Zara once again was the first to awake, she was fixing her hair. Gabe tried to move but found that his body only jerked upward. Zara was alerted to his sudden consciousness.

“Oooooh fuck.” Gabe struggled to lift his arms, he barely got them a few inches above the bed.

“You probably won’t be able to move for a while.” She got up to get closer to his face. “The dosage I gave you was enough to lay a full grown Kalik on its back. “Gotta admit, you continue to intrigue me especially since you’re still alive right now.”

Apparently, the Kalik they used during the fight was just a juvenile, and judging by the massive height of the bear-like-reptile, he could only guess what an adult one looked like, but it was enough to realize the dosage was most likely lethal. Wait, wasn’t that the amount she takes during the night? Oh, man.

Gabe was feeling just about everything from last night, all the way from his injured shoulder down to the strained muscles that were trying to recover from blocking some of the old chieftain’s hits.

“How do you feel now that you’re the new chieftain?”

“Everything hurts!” He groaned out. “Please, don’t ever inject me ever again.”

She smiled, “As you wish chief.” She got up from the bed and started towards the tent opening.

“Wait where are you going!” Gabe was feeling pretty vulnerable as of right now, he didn’t exactly want the closest thing he had to a bodyguard right now to leave him unprotected.

“Hunt, we’ve run out meat since we’ve held two feasts.” She hesitated at the flaps. “Don’t worry, No one is going to bother the person who claimed the old chieftain’s daughter then killed him.” She turned and left leaving Gabe to stay motionless.

He sighed, I guess I'll just sit here and count sand.

~^~

“I’ve grown fond of the boy too, but I’m no miracle man.” Valik pushed up his glasses, reflecting the artificial sunlight of Eos.

“It’s a giant fucking spaceship, how could yah not notice something like that!?”

“Look,” He paused for a second leaning closer towards the video screen, bits of his brown hair fell out of place, his expression turning stern. “He didn’t appear in either Vorlan or Tusian sectors.” He drove his finger onto his deck, “You can start looking yourself in any of the places that aren’t there.”

The transmission shut off leaving Anaya with a blank screen, she ran her hands through her hair. She turned towards the remaining crew member on the bridge, “Finding Gabe will be pushed as priority number two, right now we have other things to do.”

Rhenixa had been on the bridge with her. Although things got way less fun for Rhenixa she understood that, Blitz was practically neutral to the whole situation, When your lifespan can go into millenniums it’s probably hard enough to establish personal connections with people.

The only reason Rhenixa wanted Gabe back was for two reasons, one she hated to lose anything that was considered her’s, she was pretty selfish like that. Two like most of the people who met the human, they found him interesting. Even if she did disapprove of the results of Fuytis, it was still a success that she didn’t think was even possible.

“What’s the mission?” Rhenixa had her hands behind her head, waiting for the details.

“A ship heist.” She paused,

Rhenixa dropped from the position she had been relaxing in. “What!? With the three of us!?”

Anaya put up a hand to signal she wasn’t done with explaining the plan.

“The Ithori rebels are paying us to infiltrate an Ithori Republic ball and give them information regarding a ship, they’re doing the heist.”

“Well then, what’s so special about this cargo?” She asked leaning forward

“Apparently, it possibly contains information on the ‘corrupt’ official Shurta Krahvi.”

Rhenixa leaned back in her chair. “Ah, so it’s an easy run through then.”

“I don’t know about easy…” Anaya grabbed a red piece of cloth that was hanging on the back of her chair, she threw it over at the smaller wolf girl.

Rhenixa caught it and straightened out the clothing in front of her. A halter top red dress that flowed all the way to the floor, two circular holes were cut from the sides, there was a common trend in formal Caloricean clothing to show off parts of the female stomach to further accentuate their strong curves and muscles. Other than the intricate design the dress was pretty but plain, just like the girl herself. That was Rhenixa’s dress. Anaya pulled another dress out, this one had a cross section of straps on the back but had a disconnected midsection that would only be covering only her breasts.

“Yah can’t be serious.” Rhenixa held the dress in one hand.

“Dead.” She smiled making the simple comment knowing full well how she felt about the situation. She left the room to go change. Rhenixa’s ears drooped at her words. Out of all the things that could ever be done acting like a hoity-toity high-class Caloricean bitch was the exact reason she joined up with the mercenary clans.

A short jump and a quick change later Anaya, Rhenixa, and Blitz were standing on the bridge. Anaya and Rhenixa could barely even be recognizable as the murderous duo, Rhenixa’s short hair was done in series of curls and drills. Anaya had a simple ponytail. Their height was also slightly altered by the high heels. The ship entered a planet’s atmosphere revealing a city, The sun on this side of the planet had already set, the party was most likely already in progress by the time they entered the atmosphere.

The building they came up to almost like a giant dodecahedron with multiple circles at every point. “The message said to land at dock twenty-four.” Anaya pointed a finger to the supposed numbered docking port. Blitz turned the ship to the left and decelerated for landing speeds.

