All the Earth Deserves the Thanks of All of Perplex City

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Much has been made in our pages and elsewhere of Andy Darley, the hero who found and returned the Receda Cube. We at the Sentinel share in the jubilation, for we, too, are Perplexians, and we are as overjoyed as the rest of the city to have the Cube restored to its rightful position in the Academy Museum. There are times when our shield of journalistic impartiality is meaningless.

In recent days, however, rumours have been trickling into the city about the long hunt for the Cube. In these whispered tales, Violet Kiteway and Kurt McAllister led countless Earthlings in a quiet crusade against the Third Power, and an even quieter mission to see the Cube recovered by safe hands on Earth. Corroboration for these claims has been appearing little by little in statements from the two, in email sent to the Sentinel, and in a broad re-examination of many of the events of the past few years.

We at the Sentinel, therefore, feel that while Darley will be receive his reward, and Kiteway and McAllister will receive the Silver Solve from the City Council tomorrow, the true heroes of this journey are the Cube Hunters who generously gave us their time and personal resources, for no compensation beyond satisfaction in a job well done. Tens of thousands of individuals heard our plea for help and were moved to action by nothing more than our shared humanity. Darley's discovery was nothing more or less than the culmination of the selfless work of these thousands of people, all banded together.

We admit that we at the Sentinel had grave doubts along the way regarding Academy Master Sente Kiteway's scheme to recover the Cube, and his management of the Academy during these troubled times. Indeed, for all that the elder Kiteway and his daughter are both heroes today, we are all too aware that the political winds may shift again, leaving them both accountable for numberless questionable actions they have taken in the name of protecting others. But now, in this time of celebration, we should not be wasting our time second-guessing their ultimately successful plans.

Let us not forget the magnificent achievement built for the sake of this three-year quest; for the peoples of two worlds have worked in co-operation to achieve a noble goal, an historic event that is not to be overlooked. To the Cube Hunters on Earth: Thank you, from all of us. We will never forget you, the unsung heroes of this tale, and we hope you will never forget us.