“There’s a world close to theirs. And we may have a giant transport vehicle that can be adapted.”
They could hear Zhang talking to someone else. Then he was back: “What’s the population? Not that it’s going to make any difference.”
“It’s only three million, sir.”
“Oh. Only three million? Good. I was concerned there might be a lot of them.” They could hear him breathing. “Do you have any idea what kind of fleet we’d need to do something like that? Have you lost your mind?” Derek and Hutch looked at each other and shook their heads. “When’s this going to happen? The black hole?”
For a moment, Hutch thought he might adjust his attitude.
“Sixty years,” Derek said. “The effects will start to be felt considerably earlier. It would probably be a good idea to have them out of there within a half century. At most.”
“So, why did you bring two of them back here with you?”
“They saved our lives, sir. If people have a chance to see them, to get to know them as we do, we think they’d be more than willing to help.”
“That’s absolutely crazy.”
“I should tell you that they’re nearby, they can probably hear you, and they understand English.”
“They understand English?”
“That’s correct.”
“How did that happen?”
“We’ve been working with them. They’re smart.”
“Excellent. I was under the impression you and your team were to avoid such contacts. Watch and observe but keep your distance. Wasn’t that the guiding principle?”
“Sir, we didn’t intend this to happen. We were riding the lander when it blew something out and crashed in the ocean. They rescued us. I think if the presidents of China and the NAU had a chance—”
“Derek, I’ve already spoken with President Proctor. And I’ve been in contact with the People’s Congress as well. Nobody is happy with what you’ve done. Can you even guarantee these two creatures aren’t bringing a plague with them?”
“We have a physician—”
“Stop. We’ll talk after you dock. I’m putting together a team to take these creatures—you say there are two of them? They’ll take them back to wherever they came from. And that’s going to be the end of it. Is that clear?”
Derek glared out at the stars.
Zhang wasn’t finished. “Barry, are you there?” he asked.
“Yes, Director.”
“Any use of the Eiferman transmitter will be limited exclusively to connect with Union Ops or with me.”
“Understood.”
“In addition, Barry, any conversation between you and anyone on the Eiferman will be recorded and forwarded to me.”
• • •
Arin was standing in the doorway. “Is he the chief authority?” he asked.
“No,” said Derek. “Give us time. We just have to get to the right people.”
Arin stayed quietly where he was. He looked stricken. “It’s okay,” Hutch said. “We’ll manage it.”
“I’m sorry. We did not realize we were going to get you into so much trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of it. You probably have cranks back on the islands, too.”
Arin closed his eyes, opened them again, and retreated inside, where he began talking with the others. Ken came up next. “Was it really that bad?”
“It wasn’t good,” said Derek. He turned to Hutch. “What was that business about Barry not allowing any communications?”
“Zhang’s concerned that we’ll bypass him to get the story out.”
“I didn’t think they’d be happy about this,” said Ken. “But this is something of an overreaction.”
Derek got out of his chair but stood, holding on to it. “Hutch, they’re going to need you to take them back.”
“No, they don’t. What they’ll probably do is have Barry take them.”
“Not if we shut him down.”
“I don’t care much for that idea.” She turned in her seat so she could see him. “In any case, they certainly don’t need me.” She got up. Ken backed out of the way and she left the bridge. She passed through the passenger cabin and took the down ramp to the cargo bay.
After a minute or so Derek followed her. “Where are you going?” he asked.
“I need to think this out. Our only real chance to win this is to get Arin and Kwylla some media attention. That’s not going to happen as long as we’re in Zhang’s hands. He figures, or knows, the Chinese aren’t going to want to get involved in this any more than Proctor does. So, he’s going to keep us quiet until Kwylla and Arin are safely on their way back to Volaria. The WSA will probably claim there was evidence of a disease or something.”
“Wait a minute—”
“Derek, we have to connect with the outside world. When we get close to Union, we can put Arin and Kwylla on board the lander and head down.”
“Really? You think they won’t notice that? They’ll follow us in and be waiting wherever we land—”
Hutch stopped. He was right. “Okay,” she said. “I’ve a better idea. How about if we record an interview with them, with Kwylla and Arin, and just send it to somebody?”
“We can’t use the transmitter, remember? So, you mean, what, wait till we get close and use a commlink?”
“No. That won’t work. He’ll have someone escort us in. When we get close enough to use a commlink, they’ll scramble anything except a transmission aimed at Union.”
“So, what then?”
“He shut down the ship’s transmitter. We’ve got another one on the lander.”
“Right! Okay, that’s good. But who do we talk to? You know somebody in the media?”
“Yes. I’d send it directly to Jack Crispee if I had his link. Unfortunately, I don’t.”
“How about a boyfriend?”
“Not anymore.” Tom Axler was the last guy she could have brought into this. “But I do have somebody.”
“Who?”
“My mom. I’ll ask her to send it to Crispee at CBC.”
