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The Long Sunset

Jack McDevitt
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Prologue
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. 20.
  25. 21.
  26. 22.
  27. 23.
  28. 24.
  29. 25.
  30. 26.
  31. 27.
  32. 28.
  33. 29.
  34. 30.
  35. 31.
  36. 32.
  37. 33.
  38. 34.
  39. 35.
  40. 36.
  41. 37.
  42. 38.
  43. 39.
  44. 40.
  45. 41.
  46. 42.
  47. 43.
  48. 44.
  49. Epilogue
  50. About the Author
  51. Copyright

Cover

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Dedication

For Holly McClure and Jack Gonzalez, friends of a lifetime

Acknowledgments

I’m indebted to my son, Christopher McDevitt, who read and helped repair early drafts; to David DeGraff, Walter Cuirle, Larry Wasserman, Frank Manning, and Jonty and Deron Jackson for technical assistance; and to my agent, Chris Lotts.

Prologue

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time.

—Henry W. Longfellow, “A Psalm of Life,” 1838

Charlie looked up at Saturn and its dazzling rings. Iapetus was in tidal lock, so the giant planet was fixed over a distant ridge, permanently emplaced. The statue, which the first visitors had named Jennifer, never looked away from the gas giant. He wasn’t sure whether it was the planet or the statue that commanded his attention. He stared first at one, then at the other. “You okay?” asked Hutch.

“Yeah. I’m fine, Mom.” The sculpture depicted a creature with half-folded wings, ominous claws, and eyes that seemed almost alive. They were locked on that distant ridge, watching the planet that never moved. The thing was carved of rock, utterly alone on that barren plain, a product of unknown visitors who’d left this existential landmark thousands of years earlier.

Charlie’s attention shifted again, to the ground module left behind by the Steinitz mission, which had come in on the first manned flight to Iapetus. It was open to visitors, revealing little other than a bare metal interior. Two of the cushions had been ripped from the seats and presumably taken home as souvenirs. If anything else had been left, it was gone. A US flag was painted on the hull.