BooksBarbecue
Back The Long Sunset
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

Hutch confirmed reception, and Derek sent a short reply: “Thank you, Shalon. We will find a way to make it happen. If all goes well, we will be back within two hundred days.” A day on Tarka lasted slightly less than twenty-seven hours.

“Good luck to us all, Derek,” Hutch said. “We’re ready to leave orbit.”

He took a deep breath. “I guess it’s time to go back and tell Arin and his friends what they’re facing. We have to find out whether they’ll accept the news and be willing to get evacuated. In fact, the more I think about it, the less likely it seems that we will even be able to get them to believe us. Imagine if somebody had come out of the sky at home, before we had decent telescopes, and told us we’d have to move to Mars or something.”

“I’ve thought about that,” said Hutch. “I wonder how the people who pulled these guys off the ice world managed it.”

Derek smiled at her. “Waterfalls.”

She laughed. “Let’s hope something like that will still work. What’s the first step?”

“We’ve got a new world for them. Let’s start by getting a decent name for it. We don’t want to tell them they’re going to Number Twenty Alpha or something.”

“You have a suggestion?” asked Hutch.

“ ‘Greenland’ might work.”

“It might lead to some confusion back home.”

“How about ‘Utopia’?”

“How about we go for something original?”

“How would that matter?” said Derek. “Arin and his people wouldn’t know Utopia isn’t original.”

“It’ll matter at home if we’re trying to sell the package. Hold on a second.” The lander had just pulled alongside the Eiferman. The launch door opened. “Take us in, Tasha.”

The AI eased them into the cradle, which took them into the ship. The door closed.

“So, what’s your suggestion?” asked Derek.

“I think our best approach would be to invite the Volarians to name it.”

Derek thought about it while they released the harnesses. Then they just sat back and waited for the cargo bay to pressurize. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

“We need to explain all this to Arin first,” said Hutch. “We’ll need him with us when it goes public. Then maybe we should take a few of them to see the black hole so they know what we’re talking about.”