How could this have happened?

Waking, Kobrah initially felt happy. Not just content. Happy as fuck.

He shouldn’t be. However, he couldn’t change the fact that having Dara back in his life, and his secret daughter, had filled a void in him.

What about the fact she betrayed me and the crew?

She didn’t have a choice. He began to understand why she’d done the things she had.

She did it to protect Karolyne.

I’d do the same thing, too.

Which said what about him?

I’m a father.

The revelation shouldn’t have been so shocking. After all, Karolyne had been calling him Daddy for days. Still, it was in that moment that he realized ‘father’ was more than a title. He was responsible for Sprout. She shared his genetics. She was a part of him. She needed him.

He couldn’t let her down. Never let her come to harm, which was why he was so horrified when he opened his eyes and saw Dara sleeping across from him, but no little warm body in between.

He immediately sidled out of the tent and glanced around. No sign of Karolyne. He dove back into the tent and shook Dara awake.

“What do you mean, missing? She’s sleeping…” She glanced to her side and noted the empty spot. “Where is she?” She pushed herself to her feet and bolted past him outside the tent, her voice frantic. “Karo, where are you? Talk to me, baby.”

No reply. Which he expected. There was nowhere for her to easily hide from them, which meant she’d left camp.

Apparently, Dara realized it, too. “She’s not here. How? How is that possible?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. You know I’m a light sleeper.”

“Not as light as me,” she snapped. She rummaged inside the tent, grabbing a weapon and a jacket to fight the chill of morning.

“None of the motion detectors went off.”

“Impossible. As soon as she crossed one, it should have triggered.”

He didn’t say the obvious; unless it was disabled. “I’m going to find her.” He already had a knife tucked to his side. He slept with it. Always be prepared when in the wild. But his gun was under his pillow. He dove into the tent for a moment to snare it. He holstered it and then inspected the camp for tracks.

He found Sprout’s trail pretty quickly, the dew on the ground disturbed by her little boots. One set only. When she reached the perimeter, she disabled a sensor, creating a gap. Once again showing an aptitude and intelligence beyond her years. Or did she have help from a certain invisible friend like she had on the ship when she programmed their coordinates?

Dara kept close to him as they left camp. The tracks proved easy to follow, the disturbed foliage and morning dew providing a weaving path. At least she’d walked off of her own volition. Always better than being snatched. Most animals who did that were hungry. And vicious.

He tried to not let his mind veer in that direction.

Sprout would be fine. She was tough. She could protect herself.

He hoped.

Worry had him moving quickly, alert to every sound, every twitch in the scenery. Dara kept pace by his side, silent so that they wouldn’t miss the slightest clue.

They ran the length of the grassy field to the edge of another forest. The trunks of the trees huddled, the leaves and branches intertwining to filter only the barest amount of rising daylight.

“Of course, she went into the dark and spooky forest,” Dara mumbled. “We couldn’t just have a nice morning, waking up to the pretty suns, having breakfast, and then a bit of a sluice-off in the river. Nope. We gotta be chasing inside that.” She jabbed, indicating the trail, which led right into the shadows.

“She is our daughter. What did you expect?” He didn’t hesitate and plunged in. He wouldn’t stop following until he found her.

Despite her irritation—which camouflaged her fear—Dara followed, her pace quick.

Neither he nor Dara called out Karo’s name. Call it instinct, or something else. The forest appeared too quiet. Still.

A place like this should teem with signs of life. The field had shown evidence of it. The buzz of insects, the rustle of the grassy fronds as something hidden within ran for cover.

But these woods? Not even a gentle breeze rustled the boughs overhead.

Which meant one thing. A predator roamed. Something apex to those who lived in these woods.

A danger to his Sprout. He tapped Dara, and she pulled her knife as she gave him a sharp nod. They split up but kept each other in sight as they ghosted through trees, carefully watching their steps, doing their best to not crunch anything underfoot.

The jungle thickened around them, and despite knowing the suns reigned supreme in the sky, it got darker. Gloomier. The damp smell of decay rose to cloy the nostrils. His clothing, already grubby, stuck moistly to his skin.

Discomfort meant nothing. He kept moving, his heart thudding, but his breaths shallow and quiet.

