It was just before dawn when I skidded us to a halt on the shore of the Smoking Cone. The jolt woke Julian, and he sat up in the bottom of the boat.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Much better."

"Good." I stepped out of the boat, fully expecting to have to drag it into the underbrush all by myself, but Julian was able to lift one end and help me carry it. We got the boat concealed in half the time it would have taken me to do it on my own.

Wow. He really was a lot better. In fact, he looked nearly as healthy as he had when I first met him.

I strapped on my pack and turned to leave the thicket.

"Stacey, wait."

I turned.

Julian took me in his arms, sliding his hands between the backpack and my tunic. I leaned against him and buried my face in his neck, rubbing his back. He tightened his arms around me, squeezing me so hard that I found myself struggling to breathe.

"Sorry," he murmured into my hair. He loosened his grip just enough.

I could have stayed there forever.

After a couple of minutes, he lifted my chin and looked deep into my eyes. "I just want to thank you for saving my life."

I slid my hand over his shoulder and caressed his face. "Your love is the only thanks I need."

"You already have that." He pressed his lips against mine.

I leaned into him, deepening the kiss and making a silent vow that we would find a way to be together.

We held each other for another minute or two, before reality intruded. I stepped back. "Come on, let's go find your brother."

Julian and I left the clearing, hand in hand. It was easy to find the way up, because there was a trail that went about a third of the way up the mountain.

As soon as we entered the trail, Julian broke into an easy jog. I matched him step for step.

After about thirty minutes, we had to slow to a walk, but we were still making surprisingly good time. We stopped on a plateau for a quick lunch, then continued on.

It was midafternoon when the trail abruptly ended at a dense wall of foliage.

"Oh, man. You have got to be kidding," Julian groaned.

"No one bothered to continue the trail because this is just about has high as anyone ever goes," I explained. "So it's climbing from here on in."

Julian groaned.

I gave him a quick kiss, then studied the wall of foliage for hand and foot holds. I started up.

Julian followed.

About two meters above the trail, I found a hole in the foliage that was a bit bigger than I was. I threaded through, and waited for Julian to join me in the jungle.

Once inside, it was easy to parse a path from one branch to another.

Well, it was easy for me, anyway. I kept having to stop to wait for Julian, who was constantly slipping, sliding and scrambling, making a ridiculous amount of noise that was accompanied by a muffled but colorful stream of curses.

"Oh, dear God," he panted as he slipped yet again and landed on his rump. "You didn't tell me you were half monkey."

I giggled. "I'm not, but I grew up climbing in these jungles."

He grunted. "Whatever. Lead on."

We climbed until dusk, when I called a halt because it was getting difficult to see. I found a terrific hollow in the forest that allowed us to descend all the way to the ground, from where it looked as if we were inside a vase made of vines.

Once we reached the bottom, we ate some more trail mix and drank some more water. There was a small stream running across the bottom of the vase, so I used my water purifier to refill our water jugs. I cut some vines and rigged a trap for small animals in the side of the vase.

By that time, it was almost completely dark. Julian yawned. "I'm exhausted, but I'll take the first watch."

"All right."

He held his arms out to me, and I scrambled into them. He kissed me good night, and I fell asleep with my head on his chest.

When Julian woke me, I felt as if I had barely been asleep. But it was time for second watch, so we switched places. We shared one long, lingering kiss, and then Julian fell asleep in my arms while I listened to the night sound of the jungle.

Before long, my eyelids began to grow heavy. I struggled to stay alert. I leaned down to kiss the top of Julian's head. I tried to imagine a glorious future for us.

And then…

Sunlight was pouring through the walls of the vase when I awoke to the sensation of Julian caressing my cheek. I opened my eyes to find him smiling up at me, his head still resting on my chest.

"Did you fall asleep?" he asked.

"Arghhh. Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry. I'm a civilian. I don't have your training."

"It's all right. You must've needed the sleep." Julian gently pulled my face downward, and we kissed.

Then it was time to get up. Now that there was enough light to see well, I discovered that the natural vase we had sheltered in for the night was a treasure trove of delicious wild foods. I dug for roots and gathered legumes, vegetables, and berries. I put it all in a bowl and handed it to Julian. "Here, prepare these."

