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 more will be added to it Later; please stay tuned and have patience!

Tanj's Tales: Gotterdamerung, Part 2
By Kittiara
Stardate 2401.2

Zassa Stretched and looked at the clock by her bunk. It was early, and yet for some reason she wasn't sleepy. Laying back on the bed for a moment she ran her paws lightly over her nude body. Her stomach rumbled. Thinking over the items in the ship's galley, the vixen wondered what she'd like to fix herself to eat. None of it was immediately attractive. And then a thought hit her; on their forays into the station, she'd seen a bakery, and honest-to-God Bakery, with all the scents that go with such a place. Rising, she rummaged through her closet, looking for something suitable to wear.

The bags were bulky, but not all that heavy. She'd gotten bagels, for breakfast, and had even splurged on a tin of cream cheese. She had a selection of danishes for Wanda, and some donuts for the others, cake donuts for Tanj, glazed for Kath, and cream filled for Hinoki. She'd even stopped in at one of those chain coffee places, and picked up a half pound of freshly ground coffee. This breakfast was going to be one to remember! Her mouth watering at the thought, she pressed through the early morning crowd of furrs heading towards their day-shift jobs.

The jingle of slave bells, made her head turn. Blinking, the Vixen angled through the crowd, following the gazes of those around her. The Ermine fem that came into view was mostly nude, save for the leather harness she was wearing. Her head harness included earplugs and blindfold, and what looked like an inflatable gag. Her arms were bound behind her, palm to palm, with a rope tied from her wrists to the end of the short braid her hair'd been put into. She was hobbled by a short chain, and from her nipple rings hung a sign advertising some bar. Zassa watched for a moment as the Ermine moved with miniscule steps, only to bump into a wall. Without a sound, she turned and started moving out into the passing crowd, furrs altering their paths to avoid her, like water flowing around a rock in the middle of a stream.

For a moment, Zassa wondered what it must be like, to be in such a position, not knowing where you are, or who's around you. Or what might be done to you... With a grin, she shivered in sympathy and envy.

Zassa waited until the Ermine had made it across the corridor, and was about to bump into the opposite wall. Reaching out, she took hold of the Ermine's left elbow, and used it to turn her just a little, steering her away from the wall. Releasing her, she grinned as the Ermine teetered forward, the chain between her ankles going tight with each step, jingling musically.

It took four more "course corrections" before the ermine was in the vicinity of the ship's docking port. Trotting ahead, Zassa put her packages inside the open lock, and then keyed in the command code to open both the inner and the outer personnel locks. Dashing back out, the Vixen grinned as she held a large piece of plastic wall board she'd found, angling it just so.

Tanj blinked as the alarm went off. Rising she looked at the small terminal in her cabin, scanning the alarm message reported there, and blinked; "now why would Zassa do THAT?" Rising, grabbing a robe, she hurried down to the personnel lock, to see what was going on.

The jingle of chains greeted the surprised cheetah; as Zassa had intended, the Ermine had "ricocheted" off the wall board she held, and had blundered straight into the Lost Cause's personnel lock. Tanj looked from the deaf- dumb-and-blind Ermine to the grinning Vixen and back. The vixen just grinned "She followed me home; can we keep her?" Tanj sighed; "That looks like the one I ran across the other day... Is she STILL out walking around?" Zassa shrugged, and stooped to pick up some of her packages; "Dunno if it's the same one, or another one like her, but I thought she could use a rest. Besides, I want to talk to her. The timer at the back of her neck looks like its about to time out. Come on, I've got breakfast."

Hinoki yawned widely as the sound softly intruded on his slumber. It sounded like chains rattling... Opening his eye, he looked out the open door to his cabin, but couldn't see anything...

Tanj stood just outside the lock to her ship, clutching her robe around her. There were still a few furrs moving about, the morning "rush hour" tapering off. No one seemed to be hunting a missing slave, and if there were any signs of anyone being upset at Zassa's "abduction," Tanj couldn't find them. With a shrug, the Cheetah fem turned and re- entered her ship's lock, closing and locking the outer door.

Wanda frowned at the rattling of chains; turning she looked at where Kath was still slumbering in her bed. The Mink had been very naughty last night, climbing under the covers to stroke, lick, and tease her Mistress... Wanda smiled, thinking she should come up with some sort of suitable "punishment, " something that would both encourage the Mink to do nice things like that again, while also demonstrating that it wasn't her place to make moves on Wanda's bed... Sliding the door open, the Woverine lass stepped into the corridor, to look towards Tanj's cabin, and the flight deck, curious at the noise. Were Hinoki and Tanj at it again? Finding the corridor empty, Wanda was about to turn and look in the other direction when something bumped into her softly from behind...

The bound ermine bounced off someone large, and by random chance, turned to her left; shuffling she took a half-dozen tiny steps, only to have something bark her in the shins; staggering, unable to catch her balance, she fell forward...

Hinoki OOOOfed as someone landed on top of him; twisting around he found himself face to face with a heavily bound Ermine fem. "Well, HELLO!" Chuckling, he held onto the struggling female, wondering what was going on now? Looking up, he caught a glimpse of Wanda's face in his doorway; "Why, THANK YOU, Wanda, she's Lovely!"

Wanda blinked and spluttered; "but... but I ... Ah... I didn't..."

Hinoki let his paws roam over her body, examining the harness with almost professional detachment. It was sturdily made, leather over metal mesh; it wasn't going to come off easily. The straps all seemed to wind up at the back of her neck, where a time-lock held it all together. Examining the sign hanging from her nipple rings, the Cheetah sighed and carefully unclipped it, tossing it to the floor. Sliding from his bed, he helped the Ermine to her feet, and carefully guided her from his cabin; "Lets see if we can find out how you got in here, Little One."

Zassa looked up from her fry pan as the Cheetah male guided the Ermine into the wardroom; "Ah, so THAT'S where she got off to." Hinoki blinked "you know her?" The Vixen shook her head; "Not yet. Found her wandering in the Promenade, and thought I'd bring her home for breakfast. How do you like your eggs?" Hinoki maneuvered the Ermine into a seat and shrugged; "scrambled is fine by me... Say, are those donuts?"

Kath yawned and stretched; suddenly she realized Wanda was no longer in the cabin. For a moment, the temptation to simply fall back to sleep was overwhelming, but then she sighed. And then grinned; after last night, rousing her Mistress in the middle of the night with soft licks, well, she was probably in enough "trouble." Rising, stretching, she made the bed and then, wearing only her collar, padded down the hall, to see where everyone had gotten to.

Tanj got herself a cup of coffee and slid into the seat next to the bound Ermine. The Ermine had kept trying to get up, to resume her wanderings, until Hinoki had taken a leash, clipped it to her collar and tied it to the back of her chair. Now, the bound fem just sat there, quietly. Taking a long swig from her mug, Tanj turned and peered at the time-lock on the back of the slave's collar... If she was reading it right, it should time out in mere minutes...

Kath peered into the Wardroom and for a moment froze in shock. There was a stranger, a rather pretty Ermine in rather strict bondage sitting between Tanj and Wanda. For a moment, panic reigned; was she being replaced? Did they know her secret? Were they going to make her leave, with this Ermine taking her place on Wanda's leash? In Wanda's heart? Forcing herself to be calm, the Mink padded into the wardroom, to quietly kneel behind Wanda's chair...

The eggs were just coming out of the fry pan when there was a soft beep and a click; all eyes turned towards the Ermine, who started to squirm. With the time lock at the nape of her neck now open, she was able to extricate her paws from behind her back; while they were till covered in leather "mittens" she was able to push up one corner of her blindfold, to look around. It was plain from the expression on her face that she wasn't where she expected to be...

