Chapter 24As envisaged, the work involved in dealing with the newcomers proved to be considerable, and many a nostalgic glance was cast back to the time when the travellers were struggling to establish their first bases on the planet.
Taithur had been correct in his estimation of the effects of the deaths. Women and children had perished in the shrieking turmoil of the evacuation when the pioneers had smashed through the hull of the schooner, and no amount of reasoned justification could reach down to the roots of the pain in their loved ones.
“All these years. Travelling. Hoping. Looking for you, Taithur. Your words, your vision, carrying them through endless deprivation and hardship. Such courage. They offered no harm. And to end like that. And you did it. Why?”
The question came in m
