Her
nickname is "Tanj", and she's certainly living up to it. For her, it seems, “There Ain’t No
Justice.” As a young engineer on a tramp
space freighter, this Cheetah-morph found herself the victim of a scam, sold
into slavery, and trained as a sex-slave.
Sold to pirates, she finds herself as a pawn in a much larger
struggle. This story contains bondage,
non-consensual sex, and hopefully some humor, adventure and intrigue. Adults
only, PLEASE!
This
is a work-in-progress, and the final chapter in the main plot sequence will
follow as soon as I can write it; please stay tuned and have patience!
Tanj's
Tales: Road Trip
Stardate
2404.10 By
Kittiara
Tying up loose ends
Tanj didn’t like it. This was one of those times when anything less than complete confidence in the information just would NOT do, and yet she couldn’t come up with anything better. The Bunny was inured against any form of interrogation she could come up with. Drugs didn’t work. And given the way her body was screwed up, torture was a death sentence. Of course there were those that were completely willing to do just that; to break her body until they were sure she’d told the truth. And indeed, that’s where they’d started; with the threat of physical violence. And the bunny sang like a canary. But could she be believed? Some had favored continuing on in that direction, but trouble was, Tanj just didn’t think she’d last long enough for them to be sure. And it would have been so wasteful… So she had to rely on the voice stress analyzer.
An expert could fool them. That was why they were questioning her with suitable “distractions”. They’d started off with sleep deprivation, asking her the same questions over and over and over, while she could barely stay awake. Then they’d gotten really mean, and had Zassa come in, with a feather. It turned out the Bunny was ticklish, and Zassa was implacable. The Vixen had tickled her until, despite her restraints, it was agreed she was on the verge of hurting herself. All the answers had been reasonably consistent. Finally, they’d turned Hinoki loose on her. Because of Jenka’s instructions, they’d done it covertly. Hinoki had pleasured the Bunny to climax after climax after climax, feeding off of her in the process, until she was so over-sensitized she was pleading with him to stop, promising anything. And still her story was consistent. Either she was one of the Empire’s best, or it was the truth. But still Tanj wondered.
The Mouse had been easier to handle. He’d simply been given a dose of his own “indecision” drug, and then been presented with several opportunities to escape. Of course, the opportunities were always withdrawn long before the drug wore off. Tanj thought it was slowly driving the Mouse mad, but John, who was personally overseeing the Mouse’s interrogation, didn’t seem to care in the least.
The Crown Prince had tried to kill them all. And in the process, he’d tried to blame the Gates’ world cartel. The Gates’ World techies had merely wanted to kill Jenka, albeit publicly and gruesomely. Not that Jenka was about to cut them any slack for that. The Jaguar was out for Blood.
And it was Tanj’s job to figure out how to get her that revenge.
Engineering had gone through the “Matter/Antimatter brake” device with a fine-toothed comb. As they’d feared, with all the modifications the Bunny had made, it just might have worked. However, Clancy had “restored” it to its original condition, and he’d made a few improvements too. Now, if someone tried to assemble the machine, even if they got everything connected correctly, it should explode well before it could do any damage. One of the big capacitors had been removed, and its interior repacked with explosives. As a backup, the other capacitors had all been rewired so that they’d explode well before they’d reached a full charge. The device had then been broken down, and repackaged. Some very clever work on Hinoki’s part sent it back to Gates’ world, with a clear, if somewhat false “paper trail”. It would look as if a simple routing error had sent it there, instead of to its intended destination. And it shouldn’t take the techies on Gates’ world long to trace the whole thing right back to the Crown prince.
The Mouse, now there was a problem. The goal was to make it look as if the Mouse had either sold out to, or had always been an agent of the Crown Prince. Again, Hinoki worked some magic, depositing a rather large sum in the Mouse’s accounts. He’d then sent word to the Mouse’s wife that it might be prudent if she took that rather large sum, and skipped town. QUICKLY. And of course, the funds were “Traceable”, with enough expertise, and diligence, right back to the Crown Prince. It wasn’t the ideal solution to the problem, but it was the best they could come up with…..
And when the plans had been put in motion, it left Tanj with one more problem; what to do with the Mouse and the Rabbit?
Jenka shook her head; “No way. We can’t afford to let her go like that. Way too much of a security risk!”
Tanj frowned; “Mistress, this guy is the caretaker for the Talium mine in CF 2395. A supply ship stops there once a year, for cryin’ out loud. Now he can’t afford a trained sex slave, but I think we could send him Kitchens as-is. All she’s looking for is a quiet place to live out the rest of her life, and I know Eisen would treat her with just the right combination of love and control. Besides, you KNOW she’s not going to want to call the Empire’s attention to herself. AND after the Hasgorth affair, we owe him!”
The Jaguar shook her head; “She knows way too much about the weapon she tried to use on us. Someone might seek her out to gain that knowledge. And she knows too much about our operation. And if it ever got out that she HADN’T sold out the Crown Prince….” The Jaguar crossed her arms over her chest; “No. Either kill her, or find something useful for her to do here. But if you keep her, she’s YOUR responsibility.”
Tanj sighed and nodded; “Yes, Mistress.”
Tying up loose ends II
Kitchens looked up as the Cheetah approached her cell. Her initial inclination was to go cower in the back of her cell, but somehow she managed to repress that. She’d never known how TERRIBLE someone with just a feather could be… She really REALLY hoped she wasn’t in for another session with that diabolical Vixen…
Tanj stopped between the cell housing the Mouse, and the cell housing the Bunny; she looked from one to the other, and then back. “I’ll give you a choice.” That got their attention. “Its been decided that we can’t risk letting anyone know just what happened here. As far as the Empire is concerned, each of you sold out your employer, and there never was any attempt to kill anyone.” She looked from one to the other; “Its obvious you’re not going home. In fact, you’re not going anywhere. Now, I can grant you a quick, clean death, or I can put you up for auction among the pirates. Your choice.”
The Mouse smiled wryly; “And here I thought I was dead. I thought I was dead when my plot was uncovered. I thought I was dead when that monster got a hold of me. And…” He shuddered visibly; “I thought I was dead when that Stallion got his hands on me.” He looked up at the Cheetah; “I’ve come to the conclusion that, in retrospect, I wasn’t really happy with that thought. And while there’s life, there’s hope. Yeah, go ahead and sell me. How much worse could it get?”
Kitchens made a rude noise; “Don’t kid yourself. It can get a lot worse. Oh, I’ll admit, the last couple of weeks haven’t been very pleasant, but it can ALWAYS get worse.”
Tanj turned to face her; “So you would rather die?”
The Bunny opened her mouth and then closed it. Looking down she shook her head; “Actually… I’m in no hurry to account for some of my actions, to whatever higher authority there may be.” She looked up and grinned wickedly; “Besides, I can always take that route. No, I’ll see what life will bring, at least for a little while yet.”
Tanj nodded; “All right.” Turning, she padded from the detention block.
When she was gone, the Mouse looked at the Bunny; “So…. What kind of pirate do you think would want to buy US?”
The Bunny looked him up and down and then laughed; “In your case, probably a pretty perverted one….”
---
Tanj looked up from her console as the Badger approached. Roland had that “determined” look on his face again. “Hey, Skipper, I hear you’re putting Kitchens up for sale.”
Tanj nodded slowly; “Can’t just kill her. Like us, she was only in it for the money; it didn’t seem to be anything personal.”
Roland chuckled; “Good. I’d like to put in a bid for her.”
The Cheetah’s jaw dropped; “Her? Why?”
Roland shrugged; “She’s good with ‘mechs. And I could use some help putting mine back together again, after what that mouse did to it.”
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “And what does Cindy think of this?”
Roland straightened and stared at the Cheetah; “Cindy’s my slave; she doesn’t get a vote.”
Tanj just sighed and shook her head; “There are some restrictions. Can’t take her off the station, can’t sell her without the Black Fleet’s approval. And you’ll have to take precautions; if she gets hurt, I doubt Wanda and Co. will be able to do much for her.”
Roland nodded; “I understand.”
Tanj looked at the Badger and then smiled her most wicked smile. The bidding hadn’t been very good on Kitchens or the Mouse. Kitchen’s scarring had turned off most of the pirates that might otherwise have bid on her, and no one seemed to be able to think of anything useful for an over-aged mouse to do. Grinning at the Badger she purred; “Tell you what; take the two of them as a package deal, and I’ll talk to Jenka about it.”
To the Cheetah’s surprise, the Badger thought for a moment and then nodded; “Yeah. Yeah, he does know power systems. That’s not a bad idea. Deal.”
---
Kitchens watched as the guard collected the Mouse, and then turned to collapse the forcefield and unlock the door to her cage. He offered no explanation, and she didn’t question him. Nothing had happened in the two days since the Cheetah had come to talk to them. No further interrogations, nothing but time, and more time. She was bored. She was ready to get on to whatever came next, even if it DID mean she was to be sold to some pirate. Probably some overweight, greasy looser who couldn’t attract a decent female on his own…. Wishing she’d never taken the job with the Crown Prince, she followed the guard at the end of his leash.
The Mouse came to a complete stop, only to have the leash almost jerk him from his feet as it went taut. There stood the female Badger, Roland’s slave, arms crossed over her chest, a sour look on her face. As they drew closer, he groaned; “Don’t tell me…..”
Kitchens sighed and shook her head; “See, I TOLD you it could always get worse!”
Starting new relationships
Roland watched as Cindy led the two new slaves into their quarters. He motioned for them to hold just inside the door, and turned back to the comm. Panel; “Listen, Ed, everyone here is going to be working for the Black Fleet! I’ve already checked it out with management. I’ve got my section leader’s buy-in, as well as the department head’s. Its no different than four buddies wanting to room together. Now, Eloise tells me there’s a team room down on level 12 that’s vacant….. Oh? Really? But that doesn’t… Ah. I see…. Okay, what’s it going to cost me? WHAT? YOU PIRATE!” Roland turned and fastened his glare on the furrs at the door. His gaze flicked from Cindy, to Kitchens and back “No, I won’t! Listen you reprobate, if I have to, I’ll go to…. What? WHAT? No, I don’t believe…. Oh, ALL RIGHT. Get me the passcodes and I’ll see what I can do, you Bandit!” Roland jabbed out a finger, stabbing at the disconnect button.
Cindy watched the Badger, wondering what he’d just traded. She knew he was looking for larger quarters; what they had now was barely big enough for two, let alone four. And space was at a premium on the station. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t going to have to do something… unpleasant.
Roland’s attention turned back to the trio by the door; to their amazement he broke into a smile; “Well, that’s settled. And for less than I thought it’d take.” He rose and padded over; “Can’t accomplish ANYTHING around here without paying someone off, even if its to do their job….”
Kitchens braced herself. She figured the next thing would be a rather personal examination by the Badger….. But to her amazement, he pushed between her and the mouse, headed for the door; “You guys start packing up. I’ve got to go see a horse about some Andorian Brandy….
The Author
“But you know it won’t sell in the Oligarchy.”
The Skunkette shrugged; “Who CARES? Look at the reviews! Its only been out two weeks and already you’re on the Best Seller’s list in the Empire Times!”
The Kurani shrugged; “Yes, at number 93. Seriously, Jinx, what the Empire thinks of my talents doesn’t matter. Its what the folks back home think that matters. At least to me.”
The Skunkette sighed; “So whatcha gonna do?”
The Kurani smiled; “Why, I’m going to finish my book on Sexual Practices in the Empire.”
The Skunkette just shook her head; “And THAT will sell in the Oligarchy?”
Kittiara smiled; “Oh, I think it might…..”
---
“I don’t care how much money its making us. I told you I wanted her, and that reality-bending friend of hers OUT of here!”
Tanj teetered, almost on
tiptoes. Her feet rested on the upper
curves of a ball. Her arms were in an
armbinder, held tightly together behind her back, the ring at the end of the
armbinder attached to the ceiling. There
was just enough slack that if she fell off the ball, that her arms probably
wouldn’t be pulled out of their sockets.
Or at least she thought there was enough slack. But even so it was still an event to be most
assiduously avoided. Moving carefully,
she tried to roll the ball back under the ceiling anchor, to give herself as much safety margin as possible. Meanwhile, Jenka was doing everything in her
power to make the Cheetah fall, short of actually giving her a shove. Still, the way she applied her tongue to the
Cheetah’s sex was probably just as effective….
Trying hard to ignore the sensations, and to concentrate on her
balancing act, Tanj muttered; “Are you SURE?
There could be a
Jenka gave the bound Cheetah a long, teasing lick; “No. And I don’t even want to hear about any potential holo rights. They both frighten me. Sooner or later that Kurani’s mate is going to show up, looking for her, and from all the stories I’ve heard, he travels with a sizeable battle fleet. A fleet big enough to ruin our profit forcasts, possibly for the rest of the decade! And that Skunk fem…. I’m just waiting for the station to be hit by a rogue comet, or swallowed by a black hole no one’d noticed before.” She paused and sat back on her haunches to look up at the Cheetah; “Why, did you know that the day before yesterday, every single one of my leather catsuits turned to satin. SATIN! EVERY ONE OF THEM! No, I want her OUT of here. And speaking of which, how are your plans coming?
Tanj felt like mentioning that bound as she was, she didn’t have a very great opportunity to advance any plans, but decided not to mention that; “If we’re going to make it look as if we’ve vanished in a cataclysmic event such as swallowed Elysium, I’m going to have to go talk to Professor Corey. Fortunately his University is in the general direction of the Brou. I’ll talk to him and explain to him how it might be a good idea if he “disappeared” along with us. Plenty of privacy that way to perfect whatever he’s come up with. That’ll get him started on the “Special effects” part of the show. Meanwhile, we can be secretly moving funds to untraceable accounts, so that after we’ve disappeared, we’ll be flush enough to stay out of sight and still be comfortable.”
Jenka chuckled; “That won’t be too hard. Most of my funding already IS in untraceable accounts. Kinda standard practice in this line of work. But its not enough. I want revenge. Revenge on that idiot half brother of mine, and on those Gates’ World pirates!”
Tanj nodded, and in the process almost lost her footing…. Ignoring the later part of the Jaguar’s statement she continued; “Um.. yeah. OK, make that any additional funding. When Corey has his “special effects” rig set up, we’ll stage an incident that will bring both the Empire and the Gates’ world cartel running. After our leaks that both of their agents sold them out, they’ll probably be itching to try again. Which for what we have planned is just what we want. We’ll probably let it leak that Corey has perfected the interdimensional device and will be conducting a full-up test. Then we just have to make it look as if we’ve vanished, and slip away, without being caught. THEN, when no one is looking for us, we can plan our revenge.”
Jenka nibbled for a minute, eliciting gasps and then purred; “And you know how to do that? Evade detection, when everyone’s actively looking for us?”
Tanj let out a long moan; “Uh…. I’m working on it.”
Jenka nodded; “You’d better be; I don’t want to actually be CAUGHT by those goons. Now, what about the Kurani and the Skunk?”
Tanj moaned again and tried not to writhe; “Um… after we visit Corey, I’ll run them to Kurani space. While I’m there, I’ll try and “trade” them for an invitation to visit the Brou. There I’ll try and resolve Hinoki’s situation. One way or the other. Should be back by the time Corey has something cobbled together.”
Jenka smiled; “Your plan has holes large enough to drive a small and unmaneuverable moon through, but it seems to be about the best we can come up with. Keep after it, and make sure its going to work. Remember, its your neck on the line as well!” The Jaguar smiled and leaned forward once again, to apply her tongue to the place she knew the Cheetah was most sensitive. As expected, it only took a minute’s worth of licking to drive her to a shuddering climax.
Tanj yowled as the climax tore through her. As the waves of pleasure washed through her she tried to keep her balance, but it was just too much. She felt her feet slipping, the ball flying off to one side, the chain tugging at the end of the arm binder… and then she landed on her side, on the padded floor.
There’d been a cleverly disguised magnetic coupling in the chain, designed to look like an ordinary link. Instead of hanging by her wrists, the coupling had separated, and now the chain hung by itself from the ceiling. Glaring up at the smiling Jenka, she growled; “That was NOT fair! You had me worried silly!”
Jenka made a moue; “all right, next time, there won’t be a breakaway link, and I WILL leave you hanging…. Turning she headed for the door, muttering about ungrateful slaves….
---
Jane Calamity put down the book reader and shook her head. Everyone was reading this thing, and while it was listed as fiction, it pointed directly to her and her Crimson Corsairs as the culprits. And that made her furious. Oh, yes, it had significantly enhanced her reputation, and it had even brought in some new recruits, but it seemed as if the entire Imperial navy was after her! She was simply FURIOUS! When the Tiger approached, she shot him her best withering look and growled; “WHAT?”
The Tiger spread his paws; “Ma’am…. Ah… It seems we’ve been approached by Tri-stellar films…”
The Vixen blinked; “Huh?” The Tiger gestured at the book reader; “it seems they want to do a holo…. And while not actually accusing us of having perpetrated the raid, they, well….”
The Vixen waved a paw; “Spit it OUT! What?”
The Tiger shrugged; “Well, they’ve offered us a consulting fee. Not exactly licensing the movie rights from us, you understand, but, ah, “compensation” none the less. Apparently they’ve decided they really wouldn’t want us mad at them, if they made the holo without our OK….”
The Vixen just stared at the Tiger for a moment and then shook her head; “It’s a Crazy Universe…..”
---
Hinoki worked at the straps to the Arm binder, and shook his head; “I hope to heck you know what you’re doing. You’re walking an awful thin line here.”
Tanj moaned softly; the Cheetah/Brou had extruded a couple of tentacles; one was in her ass, slowly pulsing, while the other slid in and out of her pussy. “ummmm… OH! Ah…. Yeah. Well, from Corey’s progress reports he’s not that far away from a field test anyways. And if we can get any information at all out of the Brou, we might just actually HAVE an interdimensional transport system. That WOULD make our disappearance a little easier, wouldn’t it?”
Hinoki chuckled, pausing at the last buckle; “It would, only if we knew where we were going, and how to get back. I’m not really looking forward to being exiled…”
Tanj moaned and nodded; “Yeah. Well, that’s where the Brou come in. All we have to do… all YOU have to do is convince them to help.”
Hinoki released the last buckle, but caught her wrists as the arm binder slipped free; “Might be easier said than done. But I’ll give it my best shot. And lets just hope Jenka never finds out what you’re REALLY up to.”
Tanj couldn’t think straight. The tentacle in her ass was tickling her in places she could sworn she’d never been tickled before, and the one in her pussy was doing the most amazing things. For that brief instant before her climax claimed her, she wondered if Hinoki was talking about their having sex, against Jenka’s explicit orders, or whether he was talking about fooling her while she actually tried to develop an interdimensional gizmo. And then, as her world dissolved in pleasure, she decided it didn’t matter……
Starting new relationships II
Roland tossed the last of the empty boxes into a pile by the door, and grinned; “Everything may not be in the right place, quite yet, but I think its livable.”
Cindy ran a finger over the scarred tabletop, examined it, and shrugged; “At least its clean.”
Roland nodded; “And I’ll expect you to keep it that way too.” Throwing himself into the “living room’s” only overstuffed chair he looked at the lady Badger; “I suppose I ought to set some ground rules.”
Kitchen’s ears perked up; she’d been putting away groceries in the miniscule kitchen. Pausing she edged closer to the door, to listen.
Roland reached up and pulled Cindy down into his lap; “First off, you’re “First Girl.” I expect you to keep the others in line. You’re in charge of keeping our living quarters clean, keeping it stocked with everything we need, and organizing whatever repairs are needed. I’ll handle work schedules, and finances.”
Cindy nodded; “Yes, “master”… There are several hundred other things we’ll have to work out, though.”
Roland raised an eyebrow; “Such as?”
Cindy closed her eyes, as if reviewing a mental laundry list; “Clothes for the new slaves. Medical checkups. Curfews. Visiting rights. Allowances. Holidays.” She opened her eyes and grinned down at him; “And who gets control of the Holovision remote, and when.”
Roland laughed and swatted her on her bottom; “Silly Slave. I get control of the remote. Always.” After a moment he looked at her; “Holidays? Visiting rights? ALLOWANCES?”
Cindy sighed; “well, “master”, first off, we’re all going be working. Full time jobs, PLUS our ah, “household duties”. Heck, I’m even drawing combat pay! Its just not fair for us to get zilch out of it. There ought to be enough for us to have at least pocket change. Buy the occasional soft drink, or snack. Doesn’t have to be much. And if we scrimp and save enough to buy something, it ought to be OURS. As for visiting rights, you can’t expect us not to make ANY friends here. What if we want to have a friend over to play cards, or…. Just TALK? Or what if we want to go to a friend’s place?” Before he could respond she continued; “And you can’t expect us to be on duty 24/7. There ought to be some days when the others can cover for us; when we can unwind a little.” Cindy sat back and looked down at the Badger, half expecting an explosion. “Remember, a good leader always looks after the morale of his troops.”
Roland sighed, and shook his head; “Impudent. That’s what you are, an Impudent slave!”
Cindy laughed; “Yes; maybe Master should give his impudent slave a spanking.”
Roland mock-growled low in his throat; “Maybe I should.”
Kitchens heard the yelp from Cindy, and then the giggle. She was tempted to look, but decided it might be prudent to stay out of sight. She heard the slap of palm against flesh, and then another and a third; she heard Cindy’s moan, but she wasn’t sure if it was of pain or ecstasy. The noises continued, fewer slaps, more moans, until she was sure what sensations the Badger lady was feeling…. Turning back to her work, she continued putting the foodstuffs away. As she worked she wondered why Cindy would risk punishment for making those requests. They obviously weren’t just for her. He’d named her “first girl”; she could lord it over her and the Mouse, but instead she was lobbying for them. Most curious. Not at all what she was used to. She’d have to think about that.
The Opposition:
The Chamberlain knew it was bad. Shouting he could have understood. Thrown items were commonplace, but when the Crown Prince just SAT there, the message flimsy in his paws, it could only be one of two things. Either he was building up to a truly monumental explosion… or he just didn’t get it. Either one would be hazardous to the Chamberlain’s health. Finally he put the piece of paper down on the polished desktop and looked up; “I don’t get it.”
The Chamberlain sighed; “Your Highness, Imperial Intelligence learned that the matter/antimatter brake device that YOU obtained from the Crimson Corsairs, that you sent to the Black Fleet, with that Kitchens person, has shown up on Gates’ world.”
The Jaguar waved a paw; “Yes, yes, I understand that. But what in the HELL is it doing there? Kitchens was supposed to use it to destroy the Black Fleet!
The Chamberlain nodded, and commented drolly, “Obviously she failed.”
The Crown Prince glared at the Chamberlain; “I UNDERSTAND that. What I DON’T understand is HOW she failed. What mechanism could possibly result in that device winding up on Gates’ wor……”
The Chamberlain saw recognition dawn in the Crown Prince’s eyes. “Ah….. Yes. The only way the plot could have failed, the only way that device could have wound up there is if…. The Gates’ World cartel was aware of my plans, and acted against them.” He looked up at the Chamberlain, his eyes filled with fury; “THEY stopped Kitchens, and then THEY reclaimed what THEY saw as THEIR property! And so BRAZENLY too!”
The Chamberlain nodded; “We have reliable reports that Kitchens spent a week waiting for clearance to board a transport to the Brethren’s station. Its quite possible that she fell afoul of Gates’ world agents there.”
The Crown Prince nodded; “Obviously, we have a more serious situation with those tech pirates than I’d thought.” He looked up at the Chamberlain; “But that does NOT mean that we’re going to forget about those Black Fleet scum! Not by any means.” Rising, he turned to pace towards the windows; “Leave me. I need to think.”
Gratefully, the Chamberlain withdrew. As he closed the doors as quietly as he could, he wondered what hair-brained scheme the Crown Prince would come up with this time.
Starting new relationships III
Roland tossed a tunic at the Mouse as he came through the door; “Here.” He grinned; “I’m starting to get complaints from the neighbors about having to look at your ugly ass.”
The Mouse deftly caught the tunic, and grinned back at the Badger; “Ah, Master is too kind.” Looking at the fabric, he muttered, just loud enough to hear; “And here I was getting SO comfortable running around in just my fur. SO….Liberating.”
Cindy snickered quietly from the corner, where she was curled up with the new best seller.
Roland held a similar tunic out to Kitchens, but as she reached for it, he pulled it back; “you know, we’ve all been so busy, I haven’t really had time to examine my new property…..”
Kitchens tried not to sigh; she figured this was coming sooner or later. Roland bent to look at her left thigh; “That’s a nasty scar.”
Kitchens chuckled “Yeah; there was this stoat with a vibroknife….” Roland nodded; “Yeah… I thought so.” He pushed back his right sleeve, to show a scar on his bicep; “Vibroknife. Dunstan. Back in, oh, must have been ’01.”
Kitchens turned to face him; she pointed to a place on her abdomen; “Yeah, but the non-mechanical ones can be just as bad. Got this on Thrayce.
Roland nodded, pulled up his shirt and turned to show her his back; “Here, on, ah… Elwoody, and here… um…. Lets see, that was when I was with the 24th… Must have been on Xanthan. Of course, I picked up this one there, too.” The Badger pointed to the star-shaped scar left by a projectile weapon.
Kitchens chuckled; “Aw, that’s nothing. I got THIS one on the Imperial Homeworld…..
Cindy watched the two and just shook her head. Amazing. So far she hadn’t accumulated any significant scars and what few she had were from working on her ‘Mech, not taken in combat. With luck she wouldn’t acquire a collection like they had, either….. And it was a pity; the scars ruined the Bunny’s beauty… As they went on and on, she looked over at the Mouse; “How ‘bout you? You got any scars?”
The Mouse just chuckled; “I work with high energy power systems. VERY high energy power systems. When something goes wrong, there’s usually no body left to bury. No, no scars.”
Cindy just nodded, and turned back to her reading.
The Opposition II
Dr. Pangborne stared at the object sitting in the middle of the scattered packing materials. “But…. What’s it doing HERE?”
The Fennec Fox smiled; “Well, Doctor, it seems it came to us through a rather simple shipping error.”
The Elk blinked; “I beg your pardon?”
The Fennec held up a clipboard; “here are the bills of lading. It was sent to an address, on Trinity Four that doesn’t exist. The shipping authorities there also determined that the shipper’s address was false. Without a clue what to do, they opened the shipping crate, and poked around until they found the assembly manual. THAT led them to “return it to the manufacturer” with a request that we check the serial number against our records and notify the proper owner.”
The Elk felt his knees go weak; “The assembly manual? Good LORD, did anyone understand what it was they HAD?”
The Fennec shrugged; “Apparently not. The bill of lading from Trinity Four was labeled “Research Instruments”. I honestly don’t think anyone at the shipping company had a clue what it was. But we have come up with something interesting….”
The Elk raised an eyebrow; “And that was?”
The Fennec chuckled; “The address
was transposed. Instead of
The Elk frowned; “And where was it supposed to go to? What’s at 2127 Commerce?”
The Fennec’s smile broadened; “An Imperial Intelligence Safe House. And that group of Imperial Intelligence is known to run special operations for the Crown Prince.”
The Elk could only shake his head; sometimes the most world-shaking events came about through the most simplest of mistakes. In this case, an idiot shipping clerk had completely reversed their fortunes…. “Well, its good that we have it back, and that meddling buffoon doesn’t have access to it. See that it gets back to the High Energy Physics Department.” The Elk turned to go, but then paused; “By the way, where was it shipped FROM?”
The Fennec looked at the clipboard, leafing through papers; “Um…. Someplace called “Dusty”” He looked up; “Its got a star catalog number, but nothing else.”
The Elk nodded; “Um…. No matter, just curious.”
As he walked back towards his office, he wondered what had really happened. Dusty was an almost deserted rock in the middle of nowhere, but it was one of the “points of entry” to the Black Fleet’s station. The Mouse had gone there, enroute to his assassination mission. Had he run across something there? Had he tried to send the device back to the Cartel, through a misleading route? No, he wasn’t that imaginative. Something else had happened. The Black Fleet was still in operation; no word of the Mouse’s assassination had filtered out. Something was going on, and he needed to check on it..
The Wolf looked at the intelligence report and scowled. What in the HELL was going on here? His spies on Gates’ World said that THEY thought that Imperial Intelligence was working with the Crown Prince? And what was this about a device to suspend the reaction between matter and antimatter? Scanning down through the document, he found the part he was looking for. The thing had been shipped from a system called “Dusty”. Where had he heard that name before. Turning to his workstation, he entered a search string. The answer came up almost immediately. One of the access routes to the Black Fleet. Tanj! What in the HELL was that Cheetah doing? Had she been trying to send the device to HIM, and had some clerical error screw it up? Or was she playing some other game? Maybe it was time for him to go pay her a little visit, and remind her who she really worked for!
Starting New Relationships IV
About all that was visible of the mouse was the tip of his tail. Roland paused by the inspection hatch, and watched for a minute. When it became apparent the Mouse wasn’t about to come back out he banged on the panel above the inspection hatch. A muffled yelp came from inside, followed by some spirited cursing. The Mouse slowly backed into view, rubbing his head; “What JACKASS is STUPID enough to…. Oh. Its you, ah, “Master”. The Mouse did not look happy.
Roland did his best to keep his face neutral; “Am I disturbing you?”
The Mouse winced; “Well, lets just say that it had taken me three hours to get to where I was, three hours I’m going to have to repeat, as this bucket of shit doesn’t have decent diagnostic instrumentation…” The Mouse forced a smile. It looked more like a grimace; “But that’s OK, what can I do for you? Ah… Master”
Roland grinned, ignoring the sarcasm; “Well as long as you’re here, I wanted to talk to you about that gizmo that shuts down the reaction between matter and antimatter.”
The Mouse got a guarded look on his face; “Yes…..?”
Roland’s grin widened; “Well, I got to thinking that we might be able to market it as a safety device for warp powered ships.” He waved a paw enthusiastically; “You hear every once in a while about a ship that explodes due to a runaway warp core. I thought that if we could perfect that gizmo, we could sell them as safety devices.”
The Mouse stared at Roland for a moment, and then said evenly; “That was its original design function, until, ah, “special products” got their paws on it.” The Mouse reached down and picked up a rag off the floor, to wipe his paws. It looked more like just something to do with his hands, than an actual task that needed doing. “I suspect they’ll market it before too long, for its intended purpose.”
Roland just grinned and shrugged; “Hey, we’re pirates. How much you want to bet we can under-sell them?”
The Mouse just laughed and shrugged. “you never know… Master.”
Roland nodded; “OK, then, see if you can’t work on a design. I’ll talk to Clancy about production, and, ah, maybe Tanj for marketing.”
The Mouse just nodded; “as you wish.” As Roland turned to go, the Mouse muttered; “you know, what would REALLY sell would be a way to prevent the brake from working. We could sell THAT to every paranoid ship-owner in the empire, afraid of it being used as a weapon.”
Roland just turned and stared at him; “is that POSSIBLE?”
---
Kitchens scrubbed hard at the baked-on lasagna and growled softly. Cindy set the dirty dishes down by the sink, glad it wasn’t her night to do the dishes. She only had to clear the table. They’d settled into a fairly good rotation. Tonight had been the Mouse’s turn to cook, and to everyone’s surprise, he’d turned out to have a flair for it. She’d just turned, to head out for another load, when Kitchens growled; “Tell me…..”
Cindy turned back, and raised an eyebrow; “Yes…?”
Still scrubbing, Kitchens jerked her chin towards the Badger, who was just settling into his easy chair; “how long does he wait before he… you know.”
Cindy glanced at Roland and then turned to grin at the Rabbit; “Him? Oh, I think he likes to play head games with you. He’ll wait until he’s good and ready, and you’re going crazy wondering.” She glanced again at the Badger, making sure he was still engrossed in trying to find something on the holo… Three hundred channels and there was never anything on. Or at least never anything worth watching. Turning back she chuckled; “I HONESTLY think he thinks he’s giving you time to adapt to your new life, before adding that little bit of stress.”
Kitchens scrubbed furiously at the pan, as if she could make the scrubbie work its way clear through the metal; “well, I’m NOT sure it works like that…. I tell you, if he doesn’t do something pretty soon, I’m going to pounce HIM!”
Cindy just laughed.
Evolving the Plan
Jenka settled into the tub and leaned back. Tanj picked up the pitcher and slowly poured warm water over the Jaguar’s hair. Taking a bottle of shampoo, she poured some into her palm and then proceeded to work it into the Jaguar’s hair. “Well, actually, Mistress, we DO want them to come after us. Not too soon, and not too close, but they’ve GOT to be waiting in the wings. After all, if we’re going to stage a credible disappearance, there has to be credible witnesses.”
Jenka sighed and nodded; “I guess you’re right. It just seems a little dangerous. Unnecessarily dangerous. I’d rather really keep those folks at arm’s length.”
Tanj chuckled; “I understand.” After a moment she purred; “Have you thought yet about where we’re going to go?”
Jenka sighed; “No… all the really nice places are just too well traveled. Someone might recognize us. And all the places we might remain unobserved, well, they’re not very nice. Remote. Uninhabited. BORING.”
Tanj nodded; “you know, Kittiara says there are some interesting places along the Kurani frontier…..
Jenka winced; “Yeah… THAT sounds a whole lot safer than having the Empire after us!”
Tanj tsk’ed; “Oh, come on, a hardened pirate like yourself afraid of a little risk?”
Jenka opened one eye and cocked an eyebrow upwards; “I’m not crazy you know. That’s a rough neighborhood. Even Imperial Battlecruisers travel in groups, there.”
As Tanj poured more warm water over her hair she smiled; “Maybe we could go in for some cosmetic surgery.”
Grinning she looked back at the Cheetah: “How do you think you’d look as, oh, say, a Giraffe?”
Tanj just laughed.
---
Tanj took a deep breath, and ducked under the water. Jenka lay in the huge tub, legs widespread; Tanj settled between those legs, to lick teasingly at her cleft. However, as she licked, her mind was elsewhere. If she did everything just right, they could indeed escape to where the Empire couldn’t find them. To where they wouldn’t have to keep their identieis hidden. She didn’t know how Jenka felt about an exile on Elysium, but she was sure she’d get over it……
Jenka groaned as the Cheetah’s tongue stroked over her sex, but her mind wasn’t fully on the pleasures. The Cheetah was up to something. There were ways to disappear that were a whole lot less complicated. No, she was working on her own agenda….. When Tanj left to talk to that crazy Lynx about the “special effects” for their disappearance, she ought to send someone along to keep an eye on her. It would be tempting to send John; he certainly could keep her in paw. But she needed him here. Who else? As the pleasures mounted, as her climax approached, she had a sudden flash of Inspiration….
It was a good thing that Tanj’s head was under water; when the Jaguar climaxed, she found herself howling Dynotaku’s name….. Kill two birds with one stone; send her father’s “spy” off on a wild goose chase, and at the same time, send someone to keep an eye on her pet’s activities. Pure genius!
Starting new relationships V
Kitchens sat at the bar; it was a very unusual feeling. She was VERY conscious of the collar around her neck, of the scandalously short tunic, and of how almost no one looked at her.
She’d gotten a couple of credits from Roland, at the end of the week. To her amazement, the Badger was actually following Cindy’s advice. Then she’d made a small bet with that Rabbit down in Maintenance, that Clancy fellow. And won. The floating crap game in the Marine’s Maintenance bay had gotten her a bit more. And then her cockroach had come in, in the Friday night races. She was flush. Well, for a slave anyways. Flush enough to stop on the way home and buy herself a drink. Such luxury…
She stared at the glass; it would be all too easy to loose herself in the booze. This was not the way she’d envisioned her life winding up. Taking a sip, she sourly reflected that while there was life, there was hope. Maybe someday she could accumulate enough to buy her freedom from the Badger. Maybe someday everyone would forget who she was, and she could sneak away. And if she did, where would she go?.... Lost in her thoughts, she never noticed the figure stopping behind her.
Jenka looked at the Rabbit curiously. Was this the mercenary assassin Ruprecht had hired to kill her, and wipe out the Black Fleet? Somehow she just didn’t look… “imposing” enough…..
Kitchens slowly became aware of eyes on her. She glanced at the bar; there in a chromed bottle of Andalusa Sour Water was a figure….. A figure watching her. Slowly she turned, only to find herself looking at the Pirate Queen herself. For a moment they locked gazes.
“It wasn’t anything personal. Just business.”
Jenka nodded slowly; “Likewise.”
Kitchens smiled ruefully, and nodded; “I understand. No hard feelings.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Jenka just nodded once, and turned to go. She made about one step before she paused to look back. “What was he like?”
Kitchens stared blankly back; “He? He who?” Jenka just looked at the Rabbit, and after a moment realization dawned on Kitchens; “Ah, you mean the Crown Prince.”
Jenka just nodded.
Kitchens chuckled, the sound turning heads along the bar; “He’s a real Jackass.” Kitchens took a sip of her drink and then shook her head; “Sister, you’d better hope the Emperor has a good long life, because when that clown ascends the throne we are ALL in for a really grim time!”
Jenka just nodded, and turned, to stride off.
Kitchens watched her go for a moment and then turned back to her drink. Maybe she had enough for a second. Suddenly, finding a way away from this place didn’t seem nearly as important…..
Pre-flight
Tanj shook her head; “Mistress, I really don’t think we need all these furrs.”
Jenka chuckled; “Nonsense, Pet. First off, you NEED to take the Kurani and the skunkette. That’s the whole point of the trip, right? And neither of them can help run your ship. You have to take Hinoki, to see if the Brou can help him. That’s the whole point of going to see the Brou, isn’t it? That and dropping off the Immature Brou. And if Hinoki’s going, and if you’re headed to see the Brou, I want you to take Wanda and Kath, to make sure there are no medical complications. I don’t want you bringing anything, ah, “contagious” back to the station. And of course Zassa is part of your crew.”
Tanj frowned; “And how does Dynotaku fit in with all of this?”
Jenka smiled; “He’s a little extra “muscle” should you run into trouble. Besides, he thinks quick on his feet, AND he’s fully rated as crew on an interstellar freighter.” Before Tanj could respond, she purred; “And yes, I know, Ralph could provide the “muscle”, but I’ll need him here, in your absence.” The Jaguar smiled sweetly; “Why? What’s the problem? You’ve GOT the room…..
Tanj sighed and nodded; “Yes, Mistress. With your permission, we’ll leave in the morning.” Jenka chuckled; “There’s a good girl. Now come here, if you’re going to be gone for a while……
---
Roland looked at the Stallion; “I don’t care. I am NOT going on a ship full of those little monsters, let alone with whatever that thing that ate Hinoki is. I’d rather take a walk through an airlock first.”
John shrugged; “Okay, I’ll pass that on to Jenka, but she isn’t going to be happy.”
As the Stallion departed, the Badger just growled; “Tough.”
---
Hinoki threw back his head and howled “ROAD TRIP” as he came through the shop’s door.
Doodles looked up from behind the counter and frowned; “Road? Where is Master going to find a road in interstellar space?”
Sashi came out of the shop’s tiny office and elbowed the Rabbit; “quit being difficult; you know it’s just a figure of speech!”
Hinoki chuckled; “OK, you two, start packing. We’ll be gone for about two weeks, maybe more, so I want you to make sure we’ve got all the essentials!”
Doodles nodded; “Right. I figure that’ll be about….. three quarts of lubricant. Would Master prefer the flavored or the super-slippery?”
Hinoki grinned; “Some of each. Don’t forget the clove oil, the padded cuffs, and those new vibrators! Throw in about two hundred yards of the soft braided rope, and a dozen padlocks, too! DON’T FORGET THE BATTERIES! Come on you two, get hopping!
---
“Don’t be ridiculous, Sabina, of course you’re coming!”
The Kitten frowned; “Are you sure, Mistress? This one sounds…. Dangerous.”
Zassa looked up from the suitcase she was packing; “Dangerous? What makes you say that?”
Sabina shrugged; “Oh, just that we’re going to see the Kurani, one of the most violent and warlike species in known space, and then we’re off to see the Brou. There are ALL SORTS of stories about them, most of them rather unpleasant….”
Zassa frowned at the Kitten; “Since when has something like that bothered YOU?”
Sabina shrugged and grinned weakly; “Oh, I dunno. Maybe I’ve just come to the conclusion there’s no point in pushing your luck…”
As the Vixen turned back to her packing, the Kitten added, quietly and to herself; “I just hope they don’t remember me….”
As she turned back to her packing, Zassa decided the Kitten was hiding something. That was all right; she had half the trip to tickle it out of her…..
---
Hinoki looked at the ledger and frowned. Rising he padded out of the office and back into the store; “Bad news. One of you is going to have to stay and mind the store here. Last month… well, business was off, and we ordered all that new stuff.”
Doodles grinned; “Most of which was for Master’s use…”
Hinoki scowled; “Hey, I have to check this stuff out to make sure its fit to sell, don’t I? We’ve got a reputation to maintain, right?”
The Bunny just grinned.
Hinoki sighed; “OK, any volunteers to stay?”
Sashi and Doodles looked at each other, then turned back to Hinoki and in unison, both shook their heads no.
Hinoki sighed; “OK, we do this the hard way, then.”
Sashi raised an eyebrow; “Draw straws?”
Hinoki shook his head; “No, we see who had the better sales record for last month.”
Doodles beamed; “That’d be me, Master!”
Sashi growled; “That’s because he had more floor time than I did! Not Fair!”
Hinoki looked at the ledger; “Even on a per hour basis, he still did better, Sashi.” He grinned; “You have to quit spending so much time demonstrating the merchandise for the customers and get on to making the sale!” He turned to Doodles; “OK, you convinced me. You stay.”
The Bunny’s eyes went wide; “WHAT?”
Hinoki shrugged; “We need the money. You had a better sales record, therefore its only logical that you should stay. Right?”
As the Bunny spluttered in frustration, Sashi just laughed.
---
Sashi hefted the box onto the float pallet and looked at the Bunny; “Don’t be ridiculous. He is NOT leaving you behind because you keep beating him at sexual trivial pursuits.” With a sigh she shook her head; “Don’t kid yourself. I’m FOOD for the trip…”
Doodles lifted another box onto the float pallet and shrugged; “So? Hasn’t hurt yet…. In fact, once you get over the shock, its not really that bad.”
Sashi nodded; “Yes, there is that… but somehow I’m just a little worried. I just don’t know where all this is going….”
---
Dynotaku looked at the Jaguar; “you know he’s not going to like this.”
Jenka smiled and shrugged; “Like I give a rat’s ass. You’re on this station, and you’ll follow my orders, or you, quite simply, won’t BE on this station. And it’s a long walk to anywhere else. Now, you WILL go and see what my Pet is up to. You WILL keep her to the mission statement. You WILL see that she leaves the Kurani and the Skunkette in Kurani space. You WILL see that she doesn’t create any interstellar incidents. And you WILL bring them all home safe. Is that understood?”
Dynotaku sighed and nodded.
---
“You know, you don’t have to escort me to the ship.”
John just grinned; “No, but if I didn’t it would probably go rough on me, when she found out, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just walk, ah, in this general direction. With you.”
Dynotaku just sighed.
---
Ralph nodded; “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I can handle it.”
Wanda nodded and kissed the Tiger on the nose; “I appreciate it. Bruno really is a dear, and he won’t be any trouble at all. And we’ll be back soon. Promise.”
Bruno watched Wanda head for the docking ring and sighed; “I wish I was going with her.”
Ralph looked up at the massive Bear and shook his head; “I don’t.”
Bruno turned and looked down; “Its not safe. She could get hurt.”
Ralph nodded; “True. But she’s a big girl, and where they’re going, you, me, and the rest of the Black Fleet might not make any difference at all.”
Bruno looked back up, at the now-empty corridor; “I still wish I was going with them….”
---
Kath set the analyzer on the shelf and pulled the tie-downs across it, making sure it would stay put if the artificial gravity failed. She was looking forward to the trip. It’d been a while since she’d “gotten out”, and she felt like stretching her legs. Besides, if she got to file a report with Imperial Intelligence, about conditions inside the Kurani Oligarchy, it’d probably get her a promotion. And the Brou… she’d heard so many stories, most contradictory. This could be the intelligence coup of her career. Grinning to herself, she shook her head; she was fooling herself. The REAL reason she was looking forward to the trip, was a couple of weeks locked inside a steel can, with Wanda, and Tanj, and Hinoki, and Zassa, and who-knew-how-many of those living dress creatures. It was going to be a FUN trip!
---
Wanda passed the scanner over Hinoki and stared at its display. “Well….. I guess the good news is that you haven’t gained or lost any weight. That suggests, at least, that you’re not evolving into a new form…..”
Hinoki chuckled; “Yeah, well, it isn’t easy, but I have been watching my weight. But I tell you, its left me constantly hungry.”
Wanda, still looking at the display, muttered; “I could prescribe some appetite suppressants, or some low calorie snacks….”
Hinoki chuckled; “Wanda, you’re not listening to me. I’m constantly hungry….”
Wanda looked up at the Cheetah, and blinked; “Oh….. OH!” She grinned, and glanced at the door; “well…. Ah…. I suppose a light snack wouldn’t hurt. You HAVEN’T gained any weight… It ought to be safe…”
As Hinoki stepped forward to take her in his arms, she giggled; “And I DO admit to being curious…” She looked at him and laughed; “In a purely professional capacity, you understand…..”
Departure
Tanj ran her eyes over the displays. Engineering, Green. Environmental, Green. Navigation, Green. Reaching over, she hit a button; “Station control, Lost Cause. Ready to release docking clamps.”
“Righto, Tanj. Clamps released. We show green. Handing you off to traffic control. Have a good trip, and don’t forget, if you get the chance…”
Tanj laughed; “Yeah, you want some Kurani catnip. I’ll remember!” Chuckling she touched a few buttons; “Departure Control, Lost Cause. Permission to leave the station?”
“Permission Granted, Tanj. You’re clear on vector 341 mark 149. Report crossing the outer marker. Shields are down, and the defense grid has your flight plant. I show your IFF as five by five green. Oh, and don’t forget…”
Tanj chuckled; “Yeah, yeah, I know. You want one of those Kurani short swords. And Haverty wants a Ching vase…. I’ve got the list programmed into the Ship’s computer. NO promises, but we’ll do what we can!”
“Very good, Lost Cause, we know you will. Have a good trip!”
Tanj swung her ship around and nudged the in-system drive. In the Nebula, the station was soon lost to the sensors. As she crossed the imaginary line that was the defensive perimeter of the station she duly reported it, and then switched the comm gear over to scanning mode. As the ship left the nebula, she engaged the cloaking device, altered course radically, and engaged the warp drive. The ship performed nominally, and she made a few notes about things that might need some minor tweaking. Settling back, she watched the instruments, just to make sure everything stayed nominal….
Hinoki grinned as he felt the ship slip into warp. They were away from the station, away from the Black Fleet. Any effect Jenka’s restrictions on his behavior might have had slipped away as well. Grinning, he left his cabin and turned left. He’d learned a few new tricks, and thought Zassa might like to, ah, “experience” them….
Sabina looked up as the Cheetah stuck his head in the door; “Heya, Hinoki.”
“Seen Zassa?”
“Um, no, Zassa’s not here. She slipped out just after we undocked. Maybe she’s checking on the cargo.”
Hinoki frowned; “I thought we weren’t carrying any cargo this trip….”
Sabina thought for a moment and then grinned; “Well…. That Unicorn whatever isn’t crew… maybe he’s classified as “cargo”.”
Hinoki chuckled “Supercargo, perhaps. I’ll poke around a bit and see if I can find her.”
Sabina just nodded; “OK.”
Curious, Hinoki checked the cargo bays. Except for a few things that might be considered trade goods, the cavernous bay was empty. So was engineering. So was Environmental. Wondering if she’d headed back to the living areas, Hinoki was retracing his steps… The sound was subtle, but it still brought him to a halt, dead in his tracks. There it was again, a rather rhythmic squeaking… leather on leather. He knew that sound well. Turning up a side corridor, he came to an observation bubble, on the dorsal side of the ship. Peeking in the viewport on the access door, he grinned. There was Zassa, tightly bound by a dozen straps, held suspended in mid-air, with the Unicorn stallion pounding her from behind. Hinoki chuckled, and gave Dynotaku points for originality in his “tie”, and the use of available resources, but thought she still could have been tied so that her mouth was available as well. As it was, if he slipped through the door, he would have a heck of a time “joining the party”…. Ah, well, perhaps just a matter of the Unicorn’s style. And he really didn’t want to come barging in like some sex-hungry monster. At least not while there were alternatives….. Slipping back the way he came, the Cheetah wondered if Zassa would be tied up long enough, that he might “borrow” Sashi for a bit…. Maybe SHE’D appreciate his new “trick”…..
---
Tanj took a sip of her coffee; “you know, I hadn’t really thought of that, but you’re right, it might be a problem.”
Kath grinned; “Yes, if the Brou value their own kind at all, I would imagine they’d be pissed if we showed up with a buch of half-starved “children”.
Wanda scowled; “But… if we’re to do this, we’re going to have to be very careful. Don’t want to wind up being overrun like Hinoki was.”
Tanj nodded; “Well, Zassa and I have been keeping the little darlings for years. It IS do-able…. You just have to keep the number you release down.” The Cheetah grinned; “And after all, if anything gets out of hand, Hinoki does have SOME control over them. I’m sure he could round up any missing ones, or rescue us from….”
Kath chuckled; “From ourselves?”
Tanj laughed; “Yes, exactly.”
The Mink smiled; “Then I have your permission?”
Tanj looked at Wanda and raised an eyebrow; “That’s up to your Mistress, but I’ve got no problem, as long as the proper precautions are taken.”
The Mink positively beamed.
Wanda sighed; “All right, Pet. Go check out three of the creatures, and meet me in the cargo bay.”
Tanj took her coffee mug, and headed back to the flight deck. The ship was on autopilot, and yet, as they headed further into the Empire, she felt someone had to keep an eye on the sensors…. The last thing they needed was to run into an Imperial Navy squadron, that might wonder why a freighter was traveling in Warp, and cloaked.
---
Sabina chuckled, put down the magazine, and sat up; “No, I don’t think she’d mind. And I do admit I’m curious….”
Hinoki chuckled and held out a paw; “Lets go down to the cargo bay; there’s more room there…..”
Kittiara smiled as Hinoki led the Kitten past the open door of their cabin.
Behind her, Jinx chuckled; “I didn’t think it would take him too long.”
The Kurani shook her head and smiled; “No. Not long at all”
The Skunkette rose and stretched; turning to the Kurani, she cocked her head to one side; “Do you think there’s any danger there?”
The Kurani thought for a moment and then shook her head no; “I don’t think so. I think he’d need another Brou in the same general degree of development, to move on to the next stage. Now, if all the immature Brou were to get loose and swarm us, there might be some danger, but I doubt that’ll happen.”
The Skunkette grinned; “Good. Lets follow them and watch!”
Kittiara chuckled; “You want to try him out too, don’t you?”
The Skunkette just grinned and shrugged; “Sure. Why not?
---
Hinoki grinned at Sabina; “Hang on a moment; gotta fetch a toy you might want to try out.”
Doodles looked up as the door
opened. The Cheetah stood there, and for
a moment just LOOKED at him. For some
reason it sent chills of anticipation up and then down the Bunny’s spine. Hinoki chuckled and then nodded; “Yes, even
better. Doodles, find the biggest
strap-on dildo we brought and come on down to the
When the door had closed, Doodles looked at Sashi; “I wonder what he’s got in mind?”
Sashi shrugged and rose, to paw through one of their travel cases; “I don’t know, but I think I’m going to tag along and watch. Something tells me this is going to be interesting.”
Sabina looked at the Cheetah; “you can do WHAT?”
Hinoki shrugged and just grinned; “If you don’t believe me, just WATCH!”
Doodles came to a complete stop in the cargo bay personnel door; such a sudden and complete stop that Sashi crashed into him from behind. Following the Bunny’s gaze, her jaw dropped. There was Hinoki, apparently nude, arms out to his side. As she watched he changed, his body flowing, rearranging itself. His waist narrowed, his hips swelled, his torso shortened, as his legs lengthened… As the Pantheress watched, he developed breasts; rather full, high breasts… and yet the “package” between his legs didn’t diminish in the least. Silence reigned for at least a dozen heartbeats after he stopped transforming; he just stood there grinning at the Kitten.
Sabina stood there with her mouth open; her gaze traveled from head to toe and back; “Um…. Does that still work?”
Hinoki laughed; “Of COURSE it does!”
“Ah… and that?”
“YES! I’m a fully functioning hermaphrodite!” Hinoki grinned evilly, a grin that seemed almost a little too wide for his face…. Shifting his gaze, he grinned at the Bunny; “Doodles get over here! I ‘m going to PROVE “it still works”, and that its learned a few new tricks, with the Kitten here, and while I do, I want you to take me from behind! Oh, I DO so think we’ll have fun!”
---
Wanda came to a stop just inside
the
---
Jinx shook her head, as she watched, eyes wide with amazement; “Gee, I wish I could do that!”
Kittiara leaned against the cargo bay wall and just chuckled.
Sabina howled, her body writhing, as the Cheetah pounded hir cock into her; she’d never even dreamt of a prehensile cock before, but the Cheetah was proving to be full of surprises. Never had she been fucked like this! As hir thrusts drove her higher and higher, she giggled, thinking her Mistress might have had a good time with the Stallion, but she just had no idea what she was missing!
Kath blinked. Putting down the three plastic containers, she edged closer to the Wolverine lass; “Mistress, is that what I think it is?”
Wanda chuckled and nodded; “Yeah, Hinoki’s learned a new trick, it seems.”
The Mink just shook her head; “Cool!”
All three of them seemed to achieve their release at the same time; Sabina was yowling, the Bunny grunting, and Hinoki, loudest of all, was howling, his body wracked by an orgasm so intense he seemed to be convulsing. Still entangled, they all seemed to collapse to the floor.
---
Sabina grunted; “Dang it, GET OFF ME; I can’t breathe!”
Hinoki chuckled and rolled to one side, dragging the bunny with him; “Wow, that was good.” He grinned at Sabina; “Tell me that wasn’t good!”
Sabina panted; “Yeah, that was wild.” She grinned at him; “But what are you going to do for an encore?”
Hinoki raised an eyebrow; “You ready to go again?”
Sabina chuckled; “Just let me catch my breath.” Raising up on one elbow, she looked at Doodles; “How ‘bout you? You good to go?”
The Bunny chuckled; “Not quite yet……”
Hinoki chuckled; “That’s OK, he doesn’t have to get it up yet for the next round”
Doodles twisted his head to look at the Cheetah; “Ah…..”
Hinoki grinned; “That’s right. I take HIM in the ass, while Sabina uses that delicious toy, on me!”
Sabina laughed; “You want it in the pussy, or ass?”
Hinoki thought for a moment and then grinned; “Lets go for the new experience; I’ve been fucked in the ass before…. Lets make sure ALL the new plumbing works!”
Kittiara watched as the trio rearranged themselves; “Antonia would love this….”
Jinx blinked and looked at the Kurani; “Antonia?”
Kittiara chuckled; “A herm I know.”
Jinx nodded slowly; “you’ll have to introduce me someday.”
Wanda shook her head; “If they think I’m just going to STAND here and watch……” Turning she grinned at the Mink; “Why don’t you go and see if you can’t give Sabina an occasional lick; I’m going to go see what the Bunny can do with his tongue.”
Kath grinned and nodded; “Yes Mistress.”
Doodles blinked as the Wolverine lass laid down on her back and scooted towards him, her legs spread. The feeling of Hinoki’s cock working in and out of his ass had enlivened him, had re-fired his lusts. Grinning he lowered his head, to bury his face between the Wolverine’s powerful thighs.
Sabina moaned as she felt the Mink’s tongue; the strap-on was providing some nice friction, but it would never be enough to get her off… However, with the Mink, it was just a matter of time until her next climax. Grinning, she concentrated on the pleasures, and on pounding the latex dong into the Cheetah’s pussy.
Dynotaku heard the sounds, and tugging on the leash, led the Vixen towards them. As the cargo bay personnel door slid open, his practiced eye slid over the writhing bodies. Someone had staged an orgy and no one had invited him. He felt… slighted.
Zassa blinked, and shook her head. Dang it, they started without her! And now, wrapped in yards of leather straps, she wouldn’t be able to join in, unless someone untied her! NO FAIR!
Tanj smiled as she watched the monitor. It’d taken even less time than she’d expected, even for her crew. It was tempting; she would have loved to have gone down there and joined them. But there was a ghost echo on the sensors; she wasn’t quite sure what it was, or if it was even there. It bore watching. But that was OK, she had prepared against that eventuality. Popping the top of the plastic container, she poured one of the living dress creatures over her crotch. No reason why she couldn’t have some fun too……
---
Hinoki rose to hir feet, hir body flowing, changing even as he moved, once again returning to the purely male form. Behind him, Doodles fucked Wanda with gusto, while Sabina and Kath entertained each other, taking turns with the strap-on. Stretching, the Cheetah gestured towards the bound Vixen; “you know, there ARE better ways to do that….”
Dynotaku looked at the Cheetah, and tried to figure out if his spots were slowly drifting across his body. There was something completely unnerving about him, but he’d be danged if he let it show. “Really? And what would you advise?”
Hinoki winked at the Vixen and then turned back to the Unicorn; “Shall I show you?”
Zassa giggled and squirmed as Hinoki poured the three “living dress” creatures over her. They’d removed some of the straps, but not enough to let her go free, and as a result, the creatures had all the access they needed to her pussy, ass, and mouth. Before long, she was squirming on the deck, as the creatures had their way with her.
Dynotaku watched for a while; “I assume there’s more of a point to this than letting them pleasure her.”
The Cheetah nodded; “They’ve got to feed; once they’re satiated, then they’re open to mental command. Normally, they’d obey the one that had fed them, but I think I can override that…….”
Dynotaku nodded; “Might take a while to satiate those things, from what I’ve heard.”
Hinoki chuckled and nodded; “True; they’re pretty hungry, and she IS a feast for them.” Hinoki grinned at the Stallion, and again his body flowed; after a moment a female Cheetah stood before Dynotaku; “But there ARE things we might do to pass the time while we wait….”
Dynotaku swallowed and shook his head; “Ah… thanks, but no thanks.”
Hinoki chuckled; “Awwww, don’t want me?” At the look on the Stallion’s face, he laughed; “That’s OK, I understand.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
Hinoki turned to look at the Kurani curiously.
“But I wonder if you could shift back to male, and, ah, maybe “bulk up” a little….”
Hinoki grinned at the Kurani; “Ummmmmm, lemme see what I can do.” Again his body flowed, and he seemed to expand. Muscles bulged under his fur, his shoulders broadened, and he gained half a meter in height. When he was done, he resembled a rather large male Tiger.
Kittiara beamed; “ooooh, yes, that IS nice…..”
Dynotaku watched as the Kurani and the Hinoki-Monster came together, and kissed. He was just starting to think “whew, that was close” when he felt a touch. Turning he found the Skunkette grinning up at him; “Since you and I are the only two unoccupied….” Dynotaku thought back to their last encounter, swallowed hard, and opened his mouth; “Ahh……” But it was too late; the Skunkette had unfastened his belt, and as she fell to her knees, jerked his trousers down. As he felt her mouth on his meat, he wondered if perhaps the Hinoki-Monster would have been safer…..
---
Sashi nudged the Bunny in the ribs with an elbow; “how long do you think its going to take him to notice?”
Doodles chuckled and shrugged; “Dunno; so far so good, though!”
---
Kittiara groaned, and gasped with each movement of Hinoki’s cock in her pussy. He’d grown SO large, stretching her almost as much as birthing her cubs had; on the other hand, Hinoki had morphed into some sort of Cat-taur creature, complete with six limbs. Curiously, while his size had changed, his mass hadn’t, so he wasn’t exactly crushing her; it was still strange and a little frightening to be “covered” so very completely…..
Hinoki pinned the Kurani to the mat, holding her, and looked over at the Unicorn. He was flat on his back, with the Skunkette astride his hips. Amazingly, the Skunkette had taken almost every inch of the Stallion’s cock. Grinning at them, Hinoki jerked his head at Zassa; “I think our little experiment is just about ready. You two want to watch?”
Zassa shuddered as yet another climax claimed her. It felt as if the creature in her pussy and the creature in her ass were trying to dance with each other, and the combination had been driving her into a firecracker-quick series of climaxes. But now she could feel their motions slowing, and knew they’d had enough, at least for the moment….
Hinoki closed his eyes and concentrated. The instructions he wanted to send were complex, and perhaps too ambitious, but if they worked…..
Zassa groaned as she felt the creatures flow out of her. Her ass felt hollow and her pussy felt all too empty, but it was a relief to get the third one out of her mouth, as her jaws had started to ache. It took her a minute to realize that they weren’t completely leaving her, just…. Relocating.
Kittiara tilted her head as far back as she could, to look behind her; her view of the Vixen was upside-down, but she could still make out the creatures flowing over her fur. One gathered her paws, and tugged them behind her back, spreading out to form something akin to an armbinder. The other flowed down her legs, to capture her ankles, forming a short hobble. And the third wrapped itself around her muzzle, head and neck, as if forming a living head-harness.
Zassa tugged against the creatures, and then strained harder. They seemed to be made of rubber-coated steel; she couldn’t budge them. Ah, well, she always had found being tied up exciting……
Hinoki chuckled; “See, Dynotaku? The creatures form restraints around her; but these are intelligent restraints….” Turning back to the Vixen, Hinoki chuckled; “Zassa, would you be so kind as to fetch us all something to drink? Oh, and you might want to take Tanj something too.”
Zassa squirmed, and suddenly found the hobble loose. Curiously she rolled to a sitting position, shifted to her knees, and rose to a standing position. She had just enough slack to walk, if she moved carefully. Turning, she shot the Cheetah a look. Hinoki nodded; “Don’t worry, when you get to the galley, they’ll release your arms, just enough for you to perform your assigned task. Once you’re done, they go back to the “full restraint” mode.” Zassa grinned as best she was able, and turning, shuffled towards the door.
Dynotaku shook his head; “I don’t know…. Are you sure they won’t mis-interpret your commands?”
Hinoki shook his head slowly; “If they did, I’d most likely be aware of it. I’m kinda linked to them. All of them. I think I could adapt the instructions, or just release her, if something unexpected happened…”
---
Zassa shuffled down the corridor
towards the galley, moving carefully.
She had considerable experience moving while hobbled, and that had
taught her not to divert her attention.
Still, as she moved, she wondered if she could get away with
something. Bondage was always better
with sex, and there was a new vibrator in her cabin…. She turned, at an intersection and headed
that way, only to find the hobble had gone rigid, pulling her ankles
together. Only a superb sense of balance
kept her from falling. Grumbling to herself “All right, all right. The Galley, then the flight
deck and then back to the
---
Jinx leaned WAY back, making the Unicorn’s shaft press hard against the front of her pussy, as she rocked her hips. Looking down at him between the valley of her breasts, she smiled. It was nice that he was being so reasonable, and let her have her way….
Dynotaku watched the Skunkette look at him; a more predatory gaze he couldn’t remember ever having seen. And yet, there was something inside him that DEMANDED that he re-assert his authority. She was, after all, still a slave. Right? He’d show HER who was in charge!
Jinx whooped as the Stallion “bridged” underneath her, hooves, and hands on the floor, his torso arched upwards. She leaned forwards a bit, one paw on his stomach, her other arm raised, waving over her head as she rode the bucking stallion.
Hinoki frowned; something had caught his eye; turning his head, even as he kept his hips thrusting in a complex pattern, he looked at Doodles and Wanda…. What was wrong with that picture? And then the sensations were building, and his attention was diverted….
Kittiara felt the Hinoki ‘Taur cum, and cum hard. She didn’t know how he did it, but it felt as if he’d unleashed a gallon of jism into her. Groaning she shuddered, her pussy clenching hard around his spurting shaft, the hot flood triggering yet another climax.
Kath raised her head from Sabina’s crotch and sighed; “Dang it, where’d Zassa go? She ran off with MY creatures!
Wanda kissed Doodles softly; “VERY nice. Thanks!” Rising, she stretched. Gesturing to Kath she growled; “Come on, Pet. I need a bath. And then I think we’re both going to get some sleep.”