"MMmmmm, this is good." The Ermine, who's name was Salde, was on her second plate, not surprising if her mouth had been full of rubber for the past 24 hours or so. Tanj sipped her coffee as she examined the time-lock; "so you say this is a standard "punishment" your Mistress uses? The Ermine nodded; "yes Ma'am; whenever there's a complaint against a slave, rightful or otherwise, the next day we're out wandering the station as an advertisement. Sometimes folks will turn in a complaint just so's they can... well, have some fun with us as we're punished..." Tanj winced, catching Hinoki's eye; the male Cheetah looked just a little grim. Zassa, on the other hand, was listening raptly; "really? Ooohhh... tell me, what kind of things do the disgruntled customers do?" "Well," the ermine replied, "with the harness, there's not much they can do sexually, although I have been forced to tit-fuck some folks... can't say if they were customers or just someone on the station. Mostly they play dirty tricks on me... tripping me, or tricking me into a maze, or applying an irritant. I remember one time I was dusted with something like itching powder. Now THAT was miserable..."

Tanj sipped her coffee; "so you do more for your establishment than merely provide... "advertising?" Salde nodded; "Yes, Ma'am; all of the slaves perform a number of tasks; we wait tables, dance, and of course, we're all skilled in the bedroom arts..." Tanj smiled; "I bet you get a wide variety of customers... Do many of the Imperial types visit Miss Kitty's?" Salde looked down; "well, we're NOT supposed to notice... but yes, I believe so..." Tanj nodded; "and I would imagine in your routine, you overhear some very interesting things..." Salde paused for a moment, a cautious look on her face; "um... could be..." Tanj smiled and paused to sip her coffee for a moment; "and does your Mistress require you to tell her the things you've overheard?" Salde's eyes flicked from side to side, almost as if she were seeking some route of escape... finally she muttered, almost too low to hear; "that... Might be true, on occasion..." Tanj just smiled; "I think I might have to have a talk with this Miss Kitty..."

Salde looked at the last remaining donut on the table; "Um... Ma'am... I really am required to head right back after the time lock opens... I'm sure the overseer is going to be wondering just what happened to me..." Hinoki smiled and stretched; "ah, but surely there must be excuses for not coming right back; I mean, what if there were some gang of street toughs just waiting for the timer to time out, so they could ravish you?" Salde smiled and looked down; "that might be a legitimate excuse, but Miss Kitty doesn't like for things like that to happen; she wants her customers to PAY for it... and I'm sure she'd find a way of getting revenge for anything like that...

Tanj frowned, and shot Hinoki a look; "I know she's tempting, but it wouldn't be fair to get her punished..." The male Cheetah just leaned back, and laced his fingers behind his head; "Ah, but dear Captain, there IS a way... Go ahead and finish the last donut, Salde; I've got a comm call to make..."

Intercepting the Cheetah just outside the flight deck, Tanj growled; "you are NOT going to depressurize this portion of the station, just to make the emergency doors close, are you?" Hinoki blinked and then shook his head; "not a bad idea; wish I'd thought of it... but no. This "Miss Kitty's" is actually on the far side of the station, and it's a BIG station. Take at least a half an hour to walk there. But in a robocab, its only about five minutes. I just called a cab; we'll have it take the "scenic" route, and I'll have her there in plenty of time... And, as we go, well..." The Cheetah's grin said it all... Tanj just chuckled and shook her head; "always the "gentlefurr", aren't you? Seeing the Damsel in Distress home, and getting some nookie in the process." Rising to tiptoes, Tanj kissed him on the nose and then made shoo-ing motions; "you'd best get going!"

Salde stared at the robocab in wide-eyed wonder; "I didn't even know such things existed on the station!" Hinoki smiled and helped her in, settling onto the hard plastic bench seat. The door closed with a hiss. Pulling the Ermine onto his lap, he chuckled; "the windows are one-way; we can see out, but they can't see in... now... lets see, your timer timed out at...08:37... Driver! I want an arrival time of 09:07 at coordinate DD32, and yes, I'll pay for the extra minutes." As the cab silently accelerated, Hinoki turned to kiss the wide-eyed Ermine...

Salde was astride Hinoki's lap, her harness a heap of leather straps and metal buckles on the floor. She was facing away from him, leaning back against him, his cock buried deep in her pussy. As she moved, as she rode his shaft, she stared out the "window"... the cab had turned off of the concourse, and shot into a short tunnel, only to emerge in a transparent tube, traveling over the exterior surface of the station. The stars, and all the docked ships were visible; it was a splendid and exciting view, one she'd never even knew existed here in the place that had been her home for several years. Smiling, she thanked the Cheetah for the treasure he'd shown her in the only way she knew how, milking his cock with her vaginal muscles, riding him harder and faster... Just as the cab flashed from the transparent tube back into a dark tunnel, their journey almost over, she managed to bring him off...

Hinoki was still panting when the cab stopped. As the door opened, Salde turned to exit, but Hinoki grabbed a paw; "wait a moment; you don't want to go back looking like THAT... Salde blinked at him curiously, but Hinoki just reached into a bag he'd brought, to produce a soft towel; "you're a bit of a mess; we don't want people figuring out what we've been doing, do we?" Salde purrred as he rubbed, cleaning between her legs; her fur was still a little damp, but maybe, just maybe that could be excused as sweat... Harness in hand, she bent to kiss Hinoki goodbye, and then without a word, she was gone.

Hinoki looked out the window, watching the Ermine's ass sway, until she rounded the corner, and was gone. With a sigh, he looked at the forward wall of the cab and growled "Home, James..."

Tanj sighed and shook her head; "the problem, Zassa, is that while the beggar might hear all sorts of interesting snippets, his "access" is completely random. It depends on him being in the right place at the right time. And Hinoki's friend, the Raccoon, just isn't "established" enough yet. Either one MIGHT be a significant intelligence source, but I still think we could use something a little more... "mainstream." The Vixen nodded; "so you want to go visit this "Miss Kitty's" and see what they might be able to do?" The Cheetah nodded; "Yeah... call it a hunch... feminine intuition. I admit it would be the most open recruitment yet, but if it were to work, it might provide us with the best source of information." Tanj smiled; "lets face it; folks like that are VERY mercenary; as long as we're offering enough money, there shouldn't be any trouble at all..." The Vixen just frowned; "um..."

The dress was barely within the social standards of the station, and as such, Tanj drew both appreciative and disapproving looks as she made her way across the station, to the "strip". During the day, the station was busy, but as she entered the entertainment district, the crowds fell off, until it seemed only delivery and cleaning furrs were about. Stopping in front of the establishment marked by glare panels as "Miss Kitty's" Tanj came to a stop. There, hanging from a hook over the door was Salde... at least she THOUGHT it was Salde...

The Ermine was in a strict hogtie position, her legs pulled up behind her back, her arms tied so tight her elbows touched, her wrists lashed half-way between ankles and knees. A chain ran from her bindings to the ceiling, holding her a little over a meter and a half off the floor. Her head was covered with a slave hood, cutting off all sight and sound, and probably making it a little difficult for her to breathe as well. The strap that passed between her thighs obviously holding a large butt-plug and a larger dildo in place. And from a pair of rather wicked looking nipple clamps dangled a sign that read "Closed for Business."

Tanj watched the Ermine slowly twist, in her suspension bondage and hmmmmed. Did Hinoki's little trick result in this punishment? Or had something else happened? And what could close an establishment like this? Yes, this wasn't quite the peak of the business day for places like this, but all the other establishments on the strip were open... Curious, Tanj moved past the Ermine, to try the door. As she suspected, it was locked.

The alleyway was narrow, and dimly lit. Tanj moved towards the back of Miss Kitty's, thinking that if the bar was closed, it might be the perfect time to discuss her proposal with the proprietor... If she could just get in. Besides, the question as to WHY the place would be closed was bothering her. It was obvious to her that Miss Kitty had a tendency to be a little rough with her slaves, and the Cheetah feared what she might find on the other side of the wall... As suspected there WAS a back door, but it too was locked. Knocking discretely on the door produced no results. Looking about, Tanj found no other doors, or windows, but there WAS a rather large ventilation grille about four feet off the floor. Frowning she wondered why the building wasn't hooked into the station's HVAC system... Stepping closer, she examined the grille; not unsurprisingly, it popped right off in her hands. It was almost as if she was being invited to break in... "Its just GOTTA be a trap" the Cheetah mumbled to herself; then a wry grin formed on her face; "but I bet I'd get to meet the owner..." Smiling to herself, she moved off down the alleyway to find a comm terminal.

