“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.