So, Who is the traitor?

HammerHead

Rear Admiral
In the novel Action Stations, someone in the Kilrathi hierarchy transfers the official kilrathi order of war to Turner, Tolwyn and Richards aboard Gar emporium.
So the big question is - Who is the traitor?

I think I remember a few mentions in FA hinting that Jukaga's father was a traitor - is it supposed to be him?
 
I think it's intentionally never made clear - someone (Bulcher, I think) points out that it's an ordered part of Kilrathi court politics rather than some example of extreme treason. I don't have a copy of Action Stations on me, but I think the implication is that it happened at some much lower level than the Imperial court (Jukaga's father, for his part, did support the war - he just didn't believe the tactic chosen to open it would work or that it would be as short as Gilkarg believed.)

Space Point
 
Time to dust off Action Stations (AS spoilers galore)

I think it's intentionally never made clear - someone (Bulcher, I think) points out that it's an ordered part of Kilrathi court politics rather than some example of extreme treason. I don't have a copy of Action Stations on me, but I think the implication is that it happened at some much lower level than the Imperial court (Jukaga's father, for his part, did support the war - he just didn't believe the tactic chosen to open it would work or that it would be as short as Gilkarg believed.)

Space Point

I pulled out my copy of Action Stations and took a look. In the passages on Kilrah before the transfer on the Emporium takes place, Jukaga's father makes it clear that he doesn't like the decision to go to war "It is the wrong war, at the wrong time". He tells his son that the war is a ploy by the Emperor to drain the blood from the other clans, then have the First Fleet containing the Imperial blood and the Emperor's clan take the spoils of victory. He then convinces Jukaga not to go into battle.

After Jukaga leaves, the father grumbles more about the Emperor's power grab, then mentions "a plan within a plan which both drew him and yet caused him to rebel against basic instincts. And yet, if it worked, perhaps this insanity could be avoided." He then goes on to discuss how the war with the Confederation must, rather than the brute force method decided by the Emperor, be balanced by softening humanity through an exploitation of its 'weaknesses', such as its politics...which probably sounds familiar to anyone who's read Fleet Action.

Later on, there's a passage by Turner when discussing the document to Blucher. "Don't you see? It's a little game within a game for some Cat on the other side...Someone wanted to tip us off, but not necessarily betray their side either, so there's no plans. Maybe they want to derail the attack for their own purposes, or even feel that now is not the time."

I'd like to say I noticed that all along, but I didn't really make the connection between the two passages until just now. At any rate, either one of these passages convinces me it's Jukaga's father.
 
I pulled out my copy of Action Stations and took a look. In the passages on Kilrah before the transfer on the Emporium takes place, Jukaga's father makes it clear that he doesn't like the decision to go to war "It is the wrong war, at the wrong time". He tells his son that the war is a ploy by the Emperor to drain the blood from the other clans, then have the First Fleet containing the Imperial blood and the Emperor's clan take the spoils of victory. He then convinces Jukaga not to go into battle.

After Jukaga leaves, the father grumbles more about the Emperor's power grab, then mentions "a plan within a plan which both drew him and yet caused him to rebel against basic instincts. And yet, if it worked, perhaps this insanity could be avoided." He then goes on to discuss how the war with the Confederation must, rather than the brute force method decided by the Emperor, be balanced by softening humanity through an exploitation of its 'weaknesses', such as its politics...which probably sounds familiar to anyone who's read Fleet Action.

Later on, there's a passage by Turner when discussing the document to Blucher. "Don't you see? It's a little game within a game for some Cat on the other side...Someone wanted to tip us off, but not necessarily betray their side either, so there's no plans. Maybe they want to derail the attack for their own purposes, or even feel that now is not the time."

I'd like to say I noticed that all along, but I didn't really make the connection between the two passages until just now. At any rate, either one of these passages convinces me it's Jukaga's father.

Actually - now that you have remembered me these passages - It might actually be... The Emperor...

Think of these 3 points:
- there is "a plan within a plan..."
- the Emperor intends to drain the blood of the other clans, while keeping the first fleet unharmed.
- "...Maybe they want to derail the attack for their own purposes..."

Could it be that the Emperor is trying to consolidate his power base?
 
The mirroring of the phrases is very interesting from a critical perspective which convinces me... but I would still make an argument that the 'plan within a plan' is (at least partially) to send Jukaga to Fawcett's World to 'humanize' him.

I noticed a similar prose mirroring in the book the other night - the book notes that both Nabridge and the Kilrathi who passes off the information have three drinks before acting. :)
 
Back
Top