"Tanj, have you lost your mind?" Wanda stared at the image of the Cheetah on the monitor; "Maybe, Wanda, but I've just got this... "itch"... I'm going to do it despite the thought that it might not be the smartest thing to do. I can't just SIT here any longer, waiting for someone who may or may not show up; I've got to DO something! I've swallowed the tracer; you should be able to find me if I don't report back in a few hours..." The Wolverine lass shook her head; "Dammit, Tanj, I wish you wouldn't!" The image of the Cheetah smiled; "Love you too, Wanda." And then the image faded and was gone...

Behind the Wolverine, Kath sighed and shook her head; "well, just in case things don't go as per her rather optimistic assumptions, there ARE a few things we can do to prepare for the worst." Wanda just turned and looked at her pet; "such as call the local undertaker?" Kath shook her head, and with a grin, padded off, to return a moment later with two cloaks and her leash; "Mistress needs to take me for a walk..."

Tanj pulled the grating off the ventilation duct, and looked inside; it seemed to be clean, and unreasonably wide. Inviting. With a shrug she climbed up into it, twisting to reach down, to fetch the grate, to pull it up, and to snap it back into place. Turning, she crawled a couple of body lengths before an almost silent clack made her pause. Backing up, she pushed lightly against the grate; it didn't move. Rolling onto her back, bracing herself, and kicking with both feet didn't budge it. With a sigh, she looked at the grate and shook her head; "I hate it when I'm right..."

Wanda slowed, until the leash went taut... Kath, who was actually a few steps ahead of her, looked back over her shoulder. "Kath... are we going where I THINK we're going?" The Mink turned and moved back, to face the Wolverine lass; putting both paws on Wanda's shoulders, ignoring the fact that her cloak fell open as she did so, revealing that she wasn't wearing a stitch underneath, she looked into her Mistress' eyes. "Mistress, do you Love me?" Wanda blinked, and then after a moment, she nodded, her eyes wary. Kath smiled; "Mistress, do you TRUST me? Do you trust me not only not to do you intentional harm, but to protect your interests as well?" Wanda swallowed, looked from her pet to the doorway and back, and finally gave another miniscule nod. Kath beamed; "then lets go in there together. Stand straight, look firm, and follow my lead. If Tanj has gotten herself in trouble like I think she has, she'll need help, and I know JUST where to find it...

The duct had narrowed alarmingly. Worse, sharp projections, the pointy end of sheet metal screws, longer than she would have thought necessary, were slowly shredding her dress. Somewhere near an air mover, some magnetic field, possibly from a motor, but more likely something built into the "trap" had snatched away everything she had made of ferrous metal. Not that this had left her "unarmed"... But the way her dress was being slowly shredded meant that hanging onto all the little items was becoming more and more difficult...

The officer behind the desk stared open-mouthed. Kath ignored him, pressing her face to the retinal scanner. After a moment, she could see the green light reflected on the Marmoset's face. "I assume that I'm cleared for entry?" The Marmoset blinked, and as if awakening from a dream, dropped his gaze to the screen built into the counter top. The double-take was classic as his gaze rose to stare at the Mink on the end of the Wolverine's leash, and then back down to the data displayed. Sure enough, the screen background color was green, indicating that she was in the database as a member of Imperial Security. Worse, her rank was... well, if not truly impressive, then at least high enough so that it really wouldn't be prudent to ASK her about the strange image she presented. Nodding, swallowing, he pressed his thumb to the special button. After taking a moment to analyze his thumb print, the computer turned off the active and passive security measures and a door opened. Kath smiled coldly and turned, literally dragging Wanda behind her.

Tanj yelped as the ductwork suddenly gave way. The room she fell into was almost completely dark, and as the ductwork and broken ceiling tiles hit the hard metal floor, the darkness was filled with stars... After a moment however, Tanj was able to crawl free, and rise painfully to her feet. For a long time she remained still, waiting to see if anyone would come looking, investigating the crash. Finally she rose; looking around, squinting, she fumbled in the remains of her dress for the penlight that had been sewn into one hem...

The Wolf looked up from the internal security monitor, at the Chief of Station. While the elderly Badger wasn't his nominal superior, he did out-rank him, and as such, had to be dealt with carefully. "So what's your wild card doing now?" The Wolf looked back down at the monitor, where Kath was arguing with a supply Sergeant. "I honestly don't know. The very fact that she's here, during the day, AND accompanied, suggests that something major has happened. And the fact that she hasn't informed ME suggests that its either something she's not sure of, or something that she wants us "out of the loop" on, even if we DO know she's up to something." "Maybe she's just lost it... From her file, it seems she's gotten more than a little "strange" lately..." The Wolf nodded; "Perhaps... but I don't think so. For the moment, I'm inclined to let her have her head. If she proves to be working in our best interests, that will go a long way towards reassuring Command that leaving her in place was a wise choice. On the other hand, if it turns out to be something... frivolous, well, it would be well we knew now." The Badger nodded; "its your neck..."

Tanj looked around, in the dim light of her penlight. The magnetic field probably hadn't done too much good for the power cell, as it should have been brighter. Still, it was bright enough to show her that she'd fallen in between a row of cages. Each cage held one or two bound slaves, some male, some female. They wore body harnesses, in leather and steel, with their wrists bound at their hips. Each wore a visor that covered their eyes, and Tanj smiled; she'd worn one like that at the academy; it let you see only a thin sliver of light, between your cheek and the bottom of the visor. Coupled with a posture collar, holding the head erect, you would only be able to see just in front of your feet, just enough to walk at the end of a leash without stumbling. They might know she was here, but they couldn't see her... Each slave also wore a device in their mouths, that held their lips partially open, like a slightly less severe ring gag. If she was going to talk to one of them, she'd have to open one of the cages and release them from their bondage. Fumbling in the remnants of her dress, she went looking for the lock pick... Only to find it gone, her dress torn to shreds in that area. With a sigh, she turned to look at the cage nearest her, only to find that the door had no lock, just a simple bolt. A simple bolt that a bound slave could never manage to open. Smiling, she bent to unlock the door...

Kath struggled under the load of two large bundles, each tied up with string so that she could carry one in each hand. Wanda again trailed at the end of the leash, hurrying to keep up with the Mink. She STILL found it hard to believe that she'd just made it into, and out of the Imperial Security offices on Gibralter base, without being challenged or checked. They'd made their way in, and out, obtained supplies, I.D.'s, even weapons, ALL just on her say-so... And she still didn't know just what her erstwhile "Pet" had in mind...

The bunny blinked in the dim light as Tanj removed the visor. For a moment she worked her jaws, as Tanj examined the "gag." "Its made so that you can get food, and water from those" the Bunny whispered, pointing with her chin; there, protruding through the bars of the cage, were two phallic shapes; one was attached to a water bottle, the other was attached to a machine that might have delivered a food paste... Tanj nodded; "I wonder if you might answer some questions..." The Bunny looked up; "you don't work for Mistress? No, you'd know about the cells then... Not one of her... "guests"?" Tanj smiled and shook her head; "I'm here to make your Mistress a business proposition, but I thought it might be... prudent to find out a little more about her operation before approaching her..." The Bunny just nodded...

Hinoki scowled, fingering the black cloth. Looking up, he fixed Kath with a piercing glare; "where did you GET these? Do you know how much trouble we could get into if we were caught in these? If we were just caught WITH these? They wouldn't have to know we were with the Brethren! This'd be all they'd need to send us to the ice mines on Kessel!" Kath opened her mouth, whether to deny, or to explain wasn't clear later; everyone's train of thought was disrailed when Zassa held the black uniform up to her front and grinned; "I think I'm going to look absolutely Stunning in this. Waitrighthere, Igottagotrythison! As the Vixen hurried out, everyone else just groaned.

