"See, it's just a bruise." Ethan was buttoning his shirt back up as Kathryn approached. He nodded at Doctor Keller. "Doc says I'm fine."

"Doc says you've got a bruised rib," Keller corrected as he gathered up his scanner and equipment. "But he'll be fine."

Kathryn smiled at Doctor Keller, then waited for him to leave before jumping up to have a seat beside her twin brother on the cot.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet, it's all still too new and fuzzy," she said with a sigh. "For a few days, I didn't think I was going to see you again, for one. And it feels like it was just days ago we were scrambling to leave Earth before the ELM got to our ship."

He just sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

After a minute or two, she shook her head. "God, Ethan, it was a mess up there. Speeding up the launch put everyone in a state of barely controlled panic to begin with, but once we did manage to launch, we all went to sleep assuming it was all gonna be fine. That we'd made it okay, escaped any ELM tampering, and we were on our way." She looked at her brother. "I assumed by the time I woke up, you'd be there setting up shelters and teasing me about being so nervous before."

"What happened?"

"We woke up," she said. "Violently. The cryo chambers went into emergency unlock, which is a nasty way to wake up. First the lids pop open and you're incredibly cold, then you throw up." She shuddered. "For the first half hour there was nothing but confusion, cold and people being sick. No one knew what was going on, but we all realized the chambers opened at the same time. None of the medical staff were awake before us, so no one really knew what to do. After about an hour we started to figure things out. We knew the cryo chambers opened in emergency mode, and we found several who'd died, either during the process, or before."

"Before?" Ethan blinked. "You mean, they died in the chambers?"

Kathryn nodded. "There must have been something wrong with either the equipment, or the prep drugs, I don't know for sure. Some of them died within days of launch. They'd been dead for over twenty years before we found them. Then we realized we weren't at 581c, or anywhere near it. The captain said something about failing to make the final jump, then the panic really started boiling over." She took a deep breath. "We realized we were lost, and we couldn't contact anyone. They decided to send a message back to Earth, but knew it wouldn't get there for years. At least, maybe, someone would know what happened."

"If anyone's still alive there," Ethan said.

Kathryn shrugged. "It was harder to accept the idea that we weren't going to make it to 581c, where we thought all of you were waiting. I thought -- I figured you were there, naturally, and wouldn't --"

"I know," Ethan offered. "We felt the same way when we woke up here."

Kathryn nodded, swallowed hard, then continued. "So they told us they'd found this planet we could survive on, and had to fight with the ship's onboard computers to get here, and then land, but they did. For a while, we were all just thrilled to be on the ground, on a world with breathable air. But just as that was sinking in, the alarms started going off everywhere. Captain Hansen ordered an immediate evacuation, and the chaos started up again. Everyone grabbed what they could and just ran outside. We tried to save as much equipment as we could carry and stuff in the mobiles, but the crew were shoving us out, ordering us to get as far away from the ship as possible. Then we all could smell the smoke, and we just ran." She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "I turned around to try and go back for more supplies after we'd all reached a safe distance, and that's when the ship just exploded. God, Ethan, it was awful. The whole ship seemed to just burst apart. And we couldn't get in to save the others."

"The Solaria went up quick like that, too."

"Did you see it?"

He shook his head. "No. We were setting up camp in a cave, on the other side of a forest. By the time we got there it was just a smoldering mess."

"How did this happen, Ethan?" Kathryn asked. "How did we all go from wide-eyed pioneers, out to save the human race from extinction, to this? Did the ELM have control all along? Was this their master plan, maybe, to ride the planets of the human plague?"

"No," he said a little more quietly than he'd expected to. "I can't believe that. They were never this organized before."

"But they are now," she said. "Or, at least they were twenty years ago. It's hard to remember we didn't just leave Earth last week."

Ethan glanced up at the blue sky. It was hard for him to believe he hadn't seen the sun in so long, but oddly he realized he was missing the darkness.

"Maybe they're all dead now," Kathryn continued. "Maybe all the fleet ships launched, and the ELM made good on their promise to be the last to leave the planet."

"They'd have done us all a service by going first," Ethan retorted. "Lead by example."

Kathryn let out a short laugh, then fell silent for a few minutes. "So what do we do now?"

"We survive," Ethan said. "This planet is capable of sustaining us, and the natives are friendly enough. I think once things calm down, we might even like it here."

"Why didn't Fleet know about it before? I mean, why were we flying to 581c, when this world was here, closer? And how in the hell did another ship get here, a thousand years before we left?"

