The Game of Rat and Dragon
by Cordwainer Smith
In a future where humanity travels the stars via 'planoforming,' a telepathic defense force composed of humans (pinlighters) and enhanced cats (Partners) fights sentient, psychic entities known as 'Dragons' or 'Rats.' Young pinlighter Underhill and his Partner, Lady May, face a harrowing encounter during a deep space journey, highlighting the immense mental toll of humanity's ongoing survival war.
Underhill
A young, idealistic pinlighter. He is described as having his ears grow red with embarrassment easily. Through the nurse's mind, he sees himself as a 'radiant hero, clad in his smooth suede uniform, the pin-set crown shining like ancient royal jewels around his head,' with a 'handsome and masculine' face. He possesses a friendly emotional structure and faces danger with gaiety, yet suffers profound mental and physical exhaustion.
Woodley
A twenty-six-year-old pinlighter, nearing retirement. He is taciturn, not prone to 'flights of fantasy,' and perceived as glum by Father Moontree. He has a 'dirty sort of habit' of smoking tobacco in an ancient pipe, which makes him look dashing. He avoids emotional entanglement with Partners.
Father Moontree
A red-faced man of forty-five, he previously lived a peaceful life as a farmer before his telepathic abilities were discovered later in life. He is considered 'fantastically old for this kind of business' (pinlighting).
West
A 'little little girl' with a high, childish giggle. She appears remarkably calm and almost detached in the face of immense danger.
Lady May
A Persian cat, highly bred, representing one of the 'highest peaks of development' for a Partner mind. Physically, she is described as having a 'long fluffy tail' and 'golden eyes.' In her consciousness, Underhill perceives her to be more complex than any human woman, though her complexity is of emotions and experience, without words.
Captain Wow
A big Persian tomcat Partner, known for having a 'leering' mind (according to Woodley), but seen as 'cuddly' and 'fun to fight with' by West. His mind contains 'lustful rage' in battle, mixed with other scrambled images.
Greedy Male Cat
A 'greedy old character' Partner, a male cat whose mind is perpetually full of 'slobbering thoughts of food, veritable oceans full of half-spoiled fish.' He has killed sixty-three Dragons, more than any other Partner in service, and is 'quite literally worth his weight in gold.'
Sullen Tomcat
A 'sullen, scared old tomcat' Partner, with 'none of the verve of Captain Wow.' Described as the 'most animal of all the cats on the ship,' a 'low, brutish type with a dull mind.' His ears are 'half chewed off from the first fights.' He is a 'serviceable fighter, nothing more.'
Dogwood
A past pinlighter who was psychically broken by a Dragon. Underhill once saw him 'come apart,' describing a 'wet and sort of sticky' something bleeding and going out of him.
Doctor (Caledonia)
A 'friendly but firm' doctor on Caledonia, professional in his approach to Underhill's medical care.
Nurse (Caledonia)
A 'little antagonistic' nurse on Caledonia. Telepathically perceived by Underhill as hating him because she thinks he is 'proud, and strange, and rich, better and more beautiful than people like her.'
Want to talk to these characters?
PageSpeak is coming soon. Sign up to get notified when you can start conversations with Underhill and other characters from The Game of Rat and Dragon.