Vreta supposed he should not have been surprised at the crowds. Even without knowing the full picture, there was no avoiding that the citizens would know something was wrong with the Cradle. It was simply too integrated into their infrastructure for it to be practical to hide its problems, especially when those problems started to spill over into the real world. That alone would be enough to inspire some to want to get off-world. Vreta just hoped that it would end up being unnecessary. 

Sitting back in the passenger hold of the cutter was certainly more comfortable than the buggy. It still had some extra space available when they set out towards the surface. They would be getting to work immediately upon arrival, so Rhia was already encouraging Vreta to get himself prepared for whatever surprises might be in store for them. 

The formally-dressed individuals who had greeted them were not people who Vreta recognized. He could not say for sure what organization they belonged to, but it was likely a safe guess that they were informed about the Cradle, at least. As they were starting to pass through the clouds, Vreta looked down at the tall man across from him in the hold. “Do you have any up-to-date information on the current state of the Cradle?”