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“Hopefully, it’s something small, cute, and with no teeth.” Striker topped up the water in the cage, placed the lob inside, and shut the door. He extended his scratched and bitten hands.

“You got off lightly,” Wren said with a dismissive shrug. “That girl over there is the most dangerous in this collection.”

Striker strolled to the cage and peered in at the snarling pantha. “Who would want to buy this as a pet?”

“There are fight clubs that use creatures like that. There are also some aliens who find it entertaining to let panthas loose and hunt them.” The disgust in her voice was clear.

“Well, she’s safe now. They all are.”

She looked around at the cages and nodded. “Have you had any luck getting the ship’s propulsion system online?”

“Not yet. I can get it stable for a couple of minutes then it drops out of sync. There could be critical damage to the hull. That’s my next job.”

“What about the comms system?”

“Still a work in progress.”

“How’s our countdown looking? We can’t spend too long on this rock before the radiation becomes a problem.”

“We should be good for another thirty hours. We’ll be gone long before that.” Striker glanced over at Wren. Her shoulders were hunched and her arms crossed over her middle.

Part of him wished he’d never kissed her. It was a line he should never have crossed. But if he hadn’t, he’d have never known how amazing she tasted or how perfectly she fit in his arms.

“Oh, look! That must be our final missing specimen,” Wren said.

Striker turned to the door. Sitting in the entrance was a small, gray fluffy creature with big dark eyes. “Is that a norkie?”

“Yes! Although I think she’s a hybrid. They’re not usually so furry.” Wren bent and held out her hand. “Hello, little one. I’ve got food and water. Let me check you out then we’ll get you in a pen where you’ll be safe.”

“You should be careful,” Striker said. “They’ve got teeth.”

“They’re rarely aggressive,” Wren said. “You just need to know how to treat them right. Come here, sweetie. Let me make sure you weren’t hurt. You must have been scared when the ship crashed.”

The norkie uncurled her body. She was long and thin with a fluffy tail and short legs with small claws. She hop walked toward Wren.

“You’re not wearing any protective gloves,” Striker said.

“I don’t need them. Norkies don’t carry diseases that are infectious to Humans. I know what I’m doing.”

“I never said you didn’t. Let me handle it, though.”

She shook her head. “You’ll only startle her. You’re twice my size and move too quickly. It always scares the animals.”

“The animals in here love me.”

“The evidence on your hands suggests otherwise. How many times did you get bitten?”

“Only three. And two of them were more like overly enthusiastic sucks with a little sharp tooth on the side.”

Her glance was full of disbelief. “Make sure those wounds don’t get infected.”

“They barely broke the skin. You get the cage door open. I’ll grab the norkie.”

Wren sighed. “Don’t let her run away. This is the last one we need to capture.” She moved back and opened the cage door.

The norkie blinked and made a high-pitched squeak.

Striker held out his hand. “Come on, little lady. It’s cage time.”