Kath leaned forward, kissed the Kitten, and then reaching back, unbuckled the strap-on, leaving it embedded in Sabina’s sex. Grinning, she winked at the kitten; “Catch ya later, ‘bina. Mistress calls.”
Hinoki groaned, and shuddered, his body shrinking, changing, as he resumed his normal appearance. Beneath him, Kittiara also groaned, more in disappointment than anything else, as the ‘Taur-sized shaft shrank to something more reasonable…. “Play time’s over?”
Hinoki chuckled; “For the moment.”
Kittiara sighed; “Before this trip is over, you’ll have to show me how those “living restraints” work. I’d like to try that.”
Jinx looked over from her position on the Stallion and laughed; “Me too! Hey, maybe you could use them to form a cinch to hold me onto my Stallion here!” Dynotaku just groaned…..
When the door had closed behind the others, the unicorn let himself fall back to the mat; the skunkette whooped and then giggled as the Stallion rolled. Taking one of the skunkette’s feet in each hand, he bent her double, legs widespread and proceeded to pound into her as hard as he could. He’d observed that when Jinx came hard, she was dazed for a few moments after her climax; if he got her to cum really REALLY hard, he might just be able to turn the tables on her. After all, Hinoki had left all the Vixen’s leather straps in a heap, not too far away…..
---
Tanj yawned, and poured herself another cup of coffee. Glossy black encircled her waist, with a vertical strap descending down her front, between her legs, dividing to pass around her tail, to join the waist strap behind her. Other straps encircled her upper thighs, and connected to the strap between her legs. And it was all as seamless and form-fitting as only one of the living dress creatures could be. “No, thanks; got something to drink.”
Zassa grinned as she looked the Cheetah over; pity the creature around her head wouldn’t let her talk; she wanted to ask if there were phallic plugs extruded into pussy and ass. If it had been her, she would have so arranged it… She’d gathered drinks for the others, placed them on a tray, and offered the tray to the otherwise-nude Cheetah. One of the living dress creatures was still around the Vixen’s wrists, stretched thin in a ribbon across her back, as if ready to pull her wrists behind her at an instant, just as soon as she was done with her assigned task. Turning with the tray she turned and headed back, at a snail’s pace, towards the cargo bay.
---
Hinoki poked the Bunny; “Hey, I thought you were supposed to stay on the station and mind the store!”
Doodles forced a grin “Oh, Ralph and Bruno volunteered to do that.”
Hinoki scowled; “If they don’t meet those sales projections, its coming out of your hide!”
Doodles smiled; “Oh, I’m sure they’ll do just fine, Master!”
Hinoki shook his head; “They better!” Then, muttering about uppity slaves, he slipped through the cargo bay personnel door…
When Zassa got back to the cargo bay, it was deserted. The living dress creatures didn’t seem to care that there wasn’t anyone to offer drinks to; she barely got the tray on the floor when the hobble contracted, along with the wrist restraints. She wound up just STANDING there, alone. Boring. How long would it be, before Hinoki remembered? Before anyone came looking for her? Maybe if she could hop over to one of the mats she could at least lay down…..
---
Kittiara stuck her head through the door to the flight deck; “Missed you at the Orgy.”
Tanj chuckled and shrugged; she was sprawled on the Pilot’s acceleration couch, and it was obvious that the living dress creature was pleasuring her; “That’s, ah, OK, I’ve been a little “occupied” here….”
The Kurani shook her head; “I wouldn’t think it would have been like you to prefer solo fun…”
The Cheetah shook her head; “no, not that. Got a sensor ghost. At least I hope it’s a ghost. I can’t seem to make up my mind whether there’s anything there or not, so I’m keeping an eye on it.”
The Kurani padded closer to look at the display. After a moment she muttered; “You’ve run diagnostics….?”
The Cheetah nodded; “I have. Repeatedly. I think the system’s working correctly.”
The Kurani nodded, frowning slightly; “I’d like to have Jinx look at this, if you don’t mind…” Looking up, she grinned; “you haven’t seen her lately, have you?”
---
The Skunkette groaned as best she could. The Stallion had mysteriously come up with a bunch of leather straps, and while she’d been distracted with a most delightful climax, had proceeded to tie her up tight. He’d then thrown her across his shoulder and carried her off. Now, they were somewhere in the ship, and he was force-feeding her his cock. She wasn’t exactly certain where in the ship they were, because he’d blindfolded her. In fact, he’d even put earplugs in her ears. At the moment her whole World was the floor pressing against her knees as she knelt, and his thick shaft sliding in and out of her mouth….. That and the vibrating egg he’d pushed into her pussy, before he’d run one of the leather straps between her legs and pulled it tight. He kept playing with the control, making it vibrate more when she sucked on him enthusiastically, and less when she slacked off. She was discovering that she could use that information to manipulate him, to help her get herself off, rapidly bobbing her head back and forth along his meat when her climax approached…. It seemed to be working for both of them….
---
Zassa looked up as the door to the
Suddenly Zassa found the creature wrapped around her muzzle slacking off; “Um… something to drink, please” she managed to mutter.
Sashi grinned and set a bowl on the floor by the Vixen, and poured a bottle of water into it. “Sorry. Master’s orders.”
Zassa just shrugged as best she was able, and rolled onto her knees. Leaning forward, she found the creature around her muzzle had slacked off just enough to let her lap at the water. It constricted, though, when she’d barely drunk half of it.
Sashi met the Vixen’s gaze and shrugged; “Hey, I’m not controlling them. Not my fault.”
Zassa just nodded, and sighed.
Sashi opened another container and pulled out a cube of roast beef; she offered it to the Vixen. Again, Sashi found that the creature relaxed just enough to let her take it from the Pantheress’ fingers; then it tightened down again, making chewing all but impossible.
Sashi frowned; “Hmmm. Going to have to talk to Master about that, aren’t I? Tell you what, lets try something a little less chewy….”
Zassa purred; she loved pineapple. As the creature relaxed, she managed to snatch the chunk from Sashi’s fingers and get in a few good chews too, before things tightened up again. And thus it went; it wasn’t very satisfying, but she did manage to take the edge off her hunger. Finally, Sashi opened another box and poured yet another of the living creatures over the Vixen’s breasts. The creature flowed over her, stretching itself thin, and then proceeded to tweak her nipples in a most interesting fashion. “Shift change, I think. Arch back a little.” Zassa complied, and Sashi popped the top on another container and poured the contents over her crotch. The creature immediately took possession of her sex, driving hungrily into her. Sashi put the boxes and the bowl back on the tray; “Master says that when you have to, you can make your way to the head for a potty break. And you’re to be in the Wardroom for dinner. Other than that, you can go where you want to…” She grinned; “If indeed you can go anywhere. The creatures will, ah, take turns restraining and pleasuring you. Master says it should be pretty much non-stop.” Sashi paused; “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Guess you’ll have to let me know when you get the chance.” Rising, she turned and headed for the door.
Zassa watched her leave. The creature between her thighs was rapidly bringing her towards a climax, and the creature encasing her breasts was tugging and squeezing harshly, just the way she liked it. Wondering if she could talk them into a potty break, she tried to rise, only to find the creatures were giving her no slack at all. Oh, well, maybe she didn’t have to go that badly, quite yet……
---
Dynotaku reached out and opened the door. The cabin was so small, he barely had to take a step.
Kittiara stood there, grinning; “Thought I might find her here.”
The Stallion chuckled; “Yeah, I think I’ve figured out how to survive an encounter with her.”
The Kurani raised an eyebrow; “Oh? How’s that?”
The Stallion gestured to the tightly bound Skunkette; “First, keep her blind, deaf and dumb. I don’t think she can formulate an attack strategy if she’s without sensory input.”
Kittiara nodded skeptically; “and….?”
The Stallion grinned; “Keep her so well fucked she can’t think straight.”
The Kurani smiled; “Personally, I think I’d put more faith in Number Two than Number One.”
The Stallion just grinned and shrugged; “So… what brings you here? Care to join our little party? I’ve got plenty of leather straps left….”
The Kurani laughed; “Tempting, but there’s an operational problem. Tanj has a sensor ghost she’s worried about, and I thought it might be prudent to let Jinx have a look at it.”
The Stallion blinked; “She’s a sensor expert?”
The Kurani just smiled; “no… but she has insights to the physical universe that can, at times, be quite amazing.”
The Stallion nodded slowly; “Oooookay. Tell you what, I’ll just pick her up, and we’ll go look at your sensor ghost.” Turning, Dynotaku took a few more straps, and in a flurry of activity, changed Jinx’s tie to a “ball tie”, with a loop up her back from waist to shoulders. Grinning, he picked up the Skunkette like a suitcase, and stepped through the door.
Kittiara blinked, and then shrugged. She wasn’t sure Jinx was going to appreciate being treated like luggage, but then…. Maybe a decent frustration level in the Skunkette would be useful….
Zassa groaned, and took another tiny step forwards. The creatures were letting her move, but not by much. At this rate it would be even money if she made it to the head before her bladder burst….. She WAS going to have to have a word with Hinoki!
Tanj looked up as the door to the flight deck slid open. Both eyebrows went up when the Unicorn carried Jinx through the door as if she were a handbag. The Kurani followed. “Sensor ghost still there?” Tanj nodded. “Any evasive maneuvers to see if they follow?” Tanj shook her head; “I wasn’t sure it would be prudent to let them know we know they’re there, if they really ARE there.” The Kurani nodded and grinned; “Quite wise.”
Dynotaku undid the Skunkette’s blindfold, and then pulled out her earplugs. Hefting her, he held her up so she could see the sensor display. Tanj looked at the Skunkette, and then at the display; “We seem to have a ghost… Any idea if its real or not?”
Jinx frowned; “Yeah.” Turning her head, she glowered at the Unicorn; “Put me down. This is getting old.”
Dynotaku adopted a hurt look; “What, not enjoying yourself?”
The Skunkette shook her head; “Not since the batteries went dead. Cheapskate. Come on, I’ve got to pee.”
Dynotaku opened his mouth, but the Kurani stepped forward and started undoing buckles; “So you have a thought on our sensor ghost?”
The Skunkette shook herself all over and rolled her shoulders; turning she grinned up at the Kurani; “Yeah. I’ll tell you AFTER a quick trip to the head. Don’t worry; they’ll wait.” Without asking permission, the Skunkette turned and padded from the flight deck.
When she was gone, the Kurani turned to the Stallion; “I think you left her tied up too long. I think she’s mad at you.”
Dynotaku just grinned and shrugged; “Awwww, she was having a great time!”
Kittiara chuckled; “I don’t know… she’s kinda touchy. Might be prudent if you went and hid or something….”
The Unicorn blinked; “I am NOT afraid of her!” He leaned closer and tapped the Kurani’s collar; “She, and YOU are both still slaves, a fact you should BOTH remember!”
The Kurani smiled; “Then next time you get the urge, tie ME up. It’ll be a LOT safer for you!”
Dynotaku just Hmphed and crossed his arms, glaring back at the Kurani.
Jinx padded in a few minutes later. All the remaining straps that had encircled her seem to have been left somewhere, as, aside from her collar she was completely unfettered. Tanj looked at her from the Pilot’s couch and raised an eyebrow; “Real, or ghost?”
Jinx chuckled; “Real.”
Dynotaku growled; “Friendly or hostile”. Jinx thought for a moment and then shook her head; “Neither.”
Kittiara muttered; “Well, THAT helps”, earning a sour look from the Skunkette.
Tanj sighed; “Just someone headed in the same direction at the same speed, in Warp, and cloaked?”
Jinx shook her head; “No. I get the feeling they’re following us. But they just don’t seem to have any hostile intentions. They’re just watching.”
“But they might be reporting to someone who IS hostile!” Tanj growled.
The Kurani shrugged; “True. Or they might be reporting back to Jenka.” At this, most eyes turned to look at the Stallion.
Dynotaku shrugged; “Hey, she didn’t say anything to ME about an escort.”
Tanj sighed; “Well, they might be in the pay of the Crown Prince, or the Gates World cartel, or even Imperial Intelligence. Any of those isn’t good.”
Jinx chuckled; “Oh, come on; they could be paparazzi!”
Tanj blinked; “What?”
The Kurani chuckled and interpreted; “Newsfax reporters.” After a moment she chuckled; “And there are other possibilities too. It could be someone looking for me.”
Jinx chuckled; “Ah, chasing after the best selling author for an interview!”
The Kurani shook her head; “or someone in my Mate’s employ, searching for me.”
Tanj sighed; “Well, I guess that means we shouldn’t really drop a few mines in their path….”
The Kurani made a sour face and shook her head no; “Might not be prudent….”
“So what do we do?”
Tanj chuckled; “We try and loose them. I’ve got a few ideas.”
Jinx blinked; “You’ve, ah, been up here on the flight deck for quite a while. Shouldn’t you take a break?”
Tanj gestured to the monitor; “how can I take a break with who-knows-what out there? No, I’m good for a bit. Let me check our route, and see what we might do to try and loose them.”
The Skunkette nodded resolutely; “Well, I think someone should stay to help you. Someone devious, and tricky, someone knowledgeable in such things.”
Kittiara tweaked an eyebrow upwards; “And just who do you have in mind?”
The Skunkette grinned and shrugged; “I haven’t a clue. Lord knows, I can’t help. Don’t know a thing about piloting starships, or evading baddies. And I don’t think its your field either. Hey! Maybe we ought to go talk to Hinoki! Maybe he knows something about this kind of thing!”
Tanj chuckled; “Yes, go talk to Hinoki. He always seems to have a trick up his sleeve… Go on, y’all, let me think on this.”
The Kurani nodded, and took the Skunkette by the arm; “Come on, lets go find Hinoki.” Together they left the flight deck. Tanj stared at the displays for a moment and then turned to the Unicorn; “well?”
Dynotaku was staring at his hooves, an enigmatic expression on his face; “Um…. I’d be glad to let you consider the problem in peace, but…. I seem to be stuck.”
Tanj looked down at his hooves; the deck plate seemed to have gotten soft, as he’d sunk about a centimeter into the metal, which had then, just as mysteriously, re-hardened, trapping his hooves. Tanj just laughed; “Well, I guess you’re elected. So…. Just how devious and tricky ARE you? Got any ideas?
---
“No, the Nebula just isn’t dense enough to loose them in.”
Dynotaku shrugged; “Well, what about we feign a mechanical failure. Send out a distress call. Maybe they’ll come closer and we can at least figure out who they are?”
Tanj chuckled and shook her head; “What if they decide we’ve suddenly become vulnerable and decide to attack. Or just SIT out there and watch? No, I don’t think that’ll work either. I still think our best bet is just speed. Pour it on, and hope we’re faster than they are.”
Dynotaku shook his head; “Your ship may be fast for a freighter, but it could hardly outpace a raider, let alone a deep space fighter.”
The Unicorn looked down at his hooves again and sighed; “No…. I’m thinking we need to think a little further “out of the box” on this one….”
Tanj looked at his hooves and nodded slowly; “Maybe so…..”
---
Kittiara leaned back against the counter in the galley and looked at the Cheetah; “Well…. She SAYS she can’t control it, but I don’t think that’s completely true. The problem is, while I suspect she has SOME control, I’m not sure how good that control is…..”
Tanj nodded; “So… if she got really pissed at that other ship, it might suffer a critical failure and explode, vanish and never be seen again, or suddenly find all the interior surfaces were painted truly sickening colors…”
Kittiara nodded; “Their plumbing might back up, all their ice cream might melt, or one of their torpedoes might suddenly explode in the launcher. Although I have to admit, generally, her “events” are non-fatal….. Just truly annoying.”
Tanj nodded; “And what if she were to feel really really good about us…. Might our ship suddenly go faster?”
The Kurani chewed on her lower lip for a moment and then shrugged; “I suppose its possible, but generally when nice things happen, they’re pretty frivolous. All the nasty stains are suddenly gone from your favorite tablecloth, or you find you’ve got twelve cases of your favorite brandy in the closet, or someone you haven’t talked to in ages calls and says they’re coming to visit, and would you mind if they brought your favorite holo star? That kind of thing.”
Tanj sighed; “Well, we’re either going to have to drop out of warp and try and shoot it out with them, or we’re going to have to do something equally desperate.” The Cheetah shrugged; “We don’t even know who they are, but they’ve been matching our course corrections move for move. I’d hate to shoot up some escort Jenka assigned us, and forgot to tell us about…..”
The Kurani nodded; “Well…. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to talk to Jinx about it.”
---
“And then you fold this piece over like that, add a crease, unfold it and refold it like this. Pull this side up, hold it here, and bend this part over, and bingo, there you have it!”
Tanj paused just inside the door, and blinked. Hinoki and Jinx were on the floor, both bent over, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what in the world they were doing. “Um…. Could we bother you for a moment?”
Jinx looked up and grinned; “Come look! Hinoki’s shown me how to make an Origami Dragon! Isn’t it NEAT? See, you can pull on his tail and the wings flap!”
The Kurani shook her head; “And here I thought you’d…. Oh, nevermind. Listen, we’ve got a problem….”
The Skunkette’s face clouded; “I keep TELLING you, I can’t CONTROL it!” below decks, something went WHAMratlerattlerattle… and Tanj flinched.
“Um… Yeah, but we thought we might want to try something anyways.”
At the look on the Skunkette’s face, Kittiara hurriedly went on; “Positive energy! Something Good! At least for you, that is……”
The Skunkette looked skeptical; “What do you have in mind?”
Kittiara gestured to Hinoki; “Actually, him.”
Hinoki just blinked; “Me?”
---
The Cheetah shrugged; “Well… yeah, I guess I could do that. But don’t you think it’s a little risky?”
The Kurani nodded; “Yeah, well, only if it gets mis-directed. I’m just trusting that if we’re being nice to her, she won’t really do something to hurt us.”
Hinoki shook his head; “I just hope you’re right…..”
Turning to the Skunkette, he cocked an eyebrow upwards; “you ready?”
Jinx chuckled; “Can you do the ‘taur? That looked really wild.”
Hinoki chuckled; “Maybe if you’re good. First, I thought we’d start with the tentacle monster.”
Jinx’s eyes grew wide as Hinoki’s body sprouted a half-dozen tentacles; a moment later they had encircled her, lifting her off the floor, bringing her closer.
Jinx looked down, between her breasts and groaned as she watched the Cheetah-monster grow a formidable looking erection. Hanging in his tentacles, wrists held over her head, ankles held wide apart, knees held up towards her chest, she found herself deliciously helpless. And as he lowered her onto his waiting cock, she found it a delightful and thoroughly enjoyable helplessness.
On the flight deck, Dynotaku grinned; “hey, I can move again!” Clopping over to the Pilot’s couch he settled himself, his fingers running lightly over the controls, as if trying to memorize their locations. Turning, he looked at the sensor display. The ghost was still there. Running his fingers over the weapons controls, he debated turning and attacking. He might be able to destroy the ship before it could report the event. He was certain it wasn’t someone sent by Jenka, and likewise he was certain it wasn’t someone sent by his employer. There wasn’t really anything left but enemies….
Jinx howled with delight as Hinoki’s strong tentacles lifted her and dropped her, repeatedly, onto his waiting cock. He stood there, legs braced, leaning back slightly, watching her face as he fucked her. For her part, she was enjoying the way one tentacle squirmed in her ass, while another filled her mouth. That one, strangely enough, tasted of pickles, but that was OK. She liked a good dill. Other tentacles encircled her waist, thighs, and upper arms; others squeezed her breasts. It was actually rather a comfortable way to be held… As she rose towards her first climax, she tried to remember what it was she was supposed to do…..
Dynotaku’s fingers drummed on the control panel. Chin cupped in one hand, he stared at the sensor display. What to do? He was supposed to watch over this crowd. How best to do that? Make sure they all came back in one piece, Jenka had said. How big a threat was that sensor return. Was it even there? It looked like a genuine return, at times, and then at other times, he wasn’t so sure. If it was real, whoever it was had state of the art stealth gear. State of the art sensors too, to track a cloaked ship. Gates’ World? Some splinter faction in the Imperial Navy? Perhaps Imperial Security? Hard to say….
Hinoki grinned as the skunkette shivered through another climax. Pulling her closer he growled; “you want the ‘taur?” When she nodded, speech obviously beyond her, he chuckled; “Then you know what you have to do. Make them go away, or make us capable of loosing them. Shouldn’t take much. Fill their sensor electronics with honey and their bridge with bees. Make everyone fall asleep long enough for us to move out of sensor range. I’m sure you can manage SOMETHING.” The Cheetah leaned closer, his tentacles pulling her hard to his body; “Make them go away, and I’ll give you the ride of your life!”
Jinx barely heard the words. It felt as if the tentacle in her ass was trying to arm-wrestle with the cock in her pussy; every motion was a delight. And every time those tentacles squeezed her breasts, or tweaked her nipples, she felt as if she was going to explode…. What was he saying?
Dynotaku sat up, and stared at the sensor display. The ghost was gone. Vanished. Without waiting for permission, he shoved the throttle forward, past the indent and all the way to full emergency power. Grabbing the helm controls he altered course to port, and downwards. He didn’t know what had happened, but he was dang sure going to take advantage of it!
Tanj heard the sound of the engines change, and without a word turned and dashed for the flight deck.
Hinoki chuckled and pulled the Skunkette close, to kiss her hard, his tongue driving deep into her mouth. Somehow, he just knew she’d done it. Now it was time for her reward.
Kittiara watched as the Cheetah’s body changed, watched as the tentacles lifted and moved the Skunkette, until she was on paws and knees. Watched as the Hinoki Cheetah-taur Monster mounted her. She’d seen Jinx in ecstasy before, but never quite like this….. Sometimes its amazing what imagination can do.
Tanj ran her eyes over the sensor display, and then ordered a level four diagnostic. Without even looking at the Unicorn, she replayed the log tapes, and then replayed them again in slow motion. And then slower motion. The sensor ghost was there one nanosecond and gone the next. Poof!
When the diagnostic finished, she turned to the Unicorn; “Keep us on this vector for another twenty minutes, and then come about to….. 247 mark 118. Hold us there for an hour and get us back on course. If the sensor ghost shows up again, call me.”
As the door closed behind her, Dynotaku raised an eyebrow and chuckled; “you’re welcome.”
---
The Crown Prince looked at the Imperial Intelligence officer and growled; “What do you mean you lost contact with your ship?”
The officer shrugged; “your highness, their transmission just stopped. The last telemetry we have shows the target freighter at the fringe of their sensor range, moving as if they were on a completely normal trip. No signs of weapons discharges, no probes launched, no unusual scans. Just a freighter, albeit a cloaked freighter, traveling between stars.”
The Crown Prince shook his head; “So what happened?”
The Officer shrugged again; “We don’t know, Sir. Perhaps they had some sort of catastrophic malfunction.”
The Crown Prince’s scowl deepened; “If they did, there’d be wreckage. Get a ship out there to investigate. And FIND ME THAT FREIGHTER!
---
Zassa sat in the wardroom, and just waited. The creatures had allowed her to report here, at mealtime, but no one else had shown up. What was going on? Where was everyone? WHAT WAS SHE MISSING? Growling to herself, she tried to figure out how to get revenge on Hinoki for doing this to her…. Dammit, she didn’t mind being tied up, but missing out on something, THAT was NOT to be tolerated!
Jinx almost bumped into the doorframe as she came through the door to the Wardroom. Zassa watched through slitted eyes; the creatures were at it again; they’d changed position and the “relief crew” was working on her again, bringing her to the very edge of a climax, and then backing off. She was dripping wet, and extremely frustrated. Watching the way the Skunkette waddled, she just knew she’d been pounded hard, and from the silly grin on her face, she’d loved it. What HAD been going on? Dammit, she was missing everything!
Jinx poured herself a glass of milk and collapsed into a chair opposite Zassa. For a moment she regarded the Vixen, and then grinned; “Yeah. Little monsters. Don’t know much about them, but the big one’s great, isn’t he? Lord, I love that ‘taur form!”
Zassa tried to speak, but the creature around her head tightened its grip on her muzzle, holding her mouth closed. All she was able to get out was a growl and a negative shake of her head. The Skunkette’s eyebrows rose; “Not having a good time? Really?” She got a sly look on her face; “I dunno; that looks like fun. Frustrating, but fun.” Her grin widening she tilted her head to one side; “Wanna trade?”
Zassa was only able to think “you can DO that?” to herself, but she found herself nodding enthusiastically. Jinx chuckled and finishing the milk, put down the glass and held out her hands. To the Vixen’s amazement, the creatures flowed over her body, extended a pseudopod, and flowed, seemingly with delight, to the Skunkette. Moments later, Zassa was free, and the Skunkette was restrained as she’d been. Zassa chuckled; “You’ll have to show me how to do that some day. Have fun; If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got me a Monster to skin. Ta ta!”
Zassa stuck her head into Hinoki’s
cabin and looked around. No sign of him,
Sashi, or Doodles. Growling, she turned,
stalking down the corridor. Maybe he was
in the
Dynotaku took another bite of the donut and grinned. Ah, the lovely Vixen…. Moving as quietly as he could he stuffed the last of the donut into his mouth and moved up behind her.
Zassa yelped as strong arms encircled her. “Ah, my little Vixen Slave got loose! We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we?”
Zassa growled; “Not now, you….!” But Dynotaku’s left hand found her muzzle, squeezing it shut; “Ah, now, now! No yelling at Master! Be good or I’ll have to give you a spanking!” As Zassa squirmed in his grip, she became aware of the growing bulge in his pants. What was he doing wearing anything on this ship anyways? The more she squirmed in his grip, the bigger the bulge grew, and she found herself thinking “Well, maybe just a quickie….”
Hinoki stuck his head through the cargo bay door, and grinned. The Unicorn Stallion had Zassa tied in a hanging position, her body bent almost double, and was pounding his shaft into her with gusto. The Vixen had her head back, eyes closed, a look of indescribable ecstasy on her face as the Stallion took her roughly, pinning her between his body and the wall. Grinning, the Cheetah-monster took a step back and turned, to resume his walk towards the flight deck. And here he’d wondered how the Unicorn would fit in on this trip……
---
Zassa sighed, and tensing her muscles, tried once again to escape. The Stallion had tied her to a stanchion in the cargo bay, her arms stretched over her head, her feet raised off the floor, and spread, tied to similar stanchions on either side. And then he’d fucked her as she hung there, like a piece of meat. That part hadn’t been so bad; in fact, it had been rather nice. But when he’d finished with her, he’d kissed her, and then chuckling, departed.
The really annoying thing was that the ropes were merely looped over projections; if she flipped the ropes in just the right way, she SHOULD be able to get loose. Grunting, she pulled herself up by her arms, and right leg, and then kicked her left leg. She watched as the rope curled, all the way to the stanchion… but it didn’t flip free like it was supposed to. Dangit, what was wrong?
Dynotaku smiled. He pulled the tiny tube of superglue from his pocket, grinned at it and then put it back. A cup of coffee and another donut and he’d be ready to go again, and by the time he got back to the Vixen, she’d probably be ready to welcome him with open arms…. Or in her case, open legs. Yes, she really was a treasure.
---
Jinx chuckled; it really was too simple. After the little monsters were satiated, they were open to your mental commands. That’s what Tanj had said. It would appear the big monster wasn’t all that different either. She’d known Hinoki had cum, his ‘taur cock filling her to overflowing with his seed. She’d obviously satiated him, and now, through him, she had control of his little relatives. Talking them into letting her walk, while still bound, had been simple. And they hadn’t needed to be told to keep fucking her. Moving in short, quick steps, she made her way towards the cargo bay. Something told her more fun awaited her there…..
Tanj chuckled and gestured at the sensors; “not a thing showing. Zilch.”
Hinoki nodded; “Great. Lets hope it stays that way.”
Tanj yawned and nodded; “Well, I’m going to go get a few hours sleep. We should be coming up on our destination in about six hours, and I want to be fresh for our landing.”
Hinoki nodded; “Don’t worry, I’ve got the conn.”
Tanj chuckled and nodded; “Call me if anything happens.”
---
Zassa kicked her leg again and then turned as the door to the cargo bay opened. She’d expected Dynotaku, but instead, still hobbled by the living dress creature, Jinx came in, her steps quick and short. Jinx grinned at her, and stretching the creature around her muzzle just a little, managed to lick her lips. Zassa watched, eyes narrowing. What did the Skunkette have in mind?
---
Tanj paused, just about to get into the shower, as the ship’s intercom came on. “Sashi, please report to the flight deck” She grinned. Hinoki. Ah, well, it looked as if, now that they were alone, that the watch would be a dull one…. And a Monster has to eat, doesn’t he?
---
Jinx chuckled to herself, and moved closer. Falling to her knees before the Vixen, she forced her mouth as far open as the creature would let her, and stuck her tongue out to lap at the Vixen’s sweet sex.
Zassa groaned; ooooh, that felt good. If she wasn’t so intent on getting free, and dealing with Dyno… no, wait, it was Hinoki she wanted to… well, maybe BOTH of them deserved…. As the Skunkette’s tongue brought her to a lovely little climax, all plans for revenge seemed to turn to mist and float away…..
Dynotaku paused in the corridor as the ship’s intercom came on. Hinoki’s voice had a laugh to it, and he could hear giggling in the background as the Cheetah-Monster said; “Doodles, please report to the flight deck”….
Zassa panted hard, as the Skunkette’s tongue slithered in and out of her pussy. Looking down between her breasts she watched in amazement and horror as the creature forming the Skunkette’s head harness flowed, and stretched until it also encircled the Vixen’s hips, holding the Skunkette’s head tight to her crotch. For the moment, that was a delight, but….. what if Dynotaku came back? Could he get Jinx loose? And where was Hinoki?
No sooner had that thought formed than the Cheetah-Monster’s voice came over the ship’s intercom; “Sabina, please report to the flight deck.” Zassa blinked; what was going on?
Dynotaku paused at the door to the
The tube of lube was right where he left it. Picking it up, Dynotaku turned to head back towards the cargo bay, just as Hinoki’s voice came over the intercom; “Um….(giggles) Would Wanda and, ah, Kath please report to the (laughter) Flight deck…. Um… Medical Emergency…. (giggles) Severe swelling…” The Unicorn shook his head; “I don’t care if he calls for me, I’m NOT going….”
Zassa groaned as she felt hands on her hips. It had to be Dynotaku, and she knew what was coming even before she felt the tip of his cock touch her rosebud….. However, Jinx had her So hot, so worked up, she could only rock her hips encouragingly……
Jinx giggled to herself, her tongue dancing over that one spot within the Vixen’s sex that seemed to produce the maximum response. Silly Unicorn. He REALLY should have known better…..
Dynotaku howled as he came, his cock pulsing, throbbing, shooting wadd after wadd of his jism deep into the Vixen’s ass. And Zassa seemed to be loving it; she writhed and moaned, and squirmed, her motions only adding to the Unicorn’s delight. It wasn’t until he was calming down, catching his breath that he realized his worst fears had come true. The black straps around the Skunkette’s head, around the Vixen’s hips, had extended, stretched and grown, to encircle the base of his cock, and his balls. Worse it had also trapped his hands where they’d rested on the Vixen’s hips. As he watched, thin tendrils moved rapidly to encircle his hips, binding him to the females. With a groan, he tried to pull out, to pull away. The Vixen groaned in response, but the creature contracted, making him slide back into the Vixen’s ass. He was stuck. Now what?
---
Tanj rose, and stretched. There was nothing like a good night’s sleep to rejuvenate oneself. Picking up a jumpsuit, she glanced at the chrono, and then headed out for the wardroom. Just enough time to get breakfast, and then she’d have to start the approach to their destination….
Kittiara was in the Wardroom. The coffee maker had almost finished making a fresh pot, and the Kurani was just putting the final touches on a huge omlet. “Thought you might be getting up about now. Best have a good breakfast. I suspect we’re going to have a busy day.”
The Cheetah blinked, and then nodded, slipping into her usual chair; “Yeah, that sounds good. Say, where is everyone?”
The Kurani just smiled.
---
With the jumpsuit tossed over one shoulder, Tanj stuffed the last of the muffin into her mouth. The door to the flight deck slid open smoothly, but what she found wasn’t what she’d expected at all. Hinoki lay on the Pilot’s acceleration couch, his gaze on the instruments, but at least a half a dozen tentacles spread from his body. Around the pilot’s couch, Sashi, Wanda, Kath, and Sabina knelt, each being fucked by a different tentacle. To one side, Doodles was tightly bound, with yet another tentacle working over his throbbing cock. The Flight deck smelled of sex, and the floor looked sticky….
Hinoki looked up and grinned; “Course and speed as before, Skipper. No ships on the sensors, and everything is running in the green.” Tanj swallowed and nodded; “Good. Distance to our destination?” Hinoki smiled; “We’re about forty minutes from the edge of the system.” Tanj chuckled and moved to sit astride the Cheetah’s hips; “no, don’t get up. No reason why I shouldn’t have some fun too, is there?” Hinoki laughed and as the Cheetah descended, he extruded a remarkable phallus upwards to meet her. “Nope, none at all. By the way, have you seen Zassa, Jinx, or Dynotaku? They haven’t been answering their pages.”
Tanj kept careful control of
herself. The motions of Hinoki’s shaft
in her pussy were very distracting, and most delightful, but she still was able
to hold it all together long enough to run through all the displays. Engineering was running fine. Environmental was showing high pheromone
levels, but that apparently was to be expected.
The scrubbers would catch up in a bit.
She chuckled, once again wondering if any other ship in known space had
sensors like that in their environmental system….. Fuel consumption had been as predicted. Sensors were starting to show signs of
distant traffic, but that also was to be expected. Navigation showed them pretty much where they
thought they were. And they still had a
few minutes…… Flipping a few switches,
she scanned the internal security cameras.
Yeah, there they were. Dynotaku
had Zassa and Jinx bound in the
Hinoki chuckled; it took almost no
effort at all. In a few moments he had
them all howling, in the throes of their orgasms. Even those in the
---
The Crown Prince blinked, and read the report again. The Imperial Security stealth ship had reported in. From the Endurhass sector. They’d wound up on the far side of the Empire, almost beyond the frontier. They were undamaged, but it had taken literally days for the FTL transmission to arrive. Putting down the message flimsy, he sighed. If the Cheetah had developed the technology to the point where she could use it to so casually dispatch an observer, then… Definitely a threat. And he HAD to have that technology. With it, he could not only rule the Empire, but all of known space. The only problem was, how to get it away from her without it either being destroyed, or her just using it to take flight? This was going to take some careful planning…… Turning to the courier, he growled; “I have a message for your commanding officer. The Cheetah’s ship MUST be found at all costs, and as soon as possible!”
Arrival 1
Walter looked at the image of the Cheetah in the screen, and frowned. Unscheduled arrivals weren’t exactly illegal… but they were a little unusual. On the other hand, tramp freighters seldom kept to any kind of a schedule. But what was really bothering him, was the camera angle. It showed the head and shoulders of a female Cheetah, and a fairly attractive one at that. And she didn’t appear to be wearing a stitch. Of course, the view stopped just above her nipples, so he couldn’t be certain, but… What kind of furrs traveled topless? Or worse, in the Nude? The manifest she’d transmitted showed a goodly number of furrs on the small ship. Just what exactly was going on here? Looking down at the flight plan, he frowned; “Well, I’ll have to check with traffic control.” Looking back up he growled; “The University will have to approve your flight plan. I’ll forward it to them directly.” Cutting the connection he turned to the next ship in the queue. He’d forward it when he was good and ready. Imagine, the idea of running around BARE like that. Scandalous!
Zassa frowned; “looked like one of those fundamentalist types to me. Did you notice the cut of his tunic?” Tanj just smiled and crossed her arms behind her neck, her breasts thrust out. Had the video pickup still been on, the furr on the other end would have gotten an eyeful; “It takes all kinds, Zassa…. Just be patient. I’m sure we’ll be able to descend shortly.”
Tanj drummed her fingers on the console. It’d been four hours and she was getting a little frustrated. She was also getting a little hungry. Rising, she found the jumpsuit where it had been tossed, and examined it. It was still reasonably clean. Pulling it on, she zipped it up almost to her throat. Sitting back down, she felt the fabric pull at her, and smiled. She really did need to wear clothes more, just to stay used to them. Checking her hair in the reflection of the Environmental display, she sighed and pulled it back, into a ponytail. Wondering if she should find a pair of eyeglasses, she tapped on the comm. Panel. The Beaver was gone, replaced with a younger Coyote. “Can I help you, Ma’am?”
Tanj shrugged; “I’m still waiting for clearance to descend to the University starport.”
The Coyote frowned, and checked a display; “Ma’am, I don’t even see you listed. Let me… yeah, here it is. Walter seems to have pigeonholed your flight plan. Curious… Let me check…. No, don’t see anything wrong. You say you’re picking up cargo?”
Tanj nodded; “Yes, from Professor Corey. Ah… I wonder.”
The Coyote lifted one eyebrow; “Yes?”
Tanj smiled; “Professor Corey is the archetypal absent minded professor. I bet he forgot to notify you.”
The Coyote shrugged; “Notifying us would have been a courtesy, but isn’t really required. Let me see what I can do to expedite your landing request.”
Tanj smiled; “Thanks, I appreciate that.”
---
As the ship descended, a dozen minutes later, Tanj wondered about the Coyote. He too had been dressed rather severely, and she wondered if it was a local fad, or something else. Then as the atmospheric turbulence increased, her thoughts turned to the landing….
“University approach control, this is the freighter Ohdimagah. We’ve just crossed the outer marker, request a landing bay assignment.” Tanj listened for a moment, frowning. For a moment she thought she heard a fragment of a transmission, with yelling in the background. Keying the microphone again, she growled; “University approach control… are you there?”
A voice came over the speaker, high pitched and talking rapidly; “Ah, approaching freighter, veer off! We’ve got a problem! Leave while you can!”
Tanj blinked; “Um… University control, Ohdimagah, what’s the problem?”
The voice came back; “Its gone! Something ate it! We don’t know what’s happening, so it probably isn’t safe to come here!”
Tanj blinked and stared at the viewscreen. “Um… University approach control, Odimagah. I can still see the starport; it seems to still be there….”
The voice all but squealed; “No, not the starport! The Stadium! The whole stadium’s vanished, along with part of the parking garage, and…. Oh, I don’t even know what classroom building that was, just beyond it! GONE! VANISHED!”
Tanj frowned; “Approach control, just give us a docking bay designation. I don’t think anything’s going to happen, but if it is, I want to pick up my cargo before IT vanishes. Dammit, I need the money!”
The mercenary approach seemed to work; the voice growled; “Take whichever one you want. I’m evacuating! Land at your own risk!”
Tanj lowered the landing jacks and throttled back; she’d have to make a pass over the starport to figure out which of the landing bays were empty. And if any ship was trying to lift off, to escape whatever menace they had, or thought they had, it could get real busy. Keying the Intercom, she growled; “All hands to general quarters. We’ve got something happening dirtside, and I might have to maneuver suddenly. Seal all airtight bulkheads, and it might not hurt if someone was on weapons….”
Zassa looked at Hinoki; together they growled; “COREY!” It took a moment for them to disengage, Hinoki’s tentacles having an annoying tendency to tangle when he tried to move them fast. Then, each were running for their duty stations.
---
Dynotaku blinked, and looked up from the Kitten’s dripping sex. Weapons? While landing at one of the premier Universities in the sector? Wasn’t this taking the Old College Sports rivalry a bit far?
---
As she banked to port, Tanj saw a huge crater. It was almost perfectly bowl-shaped, and she could see where underground pedestrian tunnels, utility lines and foundations had been cut almost perfectly smooth. Growling to herself, she shifted her gaze, picked a docking bay, and dropped the ship in what, in any other time or place, would have been a very aggressive combat landing. Corey. No question about it. She just hoped he hadn’t departed with whatever used to be in that crater. What had approach control said? A stadium?
Hinoki dropped into his station chair just as the ship touched down. Tanj looked over at him; “I don’t think we’ll need ship’s weapons, but we ought to take some personal weapons. DISCRETE personal weapons. You, me, and Kath, I think. Lets find out if Corey is around, and if so, how much trouble he’s in….
---
Dynotaku stood in front of the personnel lock and shook his head; “No way you’re going without me.”
Tanj sighed; “All right, no time to argue. Just try and stay out of the way. And don’t scare anyone.” Looking over her shoulder she growled; “Zassa; you’re in charge until I get back. Treat the local authorities kindly, but don’t let them do anything to prevent a sudden departure!” Reaching past the Unicorn, Tanj palmed the inner lock control, and then pushed past him into the lock.
Jinx grinned at the Kurani; “this looks like an exciting place. Too bad we have to stay on the ship.” The Kurani just sighed.
Checking on Corey
Tanj watched as a ground vehicle skidded around the corner on three wheels. The siren was blaring, and there were figures hunched inside. As it righted itself and wove off down the street at high speed, Tanj wondered if it was an ambulance, or just some sort of emergency response team.
“So where we going?”
Tanj looked at the Unicorn; “The High Energy Physics Building. That’s where Corey is supposed to have his office. According to the map I downloaded, its about two streets over… um… that way.”
The Unicorn looked where Tanj pointed; “Isn’t that where the big hole in the ground is?”
Tanj nodded; “Yeah, just this side of it.”
The Unicorn nodded; “Oh. Ooooookay.”
---
Kath watched as what appeared to be a dozen or so students rounded a corner, and headed their way. Each was carrying something, and she wondered if they were looting, or merely evacuating something. Whatever was going on, they didn’t stop to talk, but just hurried past.
Tanj looked at the sign; “
Hinoki took a few steps to one side and then waved; “There’s a walkway down this side of the building; doesn’t seem to be anyone in the way….”
Tanj found the back door unlocked, and the corridor deserted. Tanj studied the directory just inside the door, and then gestured to a stairwell; “We go up. Third floor. Room 308.” Tanj led the way, with Hinoki watching their backs. As they climbed the stairs, Kath wondered where everyone was? Surely the place shouldn’t be THIS deserted.
There was an eerie purple glow in the corridor on the third floor, and a rather ominous “Hmmmmmm”. Tanj was tempted to go for her sidearm, but decided it probably wouldn’t do a whole lot of good. Moving carefully down the hall she found, as she’d suspected, the glow emanating from room 308…..
The Otter’s head came up with a
jerk, as if he was expecting someone.
However, as he looked at them, his face was full of confusion; “You’re
not the
The Lynx looked up from a strangely glowing sphere and grinned; “Of course you do! TANJ! How delightful to see you! We were just running a few follow-on experiments. I think we may have had a small breakthrough in the project!” At that statement the Otter cringed.
Tanj nodded slowly; “Yes, the sports stadium. I saw the hole on the way in.” Corey smiled and waved a paw; “Oh, the University can always build another Stadium. They should be delighted its gone; the power curve is MUCH better than I’d calculated. Why, that entire event was done with a mere 1.1 megajoules! When the Physics board hears of this, they’re bound to recommend me for the Tanith Prize!” The Otter just rolled his eyes.
Tanj frowned; “Um… was any one IN the stadium when it vanished?”
The Otter shook his head and rapidly stated; “No, I made sure there were no events planned.”
Tanj nodded; “But… there might have been athletes training, or janitors or maintenance furrs working there…?”
The Otter just winced and shrugged.
Tanj turned back to Corey; “Um… who knew you were conducting an experiment there?”
Corey looked blank for a moment and then shrugged; “Ah…. Well…. I didn’t exactly request permission to conduct my experiment there, but…. Most of the staff know of my work.”
Tanj sighed; “So they’ll put two and two together and figure it was you…”
The Lynx brightened; “Yes! Yes, I should get full credit for this marvelous discovery!”
Tanj sighed and turned to the Otter; “We’ve got to get him out of here before he’s lynched.”
The Otter nodded and swallowed.
Corey frowned; “out of here? But….”
Tanj smiled reassuringly at the Lynx; “Come now, Professor Corey; don’t you think you’ve outgrown these limited facilities? Can’t go around making buildings disappear; eventually someone might get hurt! I think we need to relocate you to a place where you can conduct your experiments without, ah, “interference”. Plenty of opportunity to publish when the project is complete.”
Corey looked at the glowing purple sphere and nodded slowly, reaching out a paw he flicked a switch on the sphere’s surface. The glow died, the sphere settled to the ground, and a small hatch opened on one side. Corey reached down, picked up the sphere, and absently stuck a paw through the hatch. Pulling something out he popped it into his mouth. Chewing he muttered “Yes, I guess you’re right.” Looking up, he sighed; “They do get too wrapped up in their sports programs here. You’d think it was more important than the research, the way they fawn over their athletes…. Maybe it would be best to find a quieter place to work.” Holding out the sphere he rotated it so the open hatch faced the Cheetah; “Care for some popcorn?”
---
Kath watched as the Otter hurried stuffed data disks in a valise. Over in one corner, the Lynx was arguing with Tanj over what “the minimum necessary equipment” meant. The way he was talking they might not have brought a big enough ship….. Hinoki had left a while back to try and find some sort of ground transport. And she was watching the street in front of the building. Occasionally someone would run by, or some vehicle would flit past, but by and large the place was deserted. She was sure it wouldn’t be long before someone came looking for Corey….
---
“Yes, yes, YES, I KNOW that kook was working on something like this, but you don’t REALLY expect that hairball to actually be able to DO something like that, DO YOU?”
“Its awfully hard, Chancellor White, to ignore the physical evidence. The stadium is gone, and we have no idea how many furrs with it. It vanished, literally, on Professor Corey’s doorstep. Now, who ELSE in your university might have the capability of doing something like that?
The Chancellor threw up his paws; “Why do you insist that it has to have something to do with the University? Why couldn’t it be a purely random event, or some strange alien attack?”
“Oh, come now, don’t they teach Occam’s razor anymore? The simplest explanation is most likely to be the right one. And in this case, runaway research is the simplest explanation. Besides nothing like this has ever happened in the Empire before.”
The Chancellor straightened; “Now that I know to be false. The entire planet of Elysium was consumed by a phenomenon similar to this! How can you be so sure it wasn’t a natural event?”
“oh, very well, Chancellor; I suggest you have your cosmology department look into tears in the time/space continuum, but in the meantime, WE are going to go have a chat with your Professor Corey. And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t interfere!”
---
Hinoki looked at the massive device and shook his head; “I knew I should have stolen a bigger truck.”
Tanj growled; “No way we could get that out of here in time anyways. Its built into the foundation of the building.” Turning she looked at Kath; “how are we coming?”
Kath shrugged; “We’ve got his computer, all of his notes, and a truckload of laboratory equipment. I think we’ve pretty well got everything we need, or…” she paused to shoot a look at the sulking Corey; “Everything we can handle.”
Tanj nodded; “Good, now find me some more of that popcorn…”
Kath just blinked; “huh?”
---
There was a strange purple glow filling the corridor. It SEEMED to be coming from the Lynx’s office. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, and the Inspector waved two of the uniformed police forward. They edged along the wall, weapons drawn, as if they just knew they were being irradiated to death. One of them stuck his head through the door and then pulled it back as if he’d been singed. “Sir, there’s a strange device in there….. But I don’t see anyone.”
The Inspector nodded; “Can you see into his office?” The officer swallowed and stuck his head around the corner again, pulling it back just as fast; “Um, nosir, can’t.”
The Inspector nodded, and turned to his aide; “Better call the bomb squad. Oh, and you’d better call that University type and ask him to send one of his Physicists too. God only knows what that thing is, and I have no great desire to vanish like the stadium did….
---
“Departure Control, this is the Odimagah. Requesting permission to depart….” Tanj smiled; she’d tried to reach departure control three times so far, with no response. She was sure they’d evacuated their facility. It almost seemed as if the entire city had been evacuated. Flipping channels she growled; “Traffic Control, this is the Odimagah. University departure control is not responding, and I’m NOT going to sit on the ground here waiting to get eaten like whatever got a sizeable chunk of the campus. We’re raising ship, and if you don’t like it, tough! Odimagah out!” The Cheetah grinned at Hinoki, pulled up on the right joystick, and then flipped the landing jack button with her left paw. When she got a green light, she pulled up harder, and back, the freighter rocketing from the docking bay. Doing her best to fly like a panicked civilian, she made for the nearest horizon, as if putting the University on the far side of the planet might save her. Curiously, Traffic control never uttered a peep.
---
“We’ve got them!”
The Crown Prince looked up; “Excellent. Where?”
The Imperial Intelligence officer handed the Crown Prince a message Flimsy; “It would seem they’ve, ah, “extracted” one of their agents, after doing extreme damage to a University…. Some planet in the Dimass sector.”
The Crown Prince frowned. An entire sports stadium had vanished, leaving a hemispherical hole in the ground….. Yes! They’d used their device again! He didn’t have a clue why they’d want to steal a sports stadium, but that didn’t matter. It was just further evidence of their new technology. Dropping the flimsey, he growled; “I want you to shadow them. I HAVE to know where they’re going and what their intentions are!”
After the messenger had left, the Crown Prince rose, to stare out the window. Where were they going? What were they up to? If he were them, what would he do? Chuckling, he thought; “Go after those Gates’ world bastards.” And then a chill ran down his spine. What if they were coming after him? What if that Jenka bitch had traced the attempt against her, to him? What if at long last she was starting to take an “interest” in Imperial Politics? Looking around, as if assassins might be materializing out of thin air, he suddenly decided it might be better to be where the minimum number of furrs knew where he was….
---
Corey shook his head; “no, that wasn’t supposed to happen. It was only supposed to make a small test object vanish.”
Hinoki raised an eyebrow; “Oh? What were you using as a test object?”
Corey shrugged; “I don’t know; some big silvery trophy we got out of a case in the lobby. It was about the right size and weight.”
From the corner the Otter muttered; “it was only the Hessman Trophy. Best Rollerball team in the Empire. That’s all….”
Hinoki winced; “And your device worked better than expected?”
The Lynx nodded enthusiastically; “Oh, YES. Much better.”
Tanj frowned; “So… that was the big thing bolted to bedrock in the lab next to your office?”
Corey blinked; “oh, no, that was an earlier prototype. No, I’m afraid the device that caused the stadium effect… vanished with the stadium.”
Sashi muttered; “Well, at least if there was anyone IN the stadium they might have a way back…”
Corey fidgeted; “No, my dear, I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way.” Turning to look at Tanj he sighed; “I can reliably produce the effect… but control is the problem. Things… vanish, but I have no idea where they go. Or perhaps even “when” they go. I’m still not convinced that they’re just not being displaced in time…”
Tanj sighed; “Great. Just great.”
Corey brightened: “Oh, its not THAT bad! I learned a great deal from that experiment. First off, the effect wasn’t thrown forward from the device, but seemed to be centered on it. I think I know how to change that. Secondly, there was the power factor. I can account for that in the next prototype as well. If I can open a portal, a stable portal, I can learn a great deal more about WHERE the portal is opened to! Oh, there’s So much work left to be done!”
The Opposition II
Dr. Pangborne always got nervous when he dealt with the computer “wizards” of the Cartel. It made him think that his own systems could not possibly be secure. It made him think that those geeks were looking over his shoulder, watching everything he did. It made him paranoid. The Cheetah wore thick glasses, and seemed to move with an almost unnatural economy of motion. And his manner of speech was minimalist almost to the point of incomprehensibility. Shaking his head, the Elk growled; “Let me see if I have this right. You were able to hack into the shipping company’s records, and trace the Matter/Antimatter Brake back to a planet called “Dusty”.”
The Cheetah nodded; “Set Statement equal True”.
The Elk considered that for a moment; “And you then searched the records of all the shipping lines and independent couriers that have visited that place in the last six months.” The Elk held up a hand to forestall the Cheetah; “And what you found was that the only other furr not accounted for was a female Rabbit, by the name of Kitchens.”
The Cheetah nodded; “Set statement equal True.”
Pangborne swallowed and continued; “And you then searched the databases to see what you could find on her. And you found that she was a Mercenary, an “agent for hire”, and that she was recently on the Imperial Homeworld.”
The Cheetah nodded; “Imperial Security Records show her meeting with Crown Prince. Surveillance video arrival / departure available.”
The Elk nodded and muttered; “I’m surprised you didn’t have his office bugged…”
The Cheetah smiled; “Did; swept that morning”.
The Elk leaned back in his desk chair and locked his hands behind his antlers; “So…. We might conjecture that our agent was in contact with an agent of the Crown Prince.”
The Cheetah nodded; “Probability 0.993”.
Pangborne growled; “Er.. yes. Now the question becomes; did she neutralize him, or did he sell out.”
The Cheetah shrugged; “too many variables for statistically meaningful computation. Female Rabbit has also not been seen. Possibility both were neutralized.”
The Elk winced; “I would suggest Occam’s razor. The Simplest explanation is most often the correct one. The opposition simply isn’t that good. Our “Market Analysis” teams show them to be barely competent at their trade.” The Elk sighed; “Of course our market analysis teams also show the Crown Prince’s faction to be scarcely more competent. And that suggests the Mouse sold out.”
The Cheetah shrugged; “Unverifiable. Additional data required.”
The Elk nodded; “Then I suggest you find a way to get it. But until something proves me wrong, I will assume that the Mouse sold out to the Crown Prince, and that everything he knew is now in their possession.”
The Cheetah just shrugged, and without a word, rose, and departed.
As soon as he’d left, the Elk called in the “sweeping” team. He was sure the Cheetah had left at least a half a dozen listening devices. After a moment’s thought, he decided it was time for a new computer too. Who knew what the Cheetah could accomplish, just by being in his office?
---
An “invitation” to the Brou
Kittiara grinned at the Cheetah; “Of course I can get you an invitation.” Her grin widened; “It might not come cheap, but never the less, I still think you can handle it.” At the look on the Cheetah’s face, she continued; “Of course the trick will be doing it expeditiously. If you were to go through channels, it could take years…..”
Tanj frowned; “Just what do you have in mind?”
The Kurani smiled; “Well, the first thing is to sneak into the Oligarchy. Once we’re “home”, I can make a few calls, and set things up. That wouldn’t be easy, sitting at some frontier post, dealing with some local official that feels he’d been banished to the armpit of the universe and sees no reason to be reasonable.”
Zassa shook her head and growled; “Sure, we’re just going to sneak in. Happens all the time! Riiiiight!”
Kittiara smiled; “Actually, it does. You just have to know the right people, and the right routes. There really is a fairly lucrative smuggling trade, in and out of the Oligarchy.”
Hinoki smiled; “And of course you know just where to find the furrs that can get us in and out.”
Kittiara shrugged; “I can get you in and out, after I talk to a few furrs and find out what the current border patrol pattern is, and how they’re scanning the frontier.”
Tanj nodded slowly; “And just where is it we have to go?”
The Kurani’s smile grew wider; “A place called “New Tortugas”…
Jinx grimaced; “Sounds like the far end of the Universe…” Kittiara nodded enthusiastically; “Oh, it is. It IS; that’s what makes it so perfect.”
---
Tanj ran the search string again; the navigational database wasn’t showing anywhere by the name of “New Tortugas”, and the coordinates the Kurani had rattled off didn’t show as a system. And yet, the Cheetah couldn’t think of any better way to approach the problem. The only thing worse than sailing up to the Kurani frontier and requesting admission might be sailing up to the Brou….. You just didn’t show up uninvited. With a sigh she punched in the coordinates the Kurani had given her and watched as the ship’s heading changed. It would take a while to get that far out into nowhere…. She hoped the Kurani knew what she was doing….
---
“Ah, there you are!”
Tanj paused and turned to look at the Lynx.
“I hate to complain, after all you’ve done for us, but….”
Tanj smiled; “But?”
Corey sighed; “if I’m going to pursue my work, there are some things that I need that simply aren’t available! For instance, the supply of liquid helium on this ship is woefully inadequate. And I just can’t find a decent neutrino source.”
Tanj scowled; “you know, the Fusion APU’s give off neutrinos…”
Corey shook his head; “True, but not nearly enough!”
Tanj shrugged; “Professor, I’m sorry. We simply don’t use liquid helium on this ship. Its just not something we normally stock. As for the neutrinos…” She simply shrugged. And then a sly grin spread across her face; “But you know, we do have deuterium for the fusion reactors. If you were clever, you could probably find a way to make the helium you need. It is, after all, a simple fusion reaction, isn’t it? Oh, and if you do it just right, you MIGHT be able to generate your neutrinos. Couldn’t you?”
Corey got that look on his face again; that look he had when he was thinking hard, when he was so lost in his own world that he missed doorways and walked into walls. “Um… You know, now that you mention it…..” Without another word, he turned and meandered off down the corridor, slowly ricocheting from side to side….
Tanj grinned, turned and resumed her trek towards the wardroom, and a fresh cup of coffee.
Zassa looked across the table at the Otter. The plate in front of him was untouched, the food long since gone cold. He sat there, with one elbow on the table, his chin cupped in the palm of his hand, just Staring at her. Normally, Zassa loved any, and all attention, but this was just a little too…. Intense. “Don’t you have something you should be doing? Won’t Professor Corey be looking for you?”
The Otter just shook his head; “He’s off on some wild goose chase. Threw me out of the lab; said I was too distracting.” The Otter chuckled; “All I was doing was sitting there, working on my thesis. The keyboard was virtual, and totally silent.”
Zassa nodded, and then a slow grin spread across her face. “Perhaps, since you’re at loose ends, you could help me with a small project.”
The Otter smiled and nodded; if she’d asked him to step outside the ship, naked, to wipe a nasty smear off the forward viewport, he obviously would have agreed in an instant, and without even thinking about it. Zassa’s grin widened; “It involves the care and feeding of some alien lifeforms that we’re carrying.”
The Otter just nodded absently, still smiling.
Zassa chuckled; “Tell me, are you adverse to homosexual relationships?”
The Otter’s smile froze; this one had sunk in; “Um… huh? I thought I’d be assisting you…”
Zassa grinned; “oh, you would. Nevermind, just come with me….”
---
Dynotaku met them in the corridor and turned in the same direction. After a half dozen steps, he nudged the Otter; “Vixen’s pretty hot, isn’t she?”
The Otter blinked and looked at the Unicorn, and then at Zassa, a few steps ahead. With his eyes on her ass, as she walked, he nodded, and then grinned; “Yeah….”
The Unicorn chuckled; “Learned how to get her eating out of your hand yet?”
The Otter’s face fell, and he looked up at the Unicorn; “Um… no.” He frowned; “Why is it I get the feeling you think you have a … route to that?”
The Unicorn laughed and shrugged; “Oh, I’ve a trick or two up my sleeve.”
At this, Zassa looked over her shoulder and just grinned at the Unicorn. The look was NOT lost on the Otter. Looking back to the Unicorn he growled; “And just what is this secret?”
Dynotaku had just opened his mouth when he heard the patter of running feet behind him. Turning to look over his shoulder, he felt his face freeze as the Skunkette, her breasts bouncing wildly, jogged up behind them; “THERE you are! Been looking for you!”
Dynotaku forced himself to remain calm, and to keep his feet moving, just so they wouldn’t stick to the deck; “And why’s that?”
Jinx grinned; “Your tongue.”
The Otter blinked; “His WHAT?”
Jinx grinned; “He’s part Giraffe. Didn’t he tell you? He’s got the WILDEST tongue you’ve ever seen!” Her gaze shifted back to the Unicorn; “And I want some of it. Got the dangdest itch in a place I can’t reach. But YOU can!”
Dynotaku gestured to the Otter and the Vixen; “But I was just going to……”
Jinx tilted her head to one side; “Just going to what?”
Dynotaku grinned; “I was going to show the kid here the ropes.”
Jinx shrugged; “its OK, you can tie me up. I don’t mind.”
Zassa chuckled; “You can show him the ropes later. Right now I need him for another project.”
Dynotaku turned to smirk at the Vixen; “And what could be more important?”
Zassa grinned; “Feeding the little darlings. Oh, and probably the head Darling too. Care to help?”
It wasn’t an easy choice. Sex with the living dress creatures, or with Jinx. On one hand, things could get out of control and he might wind up like Hinoki. Or he could spend time with a furr around whom reality got soft and pliable…. On the other hand, he did have a working theory about how to control her, and she DID say he could tie her up… Turning and putting a brave face on it he grinned at the kid; “I’ll show you later”. As he turned and let the Skunkette lead him off, he muttered under his breath “if I survive….”
---
The Otter looked over the stacks of clear plastic containers. They each seemed to be filled with a couple centimeters of black tar. Except, as he stepped closer, they all seemed to surge towards him. Zassa chuckled and picked up six of the boxes, which she handed to him. Turning she picked up six more; “Come on, lets go down to the cargo bay; there’s more room there.” Still staring at all the boxes over his shoulder, he turned and followed the Vixen back into the corridor.
---
Jinx chuckled; “No, feeling helpless can be good, as long as you trust the one you’re with. Its when you DON’T trust them, that it gets scary.”
Dynotaku pulled the bolt from the end of the metal bar and nodded; “And when you get scared, things happen.”
Jinx watched with interest. There were two metal bars, hinged on one end, with a fastening on the other end. Along the length of the bar were four curved sections; the larger ones were towards the ends, with the smaller ones close together at the center. “Oh, that’s not completely true. Things happen when I’m happy, or excited as well. Just different things happen.”
The Unicorn nodded; “So its more along the lines of when you experience powerful emotions.” He split the two bars apart, and knelt before the skunkette. Gently moving her legs apart, he positioned the device to one side of her; as he brought the bars back together, the curves by the hinge started to encircle her left ankle.
Jinx nodded; “Mostly, but there seem to be a lot of exceptions.”
The Unicorn nodded; “bend over, and put your wrists through the smaller openings.”
Jinx obliged, bending double. Dynotaku brought the bars together, trapping her legs wide apart, with her wrists between them. The bolt went back into its hole; there was no way she could undo even so simple a fastener. Not without help. Moving around behind her, Dynotaku leaned over and ran his hands over her dangling breasts, teasing her nipples. Jinx moaned softly; “Well, lets see if we can’t concentrate on the positive energies, then….” Releasing her breasts, he straightened, and undid his belt, dropping his pants to the deck.
---
Zassa put down the boxes and then gestured to the Otter; “OK, loose the clothes.”
The Otter, who’d suspected this was coming, given the state of dress of most of the crew, pulled his shirt over his head, and then dropped his pants.
Zassa chuckled; “OK, lay down on the mat, face up.”
The Otter’s eyebrows rose; “I thought we were going to be feeding some alien creatures.”
Zassa chuckled and popped the top on one of the plastic containers; “We are. Lay down.”
The Otter complied, but as he was settling down on the mat he muttered; “This isn’t going to hurt or anything, is it?”
Zassa just laughed; “not hardly! Here, I’ll show you…” She grinned and leaning back a little, poured the contents of the container down her front. The Otter watched, wide-eyed, as the black spread out, encasing her breast for a moment, as if she were wearing a latex bra; it then flowed down over her stomach, to pool in her crotch. As he watched, the Otter thought “That’s a neat trick; she’s standing, but the goo has run down and is resting on her crotch as if she were laying….” And then he realized that it was moving rhythmically…..
He was still staring at her crotch when the Vixen poured another container over him. His gaze shifted suddenly, and he stared as the stuff flowed over him, to cover HIS crotch…. And then things started to get very interesting…..
---
Jinx groaned, and shuddered. It was about the only motion she could make. The Unicorn had knelt behind her, his long tongue flicking over her waiting sex. He was good, she’d have to hand him that. Very good. Quite possibly the best she’d ever had. And the added stress of keeping from toppling over had added spice to the whole thing… Finally, he’d decided she’d had enough, and moving carefully, had tipped her forward, until her arms and calves were on the ground, her head pressed hard into the floor. And her ass was HIGH in the air. He’d taken her, then, roughly, forcefully, his hands on her hips, holding her, as he pounded his cock into her. But sometime around her second climax (in that position), he’d cum, filling her with his seed. It was too soon; she wasn’t ready for him to be done yet! And yet, he’d slapped her on her upturned bottom, and said something about going out for drinks; that he’d be back in a while, for round two. And then she was alone….
---
Hinoki grinned at Tanj; “Got the camera ready?”
Tanj chuckled and nodded; “Sure you can get this to work the way you want it to?”
