Gordon Dickson's "Way of the Pilgrim" Quiz

Answer: A butterfly emerging from a chrysalis

When the Aalaag took over, they eliminated insects from the cities, at least in theory. Therefore, seeing a butterfly was a rare sight which gave Shane a strange feeling of triumph that a life had escaped the death sentence of the Aalaag. As he watched the butterfly emerge he felt a sense that one life was beginning just as the condemned man's life was ending, as if the one somehow balanced out the other.

Answer: Painting the pilgrim symbol on the face of Big Ben

The Pilgrim symbol, consisting of a hooded man holding a staff, had become a symbol of human resistance to alien rule. He does this in broad daylight using stolen technology while an Aalaag officer was on guard in the square below. The latter does not even notice at the time, as the Aalaag have a strangely limited understanding of human behaviour.

Answer: Reclaiming the Aalaag home worlds that they were driven from thousands of years ago

Even though Aalaag weapons are unbelievably advanced by human standards, an even more powerful alien race dispossessed them of their home worlds long ago. The Aalaag dream of the day when they will retake these worlds and devote their whole lives to this goal.

The Aalaag have no religion as such. They do not necessarily want to suppress all other life forms, but they have enslaved many other intelligent races besides humans. They do not consider these slave races to have the status of people and refer to them as "cattle" and "beasts".

Answer: The Inner Race

Shane had the impression that they were like a swarm of intelligent insects. The Aalaag had an ongoing concern that the Inner Race might one day move against them again and threaten their survival. Apparently though, they had shown no signs of doing so in thousands of years.

Answer: That he was encased and kept on display alive and helpless

Their enemies had been known to encase captured Aalaag in an amber-like substance, where they would remain alive and conscious for centuries. The Aalaag did not personally fear death and would rather be destroyed than submit to slavery. However, the thought of being kept alive and conscious of the knowledge that one was powerless to help one's own race was unbearable to them, a true fate worse than death.

Answer: He spoke of radically altering the relationship between the Aalaag and their slave races

The Aalaag were a deeply conservative people. Laa Ehon admitted that what Shane said was true in a special council meeting called by Lyt Ahn. The latter then declared Laa Ehon to be unwell and hence unfit for duty.

Answer: He claimed that she had a natural aptitude for learning the Aalaag language

The Aalaag language was extraordinarily difficult for most humans to master. Therefore, those who could speak it to a useful degree were highly sought after as servants by the Aalaag. Shane gave Maria special coaching so she could speak and understand some basic phrases, and then told the Aalaag she had learned these on her own. Maria was a member of the resistance, but naturally Shane did not tell the Aalaag!

Answer: Having human children raised in Aalaag households

Shane points out that human children learn new languages more easily than adults, but they would need to be able to interact intimately with Aalaag speakers. The senior officers generally find this suggestion repulsive, as it would involve treating human children in much the same way as their own offspring. However, the First Captain Lyt Ahn asks them to at least consider it.

Answer: He persuades the First Captain to order his guards to clear the square outside of protesters

When the human guards try to clear the square, the protesters rise up against them. Many of them are killed, but their greater numbers manage to completely overcome the well-armed guards. The First Captain receives a report that the same thing has happened simultaneously at all other Aalaag headquarters around the world.

This proves Shane's claim that humans were prepared to die rather than continue to submit to alien rule.

Answer: Humans were unworthy

The Aalaag are a proud people, convinced of their superiority to less advanced races. They also think that their rule is of great benefit to lesser races. The First Captain Lyt Ahn tells Shane that he is not overly impressed with the bravery of those who attacked and overwhelmed heavily armed guards, as he considers such behaviour a sign of their sickness.

He claims that humans are unworthy of the privilege of being ruled by Aalaag.