There was a gruffik in my trap. I reached in and pulled out the furry, frantic rodent.

Julian stared at me in horror. "Is that a rat?"

"Nope, it's a gruffik. It's way tastier than a rat, and it's going to be a couple of steaks before I'm done with it."

Julian gulped, looking a bit green. "Whatever. Do what you've gotta do. I'll concentrate on the vegetables." He turned his back so he wouldn't have to watch.

I pulled a knife from my pack and cut the gruffik's head off. Julian winced at the sound of its tiny, gurgling, chopped-off scream.

I removed the rodent's skin and internal organs. Using a technique my father had taught me when I was eight, I deboned the carcass. I sliced what was left in half. The result was two steaks, each a little bigger than my hand.

I put the steaks in my lightweight portacooker and turned it on. Julian handed me the vegetable mixture, which I added with some water as soon as the gruffik was browned.

We shared a hearty breakfast. I put the leftovers in a conservator pouch, and then it was time to continue on.

We made better time today, for two reasons. First, we were full of hearty food. Second, Julian was becoming more accustomed to navigating what he called the "ridiculous" terrain.

The sun rose higher in the sky as we climbed. By mid-morning, we were breathless and sweaty as the way grew steeper and steeper.

I made my way along a stout branch that ran up the side of the cone, moving on all fours like a salamander, with Julian following close behind. I scanned ahead, looking for the next branch on our way.

"Hey!"

I stopped short.

Julian scrambled up beside me, a question already forming on his lips. I made a shushing gesture, and he closed his mouth.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I strained to hear over the sudden pounding of my heart. Yes, there it was. The voice had come from far off, but it was coming closer.

Actually, it was several voices. They were all female, and they were shouting at one another as they scoured the woods for survivors of the starship crash.

I opened my eyes and put my hand on Julian's shoulder. "We've got get out of here. Planetary Security's coming right at us!"

The color drained from his face as he looked around wildly. "How do you know?"

"I can hear them."

"How can you hear anything over the cacophony of this jungle?"

"I grew up here, remember? Now shut up, so I can find us a place to hide!" Terrified of what would happen to Julian if Planetary Security found us, I didn't even notice my harsh tone.

Julian shut his mouth firmly.

I closed my eyes again, this time focusing my attention on the jungle sounds. At first, it was just birds and insects, and the occasional mammalian call. I listened harder. But then another sound reached my ears.

Barking.

My eyes snapped open. I turned to Julian. "Come on, this way." We hurried toward the sound of the barking.

It took about fifteen minutes of searching and descending several branches toward the jungle floor, but eventually we found the source of the sound. It was an enormous fallen log with a dense colony of arbivores on top of it. I led the way around to where the once mighty tree's roots had been yanked out of the soil when the giant fell.

The arbivores paid us no mind at all. They just kept barking.

The tree had long since hollowed out, leaving about a meter of clearance inside. I pointed into the darkness. "Get in there."

"Oh, what a nightmare." Julian grimaced, but he dropped to his knees and crawled in. I followed.

Once inside, we found a smaller side passage that hadn't been visible even from just above. We slithered into the hidden branch, out of sight of the entrance. Julian lay down on his stomach, training his phaser around the corner and covering the entrance.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," he said in a low voice. "Did I really just see a bunch of barking lizards buried to the waist in a dead tree?"

"No," I replied, chuckling softly. "They're called arbivores. They serve the same ecological function as mushrooms do on earth."

Julian thought for a moment. "Arbivore? You mean, as in 'tree eater?'"

"Exactly."

"Are they plants or animals?"

"Animals. They're sessile as adults, but their larvae look like salamanders and run around like mice."

Julian grunted. "That's bizarre." He turned back toward the entrance of the hollow tree.

We waited.

I couldn't hear the voices of the Planetary Security officers over the arbivores' barking, but I wouldn't need to. The arbivores would let us know when our enemies approached.

Scritch.

That sound was coming from directly above. I looked up, straining to see in the near darkness.

