Alex hadn’t seen Jenna look that frightened since they were still on the Racine.

“What do you mean someone?” she whispered. “Is it a person? Or a creature? A bear?”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know. But something intelligent that knows that it doesn’t want to be seen by us. I’ve had this awful feeling for the last hour that something was out there. Something that I couldn’t explain.”

“So what do we do?” she asked, checking her pulse pistol. “Do we fight it?”

“We don’t know what’s out there yet. It could be another colonist, maybe from another escape pod.”

Jenna didn’t look that relieved to hear that. “If that was the case, then why are they stalking us? Shouldn’t they have made their presence known by now?”

“Not if it’s one of Serrano’s people,” replied Alex. “Or maybe even Serrano himself. Either way, we should assume they’re dangerous and they mean us harm.”

That was hardly a comforting thought for Jenna. Tension was visible on her face and even a little fear.

Alex started to rub his chin as he thought over the issue. Finally, he figured out a plan.

“Come on, let’s find a place to build a lean-to tonight. We’re going to make a trap for our friend.”

Alex chose a spot that evening that was more open than he would otherwise like. Normally, he would look for a spot that was tucked away, where they weren’t likely to be exposed to any wildlife. Even better if it was hard to see. Tonight though, he wanted to set a trap, and he used a line of trees to help him do it.

Alex went through great motions to create the lean-to in the same manner as he had the night before, but it was different this time. He knew someone was watching them, and the desire to fight was causing his adrenaline to rush.

By this time, he suspected it was indeed a person by the way they held back. An animal might stalk them or move on after enough time but this person seemed to be dedicated to observing them. Alex suspected they might try to make their move in the night, and he wanted to be ready for that eventuality. The cover of darkness would also help him be prepared for when they moved in, and he already had a spot selected where he would strike back at them.

Dinner that evening was much more muted than the night before. They ate their freeze-dried meal (chicken alfredo that was barely edible) quickly, and Alex made a big show of both of them laying down once the sun set.

As soon as it was dark, he rolled out of his sleeping bag to make for the ambush spot he’d chosen. By this point, Jenna was wracked with fear.

“What if something happens to you?” she whispered to him. “What if it’s another bear?”

He tried his best to assuage her. “I’ve already taken down one bear,” he said, forcing a smile. “What’s one more?”

She still looked worried. “Please be careful, Alex. Don’t take any risks that you don’t have to take.”

Her hand reached out to grab his, squeezing it to reinforce her words. It was the first time she’d offered contact between them seemingly just for comfort. Though she’d cleaned and bandaged enough of his wounds by now, Jenna wasn’t the touchy-feely type (at least yet).

Her touch represented a further warming of their relationship.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be just fine,” he whispered. “I promise.”

He separated from her only reluctantly and crawled his way toward the treeline just off to his right. The treeline was the most natural route by which any outsider would come into their camp, and the branches of the trees were low enough to offer concealment for him against any would-be attackers. After he’d crawled to the spot he’d chosen some twenty meters from the campsite, Alex waited and listened.

He was there for nearly three hours before the unwanted visitor started their approach. He could see a faint outline of a body as it moved closer, moving from cover to cover to hide their tracks. This person, as it was indeed a person, moved like someone who had considerable skill outdoors. They knew how to move without being seen, making themselves an incredibly small target in the process. Alex readied his pistol as they drew closer.

It was by the time the person was within ten meters that he figured out it was a woman that was approaching them. He could see that her hair was pulled back, keeping her face clear as she moved. Her hips were another dead giveaway, having the distinct womanly sway as she approached the treeline.

It did little to bring his guard down. This woman had experience out here and she could be just as deadly as one of Serrano’s thugs.

By the time she was close enough to stop, Alex had his pistol ready to fire. It was time to spring the trap.

“Stop where you are,” he said in a loud and clear voice. “Drop your weapon right now or I will fire on you.”

The woman stiffened, halting in her tracks. Her eyes went to the trees, searching for her target. She didn’t drop the pistol she had in her hand, not yet at least.

“Last chance,” warned Alex. “You have three seconds. Three . . . two . . .”

“Okay, you win,” said the woman, her voice sounding strained. It had a slight accent that he couldn’t place. With those words, she bent at the waist and placed her pistol on the ground.

“Take ten steps backward,” ordered Alex. “Put both hands in the air. No other movements.”

She did as she was told. “I don’t mean you any harm,” she said as she started to walk backward.

“We’ll see about that,” replied Alex. “Keep your hands where I can see them. You lower them for a second and you’re dead. I’m coming out now.”

