads a revolt on Home, transforms most of the adult population into Protectors, and lays an ambush for the Pak fleet.

Truesdale's last transmission (an excerpt from Protector) follows:

"It has seemed only reasonable to novelise this report. So much of it is conjecture. I never knew Lucas Garner, Nick Sohl, Pssthpok, Einar Nilsson et al. You may take Truesdale as true to life, on the theory that I wouldn't lie without a reason. The rest are probably accurate enough.

"Still, Brennan said it first: I'm not sure I'm still entitled to the name I was born with. Roy Truesdale would have died, and expected to die, trying to prevent what I have done to Home.

"We have good reason for not beaming this back into human space, not just yet. Brennan was right: the existence of protectors would alter the development of human civilization. Better you should think of Home as a failed colony, wiped out by disease. If the disease should catch more explorers, why, either they will die in transition, or they will wake up as protectors, look about them, and reach the same conclusions we did. There is little of free will for a protector.

"But the Pak fleet remains ahead of us, though the Pak scouts are gone. Almost certainly we can wipe out this fleet; but how many followed them? Were the ships of the second fleet redesigned, improved? If we survive that long, we'll have to follow their trail right back into the Core explosion. If we lose one or another battle, why, some survivor will beam this back at every world in human space.

"In which case:Brennan must have hidden flasks of virus, labeled, where they could be found. Check the duplicate Stonehenge. Look for a package orbiting a blob of neutronium. Failing that, the cargo hold from Pssthpok's ship is available on Mars. Check the walls for scraping of root with dormant tree-of-lif virus in them. Failing that, Home is in rotten shape for colonization, but the atmosphere is still thick with tree-of-life virus. Do not convert anyone to protector if he or she has children.

"You'll be smarter than they are. You can whip them. But don't wait. If this reaches you, then a Pak fleet that was tough enough to destroy us is following just behind this laser pulse, at near lightspeed.

"Goodbye and good luck. I love you."