“I think everything will fit in here,” Anja said. “That way I won’t take up cargo room.”

I shrugged. “It’s up to you. We have plenty of cargo space. I’ll help you carry.”

Her eyes flew to mine, to see if I was serious. “You don’t have to—”

I waved her off. “I know. But it’ll go faster. First, I want to introduce you to Luna, our resident troublemaker. She’s a burbu.” I saw a flicker of recognition at the name and continued, “She likes to hang out on the walkways near the ceiling. She knows she’s not supposed to jump on people unless they’re wearing a shoulder guard,” I said, pointing at mine, “but sometimes she forgets.”

“Will she attack?”

“In play,” I said firmly. “If you’re quick, you can grab her out of the air before she lands on you. She doesn’t mean to hurt you, but she will claw you while she’s finding purchase. Catching her stops that.”

“She won’t bite?”

My smile had a wry edge. “Not usually. And never hard enough to draw blood.”

“Your reassurance needs work,” Anja said drily.

“She should calm down once she gets to know you, but sometimes new crew members get extra attention for a while.”

I led Anja to my quarters. In the office, I saw Luna just before she jumped, but she was aiming for me, not Anja, so I let her land on my shoulder guard, used to absorbing her momentum.

Anja gasped, but didn’t move.

I turned, so Luna was closer to the MechE. I reached up and scratched the burbu under the chin. She purred in greeting. “This is Luna. She’s spoiled rotten, as you can see.”

Luna watched Anja with quiet patience. Anja reached out a tentative hand. “May I?”

“Of course. She loves to be petted. Behind her ears or under her chin are her favorites. Don’t pet her tail or belly unless she’s in your lap and very calm.”

Anja petted her for a few seconds, then froze and looked at me with wide eyes. “Did she just—?”

Luna butted her hand and Anja absently started petting her again.

“She mildly telepathic, if that’s what you mean. She can project emotions and simple pictures at you. Was it a picture of food? She hasn’t had breakfast yet and food is her favorite.”

“It kind of looked like a bunny.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, that means food. You’ll get used to it because you’ll see it a lot.”

“I saw a few burbus during the war, but I never got close. I had no idea.”