He spotted it first. A flash of pink that appeared out of place amidst a bush of dark burgundy leaves. He moved quickly to the scrap of fabric and snared it, holding aloft the ribbon from Sprout’s doll.

Dara’s face looked waxen.

“We’re on the right trail.” As if there was any doubt. “And don’t be looking so freaked out. It’s just a ribbon. No blood or signs of violence.”

A shuddering breath and she asked, “How far do you think she is?”

“I don’t know.” She could be just past the next thicket or… “We’ll find her.”

“In time?” Dara’s face crumpled, and she yelled out, “Karo!” The word sounded much too loud in this place. If possible an even deeper hush fell.

A foreboding chill filled him. Don’t move. The thought repeated over and over.

“Mind control.”

“What?” he said, startled by Dara’s statement.

“Whatever is watching us right now is trying to use thought control to get us to stand still.”

“Stand still so it can eat us?” He snorted. “As if.”

“If we show it’s not working, it might not attack.”

Oh, it would attack. He had no doubt, which was why he pulled his gun. Then, on second thought, pulled his knife as well.

Dara’s lips twisted, but she copied him, and they put themselves back to back. Strange how he trusted her there.

The ominous feeling hung heavy, and now that he recognized it, the pathetic attempt to paralyze him in place proved a mere annoyance rather than compulsion.

And it lasted forever. Had the predator left?

The silence hung heavy all around them.

A false silence.

The creature lunged without a sound. Mouth open wide, several layers of teeth gleaming. The skin of its body chameleon-like, changing to match the scenery around it, even in mid-air. It made no sound as it attacked.

He shot it. It hit the ground and didn’t move. A thing the size of a cat. A scrawny one. Was it the precursor to a herd? Did more of them loom all around ready to spring claws and teeth, chomping for flesh?

The sounds in the forest resumed. Even a breeze rustled past his cheek.

“That was it?” he exclaimed. Seriously underwhelming.

Dara’s lip curled. “I expected something more impressive.”

“Apparently, it is for this planet.”

“Think Karo ran into it?”

“Let’s hope not.” Because its teeth were sharp.

They moved quickly through the woods, his eyes doing their best to track her path. When he lost the trail, he tapped at his wrist and held still while the tracking program performed a simple analysis of the ground and air in front of him.

“Why doesn’t she have a tracker?” he grumbled. “An implant would have given us her location immediately.”

“To anyone knowing she has it. I can’t take that chance.”

“We are going to have to find a way to stop what’s happening with the Rhomanii. She can’t live her life hiding.”

“I know. But thus far, it seems the only way it will stop is if I turn us in.”

“Which is not happening.” Not now, not ever. “But I do have to wonder why they want you. Are you sure they mean you harm?”

Dara pressed her lips. “If you mean have they told me they want to punish me or do something to Karo? Then no.”

“Then how do you know their intentions are bad?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Try explaining.”

“My guardian, Annie, said they’d come after me if they ever found out about me. Something about my great-grandparents having done something to the Rhomanii to anger them.”

“And they still want vengeance after all that time?” He couldn’t help a note of incredulity.

She shrugged. “You asked. And that’s what I was told.”

The explanation, though, just made things murkier.

The jungle thinned, and daylight began to take charge over the shadows. They emerged onto a rocky plain, the stones green and gray, fist sized and larger. The field of rocks extended much like a beach, a jagged span that didn’t harbor any growth and ended at the edge of an orange- and brown-hued body of liquid.

Across the beach by that lake’s edge, a spot of pink. He lifted his arm and aimed it, letting his comm system do a quick analysis. “I think that’s Sprout.”

As if Dara needed verification. She took off running a moment before Kobrah did, the pair of them leaping and carefully stepping in turn to navigate the stony minefield. At least the rocks were dry and the edges uneven rather than polished. Still, he had to be careful lest he slip or land wrong. Snapping any bones right now would suck more than a Langorian leech—said to be able to siphon a person’s skeletal structure while leaving flesh behind.

Eventually the rockier bits smoothed into a sandier version with rounded pebbles. He picked up speed as he aimed for Karolyne, standing by the shore, a frail figure in a stained pink romper. Her hair framed her in a wild, curly mess and tucked under one arm, her sock doll.

He knew better than to shout her name in a place like this where predators might be drawn, but his heart just about burst. He swept her off her feet and hugged her. A moment later, Dara’s arms wrapped around them both.

