Someone recognises him. Remember that firebrand of a young lieutenant from the Village? She's very glad that he survived its destruction. Unfortunately, by the time that she noticed that he had, she'd sent up the distress call and made herself the target for all those people who didn't find their imprisonment as intolerable as she did, and feared worse. Tayrey, not knowing where Mulcahy stood, had kept away. Either he'd be as angry with her as most of the rest - or he wouldn't be, and she wouldn't risk trouble coming to him for being an understanding person.

She's on the outskirts of the gathering too, albeit for very different reasons. When she approaches him, it's with the belief that at the very least a religious man won't harm her, which makes him safe enough.

Tayrey stands there, feeling out-of-place in these strange clothes, longing for her old Tradeline uniform. (But she chose to be here; there's no protest display of her astrogator's tattoo. This is her liberation and so she'll accept the imperfections.) 'Peace and prosperity. I'm glad you made it out.'