"When I first met you," I said, "you told me about waking up back in 1918, with no memory."
"Yours is a harsh world, Legion. I must have forgotten many times. Somewhere, some time, I lost the vital link, forgot my quest. When the Hunters came again, I fled, not understanding."
"You had a machine gun set up in the house at Mayport. What good was that against the Hunters?"
"None, I suppose," Foster replied. "But I didn't know. I only knew that I was—pursued."
"And by then you could have made a signaller," I said. "But you'd forgotten how—or even that you needed one."
"But in the end I found it—with your help, Legion. But still there is a mystery: What came to pass aboard this ship all those centuries ago? Why was I here? And what killed the others?"
"Look," I said. "Here's a theory: there was a mutiny, while you were in the machine having your memory fixed. You woke up and it was all over—and the crew was dead."
"That hypothesis will serve," said Foster. "But one day I must learn the truth of this matter."
"What I can't figure out is why somebody from Vallon didn't come after this ship. It was right here in orbit."
"Consider the immensity of space, Legion. This is one tiny world, among the stars."