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Kara descended to Minerva-6. It was strange seeing the planet from space; a small red ball of dust which somehow, miraculously, had a breathable atmosphere. She flew low over the landscape, marveling once again at the strange light frequencies that made the colors of this world seem hyper-real. The twin-suns hung in the sky, bathing everything below in their dry heat.

Vahn was sitting in the co-pilot seat next to her. She skimmed over the rock formations and sulfur pools where he’d crash-landed, pointing out the remains of his Viper. He looked at the wreckage, still half-buried in rocks, but said nothing.

In fact, he’d said very little in the four days it had taken them to fly here. They’d taken it in turns to pilot the hopper, though most of the journey had been pre-programmed. They’d eaten separately and slept in different bunks.

The only time they’d made contact was when their teshekalehsh had become too much. Then, by mutual consent, she had climbed into his lap and he’d cradled her awkwardly until their heart rates slowed and their bodies relaxed.

This is why you can’t leave me, she’d wanted to shriek. But she’d held her tongue. In any case, she knew teshekalehsh wouldn’t be an issue for much longer. It would soon start to dissolve, just like their marriage would if she couldn’t save it.

Now they were back where it had all started. Her last chance to prove to him they belonged together.

“That’s the hill where we set up our beacon,”

she told him. “The rainforest is on the other side. I’ll set down there.”

She wondered what was left of their camp. When the Vraxian soldiers had arrived, she hadn’t been able to take anything except the clothes she was wearing.

“Our instruments show the temperature outside is approaching eighty Fahrenheit,”

said Vahn.

“Yes. Rainy season has just finished so it all looks very green. It’ll get steadily hotter as time goes on. When we crashed-landed, it was closer to ninety. ”

“By all accounts the planet is arid for long periods. You did well to survive.”

“You helped me. You gave me the last of your water.”

“Why would I give my water to a human?”

“Because we had a truce.”

She shrugged. “I know you don’t remember, but we actually became friends. We helped each other.”

He lapsed into silence. If she had hoped the first view of the planet would awaken his memories, she was wrong.

“There’s a clearing not too far from the river,”

she said. “We can walk from there.”

She landed the hopper and they spent some time gathering their supplies. Food, tools, weapons, and a nanotech shelter to sleep in. Vahn had wanted to bring one for each of them but Kara had insisted the experience was as close to the original as possible. He’d already made up his mind to sleep outside.

They released the hatch and walked into the blinding sunlight.

The first things Vahn noticed were the sounds and smells. The landscape was alive with chirps and hums from birds and insects, and the sweet aroma of tropical flowers filled the air. It was so different to the sterile steel and glass of Taa’riz that it took a moment to sink in.

The second was the vividness of the scenery.

He looked towards the forest and marveled at the colors. The foliage wasn’t just green, it was an iridescent emerald almost luminous in its intensity. The sky was cobalt and the blooms on the bushes were neon pinks and yellows.

Vannla’s Sword. The light on this planet is extraordinary.

He turned to say as much to Kara but the words died in his throat.

The light had changed her too. Her hair was a deep, mesmerizing amethyst and her skin a soft, gleaming gold. Recognition punched his conscious mind with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

This is how she looked when I first laid eyes on her. He knew it beyond doubt.

“Vahn? Are you all right?”

He gave himself a mental shake.

“Let us go,”

he said brusquely. “We need to make camp before nightfall. The light fades very quickly on this planet.”

He strode off, carrying the larger backpack. Kara shouldered the second one and followed, trying not to punch the air in triumph.

He was remembering. He must be. How else would he know that night came fast on Minerva-6? But she didn’t say anything, afraid of jinxing it.

The topography was exactly how she remembered it. The trees grew denser as they entered the rainforest and Kara kept a sharp eye out for the spider creatures that liked to hang out in the branches. They were usually nocturnal but she didn’t want to take any chances.

“Head west,”

she called out to him. “You’ll hit the river soon.”

Vahn nodded but in truth he needed no directions. It seemed as if his feet already knew the way.

