They rode in silence for some time as the orange sun sank into the west behind them. With the sky now dim, Otto let out a singsong series of low hoots.

“What is it, boy?” Rovender patted the behemoth.

“He senses others like him.” Eva stood and peered out into the fading twilight. “It’s his herd.”

Somewhere, far in the distance, carried by strange and wondrous currents, a chorus of water bears drifted and danced through the gloaming.

“They sound like they are northeast of us,” Rovender said as he pulled out his spyglass. “But I see no sign of them. They must be some ways off.”

“Otto is telling them about us . . . about Besteel.” Eva looked down; sorrow racked her face. “And he’s singing about the loss of his companion.”

“That is amazing,” Rovender said, running his calloused fingers over Otto’s armored plates. “Many times I have seen and heard these tardigrades in my travels. But always I have thought of them as simple beasts. I never knew them to be so interconnected.”

“Just like the forest, right?” Eva sat back down.

Rovender looked up at the sky. “Yes, Eva Nine, just like the forest. Just like everything.”

There was a loud blurping noise. Eva looked down to see the Goldfish putter out and drop into the fine hot sand.

“Well, that does it,” Muthr said with an electronic sigh as she exited the crippled hovercraft. “Despite my adjustments, Eva, I do not know if we can go much farther with this machine. The tail fins are leaking hydraulic fluid, and I am making it worse by driving it farther. Dirt and grit are clotting the steering lines.”

“Let us rest here for the night, if we can,” Rovender said. He pointed to a cluster of round lichen-plastered boulders that were half-buried in the dunes. “Those rocks up ahead should be a safe place for camp.”

He hopped down on his backward-bending legs. “Come, Mother Robot, I’ll guide you by foot.”

“Careful, Rovee,” Eva said. “Otto says his herd has seen what they call tunnel biters—or sand-snipers—out here.”

“Have they? Well, I trust their words.” Rovender began thumping the sandy ground with his walking stick. “Let me know if you see anything from up there.”

Eva stood on top of Otto and scanned the horizon in all directions. “There’s no sign of them,” she announced. “I think we are safe.”

“Good.” Rovender stopped. “Eva, Mother Robot, let us drag the hovercraft to the campsite. We may need it after all.”

After hauling the Goldfish close to the massive rock formation, Eva and Rovender set up camp atop the largest boulder of the bunch. Nestled below, Muthr remained with the Goldfish as the Omnipod instructed her on how to mend the tail rudder and stabilizer fin. Otto was beside the busy robot, stripping the lichen off of the wind-worn stones and licking up the trapped moisture underneath.