The Bunny rocked her whole torso up and down, making her breasts bounce; as with the posture collar she couldn't nod her head, this was the equivalent of a "yes." "Yes, mistress" she whispered; "Mistress often leases us out to various dignitaries. In fact, we're frequently sent to "parties" off the station. Once, I was taken all the way to Hanson's Pleasure Planet, just for a party... " Tanj frowned; "why would they send you THERE? I'd think they'd have more than enough highly trained slaves THERE?... Are they sending you there to "service" certain ... "individuals"?" Shaking her chest side to side, making her breasts wobble, in what could ohnly be a "no", the Bunny closed her eyes and shuddered; "Oh, no, Mistress! The point is not the party, or the furrs, but the trip, you see... But we're not supposed to talk about that." Tanj frowned...

When the metallic sound of the kennel's door opening rang through the chamber, Tanj straightened, only to hit her head on the cage's low ceiling. She was still wincing when the lights came on, and a voice growled "well Looky here; we got ourselves a slave trying to escape!"

Tanj growled, and bolted from the cage, ramming the guard in the stomach with her head; he toppled backwards into the bars of the cage on the opposite side of the row. With a growl he stood up, shaking loose a thick bullwhip from his belt. Tanj eeped and back-pedaled, spread her paws; "Look Mister, I'm NOT one of your slaves! I'm here to see yo... EYOWCH! The snap of the bullwhip was loud, but the explosion of pain it brought was staggering. For a moment, Tanj wobbled on her feet, and then with a growl she launched herself at the guard, the ceramic push-dagger in her right paw. Concentrating on the guard, as he brought his whip back for another stroke, she never saw the electric blue sizzle as the second guard brought the stunner down on the back of her neck.

Kath was straightening her tie when Wanda stuck her head through the hatchway; "You called it right. The tracer she swallowed was showing extremely high levels of stomach acid, right up until the point where it blipped out." Kath sighed and nodded; "I bet they hit her with a stunner of some sort. Big electrical discharges tend to fry little things like that." Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she grabbed the peaked cap and stepped out into the corridor. Striding down the hall to the Wardroom, she growled at Hinoki; "Time to suit up, Mister; the Captain's in Trouble!"

Tanj groaned, and shook her head; blinking, she looked around, as much as she was able. The room was much larger, and lighter... in fact, she seemed to be in the middle of a club's dance floor... locked into a pair of stocks. Her feet were held in metal rings, spread slightly beyond shoulder- width, with her torso bent at the waist, head and wrists locked in a classic set of stocks. Her tail seemed to be tied to the metal above her neck, as she could move it from side to side, but not down. Blinking, she tried to focus...

The slap on her bottom made Tanj try to turn her head, left, and then right; there was no way she could see behind her. The second slap made her yelp. Then someone was leaning over her body; she could sense the closeness, feel the warmth, the furr's scent filling her nostrils. "I know you're not one of my slaves" a deep contralto purrred. "We checked the tapes on the security cameras; its not everyone who tries to break into Miss Kitty's... Tell me, little Cheetah; what were you after? Were you after money? Slaves? Are you an assassin, come to try and kill me? Why are you here?" Tanj cleared her throat, eyes darting from side to side, still trying to catch a glimpse of the owner of the voice; "Um, well, actually, I'd come to make you a business proposition. Thought with the bar closed, it'd be the best time to speak to you in private..." The contralto voice laughed, moving away slightly; "Oh, that's Rich! That's one I haven't heard before!" Suddenly the voice was whispering in her ear again; "but I don't need any partners; don't need any complications. I suspect I could make more money selling the Infamous "Tanj" as a slave, than I could from any "business venture" you might offer..." Suddenly the voice was more distant, the owner straightening, moving away; "besides, I doubt that's what you're really after. The timing is just too much a coincidence... I don't know why you're really here, but Bruno will get it out of you, in time." Behind her, Tanj heard the guard chuckle, the bullwhip slither across the floor, and then the sharp snap as he cracked it just over her head...

"Will you HURRY UP?" Hinoki looked through the visor at the black-clad Mink; it was as if by donning the uniform, she'd pulled on a whole new persona, and he wasn't sure he liked what he was seeing... Hitting the switch with his chin, the Cheetah growled; "Listen, Kath, the preflight on these things isn't done in an instant. You don't just kick-start a fusion reactor! I'm moving as fast as I can!" Kath scowled at a wrist chrono and shook her head; "The longer you take, the worse its likely to be for the Captain. Get a MOVE ON, Mister!"

Tanj panted, her rump and back on fire. The Guard had been generous with the whip, but so far he hadn't let the very tip, which can actually move faster than the speed of sound, touch her. That could have caused severe internal injuries. So far it seemed he'd been walking that fine line between actually breaking the skin, while still delivering as much pain as he could... One portion of her mind grudgingly admitted, he really was a maestro with it... Closing her eyes, she bit her lower lip as someone moved behind her, the head of someone's cock nuzzling against her anus...

Kath marveled at how furrs seemed to move out of her way as they moved through the station; the powered combat armor was simply too big to get into any vehicle, so they had to walk. She felt like she was on parade. "Oh, well" she thought to herself; "The only time I actually WORE my uniform was when I WAS on parade, or at certain ceremonies..." And while the uniform she was wearing wasn't her own, it was close enough...

Miss Kitty listened to the Cheetah fem howl, as Rupert took her in the ass, unlubricated. Her guards had a way of breaking recalcitrant slaves, and she was sure they'd break this one in record time. She'd offered them a big enough bonus. Smiling, she turned back to her senior guard; "the group from the Botsworth affair have been back almost twelve hours now; they should be passing their "cargo" shortly. Is everything going correctly?" The Bobcat chuckled; "Yes, ma'am; no signs of any of the packets rupturing. I've put a mild laxative in their food, and that should hasten the, ah, "delivery." Miss Kitty nodded; "Good; I have a number of buyers that will be coming by later this evening. I want to move this shipment as soon as possible...

Tanj grunted, as the creature behind her bucked his hips harder, his orgasm obviously approaching. She wasn't exactly enjoying herself, but she'd been through worse, and it beat being whipped... The whispered conversation had been on the bare range of her hearing and only confirmed what she'd suspected. The Slaves were being used as "mules", smuggling something onto the station, by ingesting it first, and "passing" it later. It was a risky business, as if drugs were involved, a ruptured package would most likely kill the mule... but if the profits were high enough, slaves were expendable. And Tanj couldn't think of anything that was high-value-low-volume like drugs...

Imperial combat armor isn't exactly rare on Gibraltar station, but then again, its not often seen on the Promenade. Its even less common for a suit of Imperial Combat Armor to be seen in the entertainment district, on the Strip, entering a bar. The locked door didn't slow Hinoki down much at all, the bulk of the armor enlarging the opening considerably. Wanda, Kath, and Zassa in Imperial uniform moved in right behind him, weapons at the ready. The bar was comparatively dark, with the exception of a single spotlight on the middle of the dance floor... and in that spotlight was a very tightly bound Tanj... and behind her was a rather large Bear, with a bullwhip, his arm back, ready to strike...

Hinoki turned, his right arm coming up, the plasma gun lining up on the Bear. The Bear, for his part, stared, eyes wide, mouth open. His fingers seemed to convulse, the whip handle dropping from his grip, to clatter on the floor, although his posture didn't move a millimeter.

Everyone's attention was on the Bear and the scene in the spotlight; the flare of a laser came as a surprise as its beam seared across the front of the powered armor. Hinoki reacted rapidly, moving like a gunslinger, his torso twisting, the plasma gun flaring solar bright. Just as he fired, a dark figure across the room launched itself to one side with a howl. The crouching Bobcat was incinerated, the remnants of the bolt tearing through the far wall.

"STOP THIS!" the cry only served to draw the attention of Kath, Wanda and Zassa, their assault weapons drawing a bead on a well dressed Serval as she picked herself up off the floor. "Dammit, I pay GOOD MONEY to make sure we're left ALONE! YOU WILL ALL PAY for this!" Kath had just opened her mouth to reply when a deep growl came from the doorway; "What in Pathan's Seventh Hell is going ON here?"