“Brat! You scared the hell out of me,” Dara exclaimed.

“Sorry, Mommy. Sorry, Daddy. Raffie wanted me to come. He is excited we’re here.”

Hearing those words evoked a chill. Kobrah set Sprout down and then knelt in front of her. “Why is Raffie excited, Sprout?”

“Because this is where he’s hiding.”

Again, as declarations went, bloody chilling.

“Raffie is here?” Dara asked. “Where?”

Karo pointed to the water. “In there.”

“Are you sure?” Dara asked.

Sprout nodded. “He wants us to go see him.”

“See him? Under there?” Dara pointed but didn’t wait for a reply. “Of course, we should.”

The statement had Kobrah eyeing Dara oddly. “Sprout, can you give me and your mother a second?”

He grabbed Dara by the arm and pulled her away from Karolyne. “Of course, we should? Are you nuts? Why are you encouraging Sprout? We both know no one is actually talking to her,” Kobrah hissed.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

“Is she a cyborg with an implant in her head?”

“Of course not.”

“Is she talking to ghosts? Because I might believe that.” There were forces out there he couldn’t explain. Lingering spirits that sometimes communicated. Races that could astral project. But usually only within proximity.

“I don’t know who exactly she’s talking to,” Dara admitted.

It was Karo who answered, distance not impeding her listening skills apparently. “I’m talking to Raffie. He’s on the ship.”

“What ship?” Kobrah asked with a hint of exasperation. “I don’t see anything here.” He glanced along the edge then across as far as he could see. He spotted what appeared to be more trees on the horizon, but no vessel of any size.

“It’s there.” The words whispered by his side.

He turned to see Sprout wasn’t actually anywhere close to him but stood by the water’s edge instead.

How the hell?

She pointed. “The ship in the water.”

“You’re saying there is a ship in that lake?” He looked out over the brackish water, the scum-coated surface unmarred by a single ripple. Even the insects of this planet stayed clear. “I don’t know how you could tell. I don’t see any signs of a crash.”

“It’s possible, though,” Dara interjected. “Ships crash on planets all the time. We are a prime example.”

“Yes, we are. And let me ask, how much of that ship is still usable?” He arched a brow.

Dara frowned at him. “Doesn’t mean the vessel in the lake is busted. Maybe the water cushioned it.”

“Possible.”

“More than possible. Think of it. Maybe the vessel’s communication array is intact and broadcasting and somehow Karo is hearing it.”

“Across galaxies?” He arched a brow. “Even you know that’s a load of shit. Not to mention the fact you’re already talking as if there really is a ship in the water on the basis of a child’s words.”

“You don’t believe me, Daddy?” Big eyes stared at him. Tears welled. A lip trembled.

It was so well done. He could see how his daughter played him, and he didn’t care. He heaved a sigh. “Course I believe you, Sprout.”

“Karo, I don’t suppose Raffie knows if the ship is good to fly?” Dara sounded hopeful. Because if there truly was a ship, and it had managed to land mostly undamaged, they might have a way out of here.

Skepticism had Kobrah snorting. “I wouldn’t count on it. I’m sure if its occupant could have flown it out of here, they would have.”

“Maybe they liked it here. For all we know, they built a house on the other side of the lake.”

“Now you’re just fantasizing. There is no house. And probably no ship.”

“There’s a ship,” Sprout insisted.

“If there is, then we should check it out. Even if it’s not flight worthy, there might be a communication system that’s still functional.”

“I’m surprised you’re so eager to find it considering you think it’s sending signals to our daughter’s brain.”

Dara’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Then maybe it needs to change frequency.” She dropped to her haunches. “Karo, baby, do you think you could ask Raffie to talk to me instead?”

She shook her head. “He says he can’t because of your necklace.”

“My necklace…” Dara clutched at the pendant between her breasts. He’d never known her to take it off. She claimed it was a family heirloom.

“So if I take this off, he’ll talk to me?” she said.

Karo nodded.

Dara went to remove it, and he stayed her hands. “You can’t take off your only means of defense.”

“You heard what Karo said. He won’t talk to me with it on.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have a necklace, and Raffie doesn’t talk to me.”

Dara’s hand stopped lifting the amulet even as Sprout shook her head. “Raffie says he can talk to me only ’cause we’re family.”