Hinoki chuckled and nodded, the surface of his body changing to all-black, the texture going from fur to something that looked like latex; “Sure, I can control the immature Brou; at least well enough for THIS. He grinned and looked down at himself, his sex disappearing, until his crotch appeared as smooth as that of a manikin. He grinned and leaned forward to kiss Tanj softly; “Be alert; we may only get one chance at this….”
---
Dynotaku grinned; he’d fucked the Skunkette to a fair-thee-well, leaving her panting and satiated. He’d find some wine, and maybe a little cheese, and perhaps some of that baggette the Vixen had baked, and head back down there, and after a brief break, fuck her senseless again. Chuckling to himself, he envisioned feeding her bits of bread and cheese, holding the glass for her to sip… and perhaps, just perhaps, making her beg for more… He WAS after all, one of the Empire’s premier Doms, wasn’t he? And ANY female, no matter what their powers, should be trainable… And he was JUST the Dom to do it!
His concentration was broken by a slithering sound. Turning, his eyes widening in horror, he watched as a disembodied phallus slithered down the corridor as if it were a Python. A moment later, he heard the sound of running feet, and turning, saw the Hinoki monster running towards him.
Hinoki chuckled; “Heya, Dynotaku; have you seen…..” His gaze shifted; “AHA! THERE you are! Come here, YOU!” The Cheetah pounced, and after a moments struggle, caught the errant phallus. Grinning, Hinoki looked at the Unicorn as he stuck the thing back on his crotch. The phallus continued to squirm as if it had a mind of its own. “There, that’s better…. Now if I could just find my balls….. You haven’t seen ‘em, have you? Dynotaku opened his mouth, but before he could speak, something round and black bounced past; all he could do was to point wordlessly. Hinoki followed his gaze, let out a Whoop and an instant later was in hot pursuit.
Hinoki slipped into the Wardroom, his texture and color changing back to standard Cheetah even as he moved; “Well, did you get it?”
Tanj had tears in her eyes, and a paper towel in her mouth; “Duunno” she lisped; “Wath tryink to keep from lathing so hard I bit my tongue”
Hinoki stared at her for a moment and then broke into a big grin; “It was that good, eh?”
The cheetah just winced and nodded.
Hinoki chuckled; “Let me go retrieve the camera and we’ll see what we got!”
Dynotaku slipped out of the pantry and looked around. For some reason he was being very careful where he stepped. He wondered, if he stepped on one of Hinoki’s disembodied testicles, would the Cheetah monster howl in pain? Would he even know? Things around here were getting much too strange for his tastes… Straightening, he tucked the bottle of wine into the crook of his arm and headed back to his bound Skunkette.
Jinx had managed to roll onto one side, but that wasn’t particularly comfortable either; after a lot of rocking back and forth, she’d managed to roll into a sitting position, and that was better; but as she sat there, with legs widespread and her wrists between her ankles, she started to feel the pressure of the floor against her hip bones. OK, it was much better than laying on her face, and arguably better than laying on her side, but it was still getting old. Where WAS that Unicorn?
Dynotaku smiled as he saw the Skunkette; “My, but you’ve been busy! But that’s good. You’re in the right position! Sitting down in front of her, he smiled and broke off a piece of bread, and offered it to her.
Jinx hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until the bread touched her lips. Eagerly she took the morsel from his fingertips.
---
The Otter groaned as the thing worked over his hard cock. It was like heaven; indescribable. Nearby the Vixen stood, paws on hips, one creature working over her crotch, another squeezing her breasts, and he suspected a third plundering her asshole. And through it all she was just standing there, watching HIM. Well, maybe she was breathing a little heavily, but she seemed to be getting the greatest pleasure from watching HIS reaction….. Most strange.
---
Kath watched the Cheetah chase the squirming phallus down the hall and couldn’t help it; she just had to laugh. Before she knew it she was doubled over on the floor, laughing so hard her sides hurt.
Sabina heard the sound of laughter and trotted down the corridor to see what was going on. By that time Hinoki was out of sight, and the story the Mink told was soooo unbelievable… Or was it?
---
Jinx groaned; “Please? Just a little more. PLEASE?”
Dynotaku held out the piece of cheese and smiled; “Say it right, little one.”
Jinx sighed; “Please may I have some more, Master?”
Dynotaku grinned and moved his hand just a little closer. The Skunkette’s head darted forward, to take the cheese, leaving Dynotaku counting his fingers…..
---
Wanda listened to Kath and frowned; “You say his penis did WHAT?”
---
Dynotaku smiled and sloshed the wine around the bottom of the bottle; “Almost all gone, Pet.” He put the bottle down and moved towards her; “Time for round two….”
Jinx groaned as he tilted her back onto her face, her bottom once again high in the air. Smiling the Unicorn picked up the bottle and pushing the neck into her pussy, let the wine run down, filling her. Pulling the bottle out with a soft “pop”, he bent, to slither his tongue into her wetness, lapping up the wine. Jinx shivered, having a good view of the action; this time her forehead was on the floor and she had a great view of her own sex, between her dangling breasts. She felt the Unicorn’s marvelous tongue slither around inside her and couldn’t help but moan in delight.
---
Doodles watched his Master chase his disembodied cock down the corridor and nodded sagely; “THAT would explain the reason for codpieces, I guess. Keep important private parts from escaping!” Turning, he wandered off, pondering the problems such a creature might suffer, if he were to, say, prefer boxers over briefs….
---
Tanj watched the replays and grinned; “Well, I still think the Unicorn should be nominated for an academy award. The look on his face was simply priceless.”
Hinoki chuckled; “Yeah… Kath wasn’t too bad, either. Wanda was way too clinical, not to mention skeptical. And Doodles…”
Tanj just laughed; “Yeah, well, that’s our Bunny. Who’s next?”
---
The Otter moaned as the creature brought him off yet again. The Vixen had been rotating creatures on, and off her body, and had so far “fed” at least three times what he’d “handled.” Talk about endurance!
---
Dynotaku whinnied as his orgasm arrived; his cock throbbing, pulsing, he filled the Skunkette’s sex with his seed. When he’d caught his breath, he settled back to the mat; “Wow… Where’d you learn to control your muscles like that? That was great!”
Jinx smiled an upside-down smile; “Oh, I had some pretty good instructors. Can I get up now?” Dynotaku staggered to his feet; “No way. I’m going to go catch a shower, and I’ll be back for more.” At the look on the Skunkette’s face, he grinned; “But don’t think that I’d leave you all alone; no, not me!”
---
Jinx sighed; the vibrator was nice, but it wasn’t the same, and her muscles were starting to cramp. “He’s pushing it again” she growled to herself…..
---
Zassa smiled and peeled the creature from the Otter’s crotch. The Otter just lay there, panting hard, eyes closed. He’d satisfied two of the creatures and looked as if he’d run a marathon. Dropping the little darling into its container, she snapped the lid on; “Well, did you enjoy yourself?”
The Otter forced one eye open and looked up at her; “Yes… but….”
The Vixen raised an eyebrow; “But?”
The Otter sighed; “It was good, but it would have been better with you….”
The Vixen laughed and bend to kiss him softly “That’s sweet, I appreciate that, but we DO have to keep these little darlings fed… Maybe when they’re all satisfied, we can find some time together….”
The Otter watched her walk out, hips swaying, holding the stack of plastic containers. “Maybe when…” she’d said. And then he thought of ALL the stacks of plastic containers like that, in that compartment; flopping back onto the floor he just groaned. He was NEVER going to get a piece of that delicious ass, if all of those creatures had to be “fed” first!
Zassa was humming softly to herself; she’d put the boxes back on the “just fed” side of the room, popped the top on yet another, for a quickie” and then, having done her duty for the little darlings, headed towards a nice hot bath.
A sound by her feet made her look down. There, inching along the corridor was a rather sizeable disembodied cock. For a moment she just STARED at it, and then she grinned; “Well, hello little fellow! Come to Momma…..”
Hinoki trotted around the corner, looking left and right. After sweeping the floor with his eyes he frowned; the “bait” should have been about half way down the corridor… And then it hit him; the Vixen was holding it! The words slipped out without conscious thought; “Hey, that’s MINE! Give it back!”
Zassa ran her eyes over the Cheetah’s smooth crotch, and grinned. Giving him her No.2 glare she growled; “The pure bloody HELL I’m going to give it back. I caught it and I’M keeping it!” Turning away she growled; “its not MY fault if you lost it!”
Kath blinked as a laughing Zassa ran past, waving a bright pink phallus, with Hinoki in hot pursuit. She stopped and stared for a moment and then shook her head; “I guess that gives a new definition to “ripping off a piece”….. Chuckling she turned and resumed her trek towards the storage compartment where the Immature Brou were kept. Wanda had given her a very strict schedule for feeding them, much to her delight, and she had her duties to attend to….
Hinoki slipped through the door while it was still opening and growled; “AHAH! Gotcha!” Looking around, he sighed; Zassa wasn’t in here. However, Jinx was, tightly bound, with a quivering vibrator in her quim. The air was laden with her pheromones and he couldn’t resist. Stepping over to her, he played with the vibrator for a moment, slipping it in and out of her upturned sex, teasing her with it. The Skunkette responded as he’d anticipated, her breathing quickening, her body quivering. Stopping just before she climaxed, he slid the vibrator from her pussy, and slooooooowly pushed it into her ass. Then, reproducing his own cock from what had been perfectly smooth crotch, he slowly worked that into her dripping pussy. Jinx moaned softly, and he could feel her muscles spasming around his shaft. Reaching down beneath her, he lightly stroked her clitty, as he pumped his shaft in and out of her, until she was howling through a climax.
The Cheetah-monster took her to several more climaxes, savoring the taste, the texture and the power of each, until he’d sated his own hunger. But, being a glutton for such things, he took her to ecstasy twice more, just to be sure SHE was fully satisfied. Only then did he unfasten the bolt, spread the metal bars and release her.
Jinx rubbed her wrists and grinned; “Thanks. That was getting a bit old.”
Hinoki raised an eyebrow; “how long had he left you in there?”
Jinx shrugged; “Don’t know. Felt like hours and hours. This is the second time he’s left me here.”
Hinoki frowned; “That’s not fair. He shouldn’t do that.”
Jinx sighed and nodded; “What can I say; he’s just not quite reading me right yet.” She grinned; “But give me time; I’m working on him.”
Hinoki chuckled; “Feel like playing a trick on him?”
Jinx raised an eyebrow and grinned “What you got in mind?”
---
Dynotaku slipped through the door, and stopped dead in his tracks. There was Jinx, still bound, her wrists between her ankles, face down on the mat, her rump high in the air. And there, right next to her was… another Jinx. Two of them. Stepping forward he paced around the pair, staring. Try as he might, he couldn’t detect any difference.
Finally he had to ask; “What’s going on?” He thought he knew, but he had to ask anyways.
Jinx grinned; “Here’s the deal. You release one of us, and get to play with the other.”
The other Jinx chuckled; “If you pick the right one, you get sweet Skunk pussy, for as long as you want.”
The first Jinx chortled; “But if you pick the wrong one, the Hinoki-Monster gets YOU!”
Dynotaku frowned; “And what if I don’t choose at all? What if I just leave?”
One of the Jinxes laughed; “Then the Hinoki-Monster gets the bound skunkette! Win/Win, for her at least!
The Unicorn shook his head; “All right, I’ll play, but you have to let me take my own time in coming to a decision.”
The Two Jinxes looked at each other and then shrugged. One of them said; “if you’re thinking of turning this into an endurance contest…” The other grinned; “We can handle it!”
Dynotaku had wandered away from
them, staring off into space; he muttered to himself “We’ll see…” Reaching out he tapped the comm. panel on the
wall; “Bridge,
Tanj’s voice floated back; “Flight deck. Dynotaku? What’s up?”
The Unicorn grinned and looked back over his shoulder at the bound pair; “Need a favor. I’ll explain later; right now I just want you to drop the temperature in the cargo bay as far as you dare.”
Tanj looked at the monitor and frowned. Panning the camera, she caught sight of the twin Jinxes, and knew immediately what had happened to Hinoki. Pity. The first look at the recording of Zassa’s reaction to the Hinoki-Monster’s errant cock had been priceless, not to mention Kath’s cameo appearance. Shrugging she nodded; “OK, I’ll see what I can do.”
Hinoki felt the breeze from the air handling system change, and knew immediately he was in trouble. The Unicorn was dropping the temperature in the cargo bay. How long could he hold on? This was going to get VERY uncomfortable…..
Jinx shivered and shook her head, as much as she was able. She hadn’t thought he’d think of that. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound….
Tanj watched the temperature drop in the cargo bay, and frowned. Hinoki wasn’t going to like this… But… if the Unicorn could stand it…. Fortunately, the Skunkette had a thicker coat than the Unicorn, and should be the more comfortable of the three. Still, she had no intention of letting things go on too long…
Jinx watched her breath form in front of her muzzle, and then shifted her eyes to look at the OTHER Jinx. Was it her imagination or was that skunkette just a little “hairy-er” than she was? Could the Hinoki monster extrude tentacles so fine as to resemble fur? And why didn’t she see HIS breath steaming? Surely he still had to breathe, didn’t he?
Dynotaku wondered if it would be fair to leave the two long enough to fetch a parka, and then decided he dare not take his eyes off Hinoki… whichever one WAS Hinoki. Convinced the Monster would break before he would, he wrapped his arms around himself and just waited.
Hinoki groaned to himself. Tooooo cold. He could feel himself slowing down; soon he wouldn’t be able to move. He wasn’t worried about surviving; he could take the temperature of deep space, and survive, as long as eventually he was warmed out. It just wasn’t very pleasant. And the Unicorn was going to figure it out in a moment anyways, when he stopped moving. With a groan, he yelled; “OK, I give! I surrender! YOU WIN!”
Tanj grinned and slapped the environmental panel. She’d only be able to warm the cargo bay up so fast, but at least it wouldn’t get any colder.
Dynotaku grinned and bent to release the REAL Jinx. Offering a hand to help her up he smiled; “Now… what would you say to a nice warm bath?”
Jinx shivered and nodded; “Sounds good.” Turning she looked at Hinoki; he was only slowly changing back to his normal appearance; “Are you OK?”
Hinoki shuddered and nodded slightly; “Will be, in a bit.”
Dynotaku just grinned, and led the Skunkette from the chill air of the cargo bay.
---
When the door had closed behind them, Hinoki muttered to himself; “This isn’t over yet….”
---
Kittiara watched over the Cheetah’s shoulder as she ran the video. The sight of Hinoki chasing his errant cock down the corridor made her laugh, but Zassa’s reaction made her laugh so hard it brought tears to her eyes. “Oh, that’s simply priceless. That should be all the rage in the Empire, when you get a chance to release it.”
Tanj blinked; “Release it? Gee, we just made this for our own amusement; I don’t think it was intended to be a commercial venture….”
The Kurani smiled; “never the less, I do think you should consider it….”
---
It was one of those rare moments aboard the ship; a moment an outside observer might call “normal”… Zassa sat at the wardroom table, idly leafing through a fashion magazine. Kath was doing dishes, and Wanda was making entries in her journal. And Jinx was just finishing a second helping of Apple pie….
“Yes, it really was an interesting experience. But I guess it was marred by the fact that I wasn’t really helpless. I could talk the creatures into releasing me any time I wanted.”
Zassa grinned “Do you think you could do it again?”
Jinx raised an eyebrow; “Do what again”?
Zassa purred; “Fuck Hinoki until you had control over him again.”
Jinx grinned back; “you’ve got an ulterior motive, haven’t you?”
Zassa nodded; “I think he left me tied up much too long, and I missed way too many interesting things. I think I need to return the favor.”
Jinx thought for a minute; “You know, Dynotaku’s been treating me the same way….”
Zassa got that look and purred; “Maybe we could take them both down a notch…”
Middle of Nowhere
Despite the Kurani’s nonchalance, Tanj had the ship secured for battle, when they dropped out of warp on the edge of the system. A dim red giant primary, a widely dispersed asteroid belt, and a single planet was all the sensors reported. No power sources. No ships. Nothing. The place looked deserted. And for good reason; there wasn’t anything of interest there.
Kittiara smiled; “Head for the planet.”
Tanj shrugged and brought the ship around; “All right, but I don’t think there’s anyone home…”
The Kurani’s smile widened; “Appearances can be deceiving.”
Turning she headed for the door; “Please call me when we’re getting close. The approach can be a little tricky.”
---
Tanj watched the sensors as they approached the planet. Occasionally they passed something that might have been an ion trail… or it might have been just noise. They WERE close to the Kurani frontier out here, and she could just imagine patrols from the Oligarchy passing through, looking for smugglers, looking for pirates, looking for Trouble…..
The Kurani came back through the door, bearing a tray heaped with sandwiches. She handed Tanj a mug of coffee, set the tray on the communications console and settled herself into the copilot’s acceleration couch.
Tanj looked at the tray; “Um… we won’t be needing….?”
The Kurani looked at the tray, selected a sandwich, and shook her head no. “Not unless my twin brother is home; but that’s rather unlikely.”
Tanj turned back to the Nav display, and sipped her coffee. She almost choked on it. It was heavily laden with Irish whiskey and heavy cream…. Irish Coffee at a time like this? Shrugging she returned her attention to what the Nav display was showing her.
Zassa slipped through the door, and came up behind Tanj, her eyes fixed on the main viewscreen. “now that looks familiar.”
Tanj nodded; “Yes. It reminds me of Gates’ World.”
The Kurani chuckled from the copilot’s seat; “The pirates! They stole it from us! We had it first, and I can document that!”
The Vixen watched the asteroids and moonlets moving across the disc of the planet and shook her head; “Gates’ has more.”
The Kurani chuckled; “Maybe, but I doubt theirs are as well armed.”
Tanj frowned; “I’m not showing anything. No sensors, no power sources, no magnetic containment fields or cryogenic temperatures…. Nothing normally associated with weapons….”
Kittiara nodded as she munched another sandwich; “That’s because, at the moment, they’re all off. But if you zoom in, um, there, on the lower left corner of the screen, that dot moving diagonally upwards…” Tanj zoomed the display in, and then in again, and then, in amazement, in again. What it showed was not an asteroid, but some sort of derelict spacecraft. It looked like an assembly of cones; two broad based, short cones base to base, with that pair tip to tip with another pair just like it. And it was full of holes, covered in blast marks, and traveling in its own cloud of debris.
Zassa muttered; “What IS that? And what happened to it?”
The Kurani chuckled; “That, my dear Vixen, is my brother’s handiwork.”
The Vixen looked at the Kurani; “What? He destroyed that ship by himself?”
The Kurani laughed; “oh, no. He picked it, and the others like it, up at an Oligarchy military surplus sale. The Oligarchy destroyed the ships, and my brother bought the scrap.” She grinned; “he’s been slowly restoring them, reprogramming the computers, upgrading here and there…. They form the core of our outer defenses here.” She turned and looked at the Vixen, eyes twinkling; “Believe me, from Ops we can have them active in less than a hand of minutes.”
Zassa stole a look at the Kurani’s paw; thumb and three fingers. Would that be four, or three minutes? She kept trying to remember that in the Oligarchy, they operated on a base eight numerical system. Sometimes she had to force herself to remember that Kittiara was part alien…..
“See that bluish rock? Follow that for a bit. Pull in right behind it. Then, when you see the dumbbell shaped rock pass left to right, below you, turn and follow that.”
Tanj shot the Kurani a look and nodded. It wasn’t the path her nav computer was suggesting, but the rocks here weren’t as numerous or moving as fast as those at Gates’ World….
Hinoki wandered onto the flight deck, and paused to watch. After a moment he reached down and grabbed a sandwich. “Cool! Tuna fish and peanut butter! My favorite!”
Zassa shot a look at the Cheetah-monster and winced. It was lost on him however, as he proceeded to stuff the sandwich in his mouth.
Tanj watched the rock come in from the right; it passed less than a hundred meters over her ship. So far, the Kurani’s instructions had been working, although there was a lot that was “too close for comfort”. Still, the Kurani didn’t seem to be fazed in the least….
“See that egg shaped rock? The one that looks like an Easter egg? Pull in behind that, and follow it until you’re over that huge peak down there. Once we’re past the mountain, look for a chasm running left and right. Drop into the chasm, heading to the right.”
Tanj frowned; “INTO the chasm?”
Kittiara nodded; “Don’t mind the gun emplacements; they’re off line.”
Zassa frowned; “how could you possibly know they’re off line?”
The Kurani grinned; “Because the last time we passed over the ditch, they didn’t shoot at us, silly!”
The Vixen just winced.
Tanj watched the surface of the planet as the ship descended. There were a large number of craters around the trench, and the mountain looked curiously... “melted.” “What happened here?”
Kittiara smiled; “Just a little collateral damage from the last Xurian invasion. They almost got in…… It was after that, that my brother went shopping for some additional hardware, for our defense…..”
Zassa frowned. Xurians? Who the hell were the Xurians? And why would they want to invade THIS
place? Softly she muttered; “Toto, I
don’t think we’re in
Dynotaku slipped through the door, just as the ship was dropping below ground level. Clopping forward, he stared at the viewscreen. THIS certainly was different.
Hinoki watched as the ship passed a niche carved in the rock. He didn’t know what the greenish-metal objects installed there were, but they didn’t look friendly…. But as the Kurani had said, they also didn’t look “active”
Dynotaku took a quick glance at the sensor display. As they’d been descending, an atmosphere had been forming around the ship. Apparently this crack in the planet’s crust was deep enough that it held an atmosphere. Temperatures were rising… raising an eyebrow he realized they might just be able to survive outside the ship without a suit….
“All right, just after this bend to the left, there will be a hole in the rock wall, on the left. That’s the entrance.”
Tanj blinked and let the ship’s forward progress slow almost to a crawl; “We go… in?”
The Kurani smiled; “Yes, its not that difficult. You should have no trouble.”
Zassa frowned as the ship turned into the dark passage. On the main viewer, ultrasonics, radar, and infra-red had each shown up as “wire mesh” overlays; the path ahead was clear, but Zassa reached down, to flick on the ship’s exterior work lights. What she saw wasn’t reassuring. All down one side of the cave was a huge metallic scrape. “looks like someone wasn’t too careful…”
Kittiara chuckled; “I suspect that was more from a hasty exit, than a reckless entry…..” somehow the Vixen didn’t find that reassuring…..
Tanj moved her ship carefully around a bend; as they made the turn, the view gradually lightened, until they exited into a huge natural chamber. On the floor of the chamber were over a dozen ships, of all sorts. Dynotaku frowned and wondered what a bulk tanker was doing here… and how it had made it through the twists and turns of the entrance tunnel.
Kittiara laughed and remarked that once, long ago, they’d actually run out of beer, and some of the regulars had gone out and pirated a ship from the Schliz fleet.
The Unicorn leaned forward peering at the viewscreen; “How long ago was this?”
The Kurani shrugged; “I don’t know, maybe…. Six years?”
The Unicorn’s face was carefully neutral; “Back then, Schliz made a brand known as “Old Milwauchee”…..
Kittiara turned in her seat to look up at him; “Why, yes, I believe that’s what they stole.”
The Unicorn nodded thoughtfully; “How much is left?”
The Kurani shrugged; “I don’t know; I’d guess in excess of 60,000 liters. Why?”
The Unicorn grinned; “I think I’m going to like this place.”
Zassa frowned and turned to look at the Unicorn; “you LIKE that stuff?” Looking away she muttered; “you’re weirder than I thought!”
Tanj watched the Kurani; she seemed to know each ship, and the furrs that crewed them. She rattled off names, species, and “occupations” faster than she could keep track….. It sounded like a genuine rogue’s gallery… Finding an open place on the cavern floor, she set the ship down without a bump. It was a tight fit.
The Kurani was the first one off the ship. Curiously, she appeared to not even think twice about her nudity. Most everyone else, though, found something to pull on, except for Hinoki, who merely changed his outward appearance. It was curious; as they moved through the cavern, his shorts and tee-shirt seemed to quietly flow into old and stained fatigues. The next time Tanj looked, he seemed to be carrying a side-arm… she wondered if it was real, or just a prop. Smiling she patted the pocket of her jumpsuit where she’d stuffed the disruptor. This certainly looked like the kind of place you wanted to go armed.
“That one there is mine” she purred. Jinx followed the finger; the ship was comparatively small, jet black, and shaped like a partially melted manta ray, the wingtips drooping down to form supports, as it rested on the cavern floor. She turned and explained to the others; ‘It’s a Kurani deep space fighter. Crew of three.” She grinned at the Unicorn; “Stolen, of course.”
Tanj muttered; “Does your mate know about it?”
Kittiara laughed; “of course. He’s the one who helped me steal it!” She chuckled; “But that was back before we were mated…. I think we’re both a little more… ah,… responsible now.”
Jinx shot the Kurani a look and muttered; “Yeah…. Right”.
The Kurani just smiled; “This way.”
The powered door looked like something salvaged off of a warship several hundred years ago. It moved slowly, although without any of the squeals or groans something that ancient usually made. Its slow motion became apparent as it gradually opened; it was a body-length thick. Tanj looked at the Kurani and crooked an eyebrow upwards; “Xurians, eh?”
Kittiara nodded; “Yes, after the last go-round we decided we needed something a little more… resistant. That door is an iridium alloy and should outlast the rock around it.”
Tanj just nodded.
The tunnel was better finished than the passage into the docking cavern, and seemed to have been made by some sort of mining machine. The surface, however, was still rough, the tunnel shape as close to round as could be expected. After a few turns, they came to another door, apparently of the same manufacture. As it slowly slid open, Tanj was surprised to find a rather pleasant scene on the other side.
The cavern had probably started out naturally, but had been nicely finished. Here and there were planters holding everything from flowers to towering trees. Diffused light filtered down from somewhere high overhead. Around the perimeter of the chamber were various shops, and here and there a furr was seen moving about. It had a quiet, peaceful, and entirely too normal a look. The Kurani grinned and gestured; “Home away from home. My quarters are down that access tunnel in the north residential wing. Feel free to look around; if you need me, I’ll be in the bar.”
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “You… feel the sudden need for a drink?”
Kittiara laughed; “No, I need to check on business. Besides, it’s the best place to find the smugglers we need to talk to.” With a grin she turned and headed for a neon-lit entrance.
Kath nudged Wanda and pointed to a kiosk set up under a huge tree of a type she’d never seen before; “Mistress…. Look at those”
Wanda followed the mink’s finger and nodded; “Interesting. Lets go take a closer look.”
Dynotaku frowned; there was a shop on the other side of the plaza; obviously a weapons store of sorts. And there was a piece in the window… Nodding to the others he turned and headed that way.
Hinoki looked around; there didn’t seem to be a shop like his anywhere here, and he wondered if this might be a good franchise location. Turning to Doodles and Sashi he grinned; “I think I’m going to go check out this bar. You two scout around and find out what this place is like, and I’ll see you there in a bit.”
Tanj fell in next to the Cheetah-Monster and hooked her arm through his; “What do you think of this place?”
Hinoki looked around and shrugged; “Don’t know. Somehow it looks too…. “normal” for a place so well hidden. No bunkers, no obvious gun emplacements….. Curious that they’d change their “theme” so suddenly….”
Doodles peered down the circular tunnel and frowned; his ears had picked up a strange scraping sound. Curious, he bent over and started down the tunnel…..
Wanda held the glittering device up to her left ear and grinned at Kath; “What do you think?
Kath nodded slowly; “its… different all right.” Turning to the shopkeeper she raised an eyebrow; “What did you call it again? A beejouran earring?”
Sashi couldn’t read the writing over the doorway, which was a surprise as it was in at least a half a dozen different scripts. Shrugging she stepped forward. The doors parted smartly and she stepped through, wondering what the place was.
The Tigress’ eyes went wide, and she almost dropped the beer mug. “THERE you are! Where in the HELL have you been?”
Kittiara smiled; “Hello, Katja; miss me?” The Tigress just spluttered.
Tanj watched curiously. The Tigress had flopped a huge, ancient and inkstained book in front of the Kurani and was growling things like “And the Hamani brothers are saying you STILL haven’t paid them for the last shipment” and “I can’t get Barnaby to take a draft with my name on it; YOU’RE going to have to get him the money and quickly, or he’ll repossess it!” Stacks of receipts, invoices, bills of lading and other unidentified documents were spilling off the bartop and onto the floor. The Kurani seemed to be taking it all in stride, as if this happened every time she walked through the door. Well, maybe it did.
Hinoki watched the Tigress, noting the fact that she too was nude. Maybe it was the custom here. And yet, of the dozen or so furrs in the bar, only half were nude. The others were dressed to various degrees, everything from loincloths to powered armor. Or was that an environment suit of some sort; it was hard to tell. Dark vapor swirled behind the faceplate and he wasn’t really sure who, or what was in there.
Jinx grinned at the Skunkette waitress; “Hi, you must be Kris! I’ve heard all about you!”
Kris frowned; “Don’t believe a word of it! Um…. Want something to drink?”
Jinx nodded enthusiastically; “Some of that blue stuff Kittiara talks about.” Her grin widening, Jinx purred; “And put it on HER tab!”
Sabina watched the Skunkette; “What IS that”
Jinx shrugged; “Don’t know; something Kittiara called Rhomulan Ale… She says its strong.”
Sabrina leaned forward to sniff it; “And is it?”
---
Doodles jumped back as something broke through the tunnel wall just ahead of him; cutting head whining due to the sudden lack of resistance, it leapt across the tunnel and attacked the far wall. Shuddering, it slowly vanished. Turing and heading back the way he came, the Bunny wondered what in the HELL that was? Whatever it was, it was obviously the thing that was creating the tunnels…..
---
The Tigress looked up as Sashi came through the door; her look was not exactly unpleasant, but it was certainly “guarded”. “May I help you?”
Sashi shrugged; “Just looking around.” As she spoke, she did just that; the room looked like the bridge of a major warship. There were monitors, holographic displays, and control stations throughout the room. The Tigress sat at a semi-circular console in the middle of the room, from which she could monitor most of the other stations. The room looked like it had been made for a crew of at least a dozen, and yet she was the only one there. “Just what IS this place?”
The Tigress smiled; “Operations. Everything from civil engineering to system defense.”
Sashi made a small “oh” sound; “And you do this all by yourself?”
The Tigress put her paws behind her head and leaned back, stretching; “We’re pretty highly automated. In fact, in some areas you wouldn’t BELIEVE how automated we are….”
Sashi couldn’t help but notice as the Tigress stretched, how her breasts thrust out……
---
Corey bent to peer down the tunnel; he frowned slightly and then straightened; “Waveguides?” Turing he wandered on, muttering to himself. He’d gone about ten meters when he turned and quickly strode back. Peering into the tunnel he smiled and nodded happily to himself; “OF COURSE! WAVEGUIDES! Why didn’t I think of that before!”
Doodles emerged from the tunnel, glad to have found his way out again, and looked curiously at the Lynx. Corey stared back and then inquired; “What were you doing in the waveguide?”
Doodles’ mouth opened and closed, and then he shrugged; “Inspecting it.”
The Lynx clapped him on the back and nodded; “Good fur! Very good. Let me know if you find any defects; its horribly important!”
Doodles stared at him for a moment, and with a sigh, turned and headed back into the tunnel. Next time he’d just admit he’d gotten lost…….
---
Dynotaku tried the door again, and sighed when it refused to open. He really wanted to talk to the owner about that ’03 Hapsta disintegrator in the display case. Those things were incredibly rare, and very powerful. A sidearm of distinction. Something that friends would envy and enemies fear. Hearing a light tap-tap behind him, he turned.
The Ferret grinned up at him; “Sorry, Sir, but Krrut’s away.”
Dynotaku took in the sight; the Ferret was nude, and hobbled, with her arms bound tightly behind her. Raising an eyebrow he calmly replied; “Any idea when he’d be back? I’m really interested in something he has in the display window.”
The Ferret smiled back; “I think Eridani, in Ops, has the key. He might have left her instructions about what to do if a customer calls.”
Dynotaku nodded slowly; “Okay… can you tell me where to find Ops?”
The Ferret grinned; “I’ll be glad to show you; just follow me.”
Dynotaku watched the Ferret’s tight ass move as she walked with tiny steps, the chain jangling, and wondered if she wasn’t as great a find as the Hapsta….
---
Kittiara closed the book and firmly pushed it away; “enough. We’ll finish this later.” Turning she looked around the bar; “Have you seen Tanabi? Or maybe Celes?”
Katja leaned on the bar, still scowling at the ledger; “Smugglers?” She looked up and grinned; “What are we importing this time? Something good to drink, I hope. jonwI’ has been giving me grief about the ale; says things are changing and he’s having trouble filling our orders…”
Kittiara smiled and shook her head; “No, not an import; got an export order.”
The Tigress’ gaze shifted to Tanj, and she muttered; “Uh-HUH” thoughtfully. Looking back at the Kurani she shrugged; “I haven’t seen Tanabi in a few days. Celes is in port; she should be in later this evening.”
Kittiara nodded; “It would probably be best if I talked to her after she’s had a few drinks; it might make getting the information I need a mite easier.” Katja nodded sagely; “Riiiiight.” “See if you can scare up Tanabi for me, too. Its always better to have multiple sources of information.”
The Tigress nodded; “Not a problem.” After a moment she looked slyly at the Kurani; “So you’ll be here for a while?”
Kittiara sighed; “Depends on how long it takes me to get the information I need……”
The Tigress laughed; “You KNOW what’s probably going to be required…….”
---
“Tell me, can I get a phased plasma flow of at least thirty terawatts here?” Tanj looked over her shoulder at the Lynx. She thought they’d left him on the ship.
Behind her, the Tigress just laughed; “Sugar, around here you can get almost anything, if you’ve got enough money.”
The Lynx swallwed, as he looked at the Tigress, as if noticing for the first time that she wasn’t wearing anything; “Um… then you CAN provide such a flow?”
Katja shot the Kurani a look, and then turned to a comm. Panel. The button she stabbed was well-worn; “Hey Sis; got a customer here looking for a jolt of plasma. He’s buying.”
A voice came back from the speaker; it sounded just a little breathless; “Ummmm…. Ahhhh….. probably… what’s he need?”
The Tigress grinned at the Kurani; “Sounds like Sis is being bad again….”
Kittiara nodded sagely; “That’s what happens when she spends so much time alone in Ops. Anyone who walks in is likely to get pounced. You really DO need to get her out more….”
Corey cleared his throat and looked from furr to furr; “Um…. Phased Plasma flow, modulated to thirty terawatts. More if you have it.”
For a long moment there was silence from the comm. Panel broken by a low moan; “Ummmmm…. Yeah…… we’ve got one of those, ah….. mark twelve’s left from that wrecked Xurian dreadnought. I think I can coax it back to life. That ought to put out power like that. I think…..” Someone giggled, and the connection was broken suddenly.
Katja looked at the Lynx and shrugged; “you heard her.”
Corey nodded; “Well, if they can do that….” He turned to look at Tanj; “This place should be adequate for my needs.”
Tanj blinked; “Ibegyourpardon?”
Corey nodded; “Well, doesn’t it fit all the requirements? Its out of the way, not much to damage, not much chance of anyone finding us here. No significant chance of the Empire or Gates’ world interfering. I should be able to conclude my research here, IF the power is available as promised!”
Kittiara smiled; “by all means, Professor; she turned and grinned at the barmaid; “Katja here will be your liaison; if you have any problems, just see her.”
Behind the bar, the Tigress sputtered in outrage and frustration. Corey didn’t seem to notice; “Thank you; you’re most kind.” Turning to the Tigress he nodded; “Madam, I shall prepare a list of requirements forthwith. Um… can you get someone to help unload my equipment from the ship?”
At a lull in the conversation, Zassa leaned across the bar, and caught the Tigress’ eye; “So, Katja, tell me; what is there to do around here?” The Tigress just grinned.
---
Brolly looked up at the Unicorn, and chuckled; “Mistress, actually, but she has no problem with me picking up a temporary Master, as long as I come back to her….”
Dynotaku raised an eyebrow; “Sounds most… flexible.”
The Ferret laughed; “Hey, that’s what Ferrets are; Flexible. But Mistress is pretty accommodating too, just so long as I tell her about all the juicy details. Loves a good story she does. Ah, here we are.”
Dynotaku’s eyes went wide as the door slid aside. Sashi seemed to be quite intimately involved with a rather large Tigress. Right there in the middle of the floor, in Ops. Classic 69 position, each licking the other the way only felines seem to manage; with slow, loving strokes of rough tongues…. Clearing his throat he looked down at the Ferret; “Um… maybe we should come back later.”
Brolly nodded sagely; “Yeah…” She looked up at the Unicorn; “But I’m sure we can find a way to pass the time…..”
---
Sabina hiccupped and grinned lopsidedly at Hinoki; “Thish schtuff is great! You ghotta tri it…..” Next to her, Jinx stared at her drink a little cross-eyed and just nodded sagely. Hinoki looked at Kris, who just grinned and shrugged.
---
Tanj looked up as Wanda and Kath came in, her eye drawn to the glittering movement on their right ears. Grinning, she lightly inquired; “How’s the shopping?”
Wanda flicked an ear, causing the bright chains to tinkle musically, and smiled; “Oh, there are a few items of interest, but in general the selection is poor and the prices high.” She shrugged; “Didn’t really expect much else in the middle of nowhere.”
On the other side of the bar, Katja just chuckled.
Tanj nodded and looked over at the Kurani; she’d opened the leger again and was studying something she’d found there. “So, what’s the plan?”
Kittiara looked up, and shrugged; “There are a few furrs I need to talk to. I’ll wait here for them; everyone in Port Royale comes through here eventually.” She shot the Tigress a look and then turned back “Why don’t you go wander around a bit, see the sights, and come back after dinner. This place is a whole lot more lively in the evening.”
Katja just chuckled quietly at that.
Zassa raised an eyebrow; “See the sights? WHAT sights?”
Kittiara turned and leaned on the bar. With her chin cupped in one paw, her elbow on the scarred wood, she grinned at the Vixen, almost nose to nose; “Well, for starters there’s the river.”
Zassa blinked; “River? WHAT river? This place looks like a total dustball!”
The Kurani nodded; “Oh, on the surface, it is. But down at the bottom of the gorge, its really rather nice.” She straightened; “just follow the tunnel down to the floor of the gorge, and you’ll see.” She grinned; “And don’t worry about a bathing suit; no one around here ever uses ‘em.”
The Vixen nodded slowly; “Ooooookay…” Turning she looked at Hinoki; “You, ah, want to go for a walk?”
Hinoki shrugged; “Sure, I’m up for it.”
Katja watched them leave, and then turned to the Kurani; “You didn’t warn them.” Kittiara lifted her gaze from the book and smiled; “Oh, I’m not worried about it. If you knew this crowd, you’d know they’d take it in stride. Now, what’s this entry here about seventeen hundred credits for floor cleaner? Isn’t that a bit much?”
The Tigress shrugged; “Oh, the Stevens brothers got into a shootout a couple of months ago. It took forever to get the bloodstains out of the rock. Porous, you know….”
Kittiara frowned; “Why didn’t you just bring in Bro’s mining machine and take an inch off the floor?”
Katja sighed; “Because the stains were on the walls, the ceiling… and we’ve already taken it down so far I was afraid we’d get into the wiring. And THAT would have cost a bunch more.” She grinned; “Besides, you should have seen the cute salesfurr…….”
Zassa grumbled as she strode down the corridor; it seemed to be going down, and down, and down, constant switchbacks, and lit only occasionally with a dim light. Talk about the middle of nowhere! And worse, there was nothing to DO. No shopping, no malls, and only one bar. ONE! They didn’t even have a band!
Jinx hiccupped and leaned on Sabina, as the Kitten leaned on her. She wasn’t really sure where they were going, but that was OK… She’d gotten that nice striped lady to give her a bottle of the blue stuff…..
Tanj watched the Skunkette weave as she walked and hoped the inevitable headache wouldn’t destroy the planet…..
---
“At LAST! Geez, I think we’ve come down a kilometer!”
Wanda nodded; “At least. And just think; we get to go back up again, too!”
Kath nodded, and looked past her mistress; “Still…..” As the party exited the tunnel and looked around, Kath let out a low whistle; “It MIGHT just have been worth it….”
Lush tropical foliage surrounded them. There was a slight trace of a path through it, and a little ways off, the sound of moving water could be heard. The air was full of moisture; so full, it was hazy, and the light was dim, incredibly tall canyon walls rising into the distance, with only a bright stripe across the distance to show where the “sky” was. Zassa pushed through the unfamiliar plants, following the sound of water.
---
“Oooooh, this IS nice.”
Wanda nodded in agreement; they’d come to a natural pool. To their right, water cascaded over a twenty meter cliff in a picturesque waterfall. The beach seemed to be pure quartz sand, and there was a rock, a few meters out in the water that looked just perfect for laying on. With a grin, the Vixen tore off what little she wore, and dove into the water.
Wanda peered after her; when the Vixen surfaced, she growled; “Find any rocks?”
The Vixen shook her head; “It goes down real quick. Don’t know how deep it is, but its plenty deep for diving!”
Wanda nodded, and started to undo her blouse; “Water is OK?”
The Vixen laughed and nodded; “Yeah; fresh water, and nice and warm, too. Come on in!”
Kath laughed and ran past Wanda, to do a cannonball; the splash soaked everyone close. Hinoki just laughed, his body texture changing as what had looked like clothes were absorbed back into him, to be replaced with what looked like just fur; “Hey, another advantage; I can be completely wet, but not have to put up with wet clothes! Cool!”
Tanj looked at the weathered sign and nodded absently. “Yeah… Cool.” She’d been too far away to be splashed. When she finished reading, she looked up. Everyone else was in the water. Well, it was early yet, and they could try this later. Unzipping her jumpsuit she headed for the water’s edge; it had been ages since she’d been swimming.
---
Brolly squirmed and moaned; she and the Unicorn had indeed found something else to do. They’d found a quiet alcove off the commons area, and some pieces of rope; he’d tied her to a table and as she lay there, “helpless”, he was feeding her his cock. A nice, thick, LONG cock. With her head tilted back, over the edge of the table, she groaned as he slid it into her mouth, until the head pushed against the back of her throat, teasing her with it; she, for her part, licked him, where she could, doing her best to tease back……. It was a delightful way to kill time, until Eridani might be done with her lady friend.
---
Kittiara frowned, as she examined the ledger; “There’s an entry here for Ironbadger’s Custom Leather Shop….”
Katja chuckled; “Yeah, I had a few things made. To MY measurements. Care to see them?”
The Kurani looked up; “And you charged them to the BAR?”
Katja shrugged and nodded; “Yeah. Entertainment expenses.”
Kittiara closed the ledger; “Your’s, or the customers’?”
The Tigress grinned and nodded; “Both, yes.”
The Kurani nodded; “Yes, I’d like to see them…..”
---
Tanj lay on the rock looking up at the bright stripe of the sky. It would have to be three kilometers up, at least. The ship had descended a long way, and it felt like they’d come down a kilometer at least, in that switchback tunnel. And the air density down here, by the river, was a lot higher than in the docking cavern. It really was rather pleasant down here… Closing her eyes, she found herself dozing…
---
“Hey, LOOK WHAT WE FOUND!”
Tanj jerked awake, uncertain, for an instant, where she was. Sitting up, she saw a round yellow thing rapidly floating down the river. Someone who looked a lot like Jinx was waving from it… Worse, it looked as if Sabina was with her. And then it was out of sight around a bend in the river.
Hinoki sighed; “Now we’re in trouble.”
Tanj shook her head; it was coming back now; “Maybe not… There was an old sign over there about some sort of river raft ride, but the sign was broken and I couldn’t read it all.”
Hinoki looked at her for a moment, and then said; “Well, unless you want to get the ship, to go after them, maybe we’d better go look at it.”
The writing was faded, and the wood rotted and broken. There was obviously more to what the sign had once said, but a quick search failed to turn up any more pieces. Hinoki shrugged; “It certainly LOOKS as if its OK….”
Tanj nodded; “But you’re right; they’d been drinking and we ought to go after them.” Looking up she growled; “Zassa, if we’re not back in a couple of hours, get the ship and come looking. And send someone to find that danged Kurani and tell HER what happened; maybe she’ll know what’s at the other end.” Turning back, Tanj pulled a faded yellow package from the remnants of the wooden bin, and carried it towards the water.
Hinoki watched the raft inflate, and smiled. The sign had said something about the raft trip having been designed for lovers, and that had gotten him thinking….
Tanj knelt at the edge of the raft, peering down the river. The mists were thicker than she’d like, and it was difficult to see where they were going, let alone spot the wayward pair. Growling softly she wondered why the raft hadn’t come with paddles….
Hinoki reclined on the far side of the raft, his head pillowed by the sidewall. He had a fine view of Tanj’s posterior, and smiling, stretched out his tail, to lightly stroke up along the inside of one thigh. Tanj turned and shot him a look, part scowl and part grin; “Don’t tell me you’re “hungry” again.”
The Cheetah just chuckled; “Always hungry. You know that. Besides, its not likely we’ll catch up with them unless they run aground or something.”
Tanj sighed and nodded, and turned to peer back downstream. Hinoki chuckled and let the tip of his tail move up between her legs, to stroke her lightly. He knew it wouldn’t take long to get her aroused…..
---
Wanda shrugged; “well I don’t want to climb all the way back up, until I have to.” Both Wanda and Zassa turned to look at Kath. The Mink sighed, and shook her head, resignedly. Turning she headed for the tunnel and the long trek back to the bar.
---
Tanj smiled in spite of herself as Hinoki’s tail teased her. It was curious how it seemed to change texture, from silky smooth to bumpy, to rough, and back. Despite herself, she was getting wet; he just knew her too well. And she couldn’t see anything ahead of them, even when the river was straight, and that wasn’t too often….. She OUGHT to just relax and enjoy it…..
Hinoki purred, and slowly worked the tip of his tail into the Cheetah’s sex. For a while, he teased her, sliding it in and out slowly, until she was panting lightly, and dripping wet. He started moving the tip of his tail around, pulling it out and “painting” her rosebud with her juices, teasing her there as well until he could slide his tail into her back passage as well. By then, she was squirming rather nicely…. As the raft undulated over a series of ripples in the water, he had a thought….
Tanj felt Hinoki shift, rise to his knees and come up behind her. She’d wondered what’d taken him so long. Purrring she felt his paws on her hips, felt the head of his shaft brush her asshole… and then felt an identical sensation at her pussy…. Two cocks? Well, for Hinoki that wouldn’t be a problem. Chuckling, she pushed back against him, feeling a double penetration….. and then the raft bounced over a series of ripples, the uncontrolled motion leaving her gasping……
---
Kath was panting hard, when she finally made it to the bar. She’d decided there might just be an emergency, given that it was Jinx that had floated off, and thought that maybe it would be prudent to find out as fast as possible. So she’d jogged through the switchback tunnel. It wasn’t quite the “vertical mile” but still, she was pushing her limits, when she finally made it up to the level of the docking bay, and the commons area.
Kittiara looked up as the wet Mink came through the door, panting hard. She pulled the strap tight, tucked the loose end under the other side of the buckle, under the loop that would hold it nice and flat, and turned to look at her; “Is there a problem?”
Kath looked from the tightly bound Katja, to the Kurani, and just blinked; “Huh?”
---
Tanj moaned softly; she’d pushed Hinoki back, until his body was leaned back at about a 45 degree angle; she was essentially sitting on his crotch, bent forward, twin cocks buried in pussy and ass, thoroughly loving the motions of the raft as it bounced across a series of mild rapids. This was FUN!
Hinoki felt the raft drift into a series of eddy currents, spinning almost like a top, bumping against the canyon wall occasionally, and laughed. His paws were braced against the moving floor of the raft behind him, and with each ripple they encountered, the flexible floor of the raft seemed to push him up, thrusting his hips at the Cheetah without any assistance from him. It was random, and just violent enough to make it a great fuck!
---
Kath shook her head; “Why should you tying up Katja be a problem?”
Katja, tightly gagged, and bound, did her best to shrug as if she couldn’t see the difficulty either.
Kittiara frowned for a second and then shook her head; “No.. not that; the way you came in here, it looked as if something had happened. Down at the pool perhaps?”
Kath’s eyes went wide and her mouth formed a silent “OH!” and she nodded energetically.
---
The next set of rapids looked to be more severe; Hinoki chuckled, straightened and reached up, to take Tanj in his arms; pulling her off his cocks, he turned her and put her down on the floor of the raft. Grinning at her, he mounted her, missionary style. Just in time for the raft to go into a wild bouncing motion, slithering from side to side as the water currents drove it wildly down the river.
Tanj felt the Cheetah-Monster enter her, pussy and ass, again and then felt the raft bounce up beneath her, driving his shafts into her to the hilt. For a moment the world bounced uncontrollably; at times she thought Hinoki would fly off of her, fly completely out of the raft, and then things would change and he’d come slamming down. Howling at the top of her lungs, the wild and unexpected motions of the raft drove her to a series of climaxes every bit as rough and powerful as the rapids they were going over.
---
Kath sighed; “And then Tanj and Hinoki went after them in another raft. Mistress Zassa wants to know if we should get the ship and go after them.”
Kittiara turned to look at the Tigress. After a moment she started undoing the buckles that held the prod gag in place. This took a while. When she was finally able to pull the latex dong out of Katja’s mouth, she growled; “It still works?”
Katja nodded; “Yup. Used it just last week. Took that Deuterium Salesfurr for a ride down the river. Its as good as ever.”
Kittiara raised an eyebrow; “The Clydesdale?”
Katja just grinned; “Ah, you remember him! He still asks after you, you know.”
The Kurani just made a noncommittal noise and raised the gag; Katja turned her head away and laughed; “Not until you dip it in the Kahlua again!”
Kath watched the Kurani dip the prod in a brown liquid, and then push it into Katja’s open and waiting mouth. The Tigress looked inordinately pleased, while the Kurani refastened all the little buckles. Finally Kittiara turned back to the dripping Mink; “Its OK; they may be a little surprised, but they should be fine.”
Kath nodded; “OK, I’ll go tell Mistress Zassa.”
---
Hinoki felt the raft drift into smooth water, and sighed. Raising himself on his elbows he looked down the river; “That was Wild!’
Tanj nodded, obviously trying to catch her breath; “Yeah…. Uh… do you hear something?
The Cheetah-Monster frowned; “You mean… like rushing water?”
Tanj nodded; “More rapids?”
Hinoki grinned and thrust his hips forward a few times. “Hope so!”
Tanj howled; the next set of rapids were even worse. Hinoki had extruded tentacles to either side, to hold onto the raft; he’d also caused the cock in her ass to swell at the head, making it like a living butt-plug, firmly anchoring himself to her. And as the raft pounded over the rapids, she’d suffered through a string of firecracker climaxes that had left her dazed, and panting.
Hinoki howled as the raft tilted; for a moment he thought they were going to flip completely over, and then it slammed back to the water, right-side up; they spun violently first one way and then the other, bumped into something hard, lurched to the left and then shot forward at what seemed like horrendous speed. Underneath him, Tanj was writhing, and howling, her nipples rock hard against his chest, her pussy and ass clenching TIGHT around his shafts…. And then as she exploded into another series of climaxes, the water again smoothed out, and the raft drifted lazily.
---
Kath was panting hard again as she exited the tunnel; it had been a lot easier going down, than up, but she was still tired, her leg muscles aching. She exited the tunnel just in time to see a red-orange glow, filled with little sparkly things form above the pool. As the glow faded, Jinx, Sabina, and a round yellow object formed, and then fell about a half a dozen meters, into the pool, with a splash!
---
Tanj panted hard, eyes closed. Hinoki chuckled; “Had enough?”
The Cheetah laughed; “Oooooo, tough question. Any more rapids coming?”
Hinoki shrugged; “I hear something, but I’m not really sure. Think it’s a little ways down river.”
Tanj chuckled; “OK, roll me over; take me from behind. This time I want to watch. I think I’m good for one more go….”
---
Zassa watched, open mouthed, as Jinx and Sabina pulled the yellow thing to the shore, laughing, and giggling. “Where in the hell did you two go?”
Jinx looked at her and chuckled; “The ride of my life. I have GOT to find that Unicorn stud, and do that again! You wouldn’t BELIEVE it!” Next to her, Sabina just grinned and nodded.
---
Tanj thrust back to meet the Cheetah-Monster’s thrusts. She could hear rushing water ahead of them, but couldn’t see anything because of the mists. She wondered how far ahead Jinx and Sabina were, but in truth, most of her attention was centered on the twin cocks working in and out of her… Once again, she was getting So close to her release… The first bounce from the rapids ought to push her over the edge…..
Hinoki knelt behind Tanj, his hips moving rhythmically, his shafts working in and out of her…. Looking to one side, he thought he saw a beach, and there might even have been a trail leading away from it, up into the rocks…. And for a moment he thought he saw something that looked like the remnants of a sign…. But then they were past it, the water speed increasing, along with the turbulence. His paws clutching Tanj’s hips tighter, he pumped her a little faster, fully intending to make the next set of rapids the most memorable….
Tanj’s eyes went wide. The horizon seemed to be getting closer, awfully fast. The water speed seemed to be picking up, but so far there’d only been mild turbulence…. Something wasn’t right….
Hinoki felt Tanj’s muscles contract around his cocks and he almost lost his load right then and there. Grinning, he pulled her back to him, driving into her harder, faster, oblivious to anything but the feel of her as he fucked her hard.
Tanj found she didn’t have any voice; she wanted to scream, but couldn’t get a sound out. The reason the water was moving faster was that they were approaching a waterfall! She hoped it was a small one, like the pool where they’d started…. But at this point there wasn’t anything to do but hang on, and pray!
Hinoki felt the raft tip forward, felt it start to fall. Tanj howled out something, and he felt her body start to writhe, felt her pussy, and her ass clench hard around his shaft. Howling himself, he came, and came hard, filling her with his seed, his orgasm raging through him…
Tanj howled, and felt her body responding to Hinoki; felt her climax explode deep within her, felt little lightning bolts ricochet around inside her from pussy to ass to nipples to brain and back, even as they fell. The falls were immense! They were so tall the pool at the bottom was lost in the mists! Howling, her pussy spasming around his shafts, she felt them fall free of the raft and start to tumble through the air.
Hinoki HOWLED as their situation finally filtered through to his brain. Hanging onto Tanj TIGHT as they tumbled, a series of thoughts flashed through his mind; could he form wings? Could he extrude himself into a parachute? What could he do to keep them from falling to their deaths? And then, things in front of his eyes started to sparkle, an ominous hum filled the air, and everything turned red-orange….
Tanj saw things freeze, saw things sparkle and shift towards the red, and then the glow was fading; things looked different in the instant before they hit the water. And then she was spluttering, trying to swim, trying to find up, and find the surface, trying to take a breath of air. When she finally had herself oriented, she saw Wanda, Zassa, Kath… and Jinx and Sabina all standing on the beach, looking at her.
---
“But you were supposed to bring the raft to shore too!”
Tanj shook herself, and growled; “you expect me to think of a detail like THAT after… after THAT happened?”
Hinoki nodded; “It was just a little disconcerting, after all.”
Jinx waved a paw; “Oh, come on, it wasn’t THAT bad!”
Tanj frowned; “Just what were you and Sabina doing when you went over the falls?”
Sabina looked at the Skunkette and then looked back to Tanj; “Just sitting, talking, and admiring the view. Why?”
Tanj opened her mouth, and then closed it; “Nevermind.”
Behind her, Hinoki formed thumb and forefinger of one paw into a circle and slid the index finger of his other hand in and out of the hole, grinning.
Zassa laughed; “All right, you had a nasty shock; just be glad you’re in one piece!”
Tanj growled; “True, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give that Danged Kurani a piece of my mind!” Turning she stalked off towards the tunnel.
Hinoki paused to retrieve Tanj’s jumpsuit, before following her. As he walked, Kath caught up with him; “Um… Master Hinoki?”
Hinoki looked at her and raised an eyebrow, smiling; “Yes…?”
Kath grinned; “Well, um, Mistress Wanda and I were wondering, if perhaps….. maybe later, ah,… you might take her and me for a ride down the river….”
Hinoki chuckled, glanced at Wanda, and then back at the Mink; “Yeah, we might be able to work something out……”
Kath nodded; “Probably would be a lot more fun if you know what’s going to happen….”
Hinoki chuckled; “Oh, I dunno; I thought it was pretty slick as it was….”
---
Dynotaku smiled as the Ferret licked his cock clean; he’d cum in her mouth, then clopped around to the other side of the table, and taken her in her pussy, fucking her hard until he’d cum again, and now, the delightful Ferret was licking him clean of both her juices and his…. It was tempting to take her back to the ship, but he really did have something else he wanted to do… if he could just remember what it was.
---
Kittiara smiled, and pointed to the star chart; “And you say they’ve left this sector completely open?”
The Raccoon opened her mouth to answer, but before she could get a word out, her gaze rose; she found herself staring at a completely naked and still quite damp Cheetah, who looked particularly upset about something….
“Dammit, you could have warned us!”
The Kurani blinked “About what?”
“That… that river ride! The Raft thing!”
Realization dawned on the Kurani’s face; “Oh. That. Sorry, forgot about it….. I, ah, guess the transporter still works….”
Celes looked from the Kurani to the Cheetah and back again, obviously lost….. “What are you talking about?”
Tanj shook her head, eyes locked on the Kurani; “The… WHAT?”
Kittiara smiled; “It’s a device that transmits matter from point A to point B. Rather limited in range, though. AND in bandwidth. We got it from… well, a ways away. The Oligarchy knows about them, but doesn’t like them. Too many things that can go wrong. But Bro got one cheap at one of his military surplus sales, and installed it for the river ride.”
Tanj growled; “I thought we were dead!”
Kittiara smiled; “Bro assures me its reasonably safe, at least the way he’s got it set up. Now, if the start and finish points were moving relative to each other, it gets a little more risky, but….. Believe me, I wouldn’t have let you go down there if I’d thought you’d be in any danger.”
Tanj just growled to herself, and turned to stalk off, but found herself facing Katja; the Tigress was wearing a very tight leather corset. And she had mitts over her paws that effectively left her without fingers; that didn’t matter as a serving tray seemed to have been lashed to the mitts. A thick collar encircled her neck, and a large gag filled her mouth. The Tigress raised one eyebrow, as if to say; “Well….?” Tanj took a quick look up and down, and then turned back to the Kurani; “What’s with her?”
Kittiara turned back from her conversation with the Raccoon, and smiled; “Oh, she’s been bad. She’s being punished. Fiscal irresponsibility.”
Tanj digested that for a moment, looking again at the Tigress. She didn’t LOOK like she was being punished; instead she looked as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself…..
Kittiara smiled, and purred; “Tanj, you really should come over here and meet Celes; she runs a smuggling route into the Oligarchy, and she’s been telling me about the current situation along the border.” Turning back to the Raccoon, the Kurani continued; “Tanj is the one I’ve been telling you about.”
The Raccoon turned to look, and then turned back; “SHE’s the famous Pirate? Huh! Could have fooled me!”
Tanj opened her mouth, and then closed it again. What the Raccoon thought of her wasn’t important. Stepping closer, she took another look; the Raccoon was so light a grey as to be mostly white. She had brilliant pink hair, and was wearing a matching jumpsuit. Closer examination revealed the jumpsuit to be an almost-translucent latex, leaving little to the imagination. Its zipper was pulled down almost to her crotch, and it was obvious that the zipper continued down between her legs… That in itself was suggestive enough, but the D-rings built in at wrists and ankles…… Tanj smiled crookedly, and took another step closer; “Show me what you’ve got.”
Kittiara looked from the holographic star chart to the Raccoon and just laughed.
---
Zassa stuck her head in the door, fully expecting to see little tufts of fur floating in the air and blood on the floor. For Tanj to be calmly talking to the almost-white Raccoon was a surprise. Waving to the others, the Vixen slipped through the door.
Hinoki grinned at the bound Tigress; “Nice outfit! Excellent craftsmanship; you’ll have to give me the name of your tailor!”
The Tigress laughed behind her gag and curtsied, demonstrating remarkable grace for someone who’d been hobbled.
Hinoki smiled; “If you’re taking drink orders, I’ll have a Planter’s Punch.” The Tigress just nodded and hobbled off.
Wanda chuckled; “That was mean; she’ll never be able to make something like that wearing mittens.”
Hinoki just grinned.
Kath leaned against the bar and watched the crowd; it wasn’t just her Imperial Security training, but simply just curiosity; there were so many unusual furrs here. There were even species she couldn’t identify. Who knew what was behind the murky, swirling vapor of that environment suit, or within the powered armor? And then there was the horned, lizardlike creature hanging from the ceiling; it seemed to have four arms and four legs, and each arm split at the elbow to provide what seemed to be eight hands…. However, she found her eyes drawn to a skunkette wearing unusual footwear; they seemed to be designed to keep her on her toes; it looked MOST unusual. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she found herself walking over to inquire about them…..
---
Dynotaku stuck his head through the door; Brolly stuck her head through the door, as well, albeit at a lower level. At the Ops console, Eridani looked up, and grinned at them; “Hello… Can I help you?”
Dynotaku cleared his throat and tried to take a step into ops, only to find Brolly had slipped in front of him; trying to keep from kicking her, or tripping over her, he staggered his way through the door; “Um, yes…. This delightful Ferret here says you may have some information about an item in the display case of the weapons shop…..”
Brolly padded up to the OPS console and leaned over it; as she’d expected the Chocolate Pantheress she’d seen earlier was on her knees, under the console, her muzzle buried between the Tigress’ legs; turning back to the Unicorn, she giggled; “Master, May I?”
Dynotaku stopped in mid sentence and looked at the Ferret; “Huh? May you what?”
Brolly inclined her head towards the Tigress and licked her lips.
Dynotaku chuckled and waved a paw; “If you wish”. Before he’d finished the sentence, the Ferret had disappeared under the console…..
“Now then, where was I?”
Eridani smiled lazily; “The Disintigrator, I’d hazard….”
Dynotaku nodded; “Yes, ah, do you have the authority to negotiate its sale?”
Eridani reached one paw down to softly stroke Sashi’s head, and nodded; “I do. I have instructions as to the minimum acceptable price Krrut will accept, and codes and keys to his shop.” The Tigress grinned, showing an amazing amount of teeth; “What do you offer?”
Dynotaku glanced downward, seeing the Pantheress for the first time, and then glanced back up; he grinned lewdly and purred; “Oh, I think I could make it worth your while…..”
---
“No, its actually due to an…. Accident I was in quite a while ago; the muscles in my legs are messed up, and the boots are for support….”
Kath nodded to the Skunkette. Tasha was the Engineer for Celes’ ship, and apparently a regular here. “Well, I think they make you look sexy as hell, in a kinky sort of way.”
The Skunkette took a sip of her drink and nodded; “They do have that effect….”
---
Kittiara looked up and smiled as some furrs came through the door to the bar; she turned to Celes and Tanj and muttered; “ ‘scuse me, got to go say hello to some friends….”
Tanj watched as the Kurani all but tackled a muscular panther, hugging him hard. Celes followed the Cheetah’s gaze and smiled; “Ah, I see Tandaress is back in port; haven’t seen him in a good while…..” She turned back to grin at the Cheetah; “He can be a most imaginative Dom, when he’s in the mood to play.”
Kittiara purred and turned to give Sapphire a hug; “Good to see you too, Dear; how’s life been treating you?
---
Wanda’s eyebrows rose as the police furr stopped just inside the door, to scan the crowd, one thumb hooked in his gunbelt. Somehow, the law was the last thing she expected to see here….. Turning to one of the furrs at the bar she muttered; “Who’s he? Are we being raided?”
Spotweld turned to look at the
Wolverine lady, and then followed her gaze; “
Wanda laughed and shifted her gaze to Kath, who was talking to a petite Skunkette; “Yes, I know minks….”
---
Hinoki watched the Cheetah walk in, with interest. Like most of his breed, he was slim and muscular. This one, however, was fully dressed, in clothes suitable for a starship’s crew.
Kittiara smiled; “Tanabi! HELLO! Its good to see you again! Come join Celes and me; we’re plotting, and could use your help!”