Imperial Security generally instills a certain level of ... "concern" in most law-abiding furs, and downright fear in others, and the Fox, in Imperial Gray standing in the doorway should have made most folks reflect over their recent actions, wondering if they'd broken any law, by accident, or intention. However, Kath turned and strode over to him as if he were an errant school child; "Captain, this is an Imperial Intelligence operation; I'll thank you to butt out, until your presence is requested!" The Fox examined the proffered I.D. critically, his ears folding back as he realized just WHO he was dealing with. He had opened his mouth to reply, a look of forced indignation apparent on his face, when Tanj cleared her throat; "Um, actually, I think it's a good thing he IS here..."

Tanj sat gingerly on a cushion, a blanket wrapped around her body; "So you see, Captain, this establishment is really only a cover for a rather sophisticated smuggling operation, one that's been operating right under your nose. I'm not sure Just what drug they're smuggling, but I'd hazard a guess at Ecstasy III." The Fox nodded, looking up from his notebook; "and you say all I have to do is to wait for the slaves in the kennels to, ah, "move their bowels" to collect the evidence?" Tanj smiled and nodded; "I believe some have already "delivered" their cargo; some are still, um, "holding", but in general, that's all. Oh, that and keep whoever she's been paying off from interfering." The Fox stiffened; "Believe me, Madam, if ANYONE has on this station has been paid off, we WILL get to the bottom of it. Now, perhaps you could clear up one last little question?" Tanj smiled and shrugged; "maybe. Depends on the question." The Fox blinked, as if furrs not giving him their most complete cooperation was something completely outside his experience; "Um... Yes... Just what WERE you doing here? What is your interest in the... Activities of this establishment? Tanj just smiled and looked at the Mink; "That IS an interesting question. Lets just say that my activities here fit into a much larger puzzle, some pieces of which I haven't put into place yet." Kath cleared her throat, breaking eye contact with the Cheetah; "Lets just say, Captain, that some things need to remain classified." The Fox, not missing the exchange between the two, even if he didn't completely understand it, just nodded; "well, you understand that I WILL have to report this to my superiors..." both Kath and Tanj just nodded.

With the blanket still wrapped around her, and the comforting bulk of Hinoki in the powered combat armor right behind her, Tanj padded through the ruined doorway. For a moment she wondered what had become of Salde, and where she might be right now. She hoped she wasn't hanging there when Hinoki made his entrance... Quite a crowd had gathered on the Strip, held back by a line of gray-uniformed security troops. Kath slung her weapon and growled; "OK, lets get back to the ship in the best order as possible." However, before she could take a step, Wanda put a paw on her arm, wordlessly pointing with the other paw. Kath followed her gaze, eyes narrowing, nodded, and then growled; "YOU!" Hinoki, hearing the shout, turned to look, actuators squealing. Within the crowd, a furr blanched as the powered armor turned, seemingly to point right at him. Without hesitation, he turned and fled, and throughout the crowd, at least four others started moving away, as quickly as possible. Not knowing which one to pursue, or even if they SHOULD pursue, the small group all stood for a minute in indecision.

The Fox was at Kath's elbow in a moment, his eyes following the fleeing fur; "Problem, Ma'am? Kath growled; "Slyth gang members; we've had some small trouble with them..." The Captain raised an eyebrow; "Oh? Well, I'm sure we have them on the security monitors; we'll track them down for you, if you like." Kath just smiled, and nodded; "that would please me, Captain." Turning, she pushed through the crowd, Wanda, Zassa, Tanj and Hinoki following in a small parade...

The Wardroom was a welcome relief. Tanj folded her blanket and then sat on it tenderly, no longer concerned over her nudity. The proffered cup of coffee was accepted from Hinoki with thanks. "Well, I'm glad THAT's over" the Cheetah Fem rumbled. Hinoki chuckled and shook his head; "well, Tanj, do you think you've sufficiently blown our cover, or should we take out adds in the local paper?" Tanj looked across the small room, fixed the Mink with her gaze and shook her head; "I think almost everyone out there thinks we're Imperial Intelligence right now. Except for some, who I think know the truth. And have known the truth since we arrived. The question is, how will it affect us? Kath, would you care to comment?"

The Mink was nude, hanging from a chain hoist in the cargo bay, her legs held wide apart by ropes to various different stanchions. Tanj, Hinoki, Zassa and Wanda were each crowded around her, each armed with at least one feather. The Mink giggled and howled, shuddering, her body near convulsing as they tickled her remorselessly. She'd long since lost control of her bladder, as the contents of a nearby bucket testified. Finally Tanj called a halt; "Lets hear it again, Kath. Once again. I want to make sure you're telling us the truth!" Kath took a moment to try and catch her breath, before whimpering "I told you the truth, Mistress! THEY contacted me! Oh, it was a MISTAKE to ever think I could come here! It wasn't my doing!..." Tanj sighed and looked over the Mink at Wanda, raising one eyebrow in a silent question. Wanda trailed the tip of her feather underneath the Mink's tail for a moment, making her whole body shudder, and then looked up at the Cheetah; "For what its worth, I believe her..." Tanj sighed and nodded; "OK, Kath, tell us again what they want from us..." The Mink nodded almost convulsively; "They just... Just want me to pass on anything interesting... That you find. They see you... Almost as... An Auxilliary... Source of Intellegence..." Tanj sighed and nodded; "I suspect I've simply gotten too good at this." Looking up again, lifting the Mink's chin with one hand, she stared into Kath's eyes; "Will they give us missions, or just be content with the tidbits we might offer? Will they try and blackmail us?" Kath sighed; "Don't know... If something grim enough came along, and we were in the right place, they might try and get us to do their dirty work... but if we give them quality information... enough information... the RIGHT information, they'll probably just leave us alone..." Tanj nodded slowly, and then growled; "and what are the chances that some day they might decide we know too much and just arrange for us to disappear?" The Mink shrugged, a difficult motion when hanging by your wrists; "possible, I suppose... the only way out there is to make sure we're too valuable to them, to loose..." Again the Cheetah nodded. After a long moment of looking into Kath's eyes, Tanj smiled; "OK, so that's the downside. We've already seen a little of the benefits, and for that I DO thank you. Now, what ELSE might they bring to the table; what resources might they give us?"

Walt! WALT!" The Gerbil looked up from his console at the agitated face of the Fox; "what is it, Sam? We bein' attacked?" Sam shook his head, shoving a data crystal at the Gerbil; "Tell everyone to hold their positions, and LOOK AT THIS! You wouldn't believe what just happened down on the Strip!" Walt opened his mike and growled; "all traffic, sector 23 through 47, hold position until further notice." Ignoring the flood of calls from various ship Captains, the Gerbil cleared his screen and inserted the data crystal into the reader. As the image of the ruined façade of Miss Kitty's formed, his eyes widened; there was the Mink... And the Vixen... And the Cheetah... the three ladies they'd "extorted" a night of pleasure out of... and two of the three were wearing Imperial Intelligence uniforms! "OH SHIT" was all he could squeak out... "Yeah" the Fox muttered; "It seems Miss Kitty's was a front for smuggling. They found Ecstasy III, Parabaraboline, and PseudoEphedarine. Enough stuff to keep the whole station high for a month!" From behind them, the Jaguar growled; "Miss Kitty's? I was there just a few nights ago! DAMN! Say, is that the Cheetah fem that damn near fucked me to death?" Sam and Walt just turned to look at their boss; in concert, they both uttered "Uh HUH!"

