Walter Saastamoinen
Names: Walter SaastamoinenWalterDadthe skipper
First appears in Book 4: The Adversary, chapter 13 (1)
Appearances
What you know
Book 4: The Adversary
- Ch 13Former Deputy Chief Starfleet Operations (Strategy) under Ragnar Gathen; became a shipbuilder and later fell into alcoholism after his wife's suicide.
- Ch 13Rehabilitated by Jeff Steinbrenner, he captains Kyllikki but secretly hopes the children escape, sending them a warning his weak telepathy cannot deliver.
- Ch 15Veikko's father, aboard Kyllikki; sympathetic when outside Marc's coercive range but falls under his spell near him.
- Ch 21Walter is Kyllikki's captain and a subsidiary Grand Master; he plans to sabotage Marc's X-lasers to protect the children.
- Ch 21Walter is Veikko's father and fears Marc may kill him for the sabotage, but hopes Marc needs him to sail the ship.
- Ch 24With Alex Manion he destroyed the EM pulsars with a cutting torch and broke Kyllikki's autopilot so Marc cannot afford to kill him.
- Ch 24Marc's punishment left his feet bleeding, in the manner of the Little Mermaid; he stays calm and wry.
- Ch 27Walter is sailing Kyllikki less than 300 km north of Goriah, having outrun storms; he is hiding from farsensing with a psychoelectronic fuzzer.
- Ch 27Walter tells Veikko that Marc has made a final appeal and that Veikko should wait until he hears Marc's proposal.
- Ch 32Walter leads a shipboard mutiny against Marc, aiming to overpower the loyalists with a mind-meld and sabotage the power-modules.
- Ch 35Is limping but says Tanu redactors can fix him; he says goodbye to his son Veikko and Irena before Kyllikki sails.
Connections
- createdKyllikki
- family ofVeikkofather and son
- family ofSolange Foresterhusband and wife
- leadsKyllikkimaster of the ship
- ally ofAlexis Manion
- enemy ofMarc Remillard
- related toKyllikkisails the schooner on Marc's course
- ally ofJordan Kramerrecruits him into the mutiny
- ally ofRagnar Gathen
Key moments
- Book 4 · Ch 13Helayne Strangford's rampage
During a storm, Helayne goes berserk, stabs Steve, kills fifteen people including the Keoghs, and climbs the jiggermast. Patricia's metaconcert fails against her; Steinbrenner shoots her dead as she coerces them to climb.
- Book 4 · Ch 15Veikko tells Irena of the Kyllikki murders
Veikko reveals via Walter that Helayne Strangford killed many aboard Kyllikki, including Arky. Irena grieves, then they join Basil Wimborne's conference.
- Book 4 · Ch 21Walter plans sabotage
After a tense exchange with Patricia, Walter talks to Veikko about his plan. He then wins over the docilated Manion and leads him to the forward hold to break Marc's lock and sabotage the X-lasers.
- Book 4 · Ch 24Walter and Veikko farspeak
Veikko reports the repelled Firvulag attacks and the climbing party's progress; Walter reveals he destroyed the EM pulsars and broke the autopilot.
- Book 4 · Ch 24Marc and Walter aboard Kyllikki
Marc admits helping the climbers and likens Walter's punishment to the Little Mermaid. Steve Vanier takes the helm, and Walter limps to his cabin leaving bloody footprints.
- Book 4 · Ch 27Walter contacts Veikko
Walter, near Goriah aboard Kyllikki, tells Veikko of Marc's final appeal and advises him to wait for the proposal.
- Book 4 · Ch 32Kramer joins the mutiny
Walter and Manion persuade Kramer, using his children's safety, to join a plot to mind-meld against Marc's loyalists and trap Marc in gray limbo; Kramer frees Manion from the docilator.
- Book 4 · Ch 35Rebels bid farewell to the Children of Rebellion
Aiken brings the mutinous metapsychic Rebels through the force-field to Castle Gateway, where Walter parts from Veikko and Irena as the Guderian device nears completion.