Startide Rising

Young human on the island survey mission; operates the speed sled; defies danger to rescue stranded dolphins; reaches moral growth about human-dolphin relations.

Monitors developments from the skiff and hopes Gillian has dealt with Takkata-Jim; joyfully lands to recover Tom Orley at the novel's end.

Neo-dolphin executive officer who repeatedly questions Creideiki's plan over comm, then coerces Makanee into a medical declaration enabling his assumption of command; dispatches K'tha-Jon after Akki.

Runs covert behavioral and genetic studies; has engineered Stenos representation on the mission; secretly regards K'tha-Jon as his most important undisclosed project; patronizing toward dolphin officers.

Alone on Kithrup's weed-mats after a crash; observes the space battle overhead, arms and hurls the Thennanin distress psi-bomb to trigger the Trojan Seahorse plan, singing a defiant ballad about humanity.

Disembodied AI planted aboard by Earth's Tymbrimi allies; attempting to bypass Library access controls; confirms the Derelict Fleet's ambiguous but explosive significance.

Leathery reptilian queen commanding a Soro fleet; observes the orbital battle from her flagship; lays an egg mid-conflict; manages client-race crews (Paha fighters, Forski entertainers).

Fastest swimmer on Streaker; suffers rescue fever on the island; brought back to rational behavior by Toshio's commands; retrieves the sled and assists rescue operations.

Challenges Charlie's geological assumptions using Occam's Razor regarding the scale of excavations; deflects Charlie's requests for help with Metz after learning of Creideiki's condition.

Metz's successful but monstrous Orca-gene graft experiment; kills Akki, pursues Keepiru relentlessly, reveals his self-identity as true Orca, and is disabled but not killed by Keepiru's neural-link attack.

Writes journal entries documenting crew morale and the mystery of 'Herbie'; close friends with Hikahi; suspects Metz influenced Streaker's crew complement; returns to study the ancient cadaver in stasis.

Neo-dolphin captain; meditates outside the ship before his injury; later confined to a gravity tank where he receives a visitation from the ancient cetacean god K-K-Kph-kree and is drawn into the Whale Dream.

Biologist aboard Streaker; claustrophobic but capable; discovers anomalies about the metal-mounds and assists with the drill-tree demolition mission.

Stocky black crewman who affects a burr accent; mourns the loss of Hist't; assists Dennie in navigating the outlock crowd.

On guard duty outside Streaker; revels in Primal regression and the new power structure under Takkata-Jim; fantasizes about violence and dominance.

Kills Metz with an energy weapon; one of three Stenos driven to madness by Takkata-Jim using Primal.

More cautious Stenos dolphin who urges Moki and Sreekah-pol to be quiet about mutiny talk.

Monitors structural stress on the Thennanin armor bracings throughout the space battle and sardonically reports on 'wild, crazy, female maneuvers.'

Executes combat maneuvers and mine-laying tactics, leads the crew with a battle haiku, and delivers the key news that incoming ships are Thennanin allies.

Reluctantly monitors the deep-probe robot in a cramped pool; gradually realizes the 'static' from below is a complex, patterned song — a potential discovery of subsurface intelligence.

Debates the drill-tree excavation anomaly with Brookida; plans to use Metz's influence with Takkata-Jim to get field access; largely oblivious to the political crisis aboard Streaker.

Two client-race officers of the Xappish fleet who debate the ethics of the conflict before being killed by an improbability mine.

Resists Metz and Takkata-Jim's pressure in sick bay with a verse challenge and a splash, ultimately provides Creideiki's bleak prognosis under duress, then covertly arranges a secret meeting with Akki to counter the conspiracy.

Hiding in dark waters outside the ship after being sent away by Makanee; covertly relays Streaker's crisis to Gillian in Trinary verse while sensing a hunter approaching.

On guard duty alongside Moki; pragmatically supports Takkata-Jim's surrender policy but is quietly troubled by the disagreement of Streaker's best officers.

Ancient cetacean god who manifests to the injured Creideiki, resembling a vast sperm whale with starship-like aura; commands Creideiki to enter the Whale Dream or die as a useless hulk.

Nervously reports to Takkata-Jim that Gillian and Keepiru have re-entered the ship.

Brings the last six Thennanin ships to the chase; rediscovers the battered Krondorsfire; pursues the Streaker's decoy shadows, inadvertently enabling Streaker's escape.

Detects the Kithrup beacon while listening to whale songs; resolves to move closer and identify herself to the Earthlings as a friend.

Underwater alien fighter picking off Galactic warriors in the weeds; loses his lesser brother to an unseen threat, likely a dolphin.

Reports on Takkata-Jim's heading, weapon arming, and enemy movements throughout the escape sequence.

Claims to have found the source of the psi-burst in the Library but is killed by Krat for interrupting her mid-sentence.

Ecstatically monitors the psi voices from beneath Kithrup's surface, ignoring the neural-whip punishment from Tandu masters who want the distraction suppressed.

Commands the Tandu fleet; loses its Acceptor to overstimulation; agrees with Krat on a Soro-Tandu truce to end attrition and seize Streaker.

First notices the collapsing cliff and calls the alert; later reports structural concerns from Suessi during combat maneuvers.

Enemy battleships that concentrate fire on Streaker's damaged port side, are lured into the mine field, and take a palpable hit.