It's called the Proust phenomenon. Memories triggered by odors are stronger than those from visual and verbal cues. It's why used car dealers spray new car scent in cars.
A dose of paranoia can be a healthy safety mechanism or a crippling disease. Sonny has it pretty bad after his experience. Logically, how can any random group be totally safe if the virus is a ticking time bomb in their midst?
The only way walking back would make sense would be if there were people still around who might see them and connect them to a ship which had committed an act of war, but they had already determined it was abandoned.
If they'd gotten the ship first, they wouldn't have had to walk.
Now we know who the I.C.U.A. is.
Could the fallen kingdom be Allthrin? It could fit in with the plague and genocide theory.
Actually, only 14,999 are active. Lyoth disabled one. They could have neutralized more before they got there or cut power to the engines and dumped them in space.
War over the Ulah Laa and Phentrom?
Who is exactly in charge of the Red Stars? It's not Lord Wh atshisface or they would have known they already had Phentrom back at the base.
What a wonderful chapter and a seminal moment in the series. Nicholass has given our boys the gifts of freedom and truth. They no longer have to hide an important part of their lives from their parents and siblings. They can revel in their adventures and successes. No more secrets.
And they find out skwish isn't something new to their families.
Thank you, Geron! This was a great Christmas gift for us too.