The Badger looked at the Wolf standing at attention before his desk, the Wolf's smirk making his stomach churn; "and I suppose you and your section are going to claim credit for this little escapade?" The Wolf's grin widened; "Sir, Yes SIR! She IS after all, one of my agents. The staff at Miss Kitty's are all singing like canaries; the slaves themselves have been MOST helpful in identifying the contacts that passed the drugs on to them. We have operations in progress on Aramac, Norseman, Bourke, and Grafton at this moment as we try to follow the supply chain. With luck we'll be able to follow it all the way back to the manufacturing sites." Slowly the Badger rose to his feet; "and of course, the fact that you've made me look like an idiot is completely incidental..." The Wolf just shrugged; "Sir, with all due respect, the place WAS operating right under your nose..." The Badger just nodded, and shook his head; "Get out. And if those... PIRATES cause any more disruption on this station, there had better be a DAMN good reason!" The wolf saluted, turned and marched from the Badger's office. As soon as he was clear of the anteroom, his smile faded. The Mink pulled it out this time, but he STILL thought she was a loose cannon. She'd have to be watched VERY carefully...

Hinoki smiled as he meandered through the door to Harriet's shop. The Raccoon finished her discussions with a customer and then turned to grin at Hinoki; "and what wonders have you brought me today?" Smiling, leaning across the counter, the Cheetah gave the Raccoon fem a long, and sensual kiss. After a moment he pulled back and grinned at her; "I heard one of the more prominent establishments down on the Strip just went belly-up. I was wondering if you'd like to take over the lease. Of course it needs some work, but..." Harriet's eyes went wide; "I HEARD! Miss Kitti's was the ONLY competition we'd face on this station! Hinoki chuckled and shrugged; "Hey, I work for some powerful furrs; they can make things happen." Harriet's eyes widened a little more; "You... you mean you caused that? How in the WORLD did you arrange it? Hinoki just chuckled; "weren't you watching the vids? Didn't you see who was there at the bust?" Harriet blinked; "um, well, I half watched it... Hey, was the Cheetah lady in the blanket your Captain? Hinoki laughed; "yes, and I was the one in the powered armor." Harriet shook her head, taking a half step back from the counter; "But ... But I thought that was an Imperial Intelligence Operation; there were black uniforms Everywhere there!" Hinoki smiled; actually there had been only three, but they must have stood out in all that gray... "Actually, in this instance, Imperial Intelligence was working for us... Now, before anyone else gathers their wits, why don't you run down there and see if you can't put in a bid on the lease, and the property. They had a pretty good stable of slaves from what I've been told." Harriet sighed; "the lease I might arrange, but the property? That's probably beyond me." Hinoki just chuckled and reaching into a pocket, produced three credit chips, placing them in a line on the counter. "Thought that might be a problem. Remember, we'll be your SILENT partner, but just don't forget who owns the store..." Harriet grinned and snatched up the three chips, leaned over the bar to kiss the Cheetah on the nose, and hurried out the door, almost at a run.

Hinoki chuckled as he watched the Raccoon's shapely ass move as she hurried off; "don't worry" he muttered softly, "I'll lock up..."

Harriet was half way to the Security office to place her bid when it hit her... "Imperial Intelligence was working for THEM? Who the hell ARE these guys?"

The Wolf propped his feet on the corner of the desk in his borrowed cubicle and grinned at his assistant; "Yeah, there's no question that at some point this audacious upstart will have to be disciplined..." The Ferret looked at her boss and raised an eyebrow; "do you mean Kath, or this Sou An Ky, this "Tanj" person?" The Wolf smiled; "both, actually. Still, Kath did protect our investment in this situation... She acted audaciously, and without permission, but on the other hand, she did bring us an unexpected triumph, so maybe, just maybe she can be excused... This time. This group we're going to have to watch VERY carefully..." The Ferret just nodded...

The undercurrent of conversation on the bridge was running just a little louder than usual, and the Jaguar was noticing a number of guarded looks being flashed his way. Something was up, and his curiosity was growing. So was his annoyance. The bridge of an Imperial battlecruiser was supposed to be a place of order and control, not a pit of gossip, even if they were docked. When a fit of hushed giggling erupted behind him, he rose from his command chair, to padd over in that direction.

Sylvia gulped as the Captain rose and headed in her direction; she hadn't meant to be that loud... Holding herself rigid, she stared at her sensor screen, the information completely redundant and unnecessary with the ship docked... As the shadow fell over her, she gulped.

"Is there something, Specialist, that you'd like to share with me?" Sylvia looked up at the Captain's growl, eyes wide... "Um... sorry sir, didn't mean to disturb you... Its... Well, Sir, the whole ship is talking about your lady friend." The Jaguar straightened; somehow everyone on the ship seemed to know about that incident at the nightclub... what was its name? Saucilito's?" While it had enhanced his reputation in some respects, he was finding it to be a bit of an annoyance in others. Before he could frame a suitable rebuke, the specialist went on; "its just, Sir, that we should have KNOWN anyone you'd associate with in, ah, such a manner, would be more highly placed than a mere freighter Captain! We certainly ARE impressed, Sir!"

The Jaguar blinked; "what's wrong with associating with a ... What the HELL are you talking about?" Sylvia blinked; could it be he didn't KNOW? "Why, Sir, the Imperial Intelligence raid down on the Strip! Your lady friend was right in the middle of it! It was on all the vids!"

The Jaguar stared at the small screen built into his command chair; it hadn't taken the ship's computer more than a few nanoseconds to search out the vid clip of the event, as reported on all the news channels. There was the Cheetah, and it certainly looked like Tanj... And the Wolverine lady who'd kept the ... the Mink in an Imperial Intellegence Major's uniform on a chain? And there was the flame-hued Vixen... As the vid clip ended, he closed the file and sat back in his chair; who WAS she? How in the hell had a simple Freighter Captain gotten involved in something like THAT? How had her crew wound up in Imperial Intelligence uniforms? WHO WAS SHE? Sitting back in his command chair, the Jaguar sighed; whatever had happened that night at Saucilito's had been more than a one night stand; whoever she was, he wanted to see her again... But now he had even more questions.

Tanj sat at the comm console. The report was a difficult one to write, but finally it was complete. She'd told her boss, the old Fox who ran the Brethren's Intelligence Operation the whole story, from finding the bound slave blindly wandering the halls of the station, to her ridiculous attack of curiosity regarding the closed bar, to her capture, to Kath's assault. She'd added her opinions that they might now be compromised, and might now be a liability to the Brethren. She also speculated on how they might be able to turn it to their advantage, and boldly proposed a way to find out. And she'd copied her Master. Feeling as if somehow she'd betrayed those she loved, she reluctantly reached out and hit the "transmit" key...

The Wolverine lowered himself into the visitor's chair, and for a long moment merely stared at Onegin. After a few moments, the object of his attention squirmed. It was just the moment Xyloff was waiting for; "In our... "association" I believe we've come to know each other reasonably well" he began, his tone smooth and unctuous. Onegin swallowed and nodded. Indeed, the Wolverine had gotten him power, and wealth, and many comforts. For a moment he thought of the naked slave kneeling in his bedroom... many comforts. But he'd also demanded absolute obedience. The carefree days as a pirate rogue were long gone. And probably irretrievable. Having given Onegin a moment to reflect, the Wolverine went on; "now, our greatest battle lies before us, and I'm not necessarily talking about the fall of the Elysium government." Onegin blinked; "but... the final offensive..." The Wolverine just smiled, a disturbing display of teeth. "What I'm talking about is what comes AFTER the final offensive." Leaning forward, leaning across the desk, Xyloff smiled; "I'm talking about making sure that when its all over, that WE wind up with control. Control of the Planet. Control of the system. Control of EVERYTHING." Sitting back, the Wolverine looked at the surprised Onegin; "that's right, Comrade. Everything."

Onegin shook his head; "but... the Blues are a formidable presence. They're not just going to... "go away"... and the Pirates, the Brethren, they outnumber us in ships, both quantity and quality..." Zyloff smiled; "Oh, I've got PLANS for the Blues. And for the Brethren. Especially for the Brethren. And that, My Dear Onegin, is where you come in. Do it right, and you will command the most powerful force in the sector, second only to the Imperium. Do it right and you will have fame and fortune beyond your dreams..."