“Rhen, We aren’t here to have a good time so we’ll find the loosest lips and leave.”

“Yah don’t have to say that again.” she mumbled under her breath.

“Oh and Blitz.” She turned towards the squid man. “As soon as we get off I want yah to hide the Warden somewhere. I don’t want anyone recognizing the ship.”

“Understood, cap.”

“Alright Rhen, Let’s go.”

Rhenixa didn’t even bother with waiting for her command she already left for the airlock. Upon entering the station they were greeted by a lavish display. Red carpet and giant columns, Blue hung high on the ceiling, they were embroidered with the flag of the Republic. The two girls walked side by side down the carpet. Rhenixa was having a hard time not stumbling along the soft surface. Some of her steps were overly too heavy and she’d trip over her own weight.

“Walk normal,” Anaya spoke in a hushed voice trying to look inconspicuous.

“Ugh. I...can’t!” She was gritting her teeth. Every time she took a step she was getting more visibly angry.

The two approached an Ithori man, The Ithori were one of the more reptilian races of the galaxy, when one was put next to a Cartollian one could easily mistake one for the more well known aggressive space reptiles. The main difference was that they were nearly always bald, even the females. Rarely one could find an Ithori with facial hair in the form of bears, this particular Ithori was known as Eri Lovura, a disguised rebel planted within the government and their ticket to getting inside the party.

“Ladies,” The Ithori spoke in Caloricean, unlike the similiar species the Ithori lacked the long forked tongue. Anaya smiled and limply put her hand out, he took it and kissed her finger lightly, guests all around them were taking glances at them. A few of the males even envied Eri’s date.

She interlocked her arm within his and started leaning on his shoulder as they turned to go into the main hall. Rhenixa had ignored the display between the two as she had been immersed in just trying to get her footing right, not to mention interlocking with someone and walking the same speed with them was nearly impossible for her.

Even if Eri Lovura was a ‘government official’ he wasn’t told the details of matters that were on the ‘need to know basis’. That’s where the mercenary beauties of the Warden came into play, the Republic wouldn’t think twice about one of them being spies since a majority of Caloriceans would regard this as a waste of time.

Anaya and Eri maintained a very professional, Man and his plus one date appearance. As they entered the main hall, seemingly upper-class music and low chattering could be heard. he began giving her the details of the guests and their occupations.

Anaya was discreetly looking in his eyes to receive the contact locations.

“The man there,” He was looking at a couple that was standing by an set of stairs that spun almost endlessly upward. The man wearing traditional clothing consisting of a black military vest adorned with several shining medals and a golden three barred cross. “That’s Ori Tulvhah and his wife Sari, He’s directly responsible for the labor camps scattered around our planet.”

Anaya stared at him confirming every detail on his face. He turned to another official that was drinking next to a group of Ithori, “General Sava, Not much to say about him. He keeps to himself mostly, except when he partakes in his favorite hobby of authorizing lethal interrogations.”

The two began to walk to a more secluded part of the room before he named off another potential target Anaya had noticed something missing. She broke the embrace and looked around the room with a stern yet confused face. “What’s the matter?” noticing her expression.

“Where’s Rhen? She was just with us!”

Eri noticed as well and started to look taking quick glances at every one of the guests in the room.

“Fucking shit.” Rhenixa was having a hard time trying to wade her way through the sea of guests while trying to keep her balance. She had gotten lost in the crowd when the two pretend couples went off to the side somewhere. She’d just rathered had just muscled through everyone but the whole point of this mission was to not be destructive or disruptive, that was until she walked face first into what felt like a solid wall.

“Mmmm fuck.” She fell onto her butt and held her nose as that was what took the brunt of the impact. She opened up one eye to see if she really did just headbutt a wall. It turned out to be a young Ithori female.

“Oh, I’m very sorry!” The female noticed the other downed female and extended an arm.

“It’s fiiiine!” Rhenixa took her arm but didn’t expect the amount of strength that was used to pull her upward. Rhenixa was merely on few inches in front of her face as she was stopped right before their lips met.

“I never thought I would find an attractive Caloricean here, Are you with someone?”

“Uhhh, yeah. I came with my sister and her date.”

“Oh, so you’re free~?” She trailed her words at the end giving it a mild sensual tone.

“Yah could say that...”

“Good! It just happens that I needed a dance partner.”

“I don’t think yah’d wan-” She was cut off as the Ithori female took her hand and led her to the middle of the ballroom.

“Oh no.” Eri had noticed a crowd forming around the center. “This just got… very complicated” he pinched the bridge nose.

“What? Anaya was still looking around in the opposite direction looking for her lost crew member.

“Look over there.” He pointed to the growing crowd.

Anaya saw the two females dancing, “Who is she dancing with?”

Eri let out a massive sigh, “She’s with Shurta.”