A Fire Upon the Deep

Catastrophically powerful AI just awakened from the Straumli archive; experiences its first emotions after destroying the frigate and begins planning galactic expansion.

Tines pack; a centuries-old pilgrim observing the ambush from hiding; reluctantly agrees to rescue the wounded alien (Johanna) after Scriber's persuasion; acquires the Scar member mid-sequence.

Intellectual Tines pack who loves speechifying; recounts the ambush and rescue to Woodcarver's council; claims to be a secret agent of the Long Lakes Republic.

Human crew member of the OOB who leads tactical responses to the Aprahanti threat, dons armor to rescue Greenstalk, and provides emotional support to Ravna after the Sjandra Kei disaster.

The Power that built and manipulated Pham; in his final moments reveals Pham's memories are real and gently releases him before the Surge destroys them both.

Human crew member who monitors communications, identifies the butterfly aliens as a threat, and is devastated when net postings reveal Sjandra Kei — her home — has been destroyed.

Head of the Vrinimi Organization; endorses and resources the rescue mission; assigns Ravna half-time to the project and later grants her request to fly with the Skroderiders.

Young human boy stranded on Tines world; communicates with Ravna via ship keyboard; relays radio design modifications produced by Amdi that Pham finds suspiciously sophisticated.

Teenage girl, one of two children awake on the refugee vessel; manages coldsleep boxes during descent, witnesses and is wounded in the Tines ambush.

Skroderider co-pilot of OOB; rides the greater skrode; shamed by the Blight revelation but not personally perverted; provides navigation analysis of the Zone surge.

Blueshell's Skroderider partner; was briefly perverted by direct skrode touch; confirms the Blight's control mechanism and urges Blueshell toward cooperation.

Ancient Tines pack-ruler; empirical psychologist and reformer of her civilization; takes personal charge of Johanna's medical care and orders her housed nearby.

Woodcarver's military engineer and medic; impatiently curious about Johanna; struck by her when he examines her too closely; proposes heretical theory about alien singleton intelligence.

Flenser/Steel's agent embedded with Woodcarver's forces; tasked with luring the Queen's army into the ambush and arranging Johanna's death.

A Flenser-derived Tines pack housing a conscience that resists Steel's cruelty; volunteers for radio testing and witnesses the transformative discovery that packs can think near one another.

Ruthless Tines warlord who holds Jefri; has personally examined the crashed ship and coldsleep coffins; evolves his ambition from world conquest to something even grander after realising aliens are intelligent singletons.

Young Tines eightsome pack and Jefri's close friend who sulks at being excluded from radio testing but joyfully validates the discovery of pack proximity via radio cloaks.

A Tines member left bleeding by hostile packs after being betrayed by Vendacious; survives a parapet leap and crawls toward Johanna to deliver a warning.

Alien repair-station operator who negotiates under duress from both the Aprahanti and the OOB crew, ultimately accepting the trellis deal.

Group Captain of the Ølvira and the Aniara (Sjandra Kei Commercial Security) fleet; veteran pilot seeking revenge for Sjandra Kei; ultimately persuaded the fleet may be compromised.

Dirokime crew member on the Ølvira; comm officer who discovers Fleet Central sent no sync pictures.

Dirokime navigator aboard Ølvira; confirms Skroderiders are aboard the fleet command vessel; has knowledge of godshatter.

Long-range scout Tines pack working with Flenser; receives Steel's orders for the Margrum Climb ambush via Flenser.

SjK commander who explosively blames Ravna for the catastrophic battle losses.

Steel's loyal but increasingly unstable lieutenant, ordered to flood the tunnels and light the oil to trap Jefri.