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“Wren, trust your instinct. If you think anything is wrong, we can abort.”

“There’s no need. And this is almost over. I need to keep the line clear in case Cleo needs to reach us. Are there any problems at the Gente ship?”

“I’m watching them. The Gente are doing what they’re supposed to.”

“Great. I’ll see you real soon, and we can celebrate,” she said.

“You bet we will.”

“Is that lover boy after you again?” Eden grinned at her as Wren moved back into position. “He can’t keep his hands off you, you lucky thing.”

Wren smiled. “I’m not sure what’s going on between us or how long it’ll last. After all, he’s got his transfer in progress.”

“Yeah, I imagine he’ll change his mind in a sweet second about that mistake,” Eden said. “I’m happy for you.”

“I never planned it,” Wren said. “It might not come to anything.”

“From the way he looks at you, it’s definitely gonna come to something. Something loud and sweaty that’ll make your knees tremble. Good on you, girl,” Eden said.

“Wren, how long to the meetup point?” Cleo came over the shared comm link again.

“Five minutes at the pace we’re going. Why?”

“The Gente are requesting you look at one of the animals. It’s in distress.”

Wren increased her pace. “What are we talking about?”

“It’s the rare one. The fleur ibex. They said its breathing is labored.”

“What’s the situation with the rest of the animals?” Eden was right by Wren’s side.

“They’ve been shipped as promised. We’ve got them. It’s just this one left behind. They’re concerned about moving it in case it dies.”

“We can’t let it die,” Wren said. “I can take a look. I’ve got the medical kit with me.”

“We need it to survive the transport. Once we get our hands on it, we can fix it up,” Cleo said.

“Have you actually seen the fleur ibex outside their ship?” Daisy said. “They’re not yanking our chain over this?”

“They’ve sent through an image of the animal. And there are still two Gente outside the ship. They’re unarmed, like they said they would be,” Cleo said.

“We can look at the animal,” Wren said.

“You’ve got your weapons. Use them if you need to,” Cleo said. “I’ve warned the Gente that if they mess us around, they’ll face the consequences.”

“I bet they loved that,” Eden said.

“They laughed,” Cleo said. “Shows what idiots they are.”

“I can see their ship,” Wren said. “We’ll be there in three minutes if we up the pace. I’ll update you on the situation once I’ve looked over the animal.”

“Stay alert. Any sign of trouble, and you’re out of there,” Cleo said.

“Got you.” Wren cut the comm link. She glanced at Daisy and Eden. “You both ready for this?”

“All day every day,” Eden said.

“Fine by me. Let’s go get ourselves a new pet,” Daisy said.