---
Eridani purrrrred; it wasn’t often she was so entertained. Sashi was licking her pussy while the nice Unicorn took her in the ass. But if he thought he was going to get a better price this way, he had another thing coming……
---
“So the Egger route is out?”
Tanabi nodded; “I was bringing in that load of Kilrahi catnip a couple of days ago, and dang near got caught. No, you’ll have to go by way of TeHa….”
The Kurani nodded; “That’ll add some time…. But it should be safer.”
---
Kath leaned on the bar and giggled; “That’s a new one; I’ve never heard of someone being tied like that.”
Tasha chuckled; “want me to show you how its done?”
Kath straightened and looked around for Wanda; “I ought to ask my Mistress first, but yeah. She’s over there; lets go ask her.”
---
Wanda chuckled “Sensors, eh? And ECM gear? I bet that’s a lucrative specialty in these parts.”
The Tiger nodded; “It is. I even do some contract work for the Navy from time to time.”
Wanda raised an eyebrow; “Navy? Who’s Navy”
Wesley chuckled; “Why, all of them, of course. They all pass through here, sooner or later, thinking they can “tame the wilds”. Of course, that just leaves them with damage that needs to be repaired. And there’s usually a pretty good trade in salvage after such an attempt as well…..”
---
Tanabi nodded; “Yeah, I think that should work. But you’ll have to make your run before they change the patterns again.”
Kittiara stretched and looked around; “True. The morning should be soon enough though.”
Celes chuckled “Probably. Sounds like you’ve got something else in mind, though.”
The Kurani gazed at Katja, moving around the bar, serving drinks, taking tiny steps, and trying to work despite her punishment outfit; “Well, I was thinking it’d probably been a while since this place had a good orgy.”
Tanabi chuckled and took a sip from his drink; “Yeah, must have been… gee, almost nineteen hours since the last one.”
Kittiara laughed; “There, you see? Way past due.”
Celes nodded sagely; ‘Too true. So…. How do you want to jump start this thing?”
---
Wanda grinned at Kath; “Why yes, I would like to see that. A single piece of rope, you say?”
---
Tanj sipped her drink as the Kurani hopped up on the bar. She sat there, grinning at Tanabi and then laid back. Arched across the bar, her legs spread wide, her bare sex an open invitation, she waved lazily in the direction of the Raccoon; “Celes, why don’t you come around here for a bit…..
Tanabi chuckled and pulled up his bar stool; leaning a bit, he applied his tongue to the Kurani’s sex, holding himself slightly to one side so most in the bar could see exactly what he was doing….
Celes padded around behind the bar, her paw going to the zipper on her jumpsuit. As she walked she pulled it lower and lower, until she had to reach around behind her, to pull the tab up under her tail. Moving up, she straddled the Kurani’s head, pressing her bare sex to her muzzle.
---
Hinoki caught Katja by the elbow; “The orgy’s starting?”
The Tigress glanced at the Kurani, and grinned around her gag; turning back to look at the Cheetah, she nodded.
Hinoki smiled; “And anything goes?”
The Tigress got a sly look on her face, and nodded again.
Hinoki chuckled and took her by the elbow; “Good. I’m feeling a little hungry, and I think you’ll do. For starters.
Zassa watched as Hinoki shoved the bound Tigress up against the wall, and kicked her legs apart. If anyone in the bar remarked at how his clothes seemed to vanish into his fur, she didn’t catch it. Hinoki grabbed her tail, pulling it up hard, and pressing his hips against her from behind, literally extruded a cock into her ass. The Vixen took a sip of her drink, put it on the bar, and started a slow, sultry walk towards the pair, slowly shedding what little she wore in as sultry a fashion as possible.
---
Jinx grinned at the Tigress as she came through the door; “Don’t tell me; you’re Antonia!”
The Tigress looked surprised, and a little uncertain; “Um… yes…..”
The Skunkette grinned; “Kittiara’s told me ALL about you! Is it true you’re a Hermaphrodite?”
The Tigress adjusted her glasses, and nodded; “Um… well…. Yes…”
The Skunkette laughed and pounced; “Great! Always wanted to meet one of those. SHOW ME!”
Antonia let out a startled “EEP!” and went over backwards. No one in the bar seemed to notice.
---
Katja grunted into her gag as something drove into her ass. It wasn’t quite what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t unwelcome either. But when it grew in diameter, stretching her, she did grunt into her gag in surprise…. And then another phallus pushed into her sex…
Zassa sprawled between the Tigress’ feet, her head tilted back, licking upwards at her sex, as the Cheetah-monster’s cocks drove in and out of her. Reaching out, she caught Hinoki’s tail, and brought it around between her legs. Pausing in her licking she chuckled; “Come on, you can do three at once, I KNOW you can…..”
Hinoki laughed, and morphed the end of his tail into another cock; purrrring he pushed it into the Vixen’s sex, as he took the Tigress hard. It might be a little more “advertisement” than he wanted, but… how could he resist such an invitation?
Srrallana nudged Tandaress and pointed; “now there’s something you don’t see every day, even here….”
---
Tasha tightened the last knot and stepped back; “how’s that?”
Kath giggled and squirmed, only succeeding in falling over, onto her side; “Very nice! Remarkably comfortable and yet I’m completely immobile.”
Wanda chuckled and ran a paw over the bound mink; “I’ll have to remember this one.” Looking up, she caught the eye of the cop; grinning, she inclined her head towards Kath; “you look interested; would you like to try her?”
Wesley watched Sian tease the bound Mink to a red heat, and grinned; coming up behind the lady Wolverine, he let his paws stroke up over her hips, stopping just shy of her breasts; “Now that you’ve found someone to please her, we need to find someone to please you…..”
Wanda grinned, and not taking her eyes off the Mink couple on the floor, wiggled her bottom back against the Tiger; “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be too hard…..”
---
Jeran padded through the door and looked around. After a moment he grinned and nodded to himself. This place was, if nothing else, consistent. Padding over to the bar, he reached over the top; he knew where his bottle was kept. It looked as if Katja wouldn’t be able to serve him anytime soon, so he just helped himself. Settling into his usual booth, he put his feet up on the opposite seat and settled back to watch.
---
Spotweld paused, looking around. Sooooo many opportunities. “Lets see, who haven’t I been with recently”…..
---
Kittiara purred as her tongue flashed in and out of Celes’ sex; the Raccoon was standing on tiptoes, and moaning softly, so she must have been doing something right. Tanabi had left off his licking, after her second climax, and had stood, to drive his cock into her wetness. She hung there, supported in the middle by the bar, with delight at each end…..
Spotweld purred and came around behind the bar. Wrapping a paw around each of Celes’ breasts, covering her nipples and squeezing lightly, he nibbled on the back of her neck and chuckled; “Guess WHO!”
The Raccoon just laughed
---
Kris paused in the door and grinned; “Just the way I like to see the bar…. Removing her apron, the only thing she wore, she tossed it behind the bar, and went looking for one of her favorites……
---
Wanda panted hard, as Wesley took her from behind. There was just something about the way a large feline made love…. She grinned to herself, thinking she’d have to show him how Wolverines made love… but that could wait a minute; things were just too nice at the moment to interrupt, even if for only a moment….
---
Kath panted hard as the Mink pounded into her. The Cop didn’t say much, but he certainly knew how to use what he had; it was delightful, being completely immobile and having to just kneel there and TAKE all that pleasure….
---
Kittiara awwwwed as the Hyena pulled Celes off her tongue; still holding her from behind, Spotweld crouched a little, sliding his cock into the Raccoon’s wetness. And then, looking over Celes’ shoulder, he moved her forward just enough so that the Kurani could lick at both of them…… wasn’t that nice?
---
The Kurani leaned against the doorframe and surveyed the scene. As his eyes rested on the figure bent over the bar, he grinned and straightened. He’d wondered what’d become of her…. Striding purposely through the crowded bar, he slipped behind the bar. Strong paws lifted the Hyena and Raccoon out of the way, settling them on the bartop, face down. The Hyena never stopped thrusting into the Raccoon, and they both scarcely seemed to notice….
Kittiara looked up into the face that suddenly appeared above her; “HOLLON! HELLO!”
Hollon looked down and grinned; “Heya, Kittiara; glad to see me?” The Kurani reached out to grab his belt buckle; “Sure am; and from the bulge in your pants you’re glad to see me too!”
---
Hinoki purred and let the Tigress collapse in a limp heap on the floor. He looked down at Zassa and shrugged; “I guess a dozen climaxes in short order can do that to you….”
The Vixen laughed and shrugged; “Maybe to some, but I’m made of sterner stuff.” Reaching up, she grabbed the Cheetah-monster and pulled him down on top of her….
---
Srrallana nudged the Cheetah fem and grinned; “you look like you’ve been left out…”
Tanj chuckled and shrugged; “I get the feeling that I could get into this at any point, and be welcome.”
Srrallana nodded sagely; “the trick is picking the right point…..”
Tanj chuckled; “I think I might see what Tanabi can do with his tongue…
Srrallana chuckled; “Good idea; tell you what, you straddle Kittiara facing Tanabi and I’ll take your back, facing Hollon. No reason why they should have ALL the fun, is there?”
Tanj took another sip from her drink, set it down on the bar and nodded resolutely; “None at all. Ready?”
Srallana nodded and grinned; “Absolutely.”
---
Dynotaku was still grumbling when he led Brolly into the bar; that Tigress in Ops had been MOST unreasonable. Not only had she wheedled him out of about thirty more credits than he’d really wanted to pay, but she’d also ridden his tongue to two more climaxes. Talk about a hard negotiator! Still, he had the disintegrator…. As the door closed behind them, he looked around the room and groaned “Awwww, they started without us!”
---
Kittiara found a bottle of Antarean sparkle-water under the bar and pulled the stopper with her teeth. Grinning, she spit it into the trash can and took a long swig from the bottle. Tanabi was humping Tanj energetically, and Hollon was wrapped up with Srrallana. And that was fine; she needed a break. Taking another swig she looked around, and then grinned; “Prophecy! Good to see you again! Come over here and give me a kiss!”
---
Kath grinned back and shook her head no.
Kath needed no urging and slurped it into her mouth, to suck enthusiastically.
---
Wesley cuddled the Woverine lady and smiled; “Ah, Minks.”
Wanda nodded; “Insatiable, aren’t they?”
The Tiger looked at her and raised one eyebrow; “They just have good PR. The same firm that came up with the tale about Rabbits, I believe. Now if you want to know the truth, the real record holder is us Tigers.”
Wanda raised an eyebrow; “Oh?” Wesley grinned and nodded; “We don’t advertise, like the others, of course. Don’t need to, but its true.”
A calculating look came over Wanda’s face and she leaned forward to kiss him; “Prove it.”
---
Dynotaku held onto the pony’s hips and thrust slowly into her. He was slowly driving her wild, by taking his time, providing enough stimulation to keep her hot, keep her on edge, but not enough to drive her over the edge. And then he felt a tongue stroke over his balls. Leaning to one side he looked down at the Ferret lass between his legs; “Hello…..”
Kris giggled; the Unicorn stud was good, holding her on feather edge for the longest time, but someone’s fingers were stroking across her mons, teasing her clitty; all his carefully crafted work was about to come undone, and rather explosively too……
---
Celes gave the Hyena a kiss; “Thanks, Love, but if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to mingle.”
Spotweld watched as she moved off into the crowd. From nowhere a paw seemed to reach out and GRAB her, and a moment later she was on the floor, on top of a Stallion, with a rather energetic Genet plundering her ass.”
“Oh, so that’s what you call it” Spotweld laughed to himself….. And then a feminine paw caressed up over his stomach and he lost his train of thought…..
---
Tanj squirmed; somewhere along the line, someone had come up with some leather straps, and someone else had come up with a bunch of tiny locks….. And now, she stood, legs spread wide and locked to the bar rail, bent at the waist, her head between her feet. Her arms were bound together behind her, and had then, somehow been bound to the bar itself. Her tail trailed over the bar, to be secured somewhere on the other side. She was horribly, delightfully exposed; anyone who wanted her merely had to step up to the bar; of course to get a good hard cock into her pussy, they had to thrust down, but more than a few were able to manage that, and a couple of acrobats had also managed to take her in the ass. And of course for those less acrobatically inclined (or too drunk to manage) they were able to kneel on the floor, and stuff their shaft into her mouth; there was no way she could pull back, the back of her head being against the bar.
It gave her a good view, if a rather unique perspective, on the course of the orgy in the bar…..
---
Antonia cuddled the Skunkette and purrrred. Jinx chuckled; “Well, THAT was certainly different!
---
Hinoki gave the Mare a swat on the can and headed for the bar; he could use something to drink. Looking down at himself, he wondered if maybe he’d “eaten” too much tonight…. And then he caught sight of Tanj…
Tanj groaned as she felt something slither over her upturned bottom. Looking upwards between her dangling breasts, she tried to make out just what it was…. She could feel it, but…. Whatever it was, was coming from the other side of the bar…..
Hinoki leaned over the bar, and let his tongue, now the equal of Dynotaku’s slither over the Cheetah’s sex. Picking up a bottle of champagne, he grinned and teased her until she was panting, and then popping the cork, he up-ended the bottle into her quim.
Tanj let out an EEP! and writhed in her bonds; that was COLD!
Spotweld turned at the sound and smiled; “Ah, I do love champagne….” Padding over he knelt before her, and started to lick as the champagne ran down her body….
Hinoki withdrew the bottle and replaced it with his tongue, lapping the champagne from her body. It wasn’t likely to ease his thirst, but it was fun….
---
Jinx chuckled and nudged Antonia; “you know, he’s just about in the right position….”
The Tigress herm looked at her; “huh?”
Jinx laughed; “you could get around behind him, and take him in the ass….”
The Tigress looked shocked; “No….. I couldn’t do that….”
Jinx chuckled and rose, to grab her by both paws; “Come on; he loves it. Honest!”
---
Tanj groaned around Spotweld’s cock. It had to be Hinoki; no one else could do what he was doing. And besides, she could see Dynotaku across the room, quite busy with a Ferret, a Zebra and a Squirrel…. But on reflection, the Cheetah decided she really didn’t care; it was simply too marvelous to worry about, no matter who was behind it.
---
Hinoki ooooohed and grinned; looking over his shoulder he grinned at the Tigress in glasses; “Well HELLO there!”… He could have sworn she blushed….
Jinx wrapped her arms around Antonia, to Hinoki and squeezed, pressing the Tigress against the Cheetah from behind. Hinoki laughed and wiggled his bottom; “My, what an interesting appendage you have there!” He rocked his hips until the tip of hir cock was pressing against his anus, and then pushed back, a little; “Mind if I make use of it for a bit?”
---
Tanj groaned; the marvelous tongue was gone. Then she heard Hinoki and sighed. One of the hazards of an orgy; just when someone was doing something VERY nice to you, they got pulled away. With a sigh she went back to working on the Hyena’s cock; HE wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon……
---
Zassa kissed the Koala bye, and leaned back against the wall. Things had died down, in Callahan’s; what few furs left were mostly either comatose, or drinking quietly at the bar. Katja had been released from her restraints and she and Kris were trying to coax the janitorial robot into tackling the now-rather-sticky floor. The robot, obviously having been at the bar for many a year, knew better and stubbornly insisted that since THEY made the mess, they should clean it up…. Padding over to Tanj she grinned; “Let me guess; they can’t find the keys?” Tanj sighed and looked at the Vixen, from the bottom up; “Got it in one. Anyone got a laser cutter on them?”
Hinoki laughed and kissed the Tigress Herm; “Wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” Turning to Tanj he chuckled; “I think I can help. He put a finger over one of the locks, and extruded the tiniest of tendrils. With a thoughtful look on his face he stood there for a moment, apparently motionless, and then the lock popped open. A few minutes later the Cheetah was free.
---
“There’s a window on the TeHa route opening shortly. If you want to make it we’re going to have to get moving.”
Tanj looked at the Kurani and raised an eyebrow; “How soon.”
Kittiara shrugged; “Raise ship in the next thirty minutes or so.” She grinned; “Or we can wait about three days, and hope they haven’t changed anything.”
Tanj grimaced; “They have an orgy like this every night?”
Katja laughed from behind the bar; “Oh, no, not at all. In fact, they’re rather rare. All too rare, actually, unless…..”
Tanj frowned; “Unless what?”
The Tigress shrugged; “Unless Kittiara’s here. Then it seems to be about every night.”
Tanj shot a sideways glance at Kittiara and then looked back at Katja; “Lets get Corey’s stuff off the ship; we’re leaving.”
---
Doodles looked as if he’d been covered in rock dust; he looked as if he were a statue come to life. Trudging into the docking cavern, he handed a PADD to Professor Corey; “Here’s that information you asked for, Professor.”
Corey took a look at it and nodded; “But… you completely missed the surface roughness factor!” He handed the PADD back; “I’ll need readings ever 50 meters or so.”
Doodles shot a glance at Hinoki. The Cheetah grinned; “looks as if you’ve got a mission. You wait for us here, and help out with the Professor.”
Doodles looked heartbroken; “Master is going to LEAVE me here?”
Katja chuckled; “Oh, don’t worry, Bunny, I’ll look after you while you’re here. I won’t let the Evil Professor work you to death!” She moved closer, and took the Bunny’s head between her paws; “And if you’re good, I’ll introduce you to my Sister.” Then she kissed him, and released him.
Doodles looked at the big tigress and his jaw dropped; for a long moment he just stared… And then Katja laughed, and the spell was broken. As his ears drooped, and he trudged back towards the mining machine’s burrows, he muttered; “Well, maybe it won’t be TOO bad…..” Just before he went through the hole, he glanced back at the Tigress, and a grin split his face.
---
Corey gave the Cheetah a hug; “I promise, I’ll have answers by the time you get back. Good, or bad, better or worse, I’ll have answers. I’ll either make the portal work, or know the reason why.”
Tanj nodded and hugged back; “And with luck, I’ll have a few pieces of the puzzle from the Brou. They have GOT to know how to “navigate” with something like that.”
Corey nodded and released her.
Tanj took a step back, waved to the others, and hit the button to close the outer lock.
---
Corey watched the ship rise, the landing jacks retracting smoothly. The ship turned in place, and with increasing speed, move towards the passage to the Rift. As soon as it was out of sight, he ran a paw down the front of his tunic; it was all sticky, and smelled sweet. What HAD she been bathing in? Turning towards his assistant, and the Tigress… what was her name?.... He growled; “All right. Lets see about getting that power supply!
The
Tanj yelped as Zassa beat her into the head by a whisker. Growling to herself, she tried to ignore the Vixen’s laughter and made her way to the wardroom. If she couldn’t clean up, she could at least get something to eat. And a cup of coffee. How long had she been awake? It seemed like forever…..
Wanda sat in her usual chair, her feet braced against the edge of the table, her chair rocked back. Kath’s tail extended out from under the table, and was slowly twitching from side to side.
Tanj laughed; “Well, I guess that’s one way to get clean.”
Wanda grinned and nodded, and then moved one paw to her lap, obviously guiding the Mink’s head; “You missed a spot, dear….”
The Stuffed Pepper wasn’t what she was really hungry for, but it had to be eaten soon, or it’d go bad. And she didn’t really feel like making anything else. The garlic mashed potatoes went well with it too, and they also were getting a little long in the tooth. Shoving them both into the microwave she hit the programming keys and then “start”.
An experienced ship captain knows every sound her ship makes, and what it means. The faint, almost subsonic rumble, for instance, was the shower running in the Head. When it stopped, she almost didn’t remark on it…. Glancing at the timer on the microwave, she sighed and made a dash for the door….
She turned the corner just in time to see Zassa emerge, and Sashi enter. Growling she turned back to the Wardroom….
And arrived just in time to see Hinoki take the first forkful of HER stuffed pepper. Growling, she yanked open the door of the refrigerator, to see what else might be left…..
The pancakes were a little dry, but enough syrup would fix that. And the bacon looked old enough to vote, but still…. Tanj jabbed the buttons on the Microwave, and hit start…. She sat back, arms crossed, to wait…. And then she heard the shower stop again.
She made it around the corner just in time to see Sabina exiting, her hair wrapped in a towel.. And Dynotaku sliding through the door behind her. “HOLD IT!” Sabina and the Unicorn both shot her a startled glance; “That does it. I’m tired of waiting. Tired of someone else slipping in just ahead of me.”
Dynotaku shrugged; “Hey, I was here first….”
Tanj looked up at the Unicorn and growled; “I’m exercising my right as Captain, dangit; I’m Commandeering the Shower AND you. Now get in there and find the danged scrub brush!”
Dynotaku’s eyes widened, and then he grinned. This could be fun, if he played it right……
---
Kittiara looked up as the still damp Cheetah padded onto the flight deck and plopped down in the pilot’s acceleration couch. “What took so long?”
Tanj sighed; “Well, first off, my dinner kept on getting stolen, and then I finally had to…. Well, I guess “bribe” would be a good word, ah, bribe Dynotaku into letting me get in the shower with him. Demanding, that one is…. And then I had to make something to eat from scratch, all the leftovers being gone. It, ah, (yawn) took a while.”
The Kurani turned back to the navigational display; “We’re coming up on the first hold point. As soon as we’re in position, with the cloaking device engaged, you should be able to catch a nap.”
Tanj just yawned and nodded, settling into the acceleration couch. After a moment the Kurani grinned; “Nicely hung, isn’t he?”
The Cheetah just grinned and nodded.
---
Kittiara listened to the Cheetah snore lightly, and watched the sensor display. They were in the trailing Trojan spot of a gas giant, in a system that didn’t even rate a name. The cloaking device was active, their engines powered down, doing everything possible to remain invisible among the rocks and ice. The ship’s telescope was the best passive sensor they had, and the Kurani had it at the maximum magnification. They’d be coming from that direction, she was sure of it. As the Cheetah snored, she watched, trying not to yawn herself….
---
“TANJ! TIME TO WAKE UP!” Tanj came awake with a start, and looked around. Kittiara pointed to the sensor display. Tanj managed to focus on it just in time to watch the first of three long, rakish ships vanish as they jumped out of the system. “That was the patrol; we’re now clear to move on to the next point. The course is 163 mark 38, and we need to move as fast as possible.” Tanj yawned and nodded, her fingers flying across the helm controls.
---
They’d made three course corrections, stopped twice, for what seemed like random intervals, and then made high speed dashes. At one point they’d cut the drives, and coasted on inertia, for a reason apparent only to the Kurani. And at another point they barely escaped detection by a ship following the normal patrol. Kittiara wasn’t sure if it was a trick the border patrols were using, or if something was stalking the patrol. Either way, they barely kept out of detection range. Jinx would pop in occasionally, look around, and nod as if satisfied everything was going according to plan, and then vanish again. Hinoki brought coffee and sandwiches, and stayed to watch, but eventually, even he drifted off. And then, after what seemed like weeks, but probably was only a little over a day, the Kurani pronounced them safe.
“It’s a fairly standard run. I’ve programmed the IFF to show Kurani diplomatic codes, which is only a slight fabrication, considering I’m on the ship. We shouldn’t be bothered.” Kittiara looked up at the main viewscreen; “And now, I think I’ll get a shower, something to eat, and some sleep. She looked at the Cheetah with all the authority of a fleet Admiral “Call me if anything comes up. I should be back before we reach the homeworld.”
Tanj watched her depart, and shook her head. Crossing the border seemed to have brought about a change in the Kurani, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. She was still nude, still wearing a collar, but suddenly she was acting… well, not quite like a Princess, but at least like a Baroness…. It was… “disturbing.”
“Kittiara to the Flight Deck!” Tanj watched the sensors carefully. They were traveling uncloaked, in warp drive. The subspace transmitter was broadcasting the IFF Kittiara said was safe, and so far, every ship they’d run across had ignored them. But now, something had altered course to follow them. It was big and it was gaining fast.
Kittiara came through the door to the flight deck wearing… what seemed to be a yellow strip of cloth, wound around her. She was nominally decent, but it looked… strange. Like it might unravel at any instant. The Kurani sat down in the copilot’s acceleration couch, and looked at the sensor display. After a moment she smiled faintly, licked a paw and rubbed it over her head in the classic feline grooming gesture.
Tanj frowned, watching. “Know them?”
The Kurani paused and then shrugged; “Perhaps. I’ll know when they call.”
From the sensor operator’s station, Hinoki called out “We’re being scanned. Pretty high power, too.”
Kittiara just nodded.
Tanj saw the light come on, on the comm. Panel. Before she could open the channel, the Kurani pushed the button that had been under her finger. As the image formed on the screen she smiled; “S’rakkt, what a pleasure to see you again.”
The Kurani’s face remained blank, but Tanj thought, never the less, that he looked more than a little surprised; “Kittiara…. There you are. Do you have any idea how many have been searching for you?”
Kittiara smiled; “And here I didn’t even think I would have been missed yet. Have you seen Hrral recently?”
The Kurani blinked at the sudden change of topic; “The Ambassador has been heavily occupied…. Elsewhere. Matters of state.”
Kittiara nodded; “Please send a message to him, through channels. I need him to arrange an audience with the Brou for my companions and I. Immediately.”
At this point the Kurani’s jaw dropped; “The… the BROU?”
Kittiara nodded; “Indeed. The reasons are convoluted, but I do believe when he hears my logic, that my mate will agree with my reasoning.” Smiling, she continued; “And I would appreciate it if you would confirm our flight plan to the home world. We’ll wait at my mate’s estate until our audience is granted.”
S’rakkt frowned; “You’re not going to tell me what this is about, are you?” Kittiara smiled; “Of course not.” She grinned; “I want you to buy a copy of my book and read about it! After all, if I can’t depend on my friends for sales, who can I depend on?”
---
“They’re still back there.”
Kittiara nodded, and smiled; “I would expect so.”
Tanj drummed her fingers on the weapons console and growled; “All the way to… the, ah, “homeworld”?”
Kittiara nodded; “The Kurani really don’t like visitors. Given their history, I can understand why, but right now they’re wondering what we’re REALLY up to. I’ve no doubt some deep thinkers somewhere have ascribed everything from an invasion from the Empire to the end of all things to our presence here. Thus, they’re keeping an eye on us.”
Hinoki looked again at the sensor display; “That’s an awfully big eye.”
Kittiara just laughed, and rose; “We should be about eighty-nine hours out, at this speed. I’m going to go cook something. I’ll give you a call when dinner’s ready.” She paused at the doorway; “Don’t worry; you can put the ship on autopilot. Nothing is going to happen, at least not until I get home.”
Differences of Opinion
Tanj could feel the tension; it seemed to permeate the ship’s walls. And it seemed to be affecting everyone. She lay on her bed, the covers kicked off, and tried to find sleep. It wouldn’t come. Instead, all the stories of her youth, about the fierce and mysterious Kurani Oligarchy kept surfacing. And here they were, every minute, every second, going deeper and deeper into that forbidden territory.
And then there was the warship following them. She was always uncomfortable around Imperial warships, but this one, with its alien design, somehow seemed even more threatening.
And even Kittiara seemed to be tense. Perhaps it was that furrs had been searching for her. Perhaps her mate was going to call her on the carpet for her activities… and if she was in trouble, wouldn’t they also be in trouble?
Finally she couldn’t take it any more. Rising, she padded from her quarters, nude, to check the sensors one more time. She just couldn’t sit still…….
The ship was there, just where it had been when she’d decided to try and get some sleep. But now it had company. A quartet of long, lean vessels that just screamed “speed”. They were holding formation with the first ship, flanking it, all at essentially the same distance. Tanj watched them for a while, and then headed to the wardroom. Maybe something to eat would help calm her.
---
“Chocolate.”
Tanj blinked; “Huh?”
The Kurani smiled; “Chocolate has several mood modifiers in it. Have a piece of cake, and you’ll feel better.”
The Cheetah looked at the dark brown slab on her plate and shrugged; “if you say so.”
Hinoki slipped through the door to the wardroom and sniffed the air; “Do I smell…..?”
Kittiara chuckled and handed him a plate; “My very own “house special” Death by Chocolate Cake.
Hinoki fetched a fork from the drawer and sat down with a grin on his face.
---
“I disagree with you.”
Tanj looked up, her mouth full, as Wanda and Dynotaku came through the door.
“Rope is very… well, I don’t want to say “flexible”....., but it is. You can do a lot of things with it, but esthetically, there’s nothing like well oiled leather, with bright shiny buckles. It just looks better against fur.”
The Unicorn smiled; “No, a well-tied fem, covered in expertly done knotwork, is the pinnacle of the bondage art. Straps are for those that can’t tie a decent knot.”
Hinoki looked up and chuckled; “You’re both wrong. There’s nothing at all like the inescapable feel you get from cold hard metal. Or the weight of the chains that bind you. It’s a sensory thing.”
He took another forkful of cake and mumbled; “Besides, rope can be itchy.”
Dynotaku straightened and looked at the Cheetah; “Things like that are for amateurs; those who have no imagination, and who don’t care to put the time and effort into doing it right. The only true craft is in rope.”
Hinoki’s jaw dropped; “Are you calling me… an AMATUER?”
Kittiara’s laugh turned both their heads; “Remarkable. Such passion! Such conviction!” She leaned forward, and thrust a plate with a piece of cake on it at the Stallion as if it were a swordpoint; “Personally I think you two need to settle this on the field of honor!”
Tanj sat up and spluttered around a mouthful of cake; “No duels! Not on MY ship!”
Kittiara waved a paw in her direction; “no, of course not.” She turned back to face the others; “not a duel, but a contest.” She grinned at Tanj; “We’ll film it, of course, and when we get back, we’ll let the Black Fleet decide.”
Wanda chuckled and leaned forward; “What’s the winner get?”
The Kurani shrugged; “Honor.” Her smile widened; “Unless each of you want to put up something, as, say, a wager.” She looked from face to face; “Something… valuable? Something that means something to you?”
Hinoki laughed; “you’re on.” Looking at the Unicorn he growled; “My first edition of the great Lemanski’s “Debbie Does Deneb.” The whole series. Boxed set.” He grinned and leaned closer; “Signed by Lemanski and by Debbie herself.”
Dynotaku blinked at the Cheetah; “You have a… first edition?”
Hinoki regarded his claws critically as he smiled; “Yup. The whole thing. In the original box.” He looked up, his grin widening; “Interested?”
The Unicorn harrumphed, and then nodded; “Um… could be. Tell you what; I’ll put up against it my collection of Oliviah erotic prints…. I don’t have all of them, of course, but I do have several of them autographed.”
Hinoki’s eyebrows went up and he leaned closer; “you have… “firebringer?”
The Unicorn grinned and nodded, his horn cutting an arc through the air.
“How about “summer’s day?”
Again the Unicorn nodded; “And “Sweetness; that one’s signed and dated. Oh, and I’ve got “Be seeing you” and “beyond”.
Hinoki nodded slowly; “You’re on.”
Wanda looked from face to face, and sighed; “I’d love to join in, but I’m afraid I really don’t have much of value…..”
Kath tugged at Wanda’s tunic and rose from her knees to whisper in her ear. The Wolverine lass turned and LOOKED at her; “Are you sure?”
Kath grinned and nodded.
Wanda frowned, but turned to the others; “It seems we have a genuine Diore crystal dildo, to put into the pot.” She turned to look at the Mink; “I believe its reasonably valuable….”
Kath just chuckled; “And well used, too, Mistress.”
Kittiara chuckled; “Settled then? Excellent. We’ll have our little “fashion show” day after tomorrow, after dinner. That should give everyone time to prepare.”
Dynotaku nodded, and turned to Zassa; “Would you mind, if I borrowed Sabina? Can’t very well tie up myself, after all.”
The Vixen’s mouth opened and closed, but then she nodded; “Sure; help yourself.”
Tanj ignored the damage to her waistline and got another piece of cake. Maybe the chocolate was helping…. When almost everyone had left she looked at the Kurani; “more stuff for your book?”
The Kurani shrugged; “Partially, yes, but I thought a distraction might be in order. Everyone seemed to be getting so tense….”
Tanj thought for a minute and then nodded; “Good idea…..”
Zassa slouched against the closed door and looked at the Cheetah; “He wanted to borrow ‘bina? What in the hell’s wrong with ME?”
Tanj shrugged; “Hey, you notice no one asked ME to model, either.” She sighed; Maybe we’re getting too old?”
The Vixen growled; “The pure bloody hell I am.” She looked at Tanj and growled; “We’re going to enter the contest too. Between the two of us I’m sure we can come up with something that’ll knock their socks off!”
Tanj chuckled; “All right; but what do we have to put up?”
Zassa smiled; “how about some first edition comic books?” She grinned at the Cheetah; “The entire set of “Samurai Martian Pizza Ferrets”. Tanj nodded slowly; “That ought to work.” And then she looked up; “Hey, if you’ve got them, HOW COME YOU NEVER LET ME READ THEM?”
Zassa’s Idea
Zassa looked at the Cheetah; “I know what sort of thing Hinoki, and Dynotaku are going to do, and I think I know what Wanda’s up to, but I’d like to try something a little different.”
Tanj shrugged “you’re the one putting up the stakes. What do you have in mind.”
Zassa chuckled; “Glad you realize that. That means I get to be on top!” The Cheetah just went “huh?”
Zassa grinned; “Come on, I’ll show you. This one is not only a “do it yourself” tie, but will involve the both of us.”
The Cheetah shook her head; “This I can’t wait to see.”
---
Tanj tied the rope bra around the Vixen’s generous chest; “Are you sure you want to use rope?”
Zassa nodded and grunted; “Come on, Tanj, you know how I like it; make it tighter. Make my tits really stand out! And yes, I’m working towards a “mixed media” approach. See if you can take a loop around the base of each breast…..”
Zassa slipped the broad leather strap under her shin, and grinned up at the Cheetah; “There isn’t really much to it, just a few straps, a little rope, and some chains. It’s the combined effect that I think will “wow” the audience.”
Tanj chuckled as she attached the toe-cuffs to her big toes; “I think you just want to ride my tongue for a while.”
The Vixen pulled tight on the strap, threading the loose end through the buckle, and nodded; “That’s a big plus, I have to admit.” Turning she bound her other leg, calf to thigh, forcing her to remain in a kneeling position.
Tanj laid down on her back. Zassa rose smoothly up to “stand” on her knees, as the Cheetah inchwormed under her from behind. With a giggle, the Vixen let herself fall back to a kneeling position, her crotch pressed hard against the Cheetah’s muzzle, her rump on the Cheetah’s chest. Tanj brought her arms up, forcing them between the Vixen’s thighs and calves, and Zassa, taking a classic pair of handcuffs, cuffed them together in front of her stomach. Tanj now wasn’t going anywhere. At least not without Zassa.
The leather thong went from the rope between the Vixen’s breasts, to the handcuffs, pulling Tanj’s paws away from the Vixen’s crotch. But not far enough up so they could fondle her breasts. Even so, it was an awkward position. “OK, Tanj, lift those legs!” Tanj complied, raising her knees until they flanked the Vixen’s torso, bringing her feet further forward, until they hung in the air to either side of the Vixen’s breasts. Zassa reached out and captured the chain that dangled from one of Tanj’s big toes, and pulling her leg forward and in a bit, attached the end of the chain to her nipple ring. The other foot was similarly captured and restrained. Now, if Tanj lowered her legs, it would tug harshly on the Vixen’s nipples.
Zassa reached over and grabbed the big knobby dildo; reaching behind her, she shoved it into Tanj’s sex. The dildo had a ring at its base and attached were another pair of handcuffs; these, she fastened around her own wrists, completing the “tie”.
Tanj purrrred and licked deeply into the Vixen’s cleft. Zassa moaned, and worked the dildo in and out of the Cheetah’s sex. After a while, Tanj mumbled around the Vixen’s quim; “Um….. how do we get loose?”
Zassa laughed; “Oh, I asked ‘bina to come by in an hour or two…..”
The Vixen twisted the dildo suddenly and the Cheetah gasped; “Oh! Yeah, that’ll work…..”
---
Tanj looked up as the shadow fell across her eyes. She’d lost track of the time, lost track of the number of climaxes she’d had, or the number she’d given the Vixen. One thing she DID know was that her tongue was tired….. So maybe it was time for ‘bina to come and release them? Casting her eyes upwards, she found not the kitten’s white fur, but something orange and black and cream. She tried to focus her eyes and realized she was staring upwards at Kittiara’s nude form. The Kurani grinned down at her; “I’m afraid Dynotaku has ‘bina rather tied up at the moment. He says he’s refining his knotwork. ‘Bina asked me to come look in on you two….”
Zassa chuckled; “Yeah, I told her to come release us after two hours.”
The Kurani nodded; “And I will…”
Tanj chuckled into the Vixen’s muff; “But not quite yet, right?”
Kittiara bent to look down at the Cheetah; “What did she say?”
Zassa laughed; “She says she’s not ready to be untied yet.”
The Kurani nodded; “Good. Since I’ve found you in such a vulnerable position, I hope you won’t mind if I take advantage of it…” Stepping closer she straddled the pair and pressed her bare sex to the Vixen’s muzzle….
---
Zassa stretched and grinned; “I think that went pretty well, don’t you?” Tanj worked her jaw and nodded; “Yeah… Bit long, but yeah.”
Zassa chuckled; “I hope the tape came out OK….”
Tanj blinked; “You recorded that?”
The Vixen nodded “of course. That little trial run should do well on the closed-holo circuit back at the Black Fleet, don’t you think?”
The Cheetah grinned; “you don’t really have anything to put up for this bet, do you?” The Vixen smiled and shrugged; “Maybe, maybe not… but I know how to get something suitable, should we actually wind up loosing. But…” She grinned; “After a session like that, I can’t see us loosing. Can you?”
---
Tanj checked the nav display, and then she checked the sensor display and the holo-tank. Their escort was right where they’d been, almost to the meter. They were slowly crawling across the Oligarchy, slowly approaching their destination. With a nod she turned and headed for the wardroom. Time to get something to eat.
Dynotaku caught her in the corridor; “Hey, Captain; do you have any bleach?”
Tanj frowned; “There should be some in the laundry room. Why?”
The Unicorn shook his head; “Already used that. But its not quite white enough; I need some more.”
Tanj frowned; “There might be some in the store room. I’d have to check.” She looked at the Unicorn curiously; “What are you bleaching?”
Dynotaku sighed; “Well, the rope I was using with Sabina was a shade off from her fur. Now, normally I like the ropework to be plainly visible, but this just didn’t look right. I’m trying to bleach it to match her, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to dye it to some contrasting color.” He looked at the Cheetah thoughtfully; “I don’t suppose you’d have any dye on board……”
---
Hinoki smiled; “All right, lets try it again. Are you ready?”
Sashi swallowed and nodded; “Yes, Master.”
Hinoki thumbed the blue hollow square on the band across Sabina’s tummy, and sat back to watch. The actuators at the knee joints moved slowly, forcing the chocolate Pantheress into the correct posture, standing straight, legs spread. The tool holder indexed, snatching the “punishment” dong from the end of the pole and installing the “reward” dong. The pole then telescoped smoothly, slowing as it neared its objective, and then slowly but firmly pushed into Sashi’s sex. The Pantheress rose to tiptoes and moaned.
Hinoki frowned; “Still too deep? OK, lemme make some adjustments…..
---
Sabina squirmed. She was supposed to; Dynotaku wanted to make sure that his ropework stayed exactly in place, no matter what she did. Covered in tightly knotted rope, the kitten twisted and turned, amazed at how much she COULD move, given the meters and meters of rope tied around her…..
Dynotaku watched, and nodded, deep in thought. The crotch rope would have to be modified; things were still “loose” enough for her gyrations to saw it through her cleft. She was obviously getting off on that. But he could fix that…..
---
Kath looked at the strap critically. It really wasn’t as thick, or as stiff as she would have liked. The Vixen’s tastes in leather didn’t quite match her own. And the rivets were copper. She preferred the look of brass; it went better with her fur. And the roller-buckle should have been brass too, instead of chromed steel. Still, they had to work with what they could scrounge up on the ship…. Turning to Wanda she sighed; “I don’t suppose we could fab up new roller buckles in the ship’s maintenance bay, could we?”
The Wolverine lass frowned; “We’d have to do the rivets that way as well.” After a moment’s thought, she wondered; “Where would we get the metal?”
---
The Cheetah blinked; “Well, I do have some brass candlestick holders…..”
Wanda nodded, and Kath said, eagerly; “Are they valuable?”
The Cheetah shook her head slowly; Um…. No… I just picked them up in the bazaar, on Vethworth….”
The Mink grinned; “Good! Gimme!”
---
The Kurani checked the video gear and nodded; “I think we’re ready. Who’s going to go first? Any volunteers?
Dynotaku shrugged; “What I have to do will take a while. Why don’t I get started, and you can, ah, film the other contestants while I work.”
Tanj nodded; “OK, Dynotaku, you and Sabina go over to the port aft corner of the cargo bay. You’ll be on camera 2.”
The Unicorn straightened; “you’re going to film me while I tie her?”
The Kurani nodded; “Of course. For the edification of the masses. Why shouldn’t they get to watch a master at work?”
The Unicorn scowled; “I have my little trade secrets… Some things I’d rather not get out…”
Zassa laughed; “As if I won’t get ‘bina to tell me all about them, when you’re done?”
Dynotaku growled; “That does it; the first thing that goes on is the blindfold!” Turning, he growled; “Come, Sabina. The rope is waiting….”
Kittiara looked back at the others; “Okay, who wants to go next?”
Wanda chuckled; “Oh, I think what we have will be the fastest, and probably the simplest….. We’ll go first.” As she turned to face Kath, the Wolverine lass chuckled; “And that’ll leave Kath bound the longest… I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.
---
Tanj checked the monitors to make sure it was all being recorded. Dynotaku was laying out ropes of different lengths and thicknesses, arranging everything just so, while ‘bina stood patiently by, wearing nothing but a blindfold. Wanda was buckling a thick leather collar around Kath’s throat. It had shiny brass rivets and a brass buckle which set off the rich mahogany tones of the leather, and complimented Kath’s fur nicely. In another corner of the cargo bay, Hinoki seemed to be assembling something from metal, with Sabina’s help. It looked more like an engineering project than restraints, though…..
Tanj grinned at the Vixen; “Shall we begin? Or would you like to watch the others for a bit?”
The Vixen shook her head, and handed the light chains to the Cheetah; “No time like the present….”
Kittiara watched as the Wolverine lass bound the Mink. It was a fairly classic pose, elegant in its simplicity. The Mink wore a thick leather collar, that looked unusually stiff. A series of straps held a ring-gag in her muzzle. Straps held her arms together behind her back, and straps above and below her breasts held them tightly in place. Bands encircled her legs, holding calf to thighs. The Mink knelt, a shiny chromed vibrator just visible in her snatch. It was obvious that she was holding it there, the force of her own “inner hand” keeping it from sliding out. Eyes closed in concentration, she knelt as the Kurani used a portable camera to record every aspect of her situation.
“What do you think?”
The Kurani smiled; “Wanda, many times simplicity is best. I think you’ve achieved a sort of minimalist elegance. And that shade of leather does go beautifully with her fur. I’d say it’s a worthy effort.
---
Tanj squirmed and grunted; “Dang it, Zassa, you tied your leg ropes too tight; can’t get my arms through.”
The Vixen grinned; “Oh, quit complaining. Shove harder; you can do it!”
---
Hinoki snapped another piece into place, and closed the metal circlet around the Chocolate pantheress’ leg. “only a few more and we can try and power it up.”
Sabina nodded carefully, a metal joint squeaking on the left side of her neck.
Hinoki looked up and frowned; “Hmmm. Hope I brought the right kind of lubricant…. Don’t think the usual kind will work there…..”
---
Tanj moaned and arched her back. Her mouth muffled by the Vixen’s muff, she growled; “Zassa, what did you use as a lubricant?”
The Vixen smiled and pressed her sex more firmly to the Cheetah’s muzzle; “Oh, that’s just one of my favorites. Burns quite nicely, doesn’t it? Give it some time; it’ll change to “menthol” in a bit…..
---
Kittiara looked at the Chocolate Pantheress and “Hmmmm”ed. “Well, the chrome does go nice with her coloration, and the engraving is cool; very “art noveau”, but are you sure you can call it “restraint?” It looks as if she’s pretty mobile to me….”
Hinoki just chuckled and held up the remote. “Its basically a modified exoskeleton, of the type used to explore heavy gravity worlds. The framework is titanium, so its light, but strong. I’ve added a few more cuffs and bands than the original had, just so the slave can feel more “secure.” With the power off, it moves as she does, providing almost no resistance. However, I can take the remote and lock all the joints holding her in whatever position she happens to be in at the moment.” Hinoki grinned; “Sashi, bend over and check the ankle restraints.” The Chocolate Pantheress moved smoothly, the exoskeleton moving with her, telescoping in some places as needed. Hinoki grinned and pushed a button; “There; she’s locked in that position. Just right for a little back-door sex, or quite possibly a spanking.” He thumbed the remote again; “OK, you can straighten up now.”
The Kurani nodded; “Its… impressive, but not very sexy.”
Hinoki laughed; “Ah, that’s because you haven’t understood the full implications. You see, the on-board computer has quite a memory. Lets say that I told Sashi to, oh, say, paint the house. It would record every motion she made while she went about that task. Then, if a year later, I told her that I’d decided that I really didn’t like the color, and that I wanted her to paint the house again, the on-board computer would monitor her motions with respect to those performed the previous time; if she did it exactly the same, within certain tolerances, she’d be rewarded. If she deviated, she’d be punished. Now, I admit, using this for that sort of task might be a little ridiculous; but how many tasks do you try and train a slave to do properly?”
The Kurani frowned; “Walking correctly for one. Correct posture. Serving technique. Yes, I could see how this might be very useful.”
Hinoki chuckled; “And in the meantime, she’s completely helpless. She MUST obey your instructions, or else.” He grinned and stroked Sashi’s left breast; “No matter what she thinks of it, she must obey.”
Kittiara nodded; “What sorts of punishments and rewards can it hand out?”
Hinoki chuckled; “Just watch.” He thumbed a button on the remote, and an arm swung out from the brace traveling up the inside of the chocolate Pantheress’ left leg; it moved to the brace on her right leg and clicked into a recess, where it retrieved a slender chromed vibrator. Changing angle, length and position it presented the head of the dildo to Sashi’s sex, and slowly pushed it in. Sashi smiled and purrrred softly. “That’s one of her favorites. Don’t know why she likes that one better than any of a dozen others, but she does.”
Kittiara watched as the arm articulated, moving the dildo in and out of Sashi’s sex. Hinoki watched the Pantheress for a moment and then pressed a button on the remote. It was obvious that all the joints had just locked. Now Sashi just had to stand there and “take it”. “There’s another arm built into the back of the right inside leg brace, that can perform a similar function with respect to anal sex. And there are other dildoes hidden around the framework; some are rather large, and knobby, and not intended to be all that pleasant. That, combined with how they’re moved, and the use of selective electric shocks all add up to the “punishment”.
Kittiara nodded and smiled; “So, what tasks have you checked her out on?”
Hinoki chuckled; “Oh, just a few. Fellatio, various forms of heterosexual sex….” He grinned at the Kurani; “But we still have a few kinks to work out on Cunnilingus. Would you like to help us out on that?”
The Kurani smiled; “Anything for science!”
---
Dynotaku tugged lightly on the crotch rope, and smiled as Sabina whimpered, her pelvis rocking forward to reduce the strain. Nodding in satisfaction, he stepped back, wondering if there was anything he’d forgotten….
---
Kittiara moaned softly and shook her head; “No, I don’t think you could “do something for her tongue”. Its pleasant enough as it is. Besides, the way her whole body moves as she licks is quite delightful. Looking down at Sashi she smiled; “Since she’s doing so good a job, I trust she’s getting, ah, “positive feedback?”
Hinoki chuckled and nodded; “quite so.”
The Kurani smiled and stroked the Pantheress’ head; “You know, you are going to have to let me try this one day…..”
---
Zassa watched the Unicorn tie the last knot and step back. She had to admit, ‘bina looked fantastic. She stood, balanced on one foot; the other one was bent double, numerous ropes in a diamond pattern holding calf to thigh from knee to ankle. There was a rope under her knee, and it went to the ring in the end of the prod gag that was in her mouth. A rope harness, delicately made, held the gag in place, and any tension on the ring would force its end against the roof of her mouth, as well as tug her head down. That was a problem as her hair was gathered in a topknot, and that tied, with a long piece of cord, to an overhead fitting. She balanced on one foot, knee out in front of her, wobbling a little. Her arms were tied behind her in the inverse-prayer position she was so fond of, palm to palm, the tips of each individually tied finger by the back of her rope collar. Her thumbs were tied together, the same cord tied to the back of her rope collar, holding her paws almost painfully high against her back. Other ropes secured upper arm to forearm, forearm to forearm, and the whole assembly to her body. A rope bra, of sorts framed her breasts, with lighter cords zig-zagging from side to side; those cords were so tight, her flesh bulged through the gaps most enticingly.
And of course, twisted cords trapped each nipple
Her torso was also encased in a diamond-pattern network of ropes, as was the leg she was standing on. And another twisted pair of cords split her sex, trapping her clitty as her nipples had been trapped.
Zassa nodded in approval; “Pretty good. I think Master Zhao, on Haveth is better, but not by much.”
Below her, Tanj muttered something into the Vixen’s snatch.
Zassa looked down and nodded; “You’re right. Takerar might be better in overall design, but I don’t think his knotwork is quite as good. The Cheetah made a disputive sound into the Vixen’s snatch, almost like blowing a raspberry, and Zassa giggled and squirmed in delight; “oooh, do that again!”
Dynotaku looked around and spread his hands; “OK, so now what?”
Kittiara grinned; “We let the “Victims” enjoy themselves until dinner, and then we release them. We show the tape when we get back, and see what the consensus is.”
The Unicorn frowned; “All right, but I want to be in on the editing….”
---
Zassa shivered; it really was a deliciously spooky situation. She’d begged Hinoki to let her try his exoskeleton, and after conferring with Tanj, the Cheetah had agreed. Now, she was locked into the bright metal, completely helpless to do anything but what had been programmed into it. No matter what she thought, no matter what she wanted, she had to continue the task appointed to her. And she admitted, the work needed doing. And it wasn’t without its rewards. Still, it wasn’t quite what she’d had in mind……
Tanj watched the Vixen from a distance and grinned. Cuffed to the floor cleaner, she was taking three steps forward, three steps back, shifting the cleaner to one side, and doing it again. When she’d reached the opposite wall of the corridor, she took three steps forward, bent to check the fluid levels in the tanks, and repeated the procedure. Any significant deviation and she was “punished”. Of course, they’d had to loosen up the restrictions on that some, to let her go around corners, and occasionally empty and refill the solutions tanks….
Zassa groaned as the vibrators in pussy and ass kicked into high gear. Every time she completed another ten meters of corridor, the exoskeleton gave her a rather nice climax….. But…. There were a lot of corridors, even in so small a freighter. How long were they going to keep her doing this?
The Oligarchy 1
Tanj watched the Holo tank and sipped her coffee. They were approaching the Oligarchy’s home world. Right on schedule. Traffic was getting heavier; there must have been a half dozen ships detected by the sensors, and they were still a couple of light-days out. It wouldn’t be long before they’d have to contact traffic control, and that ought to be interesting….
---
Kittiara smiled and ran the brush through her fur. Soon, she’d be home. It’d been a while, and she was both looking forward to it, and dreading it. It meant she’d have to explain herself, and sometimes that wasn’t the easiest thing to do. They didn’t always agree with her logic, or her motivations… Without a doubt, it was going to be “interesting….”
---
Hinoki grinned at the panting Vixen; he glanced down at the floor and shook his head. “Missed a spot. I think you need to do it over.” At the look in her eyes he chuckled; “Yes, all of it.”
---
Kittiara slid smoothly into the station chair at the communications console, and turned to look at the Nav displays. She seemed to be wrapped in a number of almost-sheer bandanas, knotted here and there in a complicated pattern. She hadn’t been there but a couple of heartbeats when the Comm.. panel chimed. Almost casually she pressed the key and purred; “This is the Lost Cause, Kittiara speaking.”
The image of a uniformed Kurani formed on the main viewscreen, and he stared at her for a moment. Kittiara just smiled and quirked one eyebrow upwards. After a minute he growled; “Clearance to descend to the Ambassador’s estate. The COUNTRY estate, that is. All other traffic in the area has been alerted to your presence. Confirm upon touchdown.” The image faded.
Tanj blinked; “Um…..” Behind her, Kittiara chuckled softly; “Well, that’s interesting.” She looked over at the Cheetah; “There’s a lot you could read into something like that. I’m going to have to think about just what the ramifications and implications are.” She smiled; “But for the moment, I suggest we take them up on the offer. You have the coordinates?”
Tanj checked her helm console and then nodded; “Yes…. But that’s all I have. No approach vectors, not even a descent velocity…”
The Kurani nodded; “Exactly. Make whatever you think is a prudent approach.” After a moment she added; “Oh, it might be nice to come in from the South; the view’s better that way.”
The Cheetah scowled at the Kurani and nodded slowly; “The south…. Riiiiiight.” Muttering she turned back to her flight controls.
Kittiara turned to watch the sensor displays. The warship had stayed in orbit, but several smaller vessels were following them down. Honor guard, or armed escort? Or both? She really was going to have to talk to her mate to find out what was going on….
The terrain was rolling grassland. The “estate” seemed to be mostly built into the landscape; here and there a small hill would have a picture window, or a door, and here and there ventilators, and climate control equipment perched on hilltops. One small hill sprouted a small antenna farm, and a small bluff was faced with a pair of rather large sliding doors. No one seemed to be about, and there were no vehicles present; at least not above ground. “Why don’t you put the ship down right over there. Near that small copse of trees. But watch out for the fountain.”
Tanj wondered if perhaps Kittiara would like to fly, but then decided that there was no way she was turning the controls over to her….
---
Wanda felt the ship touch down, and smiled; “Well, for better or worse, we’re there. Ready to go face the Kurani, Pet?”
Kath checked the pockets of her jumpsuit; she had all sorts of little “accessories” there, just in case…. But if things turned ugly, how could they escape from the Oligarchy’s homeworld? Suddenly this whole thing didn’t seem like a very good idea.
---
Kittiara watched Tanj secure the ship with increasing impatience. It was all she could do to keep from dashing to the airlock, and rushing into the house to see who was home. Finally, the Cheetah rose, and together they headed for the personnel lock.
Hinoki was waiting for them; he seemed to be dressed in a shiny black tuxedo, but that was obviously just an effect. Still, his grin was genuine enough, and he seemed to radiate confidence. Tanj grinned at him weakly; “Who do you think should stay with the ship?”
Hinoki chuckled; “Sashi and Sabina will stay. And Zassa; she’s ah… a little tied up at the moment.”
Tanj laughed and punched the cycle key on the airlock; “OK….”
Together they trooped towards a small hill. Smoke rose lazily from a ceramic chimney, and a single antenna bent in the breeze. The side of the hill had several windows, and to one side was a single door. The grass was long, and yellow-green, and waved softly in the breeze, giving the whole place a very “organic” look. Kittiara went through the door as if she belonged there. Tanj and Hinoki exchanged glances, and then followed.
The room inside the door seemed to be set up as a cloak room; beyond that was a room with piles of cushions and low tables. A small stream seemed to run through the center of it, and there were stepping stones at one place. A broad skylight they hadn’t seen from outside provided light. As they passed through, Tanj wondered how they managed to grow grass indoors. But then she was hurrying after Kittiara as the Kurani moved down a corridor.
When she came to the end of the corridor, she saw Kittiara hugging another fem tightly. Kittiara caught her look and grinned; “Everyone, I’d like you to meet the pride’s senior female, Leonie. Leonie, this is Tanj, Captain of the freighter that brought me home; and this is Hinoki, and Wanda, and Kath, and Dynotaku. And Jinx.”
Leonie’s eyes flickered over each as they were introduced. After nodding to each in turn she turned to look at Kittiara; “Only seven for dinner? I would have thought there would have been more.”
Kittiara smiled; “There are three more on the ship.” Turning she lifted the lid on a large pot simmering over a wood fire; “What are we having?”
The wooden spoon came down on her paw with a crack; “Quit that! You’ll loose the flavor! You know how important it is to let Sarfra simmer in its own steam!”
Kittiara licked her paw and muttered; “Sorry….”
After a moment she sighed; “Have you seen Hrral? And who’s at home?”
Leonie smiled; “Hrral is away, on business.” The two of them then chorused a sigh of “… again”. “Alonnys might make it home tonight, but that depends on her work. Other than that, just me.”
Kittiara hmphed; “And here I was worried….” The Kurani chuckled wryly “As well you should be. You have a lot to answer for. But I sense that whatever you’re up to hasn’t completely played out yet.”
Kittiara shook her head; “No, not quite.” She grinned “We’re going to pay a visit to the Brou…. Might be able to bring things to a close after that.”
Leonie raised an eyebrow; “Ah. That would explain it, then.”
Kittiara blinked; “Explain…. What?”
Leonie turned and departed the kitchen by a side corridor; in a moment she was back, carrying a flat, black case made of some sort of heavy fabric. Kittiara noted the seal had already been broken, and opened the flap, to pull out a sheet of parchment and several memory modules. “Well…. THAT was quick.”
Leonie nodded; “But you are NOT leaving until after dinner.” She grinned; “I still want to hear all about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing!”
---
Leonie looked from Kath to Sabina, and then to Sashi. With a curious look on her face she turned to Kittiara and with just a hint of a growl in her voice, muttered; “You know I don’t hold with indentured servitude, or slavery….”
Kittiara smiled gently as she ladled something green and yellow onto her plate, and nodded; “Yes, an in general I agree with you. However, there are exceptions. Personally, I don’t think you could pry Kath away from Wanda with a Balati stick. She lifted her gaze until she was looking at the Kitten; “And I think Sabina feels she still has something to prove to Zassa. I doubt she’s ready to leave yet. The Kitten scowled, shot the Vixen a look and then with a wry smile, shrugged; “Lets just say things around her are “interesting”, and yes, we do have a kind of a running wager….
Leonie looked back, obviously not understanding, but unwilling to pursue the point.
“As for Sashi….”
The Chocolate Pantheress shot the Kurani a smile and shrugged; “Ma’am, I’m happy where I am. I see no reason to alter my, ah, circumstance.
Leonie nodded slowly, and then turned to Kittiara; “And your book? Has the “research” been…. sufficient for your needs?”
Kittiara again nodded slowly; “I think so. It most certainly HAS been an experience.” She grinned; “But like all great tales, it needs an ending. I currently have several possibilities that I’m considering.”
Leonie’s face took on a guarded look; “Uh HUH.” She seemed to settle herself, and then growled; “Well, I do trust you’ll, ah, “consult” with Hrral on the ending. You know he has a clever mind when it comes to things like that.”
Kittiara smiled and sipped her drink; “Oh, of COURSE…..”
Tanj watched the interplay and decided that there were a lot of things happening that needed a lot of interpretation, and explanation, but somehow she doubted she’d get much of an explanation. Instead she turned her attention back to the roast…. Whatever it was. And whatever it was, it deserved her attention. Leonie was a good cook….
Hinoki tried some more of the orange stuff. It was almost a paste, tasted slightly lemony, and was great. He’d tried to listen to the banter between the two Kurani females, but they almost seemed to be talking in code. Stuff taken out of context like that usually was difficult for an outsider to understand, and after a while he stopped trying.
Wanda watched Leonie’s face as Kittiara described her slave training. It was curious; some of the things that Kittiara said didn’t provoke a reaction at all, and other things seemed to alternatively frighten or enrage the senior female. It really was most curious how different furrs reacted differently to the same thing.
Kath sighed, wondering if they’d ever get off family issues and onto more important topics, such as “where WAS the Ambassador, and just what WAS he doing? She knew folks back home were going to want to know. And all she’d gotten so far was the recipe for a rather intriguing desert that Wanda had fallen in love with. Grrrrrrr.
Leonie looked at the Skunkette; “You are perfectly welcome to stay here, if you’d like.” Jinx chuckled and nodded her head; “Thanks, I appreciate that. Kittiara has told me so much about your world, I’d love to see more.”
Leonie just smiled and nodded; “UmHm.” She shifted her gaze to Kittiara, who smiled weakly; “I suppose…” Kittiara looked at the Skunkette with an inscrutable gaze; after a moment she sighed; “You WILL try and refrain from creating an interstellar incident, won’t you?”
Dynotaku studied the “Ambassador’s senior wife” and couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be in bed with her. She had a certain reserved charm that he found most powerful females exuded. In fact, this one seemed to have it in spades. He wondered if the Ambassador was as “well behaved” at home as Kittiara seemed to be…
Sabina nudged Hinoki; “Wake up; we’re going.” Hinoki blinked and looked around; when had he fallen asleep? Was it after the desert? No, it was that sweet wine that had been served just afterwards. Pleasantly full, he must have dozed off. A quick glance at their hostess suggested that if it had been a social faux pas, she at least didn’t seem to have taken note. Maybe, like a good belch, it was expected in certain societies….
Tanj smiled; “Thank you very much for your hospitality, Leonie. You are a most excellent cook.”
The Kurani smiled; “Thank you; you’re most kind.” Her eyes seemed to narrow just a little; “DO stop by again on your way home. I’d love to hear of your experience with the Brou.” It wasn’t a request…
She turned to look at Kittiara; “Somehow, Hrral has never thought to take me, on any of his missions there. I would like to hear an unbiased report….”
Kittiara laughed and hugged Leonie; “We will. Take care, Love; we’ll be back soon.” Pausing, she locked eyes with Leonie: “and if Hrral stops by, PLEASE don’t let him escape until I’ve had a chance to see him?”
Leonie chuckled; “I’ll do what I can, but you know him….”
---
Kath gave the personnel lock a quick look. Her telltales were all in place. If anyone had entered the ship in their absence, they were very good indeed. But somehow, she didn’t think anyone had. Perhaps it had been all too platonic an evening, but somehow, she didn’t think anything untoward had happened… And for all she’d heard of the Oligarchy, that was very surprising.
Hinoki yawned and swatted Sashi on the rump; “come on; bed calls.”
Sashi looked at him and shook her head; “After your nap, I’m surprised you’re tired.”
Hinoki chuckled; “Tired? Nope.” He grinned and grabbed her paw, to drag her off; as they disappeared around a bend in the corridor, her sigh floated back: “Master you are insatiable!
Tanj chuckled and turned to Kittiara; “Shall we take off?”
Kittiara nodded and shrugged; “Plenty of time to sleep on the way, I suppose.”
She hefted the portfolio Leonie had given her; “You do the preflight, and I’ll get our clearance.”
Enroute to the Brou
Tanj sprawled in the pilot’s acceleration couch. As was her norm, when deep in space, she wasn’t wearing a stitch. One paw idly stroked back and forth over her quim, as she stared at the viewscreen. For three days they’d journeyed from the Oligarchy’s homeworld, across their space towards the Brou. And for three days, there had been sensor ghosts in almost every direction. In front of them, behind them, above them and below them, and to either side. She was sure they had an escort, but that they were being “discrete”. Was it because of Kittiara? Was the escort for her at the command of her mate? Or did the Oligarchy simply not trust them?
Any way you cut it, it added just enough tension to make the boredom that much more intolerable.
She’d been through the ship’s maintenance logs, to see what needed doing; there wasn’t much. She generally kept up with the maintenance requirements of her ship, and therefore there just wasn’t much on the “to do” list.
She’d watched about every holo film they’d brought with them, and the current book she was reading just wasn’t that engaging. Rising and stretching, she glared at the sensor display one last time, took a parting glance at the engineering, ops, and environmental displays, and then, with a sigh headed for the door. Maybe she could get something to eat. No, she decided after a moment’s reflection, she always put on weight on these long, dull trips. What she needed to do was to exercise…..
Zassa looked up from the rowing machine as the Cheetah came in. The rowing machine was one of Hinoki’s inventions; as the person occupying the saddle rowed, the mechanical energy was converted to motion; besides the usual forward-and-back, some of the motion was converted into up-and-down, of the thick phallic plug that occupied a strategic position on the saddle. Zassa grinned, and pulled hard on the “oars”, her seat sliding back, the phallus sliding deep into her quim.
