IV

Zakalwe boards the immense GSV Size Isn’t Everything and struggles to grasp its field-based engineering and distributed control by Minds. Sma urges patience and exploration. He wanders its valleys and terraces, observing a society where work is optional, and hears a scholar justify doing menial tasks for personal satisfaction.

He samples rooms, sensory games, and diverse social spaces, feeling both seduced and ashamed by their convincing pleasures. In a shipyard, a worker explains the joy of building despite machines’ superiority, reinforcing that participation can matter more than efficiency. He plays sports, swims, and meets numerous drones, learning most are independent.

An old drone poses a thought experiment equating a human brain and a machine built neuron-for-neuron, challenging Zakalwe’s assumptions about consciousness. He meets Chori, an alien SC operative, who candidly describes SC’s layered role, the thrill and burden of soldiering, and the utility of secrecy. They bond over drinks.

A sexual encounter reveals the Culture’s engineered physiology and pursuit of pleasure. In a pool, Sma frames SC as working where moral rules break down; Zakalwe admits he wants to do good but accepts uncertainty. This nudges him toward committing to SC.

Years pass aboard the GSV and various habitats as Zakalwe trains and accepts enhancements. He departs on the newly built GCU Sweet and Full of Grace, completing early missions culminating in delivering the Chosen to the Perfumed Palace. Much later, while his body is regrown after beheading on Fohls, he learns Chori has died on active service.