One of the arbivores was extending a probing mouthfoot toward Julian's back.

I swatted the hungry appendage away. It retracted with a loud sluuurp.

Julian spun around. "What the hell was that?"

"One of the arbivores wanted to see if you were edible," I replied, patting his leg.

"But weren't their heads pointed up…" His voice trailed off as the truth dawned. "You mean, they eat with their feet?"

"Yup."

"Then what the hell do they use their mouths for? I mean, besides barking?" Julian gestured toward the racket continuing above.

"Ah, well. Reproduction."

"Oh." He turned back toward the entrance.

We lay in silence, listening to the barking above. I kept watch for more curious mouthfeet. None descended.

The arbivores' barking abruptly ceased.

My heart leaped into my mouth. I strained to listen. Mere seconds past before I could hear the shouted orders of the Planetary Security officers moving toward us.

Julian suddenly tensed, and I knew he could hear it, too.

The officers arrived. Arbivores screamed as heavy boots trampled them, shaking our hiding place below. I held my breath as Julian prepared to fire.

But then the officers moved on, their voices slowly fading in the distance as they continued stalking their prey.

I let my breath out in one huge whoosh of relief. Apparently, the arbivores' extremely strong life signature had masked ours, just as I had hoped.

Julian turned around. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

We scrambled out of the log and back up onto the branch that had brought us here. We looked down at our former shelter and the dead and dying arbivores now sprawled on top of it.

Julian turned away abruptly, putting his hand to his mouth. "Oh, dear God."

I put my arm around him. "They died to save us," I said quietly. "But that's Planetary Security's fault, not ours." I turned back to the log. "Thank you, arbivores. May you rest in peace."

Then I led Julian back to the path we had been following before Planetary Security had chased as away. We grabbed a quick lunch on a moss-covered branch, finishing off our leftover breakfast. We continued on our way up the mountain.

When dusk fell, I found us a cave that was formed partly by a rock outcropping and partly by an ancient hollow tree. It was less than half the size of the vase where we had spent the previous night, but it was just as secure. We scrambled in, arranging the leaves to conceal the entrance.

Julian struggled to brush the thick, accumulated grime off his uniform. "Ugh. I don't think I've ever been so dirty and smelly in my entire life."

"I haven't either." I pulled the elastic off the end of my braid and shook out my hair, sending a cloud of, well, crap, flying everywhere.

"But I don't care." Julian put his arms around me and kissed me. I kissed him back.

We shared a light supper from our provisions. I reset my rodent trap. Then we settled in for the night.

Julian moved close to me. He eased me onto my back, pinning me gently to the ground with his body.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around him.

In the fading light, he gazed into my eyes for a long time. When he spoke, his voice was so soft that I almost had to strain to hear him.

"If we get out of this alive, will you marry me?"

I smiled up at him. "Yes. Of course."

He drew me closer. He leaned down and covered my lips with his.

And in that perfect moment, I could almost forget that we were locked in a deadly race against time to save a child and her parents from the murderous bastards of Planetary Security.

Almost.

The next morning, we ate another breakfast of gruffik and fresh vegetables. We packed our things and continued on.

The way was getting steeper and steeper. We cut our pace in half as we struggled to find purchase on the now nearly vertical branches.

How much farther would we have to go?

As it turned out, we were getting close. We had been climbing for only an hour or two when I found it: a sheared-off branch.

I stopped. Julian waited as I studied the cut. Then I adjusted our course.

A few minutes later, we were rewarded with a toppled sapling. And then, a branch with all of its twigs shaved off.

We followed the path of destruction as it became more and more distinct. Finally, we burst through a hole in the canopy.

We looked up. About three meters above us there was a rocky ledge. And on that ledge lay a wreck.

Julian grabbed my arm. "That's Jeff's ship!" he whispered excitedly.

The wreck lay on its side, with an open hatch pointing toward the sky. The wall between us and our goal was covered by a dense mass of vines that wove over and around each other, almost as if they had been purposefully braided.

