<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I suspect whoever told that rumor was speaking generally,"</span></span>Uri hummed, following Ryan into the forest.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"This planet was sterilized by the war; there isn't a single plant to be found on the surface. Still, it is good of your people to plant a garden for the dead."</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"What are you talking about?"</span></span>Velnier's voice came the Taelek.<br/><br/><span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"The humans have planted a forest for where they bury their dead,"</span></span>Uriel answered, sounding satisfied. There was a pause before her colleague answered.<br/><br/><span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Uri... I'm looking it up right now. Humans don't make a tradition of planting trees by their gravesites: they cut them down to make the soil easier to dig. The most I see here are examples of picked flowers being left atop their tombstones. For that matter, I can't find anything in here about a forest on the third level."</span></span><br/><br/>The Vortian's forehead grew taut.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I don't understand. What could that mean?"</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Humans lack the tools now to cut down large trees,"</span></span>Velnier speculated.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"It means that the trees in the forest you're standing in grew so quickly that there wasn't time to remove them while they were still small."</span></span><br/><br/>Uriel was gradually coming to the same conclusion as Velnier, and it was making her concerned.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Approximately how quickly do trees grow on this planet, Velnier?"</span></span>she asked.<br/><br/><span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"It takes decades."</span></span><br/><br/>The purple alien stopped mid-stride.