Jelaza Kazone
Liad
In which Delm Korval considers Theo’s problem.
Not sure what to make of Theo thinking that Val Con looks familiar for some reason other than resembling their father. She hasn’t met any of the other relatives yet, and I’m pretty sure she’s never seen his mother — or has she? They talked about the Caylon at the Academy, but I don’t remember if it was ever mentioned them having pictures of her. (And of course if that’s it Theo wouldn’t be able to place the resemblance, because nobody’s mentioned to her who Val Con’s mother is.)
As for her assessment of Val Con as biddable and lacking in spark, it’s a choice between politely suppressed laughter and a wide-eyed Bugs Bunny “She don’t know him very well, do she?”
Until Val Con mentioned it, I don’t think I’d thought about the fact that Korval doesn’t just have its house and Tree to get off-planet, but all of the many ships it’s collected over the years (those that aren’t elsewhere already). I suppose it will have to allow its several shipyards to be seized – unless they’ve already been sold off or otherwise passed into other hands – but Korval never leaves a ship behind.
I thought the comment about Val Con looking familiar harkened back to times we’ve been told that while Daav and Jen Sar resemble each other, they do look different (which I’ve always taken as the fact that their physical carriage is different that people are fooled into finding their faces different). But it could be a resemblance to Aelliana, recognized either from a scoolbook or from when she takes control of Daav and his face softens.
Hevelin also showed “pictures” of Aelliana to Theo.
Yes, that’s true. In Saltation, when Theo and Hevelin first meet, Theo offers her father and Hevelin replies with both Daav and Daav’s copilot.
Whereas, I just thought the authors were being coy about Theo and Val Con having a family resemblance, so that he reminded her of what she’d been seeing in her reflection for all her life.