The Long Sunset

by Jack McDevitt

  “They have factories,” Ken said. “Probably have to deal with chemicals. I’m impressed that they were able to come up with one that fits you.”

  “They made it specifically for me.”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot. Arin did that measurement on the boat.” Ken took a deep breath.

  “Something wrong?” asked Beth.

  “If everything goes well, we might be looking at our last couple of days here.”

  “That’s probably true,” said Hutch. “If it’s about to end, we have to decide what we’re going to tell them.”

  Derek’s eyes closed for a moment. He looked in pain.

  “We’ve got enough of the language,” Beth continued, “to let them know what’s coming. Are we going to do it?”

  “I think,” said Derek, “it would be a terrible idea. Let’s forget it. They have sixty years left. Why should we ruin it for them?”

  • • •

  Arin was confident that everything would work. There was no way they could have missed that. The impression was confirmed when he came back the following day and invited them to return to the temple later for dinner. He was saying good-bye.

  They went, of course. And this time the meal was served not in his quarters but in a meeting room connected to the rear of the building. Approximately twenty Volarians were present. Three tables occupied one end of the room, with the locals already seated. But there was still substantial space available. When Arin came through the door with the four humans trailing, everyone stood.

  Derek, Beth, Ken, and Hutch were shown to their seats. Three volunteers were serving dark liquid of the type Hutch had already tried. It looked like wine but did not seem to have an alcoholic element. When all the glasses were filled, Arin said something and the Volarians raised the glasses to their guests. Then he repeated the toast in English: “To our good friends from Earth, a place that is now much closer.”

  Beth leaned toward Hutch. “I think they got that from us.”

  “Maybe.” Hutch raised her own glass in a return gesture. “I’m beginning to seriously like these guys.”

  Arin spoke for about three minutes. Hutch caught part of it. He understood the loss that the visitors had suffered, and he appreciated their courage. They had proven good friends. When he finished, he looked at the humans, closed his eyes, and delivered what was clearly a prayer. The other Volarians bowed their heads.

  The food was digestible, more or less, and it was as good as anything Hutch had tasted on the island. She cleared her plate and looked over at Beth, who shrugged. It probably has some vitamins. Have faith.

  At the end of the meal, five of the locals, two males and three females, left the room and came back with horns and string instruments. They played soft, melodic rhapsodies, more like adaptations of classical music than the noisy clattering which had become popular at home over past years. There was no way, she realized, they could perform in that style and not inspire dancers to take the floor. And it happened: Tables were abandoned and the Volarians went forward with their partners. Hutch and Beth were both invited into the action with the locals. Derek and Ken needed a minute to realize some of the females were lingering nearby.

  It was obvious to Hutch that her first partner, who towered over her, wasn’t anxious about getting too close. Nevertheless, he folded her into his arms while she held her breath. He provided what she thought was a name, and his eyes reflected an amusement at their mutual discomfort. Hutch told him she was Priscilla, and he butchered it, turning it into a garbled hiss. She tried her luck with his name and thought she’d done pretty well until she saw his smile.

  It didn’t matter. They needed a few minutes to adjust to each other, but in the end they danced around the ballroom, and when the opportunity presented itself, she pulled his head down and kissed his cheek. She was pleased to see that whatever reluctance he had shown about getting close seemed to have evaporated.

  At the end of the evening, all the islanders lined up near the door, where they shook hands with one another and took turns embracing their guests. They whispered to Hutch, and to the others, as they filed out. And though no literal translation happened, the emotional expression was impossible to miss.

  Beth Squires’s Notes (handwritten)

  These guys do know how to party.

  —Date unknown, 2256

  27.

  There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

  There is a rapture on the lonely shore;

  There is society, where none intrudes,

  By the deep sea, and music in its roar.

  —Lord Byron, Childe Harold IV, 1818

  Hutch was just coming down the staircase in the morning. Derek and Ken were talking in the living room. And someone started knocking. Derek got the door and Arin came in, grinned at everybody, spotted Hutch on the stairs, pointed at the ceiling and asked a question. Ken’s response included Beth’s name. Presumably that she was still asleep. There was another exchange and Arin headed back outside.

  “You want me to get Beth?” Hutch asked.

  Ken looked up at her. “Is she awake?”

  “I haven’t heard her moving around.”

  “It’s okay. Let her sleep.” He wrote a note and left it on the table.

  Derek was still on his feet. “You want to come?” he asked Hutch.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’ve no idea.”

  “You sure we shouldn’t get Beth?”

  “I asked him if we should have her with us, but he said it didn’t make any difference.”

  “Doesn’t sound as if it could be very important,” Hutch said.

  Two cars were waiting. Kwylla was at the wheel of one. Ken got in with her; everybody else got into the other car. They pulled onto the road, behind Kwylla. But this time, instead of heading south toward the beach, they rode north past the temple. The sky was overcast, and it felt as if rain were coming.

  “He looks as if he has good news,” Hutch said. Arin’s face was glowing. The road got rough as they left the temple area behind. But that did nothing to slow the drivers down. They bounced along, past occasional cottages and cabins. Off to the right, the ocean was becoming visible through the trees.