Ethan shrugged. "That's one for you scientists to parse out. As near as I can guess, it launched back when light drives came online. Remember a few ships that launched from Europe, with colony crews, that were never heard from again?"

"You sleep through history class, but you remember that obscure little tidbit?"

He shrugged. "It was interesting."

"Well, you might be right."

"So where's Todd?" Years of practice put an inflection in his voice when he spoke the man's name, and it drew a familiar look of disgust from his sister.

"He's in there, downloading the ship's log. Or at least trying to." She glanced over her shoulder at the artificial hill. "Wanna go have a look?"

Ethan slid off the cot and unstrapped his sidearm and holster, then handed them to Kathryn. "Do me a favor, put this on and keep it."

"Why?" Kathryn took the weapon and strapped it around her waist.

"Because you're not simple minded," he replied.

She looked at him, eyebrow arched.

"Just . . . Trust me."

Kathryn rolled her eyes, then turned and started for the shipwreck.

They were entering through what looked on the outside to be a deep cave, but was really an opening between two massive boulders leading into the lower cargo bay of the ship. From there it was a simple matter of weaving through piles of detritus, rocks, dirt and the occasional pile of old animal bones to what would have been the access hatch to the lower deck.

Portable lights had been placed along the corridor to illuminate the paths already explored and checked for beasts, but the ship was so massive and empty, everyone still moved with caution, fully expecting more creatures around every corner.

Ethan led the way, but followed his sister's direction to the laboratory Todd had radioed back about. It was another four levels down, midway down the newly lit corridor.

"I don't quite understand how Ara's people wouldn't know this is the ship their ancestors came here on," Kathryn said as she followed her brother. "It couldn't have landed more than, what, nine hundred years ago, maybe nine hundred and fifty? That's only something like ten generations, when you think about it."

Ethan shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "That's one thing I'd like to figure out, for her people's sake. I dunno if they ever stopped to think about where they came from, not really."

"Someone said they'd been at war?"

"The light and the dark sides."

"Well, we know how that can mess up historical records," she said. "Their eyes, I'm guessing that's a genetically manipulated trait. Probably something they did here."

They'd stepped into the lab and were both amazed at the size and scope of the nearly empty space. Several portable lights were set around the area, but they barely managed to offer enough illumination for the techs to see the ancient consoles.

Kathryn found Todd at the far end of the lab, examining something in a large case. "What is that?"

Todd turned and nodded at her, then saw Ethan and offered a quick head-bob before turning back to the encased skeleton. "It's one of those large beasts," he said. "They must have been studying it."

"Look at that skull." Kathryn pressed her hands on the glass as she leaned in for a closer look.

"There's another one up above," Ethan said, pointing at the ceiling. "But I don't recommend going up there."

"Colonel Patterson killed one a few floors up," Todd replied. "They've promised to bring it down for dissection as soon as someone's available."

Ethan tapped his com. "Reaper, this is Ghost." He caught a curious glance from Todd before Colonel Patterson's reply keyed up.

"Go ahead."

"I'm back inside the ship, Colonel. Do you need an assist?"

"It's not safe up here, Ghost. The floor's unstable, but we found a database port with just enough juice to allow a download," Patterson replied. "This system is so antiquated, I'm not sure our computers can even understand what they're grabbing, but if this ship has any information left to offer up, we'll have it."

"The ship looks to have been completely stripped," Ethan said as he glanced around the cavernous laboratory.

"Agreed. We'll be down shortly. I suggest we put a few miles between us and this area before making camp, in case there are more of these large creatures roaming the hills."

"Yes, sir." He looked at his sister. "I don't think we'll be here long enough for you two to play with the dead thing."

Kathryn made a face, then crossed over to one of her techs and borrowed a portable scanner. "Okay, take me to it so I can get a good scan, at least. I can do a virtual dissection if nothing else."

Ethan took a breath, then relented. "All right, it's a few decks up. Let's go." He led the way, hoping they could get there, get the beast scanned, and be finished before Colonel Patterson came down with the order to pack it up and leave.

The creature's body was lit up now by one of the portable lights, and a few curious techs were staring at it from a safe distance, but no one had bothered to push it out of the middle of the corridor or pull it further down, out of the way.

"My God, it's huge," Kathryn said as she approached the body. She reached out and touched the black fur, pulling the head up into the light. "Look at those fangs."

Ethan knelt down beside his sister. "Looks like an ape, in a way, doesn't it?"

