I get Silis's fear of his sister finding out - it's the same reason he blamed Ian for not geting in touch, without considering that he might have tried but his parents blocked any attempt. I'm not sure how much Emma could connect either if she had to sneak out on her husband to see the band.
The actions of the "Directed Comunities" reminds me of a rather deperssing solution to the Fermi Paradox: there are no inter-stellar civilizations, because we all destroy oursevels before we reach that point.
It would make for a much shorter story, and might be considered a bit too cold blooded and ruthless for sum, but...... If you know exactly when & where Ezer's ship is appearing, why not just jump back an hour or so before hand, and blow it to bits the moment it appears?
@LitLover -- I have a feeling Dillon already knows. That would be the answer to Lor's confusion over whey he protected his stomach and not other parts of his body.
For those not familiar with the origin of "faggot" in referring to gay men, it dates back to the Inquisition and the burning of 'witches' and others. The original meaning of "faggot' is a small piece of wood used to get a fire going after lighting the tinder, but before tossing on full logs. When 'witches' were burned at the stake, gay men were often bound and put -- alive -- inside the pile of wood used for the pyre.
The "the universal signal for stop" isn't all that universal -- as the US military found out a bit late in the Middle East, after fireing upon cars that didn't stop at checkpoints. In certain cultures, hand extended palm outward is a sign of welcome.