I started up. The spaces between the vines were so small that it was like trying to climb chicken wire. I made it to the ledge, and then used exposed girders and bits of torn battle steel to scale the hull. Three times my precarious hand or footholds threatened to give way under my weight.

Heart pounding, I managed to adjust my weight at the last moment.

Finally, I perched on the edge of the hatch. I reached down and helped Julian the rest of the way up. We tumbled through the hatch and landed in a heap on the bulkhead below.

We sorted ourselves out and stood up. There were no lights inside the wreck, so I pulled a torch from my pack and turned it on.

Hand in hand, we searched every compartment of the ship. Some were in better shape than others, but we were at least able to shine the torch into just about every nook and cranny, even if we couldn't fit ourselves.

Eventually, we made our way back to the hatch. "There's no one here," Julian said. "Which means they survived the crash."

"With any luck, they continued further up the mountain after they left the ship," I added.

"Why?"

I sighed. This was going to sound stupid. "Well, according to mythology, the planet breathes through the Smoking Cone. The Planetary Security goons are less likely to search thoroughly this high up, because they don't want to anger the ghosts that protect the planet's nostril."

Julian put his hands on his hips. "And do you believe that… garbage? Sorry."

"Not really. But if I see a ghost, I'll talk to it. If I explain why we're here, it'll probably help us search."

"Whatever. Lead on," Julian sighed, thrusting a hand through his filthy hair.

We had to pile a heap of wreckage under the hatch so we could reach it to climb out. We headed upward.

I led the way slowly, stopping every few meters to listen and look. We had been moving like this for perhaps half an hour when I suddenly stopped.

I sniffed the air.

Yes, there it was. That way.

I motioned for Julian to come close. There almost wasn't enough room on the branch for us to perch side by side, but he managed to put his head next to mine.

"Someone's cooking," I whispered.

"Cooking?" Julian stared at me, baffled. "How do you know?"

"I smell the campfire."

Julian shook his head. "A half-monkey that has a nose like a dog. Yeah, I know, you grew up here, but damn."

"I hope the cooker is someone from your family," I continued in a low voice. "But just in case it isn't, we need to be very quiet."

Julian nodded.

We set off again, this time with me following my nose. Before long, I could smell the meat cooking over the fire. Then we came to a place where the trees abruptly stopped at the edge of a rocky outcrop.

In the middle of the rock there was a campfire with a gruffik roasting on a spit. On the far side of the fire was a brown-haired girl about eight years old.

Bingo!

I climbed onto the rock, and Julian followed.

"Allana?" he called softly.

The little girl's head snapped up. "Uncle Julian?" she blurted, gaping in astonishment.

"It's me," he confirmed.

Allana flew around the campfire and hurled herself into Julian's arms. He hugged his niece tightly. After clinging to him for several moments, she wriggled free.

She looked at me. "And who are you? You look like a jungle cat."

"Oh. Sorry." I hadn't realized I was still in climbing mode, braced on all fours, primed and ready to spring. I relaxed onto my heels. "I'm Stacey."

"She's going to be your aunt someday," Julian added, draping an arm around my waist.

"Oh," Allana said. "Then I'll get some cousins."

Julian and I looked at each other, trying not to laugh. Allana really was a cute kid.

"Allana, where are your mom and dad?" Julian asked, getting back to the subject at hand.

"Daddy's looking after Mommy. She fell down and got hurt."

"Where?" Julian demanded. "Show me."

"This way." Allana darted away.

Julian and I scrambled to follow. The kid was fast. The adaptability of youth was truly amazing. Allana was almost as proficient at navigating the jungle as I was, and she'd only been on Emerald Haven for a little over a week!

Less than five minutes later, Allana led us around a fat thicket. She stopped.

On the far side, a woman lay on what passed for the ground up here. A man knelt at her side.

Julian pushed his way forward. "Jeff?"

The man spun around. "Julian! Thank God you're here."

Julian hurried to his brother's side and dropped to his knees beside Talina. He began to carefully examine his sister-in-law.

"Julian, try your com badge again," I suggested. "We should be above the jamming field by now."

He pressed the badge. "Bashir to Rio Grande. Five to beam up."

And then space went all weird.