blight-threat

This chapter explores Pham Nuwen's post-mortem existence within the OOB ship, reflecting on his limited consciousness and the ship's advanced ultradrive technology enabling rapid travel through the Beyond. Concurrently, the narrative presents growing panic among Ravna and others about the spreading Blight, a Transcendent Power manipulating sophonts remotely, and the political and military responses to this existential threat, including calls for coordinated action and suspicion toward humanity's origins and nature.