is revealed in A Rising Thunder, her brother is one of its planetary directors—and both siblings belong to a Beowulf family famous for its intellectual, especially medical, abilities. Genetic heritage and background Since Honor Harrington's paternal ancestors were "genies", people genetically engineered (specifically with the Meyerdahl Beta modification) to survive on high gravity planets such as Sphinx, she not only benefits from the enhanced intellect associated with that genetic heritage, but is stronger and quicker than non-genies who grow up in the heavier gravity of Sphinx. As revealed in In Enemy Hands, this Meyerdahl Beta modification gives her more efficient muscles, enhanced reaction speed, stronger bones, tougher cardiovascular and respiratory systems, high metabolic rate, and a higher than average intelligence quotient. Her maternal ancestors are mostly from Asia, which manifests in her facial features and coloring. Harrington is raised in the Third Stellar Missionary Communion (Reformed), but is only privately religious, as the sect is not evangelistic. She does not push her religious convictions on others, as can be seen from her respect for the religion of her Grayson subjects as a Steadholder and from the marriage ceremony in Mission of Honor. Treecat influences Honor is one of the few people adopted by a Sphinxian treecat, a telempathic intelligent indigenous species—who spent much of their history with humanity scouting and concealing their true abilities from mankind. The adoption process is involuntary. The bonding is more of a recognition of something that was missing suddenly being complete and so right that life without the new bond is unthinkable. A mutual adoption is essentially an empathic life-bond, and hers occurs during Honor's childhood (age 11 Earth years), a rarity since most adoptions involve adult humans. She names her 'cat Nimitz (after World War II Admiral Chester W. Nimitz), although to his own people he is known as "Laughs Brightly", a member of a clan that lives near her home, and in the treecat community, formerly being one of their scouts by occupation, as are most adopted cats since they most often interact with the humans they are spying upon. Honor is known to the treecats as "Dances on Clouds" for her frequent climbs up into the Copperwall Mountains overlooking her parents' house to launch a hang glider with Nimitz on her back. Having conducted considerable research, she is one of the foremost experts on treecats, and is a descendant of and in-part