Tanj chuckled; “how long you been on that thing? I could smell your arousal a dozen meters down the corridor!”
The Vixen shrugged; “Oh, I’m about
half way across the
Tanj nodded and padded over to an equipment cabinet. Pausing at the door she looked back; “Um… isn’t Pescia a water-world”
The Vixen just grinned and nodded as she worked the machine.
Tanj chuckled and found her favorite set of ben-wa balls. Squatting a little, she slipped them into place, and then, moving carefully, mounted the tread-mill. Soon she was jogging at a moderate pace, the little darlings bouncing most delightfully in her pussy.
Wanda yawned and slipped through the door to the exercise room. She nodded hello to Tanj and Zassa and then moved over to the grille covering the air return duct. Pulling a multitool from her pocket, she undid the grill and lowered it to the floor.
Tanj watched curiously, panting hard. It took quite a bit of concentration to keep the ben-wa balls from falling out, but she still had a little to spare, and that she used on Wanda. The Wolverine lass leaned against the wall, a bored look on her face, as she watched the Cheetah run. She seemed to be waiting for something…..
Tanj wasn’t about to ask, though. She just jogged, keeping up her distance-eating lope, and concentrated on the more enticing sensations of the bouncing balls, instead of how tired she was becoming.
Eventually, she heard something from inside the duct. Wanda turned and peered into it, and then grinned; “Ah. There you are. Its about time you got here.”
Zassa watched as a bound Kath inchwormed through the duct towards them. As she neared the end, Wanda reached in to help her out. “My, but you’re a mess!”
Kath just grinned around her gag and nodded, and then shrugged.
Wanda bent to undo the Mink’s hobble, and then swatted her on the rump; “Get along to the shower, then. I’ll be there to help in a minute.” As the mink headed for the door, Wanda lifted the grill; as she was fitting it back into place she growled; “And don’t let any of that dust hit the floor, or you’ll be cleaning that too.”
Tanj chuckled; “Living bottle brush?”
Wanda nodded; “Got to keep her busy, and I thought an exercise like that might keep her on her toes.”
Tanj nodded; “You know, we just cleaned the ducts about three months ago.”
Wanda shrugged; “Yeah, I know, but I’m running out of ideas.” The Wolverine grinned; “Besides, it must have been quite a challenge for her to make it up two decks, through the ducts, bound like that. Especially with both vibrators running.”
Zassa just laughed and nodded; “Next time try blindfolding her as well.” She shot Tanj a grin; “I bet I know every twist, and turn in there by heart.”
Tanj laughed and nodded; “Not to mention every sharp edge, rough weld, and sheet metal screw.”
Wanda nodded; “We still need to come up with something to occupy everyone’s attention.”
Zassa shrugged; “Another contest?”
Tanj smiled; “no… how about we do something like one of those “murder mystery weekend” things…. Compete to solve a fictional crime?”
Wanda nodded slowly; “might work…..”
---
Wanda smiled; it was just where she thought it would be. The cage was just as Zassa had described it. After her unintended incarceration in it, the Wolverine was surprised she’d kept it. Or was this the same one? Perhaps she’d had a duplicate created; she couldn’t remember. And its location was perfect, hidden from casual view by several shipping containers, and the shuttle. Wanda grinned evilly and rubbed her paws together. This was going to be good.
Zassa smiled as she came through the air duct. Unlike Kath’s housekeeping expedition, the Vixen wore a skintight black jumpsuit; the slick material had eased her passage through the tight ducts, and had kept her clean; the latter was very important. Ten minutes ago she’d been in the wardroom. Now, she was in Hinoki’s quarters. Playing out the wire that suspended her, she “walked” down the wall until she was opposite his closet. “Now… where would he keep his treasure. “The great Lemanski’s “Debbie Does Deneb” he’d said. Moving carefully, trying not to leave any DNA traces, she quickly searched the Cheetah’s cabin.
As is common with most things of that type, she found it in the last place she looked. It was also the last place she would have thought of looking; in his stack of Holofilms. “Purloined letter technique, eh? Well it won’t save you this time!” Tucking it into a magnetically shielded envelope, she replaced it in the stack. Then she carefully placed the card with an engraved “P” on top of the stack. Reaching into her fanny pack she removed three items. The wax apple was placed on top of the holofilm player, the feather was carefully laid on his pillow and the little vial of liquid was emptied over his bed. She then rewound the wire, walking backwards up the wall until she could slide back into the ventilation duct.
---
Tanj looked at herself in the mirror and grinned; the dress was an old favorite; that was the problem; it was old and a little worn. Although it held many fond memories, it was something she could easily sacrifice for the cause. Grabbing it just above her left breast she pulled down hard, ripping the material.
---
Sabina looked at the Wolverine, and cocked one eyebrow upwards; “She was in it for HOW long?”
Wanda waggled a finger at the kitten; “That would be telling. If you don’t know how long she had to endure it, it would be too easy for you to beat her record. Now, are you game?”
The Kitten laughed and nodded; “Of course, Mistress. Now?”
Wanda nodded; “Lets just make it look as if there was a scuffle in here, and then we’ll go there directly.”
---
Tanj chuckled; the “blood” was ketchup, the knife rubber, and the pose was deliberate overacting. Taking a look around the Cheetah nodded; everything was ready. Throwing back her her head she took a deep breath, and…..
---
Hinoki stepped through the door, and grinned; the scent in the room was unmistakeable; a sexually excited female cheetah had been in here. And yet, the bed was unrumpled, and there was no one in sight. It was then he spotted the white piece of cardboard on his dresser. Picking it up, he looked at it in confusion; it merely had a large “P” on the front. And then it dawned on him. The “calling card” from a master thief in an ancient movie. Turning it over he read; “I have stolen something very valuable from you; can you figure out what it is, and who I am?” Quickly he looked around his cabin wondering what was missing. Finally realization hit him, and in haste he pawed through his stack of holofilms…. “They wouldn’t… They better not have… THEY … DIDN’T? The collection was in a magnetically shielded envelope of the type electronic parts were shipped in. The logo on the box was clearly visible through the translucent plastic; however, scrawled across the top was “you didn’t find this!”
It took him a minute to figure it out. And then he grinned. Standing up, he took a couple of deep breaths, and then, growling, he threw back his head and…….
---
Zassa looked at the mess in her room and frowned. A jar of Sibri powder from her collection of aphrodisiacs had been upended, and in the mess on the floor were two tracks as if someone had been dragged out. In one corner was a ball of twine, one strand hanging loose, and near it was a pair of scissors. Looking around, she growled; Sabina? SABINA, where are you?
---
Dynotaku turned the page in the magazine, and then took a sip of coffee. From down the corridor he heard, almost simultaneously, a scream, and two howls of outrage. Putting the cup down he turned the page again and muttered to himself; “Never a dull moment on this ship…..”
---
Wanda dashed down the corridor and stared wide-eyed at the figure slumped against the wall. “Tanj… Tanj are you…. WHAT HAPPENED?”
Tanj couldn’t help it; she started to chuckle. By the time Hinoki emerged from his cabin, she was trying hard to stave off a massive attack of the giggles, and by the time Zassa arrived she’d lost the battle completely…
Wanda looked at the disheveled figure in consternation; she was trying to say something but she couldn’t make it out. Reaching out, she dipped the tip of one finger in the red goo slopped down her front, and sniffed it carefully. Then she tasted it.
Hinoki watched the Wolverine grin, only becoming more confused.
“Attacked” (giggles) I was (giggles) attacked…… (laughs) by a…. (giggles) By a…. (gasp) bottle of Ketchup!”
Wanda looked at the rubber knife and laughed; “That’s not what you were supposed to say, and you know it!” Tanj laughed and nodded energetically; “Can’t (giggles) HELP myself!”
Dynotaku calmly looked over the scene and lightly remarked; “Would someone care to tell me what’s going on here?”
Tanj laughed “I’ve been attacked by a masked condiment!”
Wanda sighed and shook her head; “We were discussing holding a “murder mystery” weekend type event to break the boredom. I think Tanj here was trying to stage something like that, but it seems to have gotten the best of her.”
The Cheetah nodded and chuckled; “Beware the mustard! It might be a conspiracy!”
Dynotaku looked at the Cheetah and nodded slowly; “I think she’s been working too hard.”
Hinoki forced a grim look to his face and growled; “Well, I don’t know about botched artificial crimes, but I’ve got a real one to solve. Someone has purloined my boxed set of “Debbie Does Deneb.” Its nowhere to be found!
Zassa padded up to look curiously at the giggling Cheetah. Reaching out she ran a finger through the Cheetah’s chestfur, leaving a red streak. She then ostentatiously stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked it clean; “Um. Ketchup.” She grinned at the Cheetah; “now if you’d used chocolate, I would have offered to lick you clean, but….”
Hinoki made an impatient motion and growled; “Zassa, did you “borrow” my Lemanski collection?”
The Vixen blinked, and then shook her head no; “not me. Hey, anyone seen Sabina? I need to have a word with her.”
Tanj panted hard. She’d blown it, but she’d laughed so hard her chest hurt. Not a complete loss. Idly flipping the rubber knife from hand to hand, she listened as Hinoki grilled each of the furrs. And what was Wanda grinning about?
“Well, if you think it’ll help, you’re free to search my quarters!”
Hinoki glared at the Vixen; “That’d probably be the LAST place you’d hide it!’ He leered; “Besides, I’d rather search YOU!”
Zassa grinned, and then shrugged; “I’m not wearing a stitch; be pretty difficult to hide something like that. And maybe I wouldn’t hide it in my quarters, if I’d taken it, but its absolutely no good without a viewer. It’d have to be somewhere near one of those, to be useful, wouldn’t it?”
Hinoki nodded slowly; “So…. How many portable viewers are there on this ship?”
Tanj pulled off the ruined dress and used it to wipe a bit more of the ketchup from her front; “Well, if you collect all the viewers, how will that help you find the thief?”
Hinoki growled; “It won’t, but at least I’ll know the thief isn’t enjoying herself.”
Wanda raised an eyebrow; “Could be “himself” you know….”
Everyone turned to look pointedly at the Unicorn, who suddenly seemed to be doing his best to look innocent; slowly Hinoki nodded; “Yeah…. Could be.”
---
“I think the feather is a clue.”
Hinoki shrugged; “No avians on the ship. Where would a feather come from?”
Wanda chuckled; “Oh, come on; how many folks have been tickled, teased, or stroked by a feather on this ship?”
Hinoki nodded; “There is that. So I guess I have to search everyeone’s toybox for a missing feather?”
Zassa stuck her head in the wardroom door and growled; “Anyone seen Sabina? Its not like her to be missing this long.”
Tanj shrugged; “You could go to the flight deck and use the security systems to find her, if you’re really worried.”
The vixen nodded; “Yeah, good idea.”
Hinoki grinned; “Say, that IS a good idea; I could use the scanners to search for my missing collection!
---
Tanj followed them to the flight deck, idly licking one paw and then rubbing it through her fur. Maybe she should have used chocolate. Leaning against the aft wall, she watched as Zassa slid into the Ops station chair, Hinoki hovering behind her. The Vixen’s fingers flew over the keys, calling up the security data. And then she sat back and blinked. “Um…. Something’s wrong here.”
Wanda growled; “Let me guess; it shows she’s not on the ship?”
The Vixen shook her head; “No, just the opposite; it says she’s all over the ship. In fact it says there are three of her right here on the flight deck!”
Wanda blinked and looked around as if a squad of Sabinas were lurking in the shadows.
Tanj straightened and stepped forward; “Lemme see that!”
Hinoki growled; “In a second, Tanj; I want to look for my collection before you start messing with the sensors.”
Zassa rose and vacated the chair, to watch as Hinoki set up the sensors; after a moment he straightened and glared at the screen; “What the…..?”
Tanj edged forward to peer over his shoulder; there were little white “P’s” all over the schematic of the ship. Scowling, the Cheetah shook her head; “its not supposed to do that…..”
---
Dynotaku looked at the apple and smiled; “well, it wasn’t me.”
Hinoki frowned; “What do you mean?”
The Unicorn pointed to the apple; “Someone must have mistaken it for a real one; its got teethmarks in it.”
Hinoki took the apple and looked at it; “Hmmmm. Fangs. Too large a bite for Kath, too small for Wanda, Sashi, or Kittiara… It looks wrong for Zassa…” Looking up at the Unicorn he smiled; “Looks more like a Cheetah’s bite to me….”
---
Wanda smiled and slipped the card under the Vixen’s door. Then, rising, she turned and whistling innocently, turned and padded down the hall.
---
Kath undid the Kitten’s blindfold and purred; “So HERE you are. We were worried what had happened to you!”
Sabina chuckled; “Put that back on; I’m sure I haven’t beaten her record yet!”
Kath blinked; “Huh?”
The Kitten purred; “Wanda told me Zassa accidently locked herself in this thing and was here almost for a week. Hell, I can do that standing on my hands! I’ll show that Vixen who’s the better sub!”
Kath chuckled; “If you wish…” She moved to put the blindfold back, but Sabina turned her head; “You can’t leave, you know.”
Kath blinked; “Oh? Why?”
Sabina chuckled; “Well, first off because you’d ruin the mystery Mistress Wanda has set up. She wanted my absense to be a mystery that would occupy everyone’s attention and if you go back, you’ll blow it. On the other hand, if you stay here, the mystery will only deepen. But there’s another reason too.”
Kath blinked; “And that is?”
“Because the door has swung closed behind you. I betcha its latched. Now come on, be a good sport; there’s another harness just outside the bars over there, and I bet we can get you into it if we work together….”
---
Tanj looked up from the internal sensor display; it was obvious that she wasn’t in a good mood, and really didn’t want to be disturbed. She’d run a level 4 diagnostic on the system and it’d come up clean; and yet it was still showing patently false data. “Say what?”
Hinoki smiled and tossed the apple from paw to paw; “just want you to open your mouth for me, for a moment.”
Tanj frowned, glanced at the display, which was in the process of reinstalling some files and decided she had a moment; obligingly she turned towards the Cheetah and opened her mouth. Hinoki held up the apple, and put it against her mouth like a fruity ball-gag; “Yup; just as I suspected.”
He turned to the Unicorn with a grin; “I think this proves who our thief is! Now, what shall we do for punishment?”
Tanj spat out the apple and growled; “So what? THAT doesn’t prove anything! Everyone knows I bit into that thing. Hell, you were there when it happened. Its been in the wax fruit basket in the wardroom for over a year.”
Hinoki looked blank for a second and then groaned; “Oh. Yeah. I remember that. Some admirer gave it to Zassa and she put it in the middle of the table. You didn’t realize it wasn’t real and tried to eat the apple.”
Tanj nodded; “And you guys teased me about it for weeks. ANYONE could have gotten that from the basket.”
Dynotaku chuckled and nudged the Cheetah; “I still think she’s guilty. I think we need to tie her up and interrogate her!”
Tanj looked at the unicorn and growled; “And what makes you think I’m the guilty party?”
Dynotaku shrugged; “No reason. I just thing you’d be fun to interrogate! SOOOOO many interesting things we could do to you!”
---
Zassa looked at the card, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. On one side was a large black “P”, and on the other side was a printed message that read; “I have your slave! You will never see her again. Or at least until the game is over.” And then at the bottom; “Catch me if you can!”
---
Tanj leaned back in the station chair; “Really! And tell me, Sir Unicorn, if you had me in your clutches, just what would you do to wring the truth from me?”
The Unicorn opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Hinoki chuckled; “Oh, you left that very clue for us, you did!”
Tanj frowned; “Gag me with a wax apple? That doesn’t sound like it would encourage me to talk….”
Hinoki waved his paws; “no, not that clue; the other clue! The Feather!” He turned to the Unicorn; “I say we tie her up and tickle her until she talks!”
---
Zassa slipped through the door and padded up to the group; “Sounds like fun, but I’m afraid it can’t be her.”
Tanj leaned past the Unicorn and gave the Vixen a look; “And why not?”
Zassa sighed; “Because, my dear, you were busy trying to set up your own mystery. When Hinoki’s room was broken into, and when Sabina was kidnapped.”
Hinoki frowned; “Who says my room was broken into? I never lock the door…..”
Dynotaku took the card from the vixen and examined it; “Hmmmmm. Someone’s been very busy……”
Zassa nodded; “Now, when the crimes were committed, who was missing?
Tanj watched the security program reinitialize, as the others talked. Something wasn’t right here. She’d stripped down the whole system, and reloaded it. There shouldn’t be a problem, and yet, the system was STILL showing over a hundred Sabinas on the ship. There was nothing for it; she was going to have to start checking the circuitry for external influences…. And of all the furrs on board, there really was only one she knew could do things like that to a security system. Kath. Looking up at Hinoki, she growled; “Hey, Hinoki; can I borrow that feather?”
Dynotaku shook his head; “I was in my quarters, reading. Besides, Sashi was nowhere to be seen, either. Neither was Kath, if I remember correctly. It was Tanj, Hinoki, Wanda, Zassa, and myself in the corridor…..”
Hinoki waved a paw; “Sashi was tied up at the time; it couldn’t have been her.”
Zassa looked at the Cheetah: “you leave her tied up that much?”
Hinoki blinked and then shook his head; “No, no, she was organizing the financial records of my store for transmission to the accountant. Tax time you know.”
Zassa winced; “I think I’d rather be in a night tight hogtie.
Hinoki chuckled and nodded; “Me too. But I know from the amount of progress she made, she wasn’t anywhere else. Couldn’t have been.” He turned back to the Unicorn; “That leaves you, who didn’t show up until the deed was uncovered, and Kath.”
Dynotaku nodded; “Right. Lets go ask Wanda where Kath was!”
---
Tanj couldn’t find Kath. Wanda said she hadn’t seen her in a while, and she was in none of the usual places. Normally, she’d just ask the ship’s computer, but that answer was coming back completely useless. Unlike Sabina, of which the sensors could find an unreasonable number, the sensors didn’t show Kath at all…. Grumbling, the Cheetah turned her attention to the hardware side of the internal sensors…..
---
Zassa twirled the feather in her paws. If a forensic scientist had been there he probably would have had a stroke at how she was handling the evidence. On the other hand, the ship didn’t have the instruments to force the feather to reveal what it might know, and none of them were trained in forensic science. “I don’t know. I still think we should apply the Unicorn’s own logic to him!”
Hinoki chuckled and looked at Dynotaku; “How well can you stand up against tickle torture?”
The Unicorn straightened until his horn touched the ceiling; “I have no idea; I’ve never tried. However I’d like to think I could stand up as well as anyone. But it’s a moot point. I haven’t done anything wrong…. OK, I haven’t done anything wrong LATELY, and I certainly haven’t absconded with Hinoki’s collection or Zassa’s slave!”
---
Tanj sighed and paced; “I’m worried. Not being able to find either Sabina or Kath… on a ship this size, its just not RIGHT!”
Zassa shook her head; “And everyone seems to have an alibi for where they were…. THAT’S what’s driving ME crazy.”
Sashi nudged Hinoki and when he turned to look at her, leaned forward to whisper in his ear. Hinoki nodded and turned to look at the Vixen; “Sashi’s right. Its confusing if one person did it all, but not if two people did it.”
The Vixen blinked; “Huh?”
Wanda chuckled; “He’s right. Zassa, dear, you don’t have an ironclad alibi for when Hinoki’s collection was stolen. You were missing from the wardroom for quite a few minutes….”
The Vixen shrugged; “I told you, I was in the head. Something I ate must have disagreed with me….”
Wanda shrugged; “Likewise, my alibi for when Sabina went missing is no better. I was alone and have no real proof I was reading medical journals.” The Wolverine lass looked at Tanj and grinned; “What if it’s a conspiracy?
Tanj leaned back in her chair and grinned at Hinoki and the Unicorn; “Personally, I think I’m coming around to believe that you two are correct. But I think EVERYONE here needs to be interrogated.”
Zassa chuckled; “Sounds like fun, but who will interrogate the interrogators?”
Tanj Hmmmmed; “Not sure. We may have to take turns. But right now we need to collect more information than we’ve got. Can’t think of any better way to do it.”
Wanda nodded; “Sounds good. Tell you what, work up a… “duty roster” and we’ll each take turns playing cops and robbers…. And just to show I’m a good sport, I’ll go first.”
Dynotaku looked at Hinoki and shrugged; “Does that mean we get to interrogate her?”
Hinoki grinned and shook his head, and turned to look at the big Wolverine lass; “Hope not; personally I’d LOVE to be interrogated by her! This could be FUN!”
Tanj replaced the inspection cover, shifted over a half a meter and opened the next one. So far, she hadn’t found anything that shouldn’t have been there. As she worked, she listened. The footsteps could only be Wanda’s. Setting the inspection cover to one side, she stuck her head in the opening, pencil light held in her teeth. She looked at the run of shielded superconductor , as it moved from left to right. The light blue with the pink stripe was the internal security net, and once again, here, everything looked exactly as it should. Pulling her head out she looked up at Wanda and shrugged; “Haven’t found anything yet.”
Wanda nodded slowly; “Personally, I don’t have a clue why it isn’t working. You’d have to ask Kath…. Listen, Tanj, this is all just in fun, y’know?”
Tanj chuckled; “I know. Its just got me baffled how… “someone” did what they did. Gotta find out, and I’ve gotta find out for myself.”
Wanda nodded; “Well, we’re about a quarter of the way to our destination. Lots of days left. No point in hurrying it, right?”
Tanj chuckled; “Are you going to use the same philosophy in your interrogation of Hinoki?”
Wanda laughed; “you know, I was volunteering to BE interrogated, not DO the interrogating.”
Tanj nodded; “I kinda got that impression.” She cocked her head to one side; “Nothing to hide?”
Wanda snorted; “not likely; just tryin’ to make it through the process before they get their act together.”
Tanj laughed and nodded; “So…. Watcha got in mind for our resident tentacle monster?”
Wanda adopted her best evil grin; “oh, the usual. Carrot and stick approach. The Stick is going to be a bucket of ice cubes. You KNOW how he loves those!”
Tanj winced and nodded; “And the Carrot?” Wanda grinned; “Me, of course.”
---
She found it a couple of hours later. It had been placed in a convenient access panel just off Engineering. A flat black box inserted between two couplers. Tanj disconnected it, padded back into Engineering, studied the internal security display for a while, cross-referenced it with the cargo manifest, and then smiled and nodded. The black box went back where it had been, but then she spent some time with the cargo bay sensors, programming them to alert on unusual noises, or temperatures. There had to be SOME thought to safety after all…….
---
Hinoki frowned at the Wolverine lass as she lay out the latex sheet over the horizontal frame; “Um…. Wanda?”
The Wolverine lass looked up and grinned; “Just a few restraints. I’m sure you can handle it. After all, we don’t want you walking off in a huff….”
Hinoki nodded; “Um… yeah…. But I’d hoped that there might be a little more, ah, “intimate contact” involved….”
Wanda shrugged; “This stuff is pretty stretchy; I think we’ll be able to manage. Now be a good interrogation subject and lay down right here.”
Tanj watched as Wanda pulled a latex sheet with a strategically placed hole over his head. The sheet fit snugly around his neck. Wanda then fitted the top half of the frame over the lower half, trapping the upper and lower latex sheets between the halves. And then she started the vacuum pump. She thought she knew where this was going and it was a good idea too; the way the Cheetah-Monster could flow, ordinary restraints probably wouldn’t be able to hold him….
Hinoki felt the latex pulled TIGHT around his body, immobilizing him. It was all he could do to breathe, but as Wanda had mentioned, the latex was marvelously stretchy, and it wasn’t too difficult, or event too uncomfortable…… But he didn’t think he could easily escape it. Tentacles he could manage, but hard edges, something to tear or cut the latex, that was beyond him. No, he was trapped. Relaxing he settled back to savor the delights of being completely at Wanda’s mercy…..
Wanda purred and sat astride the Cheetah’s thighs, her paws resting lightly on the bulge in the semi-transparent latex that was the Cheetah’s sex; “Comfy?”
Hinoki chuckled and to the extent possible, nodded. “Good, I’m glad to hear that.” She stroked her paws up his stomach, over his abs, and then brought them back down to his crotch again; “Don’t you just love the feel of latex? Isn’t it delicious? And don’t you love the way this holds you SO tight? You can barely move, can you?” The Wolverine smiled, tracing the outline of the Cheetah’s shaft under the thin layer of latex; “Of course, it transmits sensations fairly well, and you can move SOME. This, for instance. Its moving under the latex nicely, isn’t it?”
Hinoki groaned and nodded; his shaft was swelling under her ministrations. Of course the latex held it tight to his body, but still, it felt good….
Wanda purred and bent to drag her tongue along the latex, her saliva leaving it more translucent, the Cheetah’s shaft suddenly even more apparent; “Now, Love, why don’t you tell me about this Holofilm collection that’s gone missing… Just where was it in your room?”
Tanj listened to Hinoki talk. He’d throw out a fact, and Wanda would give him a lick, and he’d throw out something else…. His voice trailing off as if he were just begging for another lick….
Dynotaku watched curiously. He’d never thought of using a vacuum bed to hold the Cheetah-monster; it was quite an innovation. He’d have to remember that one. But…. Surely they wouldn’t use it on HIM when his time for “interrogation” came, would they?
Sabina was sleeping. At last! Kath knelt, and settled herself on the dong built into the floor of the cage, sliding it into her wetness. Being locked in the cage with Sabina was like a non-stop orgy, either because they couldn’t stop teasing each other, or, like now, because they had to hump the built-in dong, to get a drink of water or something to “eat”…. Tightening her vaginal muscles she gripped the dong as hard as she could, and started to move, pulling it up, pushing it down. She’d have to “pump” it thirty times before the other dong, the one at mouth level, would give her something to “eat”. But only if she never stopped humping the one mounted on the floor, and only if she sucked on the one in her mouth just right…… Still, it made mealtimes interesting…..
Hinoki gasped as something cold touched the latex covering his balls. For a moment he tried wildly to escape it, only to find the vacuum bed held him all too tightly. And then Wanda was purrrring “Come on, Hinoki, you can remember better than that. Think carefully. When you returned to your quarters, what had changed? What was out of place?” The Wolverine gave his throbbing shaft another lick and purred; “Concentrate. Surely SOMETHING had changed; something was different. After all, something made you go looking for the collection, right? What was it?”
Hinoki groaned; the alternating frigid cold and delicious tongue was driving him crazy; “Honestly, Wanda! There WAS nothing else! The feather, and the apple, and the card! It was the card that made me go looking for my collection. You’ve SEEN the card; you’d know why it was the first thing that came to mind!”
Wanda purred and trailed an ice cube along the curve of his rib cage; “surely there was something else….. Think hard, now…. I’ve got a whole bucket full of ice…”
Sashi leaned over and whispered to the Vixen; “Gee, she can be real mean when she wants to!” Zassa nodded, watching Hinoki squirm under the latex; “Yeah…. Wonder if she’d do me next?”
Hinoki panted and squealed; “Wait! WAIT! I think I remember something!”
Wanda sat back and juggled the ice cube from paw to paw; “Really? What?”
Hinoki panted; “There was some dust on the nightstand. I wondered about where it came from, and then I realized that it was below the ventilation duct. I thought it might have been knocked loose by Kath’s excursions, and just blown in, but I wonder if someone didn’t enter my room by that route!”
Wanda nodded; “Did you clean it up?”
Hinoki blinked and looked at the Wolverine; “Um, no, sorry, haven’t had time to dust recently.”
Wanda smiled; “So it would still be there.”
Hinoki nodded; “Um, well, I kinda wiped it off and onto the floor, but there should still be some traces…”
Wanda rose, and tossed the ice cube back into the bucket; “I’ll go look. If you’re right, I’ll come back and reward you. If you just made that up, it’ll be more ice….”
---
Dynotaku peered into the duct and nodded; “No doubt about it; someone’s come through this duct recently.”
Wanda nodded; “OK, now all we have to do is to find who got dust on themselves recently.”
The Unicorn nodded; “Sashi usually does the laundry; I’ll ask her if she’s noticed anything recently.”
Wanda smiled; “And I’ll go give the Cheetah his reward.”
---
Sashi blinked; “Yes, there was a pair of coveralls in the laundry that were rather dusty….”
Dynotaku smiled; “And do you know who’s they were?”
Sashi shrugged; “I think they were Zassa’s. But I’m not sure it means anything. Zassa’s always doing maintenance around the ship. Her clothes often come back filthy. So do Tanj’s and so do Hinoki’s. Well, Hinoki’s used to, before he started faking clothing…” She blinked at the Unicorn; “What does he do now, if he’s not really wearing anything? How does he keep clean?”
The Unicorn shrugged; “Maybe he can alter the surface of his body to something that just doesn’t get dirty. I don’t know.”
---
Wanda moaned softly. She was able to stroke the Cheetah’s shaft through the latex, adding the occasional lick just for fun; but she’d decided to straddle him in a slightly different position. This time, her body was over his, her crotch pressed to his muzzle. Yes, the Cheetah was nicely trapped, and would remain so, until he’d satisfied her…. And so far the Cheetah was doing a VERY nice job of it too……
Hinoki howled into Wanda’s muff; her licking and stroking had just coaxed him to a delightful orgasm. He could feel his jism, warm against his stomach. Grinning he drove his tongue deep into her snatch, thinking that SHE could clean up the latex sheets; this had, after all, been all her idea…..
---
Tanj nodded; “I think its enough. Its kinda circumstantial, but then, most things in this case are.” She raised her gaze to the Vixen; “You’re next.” Zassa grinned; “Oh goodie”. And then a look of concern crossed her face; “Um, you DO mean as the furr being interrogated, don’t you?”
Dynotaku smiled as he tied the Vixen’s ankles to the column; he could feel her confusion, sense her unease. She had no idea what he was doing… yet. Smiling he straightened, and turned, to clop around behind her to get the rest of his gear.
Zassa couldn’t figure it out; her paws were tied above her head, to the column above her, but loosely; she had considerable slack in the ropes. The same was true for the ropes that bound her ankles; the rope passed from her left ankle around the back of the column, to her right ankle, but there was slack in that as well, although perhaps not as much…. What was he up to?
Dynotaku lifted the large, chromed hook and held it up in front of the Vixen’s face; “Meet your tormentor, thief! It is sure to wrest the truth from you!”
The Vixen stared at it; it looked almost like a giant fish hook, but instead of a barb at the end of the hook, there was a gleaming egg shape. And it looked as if the hook had been “straightened” a little. Shifting her gaze to the Unicorn she growled; “Do your worst!”
Dynotaku just laughed.
Wanda leaned over to whisper in the Cheetah’s ear; “That hood makes Dynotaku look sinister, doesn’t it?”
Tanj nodded and whispered back; “Actually, I was thinking it made him look a little like a race horse, but yeah, I see what you mean. Wonder where he found it?”
Dynotaku clipped the first wire to the eye of the hook, and holding it with his left hand brought the bulbous end up between the Vixen’s thighs. He paused, for dramatic effect, and then slowly drove the device into her snatch.
Zassa groaned as the bulbous end of the hook filled her pussy, driving deep into her sex. As the Unicorn pushed it in, she realized that the shaft of the hook was at such an angle that it would rub against the front of her sex, grate against her clitty, when the “hook” was fully embedded in her.
Dynotaku teased her a little, pulling the hook up and down, working it in and out until the Vixen was squirming. Then, with a grin, he gave it a tug, pulling her forward. With his other hand he reached up, to connect the other end of the wire to the stanchion on the opposite column.
Zassa found herself bent forward, the ropes no longer loose. The hook exerted a not-quite painful pressure on her sex, making her thrust out her hips. Dynotaku fiddled with the wire, millimeter by millimeter pulling the Vixen further forward, until she was arched, balanced on tiptoes.
Tanj watched as the Unicorn strung additional wires, above and below the first, until fourteen wires ran in a fan shape, from the opposite column, all joining the eye at the end of the hook. Dynotaku spent considerable time working to make sure each one was at an equal tension….. And then, standing back, looking not at the vixen but at the wires, he plucked the central one.
Zassa felt the vibrations as a musical note filled the air; the vibrations were transmitted through the wire to the hook, the bulbous egg shape vibrating in resonance deep within her, the shaft of the hook dancing over her clitty….
“A little flat I think”. Dynotaku gave the turnbuckle a quarter twist and plucked the string again. The Vixen moaned in harmony with the tone…..
Tanj watched, a grin on her face, as the Unicorn tuned his instrument. When he had it to his satisfaction, he ran the fingers of both hands along it, as if playing a harp; a chord filled the air, spoiled by the Vixen’s heartfelt wail of pleasure. Grinning, the Unicorn turned to Zassa; “Now, tell me about how you made your way through the ducts.”
Zassa gasped, and shook her head. Her muscles were starting to ache from holding the arched-forward position, but her sex was dripping wet, wanting, no, needing more… taking a breath she looked up at the Unicorn; “Screw you!”
Dynotaku smiled; “you probably will, before this is over, and willingly too, but that’s not the answer I was looking for.” Turning back to the harp, he plucked several strings in quick succession, the strange discordant harmony of the Nishi ringing in the air…..
Zassa moaned; the vibrations were intense, but with each successive pluck, the pattern changed, and while they were delightful, the sudden change seemed to keep her from getting any closer to her climax. How did he DO that? Groaning she discerned his plan…..
Dynotaku repeated the question, and at the Vixen’s stubborn response, plucked his “harp” again… Wanda could see the frustration building on the Vixen’s face. Whatever he was doing, it was both exciting her, and frustrating her. She was so wet, her juices were literally dripping from the bottom curve of the “hook”, splattering the floor…. And yet she seemed unable to achieve her release….
Kittiara leaned against the wall, watching, making mental notes. THIS was something she could use in her book. Now…. How long would the Vixen hold out, before she broke, and gave him what he wanted to know?
Zassa moaned, and squirmed to no avail; just when she thought she was about to cum, the Unicorn would pluck one of the wires and all the vibrations would seem to cancel each other out. It was getting so that she couldn’t even hear what he was asking anymore….
Dynotaku looked at the Vixen and smiled; she’d lasted a lot longer than he’d thought she would, but there was no doubt, she was near the end of her rope….. after a moment’s careful consideration, he plucked the A, F, and G strings, counted to three, and then then plucked the b flat, and C strings. He was rewarded with a heartfelt wail from the Vixen… Leaning closer, he whispered; “All you have to do is confess; tell us you did it and I’ll give you a climax like you’ve never had before….”
It was more than the Vixen could stand; throwing back her head she howled; “All RIGHT, I DID IT! It was Me! I stole Hinoki’s collection!”
Dynotaku leaned back and grinned; “And Sabina? What did you do with her?”
Zassa blinked through the haze of lust…. “Sabina? No, that wasn’t me…….”
Dynotaku considered the strings, and plucked the F sharp and D wires, and then a moment later twanged the C and E flat wires. Zassa HOWLED in response.
“Simply not good enough, my dear. Now, what did you do with Sabina?”
Tanj watched for as long as she could. Rising, she padded over to the Unicorn; “You know, I think she’s telling the truth. I don’t think she’s responsible for whatever happened to Sabina. Or Kath for that matter.”
Dynotaku turned and looked at her with a smile; “Oh, I agree completely.”
Tanj blinked; “Then why are you still tormenting her?”
The Unicorn smiled; “I’m bringing her back up to that fever pitch, so that when I finally grant her release, it’ll be all the more powerful.” He smiled; “Trust me; I know what I’m doing.”
Tanj scowled and returned to where she’d been sitting without a word, but “I hope so” was written all over her.
Wanda leaned over to whisper to the Cheetah; “Hope I never fall into his hands….” Tanj just nodded….
The Unicorn leaned closer as he plucked the C, D, and E strings; “Want your release, my pretty Vixen?”
Zassa just wailed and nodded, her whole body quivering.
Dynotaku plucked the F sharp wire and purred; “Earlier you said; “Screw you”….. If I do grant you your release, will you? Willingly and enthusiastically?”
Zassa howled and nodded her head, her breasts bouncing from the motion. Dynotaku smiled; “I’ll take that as a “Yes”….” Stepping back he considered the wires for a moment and then started to strum them with both hands….
Tanj found the music dischordant, and strange, but the combined effect seemed to be having the desired effect on the Vixen; with her head thrown back she was howling at the top of her lungs, as climax after climax ripped through her.
Wanda rose and padded over to the Unicorn; “I think you can stop now. She’s passed out.”
Dynotaku turned to look and then smiled; “Ah. Good. Lets get her down, and put her to bed; I suspect she’s going to be completely worn out from the experience.” Stepping to one side he started to loosen all the turnbuckles, undoing the wires one by one….
---
“Well, we know she’s the one who stole Hinoki’s collection. But apparently she wasn’t the one who kidnapped Sabina.”
Hinoki nodded to the Cheetah; “Looks like we have a conspiracy.”
Dynotaku sipped his tea and nodded; “But unfortunately I was never able to get a clear answer out of her as to where she’d hidden it; we may need another session with her to get it back.”
Hinoki chuckled; “That’d be fine, but I know where it is.”
Wanda blinked; “you DO?” Hinoki shrugged; “It was right where it’s always been, in the stack of holofilms, by the viewer. But it had this big note taped to it that said “you didn’t find this”. He turned to the Unicorn; “if you want to force the exact location out of her, that’s fine, but you have to let me help…..”
Wanda just sighed.
---
Zassa came to an abrupt halt just outside the door to the head; her hair was wrapped in a towel, and her fur had that “spiky” look that suggested the fur dryer hadn’t gotten her completely dry; she looked from Hinoki to the Unicorn and back; “Now what?”
Hinoki shrugged; “Well, in your interrogation we never did learn what you did with my collection.” The Unicorn nodded; “I think we need another session to force the information out of you…”
Zassa chuckled and shook her head; “All right, but you’re going to have to promise me one thing.”
The two males looked at each other and blinked; Dynotaku started to say “I’m not sure we can make deals with thieves”, but Hinoki waved a paw, silencing him; “What will we have to promise you?”
The Vixen grinned, showing teeth; “You’re going to have to be a whole lot tougher with me.” She grinned and slipped past them, heading for the wardroom; “Otherwise you’ll never find where it is!”
Tanj scowled as the two males tackled Zassa. All three of them went down in a heap in the middle of the corridor, and Tanj was about to wade into it, when she realized Zassa was laughing. Struggling, but laughing. Tanj shot a look at Wanda as the Wolverine fem padded down the corridor; “NOW what’s happening?”
Wanda smiled and shrugged; “Round two as near as I can tell.”
Tanj just muttered “Uh-HUH.”
Hinoki tried to hold the Vixen’s wrist behind her back with one paw as he tried to loop the leather thong over it. She was struggling something fierce though, and it wasn’t easy, even with the Unicorn trying to hold her legs. Looking up at Tanj and Wanda he laughed; “You know, I think SHE might know something as well! Best secure her and bring her along for questioning too!” Then the Vixen’s paw got loose and she was trying to grab a tender portion of his anatomy; growling he turned his attention back to the task at hand….
---
Tanj looked at Wanda; “Was he talking about you… or me?”
Wanda laughed and shrugged; “I don’t know, but….”
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “But what?”
Wanda just shrugged; “Why should Zassa have all the fun? I think we ought to secure each other. Just to be sure.”
Tanj took a look at the chronometer on the wall and nodded; “I guess we’ve got the time. Why not?”
---
Dynotaku watched the Cheetah work, arms crossed over his chest. Hinoki had tied the Vixen to a support column in the cargo bay. Loops of rope encircled her waist, and above and below her breasts, holding her to the column, in a sitting position. However, her legs were free. Once he had her tightly secured, the Cheetah produced a pair of thin leather thongs. Tying a slip-knot in the end of one, he caught the Vixen’s left foot and slipped the noose over her big toe. Then, tugging on the thong he forced her foot up, until he was able to tie the other end of the thong to her right nipple ring. Zassa grunted, discovering that if she didn’t hold her foot up off the floor, in front of her, the thong would tug painfully at her nipple. A moment later the Cheetah had her other foot rigged in a similar fashion.
Zassa sat there and glared at him; “Is that it?” Hinoki laughed and shook his head; “not at all. You said you wanted it rough? I’ve got just the thing.” Padding over to the Unicorn, Hinoki held out his hand. Dynotaku handed him a candle, and a box of matches.
Zassa watched as he lit the candle and then dribbled a small pool of molten wax on the floor, just under her feet. He then set the base of the candle in the puddle and stepped back. Zassa watched for a moment and then realized that the candleflame was making the soles of her feet rather uncomfortable; but if she squirmed, it tugged on her nipples. And yet she couldn’t NOT just sit there; the candle saw to that. Grunting she tried to knock the candle over with a foot, but the thong wasn’t long enough. After a little struggling she looked up at the Cheetah and growled; “now that’s more like it. Dang! Can’t sit still, and dare not move!”
Hinoki chuckled; “Ah, but it can get worse, if you don’t talk!” Zassa stared at him and then chuckled; “Go screw yourself!”
Hinoki laughed; “These days, that IS an anatomical possibility, but…..” He selected a third candle, and approached the bound vixen. Grabbing her hips he pulled them out a bit from the column so that she was leaning back against it; this forced her feet higher in the air, further from the candles underneath them, but it made holding her feet properly so as to not tug on her nipples a little more difficult. Hinoki lit the candle from one of the others, dripped some wax on the floor under her pussy, almost singeing her in the process and then stuck the candle to the floor, making sure that it was embedded between her labia. He then repositioned the original two candles under the Vixen’s feet, and stepped back to admire his handiwork.
Zassa stared at it for a moment and then grinned; when the candle burned down some, the hot wax would dribble down along the candle and over her most sensitive parts….. She grinned wickedly; “Going to have to remember that one!”
Dynotaku grinned; “So, are you going to tell us where you hid Hinoki’s collection?”
Zassa looked up at him in wonder; “What? Already? Heck no!” She squirmed a little, the thongs pulling harshly on her nipples; “I’m going to enjoy this a little longer before I “break”….”
Dynotaku turned to the Cheetah and grinned; “We turn our attention to the others in the interim?”
The Cheetah nodded; “Yes…. The others.”
He turned and gave Tanj and Wanda his best evil grin. “First, I think, we tie up the Cheetah. Nice and tight. And then I’ve got something “special” in mind for the Wolverine.” He turned back to the Unicorn and all but cackled; “And if I do it right, the horrible sight might make the Cheetah crack, and spill her guts.”
Dynotaku just stared at the Cheetah and after a moment gave a calculated nod; “Right.”
Tanj hung from the ceiling by one ankle. The cuff was nicely padded, and designed to support her weight, but she suspected they were meant to be used in pairs. Her other leg was doubled over, ankle tied to thigh, but was otherwise free. Her arms were bound behind her back at wrist and elbow, a loop around her waist keeping them close to her body, and the Unicorn had tied her hair to a rope, and the rope to the floor. She turned slowly like some obscene wind chime. Hinoki had also produced a curious solid glass dildo. It was disappointingly smooth, yet large and heavy. It resided in her sex, gravity tugging it downwards. It took more than a little effort to keep it from slipping in too far, and getting uncomfortable…. When they’d finished with her, they’d turned their attention to Wanda….
The Wolverine lass was standing, and had her feet held wide apart by a spreader bar. Her wrists were bound, and tied to the middle of the spreader bar, with a short piece of rope, forcing her into a bent-over posture. She had just enough slack in the rope to place her fingertips on the floor in front of her, to brace herself.
Hinoki ran a paw lovingly over the
Woverine’s ass and smiled; “Now, here’s the trick. I’m going to fuck her. Nothing really
new there, and normally that wouldn’t exactly make her want to talk, but I’ve
got this small attachment here…..”
Hinoki held up what looked like a bright brass jingle-bell, on a
chain. The bell was the size of a
baseball, and looked fairly heavy. “Note
the chain.” Hinoki held the chain under
Wanda’s nose so she could get a good look at it. Each shiny link had little points on it. It looked as if rubbing up against the chain
would be quite uncomfortable. Hinoki ran
the tip of one finger over the points and made a show of wincing and sucking at
his “injured” finger. “now…. If you remember
correctly, I’ve got a
Dynotaku winced, and took the chain from Hinoki’s grasp; “You know, that could…..” He ran a finger along the chain, and was amazed to discover that while it looked like chrome, it felt like foam rubber. Chain, and points were remarkably soft. “Yes, I agree, I think that could make her talk.” He handed the chain back and grinned; “Do your worst!”
Hinoki chuckled; “Oh, I’ll do more than that. Remember the jingle bell is fairly heavy, and bent over the way she is, as I drive in and out of her sex, the chain will rise and fall… and all those harsh little points will ride directly over her clitty!”
Dynotaku winced; “you’re a devil, Sir!”
Hinoki immediately grew two short, curved horns and turned bright red; he grinned and nodded; “Right! Now, where’s the damsel in distress… Ah, THERE she is….
Tanj watched quietly as the Cheetah moved up behind Wanda. The spreader bar was thin, and she could probably snap it if she wanted to. Whatever they were up to, she didn’t think it was going to hurt…… Grunting she forced that heavy glass dildo a couple of inches “upward”, and then tried hard to hold it there. Her vaginal muscles were really getting a workout from this one…..
Zassa struggled to keep her feet from hanging directly over the candle. Her muscles were starting to tremble from exhaustion, and her nipples were getting rather tender. Glancing over at Wanda, she scowled slightly and muttered to herself “how come SHE gets to have all the fun?”
Wanda watched the Cheetah-Monster
wrap a paw around the base of his cock, holding the chain tight against his
shaft. She watched him drizzle lubricant over his shaft, and the chain, and then
felt the head of his shaft touch her pussy.
The sensation of the
Dynotaku watched as the first inch of Hinoki’s shaft, and the first link of the chain vanished into the Wolverine lass’s upturned quim. Wanda let out a long, drawn-out moan that almost sounded as if she were in pain… As the Cheetah cackled an evil laugh and shoved a bit more of himself into her, her voice changed more to a howl of delight, and the Unicorn relaxed a little….
Tanj watched, upside-down, as Hinoki shoved about half his length into Wanda’s snatch; he then shot her a grin and released the chain. The jingle-bell dropped and then danced on the end of the chain, which apparently was somewhat elastic. Grinning, he shoved the rest of his shaft into her, and as he pushed in, the motion pulled up on the chain, the apparently sharp little points running over Wanda’s mons, to vanish, along with the Cheetah’s cock, into her sex. And with the passage of each little point, Wanda let out a sharp gasp and an “OOOH!” of delight.
Dynotaku tried to hide the grin as he turned; “Oh, its just too terrible. I can’t watch.” His gaze fell on the upside-down Cheetah; “I think instead, I’ll amuse myself over here. Now, where WAS that feather?”
Tanj shivered as the feather traced along her sex, tracing the line where most of that weighty dildo disappeared into her. Dynotaku was a master at teasing with that thing; he’d brought her to the edge of a climax a half dozen times, only to take her back from the edge by stroking sensitive places that left her quivering with laughter. And then he’d let her catch her breath and start over, stroking the places that only inflamed her passions….
Zassa groaned, and tried to shift her legs without tugging too hard on her nipples. Fortunately the candles had burned down a bit and it wasn’t as hard to hold her feet to where the rising hot air would be uncomfortable. The other candle however, had also burned down, and was more than making up for the other two. Still, her legs were getting awfully tired…… And her hipbones were starting to hurt, where they pressed into the floor. She looked over to Wanda, and the Cheetah-Monster. Hinoki was still driving into her just as hard as he could, seemingly tireless. The jingle bell was dancing and singing and the chain leading upwards to the Wolverine’s snatch was literally dripping with her juices. Wanda was singing along with the jingle bell, apparently suffering through an almost unending string of climaxes from the way the chain was sawing at her most sensitive areas. Tanj was adding her voice to the chorus as Dynotaku wielded his feather, making her squirm. So far he hadn’t taken it so far that she’d lost control of her bladder, although there were times when the Vixen had thought she was about to…..
Dynotaku traced the feather along the pad of the Cheetah’s left foot; “Ready to talk yet?” He twirled it so that it looked as if the tip were trying to drill through the center of her footpad, and then stroked it broadly across the pad.
Tanj gasped and wheezed, and giggled; “You’ll never make me ta…. STOP THAT! Oh, no, PLEASE, don’t DO tha……” Her pleading ended in a gale of giggling, her body squirming violently as she tried to escape.
Dynotaku chuckled and twirled the feather over her clitty; “Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll stop tickling… but I won’t stop using the feather on you….” He stroked her clitty three times rapidly, and then sat back to let her catch her breath.
Tanj moaned, and twisted to try and look at him; “you fiend. I keep telling you I don’t KNOW anything!”
Dynotaku stroked the feather just under her tail for a moment and then shrugged; “But how do I know that? No, I think we need to continue the interrogation a bit longer….” Shifting, he once again assaulted the pads of her feet, and the Cheetah dissolved in gales of strained laughter.
Wanda couldn’t breath. She couldn’t see. Another string of firecracker climaxes rippled through her, and she found that she couldn’t even speak. She wanted him to stop, NEEDED him to stop, and yet she didn’t want this ever to end. If only she could catch her breath….
Zassa shifted yet again, wincing at the tugging on her nipples. As she moved her gaze passed over Wanda, and something about the Wolverine lass made her pause; “Um, Hinoki? I think you can stop now….”
Hinoki shot her a questioning glance, his motions not even slowing; “Huh?”
Zassa squinted a little; “I said you can stop now; I think she’s fainted.”
Hinoki let out a small “eep!” and immediately pulled out; then, without his paws on her hips, Wanda started to slump forward. Hinoki scrambled to reacquire a hold on her hips, and tugged her back, moving her towards a sitting position. For a moment he fumbled, trying to manage her weight, and then a number of tentacles sprouted from his back, each working to release her restraints as he struggled to lower her gently to the deck.
Dynotaku twirled the feather over Tanj’s left nipple as he watched; “Wow, must have been too much for her. That chain trick’s pretty good; almost makes me want to get a piercing like that. Almost.”
Hinoki shot him a grin and nodded; “you should feel it from my end; yeah, this one worked better than I expected it to.”
Tanj was panting hard, but still managed to squeak out; “But you never got her to talk!”
Hinoki chuckled; “Oh. Yeah.” He grinned at the Unicorn; “Guess we’ll just have to do it again!”
Dynotaku chuckled and stroked the back of the Cheetah’s right knee with the feather; as Tanj squirmed ne nodded sagely; “Yes, again and again and again, until we get what we want!”
Zassa panted with relief as Hinoki let her feet down. The candles under her feet had long since burned out, a small puddle of wax the only remaining testament to her ordeal. And luckily the other one had gone out on its own, before things got really critical. She wondered if it hadn’t been designed to do that, or if she’d just gotten lucky. Dynotaku glowered down at her as the Cheetah-monster worked at releasing her; “Think you’re too tough for us, eh? Well, don’t think you’re off the hook. The questioning will resume. After dinner. And maybe a short nap.” He looked at the Cheetah Monster and grinned; “After all, being an inquisitor is hard work!”
Hinoki nodded; “I’ve had an idea; I need to spend some time down in Engineering. But when I’m done, we can resume.” Zassa and Tanj exchanged looks; each grinned at the other.
Wanda put another spoonful of mashed potatoes on her plate and growled; “What do you MEAN I just get to watch?”
Hinoki stuffed a spoonful of spiced
apples into his mouth, and chewed; “Simple.
Its their tu……
Hmmmm.
You know, you’ve got a point.” He
looked up at Dynotaku; “There’s no reason why it won’t work with three. I just have to add another…. Hmmm. No, its more complex
than that. I’d have to expand the
control system… Still, it shouldn’t be
anything I couldn’t handle….” Rising,
his plate in one paw, the Cheetah-monster grinned; “Looks like Y’all will have
time for desert. This’ll probably take
me about an hour or so. Reconvene in the
Wanda watched the Cheetah slip through the door to the wardroom, the plate in one hand, his fork in the other, eating as he walked. “Now what have I started?”
Tanj chuckled and shrugged; “Don’t know; but you know there’s nothing you can do with him when he gets like this……”
Zassa chuckled and nodded; “Well, I’m going to go grab a shower while I can.”
Tanj nodded and rose as well; “I ought to check on our course.” She turned and shot Wanda a grin; “your turn to do the dishes, I guess. At least until we find Kath!”
---
Kittiara looked at the Vixen as she stepped out of the fur-dryer. “Hinoki’s going to do what? Hmmm. This I think I’m going to have to see….”
---
Wanda sat down, suddenly alone, and shoved a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth. After a moment she grumbled; “Yeah, might be time to bring ‘em back.” She turned and looked at the sink; “I HATE doing dishes!”
---
Kittiara examined the set-up. Three heavy chains hung from the ceiling, forming the corners of a triangle. Three fems hung, upside-down, from the chains, an ankle cuff secured to one chain, the other ankle cuff secured to another, so that, feet to feet, they formed the three sides of the triangle, their legs well spread. Their paws were tied behind their backs, and thongs had been braided into their hair, and the end of the thongs tied to the deck beneath them. She thought it looked like the situation had potential. Moving back, to sit on a crate, she watched.
Hinoki stood between the three, with a device that looked like the ancient weapon, a bolo. “What we have here, ladies, is the instrument of your torment. In the center a heavy weight. From that weight, there are three chains of equal length.” Hinoki held up the chains; again they LOOKED like chromed steel, each link sporting several sharp points. “And on the ends, some “intelligent” weights. These weights have small gravity generators built into them. They can rise, or fall, on my command.” He grinned at them each in turn; “And you can guess where they go…”
Tanj grunted as the Cheetah-monster pushed one of the balls into her sex. It was well lubricated, but cold. Kittiara had been called over to help, and she stood in the middle of the triangle supporting the center weight. Shivering a little, Tanj watched as he pushed one of the balls on the end of the next chain into Wanda’s snatch, and then shoved the third one into Zassa’s pussy. At his direction, Kittiara slowly lowered the weight, until it hung free, at the center of the three chains, at the center of the triangle.
Stepping outside the triangle formed by their bodies, Hinoki chuckled and produced a small remote. Grinning at them, he pushed a button. Tanj moaned softly as the ball in her quim started to vibrate. She could see the effects mirrored on the faces of Wanda and Zassa. Then Hinoki pushed another button and the ball in her snatch started to move; it rose vertically, the chain slithering out of her sex, rubbing across her clitty as the weight in the center dragged the chain from her; and then the ball reversed motion, the chain “sawing” at her sex again as the ball descended, still vibrating quite nicely, pulling the chain behind it. For a dozen heartbeats the weight between them rose and fell as the balls all pulled in unison.
Kittiara chuckled and leaned to one side to mutter to the Unicorn; “you know, this could have potential…..”
Dynotaku watched, and then smiled; “No…. it needs a little something…..”
Hinoki raised an eyebrow; “Oh? Such as?”
Dynotaku chuckled; “I’ll need some light chain, and, for Wanda, a pair of nipple clamps…..”
Zassa purrrred with delight. The Unicorn had been right; it WAS a nice touch. Her nipples were now connected, by a light chain, to the center weight suspended between them. As the vibrating ball in her sex descended, as the weight in the middle of the triangle rose, the chain between the weight and her nipples tightened, tweaking her nipples quite delightfully. Although Wanda, across the way, didn’t seem to be enjoying it quite as much. Ah, well, if the Wolverine lass’d had her nipples pierced they wouldn’t have had to use the clamps, now would they?
Hinoki smiled; “Lets stir things up a bit.” He pushed another button on his remote….
Tanj howled as the ball in her pussy suddenly dropped like a stone, the chain sawing across her sex, the little points tweaking her clitty harshly; this time however hers was the only ball falling, the connecting chains were dragging the other balls upwards in Wanda’s and Zassa’s sex, the chains from the center weight to their nipples tugging harshly; and then, from the look on her face, Wanda’s ball was pulling down hard, the ball in Tanj’s sex being yanked up, the chains to her nipples going taught…..
Dynotaku watched as the effect rotated around the three points of the triangle at about twenty RPM. The weight in the center was bouncing and moving in a complex pattern and the chorus of moans, grunts and yelps was almost musical. He nodded to Hinoki; “VERY nice. Um… you ARE recording this, aren’t you?”
Hinoki shot the Unicorn an outraged look; “Of COURSE!”
Dynotaku nodded and smiled; “Good.” Turning his attention back to the dangling females he grinned; “So, how long do you think before they talk?”
Wanda shuddered through another climax. She was so wet, her juices were flowing down her belly, almost to her navel. As the chain moved, sawing in and out, it spattered little droplets here and there…. It was some of the most intense stimulation she’d ever received…. But she was starting to get sore. Maybe she should have kept her big mouth shut…. Of course, all she had to do to stop this was to confess…. Maybe it was getting to be time….
Hinoki watched the three with a critical eye. He didn’t want anyone to faint this time… In fact, he’d slowed the cycle time down a bit, and lessened the “weight” of the balls, just to make sure that didn’t happen. As he paced around the outside of the triangle, he frowned a little. Wanda was getting a strange look on her face… It almost looked as if she was trying to say something….
Dynotaku watched as the Cheetah ducked inside the triangle, and dropped to his knees. He bent to say something to the Wolverine; Wanda nodded in response, but then opened her mouth as if she was about to say something. Instead the Cheetah-monster took ahold of her ears, and shoved his cock into her mouth.
Wanda almost gagged around the cock, surprised. Hinoki’s meat filled her mouth, and she found that at most all she could do was to make a muffled grunt of protest. And then the Cheetah-monster was fucking her face; something within her clicked and she found herself sucking instinctively; coupled with all the other sensations raging through her, it seemed the most natural thing to do. Gradually whatever she’d been trying to say faded to the back of her mind.
Dynotaku chuckled and shrugged; “Why should he have all the fun?” He looked between Zassa and Tanj, wondering; “Decisions, decisions….”
Hinoki shot his load into the Wolverine’s mouth; pulling out, he lifted her head to kiss her hard, and then, walking on his knees, he shifted around the triangle, to Zassa. The Vixen knew what to do, and in an instant was sucking hungrily on his shaft.
Kittiara chuckled and slid off the shipping crate. No reason why she couldn’t get into this as well. Chuckling she padded over to Wanda, and knelt in front of her, legs spread as far as she could. The Wolverine lass needed no coaxing, her tongue seemingly drawn to the Kurani’s sex. Kittiara purrrred and stroked the Wolverine’s breasts lightly, as Wanda did the most delightful things with her tongue.
Tanj quivered as another climax burned through her; the Unicorn’s shaft filled her mouth, its head battering against the back of her throat. She tried to arch, to give herself room to tilt her head back, to let his shaft slide down her throat, but that just made the chains tug harder on her nipples…. And that brought her to another quick climax……
Dynotaku pulled out just in time to spray his jism over the Cheetah’s breasts. Chuckling he shifted around, to present his cock to Wanda, as the Kurani indexed around to the right as well. Yes, this certainly had been a good idea…..
Tanj licked softly at the cock in her mouth. She couldn’t even remember who’s it was. Felt like the Unicorn, but it tasted like Hinoki. Hard to say. She was so tired, so thoroughly wiped out by the never-ending string of climaxes that it was all starting to run together…..
Wanda panted hard. She couldn’t open her eyes; something sticky seemed to have glued her eyelids shut. The motion in her sex, the friction across her clitty seemed to be as much fire as pleasure, and she knew she could stop it any time she wanted…. If she could just remember HOW…. Panting, she tried to concentrate; what was it she had to do, again?
Zassa heard the words, but they didn’t register. Not the first time, not the tenth time. She was so lost in an orgasmic haze of pleasure and pain that things like that just took a while to sink in. She jerked her head back and forth as hard as she could, driving that delicious hard cock in and out of her mouth as fast as she could. Each motion made the chains tug harshly on her nipples, but that only added to the delight…. And then suddenly the hard cock wasn’t in her mouth anymore… Moaning in disappointment she panted, trying to catch her breath. And then it sunk in; Wanda had been saying “I confess” over and over… she wondered what the Wolverine lass had to confess? And why she’d choose NOW to do it?
---
“Tender? Bet your ass I’m tender! I don’t think I’m going to be able to sit down for a month!”
Hinoki grinned and shrugged; “well, it was YOUR idea to go again! The original idea was to just have the chain oscillate between Zassa and Tanj…..”
Wanda waved a paw; “Oh, I’m not complaining; wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I’m just saying that I’m gawdawful tender down there. Might be awhile before I can do it again….. That’s all.”
Dynotaku took another spoonful of ice cream, and muttered; “By the way, what was it you wanted to confess?”
Wanda shrugged; “Just that I was the one who kidnapped ‘bina, and I think Kath’s probably with her.” She grinned; “Kath is going to be SO pissed that she missed this…..”
Zassa looked up from the table. She was holding the cold end of an ice-cream cone against her poor tortured sex; “you stopped everything for THAT? Sheesh!”
Tanj just laughed; “I suppose we ought to go down there and see if they’re OK….”
---
Sabina lifted her head as she heard the cage door open; she’d been having the most delightful dream….. Or maybe it wasn’t a dream; someone was still licking at her sex. Focusing on the door, she sighed; “Aw, crap, Kath. Fun’s over….”
Kath shrugged eloquently, luxuriating in the freedom of movement; “Mistress, ‘bina insisted that it was critical to the game that I remain.” She grinned “Who am I to spoil someone else’s fun?”
Wanda chuckled and snugged the Mink; “I understand, but still you should have asked me first. And for that you’re going to receive the most delightful punishment……
Sabina looked at the Vixen, and frowned; “No, I don’t believe you were in there for that long. Besides, I don’t think that’s what you said when you told me that story the first time!”
Tanj chuckled; “Well, ‘bina, I’m not going to contradict the Vixen, but even so, you still weren’t in the cage long enough to beat her record.”
The Kitten scowled; “Then I want to go back! I KNOW I can beat her record!”
Tanj chuckled; “Maybe on the trip back. We’ll be to the Brou homeworld in a little over a day.”
Sabina turned to the Vixen and growled; “All right then. On the way back. Promise?”
Zassa laughed; “Promise; but in the meantime, your, ah, exemplary attitude has won you the consolation prize…..”
Kittiara blinked; “Exemplary?”
Zassa nodded and grabbed the Kitten by an ear; “Exemplarily bad. Come on you, punishment time!”
Kittiara watched the three suspended females writhe as the chain surged, as the weights rose and fell and turned to Hinoki; “That was a nasty trick.”
Hinoki chuckled and shrugged; “we have three sex slaves here. Sashi, Sabina, and Kath. How else should they be treated?”
Kittiara shook her head; “I still think its mean to tell them that the first one to call for a halt will be allowed to go to the showers, while the other two will be punished. None of them are going to want to cause their friends pain.”
Hinoki nodded; “And as such they’ll go much longer than they’d thought they could. And perhaps in the process learn something about their abilities.” He stole a look at the three writhing fems, and then turned back; “Besides, the punishment is having to wait for the shower. Its not really a big deal. Is it?”
Kittiara just sighed.
---
Tanj checked the sensors again. Their escort had left them, suddenly and without warning. That probably meant that they were now in Brou territory. And yet her sensors showed nothing. Kittiara said the Brou knew they were coming, but if they did, there certainly wasn’t any sort of reception committee. At least not in the way the Kurani did things…. Sipping her coffee, she settled down to wait, and to watch. They were in really alien territory now, and she just didn’t feel comfortable leaving the flight deck. But that was all right; it wouldn’t be long now.
The Opposition III
The Crown Prince watched as the Wolf strode into his office; “Its about time. I understand you’ve located that freighter.”
The Wolf nodded, and leaning forward, placed a memory crystal on his desk. “Yes, your Highness. But I’m afraid its currently beyond our reach.”
The Jaguar frowned; “Beyond… where could they possibly be, where they’re beyond the reach of the Empire?”
The Wolf’s face was completely neutral, but his voice hinted at exasperation; “Sir, they’re in the Kurani Oligarchy. Or at least that’s where they were last seen.”
The Jaguar scowled; “in the… Oligarchy?”