They reached the riverbank and turned to follow it for a little way. Kara’s heart thumped as she spotted an old trap that one or the other of them must have set; a simple snare that had long since been triggered. Whatever it had caught must have been eaten by scavengers because the business end was empty.

They rounded a corner and her heart leapt. The tent was where they’d left it. Torn, dirty, and open to the elements – the inside was littered with dead leaves and insects – but largely intact.

“Oh my God,”

she said. “This is it. This was our camp.”

She dropped her backpack and looked around, hands on hips. It was all still there.

The shaded extension Vahn had built where they could store and prepare food. Makeshift chairs constructed from lashed-together branches and animal hides. Water containers lying in a pile, ready to be refilled.

And the Tree of Time, its trunk scored as they tracked the passing days. She ran her fingers over the indents, remembering how they’d marked each dawn with a fresh notch.

Her foot hit something and she bent to pick it up. It was a little plastic doll in a grass skirt. Kara laughed out loud.

“Gloria! I thought I’d lost you.”

She turned to Vahn, bubbling with happiness. “This was our home for more than ten months. Is any of it ringing a bell?”

His gaze swept the campsite. It was like seeing something from a rapidly fading dream – it felt familiar, but he didn’t know why.

“Not really,”

he said shortly. “Let’s get set up before night falls.”

He started unpacking the bags. Kara watched him in frustration. He wasn’t even trying to remember.

Her eye was caught by something hanging from a low branch. She went to investigate and found it was a top she’d made out of animal skin. She fingered the soft suede. It was actually a pretty decent effort for someone who was terrible at domestic chores. Though Daa’sten would be horrified.

She had a quick look round and found the skirt that went with it, a sliver of a garment that as far as she remembered had only just covered her modesty.

Not that modesty had been an issue with Vahn by that point. They were deeply in love and he had found her skimpy little cavewoman clothes a massive turn-on.

An idea occurred to her.

“I’m just going to have a look round,”

she said casually. “Can you manage without me?”

Vahn grunted. He had already erected the new shelter – a bigger, sturdier version of the one they’d had before – and was gathering sticks to make a fire. The temperature might be warm now but it got significantly cooler at night. And it would keep the infernal tree spiders at bay.

He paused, wondering how he knew that. It wasn’t that memories were flooding into his mind – far from it. He didn’t recall the sights and smells of this place. But neither were they totally unfamiliar.

Drek’aa beresh. The human’s idea couldn’t possibly be working, could it?

He resumed his task. When he heard Kara approach, he straightened.

“I’ve prepared a firepit. It should last the night, and tomorrow we can…”

He stopped.

Kara was wearing what could only be described as a miniscule bikini. The top was tight across her breasts, pushing them up and out in a glorious display of cleavage. And below she wore a scrap of material that struggled to contain the swell of her hips.

She did a slow spin.

“What do you think?”

His gaze dropped to her bottom as she turned. The skirt, if it could be called that, was clinging to her curves. If it rode up even the tiniest bit he’d be able to glimpse her peachy derrière.

“What are you wearing?”

he asked in strangled tones.

“My old clothes,”

she explained. “This is what I used to wear when we lived here. I thought it might jog your memory.”

Vahn swallowed. It was certainly jogging something. Even the fact that she was wearing her battered old combat boots couldn’t diminish the visual impact.

“Kara, I must ask you to put on something more substantial,”

he said firmly. “What you’re wearing isn’t appropriate.”

“We’re on a deserted planet in the middle of a forest in a hot climate. What could be more appropriate?”

She moved closer. “Don’t you like it?”

“That’s beside the point. Get dressed.”

“No.”

She shook her head firmly. “This is what I’m wearing. Deal with it.”

He gritted his teeth.

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to tempt me into vastra so that I won’t be able to declare our marriage denerra. It won’t work.”

Kara dimpled up at him.

“No-one said I couldn’t fight dirty, snake-boy. Better get used to it. My game, my rules.”

She turned and walked away. He watched angrily and saw he’d been right. With each step her skirt flipped up, revealing the pert contours of her delicious rump.

Drek.