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Back The Long Sunset Save as PDF
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

So what do we get? A sword, hung out there in the sky as if it had been left by a devil. I don’t really believe in devils, but that thing scared me. I’m ready to go home. I’ve had enough.

—Monday, April 7, 2256

18.

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.

—Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, 1816

It was a sword. There was no question. They pulled in close and watched the blade slide past. And the crosspiece, which was, of course, part of the hilt. The edge of the blade narrowed to a perfect cutting edge.

“What the hell is this about?” asked Wally.

Ken’s eyes were locked on it. “It’s the Monument Makers again,” he said.

Derek shook his head. “No. The Monument Makers always did artistic stuff. Subjects that had a tranquil ambience. They would never have done anything like this. Anyhow, this is too far out. I can’t believe they’d have been leaving sculptures all over the galaxy.”

“We don’t really know,” said Hutch. “Maybe it was put together by whoever lived on the ice world.”

“You mean,” said Beth, “they were saying hello to the black hole.”

Derek nodded. “I’d guess that’s a better explanation than anything I can come up with.”

“There’s an inscription,” said Hutch. It was embedded in the handle, four lines of golden characters that possessed an Arabic grace and style.

Derek watched as they drew closer. Then slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. “It is the Monument Makers. Shows you what I know.”

Hutch was surprised to see it too. “Yeah. That’s their alphabet, okay. And their style.”

“I wish,” said Ken, shaking his head, “we could learn to read these things.”

Derek got up, disappeared into the galley, and came back with a cup of coffee. He raised it. “Here’s to them. Long may they reign.”

“Pity it’s so far out,” said Ken. “This is one of those things that no amount of picture-taking will ever convey the effect. You have to come here to really get the point.”

“You mean,” added Beth, “unless you see it in correlation with the lost world.”

They took pictures from every angle. “I wonder,” said Wally, “if the Monument Makers might be more closely connected with this than we’ve thought.”

“How do you mean?” asked Ken.

“It might have been their kindergarten that we were just looking at.”

“I don’t think so,” said Hutch.

“Why not?”

“We’ve always assumed the statue on Iapetus is a self-portrait. And it probably is. It fits the footprints. The statue on the ice world looks completely different.”

They stayed nearby for the better part of the day, and finally they began talking again about going home. “Before we do anything like that,” said Ken, “let’s have Barry scan the area. Who knows what else we might find out here?”