The Wolf nodded; “Yessir, a trader of rather dubious reputation informed us that their ship had appeared at a hell-hole known as Port Royale, out on the frontier. He said that the freighter’s crew was most interested in the smuggling routes into the Oligarchy. However, we have reason to believe that they may no longer be there. Signals intercepts between the Oligarchy and the Brou suggest that they may have passed through the Oligarchy on their way there.
The Jaguar shook his head; “who are these furrs that they can…. Oh. Yes, the Kurani bitch.” He looked up at the Wolf; “If she was with them, I’m quite sure she could have arranged something like that.” He rose and paced towards the window; “And I think I can guess why too.” Turning back, he growled at the Wolf; “I want you to make sure that if they return to the empire, that they’re followed. Not stopped, not searched, not interrupted in any way, but followed. And lay a trap at that Port whatever… Something tells me they’ll return there…..”
---
The old Jaguar looked at the Gazelle, and growled; “They could only have gone to the Kurani for one thing. I don’t know what they’re doing with the Brou, but it doesn’t matter. Those slimy bastards owe me a favor, and this might just be the time to collect.” Rising he faced the Gazelle squarely; “I want your colleagues in the Foreign Office to contact the Brou. Tell them I want them to kill everyone on that freighter. No one is to be left alive to return here.”
The Gazelle shook her head; “Of course, Sir, but…. Well, you know how difficult it is to communicate with the Brou…”
The Jaguar nodded; “I know. BELIEVE me, I know. Do it anyways.”
The Gazelle bowed her way out. When the door had closed she turned and headed for the Foreign Office. This was NOT going to be an easy assignment….
---
The Gazelle tapped her stylus against her front teeth. She’d reviewed everything the Foreign office had on the Brou. That hadn’t taken long. But from everything she’d read, she still didn’t have a clear idea how to coax the enigmatic aliens into doing away with the freighter and their crew. Idly she wondered what these furrs had ever done to deserve such a fate. On impulse she called down to Imperial Security, and requested a summary of their files.
It was well past dawn when the Gazelle turned off her reader. She still wasn’t sure why she was supposed to see to it that these furrs were eliminated, but they certainly were a very interesting group of characters…. And then something clicked in her memory. Smiling, she reinserted the memory crystal on the Brou into her reader and turned it on…. Yes! There it was… Sitting back she shuddered at the thought. It would be a truly nasty thing to do…..
The file had called them cold, formless creatures that fed on sexual energy. It talked of the Brou being so alien that communications was extremely difficult, that concepts common in the Empire seemed to be unthinkable to the aliens. The file mentioned rumors of how early envoys had been assaulted and almost killed by the creatures. One writer centuries ago had conjectured that the Brou had some sort of religion that demanded ritual sacrifice, although how that linked to sex, she wasn’t really sure. But in what little there was of the file, there didn’t seem to be any contradiction to that theory… Grimacing, she started to compose a message… The Freighter’s crew would become a gift from the Empire, to the Brou. As a gesture of friendship, these furrs, among the sexiest in the Empire, were being offered to the Brou, for use in their sacrificial rites. To be used until they expired. With a shudder, the Gazelle dispatched her draft to Communications for translation, encoding, and transmission. If everything went correctly, the Brou would use them as sacrifices. The problem would be eliminated, and the Empire might just get some good will out of it to boot…..
Arrival
Tanj frowned as she looked at the scanners. The Brou homeworld was a smallish planet that seemed to be permanently wreathed in a dust storm. From orbit, it literally sparkled and swirled in the sunlight. The problem was, the dust had a high magnetite content, and that was playing hob with the sensors. In areas where there were electrical storms, she couldn’t even detect the surface. And that seemed to be just about everywhere. Turning to the Kurani she growled; “So where are we supposed to land?” Kittiara just shrugged; “The information I was given didn’t say anything about this.” Growling to herself, Tanj turned to the comm. panel once again, to hail the planet. So far, there hadn’t been any response……
---
Sashi shook her head; “Sabina, I distinctly remember this guy in armaments telling me that the Brou were sexual vampires. He insisted that they were going to drain us of all our life energy, leaving us empty husks. DEAD empty husks.”
Sabina chuckled and shook her head; “Come on, Sabina! Would Hinoki do something like that to you?”
With his head in the refridgerator, Hinoki laughed.
Sabina shrugged; “Master is only part Brou. Who knows what the pure ones are like.” She turned to Hinoki; “No offence….”
Hinoki straightened, with a plate of sausages in one paw; “None taken. The immateur Brou I’ve joined with don’t have a clue themselves. But then they’re not much on intellect. At least not on an individual basis. Who KNOWS what we’re getting ourselves into?”
Sabina nodded; “Personally, I think they’re going to find us so incredibly sexy that they’re never going to want to let us go.” She turned and grinned at the Hinoki-monster; “I think they’re going to want to keep us as breeders, enslaving us for a lifetime of sex…..”
Zassa nodded; “That doesn’t sound too bad… But somewhere I’d heard that they’ll burn it all out of you, take it all, and leave you with no capacity at all for sex. That you wouldn’t be able to feel anything anymore, let alone enjoy it….” The Vixen visibly shuddered. “If that happens, you have to promise me you’ll shoot me….”
Hinoki took one of the sausages and stroked it upwards between the nude vixen’s legs; “Don’t worry, Love; if that happens I promise I’ll put you out of your misery. But to tell you the truth, I think Sabina’s more likely to be correct.” He straightened a little, still teasing the Vixen with the sausage, and looked down at the floor; “in fact, I think I can feel their hunger from here……”
---
Wanda brushed Kath’s hair and shrugged; “I don’t know, pet. I hope the Brou don’t see Hinoki as a perversion of their race.”
Kath nodded; “I hope not, Mistress, but I really think we ought to have some sort of plan, if they decide to, ah, “eliminate him from the gene pool”, or something.”
Wanda nodded; “True, but I’d much rather think that he’s our key to communicating with a truly alien species. Hopefully he’ll be half-way between both species, and able to communicate what we’ve come for.”
Kath nodded again; “True; but if he CAN talk to both species, what if they decide to keep him as their spokesfurr?”
Wanda sighed and nodded; “Well, you’re the expert in such matters; if things get ugly, how do we handle it? Aside from cold, we haven’t really found much that will hurt them…..
---
Tanj poured herself a big glass of
Hinoki swallowed another bite of sausage and nodded; “Religiously. Why?”
Tanj shrugged; “What if her pheromone abilities were to kick the Brou into really high gear, sexually?”
Hinoki winced; “We might not survive…”
Tanj nodded; “Exactly.”
---
Zassa rode the Stallion’s cock slowly, teasingly. For the moment Dynotaku let her have her way, let her move at her own speed. He was in no hurry. Zassa clenched down her vaginal muscles as she slowly dragged herself upward, and as she reached the top of her stroke, she turned to look over her shoulder; “How are you planning on handling this?”
The Unicorn cocked one eyebrow upwards; “What do you mean?”
Zassa let herself slide down onto his pole, feeling it wedge her apart, feeling his meat fill her soooo delightfully; “Well, we’re about to visit a planet of sex starved tentacle monsters. I’ve gotten the impression you’re not all that keen on, well, on “being done”, preferring to do the doing, if you get my drift.”
The Unicorn reached out, to wrap his hands around the Vixen’s waist; grunting a little he held her down, held her balls-deep on his cock. Gathering his legs below him he surged up to a standing position, and with legs spread, proceeded to fuck himself with the Vixen; “Dunno…. I’m sure I’ll handle it with my usual panache.”
Zassa groaned as the Stallion used her; reaching down she stroked his shaft where it slid in and out of her sex; “It’ll….. be…… interesting….. to watch” she managed to grunt before her climax claimed her.
Descent
!!!Go over the message again, rxoidyges, I don’t understand it.!!!
!!!You know how enigmatic the aliens are, xcbgetdio. No matter how many times I go over it, I can’t get a clear resolution. Either they’re being given to us as a source of nourishment, or they’re asking us to kill them. It ALMOST sounds as if they expect our feeding on them will cause them to expire!!!
!!!That’s ridiculous! Besides, it would be poor form. What do the chrwrtmcls say?!!!
!!!They’re as confused as we are.!!!
!!!So what do we do?!!!
!!!We’ll just have to deal with them as best we can. Its not like it’s the first time we’ve had aliens drop in!!!
!!!True, but never has their arrival been preceeded with a message/offer/command/threat like this!!!
---
Hinoki stared at the Nav display and shook his head; “They’re getting impatient.”
Tanj shot him a look; the displays in front of her showed schematics of the sensor arrays. She’d been searching for a way to see through the muck, but wasn’t having a whole lot of luck. “They even know we’re up here?”
Hinoki nodded; “They’re not angry, mind you… maybe a little confused at the delay, and awfully impatient. Or maybe hungry would be a better word.”
Tanj nodded; “Any suggestions?”
Hinoki thought for a minute and then nodded; “I think I can get us down. I’m not sure I can explain where we’re going, but I think I can do it.”
---
Tanj shook her head; “I don’t know about this……” She sat in the Operations station chair. Zassa was on Engineering, Sashi on sensors, and Dynotaku was sitting in the station chair at communications, although so far that equipment had proven rather useless.
Hinoki grinned at her from the pilot’s couch; “Don’t worry. I can handle this.” With a grin he turned back to the controls and gave them a look as if he’d never seen them before. Reaching out one finger, he tentatively touched a control.
It was as if the ship had dropped out from under them. Tanj bit her tongue to keep from crying out as they spiraled down. They weren’t QUITE out of control, but their decent, coupled with the atmospheric winds, were giving them a wild ride. Hinoki had a placid look on his face, his eyes almost closed as he tentatively touched one control and then another.
Zassa shot a look at the Unicorn; he seemed to be gripping the console with both hands, but he had a look of wild joy on his face, as if he were just shy of whooping in delight at the wild ride….
Tanj watched the inertial display. The viewscreen showed nothing but swirling murk, and the sensors couldn’t seem to see any further than a dozen meters in any direction. Lights flickered from the induced current of so many tons of magnetic particles being blown by just outside the ship. The shields had flickered and failed minutes ago. And Hinoki lay in the Pilot’s couch, fingertips dancing over the controls with growing confidence, a sly smile on his face, his eyes half closed, and what looked to be a growing erection in his pants. Tanj couldn’t understand how he was doing what he was doing, but she wasn’t about to interrupt; at this point she wasn’t even sure which way was up….
His move caught her by surprise. Suddenly his paws flashed out, to lower the landing skids, to turn on the landing lights…. “I’m starting the landing cycle. I think we’re there.” Moments later the ship jolted as the skids touched down.
Zassa unstrapped herself and shot the Cheetah-Monster a glance; “I’ve been through smoother landings.”
Hinoki chuckled and stood up, his erection prominent under his jeans; “Hey, Anything you can walk away from. Come on, lets go; the reception committee awaits!”
Tanj peered at the main viewscreen; she thought she could see some ground out there, but just barely. Maybe. “How can you tell?”
Hinoki paused at the door and turned back to grin; “I can tell. Come ON! Oh, and you might as well ditch the flight suit; it won’t be needed.”
Tanj looked at Zassa; the Vixen stared back and then shrugged, and pulled her top off; “I hope he knows what he’s talking about….”
---
Sashi peered out of the open airlock door; a static field was keeping the whirlwind of magnetic particles at bay, for the moment. It was almost as dark as night out there, and she could only see a few feet. It looked spooky. She looked at Sabina and shrugged; “Well, I might as well lead off……” Gingerly, she stepped through the static field; the wind almost knocked her from her feet, but she recovered and made her way down the gangway to the ground. She took a few steps, and then shaded her eyes and looked back at the ship. Sashi went next, bracing herself for the sudden wind as she passed through the static field. “Hate that” she growled to herself; the static always made her fur all spiky. This time it didn’t matter, as the wind instantly tried to blow it all in one direction.
Zassa set foot on the strange planet, and paused, looking down. It didn’t feel like dirt, or rock, or clay… it felt… it felt soft, as if she’d stepped on a bed of lichen. From what she could see through the blowing dust, it looked dark…. Just dark, and smooth… Clutching the box to her, she struggled through the wind to follow Sabina and Sashi.
Kath looked about, and shook her head; aside from jewelry, she was nude. Not naked, which can suggest defenselessness, merely nude. Several of her items of jewelry were quite dangerous, when used properly. She turned and watched Wanda come down the ramp, hoping that her Mistress wasn’t walking into danger.
Tanj pushed her windblown hair out of her eyes and looked at Hinoki; “OK, which way?” Hinoki looked around as if he could see through the muck, and pointed; “That way. Come on!” He started off immediately. Tanj looked at the inertial tracker and nodded; with luck it’d show them the way back to the ship. Looking up she found herself hurrying after the Cheetah-monster, trying to keep him in sight. HE certainly seemed to know where he was going!
Dynotaku took a cursory look behind him, at the ship and the blowing dust, and then turned to follow the others. As soon as he’d turned back, a dark formless figure rose vertically out of the ground, from almost where he’d been standing. It stood there a moment, and then gradually assumed an anthropomorphic shape, amost as if a column of ice were melting. After a moment it moved after them, gliding across the ground.
---
Hinoki stopped and looked around, a smile on his face; “I think we’re supposed to wait here.”
Tanj turned around slowly, looking all around. The swirling dust hid almost everything; she could see the ground, for about four meters, and then it just faded out. Turning back to face Hinoki she started to growl “Why Here?” but Hinoki was gone.
Zassa felt something touch her ankle, and let out a yip, dancing to one side.
Kath hurried over; “What? What’s wrong?”
Zassa shook her head; “Something touched me.”
Kath crouched and looked at the uniform surface of the ground; “I don’t see anything….”
---
Tanj watched as the dust swirled in; it seemed to be getting thicker; it seemed as if she could only see a half a meter. She watched as Kath let out a squawk and flopped down out of sight, hidden by the swirling dust. And then Zassa yelped. Turning about, her arms out in front of her, she yelled; “Zassa! Are you all right?” Kath? Wanda, where are you?” The wind seemed to be picking up in intensity, buffeting her, snatching her words from her mouth, whisking them away so fast she could barely hear herself….. And then something touched her left ankle.
Whatever it was moved with remarkable speed; a tendril slithered up her left leg, twining around it, until its tip was brushing her sex. Its twin seemed to be growing up her other leg, but that one divided and divided again, bypassing her crotch, to flow up her body. Closing her eyes against the dust, the Cheetah moaned, trying not to panic. She focused on her experiences with the immature Brou, remembering how they acted, remembering how they could be controlled. Could she exert any control over this one? Trying hard to concentrate, trying hard not to panic, she thought about exactly how she’d like to be touched, how she’d like to be stroked. Sex, after all, did seem to be one thing they had in common with the aliens.
---
Zassa groaned as the tentacles bent her back in a very strict hogtie. One was even wrapped around her muzzle, its tip shoved through her lips, and into her mouth, gagging her. And other tentacles were greedily plundering her sex, driving into her ass, squeezing her breasts…. How did they know how she liked to be treated? Maybe the immature Brou still on the ship had been talking to their brethren?
---
Dynotaku watched the dust part, as if a curtain had been drawn. He’d lost sight of the others several minutes ago, but now he could see someone else…. She looked like a female unicorn, in glossy black, as if she’d been dipped in black latex. Her hands were bound behind her, but other than a collar, with a dangling leash, she was nude. She grinned at him, turned and gave him a “come hither” look, and then, with a laugh, disappeared into the dust. Without really knowing why, Dynotaku took off in pursuit.
---
Sabina groaned; firm, but gentle hands held her wrists, held her ankles, held her waist and head, while others stroked her, touched her, caressed her everywhere. The hands made delicate delightful love to her, teasing her to a frenzy and then granting her release when she could stand it no more, only to do it again, and again.
---
Wanda grinned; she thought she knew where the three big, strong Black Panther males had come from, but decided she didn’t really want to dwell on that too awfully much. Each of them was nicely hung, with a sculpted body, and each of them seemed to have nothing better to do than to bring her pleasure. No, this really didn’t stand examining too closely….
---
Tanj purred as the tentacles brought her to another sweet climax. She was only nominally still standing; there were enough tentacles and tendrils wrapped around her that she thought she could probably lift her feet off the ground and not fall, and probably not even sag. It was remarkably comfortable. She felt like she could go on like this forever…. And there, in the back of her mind, was the invitation. She could go on like this forever, if she chose. All the sex, with every possible combination and permutation, every conceivable lover, until the end of time. It was tempting, especially as another climax washed over her…. Somehow, she forced her mind back to why they were there. She shook her head and growled softly; instinctively she knew verbal communication wasn’t going to work. Instead, she concentrated, first on expressing delight with the sex, but then she tried to signal satisfaction (she wasn’t sure she brought that off as well as she might have liked), and then a degree of impatience. She had things she NEEDED to talk to them about…..
But instead of responding as she’d hoped, the tentacles only seemed to hold her tighter, their tips working faster, harder, to bring her to yet another screaming climax….
---
Dynotaku heard the distant scream of ecstasy, and grinned; he’d tracked his quarry to a delightful wooded glen; she stood there, by the side of a small stream, watching. But she was watching in the wrong direction, looking back the way she’d come. Dynotaku had circled the periphery of the glen, hiding in the tall grass…. All he had to do was to pounce, and shortly she’d be making noises of delight herself…..
---
Hinoki was on a separate plane of existence. Somewhere along the line, it seemed as if he had lost his body, but that didn’t seem to be anything of consequence. There were others here, creatures similar to what he’d become. Their interaction was ethereal, tenuous, and incredibly delightful, almost as if they were having sex by direct neural stimulation….. It was more intense than anything he’d ever felt… and yet, somehow, it lacked something…. All the years he’d spent studying technique, practicing his approach, perfecting his style, not to mention designing sex toys, and here, it was all for naught…..
---
Tanj forced her eyes open. Somewhere back there, she’d fainted. It might have been from the way the tentacles had been holding her, gripping her waist like a living corset, but more likely it was simply sensory overload. She lay on something soft, although it looked like the same old nondescript ground. Wondering if the tentacles would emerge again, as she regained conciousness, she carefully sat up, and looked around.
The whirling dust seemed to have receeded a bit. The figure sat about a body-length from her, and appeared to have been cast from basalt. It looked almost like a polished black stone Wolf-Budda. She shifted into a sitting position and just looked at it; it looked vaguely familiar.
After a long moment, the figure’s eyes opened. Or appeared to open, as they were as black as the rest of its surface. And then it smiled; “Pidgin Lifesaving to see you again Duplex good is it.”
Tanj frowned as she considered the statement. Looking up at the figure, she growled; “Do I know you?”
The figure moved its muzzle in a circle, neither a shake nor a nod of the head and replied “Once did; analogue different now am I. Origin remains speed trap but diluted. Syimbiont masquerade gaps has filled. Mouthpiece pictograph now am I we us conglomerate.”
---
Hinoki eeped as he was summarily dumped from…. Wherever he’d been. Picking himself up off the ground he looked around; “Well, THAT was rude!” Listening, he heard voices, and without really thinking about it, found himself heading in that direction.
---
Tanj stared at the figure; there was something very familiar about it; but somehow she just couldn’t make out what. And then it hit her. “You’re Smith!” The figure both nodded and shrugged at the same time; “Point of Origin, initiation, crude, agreement. Current entity augment spectral instance.”
---
Tanj watched Hinoki materialize out of the swirling dust; “Hinoki! I’m glad to see you! I think I’ve got good news and bad news.”
Hinoki looked down at the seated figure; “Howzat?”
Tanj sighed; “Well, I don’t think the Brou are going to hijack you to act as a go-between. I think that’s already happened.” She gestured to the seated figure; “I think this is, or was, Smith.”
Hinoki nodded slowly; “The wolf… or was he a coyote… the spook you used to use for special missions.”
Tanj nodded; “He was working with the immature Brou, trying to get them to act as a living, mutable disguise… I think he may have run into the same problem you did.” Tanj frowned; “Except they seem to have taken over.”
Hinoki chuckled; “Trust me, Love, I am NOT being taken over.” He sat down next to the figure; “Let me see if I can’t make some sense out of this.” Looking at what had been Smith, Hinoki purred; “So… what happened after we saw you last?”
Smith turned and looked at the Cheetah; the words came fast; “Working Investigating Think It Hurt Immature Melded Brought Been for Gates he was bad Brou with me here Crown World sold a head got me here ever Prince Cartel me trap wound me to since out out save me.”
Hinoki nodded slowly. After a moment he turned to Tanj; “Apparently Smith was on a mission for the Crown prince, investigating the Gates World cartel, but he thinks he was sold out as it turned out to be a trap. He was hurt badly, something about a head wound. The immature Brou got him out, melded with him to keep him alive. Not knowing what else to do they brought him “home” and he’s been here ever since.” Hinoki rubbed his nose; “I get the feeling that they’ve merged with him, but there wasn’t a lot of him left to merge with.”
Tanj sighed and nodded; “He lived a dangerous life…. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.”
Hinoki looked at Smith and just shrugged.
---
Hinoki looked at Tanj and shook his head; “You know, if I’m going to have to translate like this, I’m going to get a heck of a headache. It might be simpler to program the ship’s computer to do it.”
Tanj blinked “I thought they were too alien for that!”
Hinoki shrugged. “They just multitask. You get all the sentences of the statement at the same time. All the first words first, then all the second words in every sentence, then all the third words. You just have to pick it apart and piece it back together.” At the Cheetah’s look, Hinoki grinned; “What? You didn’t notice?”
---
“I There And And Just Protect just are there just thought you want those are to you as you that those complicate should best to would that things know I know want revere the that can to you Empire you’re feed I for wants not on your will us completely you sensuality to welcome forever here kill you.”
Tanj blinked at Smith; “Um….” She turned to Hinoki; “Did you get all that?”
Hinoki shrugged; I’m not sure; I may have a word or two out of sequence, but I THINK what he was saying was that while they’re delighted to see us, and treasure our sensuality, there are those that won’t want to let us go because of it…. And then there was something about the Empire wanting to kill us… or maybe it was the Empire wants THEM to kill us. I’m not quite sure about that. But I think Smith is nominally on our side; I think he said he’ll run as much interference for us as he can…. Or something like that.
Smith nodded slowly; “We They’ll The You’ve have start first already a directly ritual passed number and will the of will be worthiness welcoming involve the trial rituals your presentation designed entire especially party for you.”
Hinoki didn’t wait for Tanj’s prompt; “It seems there are a number of rituals we have to take part in. Seems we’ve already passed through the first one, a test of worthiness.” He looked at the Cheetah and shrugged; “Next comes something called the presentation…..”
Smith turned and pointed over Hinoki’s right shoulder. And then without a word, he sank into the ground as if he were melting. After a moment there was nothing but smooth ground.
Hinoki rose, and then offered a hand to Tanj; “I think we’d best do as they wish. I don’t have a clue what will happen if we don’t participate in their rituals, but at the least it might make them unwilling to answer the questions we’ve come so far to get answered.”
Tanj nodded; “I agree. Um.. but we’d best round everyone else up.” Hinoki nodded; “I’ll stay here, and face the way we’re supposed to go; you go see who you can find.”
---
Wanda grumbled and tried to roll over; “Aw come on, just another two hours…”
Tanj shook the Wolverine lass’ shoulder; “Come on, Wanda. Time to get up, get moving. Things to do….”
Slowly Wanda sat up, looking rather grumpy; she looked around, and then frowned; “I wonder where they went?”
Tanj blinked; “Who? Kath, and the others?”
Wanda grinned and shook her head; “No. Three males. Three BIG males. Black Panthers, I think.”
Tanj chuckled “Sounds nice…”
Wanda struggled to her feet; “Thought I’d like to thank them for the great time they showed me….”
Tanj laughed; “payback in kind?”
Wanda just nodded.
---
Dynotaku blinked, and bumped his chin on the ground. A moment ago, he’d been driving his hard cock into the delightful pussy of a beautiful bound Unicorn mare…. And then suddenly she’d just… melted away, along with the glade and the surrounding woods…. He stood and looked around; “Now if that isn’t the strangest thing….”
---
“There he is! HEY DYNOTAKU! Come on, we’ve gotta go!”
The Unicorn blinked through the swirling fog; “Sabina, is that you?”
The Kitten nodded and motioned; “Come on; I can’t come any closer or I’ll loose sight of Sashi; we’ve kinda formed a living chain to search for you!”
Dynotaku took one last look around and sighed; turning he started trudging towards the Kitten. “Damndest strange planet I’ve EVER been on….”
---
Hinoki stopped and looked down. A LONG way down. They’d only gone what seemed like a few hundred meters, before they’d come to an immense chasm, spanned by a graceful curving bridge that couldn’t have been more than a foot wide. “You have GOT to be kidding me” Kath growled; “We have to go over THAT?”
Tanj chuckled; “I suppose it would be cheating to go back and get the ship….”
Hinoki nodded; “Yeah, they want us to cross that.”
Tanj shrugged; “The wind is fairly light, if a little chaotic. The surface of the bridge looks rough enough for traction. Come on, any spacer worth his or her salt ought to be able to do it…”
Sabina looked down at Dynotaku’s hooves; “I dunno; do you think HE’LL get good traction?”
The Unicorn chuckled; “Not to worry; I’ve got the bottom of my hooves coated with an anti-slip compound. I should be OK.”
Tanj nodded; “Well, if you have to crawl, do what you have to, but I’ve come too far to turn back now.” She turned and started striding across the bridge.
Kittiara watched them, one by one. SHE hadn’t spent that much time in space… but if they could do it, so could she… She hoped.
Hinoki chuckled; “Don’t worry. I’ll stay behind you and catch you if you fall. You know how I can stretch when I have to.”
The Kurani nodded; “Thanks, I appreciate that.” Turning towards the bridge she started edging out over the chasm.
Tanj stepped off the bridge on to the far side of the chasm. It really wasn’t any worse than working outside the ship, with only a lifeline between you and infinity. Turning back, she looked to see how everyone else was doing.
Zassa fumed. Sabina, it seemed, was having problems with the heights. The Kitten had dropped to paws and knees, and was inching along the bridge. “There is no doubt about it, Pet. When we get back you go in for some serious balance training!”
Dynotaku stood on the center of the bridge and admired the view. Or at least he would have if he could have seen more than a half dozen meters in any direction. He seemed to be suspended in a grey-brown swirling cloud, with only the bridge visible. And the Vixen’s delicious rump. He chuckled; Zassa got SO cute when she was angry….
Kittiara heard the whimper, and carefully turned. Hinoki was standing there, eyes closed TIGHT… “What’s the problem?” she asked.
Hinoki shrugged; “Dunno. Can’t look. Every time I open my eyes, I panic. I can’t explain it; I’ve been outside the ship for hours at a time, checked out on almost every deep space maintenance function, but now I’m petrified!”
Kittiara smiled, and turned back; she lifted her tail, to tease his stomach with its tip; “Grab my tail, stay close, and we’ll get through this together.”
Tanj watched curiously as the Kurani led the Cheetah-monster over the last stretch of the bridge. Hinoki had his eyes scrunched shut, and he seemed to be shaking. “Hinoki, are you OK?”
Hinoki’s head turned to track the sound, and then he cautiously cracked one eye. Then he opened the other and looked around carefully; “Can’t explain it. I was on the bridge, and couldn’t see anything but the bridge and swirling dust, and I KNEW the chasm was bottomless, and I panicked.” He shrugged; “Don’t know.”
Kittiara shrugged; “Hey, we all freak out at different things. No big deal.”
Hinoki shook his head; “That’s the problem. I’ve never been afraid of heights before.” He looked at Tanj; “YOU know that!”
Tanj shrugged; “We’ve never been here before. Maybe there’s something about this place that touched a nerve.”
Hinoki just shrugged and pointed; ‘That way. I think we need to go that way.”
---
The surface of the “lake” was oily black, but there were obvious stepping-stones. Tanj looked at Hinoki, who gestured across the lake; “That way. No doubt about it.” Tanj nodded and leapt to the first stone, and then on to the next. Sabina followed, and then Zassa….
Hinoki paused at the edge of the lake, eyeing up the first stone. Kittiara was watching him curiously; “Let me guess. For some reason you don’t think you can do it.”
The Cheetah swallowed and nodded; “Yeah. I’m not sure what that black stuff is, but I’m sure I don’t want to fall into it….. Don’t ask me why; I just know.”
Kittiara turned to the Unicorn; “Do you want to try and carry him, or shall I?”
Dynotaku looked at Hinoki, and then back at the Kurani; “Never let it be said that I was so poor a gentlefurr, that I left a female to do the hard work…”
Kittiara straightened; “Here, now! Do you think I CAN’T do it?”
---
Hinoki viewed the world upside-down, from a fireman’s carry, across the Unicorn’s shoulder. He found the Unicorn’s gait particularly jarring, but compared to the alternative, it was absolutely nothing to complain about. He just hoped the big fellow didn’t slip.
Tanj watched Dynotaku carry the Cheetah-monster across a half dozen stepping stones, and onto solid ground. Behind him, the oily fluid stirred uneasily as if it was upset at having missed a meal. Curious, it hadn’t done that for any of the others…. The Unicorn set Hinoki down. And after a moment Hinoki looked up and swallowed hard; “Um…. That way, I think.” Tanj nodded and took up the lead.
---
Kath sidled up to the Cheetah as they walked; “Mistress, I’m a bit worried.”
Tanj looked at the Mink and raised an eyebrow; “I can think of a couple of dozen things I’m worried about. Is there something in particular that’s bothering you?”
Kath chuckled and nodded; “you said that Smith-thingy said that we might be in danger. I was wondering if the Brou, being rather alien, weren’t trying to kill us using techniques that would work with another Brou.”
Tanj nodded; “And you think that HInoki, being the most “Brou-like” is the one that would be affected most?”
Kath nodded; “He seemed to have real trouble on that bridge. If he had fallen off, what do you think he might have fallen into, that could kill a Brou? And the stepping stones across the lake seemed to unnerve him as well. Did you see the way the surface rippled just as Dynotaku made it to shore?”
Tanj just shrugged; “could be coincidence. Maybe there were fumes from the lake that would bother a Brou.. Don’t know. But you might be right. We’ll have to keep our eyes open.”
---
!!!Hey Xichipthal, did you SEE that?!!!
!!!By the great cosmic egg, Lthripthal, I can’t believe my senses! For every one of them to make it over the bridge of doom is unthinkable! !!!
!!!Yeah, Choehn the Indecipherable himself took three Nixtals to do it, wound up finishing on his belly, and was never the same again! !!!
!!! Hey… HEY! They just made it across the stepping stones of choosing! !!!
!!!All of them? Unbelievable! When the initiates to the order of xpthwpth go through the trials, that one always claims at least half of them! Surely you’re…. Oh Crap, here they come! I’m not sure I really want to touch creatures that powerful, even if they do have an aura like a god….”!!!
Tanj stopped as figures rose out of the ground in front of her. Dozens, hundreds, possibly thousands. The closest one reached out to touch her lightly. Either they flowed towards her, without seeming to move, or somehow she was drawn to them. Somewhere along the line her feet left the ground, and she was passed through the multitude. And as she was moved, tendrils, tentacles, hands, and…. All sorts of not-quite defined appendages stroked her, caressed her, and examined every inch of her body. Smith had called it a “Presentation” and as she was carried forward, face up, legs raised and spread she felt truly exposed and on display….
Sabina giggled as she was carried; it was as if she was being made to run the gauntlet, except that every “person” she passed either stroked her sex, or tweaked a nipple, or fondled her in some other, but equally delightful way.
Zassa marveled that they were able to maintain such strict control of her as they moved her; she was passed from creature to creature, and yet, ankles and wrists were tightly held, her body strictly controlled. It was enough to make her dripping wet…..
Dynotaku didn’t struggle; that wouldn’t have been dignified, but he did growl; “Is this Absolutely Necessary?”
At the far edge of the crowd, Tanj was slowly lowered to her feet. Smith was there, and when the others had been deposited nearby, he looked at each in turn; “Congradulations; Your But Additional you’ve adversaries you attempts shown are mustn’t against remarkable in get you survival confusion over await traits confident.” With that he slowly sank down into the ground, and vanished.
Tanj shook her head; “Now WAIT a minute! I’m hungry! I want to get something to eat, and I could also use a potty break!” Hinoki shook his head; “I don’t think they’re listening. They want us to go that way.”
---
Sabina looked at Kath; “Did you understand what he said?”
Kath frowned and shook her head; “Gibberish, I think. Couldn’t make any sense out of it, aside from the word “adversaries”…..”
Tanj chuckled; “It was pretty straight-forward for him; he said that we’d done well in the trials so far, but we shouldn’t get overconfident. Our adversaries are in disarray, but there will be more trials.”
Hinoki nodded; “I see you’re getting the hang of it. Personally I think he was rather well pleased with our performance so far.”
---
Kath looked down at the ground; “Hey, Tanj, lookit this!” She bent and picked up a small, brightly wrapped package.
Tanj frowned; “Isn’t that a….”
Kath unwrapped the package and took a bite; around a mouthful she said; “Yeah, genuine Syrian chocolate. With Almonds!”
Tanj looked around, and came up with another one; this one was a “snackers” bar, of behoth manufacture. “Yeah… well, I told them I was hungry, but I really didn’t expect this.”
Zassa chuckled; “The ground is covered with chocolate bars! Where did you think they found them all?”
Tanj shrugged; “Don’t know, but I’m not about to ask. You know how much of a chocohaulic I am!”
---
!!!I don’t understand it, dfgbnlkj! That trader that came by here eight cycles ago said it clearly. I didn’t understand most of what he said, but “Death by Chocolate” came through clearly…. Or at least I thought it did…. Danged ALIENS!!!
---
Dynotaku edged up to the Mink as the group started walking, following Hinoki; “Do your people have a working translator for the Brou?”
Kath looked at the Unicorn and shook her head; “No. They’ve always been completely enigmatic.”
The Unicorn nodded; “That’s what I thought.” He looked at Hinoki; “I think, between this “Smith” and Hinoki we may have bridged the gap enough to actually be able to communicate.”
The Mink nodded slowly; “True, but then explain how Tanj knew what Smith was saying?” The Unicorn just shrugged.
---
Hinoki watched the “ground” rise on either side of their path. He was getting rather nervous. So far, in the two things that had happened, he’d been the one most affected. If there was to be another attempt, he feared he’d bear the brunt of it….
---
Tanj heard the Cheetah-monster gasp, and watched him fall to his knees. Rushing forward, she crouched over him protectively as she looked around. Nothing moved except for the constant dust-storm. She could see the walls of the chasm on one side, strange lime-green, purple and pink striations in the… rock? Other than that, the Cheetah couldn’t discern anything at all.
“What’s wrong?” Tanj looked up at the Kurani; “I don’t know; he just let out a gasp and sank to his knees.”
Kittiara bent to put a hand on Hinoki’s back; “What’s wrong? Can you talk?”
Hinoki shuddered, and his voice floated out, quavering; “Too horrible…. Can’t take it….”
Kittiara and Tanj exchanged glances; “What’s too horrible?”
Hinoki moaned; “The COLORS!”
Tanj looked at the striations in the rock and then back at Hinoki; “Must be a Brou thing…” Looking at the Kurani, she sighed; “I think we’re going to have to carry him.”
---
Dynotaku frowned at the Kurani; “I really think you should let ME carry him.”
Kittiara grinned; “Oh, come on, he’s not THAT heavy; besides, I can pull my own weight.” She looked up at him and bared her teeth; “No male Chauvanists here, Please!”
Dynotaku just shook his head; “Its obvious that the Kurani are uncultured barbarians, incapable of understanding a gentlefurr’s offer of assistance!”
Kittiara’s grin relaxed into something more pleasant and she nodded; “Damned straight!” And then she laughed; “But we like it like that.”
---
“I think you can put him down now; I can’t see the walls anymore.” Kittiara nodded and with an exhausted “oof!” dropped the Cheetah to his feet.
Hinoki remained crouched over, cracking one eye, and looking surreptitiously around, before straightening; “I’m glad that’s over. You can’t imagine how terrible that was.”
---
The attack, if you could call it that, came suddenly; tentacles sprung from the ground, catching each of the party. Zassa groaned as one drove deep into her sex, and gasped as its twin thrust into her ass. Hinoki whooped with what sounded like glee as the tentacles hoisted him into the air, tendrils stroking over his body, teasing his sheath, encircling his balls, working at him until his cock was hard and throbbing and then they assaulted that as well.
Sashi felt the tentacles bending her back, spreading her legs. She tried to look at where the tentacles were carrying her, but could see nothing, until they all swayed in one direction, and she caught a glimpse of the monster phallus they were guiding her towards.
Dynotaku struggled against the tentacles. They were slimy, exuding a foul smelling, slippery substance. As they lifted him, a tentacle rose in front of him; its tip was a bulbous ovoid, with a gash at one end; as he watched, the gash split, and something very much like a tongue licked around its periphery. Then it bobbed, descending, to engulph his cock…..
Tanj watched the tightly held vixen squirm amongst the tentacles. Pussy, ass and mouth were all filled, but several other tentacles were marshalling in her vicinity. Then as she watched, one of the tentacles lashed out, landing on her bottom like a whip. The Vixen howled and shook, quivering, and then one of the other tentacles struck.
Sabina watched as Sashi was irresistibly pulled down onto a truly monster phallus. Well, maybe not THAT big. It certainly wasn’t bigger than that stallion on Thantus III…. Or that Rhino back on the Black Fleet’s station. Come to think of it, it wasn’t really bigger than Jenka’s stud, John…. Something tickled the padd of her left foot, and the Kitten giggled, and squirmed a little in her “restraints”… And then it hit her. They were being presented with “horrible” situations; things that others might run screaming in terror from. Zassa being whipped, Sashi with a monster cock, and herself being tickled…. Were the Brou trying to frighten them? Punish them? Intimidate them? She chuckled to herself; it wasn’t likely with THIS crew…..
---
!!!No, I didn’t think it would work, Pxshtc, but those weird aliens suggested it, so I thought we’d try it. Hey, if nothing else, it was a good late exwtclp snack, right? OK, so they made it through the valley of unimaginable hues…. Maybe they ARE indestructible!!!!
---
Tanj groaned and rolled over. Dust still swirled around her, but she thought she could see Sashi lying a little ways off. Moving stiffly she made her way to her feet, and started to look around for the others. This one had been rougher than anything she’d experienced with any of the immature Brou; the tentacles had held her very tightly, almost as if she’d been on the rack; they’d plundered her pussy and ass roughly, treated her harshly, with little regard for her own wishes or pleasure. Still it hadn’t been any worse than a day at the Academy, and had been a whole lot better than some days…. As she tried to rouse the chocolate Pantheress, she wondered just what was going on.
---
Hinoki just shrugged; “Don’t have a clue, Tanj. I certainly didn’t get any warning of it.” He looked around, turning slowly; “I think we’re to go this way.”
Zassa lifted her muzzle, and inhaled deeply; a scent was on the breeze. It smelled like a mix of sandalwood and honey, with something she couldn’t quite identify…..
Hinoki made a face, and sneezed hard. What WAS that stench? It was so bad he felt like gagging……
Kath nudged Wanda and pointed at the Cheetah-monster. Something was wrong with him……
Hinoki dropped to his knees, making a choking sound. Tanj knelt by him, one paw on his shoulder; “What’s wrong?”
The Cheetah-monster shook his head, one paw over his nose, but couldn’t seem to force any words out.
Kath sniffed the air, and muttered; “He may be interpreting that scent differently than we are…. Maybe its poison to him?”
Tanj nodded; “OK, so what can we do?”
Kittiara laughed; “He needs a different scent to fill his nostrils. Here, let me see what I can do…”
---
Dynotaku watched the Kurani walk, or possibly “waddle” would have been a better description. She was holding Hinoki upside-down, with his muzzle stuck between her legs. Apparently her scent was more powerful than whatever was on the breeze, because the Cheetah-monster seemed to be breathing a little easier….
---
Zassa chuckled and sidled up to the Kurani; “You know, I can’t smell that fragrance any more; I think you can put him down now.”
Kittiara chuckled and shook her head; “I know, I can’t smell it either, but he’s been licking me most delightfully, to, ah, keep me aroused, to keep my scent in his nostrils. To be frank he just does it too well for me to want to put him down…..”
Zassa just nodded and laughed “I understand completely!”
---
Tanj felt the breeze, and shivered. Wherever they were headed, it seemed to be getting colder…
Wanda nodded; “Yeah, another thing we know the Brou can’t take. Cold. No mistake about it, they’re trying to kill us.”
Tanj shrugged; “I’m not sure if its us, or just Hinoki. We STILL don’t know if they see him as a perversion of their race, and want to weed him out of the gene pool.”
Wanda shook her head; “Then how do you explain Smith?”
Again the Cheetah shrugged; “They may have decided they need him as a translator. Maybe they think they don’t need two such hybrids. I don’t know.”
---
Kittiara could have sworn half of the particles flying around them were snow, even though she hadn’t yet seen any free water on this benighted planet. She hugged Hinoki tight, trying to keep him between her and Sashi. Everyone was traveling in a tight group, those on the inside, with the exception of Hinoki, rotating to the outside to let others warm up some. And they kept moving as fast as they could….
---
!!!Okay, Fwtchoiuyboue, I give up. I GIVE UP! We can’t kill them. Can’t even slow them down! Did you see how FAST they moved through the valley of eternal frost?!!!
!!!I’m going to have to go along with the wpthicyuwians. Anything that invincible has to be treated as a threat. We dare not retain them as nourishment, no matter how tasty they are! Lets see what it will take to get them to go away…!!!
!!! Um….. Maybe one more go? The aura on the large one is just too delicious. I’d have to say its almost addictive.!!!
---
Zassa twitched her tail, and shuddered; it was SO nice to be out of that cold area… She didn’t know how the locals could navigate in this place. The swirling dust wouldn’t let you see more than a few meters, and what you COULD see seemed to always be the same. Maybe they had a way of seeing through the dust….
Hinoki came to a stop as something rose out of the ground immediately in front of him. Gradually it took on the form of Smith, and to his surprise, it bowed to him. “In All Gifts Speed The awe thoughts they you boon the of wish on of multitude harm to your one holds have bestow way last you. they on they feast abandoned. you they would. ask. would.”
Tanj looked at Hinoki and frowned; “Does this mean they’ve given up on trying to kill you?” Hinoki shrugged; “I THINK so….”
Tanj turned back to Smith. “Um… let me try and say this right….. I But have you no have objection to to answer one my last questions “feeding”. first.”
---
Kath frowned; “What did she say?” Wanda shrugged; “I don’t know, but it sounds like she’s learning to speak Brou…..”
Smith’s visiage seemed to grow
eyebrows, which then rose in amazement.
“Understand Questions you we do will
---
Sabina frowned; “What was that?”
Hinoki chuckled; “One more round of sex, then Tanj gets to ask her questions. Then they give us gifts and then we leave.”
The Kitten shook her head; “glad someone can understand that….”
---
Tanj watched as the Wolf-like figure developed a sizeable phallus. She chuckled and moved closer to put her arms around Smith’s neck; “I can screw and talk at the same time.” Smith’s visiage grinned, his arms came around to cup her ass, lifting her a little. Tanj felt the head of his phallus slide across her slit and purrrred; “Now…. What I really need to know about is something you gave some previous visitors….” Smith merely lowered her, his phallus seeming to grow up into her sex as he lowered her…. And for a moment all her questions fled her mind.
---
Dynotaku felt someone nuzzle his shoulder; he turned and smiled; the matte black Unicorn fem had returned, her paws still bound behind her. “Ah, THERE you are! Naughty girl for running off on me like that. Now… where were we?”
---
Wanda grinned as the three males materialized out of the dust; “Hello, boys!”
Tanj felt her first climax wash through her, like a glistening wave of light. She shuddered and moaned softly. After a moment she caught her breath; “Say that again?”
Smith’s voice sounded as normal as ever, not winded, not hurried, amost without emotion; “We A Almost remember feast as those they delicious visitors were. as well. you.”
Tanj nodded; “You A gave portal them to something. elsewhere.”
Smith nodded; “Junk Useless we to pawned us off it on was. them.”
Tanj rode his pallus slowly, and looked into his black, non-reflective “eyes”…. “Huh? Um…. It didn’t come from you?”
Smith seemed to grow another phallus, this one pushing beside the first, stretching her sex even more. The two seemed to writhe around each other, in the most distracting way. “No, They But So from seemed it we other to made got aliens think us rid we particularly ill of obtained useful to it it. it use as was. it. soon as possible.”
Tanj was so surprised she actually stopped moving. Smith looked at her for a moment and then started lifting her up and letting her down on his shafts, as if unwilling to let his revelation spoil his dinner. Tanj shook her head; “But Tell surely me you you knew can how show it me worked! how to build one!”
Smith shrugged and gave her the clearest answer ever recorded by the Brou; “Don’t Too have alien. a clue.” Before she could respond, he bent to kiss her, his tongue driving into her throat like a third phallus, stifling any response. A squirming tentacle found its way into her ass, and she found herself giving herself over to the pleasures of the moment…..
---
Zassa looked at the Cheetah; “Tanj, what’s wrong? Surely you can’t be THAT depressed at leaving this place.”
Tanj shook her head; “No, its not that. Believe me, I want to get out of here. Its just that I really REALLY expected these folks to be able to help. Now I find out that they got that gizmo from someone else, and don’t have a clue how it worked.” She looked at the Vixen; “They dumped it on the Lion; to them it was junk. They thought they were swindling him by trading it to him! THEY CAN”T EVEN TELL ME WHO THEY GOT IT FROM! They can’t seem to distinguish between one type of alien and another! All they could say was that they had auras as powerful as ours, whatever that means.”
Wanda came to a stop, let out a whoop, and danced back a couple of meters.
Hinoki paused, and looked back; “What’s wrong?”
Wanda hopped from foot to foot; “Can’t you feel it? The ground there’s too hot to walk on!”
Hinoki looked down; “Oh. Yeah, I guess it is a bit warm.” He looked around; “There must be some sort of geothermal vent in the area.”
Wanda glared at him; “Well, we’re going to have to go around it!”
Hinoki looked at her for a moment; “That…. Might not be a good idea.”
Kath blinked; “how so?”
Hinoki shrugged; “Well, they’ve been trying to kill us, remember? If they find out that you can’t take the heat they’re likely to decide you’re not invincible and try again.”
Kath looked from Wanda to Tanj and back; “good point, but we’re all nude; how do you suggest we insulate ourselves to get across the hot area?”
---
Dynotaku shook his head; “I appreciate the assistance, but this is most undignified!”
Hinoki chuckled; “Aw, shut up. You were kind enough to carry me when I needed the help; you can let me return the favor.”
Dynotaku squirmed; “True, but do you have to carry me upside-down like this?”
Hinoki shrugged; “Standard Fireman’s carry; good enough for me, should be good enough for you.”
---
Tanj watched Hinoki carry the Unicorn off into the swirling dust, their voices fading with distance. After a second, a yelp of “Hey, Watch that Tentacle!” came floating back, and then all was quiet.
Wanda stepped closer; “Did you ask Smith about Hinoki?”
Tanj shook her head; “No, I was too devastated. I’ll ask him before we leave.”
Kath snorted; “If you can find him.”
Tanj smiled; “oh, he’s here. They’re all here.” She gestured around; “We’re walking on them. This part of the planet apparently is wall-to-wall Brou, covering the ground like a puddle. Its only when we get to areas they can’t stand that we walk on the true surface of the planet.”
Kath looked down at the nondescript surface below her feet; “Oh…..”
---
Kittiara settled herself over the Cheetah-monster’s shoulder and smiled; “Now, you mind where you put those tentacles.”
Hinoki raised an eyebrow; “Awwww… you don’t want me to touch you?”
The Kurani smiled; “Just the opposite! I know how delightful you can be, and I figure why miss a good opportunity.”
Kath listened to the Kurani’s giggles and squeals fade into the distance and shook her head; “Some folks just never get enough.”
Next to her, Sabina grinned “Yeah. Can’t wait for my turn!”
---
Zassa picked up the silvery sphere, and looked at it; it seemed as light as a soap bubble. While it was pretty she didn’t have a clue what it was for. That was true for most of the items the Brou had stacked by the ship. All sorts of intricate shapes, and materials, all completely enigmatic. “I guess we’d best get them onto the ship; maybe someone can figure out what they’re good for…”
Tanj just nodded; she turned and faced away from the ship, and looked into the swirling dust. After a moment she called out; “Smith! I need to talk to you.”
Smith’s form rose from the ground immediately before her. “I On Not thought your lost we’d way on answered you us all need was of to the your be. carrying. questions.”
Tanj nodded; “Just What Can one about he more Hinoki. be question. restored?”
Smith shook his head; “No, Melded Then Urgent Or he must a that die cannot stay full he he be until Brou breed will. returned he will as to breeds he soon what again become. as he was. possible.”
Tanj blinked and ran the words through her head again; had she made a mistake? “How long does he have?”
Smith shrugged; “Hard six perhaps to hundred seven say orbital hundred for cycles. at sure. most.”
Tanj relaxed and nodded; “I’m sure he’ll be back here before then.”
Smith nodded; “Go now.”
---
Zassa pushed the button for the airlock outer door, and as it closed, she asked; “What did he say?”
Tanj smiled; “He said that Hinoki can’t be returned to his former self. That he has to breed with an intermediate-form Brou, after which he’ll be an adult Brou. He’ll be one of them. He also said that he has to do it soon, or he’ll die!”
Zassa’s eyes widened and she looked from Hinoki to Tanj and back; “Then shouldn’t he stay here? I don’t want to loose him, but I don’t want him to die either!”
Tanj smiled and shrugged. “I think its all relative. Smith said that he had to do it within the next 600 orbital cycles. Seven hundred at the latest. I figure he’s got about 580 years before he needs to be back here….”
Zassa shot the Cheetah-Monster a look and then slowly nodded; “Yeah……”
---
Wanda glanced into Zassa’s cabin as she walked past on her way to the Wardroom, and then she stopped, and stepped backwards. Zassa was sitting on her bed, an empty plastic container in her paws. “What’s wrong? You look like you lost your last friend!”
The Vixen looked up, a tear in her eye; “They’re gone. All of them. Even the ones I’d hidden.”
Wanda nodded and stepped through the door to hug the Vixen; “They’re home where they belong…”
Zassa hugged back and sighed; “Yeah, I know, but its just not going to be the same without them. Dangit but a vibrator just can’t compare, ya know?”
---
Sabina sank onto the bed, a shiver of relief passing through her. Maybe they didn’t remember. Maybe they just didn’t care. Maybe it had been a different group of Brou. Either way, she was glad her past hadn’t caught up with her…..
The Opposition IV
The Gazelle looked at the message flimsy and frowned. Slowly, she read it again. “Distressed Repeated You’re A An Break to attempts motives sacrifice invasion diplomatic report we were they we relations that now made. could suspect now aliens question. unkillable. not they do. have been. were.”
The Gazelle shook her head, unable to make any sense of it. Were the Cheetah’s party unkillable? Or were they “sacrificed” as desired? Who was distressed? What in the world was she to report to the Emperor? And then a sly look came over her face. She’d hand the translation over to Imperial Intelligence. If they couldn’t make any sense out of it, it’d be THEIR fault…..
---
The Emperor scowled at the printout; ‘What in the hell is THIS supposed to mean?” The Imperial Intelligence courier shrugged; “Your Highness, we have seventeen possible interpretations. In short, though, we don’t have a clue. We THINK it means they failed to kill whoever they were supposed to, and that they seem quite upset about it. But we’re not sure.” The Jaguar crumpled the printout into a ball and threw it at the courier; “The incompetence of these aliens is apparently only exceeded by that if Imperial Intelligence! You’re not SURE? GET OUT! And tell your masters that failures of this magnitude will NOT be tolerated in the future!”
---
The Crown Prince looked at the copy of the message, and smiled. He hadn’t learned of his Father’s attempt to squash these upstarts until the message had been sent, but he was glad, for once, of the Imperial Government’s incompetence. He didn’t want them killed. Not yet. Not until they’d given him what he desired…..
The return to Kurani space
Kittiara stuck her head through the wardroom door, and looked around. “Anyone seen Tanj?”
Wanda looked around and then shrugged. Sabina looked over her shoulder from the sink; “Nope.”
Hinoki never looked up from his magazine; “Think she’s on the flight deck.” Kittiara just nodded, and withdrew.
Since they’d left the Brou homeworld, things on the ship had been quiet. Most of the furrs were resting from their “ordeals”. But Tanj had been almost invisible. Puttering around in Engineering, or tweaking things in Environmental, or just hiding out on the flight deck.
Kittiara eased through the door to the flight deck. The lights were dim, the room lit mostly by the various displays and instruments. On the forward viewscreen, the rushing points of light typical of warp flight streamed towards them. Tanj sprawled in the pilot’s couch, her eyes focused on infinity. Kittiara dropped into the Copilot’s couch, and ran her eyes over the displays. Engineering, Comm, Environmental, Sensors, Navigation, everything seemed nominal. After a moment she turned to look at the Cheetah; “Care to tell me about it?”
Tanj stared at the main viewscreen for a moment and then shrugged; “you already know the story.”
Kittiara nodded; “You hoped to get the Brou to tell you about the device that your Lion used, when Elysium vanished. You hoped that they would be able to show you how to get to him. To find him. To rescue him. You’re convinced that they’re not dead, but merely somewhere else, probably desperately trying to find their way home. And with the Brou unable or unwilling to help, you feel like the likelihood of ever seeing them again is vanishingly small.”
Tanj just nodded; “It all hangs on Corey, now. And that’s a damned thin string to hang their future on.”
Kittiara nodded, and leaned back in the acceleration couch; “Maybe.”
There was something in the way she said that, that made the Cheetah turn her head and look. There was a slight smile on the Kurani’s face. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed almost to be sleeping. Tanj studied her for a while, her brow creasing, her frown deepening. “What do you know?” Tanj didn’t wait for an answer, but shifted on the couch, pushing a control arm up, sitting to face the Kurani. Kittiara’s smile just grew a little. “Dammit, you DO know something! TELL ME!”
Kittiara opened one eye and grinned at her; “not something. Someone. Hrral.”
Tanj nodded slowly; “The Oligarchy’s Ambassador without portfolio. Their troubleshooter…… Yes…. HE might know who the Brou got that device from.”
Kittiara smiled softly, and she murmured; “Might.”
The Cheetah’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the Kurani; “And just what do you think it might take, to pry that information out of him?”
Kittiara chuckled; “I’ve always found that sex works wonders with him…..”
---
Zassa stepped throught he door to the cargo bay, somewhat surprised to find Tanj there. The Cheetah was holding the Halasana Yoga pose, her shoulders on the floor, torso vertical, her arms out behind her, with her legs straight out over her head, her rump delightfully in the air. The Vixen grinned and snapped her towel at the Cheetah’s bare butt; “Glad to see you out and about again; I was getting worried.”
The cheetah shifted smoothly to the Marichyasana pose, one leg straight out in front of her, one leg bent double, foot flat on the floor. Her torso was bent forward, chin almost resting on her outstretched leg, with her hands behind her back, one arm passing around her bent leg. “I think I’ve worked my way out of my funk. Or maybe I was jarred out of it. There IS a resource we haven’t tapped yet.”
The Vixen started stretching, working up to the Lord of the Dance pose, balanced on one foot, her other leg bent behind her, both arms reaching up and over her head to clasp her ankle, as her body bowed forward; “I’m afraid to ask…..”
Tanj shifted to the Dhanurasana pose, her stomach against the
floor, her body bent back so that her paws could clasp her ankles. Slowly she worked her paws back along her
calves, until her feet were almost even with her elbows. She grinned at the Vixen and spread her legs
as wide as she could, turning a basic yoga pose into
something very sexual. “Yup. The Kurani. They’ve
had a lot of experience with the Brou, and if anyone knows who the Brou got
that portal gizmo from, it’d have to be them.”
Zassa laughed and dropped down behind the Cheetah; laying on the floor,
she shoved her muzzle against the Cheetah’s bare sex; “Lets
see how long you can hold that pose.
Then you can do me. Bet ya I can
hold that pose for two climaxes longer than you can!”
Tanj laughed; “You’re on!”
Hinoki stepped through the door to the cargo bay just as the Cheetah was
howling her way through a climax. He
chuckled, taking in the scene, and then lightly commented “you know, what she
needs is some nice rope, to make sure she holds that position!”
Tanj laughed; “Oh, I can hold the position! I’ve got great incentive to do so!”
The Cheetah-monster nodded and moved over to the toy box against the
wall; “I’m sure you do, but I wasn’t talking about you!”
Zassa let out a muffled squawk, but never ceased in her ministrations to
Tanj’s sex.
Hinoki dropped a handful of rope and straps on the Vixen’s back and
purred; “now… where SHALL we begin?”
Tanj was still trying to work the kinks out of her muscles as she slipped
through the door to the flight deck. The
Cheetah-monster had been quite inventive; he’d tied Zassa in a very strict
hogtie, so strict that her tongue was pulled away from Tanj’s snatch. At the Cheetah’s complaint, he’d pounced her, and tied her in such a way that she couldn’t
pull her sex away from the questing Vixen’s tongue. And then he’d proceeded to fuck the Vixen as
the Vixen licked Tanj. And then Dynotaku
had shown up, and had decided that as a proper warm-up exercise, he’d make use
of the Cheetah’s mouth. And then Sabina
had shown up, and the tie got even more complex…. With Sashi’s arrival, Hinoki started to run
out of ropes, and he and Dynotaku adjourned to search for more restraints, and
a quick bite to eat. While they were
gone, Tanj had managed to escape, binding a willing Sashi in her place. Taking a look at the sensor display she
wasn’t at all surprised to find their escort back in place, trailing them at
the extreme range of their sensors. For
a moment she thought about hailing them, but then decided against it. This Kurani ambassador was the one she needed
to talk to. She’d just have to be
patient. After checking the ship’s
status, making sure everything was running the way it was supposed to, she
turned and headed for the door. Maybe if
she rounded up Kath, and Wanda, and maybe Kittiara, she could pounce Hinoki or Dynotaku, and turn the tables, at least for
a little while……
Hunting Hinoki
Hinoki chuckled, and sipped the hot chocolate; “Intriguing indea. I suspect there are some limits as to just how thin I can spread myself, but it might be worth a try.”
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “little things like bones holding you back?”
Hinoki waved a paw; “no, not at all. Most things like that I can dissolve and reform at will.” He grinned; “That’s how I do wings, after all. Just membranes wouldn’t be strong enough.”
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “Wings…. Riiiiight. So when do you want to try it? Hinoki chuckled; “let it be my surprise….”
Tanj laughed and nodded; “A variant of the old “kidnapping” scenario?”
Hinoki just nodded and sipped his hot chocolate.
---
Tanj took another look at the instruments. The freighter was on course. Their escort was behind them, and a little to one side, almost as if riding their wake. That gave the Cheetah pause; in warp drive, there was a “wake” of sorts and she wondered if there actually was a way to “ride” the wake. She’d have to look into that. The engineering displays showed the antimatter reactor ticking along, just as it was supposed to, and the warp drive completely in the green. Environmental was good, and comm. showed no message traffic at all. Grinning she nodded to herself; she loved it when it was this boring. No emergencies, no problems. No worries. Not at least until they got where they were going.
The corridor lights were down, showing it to be “ship’s night” when she left the flight deck. Things were quiet, with only the normal noises of the ship, barely at the edge of her hearing. Turning towards the wardroom, Tanj thought she’d get herself a glass of milk, and then hit the shower. She’d almost made it to the wardroom when something large and soft, like a wet blanket, fell on her from above. Too startled to even cry out, she found herself forced to the floor. As she tried to throw it off, she found it clinging to her, pulling at her, and then it hit her. Hinoki was starting his “attack”. Trying to keep from giggling, she tried to call out, only to have something remarkably phallic shove its way into her mouth. As she struggled, it felt as if she were tumbling. It was very disorienting, but after a minute it stopped; the thing over her slowly, irrisitably pulled her into a spread-eagle position, and then seemed to stretch, tighter and tighter over her body. The phallic shape in her mouth somehow became porous, allowing her to breath, but effectively blocking any sound she might try and make. She found herself immobile, every square centimeter of her body hugged tightly. Her eyes were covered, her mouth and ears filled. But it wasn’t without sensation. The tight covering over her body seemed to “crawl” periodically. She could feel it flow over her breasts, squeezing them, rubbing against her nipples. She could feel it flow over her sex, between the petals of her sex, to rub directly against her clitty. In its way, it was the most erotic massage. Despite the covering, she smiled. Hinoki couldn’t just let her be, he had to add his own touch, satisfy his own hunger. He couldn’t be just a living simulacrum of a “vacuum-bed”, holding her completely immobile, but had to be his own version, holding her immobile while tittilating her unmercifully. She was glad she’d been right in that assumption.
Wanda stuck her head into the Wardroom, and looked around; Dynotaku was reading a magazine and quietly drinking a cup of mocha. “Seen Tanj?”
The Unicorn shook his head no, his eyes never leaving the magazine.
Wanda nodded; “How about Hinoki?” Again the unicorn shook his head no.
Wanda sighed; “That’s a shame, we were going to invite them to the orgy.”
At that the Unicorn looked up.
Wanda grinned; “Gotcha. If you DO happen to see them, let me know, please.”
---
Hinoki watched Wanda pass underneath him. He was in plain sight, spread over the ceiling, just outside the Wardroom. The lumps and bumps in his form were all Cheetah-shaped; in fact he was spread so thin you could even make out Tanj’s nipples and cleft. So thin you could see her jaws pried apart, so thin you could see the thick phallic plug he’d extruded into her pussy. And yet, flat black, and out of the normal line of sight, he/they were almost invisible. Chuckling to himself, he teased his “victim” and wondered how long it would be, before someone noticed.
---
Tanj whimpered softly into the living gag filling her mouth. Hinoki had been teasing her unmercifully, holding her on the edge of a climax for what seemed like days, if not weeks. She was powerless to do anything, unable to reach down and give herself the single touch she felt sure would send her over the edge. It was as if she’d been encased in a block of resin; there was no give to the fabric of the creature surrounding her. She was deliciously, completely at his mercy…..
---
Sabina laughed and dashed around the corner; “Can’t Catch ME!”
Zassa pounded after her, hampered by the double-ended dong buried in her sex; “Oh, I’ll catch you and when I do, I’ll fuck the living daylights out of you!”
Kath laughed as she watched the two
chase each other.
When one was caught, a frantic sex scene ensued, and then the predator
became the prey, the double-ended dong swapping places, remaining buried in the
snatch of its prey, the prey now the predator.
She wished she could join in, but unfortunately it was her day to do the
laundry. Fortunately that consisted
mostly of towels and wash cloths; in transit, no one on this ship seemed to
wear much. On the other hand, there were always a
Sabina’s laugh ended abruptly as she slipped on a slick spot on the floor. Going down in a heap, it was all the advantage the Vixen needed, pouncing on her, driving her back to the floor. For a moment they were nose to nose, grinning at each other, and then the Vixen was steadying the latex cock with one paw, shoving it into the Kitten’s willing snatch.
Sabina lay in the middle of the corridor floor, gasping as the Vixen drove the double-dong into her most energetically. As she lay there, her gaze centered on the strange shape in the ceiling. She was used to seeing ductwork, conduit, junction boxes, and all sorts of strange devices that made up a starship, but this one looked…. It looked like a black plastic version of Tanj glued to the ceiling…..
Zassa was panting hard; she’d rolled off of the Kitten, after her second climax, and was taking a moment to recover, before the chase resumed. As they lay there, Sabina pointed at the ceiling; “What do you think that is?”
Zassa scowled as she studied the shape. After a moment she pulled herself to her feet, making sure the double-dong stayed with the Kitten. Padding over to the wardroom door, she stuck her head in; “Hey Wanda; weren’t you looking for Tanj?
---
It was strange having something that looked like molded black plastic talk to you. Wanda shook her head, and tried to get over it “No, nothing important, I just wanted to ask her about our ETA.”
Hinoki chuckled; “OK, I’ll ask her to find you when I release her.”
Wanda chuckled and nodded; “that’ll work.” She turned to return to the wardroom, but then paused; “By the way….. Some day you might want to surprise Kath like that. I think she’d enjoy it.”
