Ten

Jessyn conducts research on an alien orchard and discovers that the fruit matches Earth DNA—meaning the planet's destroyed civilization was human. A stranger then appears at the orchard's edge and physically forces her eastward at knifepoint, speaking an unintelligible language.

Jessyn works aboard the Carryx ship, maintaining her biome samples while carefully managing her interactions with Third Gardener, a Sinen who monitors her productivity. She departs for the half-burned orchard to continue fieldwork, passing other human researchers along the way and noting how isolation has begun to appeal to her. At the orchard—a cultivated square of 196 trees, about a third burned—she collects and analyzes a pear-like fruit using her portable sampling kit. The results shock her: the fruit contains DNA, chlorophyll, and cellulose identical to Earth life. She realizes the destroyed city's inhabitants were human, making humanity itself the Carryx's ancient enemy. As she processes this revelation and considers how to inform the other humans, a strange man emerges from the tall grass. He is unkempt, pale, with a long face and dark beard, wearing worn blue jacket and hiking boots. He speaks in an unintelligible language, makes calming gestures, and when she refuses to leave, grabs her shoulder and attempts to force her eastward. When she resists, his demeanor shifts to coldness and he draws a knife, apparently intent on compelling her away from the orchard.