She recognized the five council members sitting together in the fifth row, but recent arrivals to Gnaritus comprised the majority of the audience. For example, Gabriel, Rafaela, the Cavaceccis, and the Ellisons were waiting on tenterhooks for the trial to start. In the second row, Bob Pagett tried in vain to console his wife, Betina, who sobbed in despair over the loss of her children. However, a few long-term Gnaritus residents were in the audience as well, such as the Hargreaves, Gowan, Berenice, Norval, Nieves, Fergus, Nachton, and Ailbeart.
Surina wondered why there was standing room only in the amphitheater. Why had so many people come? Some would have come to seek justice for their dead relatives, although indemnification was impossible since nothing could compensate for their tragic loss. Earth seemed to have left an indelible mark on many others, even though none of their relatives had died from the viral vector. Perhaps they came in the hope of making sense of the society that had forsaken them so that they could break free from its tentacles, which ensared them