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pilgrimage-and-risk
The theme of pilgrimage is invoked to justify the willingness to take great personal risks in pursuit of knowledge and contact with the alien.
1 chapter across 1 book
A Fire Upon the Deep (2002)Vernor Vinge
Chapter 14
In this chapter, Peregrine and Scriber observe an ambush by the Flenserists against a mysterious alien creature with mantis-like features. Despite heavy casualties, the alien resists fiercely, and the Flenserists eventually set a sentry ring around the site, hauling away wounded and dead. Peregrine and his companions decide to risk infiltrating the battlefield to rescue a still-living alien member, confronting the chaotic and traumatic aftermath of the fight.