Tamiyo awoke to soft light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, she didn’t move. The couch cushions were soft and warm, and a folded blanket had been draped across her shoulders at some point during the night. Her systems had entered low-power rest mode hours ago, but her thoughts had taken longer to settle.

  She sat up slowly, blinking against the golden light spilling in from the balcony windows. The apartment was quiet, but not in a lonely way. It felt... lived in. Peaceful.

  Raine stepped out from the kitchen a moment later, tying up her hair with one hand and holding two mugs in the other. “Morning,” she said with a smile that was equal parts gentle and teasing. “I made tea. But there’s real coffee too, if you want to understand why Inelius has a hard time sitting still.”

  Tamiyo accepted the mug with a quiet nod. “Tea is perfect. Thank you.”

  “You sleep alright?”

  Tamiyo considered that. “Not badly.”

  “As long as it was better than the past several weeks.”

  Tamiyo allowed herself the smallest smile. “It was.”

  Raine set her mug down on the coffee table. “You want help putting your hair up? That ponytail you like to wear is awesome but it looks complicated.”

  Tamiyo glanced down at the brush, then at Raine. Her fingers hovered for a second, and she found herself feeling bashful. She wasn’t used to accepting help, let alone requesting it. But she couldn’t deny how comforting it had felt last night, the simple act of someone brushing her hair. She moved to the edge of the couch and, without quite meeting Raine’s eyes, held out the brush.

  Raine took it without comment, already stepping behind her. Tamiyo sat still, letting her head tilt slightly forward as Raine’s fingers began to section and gather the fine platinum strands.

  “Walter used to say this part of me subtly made me look like a doll,” Tamiyo murmured. “But I think he meant it kindly.”

  Raine smiled as she twisted a loop into place and secured it with one of her own ties. “You’re no one’s doll, Tamiyo. And you’re definitely not programmed to be subtle.”

  Tamiyo turned just enough to meet her eyes. “Neither are you.”

  They got dressed and ready in a comfortable silence, and just as Tamiyo pulled on her cloak, there was a knock at the door. Raine opened it to reveal Inelius, already geared up with his rifle slung across his back and a paper sack in one hand.

  “Morning,” he said. “Hope you two got some rest. I brought breakfast.”

  “Again?” Tamiyo raised her eyebrows.

  “Yep. The old guy at the bakery down the hill said these rolls were his specialty.” He handed the bag to Raine, who peeked inside with a pleased hum.

  “Ooooh, they look hot and flaky. You live another day, Lieutenant.” She grabbed one and tossed the bag to Tamiyo.

  Inelius offered a lopsided grin. “Guess I’ll count that as a win.”

  Tamiyo took a cautious bite. It wasn’t overly fancy, but it was warm and savory with a comfort that made her smile.

  The three of them stepped out into the morning light together, the air crisp. As Tamiyo opened the truck door, Raine clambered past her into the back seat. Tamiyo giggled and followed her in.

  Inelius glanced back as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Wow. Both of you in the back, huh? What’d I do to get stuck up here alone?”

  Tamiyo leaned an elbow against the door and muttered, “Might still be some leftover electricity in the air.”

  Raine smirked. “Yeah, no offense, Inelius, but we’re not looking to short-circuit.”

  Inelius looked back and forth between them, bemused. “Okay, I don’t know what you two are on about but it feels targeted.”

  Raine laughed and scrambled over the center console, diving headfirst toward the passenger-side floor. Then she belligerently flipped herself upright, shaking the entire truck as she moved. As she buckled in, she shot him a look. “There, now you’ve got moral support. Happy?”

  Inelius grinned. “Ecstatic.”

  Raine laughed again.

  Tamiyo groaned. “You guys are so adorable I might vomit.”

  Inelius started the engine. “Can CIPHERs vomit?”

  “I’m about to try.”

  He chuckled and set off down the road, heading towards where they’d stopped their search. A couple minutes into the drive, Inelius glanced in the rearview mirror and muttered, “You know, you two could at least pretend I’m not chauffeuring a ghost and her handler.”

  Raine smirked. “You volunteered to help.”

  “I didn’t actually,” he let out, feigning annoyance. “You hit me with your tray and volunteered to use my truck.”

  “You’d prefer I help Tamiyo without you?” Raine challenged.

  “Well, er, no…”

  Raine grinned at him and tossed the last bit of her protein bar at the side of his head.

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  “Stop,” he said, nowhere near upset.

  She raised her foot and tried tapping the side of his head with the toe of her boot.

  He batted her foot away. “You’re a child.”

  She just giggled at him.

  Tamiyo couldn’t help but smile as she watched them.

  They reached the search area and Inelius brought the truck to a halt. He hopped out, readied his rifle, and said, “Same plan as before. You keep eyes on me, I keep eyes on you. We don’t split unless something forces us to.”

  Raine nodded, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Let’s hope today’s footprints lead somewhere.”

  Tamiyo hopped out of the truck and climbed into the truck bed to help look.

  Inelius crouched, located the footprints, and said, “Looks like he turned north,” then set off into the bushes.

  Raine eased the truck along the edge of the overgrown path while Inelius pushed through on foot. Tamiyo swept the treeline from the truck bed—her vantage point granting a clearer view of the surroundings.

  Inelius moved with surprising grace for someone in full armor. About an hour into the hike, he called out for Raine to stop the truck and approached. “We’re headed towards Berilinsk.”

  “Berilinsk?” Tamiyo asked. “I remember seeing it on my nav charts when I landed, what’s it like?”

  “It’s a large agricultural village, it’s predominantly lacravida.”

  “You sound almost worried,” Tamiyo said.

