Well, like I said, the name comes from The Faded Sun trilogy by C.J. Cherryh. Shon'ai means The Passing Game in the alien language of a people called mri, whose warrior caste, the Kel, played The Game with sharp blades called as'ei which could wound or kill. The Game was both an exercise and a symbol of their species' philospophy of life.
Every throw involves risk - every return involves risk.
The lesson of The Passing Game is that the return is worth the risk, and the return is proportional to the risk. Risk is its own reward. At the very end of the trilogy, humankind is on the verge of hiring the mri as mercanaries, as so many other alien species have done in the past, but they are puzzled about the lack of demands for payment. The going itself is our hire. Use us wisely, human sen'en, for we are a sharp sword, to part the Dark for you.