They are still waiting. The unfortunate introduction of the Quill, long thought benign, onto these worlds has placed the future of Mankind in jeopardy and those worlds under quarantine. Now the stations are overcrowded and every day is a fight for survival. And Earth, terrified that it too will become infested, is also quarantined. Isolation, not expansion, is now dominant there.
Any ship attempting to return is destroyed.
The fear of contagion runs rampant as every effort to land on the Quill planets is met with disaster. No one has lived to tell the tale. Well, almost no one. Czerneda has simply outdone herself with In the Company of Others . Don't get me wrong, I've thoroughly enjoyed everything she's written, but they all pale in the company of this engaging tale the perfect blend of action and emotion.