“What?” asked Beth.

“There was a tent down there. I think.” He paused. “It’s gone now.”

“Where?” demanded Derek. “Where was it?”

“Right below us. We passed over it too quick.”

Derek shook his head. “That makes no sense. The time span wouldn’t have been long enough to allow the development of intelligent life.”

“How can you be sure?” asked Ken.

“All I’m saying is that it seems extremely unlikely. Show me another tent and I’ll—”

“What?” asked Beth as a series of tents appeared ahead, passed quickly below them, and were gone.

“I just don’t believe this.” Derek sounded both shocked and delighted. “Barry, can you get the scope back on that strip of land?”

A brief pause. Then: “What are you looking for, Derek?”

“The tents. Are you recording everything?”

“I am now.”

“Barry, would you please get your act together?”

“Derek, do you wish to record all activities involving the use of the telescope?”

“Record whatever we do that involves this planet, okay? Or any other planet we get close to for the duration of the mission.” Everything went silent briefly. Then: “Hutch, I think we need to go down and take a closer look.”

•  •  •

Landing on this unhappy world wasn’t exactly something that Hutch, left to her own inclinations, would have done. Nobody other than Derek was particularly interested in the tents. Who really wanted to get closer to the grim circumstances the occupants were living with? When Derek announced that he wanted to ride down in the lander, nobody volunteered to go along. Beth turned disapproving eyes on Hutch. “Looks like just you and Derek. So, what happens to the rest of us if something goes wrong and you guys don’t come back? Wally, can you pilot this thing?”

“I wouldn’t have to,” he said. “Barry can get us home.”

Beth couldn’t resist letting the amusement show in her eyes. “So, remind me again, Hutch: What do pilots do?”

Derek cut in. “You with me, Hutch?”

Since the inhabitants were obviously not going to be the highly developed philosophical types he always talked about sitting down with, Hutch wasn’t sure why they were doing this.

“Because I’m curious, Priscilla. Is that a crime?”

“Maybe you’re right,” said Wally. “They have no future. Get a look at them now, or forget it.”

Beth frowned. “It surprises me that you seem so happy, Derek. Wally’s right, isn’t he? Whoever’s down there doesn’t have much time left.”

Derek gave her a benevolent smile. “Beth, this thing probably won’t explode in the next million years. That gives them time to build cities, fight a few wars, and move on to interstellars. They’ll probably be out of here before anything happens.”

•  •  •