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Dallin stood to get a closer look. “What is it?”

“We’re trying to figure that out,” Georgia said, exhaustion and anger hitting her in equal measure as she stared at the mutilated remains. “We encountered several unusual animals on Sysal. We didn’t find any signs of the white tail, but we found tanks with several types of poisonous animal. Then these things appeared.”

“And they weren’t happy to see us,” Ash said.

“They look like they’ve been spliced together,” Dallin said.

“Is that even possible?” Georgia asked.

Dallin pulled a scanner from his pocket and ran it over the creature. “Very possible. Although I haven’t seen this kind of handiwork for a long time. About ten years ago, there was a rash of illegal experiments done by the Klanin. They attempted to meld several animals together to make a chimera. None of them were a success, and the animals either died or went insane. But their testing went on for at least six months until the Intergalactic Council intervened and put a stop to it.”

“And that doesn’t mean it isn’t still happening in some shady backwater,” Eden said.

“Like Sysal,” Ash said.

“Seal the bag for now,” Cleo said. “I’ve seen enough to make my stomach churn.”

Ash lifted the remains off the table and then settled in the seat next to Georgia.

“What else did you find?” Cleo said.

“There’s an extensive cave system and tunnel network on Sysal,” Georgia said. “We found evidence of recent occupation, the animals in the tanks, and these chimeras.”

“No aliens living at the location?” Cleo said.

“There were, but we missed them by a day or two. Some of the animals were still alive, so the place hadn’t been abandoned for long.”

Ranger shifted in his seat. “Is there any chance we can lose the carcass from the room?”

“Is it making you feel bad?” Ash leaned over and shoved him. “Suck it up. We had to put up with that thing in the ship’s storage.”

“I’d rather not, unless you want me dry heaving all over you.”

“I agree with Ranger. It’s served its purpose,” Cleo said. “Dallin and Sloane, take this evidence to be examined. Let me know what you find out.”

“You give me all the best jobs.” Sloane winked at Dallin. “Come on, sugar. Let’s go look at our wonderful gift.”

Dallin hefted the bag onto his shoulder and then headed out of the room with Sloane.

“Why do this?” Eden said.

“We wondered about that. They could be trying to build a mutant creature army,” Ash said.

“Or to create dangerous status symbols,” Georgia said. “If you had enough of these mutants prowling around, it would make a person invincible.”

“Or an alien race that’s in the mood for war,” Cleo said.

“That would only work if they could control these creatures,” Daisy said. “How do you control something like that?”

“Whatever the reason, it stops now,” Cleo said. “From the looks of these experiments, they’re still fine-tuning the effectiveness of these mutants. But if they get it right, they could create extremely dangerous animals that would be hard to kill.”

“These weren’t difficult to kill,” Ash said. “But if you met a group of them and you were on your own, you’d be in trouble.”

“We should set up another trip to Sysal. We only surveyed a small part of the territory. We could have missed something,” Georgia said.

“Let’s examine the evidence you’ve brought back and take it from there,” Cleo said. “As you noted, the site wasn’t occupied, so they could already have moved on. We focus on the evidence we’ve got. Georgia, I’m sure Dallin will appreciate your expertise when it comes to the venomous animals. Head to his lab after you’ve had some downtime and work with him. Then we’ll make our next move.”

Georgia opened her mouth to protest, but another wave of exhaustion hit her. She nodded.