Spindrift Read Free Page B

marveling at the younger man’s apparent immortality. Tall, broad-faced, hair just as dark as it had been almost six decades ago. Shillinglaw glanced again at the shuttle. “Are they…?”
    â€œThe hjadd emissary? No.” Ramirez stood to one side, as if reluctant to join the other two. “Heshe chose to remain on Coyote, or at least until we’ve satisfied himher that our mission is successful.”
    Like the others, Jared Ramirez remained unaged; tall and thin, with bushy grey hair and a trim beard, he was still several years older than Harker and Collins, just as he’d been when he joined the expedition—or rather, was drafted. Shillinglaw regarded the scientist with as much distrust as the first time he’d laid eyes on him. The man had once been a traitor; there was no reason for Shillinglaw to think that he had changed.
    Instead of looking away, though, as he’d done so often in the past, Ramirez calmly gazed back at him. Only the subtle violet shading of his cloak’s patterns gave any hint to his emotions. “In time, the hjadd may come here,” he went on. “For now, though, they’re waiting to learn what our response…humankind’s response…will be to the news of their existence.”
    Shillinglaw had seen the images transmitted via hyperlink from Coyote: a bipedal form, vaguely human-shaped but definitely not human, hisher features rendered indistinct by the silver visor of the environmental suit heshe wore when heshe had come down Maria Celeste ’s ramp. Despite repeated requests from various government leaders, though, the hjadd Prime Emissary had declined to reveal anything about himherself, aside from hisher long and elaborate name: Mahamatasja Jas Sa-Fhadda.
    No one knew anything about himher. No one, at least, except these three.
    â€œAnyone here going to tell me what happened?” Shillinglaw let out his breath. “You launched from here, successfully went through KX-1, made a quick survey of Eris, then set out to intercept Spindrift…and that was it. Last transmission from the Galileo was received June 4, 2288.”
    â€œThat pretty well summarizes it, yes,” Harker said dryly.
    â€œIt does?” Shillinglaw regarded him with skepticism. “Thirteen days ago, you came through the Coyote starbridge, claiming that the Galileo had been destroyed, the three of you were the only survivors, you’d been to a planet fifty-four light-years away…”
    â€œFifty light-years.” Collins shyly raised a hand. “Pardon me, sir, but it’s fifty-four-point-four l.y.’s from Earth, but only fifty light-years from 47 Uma.” She hesitated, then added, “In another direction, that is.”
    Obviously trying to hide his amusement, Harker coughed into his fist. “Excuse me…she’s right, yes. Fifty light-years.” Then he smiled. “Landed during the wedding reception for the president’s daughter. Afraid we caused something of a commotion.”
    â€œShe wasn’t too pleased.” Ramirez fought to keep from laughing and didn’t quite succeed. “But, hey, if we’d known, we would’ve baked a—”
    â€œI don’t care.” Impatient with the way this was going, Shillinglaw turned toward Harker. “Commander, I’m glad you’re home, but…damn it, do you realize that you’re supposed to be dead? We wrote you off almost sixty years ago. And now you turn up, in”—he gestured in the general direction of the shuttle—“in this thing, which doesn’t even look like…”
    â€œRight, yes.” Harker raised a placating hand. As he did, the patterns of his robe became a warm yellow; Shillinglaw found himself wondering why it did that. “I’m sorry, sir. It’s just that…we’ve been gone a long time, and everything takes getting used to.” He reached over to take Collins’s