# XIII: Nalboon of Mardonale explained — The Skylark of Space

> Chapter companion for The Skylark of Space by E. E. Smith.

## What happens

The Skylark crew encounters the aerial battle between Mardonalian battleships and monstrous flying creatures. After rescuing a decorated plane, they meet Nalboon, the Domak of Mardonale, who presents them with pale-skinned slaves. Seaton and Crane accept the slaves to prevent their execution. Nalboon agrees to provide copper, indicating a four-day journey to obtain it, and the fleet escorts the Skylark to the capital city.

## Themes in this chapter

### Exploration and the Unknown

The crew encounters a new alien civilization and its customs, highlighting the challenges of cross-cultural communication.

### Survival and Resilience

The Skylark crew navigates a dangerous aerial battle and adapts to the alien environment and social norms.

## Character check-ins

### Richard Seaton

Leads the first contact with Nalboon, performs sleight-of-hand tricks, and decides to accept the slaves to save their lives.

### Martin Crane

Cautiously advises Seaton during the encounter and helps rescue the slaves from execution.

### Marc DuQuesne

Observes the battle and suggests the Mardonales' power is electrical, not chemical.

### Nalboon

Domak of Mardonale, greets the Earth visitors with a royal reception, gives slaves as a gift, and agrees to provide copper.

### Margaret Spencer

Present in the Skylark, exchanges affectionate glances with her lover during the encounter.

## Key lines

> Better not, Dick. Let him think that you are the king of everything in sight. Not on your life. If he is one king, we are two.

Crane suggests Seaton should appear as the sole leader, but Seaton insists on introducing Crane as an equal ruler.

_Seaton asserts equality with Nalboon by presenting Crane as a co-king._

> We must take them with us, I see, said Crane, as he brushed the guards aside.

Crane realizes they have to accept the slaves to prevent their immediate execution.

_Crane intervenes to save the prisoners from being killed._

> I don't get these folks at all, Mart, said Seaton, after a moment's silence. They have machines far ahead of anything we have on Earth and big guns that shoot as fast as machine-guns, and yet are scared to death at a little simple sleight-of-hand.

Seaton is puzzled by the Mardonales' advanced technology combined with their ignorance of basic chemistry like matches.

_Highlights the technological disparity between fields._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_skylark_of_space_se/chapters/xiii-nalboon-of-mardonale
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_skylark_of_space_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_skylark_of_space_se/chapters