And here in MO.d649 we have it direct. Or semi-direct.
We’ve had hints that Ursula may have been responsible for the disappearance or demise of her crewmates in other fragments, but this passage makes it clear:
“Hah. Non-violence. When the time came, I did not hesitate against my own shipmates. Did I value them less? Some days my own motivations escape me.”
What we still do not know is why. Did the crew begin fighting among themselves and Ursula was dragged into it? Were there warring factions? Did it have something to do with the Astero, as we have speculated? One wants to assume that Ursula was simply the last survivor of this conflict, but her own admission of violence makes that wishful thinking. It seems unlikely – but not impossible – that Ursula murdered an entire crew on her own, but perhaps that is just those of us here not wanting someone we’ve gotten to know so well ending up the villain of the piece.
We can only hope that more fragments can be recovered that shine some light on these questions.
Dr. Lyra Abdi-Lund