Dr. Calvini had felt some recognition when Buster mentioned a jackrabbit named Lance. At the mention of Tartarus Squadron, she broke her silence. "You spent quarantine trapped with The ████ Wranglers?!"

The panda had been narrating his story measured and steady, but hearing Tartarus Squadron's obscene nickname said out loud made his head snap to look at Dr. Calvini.

"Please don't say that." Buster said, trying to play it cool but obviously very uncomfortable, almost angry. "I never want to hear that name again. Or that word."

Her stylus was flashing back and forth as she dropped stamps and flags while he talked. A mass-murdering war criminal draws the line at bad words. I see why Lance gave this man a hard time. He is pompous in a way that invites scrutiny, even if I agree with his sentiment.

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"I won't say it again." she assured him, "I just wanted to make sure we were referring to the same group. I contributed to our dossier on them."

The panda exhaled loudly at that. "Lance is the fucking worst, isn't he?"

"He's certainly something. Want to refresh me on the others?" asked Dr. Calvini, "I've never met them, it was more of a meta-analysis of existing reports."

"Sure, I'm never going to forget them." Buster held out his paw and began to count off on his fingers, "Tartarus Squadron was a typical four-person mercenary unit in the Nakunan squaddie tradition. Already talked some about Lance, their leader. After the big bunny is Stubbs, a little deer man with a big chip on his shoulder. Pitt, a freaky blue axolotl with a long pink tongue he likes to be gross with. Finally there's Rema, this weird quiet secretary bird that likes to punch holes in drywall when he gets mad - which is always."

"Got it." she said.