  They eventually emerged from the forest onto the edge of the sea, connected with another road, followed it through a cluster of cottages, and arrived at a pier. A freighter they hadn’t seen before was docked alongside a warehouse. It was a dilapidated green building with flaking paint.

  A small truck, loaded with boxes, was just leaving the ship, navigating a ramp down to the pier. A second vehicle waited on the deck.

  They pulled into the parking area, got out of the car, and walked onto the pier. They’d gone only a short distance before four Volarians came out of the warehouse. Others were at the foot of the ramp and scattered across the ship’s deck. They all stopped whatever they’d been doing and gaped at the humans. Arin took a deep breath and grumbled something. The truck reached the bottom of the ramp and moved onto the pier. One of the Volarians who’d been on the ship came down the ramp and strutted toward them. Obviously someone of significance. His shirt and pants had a gloss that caught Hutch’s eyes even in the gray light.

  A second truck, also carrying boxes, moved onto the ramp and started to descend. Arin asked everyone to wait and walked toward Shiny-Clothes. They met, talked for a minute, and then he waved his guests over for introductions. The newcomer was Korsek. He delivered the local version of “hello” to them, and tried to get their names correct, although Derek’s came out as a single syllable. Derk. With the R acquiring a grinding sound.

  Someone came out of the warehouse and caught Korsek’s attention. He came over and the two started talking. Korsek’s mood darkened. Arin looked uncomfortable, said something, and the conversation quickly descended into a three-way debate. It continued and grew more intense. Meanwhile, the second truck reached the bottom of the ramp and pulled over near the warehouse where a team of workers had begun unloading the first v
ehicle. They wasted no time starting on the second. The two drivers stood by and watched. Both wore bright yellow jackets.

  Korsek was getting louder, raising his hands and shaking his head, making it clear that Arin was creating a problem.

  Whatever it was about, Arin remained adamant. He couldn’t comply. Ken looked toward Derek. “Don’t know.”

  Korsek pointed at Derek and Hutch. The meaning seemed clear. Ask them.

  Arin stood his ground. And Korsek walked away.

  “Well,” Hutch said, keeping her voice low, “wait till they hear about the black hole.”

  Derek asked what they’d been arguing over. Arin said it was of no concern.

  • • •

  The first truck rolled past them, pulled onto the road, and started south.

  The workers finished unloading the other vehicle. Arin went over and spoke with the driver while Korsek watched. When he’d finished, the driver got back in the truck and also started south.

  Hutch suspected the dispute between Arin and Korsek had to do with shutting down the effort to recover the lander. Maybe Korsek had another use for the trucks. Maybe he thought helping aliens wasn’t a good idea. Maybe he was just a crank.

  Derek was standing next to Kwylla. He looked worried.

  Arin had a final exchange with Korsek. It looked as if he was trying to make peace. They at least seemed not to be shouting at each other any longer. When it was finished, he came back to the car and everybody got in. Derek tried again to ask about the argument. What was it about?

  Arin opened that enormous mouth and took a deep breath. “He thinks you look hostile. Dangerous.”

  It was the sort of remark that, on a different occasion, would have prompted laughter. But this was too serious. Who among them looked dangerous? Even Ken, who was by far the biggest of the four humans, was too small to pose any kind of threat to a Volarian.

  Ken asked Arin whether he had any reservations about them?

  He did not.

  Then why?

  Ken replied. “Arin says it has nothing to do with the way we’ve been behaving. It’s just that we’re different.”

  “We’re different from all the people at the beach, too,” said Hutch. “They’ve been willing to accept us.”

  “They saw us crash into the sea rather than bring the lander in. They understood the sacrifice. And they also watched you try to rescue one of their kids. So, we’re clear with them. But apparently, we’re too different. We scare Korsek.”

  • • •

  Both cars returned to the cottage. Hutch half-expected to see the trucks there, but there was no sign of them. Arin got out of his seat and indicated they should all go inside. Hutch wasn’t sure yet what the plan was, but she understood they were going to the beach. Ken knocked and opened the door. Beth was seated on the sofa. “Good to see you guys decided to come back,” she said.

  “We’re going home,” said Ken. “I hope. We need to get whatever we were wearing when we came here.” Arin provided plastic bags for everybody.

  Ken took Hutch aside. He looked uncomfortable. “Arin says for you to get into your bathing suit. I offered to replace you, but he says you’re the one they need. You’re apparently better in the water.”

  “That would be a substantial compliment, coming from them.” Hutch took one of the plastic bags and went upstairs. She dug out the oversized pieces of cloth that passed for her bathing suit, got into them, and tied the cord to keep everything from falling off. She collected the clothes she’d been wearing when they arrived and put them in the plastic bag. And opened the drawer in the side table and removed the couplings. She paused at the door on the way out and looked back. It hadn’t been especially comfortable, but she’d miss it.

  Everybody was waiting when she got downstairs. Except Arin, who arrived several minutes later in a bathing suit.

  Derek was not happy. “Be careful, Hutch,” he said. He’d been slow to adjust to her nickname, but he was using it all the time now.

