James Hogan - Giant's Star

Massed bands had begun playing in the background. The crowd, still overwhelmed by the spectacle filling the sky above their heads, was quiet. Then with orderly, unhurried dignity the Ganymeans started moving again, and Caldwell stepped forward to lead the McClusky team to meet them at the halfway point.

"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 Ganymeans, 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.

1 Watery Irish flower (7)

5 Find the meaning of a poem to Digital Equipment Corporation (6)

9 Guilty of having no money after the pub? Quite the opposite! (8)

10 A guiding light in what could be a confused voyage (6)

12 Writer, jumping into action, arrives at a profound conclusion (4, 3)

13 The ultimate in text remedies (7)

14 Oriental rule changed by Swiss mathematician (5)

16 Wild riot about the point of a short preamble, colloquially speaking (5)

17 Expert loses two-thirds but takes back art for something more (5)

18 A separated piece (5)

20 Continental one-fan car, maybe (7)

21 Ringing around to abolish a right (7)

23 Keep the elephant’s head and tail in the rain (6)

24 Dianna’s lock causes heartache (8)

25 After six months, men also find a type of Arab(6)

26 Surrounds North Carolina with ease, to a point (7)

1 Win in a sled, perhaps? It’s not fair! (7)

2 But the arms this noted lady was advised to get wouldn’t have been much good to Venus! (5)

3 Powerful response, right from the heart? (7, 8)

4 Possibly did on gin? Can’t-it’s not habit-forming (3-9)

6 A wave from a charge of the Light Brigade (15)

7 Hydrogen makes harmony in turbulent star-core (9)

8 Norman’s head in the lake? No-some other guy (5)

11 Let’s fit a date to reorganize the experimental results (4, 4, 4)

15 It sounds like a lumberjack’s musical number (9)

19 Hoover, initially in trust over the South, urges progress (7)

20 Argon beam matrix (5)

22 Deposit nothing in the smaller amount (5)

1 SHANNON-Irish river. (flow-er, not flower).

5 DECODE-find the meaning of. "Ode" (poem) added to "DEC."

9 INNOCENT-opposite of "guilty." "O" (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).

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 REACTION-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).