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Striker hit the access panel to the first door he came to. He stepped back as an overwhelming smell of warm fur, animal waste, and fear hit him in the back of the throat.

He stepped into the room, and his eyes widened. “You’re kidding me.” Along each wall were rows of cages stacked three high. In each cage was a terrified animal.

He stopped by the first cage and peered in at the skinny zlia. Its fur was ragged and its breathing labored. There was dried blood on its side.

“You’ve been through a war, little guy.”

The zlia hunched over and closed its eyes. It didn’t have long left in this world.

A quick check of the rest of the cages revealed most of the animals were in the same sorry state.

Striker didn’t get gooey-eyed over the creatures they retrieved, but no animal deserved to suffer. The assholes collecting these specimens had taken no care when they’d captured them.

He was about to check the next room, when stomping footsteps had him ducking back in with the animals. He looked around, but there was nowhere to hide. So he didn’t. He crouched in front of the doorway, his gun in his hand, and his fist clenched. He welcomed the chance to educate these Gente scum on how they shouldn’t steal his girl.

The footsteps stopped outside the door. It opened to reveal a tall, bulging-eyed Gente.

“Hey, asshole! Surprise! I got out of my cage.” Striker fired a shot into the Gente’s left shoulder.

He crashed back against the wall and slumped down.

Striker jumped him and pinned him to the ground, keeping the gun pointed at his head. “Where’s Wren?”

“What the fuck you doing on our ship?” the Gente growled.

“Disturbing your honeymoon, am I?”

He grunted. “You’re dead.”

“You’re the one with the gun pressed against your head. What did you do with the Human woman dragged on the ship before you left?”

“We’re not hunting Humans. How did you get on here?”

“It seems you’re dumb as well as ugly,” Striker said. “No more questions. She’s not in any of the cages. Where is she?”

“I didn’t leave the ship. Calek went out. We’re hunting sullock.”

“Yet you caught a Human. What did you do with her?”

“So what if we did? An animal’s an animal. So long as she’s in good health, we can trade her.”

Striker whacked his gun against the Gente’s head. “Stand up, scumbag. You’re going in with the rest of the beasts.”

The Gente stumbled to his feet, clutching the wound on his shoulder. “You won’t get out of here alive.”

“Watch me. In there, now.” He shoved the Gente into the room and tied him to a cage. “You’re lucky I don’t let this lot out to eat you.”

“They’re just dumb animals.”

Striker pressed his gun against the Gente’s temple. “I should put you out of your misery. This won’t end well for you if you keep talking like an asshole.”

The Gente grunted and looked away. “I just follow orders.”

“Then follow this one. Don’t make a sound. If I hear you kicking off when I’m looking for Wren, I’ll come back and finish you. Or maybe I’ll let old sharp-tooth over there out, and she can enjoy a free meal. Would you like that, girl?”

The enraged pantha in the nearby cage growled, and saliva dripped off her fangs onto the floor.

“She looks hungry. I shouldn’t make her wait,” Striker said.