Missing daughter Rachael Swift

Rae hadn't been so scared since the accident that took the life of her brother George. On that fateful day the shuttlecraft sent to pick him up from the trading vessel suddenly lost power just as it attempted to dock with the space station. She had watched from the bridge of the station as the tiny grey bubble which contained George bumped against the external shields and exploded.

That short instant had felt like a lifetime to Rachael and her father. Both had been unable to do anything except watch. The Galileo's crash was entirely different. It seemed like mere seconds had past since the captain had warned that the ship was going to crash into the planet but had been enough time for her bodyguard to carry her into the only survival pod the craft had carried. Poor M'kei. He was dead too. Rae knew that M'kei would not have even thought once about using the pod for himself. His warrior way would not allow it.

It had taken her a while to open the escape latch on the pod after the crash and a bit longer to wriggle her way out of the twisted metal of the Galileo.

Rae stood in the centre of the clearing the crashed ship had carved into the jungle. She knew she was in trouble. Her clothing was light, good for the heat but not practical for the jungle. Rachael had on her favourite shoes, small, soft soled and covered in sparkly red stones. Her red skirt was short and airy. A white blouse finished the ensemble that Rae knew boys would like but her father would not.

All of a sudden a loud shriek roared out from the jungle -somewhere to the west. A flock of brightly coloured birds took flight in alarm and soared over ahead. Rae felt her heart pounding. What had she done to deserve this? She was supposed to be starting University not trying to work out how to be rescued from an alien jungle.