The conference room didn't hold all the key officers of the People's Space Navy. Not all the ship captains were there... but the ones that WERE there were the ones Onegin knew he could rely on. The ones that didn't worry so much about the dielectic, or the party line, but instead, like him, were in it for the loot. Or the Power. Or the Thrill. Smiling at them, he cleared his throat; once the room had fell silent, he rose, to tell them how they were going to help take control of the Reds; of how, in the Final Offensive, they'd eliminate the Blues as a serious military force... and of how they would get rid of the Brethren once and for all, and in the process all become incredibly rich... As he spoke, his audience stared at him in rapt attention.

Carr looked at the orders and shook his head; turning he padded across the bridge to his Captain; "Comrade Captain, I have to admit, I don't know what Comrade Quistling is up to, but we have new orders..." the Captain took the message flimsy, and scanned it. His head nodded up and down as he looked from the message to the tactical display and back; "This would put us..." "Yes, Comrade Captain; in the middle of nowhere, way out on the fringe. We would be light minutes from any jump point... Possibly light hours from ANY possible battle." The Captain sighed; "Far be it from me to question the orders of the Chairman, but it certainly looks like this might take us out of any portion of the fight." Carr nodded; "We're going to miss the Final Offensive..."

Xyloff smiled as he watched the messages come in; almost every ship was questioning their orders; some circumferentially, others more directly. Looking up, he grinned at Onegin; "you see? Its all working just as I foresaw. Some are openly questioning Quistling's leadership; some of the bolder, or possibly the more stupid ones, are even calling him a coward! When I issue the orders to bring them into the fight, especially after a long term of picket duty in the middle of nowhere, after a long term of No Booty, they'll swing their support from him to me; he'll be a cinch to oust!" Onegin nodded slowly; "but of course, something similar will have to be done with the ground forces..." Xyloff smiled "ah, that's even easier..."

Tanj looked up from her comm console, as Hinoki led the Wolf onto the flight deck. For an instant she was tempted to glance about the flight deck, to make sure that some of the multi-function displays were not showing weapons status, or sensor readings... But then she figured this guy knew who they were anyways... Pushing back from the console she regarded the two coldly; "you know, if you keep coming here like this, we might have problems. Its almost a certainty that we're being watched and watched closely by Imperial Intelligence now..." Hinoki chuckled; "Aw, Skipper, he's just here to "check on a charter"... And besides, we've got a great new cover for his reporting in. Harriet won the bid on Miss Kitty's lease. She's going to start her new club there. Our friend can easily check in there, with no one the wiser!" Tanj frowned for a moment, just for effect, and then nodded; "Yes... That might work out well... but it ties the two together. Sometimes ALL hints of association have to be shunned." The Wolf leaned on his walking stick and smiled softly; "Ah, but if I go everywhere, and talk to everyone, how will they ever separate out which might be "business associates" and which just casual acquaintances?" Tanj sighed and nodded, thinking this guy should get a quick tutorial on fieldcraft, somehow. Looking up, she made an off-hand gesture; "so what do you have?" The Wolf smiled; "Ah, the other night I was in an alley in the residential section, supposedly pawing through the trash, and I overheard the most interesting conversation between two lovers. One was a clerk in the Imperial Fleet's headquarters here, and her lover was on one of the Cruisers. It seems that they're being ordered..."

Tanj looked over her hastily scrawled notes. The Wolf had acquired a significant amount of information in a very short time... And that made her wary. Or was she just paranoid, given the incident with Kath? Encoding the information into a message, she attached a note outlining her misgivings, and sent it off to her boss... Sitting back, she crossed her arms behind her head and wondered how best to check out the quality of this information. If they WERE playing her, they'd feed her high quality stuff, until she felt confident of her source...

Zassa stuck her head through the door to the flight deck, and blinked at the scowling Cheetah; "Tanj! What are you doing still here?" Tanj straightened up in her station chair and turned to look at the Vixen; "Um... Just thinking. Why? Where SHOULD I be?" Zassa chuckled; "you should be getting ready! We're all going out to check out "the competition" for Harriet. We're going to meet at her new place, help Hinoki take some measurements, and then we're going to go hit all the neighboring clubs and bars!" Tanj chuckled; "I really should stay here in case that guy tries to contact us..." Zassa crossed her arms under her breasts and shook her head; "Oh, no you don't; if he wants to contact us, he can leave a message! YOU, girl, are coming with us!"

Tanj studied herself in the mirror, and made a face, trying to adjust the drape of her "dress"... She'd taken some of the cloth they'd found, that stuck to fur as if it were velcro; it draped over her left shoulder, a small tail hanging down her back; as it passed over her shoulder, it swept to the right, to cover her breasts; from there it descended to her right hip, sweeping around her waist, almost coming around to touch itself, as it descended down her front. It LOOKED as if it should fall off her, leaving her naked, but if anything, its grip was too tenacious. She had to tug hard to get it to come free, so she could try and adjust it. "Oh, Come ON, Tanj" the Vixen growled from the doorway; "The Night's a'wastin'!"

At the lock, Wanda stood, covered from head to toe in her cloak; however, her left paw held two leashes; by her, two forms, also covered in cloaks, knelt. One was obviously Kath, her tail evident, peeking from under the hem of her garment. The other one, a larger form, seemed to have no face. Bending, Tanj looked at the hooded form. "Thought we'd give Harriet this one as a housewarming gift" Hinoki chuckled from behind her. Rising, Tanj turned to look at him. "We think we've got the training as complete as we can" the male Cheetah rumbled; "he's been given the standard post-hypnotic commands; that's why he's hooded." Tanj nodded, remembering; "when the hood comes off, the first one he sees is the one he'll accept as his master, or mistress." Hinoki just nodded; "we thought it might be a visible signal to the gangs on the station, that Harriet's under our protection, and that those that mess with us can wind up like him, or worse." Tanj frowned; "that... might work. Still, it makes us much more "visible" than I'm happy with. I'd rather everyone here forgot about us." Wanda chuckled; "after yesterday, I DOUBT that's going to happen..."

The door to the former "Miss Kitty's" had been crudely repaired; it would be enough to keep the curious out, but probably wouldn't stand up to a professional thief. For the moment, however, there wasn't much to see inside the club. Harriet had won the bid on the lease, and on some of the slaves, but a lot of the furnishings, and other items had gone to other bidders. Hinoki led the Lynx over to where Harriet was talking with two other furrs, while the others looked around. Tanj found herself wandering over to the center of the "dance floor", the stocks missing, but the scents, and the memories lingering. Laughter made her turn her head; Harriet was lightly holding the Lynx's leash as he knelt, still hooded, before her. "Thanks, Stud, I'll, ah, put him in the kennels for now, and "unwrap" my present later. Now, what about those measurements you needed? I thought we'd set up your gizmo in the larger of the back rooms..." Tanj watched as Harriet, and Hinoki, and one of the other furrs moved off, through a doorway, into the back of the club.

Zassa watched them go and then grinned at Tanj; "I'm going to go take a quick peek at the kennels; Want to see if Salde's there. Back in a minute!" Wanda chuckled and tugged on Kath's leash; "lets go with her, Pet; you never know what neat things they might have back there." Tanj watched as Zassa, Wanda and Kath also departed. Setting a chair upright, she took a seat, thinking that she'd already seen the kennels, and that she didn't need to go back. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by events, she settled down to wait.

"I have to admit, I didn't think I'd find you here. This club's scarcely the most lively spot on the strip at the moment." Tanj blinked and looked up, into the face of the Jaguar. The Jaguar she'd met in Saucalito's the other night. The one who commanded the Imperial Battlecruiser. "I know, the place isn't open, but the door was. Thought I'd stick my head in and see what was happening." Tanj chuckled; "Not much is happening. A friend is looking at opening her own club here, and some of my crew volunteered to help her. I'm just kinda... Waiting for them." The Jaguar smiled and picked up another of the overturned chairs; sitting backwards on it, leaning on the splintered back, arms crossed across its top, his chin resting on forearms, he grinned at the Cheetah Fem; "well, mind if I keep you company until they return?" Tanj just smiled; "not at all..."

