Star Born · Chapter
XVI: Surprise Attack explained
Dalgard and Raf, having escaped the arena with a wounded merman, navigate the inner corridors of the alien city while being pursued.
What happens
Dalgard and Raf, having escaped the arena with a wounded merman, navigate the inner corridors of the alien city while being pursued. They discover a trap door leading to lower levels and use a rope from Raf to descend. The mermen prepare for war against Those Others, and Dalgard tries to convince Raf that the fight is also his, given the threat to his own people. Raf, initially reluctant, realizes his actions may endanger his crew and joins the mermen in a plan to attack the city.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Adaptation
The mermen and humans must adapt to the threat of Those Others, using escape routes and forming alliances to survive.
Alien Encounter and Otherness
Raf, a spacer, encounters the mermen and Dalgard's colony, highlighting the differences in culture and communication, as well as the shared threat from Those Others.
Freedom and Oppression
Those Others are described as having a nature to rule and enslave, and the mermen and colonists fight to prevent oppression.
Friendship and Loyalty
Dalgard and Raf form a tentative alliance, and the mermen show loyalty to their tribe and to the humans who helped them.
Characters to notice
- Raf Kurbi
Raf is a pilot from the RS 10, initially reluctant to get involved in the conflict but later realizes his actions may endanger his crew and joins the mermen.
- Dalgard Nordis
Dalgard leads the escape from the arena, communicates with the mermen, and tries to persuade Raf to help in the fight against Those Others.
- Sssuri
Sssuri is mentioned as having previously guided Dalgard and is referenced in the context of the mermen's knowledge and the threat from Those Others.
- Soriki
Soriki is mentioned as being with the flitter, and Raf worries about his safety after the events in the arena.
- Captain Hobart
Captain Hobart is referenced as being in the heart of enemy territory, and Raf fears retaliation against him and Lablet.
- Lablet
Lablet is mentioned as being with the captain, and Raf is concerned about the consequences of his actions for them.
Key passages
“But it wasn't his fight! Dalgard had gone too far with that suggestion. Raf had no ties on this world, the RS 10 was waiting to take him away. It was strictly against all orders, all his training, for him to become involved in alien warfare.”
Raf felt that the conflict was not his responsibility, as he was just a spacer with no stake on the planet, and getting involved would violate his orders and training.
Raf's internal conflict about joining the fight reflects his sense of duty to his own mission versus the emerging moral obligation.
“They go to war upon Those Others. He who guided us here knows also that the new knowledge they have brought into the city is danger. If an end is not put to it before they can use it, then the mermen must retreat into the depths.”
Dalgard explains that the mermen are attacking Those Others because the new knowledge from the city could empower them, and if not stopped, the mermen will have to flee.
This highlights the urgency of the mermen's preemptive strike to prevent Those Others from gaining advanced technology.
“You are already termed one of us in their eyes. When you came to our rescue in the arena they believed that you were of our kind. Do you think you can return to walk safely through the city?”
Dalgard tells Raf that the mermen now see him as an ally because of his rescue, and that returning to the city alone would be dangerous.
This underscores how Raf's actions have already tied him to the mermen's cause, whether he likes it or not.
