Finished TFoB and I can't shake the feeling...
...that something's up with the Sinen. Throughout this book we get some more details on many of the other species subjugated by the Carryx like the Lothark and their secret communication/collective memory, how the Rak Hund behave a lot like dogs, and what roles/jobs/functions other species provide the empire. But the Sinen are still kind of mysterious in a way I find suspicious. We usually see them acting as messengers or a kind of middle-manager of certain groups and seem to have a small degree of authority over other moieties, but why? What makes them specially suited to such a role? I think there's got to be more going on with them.
One idea that crossed my mind, and I'll preface this by admitting I doubt it really holds up, is that the Sinen might actually be the secret masters of the Carryx. I had this thought when I realized the excerpts of "Myths of Origin" were alluding to someone (either Dafyd or the swarm) having to use the "song" of the Carryx to control them, and right away it occurred to me, what if there's already someone doing that? I think it would be the Sinen.
In Dafyd's conversations with the Deep Lothark we learn that the Carryx weren't always a unified body acting under the will of a single Sovran, but used to constantly war amongst themselves. Sure, maybe it was just a natural 'leap' for a single Sovran to rise up and unify them, or maybe something else came in and made sure of it.
The Deep Lothark mentions that "Only a few moieties are older than the Lothark." Unfortunately the only one of these it names is the Dirhaj which no longer exist. So there's no evidence, but there is the possibility the Sinen could be one of those older moieties. Based on the way the Sinen appear to be one of the most trusted moieties of the Carryx, I'd bet money they are older than the Lothark.
So if the Sinen are really in control, then why even pretend to be a subject of the Carryx? Well I have a couple thoughts on that too:
First, it's easier to protect that control if you're hidden and not make yourself a target. Also, by hiding in pain sight as just another enslaved moiety you are protected from culpability in case things do fall apart, the Carryx take all the blame.
Second, I think some of the parts about the streams of data and reports funneling up to the Sovran, and then propagating back out as orders, have been laying hints about manipulating the Carryx through the filtering of information from the bottom up. Maybe the will of the Sovran can be influenced by the selective passage of data she receives. So the Sinen place themselves in the roles of messengers and middle-managers to manipulate that flow of information. Maybe the "song" isn't just the pheromones and vocalizations of the Carryx, but their information network too.
That's what I came up with so far, and like I said I don't take my theory seriously at all, it was just something fun to think about. I'm prepared for it to all get ripped to shreds, I bet there's some small details I'm forgetting from the first book that completely disproves it. I'm just sure there has to be more going on with the Sinen than we know yet, and I'd love to hear what others think.