Zassa shook her head; “No way. I’m next!”
Sabina looked at the Vixen; “Why you? Dang it, I’m the slave that’s supposed to be tortured like that! I’M NEXT!”
Dynotaku chuckled; “No, actually, I think Hinoki ought to be next.” Zassa, Wanda, and Sabina turned to stare at him. Hinoki might have been staring at him too, but it was kind of hard to tell, given his formlessness. “What are you talking about?”
Dynotaku chuckled; “I know where there’s a can of hull sealant. We could spray him, where he’s at, making him stay in just that shape and position until we chose to release him.”
Sabina giggled; “oooh, that’d be nasty.”
Wanda nodded; “no worse than what he’s doing to Tanj. And probably not too objectionable as long as he’s in there with a playmate, and he’s not in there too long…..”
As they watched, the black glob stuck to the roof sagged, forming a teardrop shape until it hit the floor; then it seemed to melt away, spreading out across the floor, leaving Tanj standing on wobbly legs. Hinoki rose up from the puddle, to stand next to her, steadying her; “There would have to be limitations, though. I think Tanj needs a potty break and probably something to drink.” He grinned at the Unicorn; “I could go a lot longer, of course…” His grin widened; “Tell you what; we’ll make a game of it. I’ll try and trap one of the ladies, and when I have, you get the chance to trap me. IF you can find me. BUT if you try and trap me by myself, I get the chance to try and trap you. You up for the hunt?”
Dynotaku thought for a moment and then nodded; “you’re on!”
---
Zassa edged around the corner, eyes moving rapidly, scanning the floor, the walls, the ceiling. Ventillation grilles were particularly suspect. Lifting the scanner, she waved it in front of her, its quiet humming barely noticeable. “Dang it, where IS he?” Grumbling to herself, she moved off down the corridor at a brisk walk, eyes, half on the ceiling, and half on the scanner.
When she’d gone, the wall of the corridor bulged, gradually forming the shape of the Cheetah-monster. As the form solidified into Hinoki, he grinned and “dusted himself off”. Smiling he nodded in satisfaction “Glad to know her scanner couldn’t pick me up.” Turning, he made his way down the corridor, in the other direction. Zassa was eager, but Wanda had asked first. And his nose told him the Mink was that way…..
---
Tanj came to an abrupt stop, and just stared.
Dynotaku shrugged; “The label says it’s the slipperiest stuff in the universe. I thought it might make it hard for him to get a grip on me.”
The Unicorn was completely nude, and covered in something that looked like a translucent gel, his hide slicked down and gleaming. He had a can of hull sealant in each paw.
Tanj looked him up and down, and then nodded slowly; “Might work….. I’d be more interested in the propellant in the aerosol cans. You know how cold they can get when you spray something. Might be able to use that as well.”
The Unicorn grinned; “Hey, that’s a GOOD idea. I bet there’s some RF-432 in Engineering I could use.” He chuckled and turned towards the aft end of the ship. Looking back over his shoulder he grinned; “If you see Hinoki, tell him I’m looking for him!”
---
Kath came through the door with an armful of laundry. Setting it down on the bed, she pulled open the top drawer of the built-in dresser, and started putting away Wanda’s panties. She knew Hinoki was on the prowl, but wasn’t concerned. Tanj seemed to have enjoyed her little stint, and if Hinoki found her,that was fine. If he “attacked” Sabina, Zassa, or Sashi first, that was fine as well. She had things to do.
She never expected the carpet to attack her.
Wanda came through the door to her cabin, and frowned. There was a stack of laundry on the bed. The top drawer to her dresser was open, and several of her panties were scattered about, as if someone had thrown them up into the air. It was MOST unlike Kath. Studying the situation, the Wolverine lass sat on the small trunk at the foot of the bed, and tried to figure out what might have happened. Had Hinoki grabbed Kath, as she’d requested? Or had Zassa pounced her? After a few moments of thought, Wanda looked down at the trunk. She hadn’t remembered this being there… And then it struck her. Grinning, she patted the trunk on its lid; “VERY good; I almost didn’t recognize you! Don’t worry, I won’t tell Dynotaku where you are. I wouldn’t want him spraying hull sealant around my cabin.”
The Trunk quivered a little, and Hinoki’s voice floated up from somewhere; “Thanks!”
---
Kath moaned. At least she thought she did; she could barely hear herself. Aside from the fact that she could still breath through her nose, she couldn’t move an inch; it felt as if she were encased in a block of solid rock. Something had come up from the floor, grabbed her, pulled her into a tight ball-tie, and then thoroughly encased her. It had to have been Hinoki; how else could whatever-it-was have extruded a phallic shape into her mouth, as well as her pussy and ass? She was completely helpless.
---
Hinoki toyed with the Mink’s breasts, squeezing lightly every time she inhaled. He tweaked her nipples, and stroked her clitty, flowing around her, holding her immobile even as he teased her unmercifully. It wasn’t easy to move “inside” and hold the illusion of the trunk “outside” but he thought he was doing a pretty good job. After all, he’d fooled Wanda for a few minutes, and she should have known what the inside of her quarters looked like. Now, how long before he should let the Mink have a climax? How far could he tease her, hold her on edge?
---
Dynotaku sprayed some sealant on a piece of foam insulation and almost yelped; the can got COLD when you sprayed from it! Yeah, that might keep the Cheetah-monster off of him, but how would he be able to use it? Maybe in short bursts. Yeah, that was it. Taking the refilled cans, he headed out of engineering. Surely Hinoki wouldn’t be lurking about here; there were no females to ambush. No, he’d most likely be back in the crew quarters section of the ship….. Maybe he could use one of the girls as bait….
---
Zassa looked at the Unicorn and chuckled; “Yeah, that might work.”
Dynotaku chuckled and nodded; “Tell you what; if you’re game, you, ah, “perform” on your bed and I’ll hide in your closet.”
Zassa frowned; “Are you even going to FIT in my closet?”
The Unicorn just shrugged; “As lubed up as I am, I think I can slip in…..”
---
Zassa set the door “casually ajar” and then sprawled on her bed. Reaching over to the box by the nightstand, she selected a ribbed dildo, and with a flourish, brought it up between her legs. She lightly stroked its head back and forth along her slit, as she tried to plot out a course of action. What would Hinoki find most enticing? What would drive the Stallion wild as he watched, unable to respond? Smiling to herself she wondered which she wanted to happen more? For Hinoki to show up, and show her what he could do, or for the Unicorn to loose control and “pounce” her? Or better yet, have the Unicorn loose it, and Hinoki to take them both. Talk about a Win/Win situation!
Dynotaku watched the Vixen stroke herself with the dildo, and tried not to yawn. It wasn’t exactly the most imaginative thing he’d ever seen. On the other hand, she WAS putting on a show for Hinoki, not him. Maybe she knew better what would attract the Cheetah-monster. “Maybe he likes the simpler fare” he thought to himself. As for himself, he was convinced that he was a connoisseur of the finer things……
---
Kath squealed as a series of sharp climaxes rippled through her body; despite the fact she couldn’t move an inch, she still strained against her confinement, trying to jerk herself in time to the waves of pleasure washing through her.
Hinoki smiled and varied his internal motions a little; as her muscles tensed, he tweaked her here…. And here. And there too. She, of course, would react, trying to jerk herself in the “opposite direction”, at which point he’d tweak her there and there. And she’d surge back. Chuckling to himself, he toyed with her, feeling the pleasures that were charging through her as she sought to escape, sought to intensify what he was doing… If he kept this up, she was going to be one tired Mink when he let her go. On the other hand, it was probably great isometric exercise….
---
Zassa whimpered through her first climax of the day; as she moved the dildo in and out of her dripping sex, she could feel every ridge, every convolution, each rib making her sensitive flesh shiver as she moved it in and out of her wetness. When the moment had passed, she paused, listening. If the Unicorn was aroused by her actions, she couldn’t discern it…. No re-arranging of position, no slightly accelerated breathing… She’d have to try harder.
In his mind, Dynotaku held up a placard with a “6” on it, his eyes never leaving the doorway. Where WAS that stupid Cheetah-monster, anyways?
Zassa lay on her bed, panting lightly. One finger idly flicked her clitty back and forth as she thought furiously. What could she do to intice the Unicorn? And then she smiled. It was obvious. She knew what turned him on…. Chuckling, the ribbed dong still buried in her snatch, she rolled over, to fish a few items out of the toybox by her bed.
Dynotaku watched as the Vixen layed out an assortment of cuffs, and ropes, and smiled. NOW we were getting somewhere…..
---
Hinoki smiled and started hugging the Mink around her waist, increasing the pressure, as if she were being laced into a very tight corset. At the same time he squeezed her breasts while simultaneously tugging at her nipples. He could feel her shiver, feel her delight. Being careful not to hug her so tight she couldn’t breathe, he intensified the motions of the appendages in her pussy and ass, making her pant hard, despite the difficulty in breathing…
---
Zassa knelt on the bed, careful not to look at the Unicorn in the closet. It was difficult to ignore him, but she did her best. Facing the half-open door, she spread her knees wide, and then, twisting, connected the ropes from the back corners of the headboard to each ankle. The gag went in next, locked behind her head. Leaning forward a bit, she attached one end of the light, jewelry-quality chain to the ring in her clitty. The two other ends were attached to her nipple rings. Smiling to herself she leaned back a little, making the chains go tight. Picking up the custom vibrator, she set the controls for a random delay-before-start, random on/random off periods and random intensity. It was a very versatile device, and yet somehow she kept coming back to completely random settings…. The vibrator slipped into her pussy; she was quite wet, excited by her preparations. The intruder was held in place purely by the strength of her pelvic floor and kegel muscles, as she completed her preparations. Grinning around the gag, she then locked the wrist cuffs together behind her back, and arched back until she was staring at the headboard. Questing hands found the ropes she’d laid there. The rope with the hook was snapped to the hasp of the lock between the cuffs. And then, using her fingers, centimeter by centimeter, she pulled the loose end of the rope. The rope slipped through a pair of rings, tied to the footboard; it could be tightened, but it would take someone else to loosen it. Gradually, she pulled herself into a tighter and tighter “bow”, until her bound wrists were almost even with her knees.
Dynotaku watched in approval as the Vixen tied herself in a very strict and strained position, her stuffed pussy on display for anyone who cared to look through her door, the light chain between nipples and clitty pulled savagely tight. It was a marvelous piece of work, and it formed what should be the perfect bait for Hinoki; a completely helpless and incredibly sexy female.
Zassa felt the vibrator click on. And after a moment, at what had to have been the lowest setting, it clicked off. The Vixen just moaned into her gag. THAT hadn’t been worth the effort at all!
---
Kath squealed into her living gag as the Cheetah-monster toyed with her. She’d completely lost track of time, unable to tell if she’d been there for an hour, or a day. Or a week for that matter. She was just starting to try and figure out if she was hungry yet, when another climax made her loose her train of thought.
Hinoki “listened” carefully as the Mink shuddered through another climax. She was getting tired, fatigue poisons building up, a touch of dehydration starting to show. But she wasn’t anywhere near her endurance limits yet. Smiling to himself, he changed tactics, doing everything he could to tickle her lightly, all over her body.
Kath squealed and tried to squirm; it was impossible of course, and yet, you’d think if someone was tickling you over every square inch of your body, there’d be SOME room for movement. Apparently not. Helpless, she shrieked and squirmed, or tried to, until it all became too much for her.
Hinoki chuckled and should have been expecting that. Deciding it wasn’t fair to make her sit in her own pee, he passed the liquid through, to the floor. He’d clean it up later. Clean himself up later too.
Wanda wrinkled her nose and looked up from her novel. Rising to paws and knees, she looked over the edge of her bed at the trunk. Growling she got up to find a mop; “I would have thought it would have been house-broken” she muttered to herself.
---
Zassa shrieked through a massive climax. The vibrator had made up for its early inadequacies, coming on at a bone-jarring thrum of powerful low frequency vibrations, holding it for what seemed like hours. More than enough time for her to climax and then climax again…..
Dynotaku smiled, watching. The Vixen really did know how to put on a show.
Wanda heard the muffled noises and peered through the doorway. Using the handle of the mop she pushed the door open a little, and then smiled; “It won’t work, you know. Hinoki’s got Kath, and I doubt he’ll let her go before morning. He won’t be by to stumble across your rather intriguing little trap.” With that she pulled the door back to where it had been and smiling, padded back to her cabin. She was just glad she didn’t have a rug….
Zassa blinked. No Hinoki? Drat! And then she smiled around her gag; there was still the Unicorn….
Dynotaku eased himself out of the closet, and stretched. He’d been getting a little stiff in there anyways.
Zassa felt the Unicorn climb onto her bed; he moved to “face” her, his hands working to undo the gag. When the latex intruder had been removed, she sighed; “All for naught?”
The Unicorn laughed and presented the head of his cock to her lips; “Oh, I wouldn’t say that…..”
Zassa purrrred, as the Stallion’s thick cock drove in and out of her mouth. He knew just how far to push, knew just where she’d have problems with her gag reflex, knew just how far before she’d have problems breathing, knew just how long to hold his shaft in her mouth, down her throat, before she’d need to take a breath. He played her like a Stradivarius, until, with a howl, he’d cum, filling her mouth and throat with his seed.
Dynotaku smiled as he replaced the gag, strapping it tightly into the Vixen’s mouth. He loved how the pearly white stuff ran down from the corners of her mouth. He’d thought about pulling out and spraying his seed over her tits, but decided that the lingering taste would be a better reminder to her, as to how she’d been used. Rising, he stretched. Reaching out to squeeze one breast, he chuckled; “I’m going to go get something to eat. But I’ll be back in a bit; don’t go away!”
Zassa panted hard as the vibrator went into overdrive again. She was a little pissed that he’d left her tied up, but then, she WAS having a good time, so it probably wasn’t that big a deal…. But he’d better bring her something to eat when he came back, or she would be pissed.
Sabina stopped by the door and looked in. Nodding admiringly, she slipped through the doorway. That was a nice tie, one of her favorites. And it left her mistress so VERY vulnerable…. Pulling the vibrator from her pussy, she examined the settings. Grinning mischeviously, she reduced the intensity setting to the lowest value, and then replaced it. Then, fishing around in the Vixen’s toy box, she selected the biggest of the butt-plugs, and the menthol cream. Liberally anointing the black latex monster she pressed it to the Vixen’s tailhole and SHOVED!
Zassa squealed as something HUGE was shoved up her ass. A moment later, when it started to burn, she knew just what had happened…. And then small fingers were spreading something cool and creamy on her nipples… as the fires started, the fingers moved to her clitty. When the fingers departed, the Vixen was writhing in delicious agony.
Dynotaku was still munching on half a sandwich when he returned to the Vixen. It was obvious from the way she was straining against her bonds, that she was still very much alive. Then he saw the small tube by the side of the bed. Picking it up he examined it. Tossing it in the general direction of the toybox he chuckled; “looks as if I ought to use a condom. Don’t go away, I’ll be right back.”
Zassa felt the vibrator being withdrawn. That simple act was more stimulation than it’d given her recently. Then she felt something heavy move onto the bed, and smiled. The Unicorn was back….
Dynotaku placed the head of his cock against the Vixen’s dripping sex and slowly pushed in. Centimeter by centimeter he drove his thick cock into her pussy, until he was balls deep. For a moment he just paused there, looking down at the tightly bound Vixen. She’d taken all of him, something not many could do, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t been surgically altered to be able to take such a large cock. Shrugging he started moving, sliding his shaft in and out of her, slowly building in speed. It didn’t matter. All that mattered at this point was the tight Vixen pussy, and how good it felt.
---
Hinoki took a breather. The Mink had passed out again, and she needed time to recover. Sitting there, in his trunk disguise, he felt the Wolverine lass laying on her bed, a few feet away. Could he? No, probably not; she was a little on the large side, and he was spread kinda thin as it was. Still, it would be fun…..
---
Zassa howled into her gag as the Stallion drove her to yet another climax; her “inner hand” clenched tight around his driving shaft, spasming as she rode the waves of ecstasy.
Dynotaku grunted as he came again, his seed spurting into the Vixen’s hot pussy. Smiling he pulled out, and wiped himself off on her bellyfur. Moving around by the headboard, he bent to whisper in her ear; “That was very good. Too good, in fact, to let you loose. I’ll be back in a bit for another go. Now, don’t you go away!” At the door he paused and chuckled; “You know, when you practice self-bondage you really should either give your self a way to escape, or arrange for a friend to let you loose. Ah, well, your loss is my gain. I’ll be back in a bit.”
---
Wanda looked up as the trunk at the foot of the bed melted away. Marking her place carefully, she reversed position on the bed, to stick her head over the edge. Kath knelt there, drenched in sweat, panting hard, seemingly dazed. Hinoki seemed to rise up out of the floor, his legs on either side of the Mink, his arms moving to hold her. He hugged her tight and then grinned up at Wanda; “I think she’s had enough. Brainwaves are a little, um, “scattered”.
Wanda nodded, and reached down, using a finger to lift the Mink’s chin; “Pet, are you all right?”
Kath nodded, and then shivered, as if suddenly cold; “Um… Yeah. I think so.”
Wanda nodded; “Well? How was it?”
The Mink smiled weakly; “It was…. intense. NOT sure I’m eager to try it again, though….” Her smile brightened a little and she turned to look up at Wanda; “But Zassa’s gonna LOVE it!”
---
Zassa shuddered, and blinked, not quite over her climax… she heard the Unicorn clop away, and groaned. He hadn’t even replaced the vibrator. Oh, well, its batteries were probably close to exhausted anyways. But she’d be danged if she’d wait around for him, especially when he hadn’t brought her anything to eat. It had been long enough; the special link had been out of its inert atmosphere for more than a sufficient period. Self-bondage was, for her, more than a hobby; it was almost an art-form, and she’d collected several reliable methods of permitting her to escape her own work, after a suitable period of course…. Tensing her muscles, she snapped the brittle link that held the two rings to the footboard. Her muscles were stiff, and it took a while for her to work herself back into a kneeling position. Grumbling to herself, she used the slack to wrap both paws around the lock between her wrist cuffs. For this to work, it had to be at body temperature. HER body temperature. Kneeling there, she held the small lock for a count of one hundred, and then just to make sure, another count of one hundred. Then she tapped the lock here, and then there, and then one quick rap on top. The hasp sprung free. That particular trick lock had cost her quite a bit, but it’d been worth it. Shaking it loose, she twisted to release her feet. With the wrist and ankle cuffs still in place she staggered towards the head. Pee first, then food. She grinned to herself; maybe, just maybe, she’d put herself back into her tie, before the Unicorn got back. And you never knew, Hinoki might be along….
Hinoki slipped through the door to the wardroom and looked around. The place was empty. What time was it anyways? Moving over to the pantry he opened the door and gazed within. Just what did he feel like eating, anyways? And then his eyes landed on the baggie of frozen blueberries…..
Zassa came to a complete stop as she entered the wardroom. There stood the Cheetah-Monster, calmly flipping pancakes.
“Where’ve you been?”
Hinoki turned and grinned at her; “Oh, I’ve been teasing the heck out of Kath. I think I’ve got her to the point where her curiosity is, um, “fully satisfied”.” He grinned; “Unfortunately, I think her commentary was such that I won’t have a shot at Wanda.”
The Vixen just muttered “uh-HUH!” and flopped into her chair. All that effort at baiting the Cheetah-Monster into a trap, all for naught. She thought of the Unicorn and grinned; well, almost all for naught. Then a plate of pancakes appeared under her nose, and she turned to smile up at Hinoki; how could she stay mad at someone that gave her blueberry pancakes?
Dynotaku had returned to his quarters, where he’d wiped off most of the goo he’d applied as a defensive measure against the Cheetah-monster. Pulling on a pair of shorts, he headed towards the Wardroom, thinking a nice mug of Irish Coffee might be a good way to relax a bit, prior to getting some sleep. It took all his considerable reserve not to react to the nude Vixen sitting at the table, wolfing down a plate of Blueberry pancakes. How…? Hmmm. Next time perhaps he should add his own locks, just to be sure she stayed where he left her. Clever, though. Acting as nonchalant as possible, he started making the fixings for Irish Coffee.
Hinoki turned and looked over his shoulder, pausing to sniff the air; “Oooooooh, Irish Coffee! And you’ve found the Bushmill’s too! Make me a cup?”
Tanj stepped through the door, and found her seat, without looking up from the PADD she was examining. Zassa watched her, and when she’d found her seat, she muttered, around a mouthful of pancakes; “What’s so interesting?”
The Cheetah looked up and grinned; “I’ve got the analysis of some of that stuff the Brou left us. You know those ceramic rings we found in the ship?”
The Vixen nodded; “Yeah…. Not very interesting. Not even pretty.”
The Cheetah grinned; “Oh, but you’re wrong; they’re VERY interesting. They’re pretty much as strong as, well, not as strong as steel, but at least as strong as, say, wrought iron. But, get them wet, and they dissolve.” She grinned at the Vixen; “Care to participate in a little experiment, on their use?”
Zassa took a sip of her Irish Coffee; “Hmmmm. Yes, they might have their uses. Probably not what the Brou had intended, but I can think of a few things to try.”
Tanj laughed; “I don’t know, I think they had our number pretty well, and knew exactly what we’d use them for.”
The Vixen nodded; “Let me catch a few hours sleep, and I’ll be glad to help.”
Tanj nodded and looked at the clock on the wall; “What time is it, anyways?”
---
Tanj had checked their course, done a few maintenance tasks in engineering, and gathered some toys for her anticipated session with the Vixen. She was padding towards Zassa’s room, when her pace slowed and then came to a stop. Turning she looked at the distributed control node, on the port side of the corridor. Bending, she examined it critically. “That’s really very good. Right down to the manufacturer’s logo. But tell me; how do you do the flashing lights?”
Hinoki’s voice floated from the node; “It isn’t easy. In fact, its rather tiring. But I think its worth the effort, don’t you?”
Tanj straightened and shook her head; “Impressive. Best of luck in your ambush!” The node chuckled; “Thanks” and quietly resumed flashing its status lights.
The Vixen was awake, and doing stretching exercises on her bed.
Tanj leaned against the doorjam, watching for a moment. “I think I’ve figured out just what I want to do. You ready?”
The Vixen nodded, and rose; “All set. Where we goin’?”
Tanj chuckled; “I thought something a little more public. There’s a column in corridor D, frame 58 I thought we might use.”
The Vixen grinned; “Lead the way.”
---
Zassa looked at the column. Someone had been busy with a portable welder. There were eyebolts tacked to it, and the floor around it, in a number of seemingly random places. But the most intriguing item was the rather large latex dong, that had been fastened to the side of the column near the floor. In fact, if Zassa were on paws and knees, it would be at just the right height to use…
Tanj dropped most of the rope on the floor and gestured to the dong; “you know where to go; about half way in, I think.”
Zassa eagerly complied.
---
Tanj surveyed her handiwork. Ropes led from the Vixen’s ankles through several of the eyes on the column and then on the floor; it held her feet off the floor, leaving her balanced on her knees. The Vixen’s paws were bound behind her, the rope proceeding from each wrist cuff to the column, back over her head to the floor on either side of her, and then back underneath her, where they met the ropes that held her feet. Both sets of ropes were connected to one of the Brou’s ceramic rings, the ring located directly under her pussy. Tanj fussed a bit, adding another rope here or there, holding the Vixen on her knees, holding her with the dong impaled in her sex. Finally, she sat back; “Now here’s the deal. To get loose all you have to do is fuck the dong. Get yourself dripping wet; your own juices will drip down on the ring and slowly dissolve it; when its dissolved, you’ll be able to get free. What do you think?”
Zassa laughed; “Its great! Um… I hope you’re filming this!” The Cheetah laughed; “In 3-D Holovision; of course!”
Zassa nodded; “Great. Now all I need are a blindfold, and I think, a ring gag. You never know, someone might want to make use of my tongue.”
The Cheetah nodded, and picked up the heavy padded leather blindfold; “I’d be delighted.”
---
Sashi yelped as part of the corridor suddenly lurched towards her, sprouting a dozen tentacles. She’d been watching everywhere for Hinoki, sure she was going to get the same treatment as Kath, and Tanj. She wasn’t exactly dreading it, but…. The suddenness of the attack surprised her; before she knew just what was happening, tentacles had wrapped around her, dragged her back to the side of the corridor, and slowly enveloped her. She found herself bound in a squatting position, feet on the floor, thighs against breasts, paws behind her back, her back against the wall, head bent forward, almost touching her knees. And then something pushed between her breasts and forced its way into her mouth. Almost at the same time, something rose from beneath her, to shove its way into her pussy. And then a third worked its way into her ass. Panting hard, through her nose, she did her best to relax and enjoy it. She just hoped she wasn’t going to get claustrophobic….
---
Tanj knelt in front of the Vixen, and pushed her sex back against her muzzle. Zassa’s tongue was one of the most talented she’d ever experienced, and it was a delight to experience it now. The Vixen was obviously highly aroused by her situation, and was putting a lot of art and experience into her tongue-work. Slowly they both rocked back and forth, the Cheetah shoving her sex at the Vixen, pushing the Vixen back on the dong, and then rocking forward, making her pull as far off the dong as she could, to keep her tongue in contact. Back and forth they rocked, each getting closer and closer to their release…
---
Dynotaku had noted that Hinoki was no longer in his quarters. He’d stripped down, applied the slippery stuff, grabbed his cans of hull sealant, and started searching. This time, however, he took inventory of the ship’s crew. Wanda and Kath were in the head, luxuriating in the tub. Sabina was doing dishes in the wardroom. Zassa and Tanj were involved aft. Kittiara was watching things on the flight deck. But Sabina was nowhere to be found. Hinoki must have ambushed her. But where? He roamed the ship, spray cans at the ready…. There was no indication of a furry body plastered against a wall, or for that matter a ceiling or a floor. So where were they?
---
Tanj panted and threw herself forward, out of reach of the Vixen’s insatiable tongue. She lay there, for a moment, trying to recover. When she could move again, she turned and crawled around the Vixen; as she’d suspected, Zassa was dripping wet, but most of her juices seemed to be flowing down her thighs, as opposed to dripping on the ring. Rising, she staggered off; she could fix this, but first she needed to find some monofilament line….
---
Dynotaku stood in the middle of the cargo bay and just looked around. He couldn’t find Sabina or Hinoki anywhere. There just wasn’t anything that even remotely looked like them. Pacing in a circle, he tried to figure out how the Cheetah Monster was hiding…..
---
Sashi’s body spasmed hard, as the climax claimed her. Hinoki had gained quite a bit of experience with the Chocolate Pantheress’ body, and knew just what to do to drive her wild; at the moment he was unabashedly trying to overload her with pleasure, stroking all her favorite, most sensitive spots. And she was responding beautifully. At this rate, he wouldn’t have to “eat” for a month!
---
Dynotaku stalked down the corridor. He hadn’t been able to come up with anything. Everywhere he’d looked, every sensor he’d tried, every trick, had all come to naught. Coming around the corner, headed for his cabin, he almost kicked the distributed controle node. Stepping back, he glared at it, tempted to give it a good sound kick. It had no business sticking that far out into the corridor! Whoever designed this ship should have known better. But then he thought of Tanj’s reaction, if he started kicking her ship, no matter how offending the part was. Turning he resumed his march towards his quarters, only to come to a stop. Turning he looked at the node. Turning and looking in the other direction, he spotted another node, only about thirty feet away. It too stuck out from the wall, but only by a hand-span. Turning back, he looked at the offending node, and tried to envision a bound body within it. Yes, the Pantheress was big, but she might just fit, if bound right……. Grinning, he stepped forward, shaking the cans of hull sealant, feeling them get cold against his palms.
---
Hinoki “saw” the unicorn coming, and grinned to himself. How should he play this? He COULD reach out and grab the unicorn, although he doubted he could spread himself over both him AND Sashi. It could be interesting to hold those two together, though; he was convinced he could make the Unicorn do all sorts of rude and stimulating things to Sashi… It was also tempting to just drop Sashi and “envelope” the Unicorn. Somehow, however, he didn’t think Dynotaku would be amused. In the end, he just “sat” there, lights flashing, and when the Unicorn set the cold can down on his “top”, he flinched, just as he knew the Unicorn was hoping he’d do….
Dynotaku whooped in triumph and with a can in each hand, proceeded to spray the offending “distributed control node” with hull sealant. The cans each got uncomfortably cold in his hands, causing his whoops to turn more towards gasps, but within seconds he had the Cheetah-monster completely encased in rapidly hardening polymer.
Tanj padded around the corner, following the noice, to see a nude Dynotaku leaping about, spraying hull sealant. She stopped and looked over the rapidly hardening lump in the corridor. “I see you finally figured out where they were.”
Dynotaku stopped and looked at her; “you knew?”
Tanj shrugged; “Of course. I know every centimeter of this ship. Including the control system. I spotted the “fake” distributed control node immediately.” She grinned at him “you’ve been up and down this corridor hundreds of times, and you never noticed a new piece of “equipment”? She just chuckled and shook her head, resuming her trek back towards the waiting Zassa. Looking over her shoulder she purred; “Now that you’ve caught him, how are you going to let him loose?”
Dynotaku Frowned; “I’ll think of something……”
Hinoki found it as thrilling as he’d expected. Of course it would have been better if he’d been warmer, but now that the polymer was hardening, it was giving off its own heat of reaction, and things were warming up nicely. Like Sashi, HE couldn’t move. Well, at least not externally; he could shift things around inside himself enough to keep Sashi happy; THAT wasn’t a problem. And there was an air vent in the wall he was backed up against; air for the Chocolate Pantheress wasn’t a problem either. Cut off from sight and sound, with nothing but Sashi’s elevated heartbeat to mark the passage of time, he settled down to drive her to distraction.
---
Tanj pulled out a length of the monofilament line, and used her teeth to cut it from the roll. Bending, she pushed a loose end through the ring in the Vixen’s left labia. That went down to the Brou’s ring, back up to the ring in her right labia, and then back through the ring, to be tied off to the other loose end. She pulled just a little as she tied the knot, putting just a little tension on it. “There, now at least some of your juices should run down the monofilament to dissolve the ring.”
Zassa, breathing a little hard, just nodded and whimpered; “Care to put it to the test?”
Tanj chuckled and reached under the quivering Vixen, to lightly rub her clitty. The Vixen let out a heartfelt moan, and started rocking back against the dong again, pounding it into herself, with increasing urgency.
---
Kittiara checked the navigational display, and nodded in satisfaction. Rising, she padded from the flight deck. It was time to find the Cheetah.
Tanj watched as the Vixen climaxed noisily; as she’d expected, the monofilaments were guiding droplets of her juices to the ring, which was slowly dissolving. But it WAS slow……
Kittiara came up behind the Vixen, taking in the scene at a glance; “Oh, that looks interesting! How long has she been like that?”
At the same time, the Cheetah answered “Too long” and the Vixen answered “Not long enough!” Both laughed.
The Kurani knelt to examine the ring; “This could take some work, to get her free. Tell you what, why don’t you let me work on this project, while you bring us out of warp.”
Tanj blinked “Are we…?” Kittiara nodded; “You’ve got about an hour before approach control should hail us.”
Tanj rose and immediately headed for the flight deck.
Kittiara watched her go, and then grinned. Reaching out a finger she idly stroked it along the Vixen’s sex, gathering her dew. Purrring she wiped her finger under the Vixen’s tail, and then repeated the process. “I think we can make this last until we land, don’t you?” The Vixen just grinned and nodded.
---
The thought was fuzzy, but still clear enough to be understood. Sashi had to pee. Not surprising, she’d been held, um, “incommunicado” for a while now. But Hinoki couldn’t release her. Or could he? “Looking” to his left, he examined the small air vent that was allowing the Chocolate Pantheress to breath. It had a fine wire mesh over it, which wouldn’t be a serious problem; the problem was that the duct behind it was rather small. And Sashi DID still need to breathe… Extending the finest tendril, Hinoki extruded a portion of himself through the screen, and down the duct. It might take a while, but he thought he could do it…..
Sashi moaned as the pseudopod was withdrawn from her mouth. Gradually she became aware of the fact that her ears were cold…. In fact, her head was cooler than the rest of her. And she could move it, although things were still pitch black. “Master?”
Somewhere behind her, she heard the whisper; “Its all right, Sashi, I’m working at getting us out. It might just take a bit, though. Patience, Love.”
Sashi frowned; “Get US out?”
---
Dynotaku grinned at the pair; “Zassa! Kittiara! I DID it! I CAUGHT the rascal!”
Kittiara chuckled and nodded; “Congradulations, O Mighty Hunter!”
Zassa, a mite distracted by the pleasures coursing through her body just mumbled something inarticulate.
Dynotaku looked down at the Vixen and smiled; “In fact, I’m in the mood to celebrate. Would you care to help me celebrate?
Zassa nodded, as if she hadn’t really heard what he’d said.
Dynotaku chuckled and knelt in front of the Vixen; “Good. Thought you might!” Taking her head in both hands, he guided his cock to her mouth.
Zassa felt the Unicorn’s shaft stretch her mouth wide open, and started sucking instinctively, her tongue moving across its underside; it was only years of training that kept her moving; somehow the Kurani’s touch was electrifying, the slightest stroke brining instant, massive climaxes. She was going to HAVE to learn the Kurani’s trick; how WAS she doing that?
---
A thin stream of black dribbled from the overhead vent, slowly forming an inky puddle on the floor. Gradually the puddle spread.
---
Sashi tapped on the wall; it smelled, felt and sounded like hull sealant. The last of Hinoki had flowed out the air vent a few minutes before. Trying to shift into a more comfortable position, she settled down to wait, trying to ignore her complaining bladder. “You know” she muttered to herself; “I think I was more comfortable surrounded by Master”….
---
The Unicorn grunted, pulling Zassa’s head close; with his eyes closed tight, head tilted back, it was obvious that he was pumping his load down the Vixen’s throat. After a moment he pulled out, allowing Zassa a huge gasp of air; “Thanks, Zassa, I owe you one!”
Kittiara grinned at him; “Good timing, too. I’m afraid we’re going to have to wrap this up. We should be dropping out of warp any minute.” She turned and made eye-contact with the Unicorn; “And I think Hinoki should be available to help out on the flight deck, don’t you?”
The Unicorn sighed; “Dangit, I was hoping we could keep him cooped up a while longer. But I suppose you’re right. I’ll go let him loose.”
---
When the Unicorn had clopped off, Kittiara leaned down and carefully spat on the ring. What was left of it dissolved almost instantly, all of Zassa’s restraints going loose.
Zassa slumped forward to the floor, the dong coming out of her pussy; “Wow…. That was Great.” Rolling over to one side; she looked at the smiling Kurani; “How do you DO that?”
Kittiara just grinned and shrugged. Her efforts had caused a rather nasty headache, but it had obviously been worth it….
---
Hinoki tugged at the mound of hull sealant; it was, unfortunately, sealed to the wall and floor. “I know that’s what its supposed to do, but dangit, why does it have to do it so well?” Grumbling, the Cheetah-monster turned and headed for Engineering, and the largest sledgehammer he could find.
---
Tanj nodded to the figure on the viewscreen; “Yes, I have the coordinates. Please inform the Ambassador that we will be landing directly”
---
Dynotaku stepped back and gave the mound of hull sealant a resounding kick. His hoof left a long scar in the material, but it didn’t budge. Grumbling, he stepped back for another try.
Hinoki poked a finger into the Unicorn’s back; “That won’t work. Here, try this.”
Dynotaku took the ten kilo sledge and shifted his position, so he could strike it where it met the wall; “Thanks.....” For a moment he was poised, ready to strike and then his eyes widened, and he turned to STARE at Hinoki, calmly leaning against the far wall, just watching.
---
Sashi pushed her fingers further into her ears and howled as the world rang around her. It was like being inside a giant bell…….
---
Kittiara slid into the communications station chair, and swiveled to look at the main viewscreen. She smiled; “Ah, there’s no place like home!”
From the pilot’s couch, Tanj just made a noncommittal noise as she concentrated on guiding the freighter through the atmosphere.
---
“I think its starting to crack. Give it one more good one, right he… HEY! Watch the Finger!”
“You said to hit it there!”
“I didn’t mean to hit my finger there!”
“What’s the problem? You’re made of black goo anyways; how bad could it hurt?”
“You’d be surprised, and that’s still no reason to…. Oh, never mind; come on, help me pry this thing away from the wall….”
Negotiations
Tanj flew slowly over the compound. It looked much the same as it had the last time she’d been here. Except there might be a few more whisps of steam, or smoke, or whatever coming from the vents, and there seemed to be more antennae present than before. Other than that, there were no signs of vehicles, Kurani, or… anything. She set the ship down where she had before, and started shutting down systems.
Kittiara rose and stretched, a smile on her face; “I wouldn’t worry about dressing for the occasion. Dress would be casual at best. But you might want to make sure Zassa has a shower; no point in inciting the Ambassador to riot before we have to…” With that, she turned and slipped through the door.
Tanj blinked, still trying to puzzle out the “inciting to riot” comment. Finally she shrugged and turned her attention back to putting her small ship on stand-by.
---
Wanda brushed out Kath’s fur; “Excited, Pet?”
Kath just shrugged; “In a way, yes. Our stop here on the way out was rather…. Disappointing. No member of Imperial intelligence has ever been here, to the best of my knowledge. Or at least not lived to tell about it. I’ll admit to being very curious. But….”
Wanda nodded; “You’re also, well, shall we say “anxious”?”
Kath nodded; “There are So many stories about the Kurani…”
---
Kittiara was waiting for them by the airlock door; she looked as if she were trying hard not to be impatient. Curiously, she wasn’t wearing a stitch, but was as nude as she’d been the whole trip. “Ready?”
Tanj nodded; “Let’s go.”
In silence they trooped across the grass, from the ship, towards the door they’d entered before. At one point Kittiara’s pace slowed, her head in the air, her mouth open; she sniffed and then inhaled deeply, letting out an “ahhhhhhh.” Despite searching looks, she just smiled and didn’t explain. However, her smile was wider than ever.
The living area was dimly lit, and appeared deserted. Suddenly a huge ball of orange and black fur leapt from a shadow, colliding with Kittiara. Tanj watched, frozen, as the pair rolled across the floor, knocking furniture aside. For a moment all she could hear was hisses and snarls, and then she started to make sense of the language…..
“Do you have ANY Idea how worried we’ve been about you???”
“None at all! I know you have complete confidence in me, and my ability to handle any situation, just as I have that faith in YOU!”
“Sthonbat Dung! You were in the EMPIRE! Who KNOWS what might happen in that barbarous place! NOTHING is in “control” there!”
The rest seemed to consist of sentence fragments and inarticulate grunts, growls and screams.
---
Kath sensed movement and turned to see a large female Kurani standing in the doorway to the kitchen; she had a bowl of something in the crook of one arm, and was alternately stirring the contents of the bowl, and occasionally stealing a lick from the spoon. She watched the tussling pair for a moment, then smiled, shook her head in a bemused fashion, and retreated back into the kitchen.
---
Eventually, they came to rest, the larger male astride Kittiara, each of his massive paws pinning hers to the floor. Both their chests heaved from the exertion, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Finally the male growled; “I’m glad you’re home, but don’t you EVER do that again!”
Kittiara smiled, rolled her eyes and purred; “By my Lord and Master’s command….” The tone of voice suggested anything but agreement, or submission.
The Kurani growled and drove his head down, but it was only to silence her with a kiss…. With amazing rapidity, the motions that had been so violent were turning to something more loving…..
---
Tanj just shook her head, and moved around the pair, heading for the kitchen; “I think these two need to be alone for a bit. Lets see what’s cooking…..”
Jinx was in the kitchen, and so was Leonie; she introduced everyone to Alonnys, the other Kurani female, and then parceled out tasks; it seemed there would be quite a number for dinner, and she had no intention of doing all the cooking herself……
Tanj found herself peeling mungfruit into a bowl, for the filling of some pie; glancing around, she realized Hinoki was nowhere to be seen. Putting down the bowl, she slipped back down the hall to the Den. Hrral was still on top of Kittiara, his hips thrusting hard as he drove his shaft into her, much to the female Kurani’s delight. Taking a quick glance around, she decided that the room had one more object of furniture than it did when they’d come in. Grinning, she retreated back to the kitchen. She hoped when they were done, that someone sat on the imposter. It’d serve him right! Voyeur!
---
“Oh, I’d known she wasn’t home, but I had no idea she’d left the Oligarchy! What did you say she was doing there, again?”
Kath looked up at the tall Kurani and shrugged; “She said she was doing research for a book on sexual practices in the Empire.”
Alonnys nodded; “That’s right…. Something about sex slaves, if I remember correctly.”
Kath smiled and nodded; “Yes, in fact she was in the Crown Prince’s harem, when we ran across her.”
Alonnys shook her head; “Such a strange concept. I simply can’t imagine anyone being that…. Subservient!”
Kath smiled and stole a look at Wanda; “It has its benefits…” Grinning up at the Kurani, she lilted; “And aren’t you subservient to Hrral?”
Alonnys laughed; “Well, we like to let him think so…..”
Behind her, Leonie chuckled softly.
---
Tanj looked over the contents of the pantry. She couldn’t read the labels, but it seemed each container had a picture… And they just didn’t have what she was looking for. If she was going to cook she was going to show off exactly what she could do… but not without the right ingredients.
---
Sabina blinked; “Um, Yes, Ma’am, I can run to the ship for you, if you need me to….
Tanj grinned; “OK, here’s the list. It should all be in the pantry.”
Sabina looked down the list and smiled; “ooooooh! I LOVE it when you make that! Be right back!”
--
Hrral looked up as something black and white streaked by, with a “ScusemeSorryJustPassingThrough”. He shrugged and returned to what he was doing. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be as important as this…..
---
Leonie listened to the strange little spotted feline, and nodded slowly; “If you wish to request aid from Hrral, there is an ancient formula for it. There are three parts: First, you must bring him a hunt beast. This will later be released, for everyone present to hunt. It should be large and strong, and a challenge for the whole party. Then, you should offer a service. Finally, you should offer to align yourself with his clan. He will then evaluate your offers, and your request, and make a decicion.”
Tanj nodded slowly, and then a smile crept across her face; “This hunt beast; is it killed at the end of the hunt?”
Leonie managed to look astonished, without moving a muscle; “No…. not necessarily. There have been times when some noble would bring a beast of great reputation; the hunt would commence, and honor gained by the person that brought down the beast; the beast would be spared, for later hunts. Of course, an alternative feast would have to be provided…. The Kurani smiled; “On rare occasions there are those that have offered themselves as the hunt beast; if it’s a poor hunt, sometimes the supplicant is killed; if the person provides a good hunt, they are …. Spared.”
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “Go on….”
Leonie shrugged; “well… there’s the chance that the person being hunted, when caught, would be “forced” to engage in sex with the hunting party, in lieu of a “kill”…
Tanj smiled; “Oh, is that all…..”
---
Dynotaku handed the bowl of whipped cream to Tanj, and whispered; “You’re smiling.” Tanj nodded, her smile widening; “I think I’ve got a plan…..”
---
Wanda looked at the Cheetah and nodded slowly; “Yeah, I think we can do that. But have you talked to Hinoki about this yet?”
Tanj smiled and shook her head no; “I was waiting until I had everyone else’s buy-in. I’ll go talk to him next.”
Tanj turned and left the kitchen, slipping down the hall towards the den. The Kilrani had moved on, the room empty save for Hinoki seated in one of the loungers, idly leafing through a magazine she was sure he couldn’t read. The pictures, however, seemed to be interesting enough.
“I need your help.”
Hinoki looked up at Tanj and smiled; “Anything. What do you want me to do?”
Tanj took a deep breath; “I’m told that to formally request the aid of this Hrral fellow, we need to do several things. One of them is to provide a “hunt beast”. The entire clan will hunt it, for sport. Now, I don’t have such a beast, nor is there really time to acquire one. I was hoping I could get you to play the part.” After a moment, Tanj hurried on; “Of course we’d insist that it would be a non-leathal hunt, but I suspect there would still be some risk.”
Hinoki nodded slowly; “In this form, I’m pretty tough. In fact I’m not sure just what they could do to me that could kill me. But there are a lot of things they could do to me that would be unpleasant…..”
Tanj smiled; “Think of your ability to mimic things. Would they even find you? Or if they did, would they be able to catch you?”
Hinoki shrugged; “They’ve obviously had interaction with the Brou for much longer than we have; who knows what they’ve learned?
Tanj nodded, and just sat there, looking at Hinoki.
The Cheetah-Monster sighed. Something told him this wasn’t going to work out very well, but he knew how much it mattered to Tanj; “All right, I’ll give it my best shot.”
Tanj smiled and threw her arms around his neck, to kiss him; “Thanks! I knew you’d come through!”
---
Dinner turned out to be a much more informal affair than Tanj had expected. Everyone served themselves in the kitchen, from the cooking pots, and then, balancing plates, bowls, cups, and such, moved to the den, where they found what seating they could. Conversation was mainly directed towards Kittiara, who related, in a rather disjointed and non-linear fashion, her adventures.
Half way through the meal, a tall Kurani male entered, paw – in – paw with Jinx. He was introduced as another pride member, by the name of Hollon. He and Jinx got themselves something to eat, and joined the crowd.
Dynotaku frowned as he stared at Hollon. Leaning over he whispered to Kath; “Wasn’t he at that Port Royale place?”
Kath frowned, and then shrugged; “Dunno; they all look the same to me. Sorry.”
Tanj waited patiently, until the meal was through; then she rose and fetched her masterpiece from its hiding place. The cake was known as a “bunt”, circular in shape, with a circular hole in the center. She brought the platter into the dining area, set it on a convenient table, cut a slice, and placed it on a small plate. This she took to Hrral; “Ambassador, I thought you might like to try some cooking from the Empire. If it pleases you, perhaps you would deign to hear a request I would like to make.”
Kittiara leaned over to sniff at the plate; “NoIDon’tThinkHe’dLikeThatNoNotAtAllHereLetMeHaveIt”. Her snatch at the plate was deftly avoided by the Kurani male; he scowled at Kittiara, who just grinned, and then glanced at the Cheetah. With his eyes locked on hers, he took a small taste. And then another.
Around a mouthful, he muttered; “We have protocol for such things….”
Tanj smiled and nodded; “So I have been told. The first step is a hunt beast…”
Hrral’s eyes shifted to Kittiara, who made a small negative motion, suggesting whoever had informed the Cheetah, it hadn’t been her.
Hrral returned his attention to Tanj, who said; “We generally don’t travel with animals….” Behind her, Dynotaku let out a small noise, somewhere between a snort and a laugh… “But one of my associates has volunteered to play the part, with the proviso that the hunt is non-violent. Assuming of course that you can even catch him.” Tanj gestured to Hinoki, who rose and gave a small bow. Hrral frowned, as if wondering how Hinoki could possibly provide them with the sport they were used to.
Tanj smiled and continued; “As for a service, my associates and I have been trained as courtesians, skilled in bringing physical pleasure; we would be delighted to demonstrate sexual practices, both common and, perhaps, not so common, in the Emipre.”
Zassa suppressed a smile; THAT one had gotten their attention. Leonie looked as reserved as ever, but Alonnys had shifted in her seat, and there was something about the way Hrral was holding his tail and ears that suggested a certain… curiosity. Never the less, he growled; “There are plenty of females in my Clan; why would I be interested in sex with outsiders?”
Tanj smiled; “I’m sure your females, and perhaps even your males, are well versed in the ways of pleasing each other. But…. Is there nothing new under your sun? Surely we may know tricks, or techniques you’ve never experienced before.” She turned to smile at Zassa, who grinned back almost hungrily; “Tell me, Ambassador. Have you ever had a Cheetah before? Or a Vixen? Or a Mink?” She turned back to grin at him; “I think you might find it… a refreshing and interesting change of pace.”
Tanj lifted her chin a little, “And finally, my Associates and I will pledge ourselves to the support of your Clan.” Behind her, Kath stiffened, eyes wide in disbelief. Wanda, equally surprised, laid a paw on her pet, partially in reassurance, partially in restraint. The move was not lost on Hrral.
“And your request?”
Tanj looked evenly at the big Kurani; “A… Person rather dear to me, a while back, acquired a device from the Brou. It opened doors into… somewhere else. In an attack, it either malfunctioned, or interacted with outside forces, the end result being that my… friend, and a good number of associates vanished. I have been seeking information on that device, so that I can attempt to rescue my friends from wherever they went. Our visit to the Brou was in support of that quest. However, the Brou informed us that they had obtained the device from others, and had no knowledge of its workings.” Tanj took a step closer; “The Oligarchy has had contact with the Brou for a long time. You are much more knowledgeable with respect to them than anyone else in the known universe. Therefor you would be the ones most able to help us find out who the Brou had obtained that device from, and assist us in finding out more about it. THAT is the request I have to make.”
Hrral shifted in his seat, turning to look at Kittiara; the latter seemed to have found something fascinating with one of the claws on her left paw, and didn’t meet his gaze. Turning back, he regarded the Cheetah. After a long moment he growled; “This would be the Elysium incident you speak of.”
Kath’s jaw dropped; how in the world had the Oligarchy learned of THAT? Was their knowledge of the Empire’s internal affairs THAT complete?”
Tanj nodded slowly; “It is.”
Hrral sat back, and after a moment, popped another piece of the bunt cake into his mouth. He chewed reflectively, and then swallowed. A crooked grin appeared on his face; “First we’ll see how well your “hunt beast” does…. The hunt will be at dawn tomorrow.” He turned to Leonie; “Make sure as many of the Clan as possible are here.
After a moment Leonie murmured; “That will not be possible, my Lord; Armitage is on D’zhu, on business, and Melanie is with her. I have no idea where Grraf’s ship is, but T’Serra’s ship is in transit, light-years away. F’rret isn’t due back until a week from tomorrow.” She smiled softly; “But I will try and round up the others.”
Hrral nodded and turned back to the Cheetah, holding out his plate; “More cake.”
There wasn’t much left, but Dynotaku had managed to snag a very thin slice. Not unusual; whenever Tanj made the Chocolate Cherry cake there never was enough…. It was just too danged good.
The Hunt
Hinoki stood on the top of the low rise that contained the Ambassador’s dwellings. It was still night, just before dawn. In the distance there were higher hills, and to the left he thought he might just make out what could be a river of indeterminant size. He shrugged; “Not much to hide in.”
Tanj laughed; “Like you need anything. How long would it take you to resemble three square meters of grassland?
Hinoki chuckled; “But that wouldn’t be sporting. I have to give them a chase, remember?”
Tanj nodded; “So what are you thinking?”
Hinoki chuckled; “Oh, I’ve got a few thoughts, but nothing I want to say. Remember, EVERYONE’S going to be wrapped up in this hunt, including you. Don’t want to give any secrets away.”
Tanj laughed and nodded.
Hrral came out of one of the dwelling’s entrances, and plodded to the top of the hill. He looked at the Cheetah, and grinned, showing fangs. “Run fast, little Cheetah. You have until the sun climbs above those hills, before we come after you.”
Hinoki laughed and nodded. He took a half dozen steps backwards, spread his arms, and started running forward. As he ran, membranes grew between his arms and his body, his arms lengthening. By the time he leapt into the air, at the edge of the rise, he resembled a golden furred, black-spotted Cheetah-Bat….
Hrral watched Hinoki flap off into the dark, his face impassive. After a moment he turned to face Tanj; “I may have underestimated you.” As he trudged down towards the entrance, he growled “HOLLON! ALONNYS! We’re going to need the nets!”
Tanj smiled and gazed out into the night. The sky was starting to get light around one edge; false dawn. Turning she headed back towards the dwelling and the breakfast that Leonie was preparing. It was going to be an interesting day.
---
“Dammit, Hrral, I don’t care HOW good your nose is, you are NOT going to be able to track a flying creature by scent!”
The Kurani shook his head; “Sthondat dung! He went that way. I can STILL smell him! Come on!”
---
Tanj trotted along, in the wake of the others. She suspected Hrral had called in more than just the clan; there must have been almost two dozen Kurani, of all ages. Cubs raced ahead, adults followed at a distance-eating lope, and some of the older ones walked behind, amiably chatting amongst themselves. As it turned out, they didn’t have far to go.
Hinoki chuckled; he’d morphed into a ‘taur form, but one with eight limbs. It made for great maneuverability, and as the hunting party leapt at him, as they sprinted after him, to throw nets, he found that he was easily able to avoid them all. Finally, as they tired, he made a high-speed dash, into the tall grass, and changed yet again.
Tanj was on the left flank, as they moved towards the clump of tall grass; the Kurani adults were in the center, and the way they were approaching suggested they meant business. This hunt beast was going to be THEIRS!
It rose up out of the waist-high grass; at first it was formless, but rapidly it coalesced into what could only be a Dragon. Dynotaku blinked, and then grinned. It wasn’t every day you saw a dragon, let alone a neon pink one. EVERYONE had come to a halt, staring. The dragon threw its head back and ROARED, the sound filling the sky. Several of the Adults roared themselves, and charged forward, throwing weighted nets. One net fell over the beast’s head… and sank right through it as if it were falling through water. The Dragon grinned, and suddenly it Leapt into the air, and flapped off.
---
Hollon picked the net up off the ground and looked at Hrral; “Doesn’t put up much of a fight, does it?”
The Kurani shrugged massively; “And yet, you don’t have it in your net, either, do you? Come on, its getting away!”
---
Tanj watched the Dragon gain altitude; it wheeled in the medium distance, and then dove straight down, morphing as it fell. By the time it spashed into the river it was more fish than Dragon.
---
The Clan came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the river. Hollon was heard to mutter; “Dammit, I HATE getting wet….” Someone else growled; “How did it know we loathe getting wet?”
Tanj nudged Zassa and grinned; “What say we go swimming and try and capture the monster?
Zassa laughed; “Oooooo, sounds dangerous. Lets go!”
---
Kittiara watched Tanj and her crew charge the water, whooping wildly. She chuckled and turned to face her mate; “well? Are you going to let them have all the fun?”
Hrral turned and glared at her, but after a moment he turned and headed for the water with all the force, momentum, and speed of a glacier. Some of the others followed.
---
Kath shrieked, and giggled; “Hey, something just touched my leg!
Wanda laughed and slapped at the water playfully; “FRESH!”
Zassa yipped and squirmed; “Its got me! ITS GOT ME!” A moment later a mass of tentacles lifted the dripping Vixen from the water; for a moment she hung suspended, wrists, ankles, thighs, waist and tail all in the monster’s grasp, and then as she was turned, end over end, one tentacle made a show of slithering over her sex roughly. Another forced its way into the Vixen’s mouth, as others squeezed her breasts. And then, the struggling vixen disappeared under the water with a splash. A moment later she reappeared elsewhere; there was obviously a tentacle buried her her sex, and another in her ass, and for a moment it looked as if that was all that was supporting her…. She arched up out of the water, “flew” a short distance, and then she vanished headfirst under water again!
Wanda stood, waist deep in the water, watching. Turning she looked at Tanj; “Well, I guess we’d better go save her from a fate worse than death….”
The Vixen broke the surface of the water, writhing, splashing, howling, and then vanished beneath the surface once again.
Tanj sighed and nodded; “Yeah. Besides, why should SHE have all the fun…”
Kath nodded resolutely; “RIGHT. LETS GO!”
---
Kittiara grinned at Leonie; “She’s right. No point in letting them have all the fun!” With that she charged into the river.
Hollon eased into the water, peering carefully around himself. He still had his net, but somehow he didn’t think it’d help much…. And then something grabbed his ankle and YANKED, pulling him under. For a moment water rushed by him as he flailed trying to find something to grab onto. The water was getting deeper, and then suddenly he was shooting upwards…..
Sabina watched the tall Kurani sail through the sky, at the end of a long thick tentacle, only to splash down hard into the middle of the river. She grinned and taking a deep breath, dove into the water.
Tanj caught one of the tentacles. Admittedly it was a small one, but never the less she yanked it to her crotch, grunting “Come on, you know what to do!” And Hinoki did, too…..
Sabina kicked hard, and caught up with the thrashing Kurani. Surfacing she took a DEEP breath, and then diving again, found him and kissed him hard, blowing air into his mouth. She didn’t know if the Kurani needed the air or not, but the surprised look on his face was worth the effort.
Sashi grinned and “wrestled” with one of the tentacles. She was strong, but it was stronger still. But that was fine; it dragged her through the water at breakneck speed, back and forth; it was almost as much fun as water skiing!
Hrral caught Hollon as he went by, wrapping his arms around him. Together they managed to bring the tentacle to a halt. But they couldn’t do much more than that. Looking around, the Kurani growled; “Alonnys! Come help us pull this monster from the depths!”
Shrieking in delight, Zassa sailed overhead again, only to spash down into the water a short distance away.
Tanj laughed and with both paws wrapped around the tentacle, joined the effort to pull Hinoki from the water. Of course it was awkward pulling with both paws between her legs; she’d help in the effort, but she was NOT going to let the end of the tentacle escape her sex just yet; it was wriggling much too delightfully for that…..
Hinoki found himself being pulled from the water. Part of him didn’t object; it was cold in the depths, too cold to be comfortable. And yet, he wasn’t quite ready to surrender just yet. Grinning, he formed a mouth at the end of one tentacle and brought it up between the Kurani’s feet.
Hrral howled in a most undignified fashion, and almost rose vertically from the water.
Kittiara leaned over to look, and grinned; “What’s the matter, Love? Monster got you?”
Tanj noted that Hrral was still pulling, but perhaps not quite as energetically as he had been a moment ago. She smiled. Hinoki DID have a way with folks….
Dynotaku smiled and wrapped his arms around Leonie’s waist as she tugged at a tentacle; “Here, let me help you with that….”
---
“You know what we’re dealing with, don’t you?”
Hrral shot Alonnys a look and growled “Of course; they’re just back from visiting the Brou.”
The big Kurani yelped in something between alarm and pleasure, as one of the tentacles came up between her thighs; she reached down, grabbed it and pulled HARD; “There ARE ways of dealing with those creatures…. I could run back to the compound and get the electrocortithrombodestabilizer…. Or a couple of buckets of ice.”
Hrral grunted as one of the tendrils got fresh with him; he released one hand from his grip on a tentacle, to grab the offending tendril, and then tried to tie the two together in an overhand knot; “You could, but that would lack honor. We can defeat this monster, without resorting to such tricks, if we work together….” Under his breath he chuckled to himself; “Besides, we’ve got the perfect bait here to keep it from running off….”
---
Leonie purrrred and wiggled her ass back against the Stallion, as she half-wrestled with a tentacle…
Dynotaku chuckled and held her tighter, pulling her back against him. The friction was delicious and his body was starting to respond……
---
Zassa flew across the sky, waves of pleasure washing through her body, as the tentacles pleasured her ceaselessly; suddenly her path changed and she howled as she swung around in a circle, did a quick loop and once again plunged into the cool waters of the river. Her howl continued, streaming bubbles behind her, until she broke the surface again, and thudded into something soft and wet.
Sabina yelped as something emerged from the water, making the most gawd-awful noise. It slammed into her and suddenly she found arms encircling her. Before she could do anything, the creature jerked backwards, into the water, pulling her with it!
---
Wanda struggled, a grin on her face; she had one of the writhing tentacles between her legs, and she waddled, splay-legged, towards the shore trying to drag the thing out of the water. Of course, this wasn’t without its rewards; the tentacle had grown a bunch of little bumps, which rubbed against her sex in a most delightful way…..
Sashi grinned as Zassa and Sabina sailed overhead together. They were face to face, wrapped in tentacles, and seemed to be having the time of their life. He could have sworn they were locked in a passionate kiss, but they’d gone by so fast she couldn’t be sure. As she watched, a pair of tentacles enveloped her from behind, wrapping around her chest, squeezing her breasts. She laughed and leaned forward, trying to pull away from them, heading for shore.
Tanj closed her eyes and clenched down hard on the tentacle in her pussy; she could feel it pulse back at her, and squirm in the most delightful fashion. Laughing she leaned back, putting some tension on it….
Hollon tapped the small spotted feline on the shoulder; “Um… you’re supposed to be pulling it out of the water….”
Tanj’s eyes snapped open and she tried to focus her eyes on the big Kurani; “Um…. Oh. Sorry. Ah… I’ve gotten a little turned around; which way is the shore?”
---
Jinx sat on the beach and laughed. It was like watching a Chinese Fire Drill. By now, at least half the participants were involved in some sort of sexual activity, either with the Hinoki-Monster, or with each other. It looked as if Dynotaku and Leonie had given up tugging at the tentacle they had, and were merely standing in knee-deep water, the Unicorn driving his shaft into the Kurani fem from behind. The tentacle hadn’t released them, though, but seemed to be stroking them both, encouraging them onwards.
Hinoki felt himself slowly being dragged across the bottom of the river. Centimeter by centimeter, he was being pulled out of the river, and onto dry land. It wouldn’t have taken any effort at all to let go of everyone, to withdraw, and escape. But somehow, he just didn’t feel like it. For one thing, the feeding was great. Spying Jinx sitting on the beach he shoved one part of himself under the sand, wriggling a tendril along just under the surface until he could bring it up under her…. It was good for her, and it helped anchor him, to hold off the inevitable just a little longer….
Jinx let out a whoop and a giggle, and seemed to dance, while still sitting cross-legged on the sand. Now THERE was a pleasant surprise!
Hrral struggled with the writhing mass of tentacles, tugging at them, struggling to move closer to the creature’s body. At the core it still seemed to resemble the Cheetah male…Reaching between two thick tentacles, he deftly grabbed an ear.
Hinoki yelped, more in surprise than in pain. Above him, the tentacle holding Zassa and Sabina almost released them; the bound pair fell loudly into the shallow water, barely missing Tanj.
“I HAVE YOU! Consider yourself Caught, Monster!”
Hinoki grinned and looked up into the Kurani’s face, and chuckled; “Oh, Please, Don’t Kill Me! I’ll do ANYTHING, just don’t kill me!”
Hrral’s face split in a grin; “Anything?”
Hinoki was having a hard time keeping from laughing; “ANYTHING!”
Hrral nodded decisively and he looked around; “In exchange for your life, you must pleasure everyone here, to their satisfaction!”
Hinoki blinked; “Uh… who’ve I missed?”
Hrral leaned closer, his grin widening; “Me!” he whispered! Grabbing the other ear, he pulled the Cheetah’s head around to drive his cock into his mouth.
Around the Kurani’s thick meat, Hinoki muttered; “Oh. Duh!” With a purrr, he began to enthusiastically suck the Kurani’s cock.
---
Tanj finally managed to pull away from the tendril. It just hadn’t been moving like before, but that was understandable. She figured Hinoki was stretched kinda thin at the moment…. Staggering out of the water, she flopped down on the sand next to Jinx. The Skunkette was sitting there, a dreamy look on her face, muttering “oh. Oh. OH! Ooooooo. Do that again! YES!”…
Tanj looked at her and chuckled.
---
Hollon wrestled with the tentacle, and growled; “Listen you stupid creature, how many times do I have to tell you; I’m STRAIGHT! I don’t do guys!”
---
Dynotaku purred and kissed Leonie; “That was great! Um….. Hope your clan mates won’t mind….”
Leonie laughed and grabbing the Unicorn, rolled him over on his back; “Not hardly…”
---
Alonnys grabbed the slippery tentacle and tugged upwards; “UH-UH! NOPE! Not Yet! Get back in there, I’m NOT done with you yet!”
---
Zassa kissed Sabina, and together they emerged from the water. “That was a great ride.”
Uh-huh. Definitely an “E” ticket.”
“Think we can get him to do it again?”
“Hope so!”
---
Tanj eeped and shuddered; something had just come up through the sand and speared directly into her sex! Next to her, Jinx just laughed.
Hollon staggered out of the water, and turned to look back. Most of the monster was exposed, a writhing mass of tentacles that mostly were at the moment unoccupied. There, towards the center, stood Hrral, with both paws pressing the Cheetah’s head to his crotch. He just grinned and shook his head.
---
Wanda nudged Kath and gestured; “I’m not sure that one got anything out of the hunt; why don’t you go see if you can help him.”