“You don’t have their link either, I assume?”
“No. But Mom can find it easily enough.”
He needed a minute to think about it. “Okay. I don’t see what else we have.” They walked over to the lander. “I hope this works,” he said.
“Let’s see first if we still have control of the system.” She opened the lander’s hatch, and they went inside and sat down. Normally, she would have directed Tasha to activate the transmitter, but that would alert Barry and he might feel bound by his instructions to relay the request to Zhang. Best to do it manually. Which she did. “Good so far,” she said.
“You understand this is going to be the end of our careers?”
“I suspect that’s the least that will happen. We might both wind up in jail.”
“Whatever.” Derek sat for a moment, probably trying to find a way to laugh it off. “How are we going to manage the interview?”
“Best time is now. Let’s get it done, and then when we get close enough to Union, we’ll send it out.”
• • •
“I think,” said Derek, “it will work best if you do it, Hutch. You look a little better than I do.”
“Derek, you’re higher up in the organization. I’m just—”
“You’ve got more experience with this stuff. Please. Do it my way. We need to get the audience on our side. Whatever blowback we get, I’ll take full responsibility.”
They rearranged the chairs on the front porch, converting it back into a standard passenger cabin.
“I am uncomfortable with this,” Arin said. He looked over at Kwylla, who indicated she was in full agreement. “We’re getting you into serious trouble. But I don’t see what else we can do.”
“We’ll be all right,” said Derek.
“What actually is this about? Why are we going to sit here and do an interview?”
“It won’t be so much a
n interview as a conversation,” said Hutch. “When we’re done, you’ll be able to watch it onscreen.”
They both looked nervous.
Derek smiled at them. “All you have to do is relax and answer the questions that Hutch asks. Okay? It won’t take any longer than a half hour or so, and if you want to stop it for some reason, just say so. We can edit the results, so don’t worry about anything. And don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”
Hutch’s eyebrows rose. “No, Derek. We can’t edit the results, because we’d need Barry to help with that.”
“And we can’t talk to him.”
“Not about something like this. We’ll have to do this with a single capture.”
“Okay. Whatever. Let’s get started.”
• • •
Derek would be the guy recording the show. He’d need room to move around the passenger cabin without having to worry about getting himself or anyone else who didn’t belong into the shots. So, Wally, Beth, and Ken, who wanted to watch, had to retire to their cabins or the bridge.
Hutch was actually glad that Derek had turned the job over to her. He had a wide array of talents, and he was a good speaker. But he tended to be a bit autocratic in the public forum. Hutch had enjoyed a second career doing seminars and addressing luncheons in what was eventually a losing effort to salvage the Academy. But she was good with audiences.
She took time to record some questions, not that she would consult the notebook but simply to imprint them in her mind. When she was ready, she signaled Derek.
Beth Squires’s Notes
They claimed they wanted us out of the way so Derek would have complete freedom to record everything. But the truth was that Kwylla and Arin were nervous enough. The last thing they needed was us sitting there watching. It’s a pity, though; I’d have loved to sit in.
—Monday, October 6, 2256
41.
Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt, Letter to W. N. Hardy, 1940
You did fine,” said Derek, speaking to Arin and Kwylla.
Both smiled nervously. “I hope so,” Kwylla said.
He turned to Hutch. “You okay?”
“Yes. They made it pretty easy.” She connected the commlink to the ship’s communication track.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to add some images from the island. Pictures of the beach, mostly. And the temple.”
He laughed. “Good. Can’t go wrong with those.”
She needed a few minutes. Then: “Now all we have to do is get it to Jack.”
“You have that figured out, right?”
“I hope so.”
“Good. What’s the plan?”
She did a burn, adjusting their position until Earth and moon were visible through her left-hand window. Then she picked up the chip that had been used to record the interview. “Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
They went down to the cargo bay and climbed into the lander. She closed the hatch and turned on the radio. Then she depressurized the bay and opened the launch doors. “Excellent,” said Derek.
She inserted the chip and turned on the transmitter.
• • •
They gathered on the front porch and raised glasses while Barry played “Galactic Hearts,” a song popularized a few years earlier by the group of the same name. They celebrated through the day and well into the evening. It was, finally, great to be back. And nobody really cared when the Conover, the escort vehicle they’d been expecting, showed up.
Derek was up front with Hutch the following morning when a call came through from the station. “Eiferman, this is Union Ops. The director wishes to speak with Captain Hutchins.”
They glanced at one another. Here we go. She flipped the switch. “Hutchins here.”
“Wait one, please.”
There was a click, followed by silence. “He never gets tired of playing games,” said Derek.
For a while, the only sound on the bridge, other than the burps and beeps of the electronics, was their breathing. Then Zhang’s voice was so sudden that Hutch actually flinched. “Hutchins.”
“I’m here, Director Zhang.”
“We are looking forward to your arrival today.”