"Sort of, yeah," she agreed. "But these fangs are not from any ape. And this head ridge, it's nothing I've ever seen before." She ran a hand over the top of the beast's head and a set of long, spiked protrusions stood out from the fur. "I wonder what these are for?"

"Can you wonder later and just get the scan now?"

She set the creature's head back down and shot Ethan a look as she pulled out the scanner. "Afraid he'll see you being all curious or something?"

"Just get your scans." Ethan stood and glanced up and down the corridor. "We need to get some distance before we can make camp."

"What's the hurry? It's not like the sun's going to set." She began running the scanner over the corpse, slowly building the database for study later. "What's it like on the dark side of this planet?"

"Dark," Ethan replied. "But I think I miss it."

She straightened up and motioned for him to come closer. "Give me a hand flipping this thing over, would you?"

Ethan complied, grabbing the beast by a shoulder and giving it a heave. He'd just managed to get it halfway when his bruised rib protested.

"Oh, dammit, I forgot," Kathryn winced as her brother pulled back. "I'm sorry." She turned on the scanner again. "This is good enough."

He straightened, adjusting his vest, and was about to comment about the scans when his com unit keyed up suddenly.

"Ghost, this is Reaper," Colonel Patterson said in an angry tone. "Evacuate the ship! We've got company coming down from above. These things must have found your hole."

He heard gunfire then, coming from above. "Kathryn, let's go! Quick!"

She stuffed the scanner in her belt and hurried down the corridor, pausing only so her brother could check the exit first. "What's happening?"

"More of these animals are coming in from the top of the hill," he said, gesturing for her to get out of the ship. "We're evacuating." He touched his com. "Reaper, we've got scientists in the lower bay, I'm going to get them."

"Roger that, Ghost."

Kathryn stopped and turned back toward him. "I'll come with you."

"No, you won't!" Ethan pointed at the exit. "Get to the mobiles! And get those people ready to leave!" He hurried down the corridor to the access ladder without waiting for her reply. The sound of weapons fire from above spurred him down to the lower levels, where he found Flash already herding Todd and his people out of the ship.

"Repelled down the lift shaft," Flash said when Ethan shot him a puzzled glance. "Made an express elevator," he grinned.

"How many are there?" Ethan quickly looked around the large lab, making sure the last of the scientists had left ahead of them.

"I dunno," Flash replied. "I saw three pushing through that upper deck, then Reaper ordered me down here to evac everyone."

They ran down the hallway, then had to wait at the base of the ladder while the last man started up as quickly as he could manage.

By the time they'd reached the opening above, Colonel Patterson and his team were coming down. Ethan saw Ara running ahead of the group, crossbow in hand, and waved for her to hurry out of the wreck and down to the waiting mobiles.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded as she ducked through the opening into the bright sunlight. "The beasts are returning for the evening," she said. "And they have found a new entrance to their caves."

"Yeah," Ethan glanced over his shoulder as they all hurried down the steep slope. "Happy to oblige."

Everyone below had dismantled their small camp in record time, and were piling into and on top of the two mobile units for a quick retreat by the time Ethan and the others reached them. They managed to fit eight riders inside each unit, then the rest found purchase on the roofs, seven riders each.

Ethan settled in beside Colonel Patterson and his sister, Todd, Ara, Flash, and two of the science techs he couldn't remember the names of. They all turned to look back at the hillside as the mobiles pulled away, and caught a glimpse of two massive black bodies stopping just short of leaving the ship as they bared white fangs at the retreating intruders.

"Never a dull moment in this place, is there?" Kathryn folded her legs underneath herself and got comfortable beside her brother, but looked at Colonel Patterson as she spoke. "Were you successful in the download, Colonel?"

Patterson nodded and glanced at Ethan. "The data is so antiquated, I don't know how much good it'll do us, but whatever was left in there is in our computers now." He sniffed and glanced up at the ever present sun. "I'd like to get some answers before another fleet ship blows up down here."

"After what Kathryn told me, I'm wondering if there will be any more," Ethan said quietly.

"ELM can't have destroyed them all," the colonel countered with a shake of his head. "They were never that large and organized."

"They were underground before," Todd interjected. "We really have no idea how big they might have been."

"I do not understand this ELM," Ara said. "How can they desire the death of an entire race, when they belong to that race?"

"That's what makes them terrorists," Kathryn replied.

Ara shook her head. "They sound like the mentally infirm," she said. "They should never be allowed to carry weapons."

Kathryn raised an eyebrow, then leaned toward her brother. "I like this girl."