detachment-from-life

In this excerpt from 'A Fire Upon the Deep,' Pham Nuwen analyzes ultrawave sensor data, noting the absence of detectable enemy signals and considering the possibility that the Enemy is using less advanced thralls to shadow their path. He reflects on the danger faced by Ravna and the Skroderiders, recognizing their mission as likely futile or suicidal, and contemplates his own detached state as 'already dead.'