“It was a bit scary at times, but I think Earth has made it,” Lyn whispered as they began moving.
“You’re making it sound as if it’s all over,” Hunt murmured beside her. “This is just the start of it.”
And it was. For the (ianymeans, it was the end of a task they had been working on for millennia; for the inhabitants of Jevlen, it was a change of heart and direction; and for VISAR, it was a new phase of existence.
But for Homo sapiens, it was a whole new beginning.
The heirs to the stars were about to claim their inheritance.
appendix
Answers to Crossword
ACROSS
1 SHANNON-Irish river. (flow-er, not flower).
5 DECODE-find the meaning of. “Ode” (poem) added to
“DEC.”
9 INNOCENT-opposite of “guilty.” “0” (zero) “cent”
(money) after “inn” (pub).
10 BEACON-guiding light. Literally in “could (be a con)-fused.
12 DEEP END-profound conclusion. “Pen” (writer) jumping into (hint) “deed” (action).
13 EXTREME-ultimate. Literally in “t”(ext reme)dies.
14 EULER-Swiss mathematician. “E” (east, i.e. oriental) plus changed (anagram of) “rule.”
16 INTRO-colloquial short form of “introduction,” i.e. preamble. Wild (anagram of) “riot” about (around) “N” (compass point).
17 EXTRA-something more. “Ex” (“expert” less four letters of six) plus “tra,” i.e. “art” back(ward).
18 APART-separated. A-part (piece).
20 AFRICAN-continental. Maybe (anagram of) “i” (one) “fan car.”
21 ANNULAR-ring-shaped, around. Annul (abolish) a (right).
23 RETAIN-keep. “E” and “T” (head and tail of “elephant”) in(side) “rain.”
24 DISTRESS-heartache. Di’s (Dianna’s) tress (lock of hair).
25 YEMENI-type of Arab. “Men” and “I” after “ye” (half of “year,” i.e. six months).
26 ENCASES-surrounds. “Ease” surrounding (double use) “NC” added to “S” (compass point).
DOWN
1 SWINDLE-something not fair. “Win” in(side) perhaps (anagram of) “sled.”
2 ANNIE-noted (musical) lady. Advised to get a gun (arms).
3 NUCLEAR REAC11ON-powerful reaction (response) from nucleus (heart). Extra hint: “r” (right) taken from “heart” gives “heat.”
4 NON-ADDICTING-not habit-forming. Possibly (anagram of) “did on gin can’t.”
6 ELECTROMAGNETIC-a (kind of) wave. Generated from charges of the kind (brigade) that produce light (i.e., accelerating electric ones).
7 ORCHESTRA-something that makes harmony. “H” (chemical symbol for hydrogen) in(side) turbulent (anagram of) “star core.”
8 ERNIE-man’s name. “N” (head of “Norman”) in(side) “Erie” (lake).
11 TEST DATA FILE-experimental results. Reorganized (anagram of) “let’s fit a date.”
15 LOGARITHM-type of number. Phonetically similar to “logger” (lumberjack) “rhythm” (music).
19 THRUSTS-urges progress (mechanically, not politically). “H” (initial of “Hoover”) in(side) “trust,” over (literally) “S” (South).
20 ARRAY-matrix. “Ar” (chemical symbol for argon) plus “ray” (beam).
22 LOESS-geological deposit. “0” (nothing) in(side) “less” (smaller amount).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMES HOGAN was born in London in 1941 and educated at the Cardinal Vaughan Grammar School, Kensington. He studied general engineering at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, subsequently specializing in electronics and digital systems.
After spending a few years as a systems design engineer, he transferred into selling and later joined the computer industry as a salesman, working with liT, Honeywell, and Digital Equipment Corporation. He also worked as a life insurance salesman for two years “. . . to have a break from the world of machines and to learn something more about people.”
In mid-1977 he moved from England to the United States to become a Senior Sales Training Consultant, concentrating on the applications of minicomputers in science and research for DEC.
At the end of 1979, Hogan opted to write full-time. He is now living in northern California.