As a Moments page, all spoilers will be unmarked. You have been warned.
A remarkably emotional moment in Part V of the prologue, when the citizens debate the ethics of having departed souls inhabit new bodies. Justin voices a man whose son was among the Einarr that died before having his soul rescued. He gets extremely choked up as he says, quite bluntly, that his son was gone, and now he's back and he can talk to him again, and he simply does not care how they achieved that, he's just grateful they could.
From the same episode, the last speech of the Delmer contrarian that Justin voiced during the final meeting. His deep, heartfelt sincerity in the community's ability to provide a new home for them all despite their differences is touching in its tenderness from such a gruff character, as well as his belief that, since mankind's "ancestor's, ancestor's, ancestors" came from the sea and grew legs and learned to breathe air, then their descendants would simply go back and grow gills.
And to top that episode off entirely, the last desperate efforts of Hominine to try and halt the storm, followed by the frenzied evacuation to the city as the colossal tidal wave overtook the shore. The utter swiftness with which the end came, and the loss of all that so many had worked, argued, fought, and died for on the surface, brings a sense of crushing finality to the prologue episodes that is as inescapable as the fathomless depths of the Ethersea.
The sudden and unexpected death of Captain Emery, leaving his young ward Beck an orphan. Devo clearly feels personally responsible for this, and makes one of his conditions for working with the Curator that she's taken care of, requesting that she's escorted to Brother Seldom until they can figure out what to do. The Curator himself, while shady, is clearly taken aback and saddened when he hears that his former employee orphaned an innocent girl.
Zoox is clearly shaken up by his brush with death following Guthrie's betrayal, noting that the one time he let his guard down and lowered his weapon, he was immediately punished for it. Poor guy.
Bonus points for his remark that the experience reminded him of being dead.
