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on this anyway. Come daylight we’ll try to figure this out. Right now, we’re both tired. You’re hurt. My camp is close and better yet— I know where it is. Neither of us will do any more stumbling around over moon shadows.” He plastered a friendly and helpful look on his face.
    “Aken’or ene, etu?” A gesture from a long, slender arm had Kent search for the object or place in question. He spied the inky bulk of what, at first, looked like another rock. Shifting his angle, he made out a backpack of some sort, just out of her reach. He grabbed it, surprised how heavy it was. He slung it across his shoulder and wondered if he was to carry both pack and girl.
    “Come on,” he said. “Just move slow and steady, no sudden moves, or we’ll both go sliding.” Again, he held his hands toward her.
    She stared at them for a moment, as if she’d never seen hands before. Kent wondered if his fingers might be the problem. Maybe they were dirty or something. Maybe one of his fingers got mashed into a pulp moving the rocks around and he just hadn’t noticed yet. Before he could pull back to look for himself, her arms lifted, rustling the odd cloth with the sifting sound of granular snow, and her hands, palms up and open-fingered, reached for him.
    It was his turn to stare at her hands and her long, graceful fingers. They were thin. There seemed to be something wrong with her nails. But that wasn’t what suddenly stopped the breath in his throat.
    There were fingers, yes. Six of them on each hand. Twelve all together.
    “What the—?”
    The girl’s hands were deceptively strong and closed over his before he could pull back, and instead of his retreat, his instinctive motion caused her long slim body to come upright. The rocks below gave a bit and both nearly fell—she trying to balance on one leg, and he scrambling to recover his wits.
    * * * * *
     
    'POVRE'S GONE," SAID JENN when she reported to the landing team’s commander.
    “Gone?”
    She pushed a hand through her hair, dislodging the decorative band she always wore. “Her gear is missing.”
    “That’s it, then,” said Commander H’renzek. “We leave right now. Break camp.”
    “We just got here,” protested another.
    “Pack it up!”
    She stood firm as the others scrambled to obey. When H’renzek took that tone of voice, no one dared to question him. Except Jenn. Povre was her best friend. She knew Povre would stand up for her . “Commander, shouldn’t we try to contact her?”
    “They can pick up our transmissions made outside the shield,” said the commander, cutting Jenn short.
    She bit her lip at the bitter harshness of his tone. “Commander—”
    “ Pack it up , Technician Jennsle.” He loomed over her in the moonlit clearing. “Or I’ll pack for you when we get back aboard ship.”
    Jenn swallowed. “Yes, Commander.”
    He stomped away, grabbing up a heavy case even as he continued his tirade. “Three hundred orbital revolutions of this planet around its primary and not one of us has ever been lost or discovered. We can’t afford to have one person ruin things for us all. Dr. Povresle knew the rules. She knows the consequences. For now she’s on her own. Now hurry, I’ve just been informed there are native lifesigns nearby. Move!”
    “Jennsle’s right,” one of the younger technicians dared to say.
    “We can’t leave her for the natives to find, Commander,” protested one of the older scientists. “You’ve heard what they do, what they’ve done to others. We’ve seen it in the files. It’s always on their communication networks.”
    “Povre is crew, like any of us, and subject to the same rules. I can’t jeopardize the rest of us and our mission for anyone. She knows the consequences. Anyone else want to be left behind with her?” H’renzek glared around at his small company.
    Without another word, they continued packing.
    Only Jenn stood for two more breaths, her throat aching and eyes dry with emotion. Surely