Don Davidson
Captain Don Davidson begins the novel as the commander of Smith Camp. He is described as being of "euraf" descent.[47] Shortly before the events of the novel, Davidson rapes Thele, Selver's wife, who dies in the process.[48] After Smith is destroyed by Selver and his compatriots, Davidson is relocated to a camp called New Java, where he leads reprisals against the Athsheans against orders. He is eventually captured and abandoned on an isolated island by the Athsheans. He is portrayed as a relentless and uncompromising figure, always planning how to overcome an unfriendly natural environment and conquer the natives, whom he sees as inferior.[49] The language used in Davidson's internal monologues reveals his hatred and contempt for people different from himself.[50] Initially, this hatred is directed at the Athsheans, whom he sees as nonhuman and refers to as "creechies" (a derivative of "creatures"). However, his contempt extends to the women in the colony and eventually to other members of the military, who follow the Colonel's orders not to fight the Athsheans.[49] He has racist feelings towards the South Asian anthropologist Raj Lyubov, stating that "some men, especially, the asiatiforms and the hindi types, are actually born traitors."[49] In contrast to Lyubov and Selver, he is depicted as a person who is not self-aware, whose self-hatred and rigid mental attitude are his undoing. He rejects out of hand anything that does not conform to his beliefs, dismissing anyone who disagrees with him as "going spla" (insane).[49]
Selver
Selver is the chief Athshean protagonist of the novel.[51] He is training to become a dreamer among the Athsheans when the Terrans colonize Athshe, and Selver is enslaved.[52] Selver, referred to as "Sam" by the Terrans, is initially used as a manservant in the colony headquarters, before Lyubov comes across him and takes him on as an interpreter and assistant. They quickly form a bond, and Selver helps Lyubov understand both the Athshean language and their method of dreaming.[52] Although Lyubov is willing to allow Selver to escape, Selver tells him that he will not because his wife Thele is also a slave at the camp.[52] After learning this, Lyubov allows the two to meet secretly in his quarters; however, Thele is raped by Davidson, and dies in the process. An enraged Selver attacks Davidson, who nearly kills him before Lyubov rescues Selver and sets him free against orders.[52] In contrast to Davidson, Selver is depicted as a highly sensitive and intuitive individual.[51] After he tells his story to the other Athsheans, they begin to see him as a "sha'ab" or god, who interprets his own experiences and dreams to mean that the Terrans must be killed and forced off the planet.[46]
Raj Lyubov
Raj Lyubov is the anthropologist in the colony, a scholar who holds the honorary rank of "captain".[53] He is depicted as being from an Indian heritage.[9] Selver is initially a servant in the central camp; Lyubov enlists him as an assistant, and builds a relationship of trust with him. The two of them compile a dictionary of the Athshean and Terran languages. When Selver's wife Thele is raped and killed by Davidson, Selver attacks Davidson, who nearly kills him; Lyubov rescues Selver, and nurses him back to health. During the attack on the colony's headquarters, Selver tells the Athsheans to leave Lyubov's house alone, but Lyubov leaves his house and is killed by a collapsing building. As he dies, Lyubov warns Selver about the impact of the killings on the Athshean society.[54] In comparison to Davidson, Lyubov reflects a lot upon his actions, and tries to analyze them in a detached manner. His contradictory position of being a colonial officer despite recognizing the damage that the colony is doing to the Athsheans gives him migraines.[55] He feels a strong sense of guilt at the impacts of the colony, and is willing to destroy his own reputation in order to protect the Athshean people.[56] He is one of the only Terrans to treat the Athsheans as human beings, although this loses him the respect of his fellow Terrans.[55]
