a tempting siren.

You motored on your improvised boat through the small lagoons and narrow straights of the region. The improvised makeshift boat handled almost as well as you hoped; on smooth water travelling in a straight line the craft reaches speeds of 30 kph, but too often you had to go much slower.

It was harder going than you would have imagined when you started. You were often obliged to take large detours and sometimes retrace your steps after going in a dead end.

The unstable magnetic field of this world made your compass useless. Thankfully, Alice's circuits allowed here to remember every turn and to always know in which direction your destination lay. Without it you would have been truly lost but what you'd give for a high resolution sat-map that showed how these waterways interconnected.

It took so long to manage this natural maze that you ended spending a night on the boat anchored in a small cove unwilling to sail in the dark or turn on bright lights that could attract predators.

You ate another ration with a large helping of Alice's nutrient paste straight from the source. After an intense but sweaty interlude you fell asleep in her arms, her body heating up to keep yours warm.

You woke up hearing distressed screams. You didn't understand the language but the voice was sweetly feminine and its tone one of horror and pain.

Alice was already starting the boat on the way to the sound. The screaming came from the center of the lagoon, and it took almost no time to reach the location. In the early morning light you could just see a naked young woman struggling in the water. The pretty female was not human but very close in appearance. She was floating in the deep dark water bobbing up and down, flailing her arms and screaming for help.

She had pale blue skin and short tentacles were sprouting from her head where hair should be. Her panicked screams almost pushed you into jumping in the water but Alice grabbed your arm stopping you.

She pointed under the water to some dark movement, a huge beast was rising slowly from the depths no doubt trying to eat the girl.