# Ray Ballantyne — Short Fiction character guide

> Ray Ballantyne in Short Fiction by Poul Anderson.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ballantyne, Ray

**First appearance:** 0000-star-ship

## Snapshot

A quick-witted agent trading banter with a wary F.B.I. operative named Elena, hiding his conditioning behind bad puns and calm nerves.

## Who they are

Ballantyne and Elena are stranded together with four packs and a hundred rounds, and he keeps cracking wordplay while she tries to read whether he's human or something colder. She's spent two years undercover inside Thomas Bancroft's organization and knows the setup is a web of mutual surveillance. His emotional control unnerves her even as his questions about reinforcements and the Institute's plans push the pair toward an uneasy alliance.

## Relationships

### [Dyann Korlas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/characters/dyann_korlas)

_professional_

Dyann and Ray appear to be colleagues or partners in a mission or investigation, given their frequent interactions.

### [Dyann Korlas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/characters/dyann_korlas)

_professional_

Dyann and Ray appear to be colleagues or partners in a mission or investigation, given their frequent interactions.

### [Dyann Korlas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/characters/dyann_korlas)

_professional_

Dyann and Ray appear to be colleagues or partners in a mission or investigation, given their frequent interactions.

## In the story

### [Captive of the Centaurianess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/captive-of-the-centaurianess)

Highlighted for his transcendent clarity of mind and inspired leadership that molded the future.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/i)

A nuclear engineer from Earth traveling third class to Ganymede; he is curious about his cabinmates and anxious about Jovian intentions.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/ii)

Protagonist; a former engineer who squandered a million-credit inheritance, now imprisoned and facing execution for espionage after a brawl.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/iii)

Earthman arrested earlier; Dyann seeks him and demands his location from Jovian officials.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/iv)

Driven by desperation to escape the Jovians, Ray conceives the idea of building a faster-than-light drive and pushes Urushkidan to help him.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/v)

Works on the star drive, argues with Urushkidan over patents, and pilots the ship during the escape.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/vi)

Attempts to warn Earth about Jupiter's war and offers faster-than-light technology, but is ignored. He reluctantly helps prepare the Varannian fleet for invasion.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/chapters/vii)

Leads the invasion of Ganymede City, fights hand-to-hand, and later attends the victory banquet on Earth.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/characters/ray_ballantyne
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_44_se/characters