They stood and broke into applause. The guests all came forward and the governor turned the lectern over to them. “Hello,” Arin said, “let me waste no time, in case there’s anyone here who still hasn’t heard the news. The people of Earth will join those of Tarka to help us. Construction has begun on a fleet of thirty transports that—” The auditorium again erupted with applause. The crowd literally leaped out of their seats and clapped and waved scarves and hats and turned to embrace whoever happened to be sitting beside them. When finally it settled down, Arin picked up where he’d left off. “The transports will begin arriving here in about a year. It will take a while, and we will need years to complete the evacuation, but it will happen and we will all eventually be taken to Utopia.” That brought more clapping and waving. “When the dark star arrives, we will be gone. I should add that Professor Blanchard, who headed the team that discovered our situation and led the fight for us has sent his congratulations. I’d like also to thank my wife Kwylla, who accompanied me to that distant, but very friendly, world. And Clay, who was one of the first to step forward as a volunteer for Project Exodus. And finally, Beth and Ken Squires, who were part of the initial expedition.” The crowd stood and applauded for two or three minutes.
Arin finally got them quiet. The guests went back to their seats while he turned the lectern back to the governor.
“Thank you, Arin,” said Rankin. “We should not forget that without Brother Arin and his concern for the strangers who crashed into the ocean on that memorable day rather than try to land on a crowded beach, this night might not have happened.
“I’m aware,” she continued, “that our island has a hallowed tradition for knowing how to party. So, we’ll get to that in a minute. Before we do, I want to express my own appreciation for the courage of all concerned. Of the humans who have given us hope, and of the rest of you, our own people, who are about to create a new future.
“Are there any questions?”
There were: How much notice would they have before departure? Would the people on the island be leaving together? Utopia didn’t seem to have much water. Would that be a problem? And, eventually, where was Priscilla?
The governor passed the final question to Ken.
He got behind the lectern. “I should tell you first that we call her Hutch. She was our pilot on the Eiferman, the ship that brought us here. She is still the captain of that ship, which, as we speak, is taking her to Tarka. She’s going there to transport some of its people and equipment to your new home. They will begin preparing it for you. You would not want to arrive there and discover you didn’t have the necessities that we will require.”
One of the females raised a hand. “Please tell Hutch that we said thank you and that we love her.” Others stood, in all areas of the auditorium.
Someone said, “We love you all.”
And, led by Arin and Kwylla, they began to sing “Show Us the Way.”
About the Author
Author photograph courtesy of Maureen McDevitt
JACK McDEVITT is the Nebula Award–winning author of the Academy series and the Alex Benedict series. He went to La Salle University, then joined the navy, drove a cab, became an English teacher, took a customs inspector’s job on the northern border, and didn’t write another word for a quarter century. In 1971 he received a master’s degree in literature from Wesleyan University, and in 1980 he returned to writing when his wife, Maureen, encouraged him to try his hand at it again. Along with winning the Nebula Award in 2006, he has also been nominated for a Hugo Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. In 2015 he was awarded the Robert A. Heinlein Award for Lifetime Achievement. He and his wife live near Brunswick, Georgia. You can visit him at jackmcdevitt.com.
Saga Press
Simon & Schuster, New York
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Also by Jack McDevitt
The Academy
(Priscilla Hutchins) Novels
The Engines of God
Deepsix
Chindi
Omega
Odyssey
Cauldron
StarHawk
The Alex Benedict Novels
A Talent for War
Polaris
Seeker
The Devil’s Eye
Echo
Firebird
Coming Home
Ancient Shores Novels
Ancient Shores
Thunderbird
Novels
The Hercules Text
Eternity Road
Moonfall
Infinity Beach
Time Travelers Never Die
The Cassandra Project
(with Mike Resnick)
Collections
Standard Candles
Hello Out There
Ships in the Night
Outbound
Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction
of Jack McDevitt
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2018 by Cryptic, Inc.
Jacket illustration copyright © 2018 by John Harris
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Interior design by Hilary Zarycky
The text for this book was set in ITC Veljovic.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: McDevitt, Jack, author.
Title: The long sunset / Jack McDevitt.
Description: First edition hardcover. |
London ; New York : Saga Press, [2018]
Identifiers: LCCN 2017022020 | ISBN 9781481497930 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781481497961 (eBook)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Science fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3563.C3556 L66 2018 | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017022020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9796-1 (ebook)
The Long Sunset Page 36