Kath’s face split in a huge grin; “Thank You, Mistress!”
---
Hollon tensed as he felt arms encircle his waist from behind, both paws finding his cock. Twisting he realized it was the slender, brown-furred one… the one with the soft fur. Grinning he turned to watch Hrral subdue the monster, as the furr stroked him to hardness…..
---
Wanda sat down next to Leonie. And Dynotaku. Leonie was astride the Stallion’s hips, slowly riding his shaft. “Well, do you think we had a successful hunt?”
Leonie laughed; “It certainly will be one for the record books. I don’t think there’s ever been a hunt quite like it. But yes, I believe it was successful.” She turned to look at where Kath was using mouth, lips and tongue to tease Hollon; “I think everyone had a good time. What better definition of a “successful hunt” could there be?”
---
Hinoki felt the Kurani’s cock throb, felt him spurt into his mouth. The taste was somewhat different and not at all unpleasant. Chuckling, he wrapped a few tentacles around Hrral, one teasing his anus, as he sucked hard, stroking him with his tongue, seeking out every drop….
---
“You guys tire out too easily. I was just getting started. Tell you what, now that I know the lay of the land, I bet I could evade you for a lot longer. Lets go again; best two out of three? Come on, guys!....”
Leonie laughed, and Hollon just rolled his eyes. Alonnys looked interested, but Hrral just growled and reached out, to Grab the Cheetah; a moment later, Hinoki was up-ended, his mouth at the Kurani’s crotch level. Hrral thrust his hips forward, driving his shaft into the Cheetah’s mouth, effectively gagging him. He held him there as they walked, headed back towards the compound. Looking over at Tanj he growled; “Is this one ALWAYS so… Annoying?”
Tanj just laughed and shrugged; “He’s… competitive. What can I say?”
Hinoki sucked hard on the Kurani’s shaft, using every bit of his talent to please him. To his surprise, he felt the Kurani’s tongue slide over his own sex. Not enough, not nearly enough, but the teasing was pleasant…… Maybe if he was good, really good, the Kurani would reciprocate….
---
Alonnys sidled up to Leonie; “Well?”
Leonie looked at the big Kurani fem from the corner of her eye; “Well what?” But her voice contained a trace of a smug smile.
“Was the one with the single horn any good?”
Leonie smiled softly and nodded; “He was acceptable….”
Alonnys chuckled; “Good. I get him next!”
---
To Tanj’s surprise, the orgy resumed when they got back to the compound. Some of the older Kurani wandered towards the kitchen, and the cubs ran off playing some unidentifiable game, and almost everone paired off, or formed small groups, finding places off of the traffic patterns where they wouldn’t be stepped on. Alonnys had taken possession of the Unicorn, leading him off to a grassy knoll not far from the dwelling’s main entrance. Leonie had colleded Hinoki, commenting that she hadn’t had a chance to experience tentacle sex yet. Hinoki had just grinned, sprouted half a dozen tentacles, and waved them lasciviously at her. Hollon had collected Jinx, and Sabina, and had pulled them down right in the middle of everything. And then Hrral had come up behind her….
“I believe you were going to demonstrate your abilities….”
Tanj chuckled and turned to face him; “It would be my pleasure. Perhaps we could start with a demonstration of oral abilities?”
---
Dynotaku blinked; “Demonstra… huh?”
Alonnys grinned, showing teeth; she’d pushed the Unicorn down on his back, and now she crouched above him; “You heard the spotty cat. She promised the Clan a “service”. She said you’d demonstrate your abilities! So… what abilities you got to demonstrate?”
Dynotaku smiled; parting his lips, he let his tongue snake out, to lick at his left eyebrow. Then, flicking it around, he licked his right eyebrow.
Alonnys’ eyes went wide, and a huge grin split her face. Shifting up his body, she grabbed his horn with both paws and pulled his head to her crotch; “Oh, YES!”
---
Hrral heard the howl from the grassy knoll and turned to look. Alonnys was gyrating, grinding her crotch into the stallion’s muzzle. Obvioulsy the Unicorn had hidden talents. Returning his gaze to the Cheetah, he idly stroked her ears. She really did have a talented tongue, but it seemed her true talent lay in reading the signals his body was sending. She seemed to be able to hold him on the very verge of an orgasm, almost indefinitely….
---
Zassa looked from face to face, and chuckled; the cubs had come charging over one of the low hills that covered the habitat, to encircle her. “Uncle says that you have to satisfy us.”
Zassa chuckled soflty and looked from eager face to eager face; “If we’re going to do this right, you’ll have to go find another.” Blank looks were exchanged, and Zassa laughed; “I can handle six at one time. Don’t believe me? Go find a friend, and we’ll do this right.”
---
Hrral purrrred; the Cheetah was using her paws, stroking him here, touching him there; in some instances it was the lightest of touches, in others, a blatant grope. Combined with the motions of tongue, lips and mouth, it all wove into an orgasmic symphony that was never quite enough to permit him to cum…. Teetering on the edge he stifled a groan. Good, this one was…..
---
Alonnys shuddered, and wobbing, tried to stand “Enough! You’re tongue has worn me out! Give me a moment to catch my breath!”
Dynotaku chuckled and shook his head; “No way! Remember, I’ve got a point to make! Abilities to demonstrate! C’mere!”
Hrral heard the yelp and glanced at the grassy knole, just in time to see the Unicorn pounce Alonnys; they went down together in a giggling heap, only to wind up with the Unicorn taking the Kurani roughly from behind. Raising an eyebrow he re-evaluated his opinion of grass-eaters. This one seemed to be MOST aggressive….
---
“I can’t find R’ulf.” The leader of the pack of adolescent cubs looked at his panting cousin and then turned to the Vixen; “Will a female do?”
Zassa laughed; “Oh, sure, no problem.”
The leader nodded and turned a different cousin; “Go see who you can find….. Quickly.”
---
Wanda looked up at the two big Kurani males and grinned; “Well, Hello, Boys!” Turning to Kath she smiled; “Go and have some fun, Pet; I’ll catch up with you a little later….”
---
Tanj smiled; it was time; she’d teased him long enough. It didn’t take much, just a slight change in rythym, a slightly greater pressure, and within moments the Kurani Ambassador was spurting his load into her mouth.
---
Kath looked around; such a marvelous opportunity. Most of the operatives in Imperial Intelligence would give their left arms for the ability to gather intelligence on the Kurani homeworld. And yet… she stood there without the slightest idea of HOW to go about it. She glanced at the entrance to the compound, thinking that the Ambassador’s office must be in there somewhere…. Maybe she could claim she was looking for a bathroom… And then she spied him; a muscular Kurani male, of middle age, just standing there, watching. Watching the Ambassador, and Tanj. Something in her mind clicked; he was either an aide, or perhaps a bodyguard. What information might she get out of him? Grinning, she sashayed in his direction….
---
Zassa chuckled and looked from face to face; “OK, this is how we’ll do it. Um… you, you lay down on your back.” The indicated Kurani youth looked at his companions, gave the Kurani equivalent of a shrug and did as the funny, red-furred female said. Zassa smiled and crouched over him, bending to run her tongue over his shaft, making sure he was rock hard, making sure his cock was well covered in her saliva… Then she moved, to squat over his waist, facing his feet. Lifting her tail and reaching below her, she found his cock, and directed it to her back passage. With everyone watching, she grunted and forced it into her ass. Finally, when his cock was buried to the hilt she settled down, to lay atop him. She wiggled a little, feeling the Kurani beneath her groan in response. “OK, now, I want, um… you, to squat over my middle; lay your cock between my breasts; you know what to do. Ah… You, you get to take me in my pussy. You and you, on either side, where I can reach you, and you, missy, you squat over my face, where I can lick you. Come on, lets get going!
---
Alonnys rested her forehead on crossed forearms, her upper torso against the ground. Her knees were spread, her rump high in the air, the Unicorn pounding his meat into her from behind like the stallion he was. She could feel his balls swinging forward to slap at her mons with each thrust, a truly delightful sensation… gasping with each thrust, she purrrred in delight.
---
Kath teased the Kurani with her tongue, taking her time. He seemed quite content to let her minister to him, as he watched the goings on around him, and she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he wasn’t a little on the shy side. A shy Kurani? Who’d have thought?
---
Kittiara watched the writhing furpile, and knew instinctively that Zassa had to be at the center. How she’d coordinated that group of youth she had no idea, but somehow they all seemed to be working together, moving almost as a single organism. Chuckling, she turned to go see what Jinx was up to.
Zassa howled into the female Kurani’s sex, as the driving cocks in ass and pussy took her to another climax. Panting, she clenched down hard…. If she could bring them off, she’d have them trade positions with the two she’d been jerking off, and give them a rest.
---
Tanj squatted astride the Kurani Ambassador’s cock, giving him a “lap dance” she hoped he’d remember for the rest of his life. She’d been putting all her art, all her talent, and all her technique into it, and while he’d cum several times, he was still showing an all-too-annoying “neutral” demeanor…. Was she making an impression on him? She just couldn’t tell…..
---
Kath licked at the Kurani male softly; the sex had been wild, and animalistic, bordering on violent. Now, they cuddled….. and talked. “You say you’re a… Nerff herder?”
The Kurani chuckled; “Doesn’t match your expectations? Not everyone here is in the military you know.”
Kath chuckled softly, wondering if she’d been wasting her time.
“Nerff are a great delicacy among the Kurani; we even do a decent export trade.”
Kath raised an eyebrow; “Really? Who do you export to?” She punctuated her comments with a few strategically placed licks.
“Oh, the Tsun’gari, the Hive, and sometimes to the Ngaa. Although I think the latter are merely acting as middlemen. I can’t see those vegetables being able to properly savor the Nerff.” He grinned at her; “Wrong kind of digestive tract. Still, you never know.”
Kath nodded; “Can’t say as I’ve heard of the Ngaa; can you tell me about them?”
“Well, I really don’t know that much. The shipping company would know more, but I have heard SOME stories…..”
---
Tanj panted hard; the Kurani Ambassador had rolled her over, to take her from behind; each thrust drove the lighter female a few centimeters forward, and by the time the Kurani had achieved his orgasm, she felt like she’d traveled half way into the next county. Dazed from her most recent climax, it took her a while to realize that he had not only pulled out, but had left. Gathering her wits, she maneuvered herself into a sitting position and looked around. He was nowhere in sight.
---
Zassa smiled, and squirmed just a little. She’d worn them out. ALL of them. They’d wandered off, to find something to eat, to get some sleep, or just to pant in exhaustion, leaving her to recover, laying in what had to be a half-centimeter deep pool of cum and mud….
---
Tanj stopped and looked at the Vixen. The ground around her had been torn up as if a battle had been fought there. The Vixen had clods of dirt in her fur, and was spotted all over with cum. Tanj caught her eye and just chuckled; “Looks like YOU’VE been having fun!”
Zassa laughed and nodded; “Believe me; they won’t soon forget THIS vixen!”
---
A roar filled the air, and both turned as a small ship rose from behind a hillock. Tanj frowned as it gained altitude, to vanish into the clouds. “I wonder what that’s all about….”
Zassa just shrugged; “What say we go follow my new friends and see if there’s anything left to eat.”
---
Leonie’s kitchen was full of furrs, but Leonie wasn’t there. Neither was Kittiara, or Hrral. Kath was being fed morsels as they talked by a large male Kurani, and Wanda was snuggled with two others. Dynotaku was seated in a corner, occasionally sipping some bright purple drink, and looking slightly worn out. Sashi and Sabina were passing among the crowd, distributing food and drink, stopping occasionally to chat or exchange the occasional offhand carress. Tanj looked over the scene and shook her head; “Something’s wrong….”
Zassa nodded; “You’re right. They’re completely out of that cheese dip.” Pushing through the crowd, the Vixen headed for one of the refrigerators, obviously on a mission to find more of the delicacy.
---
Kath shrugged; “I can ask, but I’m not sure how much help he’ll be. Yes, he’s a relative, and a clan-member, but he’s not a part of the government or even the military. Well, aside from the reserves, that is. Seems he’s something called a… Oh, I forget the term; he’s into animal husbandry, by profession.”
Tanj nodded; “But he’s still a relative and a clan member. He MIGHT be able to figure out what’s going on…”
Kath nodded slowly; “I guess….”
Tanj grinned without mirth; “Good. Lets go ask him.”
---
The Kurani shrugged massively; “I know the Ambassador left, but that’s all. I don’t know when he’ll be back, either.” He seemed to be on the verge of saying something else, but hesitated…
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “And….?”
He shrugged again; “It would be poor manners; in fact it would be an insult if you were to leave before your business with him were concluded.”
Tanj sighed; “In other words, we sit here and wait.”
The Kurani reached out to scoop up Kath, who giggled. “There are pleasurable ways to pass the time, wouldn’t you say, small, soft one?”
---
“Can’t find Jinx either.”
“Well, she was there at the hunt, and at the orgy afterwards.”
“True, no one’s seen her since.”
Tanj just nodded and sighed; “I’m NOT sure I like this….”
---
Time seemed to drag on. They’d staged a couple more hunts, just for fun, with the Clan-members they could round up. They’d run, and leapt, and laughed and had sex, and eaten and then eaten some more. Kath had discretely been through the house, finding nothing more valuable than the magazines they couldn’t read. If the Ambassador had an office, it either was remarkably well hidden, or simply wasn’t at his country residence. They’d traded recipes, and stories, and done everything they could think of. It was getting old. Tanj was getting fidgety. She felt caged, as if she were a prisoner, despite the lack of bars, despite the lack of words of warning from the Kurani. Words of advice, yes, and carefully phrased, but they all amounted to about the same thing. Be patient. Wait. She was tired of waiting.
---
The roar from the sky woke her up. She’d been dallying with one of the younger males, one of Zassa’s new fans. Sometime in the night he’d wandered off, and she’d fallen asleep on the grass. Cracking one eye, she noted the sun was fairly high in the sky. Sitting up, she looked around. There, approaching from the west, a small dot, descending, growing larger. Without thinking about her nudity, or the discheveled state of her fur and hair, she rose to her feet and started to trot towards where the ship was going to land.
---
Jinx was sitting on the ground, under the ship, legs crossed, just grinning as the Cheetah trotted up. “They’ve all gone in, but I knew you’d come looking. Thought I ought to wait for you.
Tanj nodded; “Well?”
The Skunkette grinned; “Calm down; its all going to work out. The Ambassador will announce his decision at dinner tonight.”
Tanj growled “DINNER? Its barely
Jinx laughed; “You must have been busy in our absence; the sun’s setting, not rising. You won’t have long to wait, sleepyhead!”
---
Tanj did her best to control her breathing. She did her best to keep her face a mask of serenity. She was concentrating so hard on appearing calm, that at first, the Ambassador’s words didn’t register. Opening her eyes, she smiled at him; “I’m sorry, what did you say?” For a moment the Kurani simply stared at her, and then, almost as if to himself, he nodded, almost as if in approval of her self control. Or perhaps he’d just won a bet with himself.
“Of course, it goes without saying that we are all thankful for you and your associates returning the Lady Kittiara to us.” He turned to look at Kittiara, who smiled sweetly back at him. In return he growled; “Of course, we suspect that she could have made her way back to us whenever she chose, and we WILL have further discussions with her about just how long she was away, and just how poorly she communicated her plans to the rest of the Clan…..” His gaze shifted back to Tanj; “And we won’t discuss how much sooner you might have brought her back to us, had you so chosen. Nor will we discuss the charges in some quarters that you were responsible for her kidnapping in the first place….”
Kittiara laughed; “Oh, Love, will you quit trying to establish a negotiating position and get ON with it?”
Hrral shot her a dark look and cleared his throat; “I’ve discussed your request with the Oligarchy, and with certain caveats, something might be possible…..
He leaned closer, his eyes fixed on her; “What the Oligarchy wants, what it DEMANDS for its assistance, is the support of the Black Fleet AND the Brethren, and any allies they might have, against the Empire, should a conflict ever develop.” He straightened, giving that a moment to sink in; “We also require covert support against the empire to make sure such a conflict doesn’t develop. We fully expect the Empire to collapse from internal rot before too long, and to be frank, we just don’t see them as a worthy adversary. We’d rather just let the threat that they represent…. Evaporate.” Leaning back into his seat, the Ambassador growled; “Besides, we have bigger fish to fry
Tanj shook her head; “It seems an awful lot for putting us in contact with the aliens that supplied that device to our friends.”
Hrral smiled, a toothy grin that had little to do with humor, but a lot to do with fangs. It was both a threat and a challenge. “You ARE in contact with the aliens that supplied the device to the Brou. What we’re negotiating for, is assistance with the device!”
Sabina turned to Sashi and stage-whispered; “Told you! DIDN’T I tell you! I KNEW it!”
Sashi frowned and turned to look at the Kitten; after a moment she stage-whispered back; “No, you never told me!
Tanj swallowed hard. Suddenly it was all becoming very clear. She resisted the temptation to shoot Kittiara a withering glare. Of course. If nothing else, it explained why the Empire had never tried to conquer the Kurani…. Doing her best to compose herself, she thought fast….
Tanj raised an eyebrow; “I have no problem working for the maintenance of the peace, as it currently stands, so long as the Oligarchy is not the aggressor. And as for the Black Fleet, and the Brethren, should we ever be reunited, I cannot speak for them. However, I can advise their leaders.”
Hrral growled; “You’d best advise them well.” He turned to Kittiara and waved a paw; “you’re the storyteller. Tell her why she needs to be effective in “advising” her allies.”
Kittiara smiled and nodded. She turned towards Tanj, but her eyes were closed, as if she were seeing a different scene. “long ago, there was a war. The war was not for territory, or resources, but for survival itself. The enemy was a race of xenophobic insectoid aliens, who could not bear the thought of there being any other sentient life in the universe.” She shrugged; “When they reached our borders, they found us prepared to fight, for we had rumors of their coming for some time.” She paused for a moment and then sighed; “The Kurani had been using a device similar to the portal system you seek, for purposes of transportation, trade, and communication. Existing weapons were deemed inadequate for a war against a species that had destroyed all before it. So the portal device was modified into a weapon.”
The Kurani’s eyes opened, and the gaze that fell upon Tanj was hard; “Imagine an asteroid accelerated to near lightspeed, launched into such a portal. Imagine a portal opening within the forcefields of the target; opening so close there could not be any possible response. Imagine the asteroid, traveling at 0.99 C striking a planet.” The Kurani smiled; “The enemy would not withdraw, would not surrender, would not stop its attacks on our colony worlds.” She shrugged; “Eventually there were no more enemies.”
Kath shook her head; “You mean you wiped out the entire species?”
Hrral nodded solemnly; “Indeed.”
Wanda waved a paw; “Wait a minute; I don’t remember hearing of any of this. Surely if a war of this scale had been fought, surely there would have been some record…..”
Hrral smiled, showing just a hint of fangs; “Who said it was in this dimension. The Oligarchy is widespread.” His grin widened; “There’s more to us than is visible from the Empire….”
Kath muttered an all-too-audible “ohshit!” and Hinoki nodded in agreement.
Dynotaku shook his head, his head cutting an arc through the air; “Let me get this straight. You’re saying the Brou got their device from you. From the Oligarchy.”
Hrral nodded; “Apparently one of our greatest gifts to them found no practical application in their society.” He grimaced; “They should not have so casually disposed of it.”
Dynotaku nodded again; “So what you’re telling me is that if things in the Empire ever degenerate to the point where they attack the Oligarchy, the Oligarchy will use this weapon against the Empire.”
The Ambassador just nodded.
Tanj shrugged; “Then why would you assist us in developing the same device, help us in developing a similar weapon? Aren’t you afraid of a similar attack?”
The Kurani grinned, this time showing his fangs in a challenge; “You have no idea where the rest of the Oligarchy is. You might start something, but there is no way you would have the resources to finish it. We do.”
Tanj swallowed and nodded slowly; “Yes, I can see how it would be in our best interests to maintain the peace…..”
Hrral “Grinned” again; “Exactly. You WILL deliver on your promise, or your life will be forfeit!”
Tanj thought for a moment about an interstellar war, where destroying planets would be comparatively simple and thought that if something like that came to pass, her life probably wouldn’t last long anyways…. She turned to look at the Ambassador, to meet his gaze; “I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.”
---
Tanj traced a clawtip along the glowing blue line. The Kurani three dimensional holographic “blueprints” were hard to follow. Especially when you were walking around inside one. Still, they did have their advantages… “Now this line here…”
“Shows the feedback signal from the spatial anomaly detector. We’ve been through this before. The Spatial anomaly detector senses the opening rift in the space-time continuum, and sends a signal back to the main processor to modulate the muon flux…”
“Which controls the size and the shape of the rift. Yes, I understand that; what I don’t understand is how..”
“How the signal is modulated? It’s a standard zero to five millivolt signal. That’s a common format for instruments in the Oligarchy.”
Tanj sighed and shook her head; “No, how the “destination” of the rift is controlled. And I’m afraid I’m used to thinking in four to twenty milliamps for signal modulation. Um, the signal IS linear, isn’t it?”
“Of course not. Logrithmic scale, base e. It gives much greater definition, especially at the lower end of the sensitivity range…. Now, the destination is controlled by the subprocessor here, working on an N-space polar coordinate system……..”
The Oligarchy experts had been less than patient with her, only the presence of the Ambassador himself keeping them from storming off. It took three days, but finally Tanj thought she had as much as she was likely to learn. And everything else was loaded into memory crystals, compatible with Imperial crystal readers. And heavily encrypted; anyone other than Tanj trying to access them would result in a complete meltdown. Of the crystals, of the reader, and Tanj hoped it wouldn’t melt through the hull of her ship… Three days of intense tutoring in spatial dynamics, theoretical physics, and high power field-effect devices. And when they were done, the Ambassador had dryly commented that it probably wasn’t necessary as Professor Corey’s experiments were coming along quite satisfactorily. Their instruments showed that, even from here. “The key is the beacon. We have no idea where they went. There are way too many variables, and time and space is much too vast to ever find them by chance, but if they’re trying to get back, the beacon we showed you how to build will tell them where home is.” And then it was time to leave.
---
Tanj hugged Kittiara tight; “Good luck with your book. Be sure and send us a copy!”
The Kurani hugged back tight; “I’ll send you a case of autographed first editions! Have you, you’re all in it!” She grinned; “But you’ve got to promise to tell me how this all works out. THAT’S the story that’ll be a best seller for sure!”
Zassa hugged the Kurani too; “Will there be a sequel?”
Kittiara blinked; “To your story?”
Zassa waved a paw; “No, the book on Sexual Practices in the Empire!”
Kittiara laughed; “Don’t know.” She grinned slyly; “But if you come up with anything you think is worthy, be sure and send it along to me!”
Zassa grinned and nodded; “Will do!”
Tanj looked around… “The Ambassador…?”
“Had to leave. No, I don’t know for what. Probably don’t WANT to know. But he took Jinx with him.”
Tanj chuckled; “Well, I hope she’s happy here….”
Kittiara nodded; “I think she will be. But if she isn’t she’ll be free to leave whenever she likes.”
Tanj gave the Kurani another hug; “We’d best be going; we’ve got friends to rescue and all that.” As they ascended the ramp into the Freighter, Kittiara called after them; “And an Empire to save. Don’t forget that!”
Return
Their friend was back. At the extreme edge of sensor detection range, a Kurani warship shadowed them. Or maybe it was an escort…. There was no way to tell. Tanj had set a course, the most direct course, back to the New Tortugas system, and Professor Corey. This time, they’d cross the border openly. Well, at least from the Kurani perspective…..
---
Kath sat at the table in the wardroom, studiously making notes on a PADD, writing down everything she could think of about their visit to the Kurani. A few chairs away, Wanda sat, scowling. She understood how important Kath thought it was to get all that information down; she WAS still, after all, loosely tied to Imperial Intelligence…. And they’d probably be quite interested. She just hoped they wouldn’t be so interested they’d try and take the Mink from her…. And she hoped Kath would finish soon and remember where her REAL duties lay…..
---
“Dynotaku, how good are you at theoretical physics?”
The Unicorn blinked; “Um…. Not that good, actually. It was only a minor back in my undergraduate days…..”
Tanj blinked, momentarily sidetracked; “Uh… what was your major?”
The Unicorn grinned; “Well, I’d LIKE to say “drinking and wenching”, but that’s not completely true. Despite my significant accomplishments in that field the university never did confer a degree on me, in that area.” At the Cheetah’s look he chuckled; “Political Science.”
Tanj scowled; “You got a Batchelor’s in Political Science, with a Minor in Theoretical Physics?”
The Unicorn’s eyebrows rose; “My dear, I have PhD’s in Economics and Political Science, with lesser degrees in Theoretical Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Dance, History and Mixology.”
Tanj scoffed; “Yeah, riiiiight. So did you look over that packet of information the Kurani left with us?” She knew good and well that he had stayed up late with it one night, drinking cup after cup of coffee while pouring over it.
“Well…. Yes.”
“And did you make anything of it?” The Unicorn shrugged and sighed; “No, not really. Most of my work was in the manipulation of subatomic particles, not in that space-time continuoum thingie. But its obvious you’ve got a question…. Spit it out.”
Hinoki wandered over, curious over the look on Tanj’s face. At first it had been just a random encounter in the ship’s corridor, but now he was wondering….
“I was wondering about what Kittiara told us about the Kurani’s portal/weapon. Now, I don’t pretend to be an expert on this stuff, but from what I’ve read, it would seem that there ought to be a way to screw up the portal, preventing it from opening. A civilization with a sufficient technology might be able to defend themselves from such an attack.”
The Unicorn nodded; “I agree, but it would prevent anyone from using any portal type transportation device in that vicinity… Actually, I was thinking there might be a way to turn such an attack and send the projectile back where it came from. Of course we’d have to do quite a bit of experimenting before I’d be comfortable with such a defense….”
Hinoki shook his head; “Of course that all predicates on the assumption that those being attacked KNEW of that type of technology and could imagine it being used as a weapon…. I suspect the insect-things that the Kurani wiped out never even knew what hit them.”
Kath tucked the PADD under her arm as she approached; “Or at least they didn’t’ have a clue on the initial attack.” She looked at the Cheetah-Monster curiously; “Even the Oligarchy doesn’t have the resources to take out an interstellar empire instantaneously. They’d have to launch a series of strikes, and then follow up on the secondary, and tertiary targets. Their enemy might have had a clue, towards the end, as to what was happening, but I doubt they had time to figure out a countermeasure.”
The Unicorn nodded slowly; “And that brings us to…..”
Kath nodded; “Hrral suggested that the Oligarchy had other problems, bigger problems to worry about. Can’t help but wonder who, or what.”
Dynotaku nodded; “Yes, I could see refugee ships from that lizard empire fleeing into deep space, vowing revenge. Do you think all of this might be gauged to bringing the Empire up to speed so that we might be able to help THEM defend themselves against an ancient and implacable foe?”
Tanj shrugged; “Could be. If these creatures are as Xenophobic as he said, if we don’t help, we might be next, but that’s neither here nor there, for the moment. We too have our own tasks to pursue….”
She raised her gaze to the Mink; “I’ll want to read your report before you transmit it.” Kath just nodded.
---
Kittiara snuggled against the bulk of her mate. The sex, as always, had been fantastic. It was good to be home. She waited a little, for his breathing to slow, and then gave him a gentle lick; “Were you really serious about what you said, about hunting down Tanj, if she failed?”
The Kurani chuckled and shook his head no; “If she’s able to affect the outcome at all, it will be for the better, but the Empire was far enough along in their development of that technology, that what little assistance we’ve given, won’t make a significant difference. And we may have gained an ally. And no, if she fails, hunting her down wouldn’t be worth the trouble. But she doesn’t need to know that.”
Kittiara just chuckled and resumed her licking. He had one more go left in him, she was sure of it, if she could just get him moving again……
And on Elysium:
Mold
Quentin used all the tradecraft they’d talked to him about. He detoured through several stores, going in one door and out another, to try and loose any tails in the crowd. He changed cabs and trains, trying to make his path as confusing as possible. It was a pity though, that they’d merely briefed him on technique, and that there hadn’t been any time to practice. Still, he thought he’d done everything right… Now all he had to do was to knock on the apartment door, and in theory at least, he’d be in a safe place…
The Zebra opened the door and looked down at the Coyote in the old clothes.
“Deluded People Gave In”
The Zebra sighed and nodded; “But the oppressed rise against their harsh masters. Yeah, yeah, come on in.”
The Zebra turned his back and retreated into the apartment.
Quentin stepped through the door and looked around. The room was completely empty. No furniture, nothing. The Zebra clopped over to one corner where he picked up a small cardboard box. Returning, he handed it to the Coyote; “Everything you need is in there. Travel documents, a change of clothes, a map, even some money. Memorize the instructions and then destroy them. I’m outta here.”
The Zebra turned at the door; “Oh, it’d probably be a good idea if you waited a bit before you left. Don’t bother to lock up; this place doesn’t belong to anyone we know.” And then he was gone.
The instructions were fairly
straightforward. He was to buy a bus
ticket to the coast, and then book passage on a ferry that would take him the
rest of the way. On arrival in the town
of
---
Harnesti watched the Zebra leave. The team was already on him; the new computer had already matched his image against an identity; there was a 93% confidence level that he was Igor Stradisky, a suspected Reds sleeper agent. He’d be followed, and without a doubt picked up for questioning just as soon as the counterintelligence team was certain they wouldn’t lead them to anyone else. Turning his attention back to the building, he waited for the Coyote to emerge. With the tracer he’d been injected with, he didn’t even have to follow him closely. He only had to check in every once in a while to make sure his quarry hadn’t somehow figured out about the tracer and done something to interfere with its operation. It was an easy job.
---
Quentin paused at the street corner and looked around. The evening air was cool, the breeze more refreshing than chilling. He was glad that he was feeling better. Whatever he’d caught, back before he’d started his mission was passing. A smile on his face, he turned towards the bus station, confident that he was moving unseen among the enemy, and that the plans of the glorious party were unstoppable.
---
“Yeah, sure, I’ll hire you, kid. Business is great and we need all sorts of folks. Can you program a robotic cultivator? No? Hmmmm. How about irrigation systems; know anything about them? Harvesting equipment? Geez, you’re not making it easy. How about drive a truck? Good, thought you might be able to handle that. It doesn’t pay as much of some of the other jobs, but as I said, we need all sorts of furrs. Here, fill out this paperwork, and then go see Betty in Personnel. She’ll get the process started.
---
Quentin leaned on the wheel of the old flatbed, and waited. That was what he’d been doing a lot of. He’d followed his instructions; he’d gotten a job in on the coffee plantation. He’d eyeballed everything, and been everywhere. He knew the operation so well, the foreman was starting to use him for special jobs, sending him here, and there, and sometimes even to other plantations to borrow equipment, or deliver parts. But mostly he waited while robots loaded his truck, or unloaded his truck. So far, the plantations had been spending their profits on robots that would help improve yields, and in some cases even the quality of the beans they grew. Eventually he thought he’d be replaced by a robotic truck, but not yet. What had happened to his mission? He’d been here for weeks and they still hadn’t contacted him. Should he try and take action on his own? Should he continue to wait? What should he do? It was driving him crazy.
Failure
The Muskrat stood and faced the Party Chairman; “Comrade Xyloff, the fungus we developed worked in every test. Agents, volunteers all, I might add, were infected and sent behind the Blues’ lines. We have confirmation that 87% of them reached their control officers, and were dispatched to the coffee growing areas. However, we have had no confirmation that any of those arrived where they were supposed to. And as of yet nothing has happened to the coffee crop. No blight. No fungus. No panic. Nothing.”
Xyloff growled “So what happened?”
The Muskrat shrugged expressively; “We don’t know.”
Xyloff turned and stared at the Minister of Agriculture; “Do you have any theories?”
The Minister of Agriculture nodded slowly; “Yes, Comrade Secretary. As you know, the Fungus was… quite virulent. None of our brave volunteers were expected to survive. Indeed we had only expected half of the…. Agents to make it to the coffee growing areas, before they… expired. I… suspect that the mortality rate was faster than that.”
Xyloff stood, and leaned forward, glaring down the table; “Why didn’t you have better information on the progress of the disease? You should have KNOWN!”
The Director of the First Intelligence Directorate shrugged; “Comrade Secretary, we were ordered to field this as soon as possible; there simply wasn’t time to conduct the necessary tests required to, ah, “increase the confidence level”.”
The Minister of Agriculture watched as the Wolverine raged. Most of the remaining party elite cringed in their seats as the tirade continued. And then something amazing happened. The Wolverine stopped in mid-sentence. Almost frozen, he moved one paw carefully into a pocket, withdrew a vial, and with a tremor in his paws, shook two pills into his left paw; these he popped into his mouth, and swallowed them dry. After a moment he turned, his voice a shadow of its previous thunder; “Meeting dismissed. Get out. ALL of you!”
---
“He’s getting worse.”
The Muskrat nodded; “Yes. I fear for him…”
The Minister of Agriculture chuckled; “I suspect that there are many around our meeting table, Comrade, that would rather see him succumb to his ailment.” After a moment he went on; “Of course, I am not one of those.”
The Muskrat smiled; “Of course not, Comrade.” The Muskrat paused and looked back at the closed door to the meeting room; “But should the unthinkable happen, have you given any thought as to how it would be best for the party to proceed?”
---
The Minister of Agriculture sat in his office. A rolling brown-out had left most of the city in darkness, but of course that didn’t apply to the party elite. They had their own generators, although a parts shortage was limiting him to only one dim bulb in his desk lamp. None of the agents had made it to the coffee plantations. Even one would have had an effect. They would have known by now. So. The fungus was more deadly than they’d thought. It was the only explanation he could think of. But… what if it was being transmitted to furrs. What if their agents, diseased, dying, had infected others? What if they’d been taken to a hospital, where staff, and patients were catching the fungus? What might they have started? And could he live with that on his conscience? Pulling a pad towards him, he started making notes. IF he could get word to the Blues, how might he warn them? What information would they need? And what should he do?
---
The Donkey sat in the log bunker, and tried not to shiver. He was acutely aware of the sunken eyes of the soldiers as they stared at him. Acutely aware of how his clothes, plain as they were, were so much better than the rags the soldiers were wearing. His boss had asked him to do this. Explained why it was necessary. And he agreed, horrified at what he’d been told. But that didn’t make it easy to do.
“Here they come!”
The Donkey turned his head, to peer through a vision slit, but one of the soldiers grabbed him and pulled him down; “Don’t look; you’re likely to get shot at. Stay down, and if they throw anything into the bunker, if it comes towards you, kick it towards the hole in the center; it might be our only chance of surviving!”
---
Lieutenant Duckworthy stuck the wand up over his head, trying to keep his hand below the top of the berm. The sensor in its tip relayed all sorts of information to the monocle over his right eye. Of the four bunkers ahead of them, only one was occupied. Muttering instructions into the boom microphone, he watched as his troopers moved in on the bunker from the flanks. When everyone was in position, he heaved himself out of the shell hole. Nothing moved in the bunker. Good. He liked it when they didn’t fight back. It made his job so much easier. Moving in a crouch, he made his way to within a dozen meters of the entrance, his plasma rifle covering the dark hole. “All right you in there. Come out one at a time, or we’ll blow you out!”
---
The Corporal looked at the Donkey and nodded; “I’ll go first. If they don’t shoot, you follow Kresky here. Don’t make any sudden moves and it should be all right.”
The Donkey just nodded.
---
“Hey, Lieutenant! We got a civilian here!”
Duckworthy turned towards the shout. The Reds Corporal didn’t really seem to know anything worthwhile, anyways. Striding through the mud, he looked at the Donkey curiously.
---
The Donkey looked at the Bear with wide eyes. His uniform seemed to shift color and pattern as he moved, as if it was actively trying to blend in with the background behind him. He carried a weapon that made an ominous hum, and he seemed to be draped with all sorts of unidentifiable gadgets and gizmos. “And who are you?”
The Donkey swallowed; “I am Pavel Alexiovitch Samoyeth, and I am here at the direct request of the Minister of Agriculture, on a mission of the highest importance! I have critical information for you, about a plague that may be threatening your peoples!”
Oh, the pain, the PAIN!
Laying down didn’t help. Standing definitely made it worse. About the best he could do was to sit in a straight-backed chair and wait for the spasm to pass. That quack, the Doctor, kept telling him he had to slow down, had to take it easy. That he had to DELEGATE, for cryin’ out loud! How could he? He was the life, the soul of the Party. He WAS the Party! The whole revolution depended on him! The FUTURE depended on him! Opening his paw he stared at the little bottle. It seemed so innocent… and yet it was a symbol of his decline. Of the Party’s decline. Dare he take another pill? He was already over the daily limit inscribed on the label….
Turning back to his desk, he tried to focus on the maps. The fronts were crumbling. His armies crumbling. Should he order the troops to pull back? To shorten the lines? But where? If he had them pull back in the Ruer valley, he’d loose an important manufacturing center. And the agricultural areas in Helvetis… they weren’t being threatened. If he pulled troops from that area, would the Blues shift the pressure there? For a moment he thought back, trying to recapture what it was he’d originally wanted, when he’d started all of this. It wasn’t wealth; he’d had that. Oh, yes. Power. He’d wanted Power. For a moment he fought off an attack of the giggles; here he was the undisputed leader of half a planet. But if he didn’t do something quickly, he wouldn’t have anything left to rule. Picking up a pen, he started making bold strokes on the map.
---
The Minister of Agriculture listened stolidly as the Wolverine outlined his plan. The Reds were going to pull back to key areas. They’d rebuild their strength and then counterattack to take back the lost territories, pushing onwards to overwhelm the Blues. Except that he was ordering a scorched-earth program as they pulled back…. Whatever territories they abandoned wouldn’t be worth retaking….. It was Madness!
---
The Director of the First Intelligence Directorate bit his tongue to keep from objecting. Withdraw all critical industries? How? Evacuate the party faithful? How? They didn’t have fuel to move food from the agricultural districts to the population centers, and this lunatic was talking about shifting industry? Keeping his face carefully neutral, he tuned out the rantings of the Wolverine and wondered how things might be accelerated….
He wants WHAT?
The Mouse shook his head; “He wants you to find him a WHAT?”
The Ostrich shrugged; “Comrade Xyloff thinks that perhaps a sexual encounter might help relieve some of the tension he’s been ulder lately. Might help him relax. He wants me to find him a suitable female, for an evening’s dalliance.”
The Mouse shook his head; “Are you kidding? The condition he’s in, it’ll probably kill him!”
The Ostrich winced; “Yeah, but if I don’t turn up something, he’ll definitely kill ME. Um…. Any ideas where I might find someone?”
---
Amanda examined her face in the mirror and smiled. Her hair would need a trim soon, but for the moment it looked OK…. Deftly she touched up her eye shadow…. Behind her the door to the ladie’s room opened and a couple of furrs walked in. The Tigress went straight to the mirror, to examine her face, while the Otter entered one of the stalls. Heedless of Amanda, they continued their conversation. Shamelessly, Amanda listened, prolonging her primping.
---
“Its all coming apart, I tell you. The Revolution is OVER.”
“Oh? Now what have you heard?”
“Evie told me that the secretary of Energy is bugging out. He’s taking his family and his staff and heading for an inspection of the facilities down it Durkistan.”
“Isn’t that where the Blues are….”
“Yeah, that whole sector is crumbling.”
“Well, I heard that the 27th Guards Army was being ordered to the capital to brace the Praetorian Guard. He might just have trouble making his little trip!”
“HAH! What are they going to do? Walk here? I don’t think they’ve got enough fuel for more than a couple of vehicles, let alone the entire Army! But I admit, the Praetorian Guard needs bracing badly; their former revolutionary zeal seems to have turned to petty thuggery, and bullying. Why, when I left the executive office building, there wasn’t even anyone on duty at the security station!”
It wasn’t hard. The Tigress turned to face the stall her friend was in; fortunately she turned away from Amelia. It took almost no tradecraft at all to palm the Tigress’ ID. Putting a few final touches on her face, Amanda slipped out of the ladies room, and back into the Hotel’s posh lounge. She’d found it a good place to pick up males, and on occasion females high up in the Party structure. Usually, after some steamy sex, they’d tell her the most remarkable things…. But this, this chance encounter, had been more profitable than an entire week’s worth of work!
She didn’t look anything like the Tigress, but as it turned out, it didn’t matter at all. The retinal scanner was broken. And when she swiped the stolen ID through the card reader, the gate opened. Despite what the Tigress had said, there WAS a guard at the security station. However, he was talking to a rather cute Marten, and paid her no attention at all. Moving past him, she made her way to the bank of elevators, and took the one that went to the top floor.
As the elevator rose,she wondered what in the world she was doing here. Her orders didn’t include infiltrating party headquarters! And yet, of late, more and more of the intelligence the Blues received had been by way of “National Technical Means”. Generally robot snoops, and electronic evesdropping. Computer hackers. Long range sensors. It was all a lot safer for the agents, but she was starting to feel like she was playing second fiddle to a robot. Could any robot take advantage of the sudden opportunity she’d been presented? Straightening her shoulders, she decided to push forward and see where it led….. After all, what would James Bear do in this situation?
As the door opened, she found a desk, with a rather harried looking mouse sitting behind it. Wondering how she might talk her way past him, she stepped forward as if she had every reason to be there….
The Mouse looked up and blinked; “Ah, THERE you are! I see Oswalt took my advice!” He frowned a little; “Um…. Did they give you a security clearance? Surely I couldn’t let you in to see him if you hadn’t been approved…..”
Amanda didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but at least he wasn’t calling for the guards. With her thumb “casually” over the picture on the ID, she flashed it at the Mouse and just smiled.
The Mouse relaxed; “Exellent. The Chairman is in his office. Just down the hall. The Big Red Door.” He chuckled; “I’m sure you’ll know what to do, but please, go easy on him; he’s not in the best of health!” The Mouse fidgeted; “I suppose that’s a state secret though…. Please don’t tell anyone I said that. Just… give him a good time, and don’t let him overexert himself!”
Amanda nodded; “Don’t worry.” Swaying her hips she turned and headed down the posh corridor, towards the big red door.
---
Xyloff looked up from the papers on his desk and growled; “Who the HELL are you?”
Amanda smiled as seductively as she could and purred; “Comrade Oswalt suggested I come by….”
The Wolverine looked at her for a moment and then grunted; “That was quick.” He put the papers in his paw down and chuckled; “Sometimes it’s the quiet, shy ones… Nevermind.” Standing, he padded around the desk.
Amanda watched, curious. Here was the leader of the Reds, the Terrible Comrade Xyloff…. Except he didn’t look that terrible. Oh, he was large, and probably still strong, but he looked as if…. As if he were going to pot. He was overweight, and he just didn’t look well. Amanda sashayed closer, meeting him half way; she smiled; “And what is the most powerful furr on the planet in the mood for?” She noted he smiled at that….
“Leading the Revolution can be…. Frustrating work. So many just don’t “get” it…. They confuse even the simplest of orders, they misinterpret my intentions, or they just do whatever they feel like. Its frustrating, very frustrating.”
Amanda ran her paws up his front and purred; “And how would you like to work off some of that frustration?”
The Wolverine grinned; “Think you can handle something rough?”
Amanda swallowed, and just nodded, a touch of fear in her face. He seemed to like that, too. She thought he might.
Her outfit had been reduced to rags; most of those rags had been used to bind her. The Wolverine, however, was scarcely an expert, and she thought, if she tried hard enough, she might escape. With her paws tied behind her back and her calves lashed to her thighs, the Wolverine had her balanced on forehead and knees, and was pounding into her from behind, as if he hadn’t been laid in ages. Well, maybe he hadn’t….
Xyloff was loving it; she’d gone from sultry bravado, to near-panic as he’d shredded her dress, and used its remains to tie her. And somehow, her near-terror had brought out the beast in him, made him feel like…. Made him feel like he used to feel. Powerful. In charge. With a growl he wrapped his left paw in her hair and pulled her head off the floor; with her torso horizontal, he bucked his hips hard, driving his shaft into her wetness as harshly as he could….
Amanda let out a whimper, as he tugged on her hair. She squirmed in a manner that she thought he might find exciting, a combination of sexual response and desire to escape.
Xyloff watched the Bunny’s breasts bounce wildly, and grinned. Pausing he pulled his cock out of her pussy, and using his right paw, presented it to her asshole. “How’d you like it there, Eh? Think you could take it?” He heard her whimper and started to press forward, feeling her tightness, feeling her anus yield to his cock…. The deeper he drove, the more she moaned, the more she writhed. She was either loving it, or hating it; he wasn’t sure which, and didn’t really care.
Amanda felt the big Wolverine cum; felt his cock start to spurt, felt him spear as far into her ass as he could…. And then he was making strange, almost gargling like noises… and then he was falling forward, his weight forcing her to the floor.
It was difficult to breath with the big Wolverine on top of her, and Amanda found herself struggling to extract herself from under him. Yeah, she was good, and she’d left many a lover dazed from the power of his orgasm, but she’d never had one pass out before. “Come on, Lover Boy, get off me, I can’t breathe!” No response….
Three minutes and he still hadn’t moved. Holding her breath and listening, she wasn’t even sure he was breathing. And somehow, the way she was tied, she just couldn’t find a way to squirm out from under him, or even roll him off of her. Dang. There just wasn’t anything to do, but……
---
The Mouse heard the scream and almost fell out of his desk chair. What was wrong? Why was she making so much noise? And then it hit him. He snatched at the phone, knocking the handset from the cradle; then he fumbled, trying to pick it up. Finally he had possession of it, and he stared at the keypad wondering… who should he call? Finally, he managed to punch in the number for the Chairman’s personal physician…..
---
The Doctor felt for a pulse, listened with his stethoscope, and then sighed; “As I feared.”
The Mouse’s eyes went wide; “You mean….?”
The Doctor nodded; “Yes, Comrade Xyloff is dead. Dammit, I told him. I TOLD him that if he couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting short of breath he couldn’t do something like this!” He shot Amanda a dirty look, and turned back to the Mouse; “First off, we HAVE to get her out of here. We cannot let it be known the Chairman died in a manner like this!”
The Mouse thought about his own prospects for continued existence, should it be known just what had happened and eagerly nodded his head. “Yessir, rightawaysir!”
“Good, you get her out of here and I’ll, ah, arrange things so it looked as if he died quietly at his desk, exhausted from working for the good of the party.”
The Mouse nodded, took Amanda by the arm, and started tugging her towards the hall.
Amanda growled; “What, I’m to leave the building nude?”
The Mouse stopped and stared at her as if seeing her for the first time; “Um… No. Ah! There’s a change room for the Praetorian guard; hang on, I’ll go fetch something.”
After the mouse had left, the Doctor growled; “Out. I have work to do, and don’t want to be distracted.”
Amanda nodded, and gathering the remains of her dress, stepped into the hall.
When the door had closed, the Doctor went over to the Chairman’s desk, and picked up the phone. “Give me the Director of the First Intelligence Directorate, and make sure it’s a secure line!” Idly he picked up the ID badge from the floor. He looked at the picture and grunted; “Good looking Tigress… I wonder, did he do two in one night?” Without a thought he dropped it into the pocket of his lab coat.
---
Amanda strode from the
---
The Minister of Agriculture put down the phone and sighed. Central Committee meeting in half an hour. The Chairman was dead. NOW what were they going to do? Whatever it was, he hoped it would be more sensible than the latest directives….
---
The Tigress looked at the Doctor in the white coat and blinked; “You found it WHERE?”
The Doctor just smiled, and winked; “Oh, I think you know.” He turned and walked out, leaving her bewildered, and perhaps just a little frightened.
Home Improvement
Parks Ran the “circuit board” through the test procedure again, and shook his head; “That’s pretty danged impressive. OK, lets take it up to 200% power.”
The technician just shrugged and made some adjustments. Again, the device performed flawlessly. Well within tolerances for waveform, and current fluctuation.
Parks nodded; “OK, 300%.”
---
They’d bought fabrication equipment from the aliens. Of course they hadn’t told the aliens what they intended to make, but that really hadn’t seemed to matter to the lizardlike creatures. Profit was profit and that was all that counted. And the automated multifunctional highly flexible factories had been hideously expensive. Some of the fabrication equipment had gone to Elysium to make things the Blues needed. Advanced weapons, and advanced sensors initially, but increasingly equipment to modernize their industry. Trade with the aliens had brought the territories held by the Blues to something of a boom market. Some of the fabrication equipment had been dedicated to the coffee plantations, to make, at first, repair parts, and then to make customized agricultural robots. That business too was booming. The aliens were definitely hooked. And some had been kept by the Brethren. Parks turned the power module over in his paws. It was about the size of a sugar cube, and yet it could handle more power than a footlocker sized device, the best technology the Imperium had to offer. And the equipment could turn them out by the dozens. By the hundreds. Chuckling he carried the module down the hall, and into the maintenance shop. They’d been working on a next-generation antiship torpedo, and now that the power module checked out, it was getting ready for field testing. Powered by a “miniature” mass-conversion powerplant, the product of a joint-venture research project, it was hideously fast, either in normal space, or in warp drive. The onboard AI, again, alien technology, could usually predict any evasive maneuver, after it’d had a few moments to study its opponent. The torpedo had its own on-board sheilds, but it also had the sensors necessary to match frequencies with an enemy’s shields, so it could slip right through. That worked on both ends; the torpedo could be fired through the launching ship’s shields as well.
And of course the Brethren’s ships all had upgraded AI’s as well. Sheild modulation was now a ninth order function that would take even the alien computers a while to decipher. And by then the whole pattern would have been changed anyways. But it all had its drawbacks. Parks was getting tired of the Ship’s AI either second-guessing him or telling him, in no uncertain terms, that he was full of it…..
Parks forced his thoughts back to “happier” topics; The real gem they’d come up with, though, was forward, in the bow armaments bay. They’d been working on an anti-proton particle beam, that ought to be able to carve up a planet. Between the new torpedoes, assuming they worked, the alien shields, the mass conversion powerplant, and the particle beam, they OUGHT to be able to take on the Imperium. Ought….
But then there were the mysterious aliens. Aliens that shot first, without warning, using some sort of supercold weapon. Were their new weapons and shields adequate to take on THAT group? Would they have to take them on? Was the route home in that direction? He didn’t know….
The route home?
The Lion looked around the conference table. All of the senior staff, and major stockholders were there. “Then its agreed? The reaction by the aliens near NG.73.90.98 suggest they have experience with the portal device. If they’ve got information, we want it. So we’re going to go back and ask them.”
Around the table, some furrs nodded, and one even muttered “And we’re not going to take “no” for an answer”. Others, like Forbes, just sighed and made negative motions. They, however, were in the minority. Most of the Brethren were tired of sitting around. There hadn’t been any serious fighting on Elysium for a while now, and they were getting bored with being merchants or farmers. Most of them were spoiling for a fight, and the Lion knew that if he didn’t provide one, they’d start fighting amongst themselves.
“OK, we’ve got some new tricks up our sleeves, so we’ll start by sending the probe back.” He glared at a trio on one side of the table, letting his eyes move from Skunk to Bear to Ferret; “An unarmed probe. BUT we’ll have warships in the area, to exploit any information.”
Hitchcock leaned against the back wall. She wasn’t exactly command staff, and she certainly didn’t hold a significant number of shares of stock, but she’d been invited because she knew just a bit more about that area of space, and portal navigation than most. Tentatively she raised a paw.
The Lion raised an eyebrow, and growled; “You have something to add, Hitchcock?”
She nodded; “The portal effect isn’t subtle. Anyone nearby can’t help but notice it. But… I was wondering….”
The Lion growled; “Yes?”
Hitchcock shrugged; “I was wondering if these rather hostile aliens only shot first if they saw someone use the portal as a transportation mechanism. Might it be… prudent to send a probe in under warp drive. To see if they’d shoot at ANY stranger, or just someone spooked by a portal arrival?”
Parks frowned; “I’m not wild about that. Even with the new fabrication systems, we only have so many resources…. And getting it there by warp drive would take months, if not years. But…” He looked at the Lion; “We might be able to send in one of the older probes, have it use the portal drive to arrive at a distance, and then warp in close enough to watch what happens when the new probe jumps in. Just in case the gizmo our alien friends sold us doesn’t work. Of course it won’t have all the gadgets and gizmos the latest generation probe has.”
The Lion laughed; “Yeah, we might need the evidence to get our money back. Not a bad idea.”
Parks nodded and rose; “I’ll get one on the way; it’ll take it a couple of days to get into position.”
The Lion looked around the conference room; “Anything else? No? Then we stand adjourned.
---
The Lion caught Hitchcock as she was leaving; “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
Hitchcock raised an eyebrow, instantly on the defensive; “About…?”
The Lion looked at her a moment, watching her, and then growled; “I haven’t seen any reports from your section recently on the data from the “highly distributed array.” Have any of the beacons we’ve placed picked up anything?”
Hitchcock sighed; “Well…” At the Lion’s look, she sighed; “I’m just not sure there’s been enough TIME to draw firm conclusions…”
The Lion straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me” he growled.
Hitchcock shrugged; “We think about half of the bouys we’ve placed should have been able to report back by now… That’s just our impressions; we don’t have hard facts to substantiate that! But…. the fact that we’ve gotten signals from only three of them suggest that the others simply aren’t in this ….dimension.”
The Lion nodded; “The parallel universe theory.”
Hitchcock nodded; “We’re working on the math to describe our observations, as well as theories on navigation, but that’s all highly tentative. We’re making progress, but slowly.”
The Lion nodded and turned away, as if satisfied. After a half-step, he paused and turned back. “Would any of the beacons that HAVE reported in, been in the direction of NG.73.90.98?”
Hitchcock sighed and nodded; “Yes. Two of the three.” The Lion nodded; “And let me guess; those three were the three lowest energy consumption, ah, “events”.”
Again Hitchcock sighed and nodded. “And if you had to run the math, as it stands now, allowing for the mass of an entire planet, and the power resources of the Brou device, how would that compare?”
Hitchcock’s head came up; “There are WAY too many variables to be certain…. The math is…. We can’t….”
The Lion grinned; “Spit it out. I won’t hold you to it, and I won’t tell anyone.”
Hitchcock growled; “Dammit, the median comes up just slightly higher. But that could put “home” anywhere on a circle of that distance! It doesn’t necessarily mean its in THAT direction!”
The Lion’s grin widened; “But you think it is. Otherwise you wouldn’t be so defensive.” With a jaunty air, he turned and almost skipped down the corridor. Hitchcock watched him go, simmering; “Dammit, he just doesn’t understand! None of the R-squared factors are worth a DAMN. It could be, it probably IS somewhere else!”
---
Cromwell looked over the field report, and sighed. Placing it back in the folder with all the secret and super-secret eyes-only ribbons, he sat back, and stared at the ceiling. This wasn’t what he’d wanted. With the death of Chairman Xyloff, the Reds government was disintegrating. Two central committee members seemed to have been assassinated, in the last couple of days. Their deaths might have been the settling of old grudges, or it might have been pre-emptive strikes to keep them from rising to power. The snake was headless, thrashing, destroying everything around it.
In whole provinces, the Reds army had simply picked up and headed home, many of them walking, as there was no fuel for their vehicles. The Blues forces were following, at a respectful distance. Territories lost to the Blues, and territories loyal to the Reds treated the Blues troops as…. Well, not so much as conquering heroes, as rescuers. In several places, in the more distant Reds territories, warlords were rising, to carve out their own empire from the carcass. And in at least one other, something that looked like a civil war was developing…. The only bright spot was the feelers from certain members of what was left of the central committee…. Yes, if Xyloff hadn’t died quite yet, a much more orderly…. Defeat? Perhaps Transition was a better word… yes, a more orderly transition could have been arranged.
It left him with so much work to do….. But the end was in sight.
Probing the Unknown
It coasted through nothingness. Around it, the temperature was four degrees absolute, the temperature of interstellar space. And it was well insulated; it didn’t appear to be much above the background temperature. It gave forth no emissions, but it drank in everything that impinged on it. Stellar light. Cosmic rays. The occasional neutron. Its sensor suite was excellent. Moving at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light, it approached its rendezvous.
---
Parks looked at the console and nodded; “Its time.”
The Lion growled; “Lets do it.” For this one, they’d taken the pride of the Brethren’s rather attenuated fleet, the now-highly-modified Battlecruiser known as the “Overlord”. Lesser ships flanked them, in all directions. And yet, they were still more than a few light-years away from the place in question. NG.73.90.98. Park’s fingers flew across the keyboard, and in the distance there was a flash of light, as the highly augmented probe opened a portal to elsewhere, and moved through it, accelerating rapidly.
The Lion paced the Bridge. Parks watched him, wondering how long it would be, before they had to replace the deck plating. He was bound to wear it out eventually. Even now, it was shinier, smoother, than the surrounding deck. The Lion glanced at the Chronograph and then back at Parks. Parks didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. He’d already acknowledged three times that the probe was late. Finally the Lion growled; “All right. Enough. Is the relay in place?”
Parks nodded; “Three relays, in the chain. All in place, linked with directional beams. Phased tachyon pulses that should be untraceable.”
The Lion nodded; “Signal the backup. I want to know what happened.”
Parks nodded and turned to his console.
---
The display showed a starfield. In the distance a bright point of light appeared, widening to a ring, and then collapsing, but not before a small object could be seen dashing through the portal. Almost immediately it was wreathed in blue fire, the light forming an oblong shell around it. The probe changed course, and then changed course again, but the blue fire followed unceasing. “The probe is reporting a temperature decrease; our friends’ defense isn’t perfect, but the probe is still within parameters.”
The Lion nodded, and then pointed to the screen; “What’s that?”
Ben leaned closer and squinted. “looks like a ship. Tetrahedral hull design; that’s rare.”
The Lion nodded and half turned from the monitor; “Someone run that through the warbook and see if we get a match.” He turned back just in time to see a series of bright sparks leave the newcomer. The probe immediately went into a series of wild evasive maneuvers. Most of the sparks went wide, each dissolving in actinic fire at the point of closest approach to the probe. The explosions were so violent that the probe, even in the vacuum of space, was batted around. However, its shields held, and it dove straight at the attacking ship. “I’m getting sensor feed from the probe” Parks growled.
Ben nodded; “Good, I don’t think its going to be around much longer.”
The Wolf pointed at three points on the screen where other, larger ships had appeared.
The Lion sighed, and shook his head; the probe had the best shields they could produce, and they lasted a remarkable amount of time; almost seven minutes. First one ship, then three more, and then another eight had joined the attack, until the probe’s shields were overwhelmed and the probe vanished in a flash. And then, to everyone’s surprise, the squadron had turned and headed directly for the secondary probe. Parks had sent the signal for that one to self-destruct before the aliens could discover that it wasn’t as capable.
---
Ben shook his head; “we can take ‘em. Our shields are more powerful than the probe’s. We’ve got a lot more power to put behind ‘em.”
Parks nodded; “And we can shoot back as well. Believe me, those ships aren’t going to stand up against the new weapon we’ve been testing, let alone the latest-generation torpedoes!”
Forbes scoffed; “You don’t have a clue, Parks. You havent’ shot at any of them yet! The supercold weapon was a surprise; how do you know there aren’t OTHER surprises like that out there?”
Parks half rose from his chair; “Forbes, the anti-proton beam could punch a hole in a neutron star! Why….”
“That’s enough. Sit down, Parks. In his own way, Forbes is right. We still don’t know enough to risk anyone’s life.” The Lion turned to fix Forbes with a stare; “Although I too think we could take what we saw, the way the reinforcements kept pouring in, I am worried about what we didn’t see.” He turned to look around the room; “Unless you can tell me that these aliens know the way home, or are standing in our way, I’ll pass on an all-out war. We just don’t have enough to gain.” His eyes scanned the back wall of the conference room, until he found the furr he was looking for; “Cavanaugh! Have you identified that ship yet? Does it match anything in the warbook? Anything even close?” shifting his gaze, he growled; “Hitchcock! Can you tell me anything more positive about that section of space? Any chance at ALL that they’re blocking our way home? Any sign that THEY use portals, or anything like them for transportation?” He was just about to move on to the next “victim” when he stopped and looked back. Hitchcock had a very strange look on her face; her tail was almost between her legs and her ears were very close to her skull…… Forcing a softer tone, he growled; “Hitchcock? Do you have something to tell us?”
It was ludicrous. She should have kept quiet. Should have kept her mouth shut. She could kill them all, get them involved in a war with an unknown enemy, who’d done nothing more than defend their borders, and yet somehow it just slipped out; “That…. Depends.”
The lion raised an eyebrow and almost whispered; “Depends on what?”
And then it all just spilled out; “Depends on whether you put any faith in a 0.24 adjusted R squared factor.”
Parks winced; “That’s….. kinda low.”
The Lion nodded; “But I’ve seen worse. Why don’t you tell us about it?”
---
“Well, no, they don’t use the portal device; that I’m certain of. No emissions of that type at all. Nada. However….. Well… while everyone else was looking at the enemy ships, I was looking at the starfield beyond them….. It kinda reminded me of the northern sky above Quipsilani IX….
Ben’s chair rocked forward, and the front legs hit the floor with a thump. “Do you mean to tell me you know where they ARE?” Hitchcock waved both paws; “No! Well…. Maybe. The projections would show them almost a thousand parsecs from the Empire, on the far side of the Kurani Oligarchy. But as I said, the R squared factor is low…..” For a moment the room was silent, and then it exploded; some furrs were literally dancing, others whooping, or howling. Everyone seemed to have a grin. It was exactly what Hitchcock had been fearing. If she was wrong, and at this point it was little more than a hunch, an unsubstantiated guess, a statistical improbability, they were going to tear her apart….
The Lion nodded slowly; “So, if we were to launch a probe beyond NG.73.90.98, and have it look around, assuming it survived, we might see a sky we recognized? Hitchcock swallowed and nodded; “But only, ONLY if we could get the probe to go where we wanted. Our, ah, navigation routines are more Naviguessing…… I can’t guarantee we’ll get it; not in the first try, not in the first dozen tries….
Ben grinned; “ ‘s OK; we’ll shotgun it with a dozen probes, all set to go, look, and come back. We’ve proven the anticold weapon gizmo and the shields will let it hold together at least long enough for that…..” He turned to look at Parks; “Right?”
Parks sighed; “We don’t HAVE that many “improved design” probes. In fact, at the moment we don’t have ANY.”
The Lion nodded; “But you can build them.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.
Parks nodded; “We can. But I’ll have to pull resources from other projects…”
The Lion nodded. “Make it so.” He turned to Ben; “You’ve got until he’s ready to launch the probes to bring the Brethren up to speed, for our return home.”
Ben just grinned; “Can Do!”
---
Hitchcock watched them and shivered. Some of the probes, she was sure, were going to fall into the Xenophobic Alien’s home turf. She was sure their sudden appearance and disappearance would only stir them up. Would THEY attack? Could they even find Elysium? Without the portal, it would be a LONG trip, but she still had the feeling they were kicking over an anthill.
And what if they DIDN’T find home?
This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any characters, living, dead or imaginary is purely a coincidence. Tanj, Kittiara, Katja, Eridani, Wanda, Kath, Corey, and almost everyone else in the story are copyright Kittiara's player. Kittiara can be found on Furrymuck; telnet 24.164.231.38 8888. Jenka, Antonia, Hinoki, Hollon, Chris Fox, Brolly, Celes, Jeran, Tasha, Tanabi, Tandaress, Roland, Sashi, Sabina, Sapphire, Sian, Spotweld, Srrallana, Dynotaku, Doodles, Kris, Wesley, and Zassa are copyright their players (Jenka, Antonia, Chris Foxx, Hollon, Dynotaku, Doodles, Brolly, Celes, Jeran, Tasha, Tanabi, Tandaress, Sabina, Sapphire, Sian, Spotweld, Srallana, Kris, Wesley, and Zassa can be found on FurryMuck, and Hinoki on Tapestries or on FurryMuck. Sashi is copyright her player. Chris Foxx is copyright Bondofox. Roland is copyright IronBadger. Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone…. If I did, my apologies and it certainly wasn’t intentional. Copyright 2004. Comments, suggestions, or flames can be directed to ha_seng@hotmail.com.