When Sam woke it was dark, taking away her ability to assess her situation. She laid still and listened to the sounds of the bugs and other critters in her vicinity, pleased to not hear any people moving around. Her hands had freed themselves while she was passed out. Sam put her palms against the ground and pushed herself up until she was sitting. She leaned forward, stretching out her sore back while running her hands down her legs. Her left leg was sore but better than before. She untied the shirt from around her ankle, which was tricky in the dark. She slowly and gently bent her knee, encountering some stiffness and pain but nothing she couldn't handle.

Sam slid back to rest against the trunk of the biggest tree near her. Trying to move in an unfamiliar forest at night while injured would be a massive mistake, especially given how dehydrated and malnourished she was after several days of being held prisoner before being tossed in the pit. She gently bent her knee again, testing it out and trying to reduce a bit of the stiffness. Sam scanned the moonless sky, knowing any bit of light would let her know which direction to head to find civilization but the sky was pitch black. Sam had figured out this planet had a twenty-nine-hour day but she had no idea how long it had been dark and even if she had known her watch had been taken from her so it would be hard to predict dawn.

As Sam massaged her leg she thought through her options. She needed to find a way to communicate with her ship. She knew they had been chased out of orbit, but she hoped they were still within communication range. She also needed to look for the rest of her team. She had come down in a shuttle with Lieutenant Mann, Captain Haynes, and Captain Ryans to meet with the Assirian Council. They had been forced to use a shuttle because the ionization of the atmosphere had impaired their ability to beam down safely. While they were in a council meeting with the Assirian government one of the governors took offense when Sam mentioned that almost half of her crew were female. As the meeting progressed the governor got more hostile and his attitude seemed to spread. As things devolved Sam decided it was time to leave but the council blocked all the exits and barred them from contacting the ship. Sam had been separated from her team because Assirians were opposed to women being treated as equals, something she had suspected early in the council meeting but now could not deny. She just hoped being male had spared the rest of her team from the treatment she had survived over the last few days.

Sam drifted in and out of a light sleep until the sun began to brighten the horizon in a pale purple. Sam marveled at the color of the sky as she prepared to move, having decided to go in the direction opposite of the pit. She wanted to get as far from it as possible. She tore a branch off the tree she had been leaning against, stripping it of its leaves and the smaller branches, so she could use it as a cane. She walked until the sun was setting before seeing a dwelling. Sam knew she looked like she had crawled out of hell because she had, and she didn't feel it was safe to approach strangers. There was no easy way to know how they would feel about meeting an alien and Sam's inability to speak Assirian would give her away. She needed food, water, and a place to spend the evening without worrying about animals eating her or mass murderers finding her.

Sam waited until there was very little light left in the sky before approaching the outbuilding. She took a piece of wood off the wood pile and held it like a bat as she opened the heavy wooden door. The shed had tools hanging on the walls and three workbenches. Sam looked through the drawers, pocketing a few things she hoped would be useful later. Stealing was wrong but she was desperate. She took one of the cleaner glass jars back out to the faucet along the outside wall beside the door. She filled the glass with water and drank it all before refilling it. Having her thirst quenched for the moment felt like a luxury, a sign of just how bad she really felt.

Sam limped back into the outbuilding carrying her glass of water. She took small sips as she looked for anything edible, thankfully stumbling on a few bags of nuts and grain which were probably animal feed. The nuts were hard to chew but she needed the calories. She had no choice but to gamble that they were safe to eat. The long painful walk had worn her out. When she had eaten enough to stave off her hunger and finished a third glass of water Sam curled up in the corner using some rags as a pillow.

Sam was usually a light sleeper but, due to her exhaustion and weakened physical condition, she slept through the door opening the next morning. At first the young woman who saw Sam was frightened but as she stood in the doorway looking at the dirty tattered clothing and mud caked face of the intruder her fear turned to pity. She knew this sad looking woman needed her help. She quietly closed the door, returning ten minutes later with a plate of food and glass of juice. She quietly backed out after grabbing a bag of feed. She didn't want to get behind in her chores. She disliked being punished, and she thought it would be best to let the stranger wake in peace.

It was the sweet aroma of the juice that broke through Sam's deep slumber. Sam woke up with a start, momentarily forgetting where she had taken refuge. Sam quickly focused on the biggest change in the room which was the plate of food and glass of juice. She scanned the room, looking for any other differences or the person who had clearly been in the room with her while she was asleep. Once she decided the coast was temporarily clear Sam reached out and took a sip of the drink. It was as delicious as it smelled. As soon as she took her first swallow her stomach grumbled, demanding more. Sam snatched the roll and ate it in two bites, washing it down with more juice. The sweet roll was followed by some type of fried meat. It was flavorful and Sam relished getting some protein after nothing but small cups of gruel. She finished off the meal with the fresh fruit, another treat. Sam's stomach rebelled a little at being so full after days of near starvation but she didn't want to waste this treat, knowing she needed her strength.

Sam twisted towards the door when it opened. She tensed for a fight but the young woman who entered quickly closed the door behind her and held up her hands. Sam knew her presence had been discovered when she woke and saw the food, but she had still held out hope she could sneak away before her benefactor returned. That hope was now extinguished. Sam couldn't understand anything the woman was saying but she relaxed just a hair when the woman seemed to shrink in fear before her. This woman didn't appear to be a threat, at least not directly.

Sam looked from the young woman to the empty plate and glass. "Thank you." The young woman's head cocked to the side, confused by Sam's words. Sam tapped her chest. "Sam."

"Terla." The young woman gave Sam a shy smile as she held out a bundle of cloth in the same brown and orange colors she was wearing. Sam glanced at the clothes and decided it made sense to blend in.

"Thank you again." Sam took the clothes as Terla picked up the empty dishes before turning her back to give Sam a little privacy. All of the clothing was made of a thin cotton-like linen. The pants were light brown and flowy with a tie string to tighten the waist, making them close to one size fits all. The top was more of a sleeveless shift. It was a darker brown and fell to the top of her thighs. The final part of the outfit was a long orange coat with a hood. It was still made of thin linen so Sam doubted it would keep her warm. She opted to keep her boots instead of putting on the rubber soled slippers Terla had also brought.

Terla kept looking at the door, letting Sam know that although Terla was willing to help she knew she was taking a risk. As soon as Sam was dressed Terla led her out to a large field, dropping the dishes off in another building on the way. Terla showed her the right way to pick the pink bean pods that covered all the plants in the field. Sam kept her hood up, like all the other women, realizing as the morning turned to afternoon that the coat wasn't for warmth but protection from the sun. As she picked bean pods Sam also scanned the field's vicinity. There were only four guards watching over the nearly thirty women working alongside Sam.

They were provided two bathroom and water breaks during the day. It was a good thing Sam was used to skipping lunch because one wasn't offered. As the sun set the women were led to a cafeteria and offered a meal. It was delicious and the food was in plentiful supply. Sam was pleasantly surprised by the crispy but unidentifiable meat, fresh vegetables, and juicy fruits. It was certainly better than what she had been fed while she was digging her own grave. Sam shivered again at the thought.

After dinner, the women were allowed to bathe and then congregate in their barracks before lights out. Terla introduced Sam to three other women, Simir, Jaylean, and Farron. They helped Sam learn a few new words, turning it into a game where they would show her an object and then tell her the word, testing her recall every few minutes. The language lesson made Sam miss Daniel. Sam fell into a deep sleep moments after the lights went off, even though she was in a vulnerable position in an unknown situation. She was just too exhausted to stay awake.