She didn’t move a muscle after she’d taken her ten steps back. Alex emerged from the treeline to the spot where she’d dropped her pistol. He could barely see any features of her face due to the darkness of the night but he could feel the weight of her stare on his figure.

He dropped down to pick up her pistol, noting that it wasn’t the same kind that had been on the Racine.

Whoever this woman was, she was a native Vestan.

“Is anyone else out there with you?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “It’s not going to bode well for you if you lie to me right now.”

“I’m alone,” she replied. “I don’t have anyone else.”

“Then why are you following us?” he asked. “You might have fooled someone else but I’ve noticed you long before dark. For an amateur, you move pretty well but you can’t fool an experienced eye.”

“There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this,” she said, her voice sounding strained. “I’m not here to harm you, I promise. We just don’t get non-Vestans here. I followed you because I was curious.”

“Then you live here?” he asked. “You’re not one of the arriving colonists?”

“No, I’ve lived on Vesta my entire life.”

Alex continued to keep his pistol focused on her. He knew that he couldn’t do anything else with her tonight, and he especially couldn’t set her free until he knew whether she was a danger or not.

That meant she’d have to stay in the camp where he could keep a close eye on her.

“I’m going to search you now,” said Alex, taking one step forward. “I don’t mean you any harm but if you try to harm me, I won’t hesitate to kill you. My search will be thorough so I can be sure you’re not hiding any further weapons.”

“I understand,” she replied quietly. “I’m not carrying anything else besides my pistol. It’s all they gave me when I left.”

Alex kept walking until he was directly in front of her. At this close distance, he could finally make out some of her features. Her hair was long and dark, and the tip of her ponytail was nearly touching her upper back. She had soft, feminine features that were certainly attractive. She was tall as well, nearly as tall as Jenna.

Judging by the look in her eyes, she was just as afraid of what he might do as he was of her.

Alex took his time patting down her body, not because he enjoyed it but because he wanted to be sure she wasn’t hiding anything. He was thorough in inspecting her legs, especially between them since he knew it was a favorite hiding spot for most women.

He found very little on her. The woman only had one backpack, which he confiscated and took with him after the search didn’t turn up anything out of the ordinary.

“You don’t seem to be traveling very heavily,” noted Alex once the search was over. “How long have you been out here?”

“A week,” she answered, shocking him.

“A week?! Why have you been out here that long? Why are you outside the Vestan city? By my navigation, we aren’t much less than a week away from the city.”

She nodded. “That’s right, but my situation is more complicated than just going back to the city. A lot more complicated.”

“Complicated is what we do best out here,” muttered Alex. “Come on, my companion and I are over here. I’m going to have to restrain you for the night but remember what I said. As long as you don’t show any aggression toward us, we won’t harm you.”

The woman agreed to that and started walking down the treeline toward the camp. Alex figured she’d been watching them set up for some time, which was why she knew where the lean-to was located. He trailed along just behind her, noting her shapely, but dirty, figure as she walked.

Jenna was already awake and upright as they approached. Her eyes were trained on the newcomer and she was gripping her pulse pistol tightly as they stopped.

“This is the person who’s been following us,” said Alex to Jenna. “She’s clean. I searched her and already confiscated her weapon.”

Jenna’s eyes never left the woman. “What is she doing here?”

“Apparently, she’s out on a hike of her own,” said an amused Alex. “She’s a native Vestan though. She wasn’t on the Racine.”

The woman seized on the ship’s name. “You two were part of the colony program, weren’t you? You’re from Earth?”

“We are,” said Alex. “Unfortunately, the Racine is no more. The only reason we’re out here instead of at the Vestan city is because we had to eject from the ship early.”

The woman’s eyes went wide. “What about the rest of the colonists? Where are they? Did they survive the ship?”

Alex shrugged. “I have no idea. Jenna and I were in the same pod, but we were one of the last to leave. Potentially, the others are already in Vesta.”

“I’ve waited a long time for that ship,” said the woman, her shoulders slumping. “It was hell to get all the approvals to get the colony ship in the first place. Vesta is a small colony that doesn’t have the political or financial pull of some of the other space colonies like Alpha Prime, Emporium, Giliese 380. It nearly bankrupted us to get the approval but it was extremely necessary to get more people. Otherwise, the colony would have failed.

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “You nearly bankrupted Vesta? What are you talking about? Just who are you?”

For the first time, the woman actually smiled. “My name is Ellie. I was part of the committee that approved the colony program for Vesta.”