“We are too, Director.”
“Have everyone packed and ready to leave. There will be a security unit at the gate to ensure you have no problem. The two aliens are to remain on board. Be sure you and your passengers have all your belongings when you depart. Once you have left the ship, no one will be permitted back on board.”
“Wait a minute,” said Derek.
“Do not give me an argument, Blanchard. If you need assistance getting everything off, it will be provided.”
“Do you still intend to return them to their home world?”
“That is correct.”
“Stop,” said Hutch. “You can’t do this. For one thing—”
“Captain, do not challenge me—”
“Damn it, Zhang, there’s not sufficient food on board for them.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
“I’m not leaving the ship until they do.”
“Well, if I could trust you, I suppose you could ride back with them. But I can’t, so actually, if you persist, you give me no choice but to put you under arrest. We’ll carry you off if necessary.”
• • •
It was a long ride in. Hutch had expected that her conversation with Kwylla and Arin would have been broadcast by then. It would have been the story of the age. But they’d have had a reaction from Zhang if it had happened. There was no way Jack Crispee would have passed on it. Something had happened.
“We’ve done what we can,” said Derek. “It’ll probably show up in a day or so.”
She spent her time on the bridge in a dark mood, which was rare for her. Arin tried to be reassuring. “Do not worry about us,” he said. “You’ve done everything you can.”
The hours dragged. Hutch spent most of her time on the front porch with her passengers, watching movies and shows. Arin and Kwylla were still trying to improve their language skills, even though it might no longer matter. When finally they shut the system down because nobody could talk through the noise and nobody was really watching anyway, she got up, went to her cabin, and packed. Then she returned to the bridge. Earth dominated the sky now. They were approaching on the daylight side.
Kwylla came in behind her. “You okay, Hutch?” she asked.
“Hi. Yes, I’m good, thanks.”
“Is that it ahead?”
“Yes. That’s Earth.”
“It’s a beautiful world.”
“Thank you.”
“I wanted to say good-bye. And to thank you for all you’ve done. In case this isn’t going to happen as we’d hoped.”
“I think we’ll be all right. Hold on a second.” She turned control of the ship over to CommOps, which would bring them in for docking. “In any case, I’m sure you and Arin will be okay. I don’t believe they’ll actually just turn you guys around. But if they do, we have a long time before the black hole arrives, and I think, eventually, we’ll get something going here to help you.” If nothing else, she still had the chip. If she could get it past Zhang’s security people.
“Hutch,” Kwylla said, “I love you.”
• • •
It had been probably the longest day of her life. And when it ended, as they eased into the station and she saw the security team waiting for them, she wanted to scream.
She could hear Derek, Beth, and Ken saying good-bye to Kwylla and Arin. She inserted the chip in her Hawks cap, directly in the center so that a careless observer might think it was only the underside of the button. She sealed it in place with a piece of tape the same color as the cap’s cotton interior. The chip was small and should be
easy to miss. If she could get it through, it would be her backup. Just in case.
• • •
Arin was angry. “Why are they doing this to us?”
“Politics,” said Hutch.
Derek tried to be reassuring. “Don’t give up. It’s not over yet.”
“But why?” he demanded. “I understand they want to send us back, but why are they not even letting us leave the ship? Do they think we will run and hide somewhere?”
“No. It’s nothing like that,” said Hutch. “They don’t want people to see you, because they’re afraid they’ll start sympathizing with you.”
“Is that why we made the video? Because you knew they wouldn’t let us actually speak?”
Hutch sighed. “It was a precautionary step.”
He looked directly into her eyes. “Our entire world is going to be left to die, isn’t it?”
• • •
The security team consisted of six members. They were waiting in the access tube when Hutch opened the hatch. They’d blocked off the far end of the tube. There was no crowd, no media, nothing. One of them, a tall, bored-looking woman wearing sergeant’s stripes, ordered everyone out.
Hutch sighed, put on her baseball cap, and went first. She signaled Arin to follow. The security team stepped in. They stared at him, and a couple of them had a hard time restraining laughter. Finally, they shook their heads. They showed no inclination to hide their reactions.
“Wait.” The sergeant turned ominous eyes on Hutch. “You the captain?”
“I am.”
“Tell him to go back inside.”
Hutch looked at Arin. He hesitated.
“Do it,” said the sergeant.
He went back in. Hutch turned and tried to follow him, but the guards seized her and pulled her away. “The rest of you out,” said the sergeant.
Nobody moved.
“Beth,” said Kwylla, “I never thought that I would say this, and it’s not your fault. But I wish you had never come. At least we’d have had these last few years in peace.”
It was the last Hutch heard as she was escorted away.
• • •
They picked up her bags and took her through the connecting tube, coming out into the concourse to find, as she had expected, more security. It was otherwise empty. They’d sealed everything off. Shops and restaurants were closed. Lights were dimmed.
The Long Sunset Page 33