“It’ll be painful. Fortunately, though, a half century is a long way off. Nevertheless”—his eyes closed—“it’ll be a shock. We have two grown children, but we didn’t say anything to them about the mission before we left. That was the direction we were given and we abided by it. Kwylla wouldn’t have wanted to say anything to them, anyway. She’s still hoping we’ll find out the math is wrong or something. It’s hard to believe it when somebody tells you that the world’s coming to an end.”

“I’m sorry about all this, Arin,” said Hutch.

“It’s not your fault. I’m just grateful to the Creator for bringing you and your friends this way.”

“What can you tell me about the Creator?”

“I doubt I have anything to say that you do not already know. She cares about us. She shows us the way.”

“What is her name?”

The question surprised Arin. “I suppose I should have realized it would be different in your language. Her name is Alora.”

“What does she require of you?”

“Only that we honor her and take care of one another.” Arin paused. “Korsek is probably right about the story getting out. A lot of people will refuse to believe it. It’s different for us. We know you well enough to trust you. We’ve seen the black hole, and we’ve walked on Utopia. They are not going to accept this easily.” A look of pure desperation came into his eyes. “But leave it to us, Hutch. We’ll take care of it.” He looked out at the void. “When do we get back to the stars?”

•  •  •

When they arrived, it was just after dawn, and a storm was churning through the islands. Droo and Rampol, looking at telescopic images, could not identify Kallula, where they lived, and where the government was centered. “I’ve never seen it from up here before,” said Rampol. “I’m sorry. I feel like an idiot.”