  “Uh, it will just be your first time interacting with them, and you were staring the other night…”

  “I didn’t mean to offend anyone…” Tamiyo said timidly. “They won’t want to fight, will they?”

  “I fucking hope not,” he said. “Don’t let their size fool you, they’re strong, fast, and very deadly if they need to be.”

  “Inelius!” Raine chided him.

  Tamiyo swallowed a lump in her throat.

  Inelius looked up at her. “Don’t worry, they’re great people. But… remember, they don’t take well to insults so please try your hardest to be respectful.”

  “Understood.”

  He moved back into the brush to continue his search, but not ten minutes later, a woman’s voice boomed through the trees. “Stop where you are!”

  Raine slammed on the brakes and Tamiyo dropped to a crouch, eyes sweeping through the trees.

  “Identify yourself!” The voice commanded.

  Tamiyo couldn’t see who was speaking.

  Inelius raised one hand, rifle slung but not aimed. “I am Lieutenant Inelius Drozek of Owangara, the women in the truck are my companions. We are friendly.”

  Leaves rustled. A shadow moved.

  Then a woman stepped into view. She was taller than Tamiyo, wearing light ballistic armor and sparse robes that hugged her athletic form. Her silver hair was cropped short, and she carried a large, heavy rifle.

  “Lieutenant Inelius, huh?” the woman said firmly. “I’ve heard of you, nice to meet you.”

  Putting a hand to his heart, Inelius responded, “The pleasure is all mine, Miss..?”

  “My name is Veolo. What are you doing out here?”

  “We’re tracking someone, have you seen anyone that might fit these footsteps?” he indicated down at the ground.

  Veolo gave him a long, hard look, then muttered something into a radio attached to her backpack’s shoulder strap.

  Two more lacravida emerged from the jungle, approaching the front of the truck. One had light-tan skin and brown hair that hung just above her shoulders. The other was paler with darker brown hair that was pulled up high in twin ponytails. Tamiyo also noticed something that had been hidden from view until now: lacravida had hooves, not feet.

  They all had long animal-like ears, stood at least as tall as Inelius—or slightly taller—and, aside from Veolo, had broad shoulders, wide hips, and chests fuller than any woman Tamiyo had ever seen.

  The two that approached in front stopped several feet away, observing, but stayed silent. Then, from behind Veolo, a woman’s voice boomed out so deep and loud that it made Tamiyo flinch.

  “Report!”

  Veolo turned and said, “These two are looking for him.”

  Another lacravida strode into view, taller than the others by more than a foot. Bronze skin, a long, auburn braid running down her back, and immensely muscled arms were just a few of her discerning qualities. She wore viridian robes under ballistic plates inlaid with ornate golden designs. In place of a rifle, she carried a massive greataxe.

  “Aurania!” Inelius spoke up in a cheerful tone. “Good to see you!”

  She did not return his demeanor. “How do you know that man, Inelius?”

  “I’m helping my friend Tamiyo here locate him,” he gestured over to the truck. “He disappeared from her ship the day before last.”

  This tall woman looked over and locked her gaze on the truck. From her perch in the bed, Tamiyo felt the weight of the woman’s attention like a physical pressure on her chest. Both Aurania and Inelius began making their way over.

  Tamiyo nervously asked, “Is everything alright?”

  The answer didn’t come from where she expected.

  “Hush little ones, just keep calm,” said a soft voice to her right.

  Tamiyo looked and didn’t see anyone at first, until she realized there was a lacravida crouched not five feet away, concealed in dense foliage. She had long, jackrabbit-like ears, and both her skin and hair were such a dark brown they seemed to drink the light. She wore heavy ballistic plating painted black, and the sniper rifle she was holding looked like a cannon with a scope. For as large as the woman was, Tamiyo had never heard a sound as she approached.

  Inelius came over to the door of the truck and Aurania stopped when she was about ten feet away. The rest of the women circled up, forming a perimeter to protect their leader while keeping an eye on their surroundings. All except the silent woman to their right, who made no indication of moving.

  “What’s going on, Aurania?” Inelius had dropped the jovial tone in exchange for a stern one.

  She responded with a matching tone. “Yesterday a human male larger than any I have ever seen approached our village speaking ancient Terr-English and claiming that he was born on Earth. He required a translator tablet to communicate with and his clothes were damaged from a recent firefight. He was carrying a custom rifle that belonged to one of our village militia.”

  Tamiyo felt a sense of dread at the implication.

  Aurania continued, “When I pressed him about where he acquired the rifle, he refused to answer. I also found blood on him that was not his own.” She paused and let that last point linger in the air a moment. “We came out today in search of our people and found their camp just a short walk north of where we’re standing. All five are dead.”

  Inelius slowly hung his head before looking up at Tamiyo. “Where exactly did you find this man?”

  She hesitated because of how absurd the answer sounded, but Aurania did not take kindly to her stalling.

  “Answer the question,” Aurania’s nostrils flared and she glared daggers into Tamiyo. “Where did you find him and why did you bring him to our planet?”

  “I don’t think you’ll believe me,” Tamiyo said, eyes flicking anxiously between them.

  “And why is that?” Aurania asked coldly.

  “Because… because I found him floating in the middle of space.” It wasn’t the entire truth, but one crazy fact at a time.

  As expected, everyone was shocked by her answer. Aurania seemed less phased than the others, however. After a few moments, she said, “That’s not as difficult to believe as it would’ve been yesterday.”

  Inelius’ brow furrowed. “Why?”

  Aurania's hard glare shifted to him. “Because there is definitely something off about him. After I came to the conclusion that he had killed my people, I tried to execute him on the spot.”

  She held her axe up in front of her. “I hit him full force in the face and he didn’t die.”