  • • •

  Arin drove Ken and Hutch to the yacht. Two coils of cable had been placed on the afterdeck. When they boarded, a female came out of the cabin. “Sara,” said Arin, “Parsilla. And Ken.” Parsilla was about as close as he’d been able to get to her name.

  Sara was probably the tallest female on the island. She stood several inches above Ken. She responded with a smile and they all shook hands. Minutes later, they were on their way.

  Hutch inspected the cable as they cruised through a sea that fortunately was calm. The material felt tough enough. When they arrived near the buoy, the two trucks were parked under the trees. There was a crowd, but the beach itself had been kept clear. The drivers, in their yellow jackets, were standing talking with a few locals. Somebody spotted the yacht and they all waved. “You know,” Hutch said, “I could really get used to living here.”

  “I know,” said Ken.

  Arin dropped anchor. Hutch put on her oxygen mask and air tank. Then she checked the tree cluster to ensure the buoy hadn’t drifted. Sara released the end of one of the coils and slipped smoothly into the water with it. Arin followed, and then Hutch. They exchanged glances, and all three dived.

  Hutch had always considered herself a reasonably decent swimmer, but Sara and Arin left her behind and were floating beside the lander when she arrived.

  They’d have to get the vehicle upright before they could try hauling it out. It was lying on its left side. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to have taken on any water. And the left wing had prevented the lander from rolling completely over. Sara handed the cable over and Hutch tied it to the base of the sensor atop the cabin. Then she tugged on it, signaling Ken to start.

  All three positioned themselves along the edge of the roof on the down side and tried to lift it as the cable tightened. It was slow going, and Hutch didn’t believe she was adding much to the effort, but Arin and Sara clearly were. As it rose, she got under the wing, which allowed her to apply more pressure. They got the vehicle almost all the way up onto its landing skids. Then it hesitated and she thought it was going to roll back on them. But they came up with a desperate shove and it dropped down on its skids into an upright position.

  She needed a minute, and the ocean collected her and started to carry her away. Sara came to her side and grabbed her arm. Was she okay?

  Yes. Just hang on a second.

  They waited. Finally, she released the cable from the sensor base, looped it around the port wing, and knotted it. Arin went back up to the yacht and returned with the second cable, which she secured to the starboard wing. Then she signaled Sara and Arin that they were done.

  They returned to the yacht. “Everything okay?” asked Ken.

  “It should be all right.”

  Arin took over the controls and guided the vehicle slowly toward shore, while Hutch and Ken fed more cable into the water from the afterdeck. He slowed down as he got in close and finally stopped as they touched bottom. Sara and Hutch, each holding one of the coils, climbed down into the water and walked toward the beach.

  Korsek had appeared. He was talking with the drivers while he watched Sara and Hutch come through the surf. Then he sent the drivers back to their trucks. Kwylla joined him and they walked across the beach, waving at the few sunbathers until they began moving back out of the way. The trucks started their engines and started slowly toward the water. When they got close, they did U-turns and stopped alongside each other, facing inland.

  Hutch and Sara, meantime, had come ashore. The drivers met them, took the cables, and tied one to the rear of each truck. Then Korsek took up a position in front of the vehicles, waved off a couple of young Volarians who’d gotten too close, and signaled the drivers to start.

  Both vehicles moved with all due deliberation across the sand, advancing like a pair of tortoises. Korsek stayed with them and signaled whenever he felt one was getting too far ahead of the other, or too far to one side. When they were slightly more than three-quarters of the way to the
trees, Korsek raised his hands to stop. They complied. The drivers got out and removed the lines from the trucks.

  They turned the vehicles around and proceeded back to the edge of the surf, where they cut the lines and reattached the leftover sections to the bumpers. When they were done, the trucks moved forward again. They repeated the process two more times, and the trucks had again gotten close to the forest that rimmed the beach before the lander appeared in the water. Hutch had to smother an instinct to cheer. “I guess,” she said, “Arin’s a genius.”

  • • •

  They were sitting in the sand, watching as the lander was drawn through the surf and onto the beach. “We’re in business, guys,” said Derek. “I still can’t believe this is happening. I don’t like to say this, but I thought we were stuck here.”

  Hutch pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “Derek,” she said, “what are we going to tell them?”

  “I don’t have a good answer to that.”

  “I don’t think we should tell them anything,” said Beth. “It’s sixty years away. Nobody’s going to be able to do anything about it. Why saddle them with that kind of bad news?”

  “I think she’s right,” said Ken. “Let’s just let it go.”

  Beth looked around at the Volarians, who were standing at the edge of the trees making happy sounds. “I just can’t see we have much choice.”

  Derek took a few steps toward the surf but stopped and looked back at her. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s get our act together and see if we’ve got a working vehicle.”

  Hutch was slow to get up.

  Derek frowned. “Hutch? You okay?”

  There was the nickname again. Something in his attitude toward her had changed.

  Derek Blanchard’s Notebook

  Ken has been absolutely brilliant in his ability to communicate with Kwylla and Arin. Without them, I doubt we’d have survived. And I should mention that Priscilla has helped too. And Wally.

  —Date unknown, 2256

  28.