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“So you’re punishing her harshly to make a point?”

“It’s a valid decision.”

“It’s the wrong decision,” Hunter said.

Cleo swayed on her feet, but kept her gaze fixed on Commissioner Viewick. “How long am I suspended for?”

“Indefinitely. I’ll arrange for someone to take over your position. There’ll need to be a short handover period so you can get them up to speed. After that, you’re to leave the Apocalypse.”

“And... do what?” Cleo’s throat was so tight, she could barely speak.

“And consider if you have a future working for us.”

“This is bullshit,” Hunter said. “Cleo shouldn’t lose her job over this.”

“She’s not losing her job. She’s being suspended, with the potential to be re-assigned to a less high risk project following a period of re-training. One that doesn’t draw so much attention,” Commissioner Viewick said sharply.

She swallowed, trying to quell her roiling stomach. “I understand that. But I don’t need to be reassigned. Everything is running smoothly on the Apocalypse, and it would take months to get someone new up to speed. The crew works well together. A new leader will unsettle things.”

“You should have thought about that before you went off mission,” Commissioner Viewick said.

Cleo dropped her gaze. She was losing everything because of one dumb mistake.

Hunter stepped forward. “I won’t let Cleo take responsibility for this. She’s an incredible leader and always looks out for her crew. And in this instance, she was doing exactly that.”

“Explain yourself,” Jagger said.

Cleo stared at Hunter as fear wound around her spine. What was he about to do?

“She’s covering for me. This was my fault. If you want to suspend anyone, suspend me,” he said.