Coming back to a topic of four pages ago...
I had a though yesterday (probably due to reading the first Ciaphas Cain book again).
I thought that maybe Ken is deliberately trying to provoke a war between the Shivans and Vishnans.
Let's assume for a moment that the conflict in AoA was limited to the other universe and "over here" they are still allies. Now we have the UEF, which is clearly under the influence of the Vishnans and suddenly a "person" that appears much like a Shivan in philosophies and behaviour starts to manipulate what is hinted to be the strongest Nagari presence in the whole star system.
Now that is a pertty clear provocation towards the Vishnans, who might start to blame the Shivans for their conduct, which might lead to a war between the two.
Such a scenario would throw up a few question (or reiterate them in some cases):
Who or what is Ken? Is he a rebel Vishnan or Shivan, Bosch, or a member of another, so far unknown, species?
Whatever he is, what would he have to gain though?
Is he an outcast out for revenge? Or maybe a surviver trying to take revenge on the Shivans for wiping out his race and the Vishnans for just watching?
Is he trying to occupy the attention of the big two, so his own race can go unnotices for a bit longer?
Or is he trying to pave the way for an attack against the big two?
Or is he actually a Brahma poking around and testing the reactions of the Shivans and Vishnans to judge wether they kept their roles and punish them if they didn't?
Or might he be a Shivan from the other universe that sliped somehow made it through to our universe and tries to make the Vishnans pay for what they did in AoA, with or without the Shivans on our side knowing about it?