She flew them back to the temple, set down in the parking area, and opened the hatch. Arin, seated behind her, reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Will we see you again, Parsilla?”

She glanced at Derek, who nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “We’re going to be doing some local sightseeing. We’ll be back to say good-bye before we leave.”

Getting free of the seat belts became a struggle. But they eventually managed. They were obviously relieved to climb out of the seats and start for the door. But each paused, glanced down at her, and said, in English, Thank you. Kwylla added a kiss. And Riki said something that Ken later translated as being honored to meet someone of historic significance.

Priscilla’s Journal

That island is the kind of place I always thought I’d like to have available for retirement.

—Friday, May 2, 2256

29.

Nature will always maintain her rights, and prevail in the end over any abstract reasoning whatsoever.

—David Hume, Essays Moral and Political, I, 1741

I just don’t see how we can ride away and leave them here.” It was Hutch’s first comment when she closed the hatch.

Derek nodded. “I know. I feel the same way.” They took their seats and lifted off while he stared out at the temple and the beach. “Maybe we can do something. The reason we came here in the first place was to find out about the waterfall. Let’s do that. Let’s try to find whoever was transmitting those pictures. If those guys are still around, they’ll understand what these people are facing. Maybe we could get some help. In any case, we need to find out if there’s a place anywhere in the area where the Volarians could be evacuated.” His eyes locked on her. “How’s our fuel situation?”

“Actually, we’re still almost full. We’ve been mostly on cruise, in hyper, or in orbit from the start.”

Derek raised a fist. “Excellent.”

Hutch felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Had they just walked away from this and gone home, if they didn’t even try to help, she knew it would have been something she’d live with for the rest of her life. “So, what do we tell Arin?”

“Nothing. Not yet, anyway.” He sat quietly for several minutes as they rose into the clouds. “Funny, having pizza with aliens. Who could have ever thought it could lead to something like this?”

•  •  •

“Isn’t there a possibility the damned thing will miss them?” said Wally.

“Not unless Barry’s broken down.” Derek lowered himself into a chair. The front porch was missing. Nobody had thought to turn it on. Nobody cared anymore. They were simply spread among the seats in the passenger cabin. Everybody except Hutch. “But we should go look at it again. Make sure. Maybe we’ll get a break somewhere.”