Tanj smiled and shook her head; "no, no, it was nothing like that. The truth is, I kinda got wrapped up in this thing by accident. And I didn't even KNOW Kath was with Imperial Intelligence! Well, that's not completely true... Anyways, I was as surprised as anyone when they showed up like that." Tanj smiled and shook her head; the look on the Jaguar's face was classic; he didn't believe a word she was saying, even if it WAS the truth! "Um..." He mused; "I suppose you just broke into the place seeking some liquid refreshment, and thought this was a good way to avoid the bouncer?" Tanj's smile widened; "No..." She looked askance at him and then chuckled; taking his head in both paws, staring into his eyes she purrred; "Truth is, I'm head of field intelligence for a powerful Pirate clan, and I wanted to talk to Miss Kitty about her gathering local intelligence for me. Unfortunately I stumbled onto their little drug running ring, and that scotched the deal. Kath was planted on us by Imperial intelligence as a sleeper agent. She decided that it was more valuable for Imperial intelligence to keep us as a resource than it was to hide her true status, hence the rescue. Believe THAT one?" The Jaguar just chuckled and kissed Tanj on the nose; "You have an active imagination, I'll grant you that. Lady, I'm not sure just who you are, or what you are, but I am a profound believer in Occam's Razor." Tanj blinked; "the simplest explanation is most often the correct one?" The Jaguar nodded and smiled; "I think you're Kath's boss, which is why she came running like she did to your rescue. I think you are trying hard to keep anyone from knowing that; and that's all right. I can understand how in your line of work, a low profile works best. I think that's why you can walk around Gibralter station wearing a prohibited life form and no one tries to stop you." Tanj just sighed and shrugged; "Well, I tried..."

Zassa blinked from the doorway; had Tanj just told the Jaguar exactly who she was? What had she been thinking? What if he'd believed her? Shaking her head, she counted to ten and then strode through the door, thinking she'd best redirect the topic of conversation...

"So when you get this place up and running, do you think it'll be a safe place to send my crew?" Tanj just laughed; "probably safer than any other place on the strip; we have some... "innovative" new technology we're going to install here... It should go a long way towards satisfying anyone's sexual fantasies. And computers generally don't get mad, or take offense. They generally don't pry into your personal business, or even consider blackmail. And they don't transmit diseases." Zassa looked up as Harriet and Hinoki emerged from the back of the club; "but enough shop talk" the Vixen purrred; "I believe we're off to do the clubs along the strip..." Tanj looked over her shoulder and then rose; "all done?" Hinoki nodded; "Yup. Think we got the first installation all mapped out. If you can spare me tomorrow, I'll start moving the prototype rig over and setting it up. But that's tomorrow. Which place shall we hit first?" The Jaguar rose smoothly, and Tanj turned to him with a smile; "Would you care to join us?" The Jaguar smiled in return and nodded; "I'd be delighted."

As they strolled down the Strip, towards the club they'd decided on, Zassa pulled Kath back a little; "I'm a little worried about Tanj; not sure she's being... Professionally objective about this guy... Think we need to keep an eye on her." The Mink just nodded, her eyes shifting to watch the Jaguar.

The drink was fruity, and Tanj just knew it was going to be almost pure ethanol. Somehow, though, she just didn't care. The music had a beat that made her want to move to it, and the company was good... Smiling, she looked at the Jaguar and wondered what he'd just said; somehow it seemed to have slipped in one ear and out the other without impacting on her befuddled brain cells... As she gazed at him, unbidden thoughts of her master surfaced, and for a brief moment she wondered what she was doing with this guy. Oh, yeah, he was charming, and good looking, intelligent and considerate... But he just wasn't who she REALLY wanted to be with... Taking another sip of her drink she wondered if she'd invited him along with them, to solidify a relationship that might bring her additional intelligence, or if she just wanted... a Friend? A Lover? A Hug? Blinking hard, she turned and looked out over the crowd, wondering what had become of her crew.

Harriet grinned as she scanned the row of monitors over the bar; like Saucilito's, this place also had rooms where amorous couples could retire to. Here, however, the stakes were a little higher; every room was monitored, although masks were permitted, should someone feel shy. The patrons were invited to rate the "performances." The winner had their bar tab erased for the evening, at least until someone topped their score. It was performance art, pure and simple, and as anonymous as the rather prudish society on the station might wish for. Turning she nudged Hinoki; "Well, you feel up to it tonight?" The Cheetah male grinned back; "you know me; I was born ready!" Zassa, who'd also been watching the monitors, shook her head; "I dunno... This place has a level of competition beyond what we saw before; that was all amateur stuff. This place looks almost... "professional"... I think we're going to have to do something a little different, if we want to win..." Harriet tilted her head to one side, looking at the Vixen; "whatcha got in mind?" Zassa just chuckled; "I think our Captain needs a little distracting..."

Tanj blinked; "you want to WHAT?" Hinoki chuckled at the look on the Cheetah's face; "Oh, come on, Tanj, its not like it's a new scene for you... and the drinks here ARE a bit pricy..." Zassa smiled "What's the matter, Skipper? Don't think we can win?" Tanj shook her head and huffed; "Of COURSE we can win, if we want to..." Kath smiled and leaned forward, to whisper in the Cheetah fem's ear. After a moment, Tanj nodded slowly, and then turned to look at the Jaguar; "looks like we're up for a team effort, and, ah, for the suggestion that's been made, we could really use you...; you in?"

The Jaguar looked at Tanj for a moment and then smiled; "let me wear a mask, so that there might at least be the suggestion of anonymity, and I'm yours to do with as you will! Tanj smiled and rose a little unsteadily to her feet; taking the Jaguar's paw in both of hers; she led him towards the rooms.

Zassa grinned, winked at Kath, and then turned to padd over to the bartender; for a moment they whispered furiously. After a moment, they seemed to come to some sort of agreement, and the Vixen turned to padd after the others...

Tanj padded into the middle of the room, still leading the Jaguar by one hand, a wry grin on her face. He'd barely slipped the mask, one handed, over his eyes, when she turned and dropped to her knees at his feet, leaning forward to nuzzle his crotch softly. Last time, he'd shown her what a good lover he could be; this time it was her turn to return the favor.

The Jaguar grunted softly as the Cheetah fem started nosing him; he could feel her hot breath through the fabric of his pants, and as her paws stroked up and down his thighs, he felt his cock start to swell, to harden...

Tanj smiled softly as the Jaguar's pants started to bulge a little; but she had no intention of freeing his cock quite yet. Purring, she licked, dragging her tongue up the front of his pants, as if they weren't there; eyes closed she nuzzled and caressed, until it was obvious his hardening cock trapped within his pants was causing him some discomfort...

The Jaguar stiffened as arms encircled him from behind, and someone started nuzzling the back of his neck... He opened his mouth to protest, but the arms around his waist started working at the button on his pants, and somehow the words caught in his throat...

Tanj purrred, letting Zassa free the Jaguar's cock, exclaiming in delight as it sprang into view. Moving like a hunting cat, she caught the head of his cock in her mouth, and as her paws worked to help the Vixen push down his pants, she slid his hard cock into her mouth...

Hinoki was watching from the corner of his eye, as he kissed Harriet; between his feet, Kath was working on his own cock, Wanda's pet working to get him hard for his lady... The movement of dark fur to one side drew his attention away from Tanj and the Jaguar, however, and his eyes widened as he realized that not only had Wanda joined them, but that she was kneeling aside Kath, to nuzzle under Harriet's short skirt...

The bartender cast an appraising eye over the crowd. Since the party from the Beowulf had entered Room five, the number of drink orders he'd been filling had slipped to a trickle, all eyes seemingly on the monitor. With a sigh he shook his head; the Vixen had been right, and had indeed won their small wager. Turning somewhat reluctantly he took the hand-lettered piece of paper the Vixen had given him and tacked it to the bottom of the monitor. He hated to give anyone free advertisement, especially anyone who cost him business, but a bet was a bet.

Zassa smiled and nibbled on the trailing edge of the Jaguar's right ear, her breasts mashed flat against his back... Her paws stroked up and down his sides, occasionally roaming over his chest. Tanj was performing her usual magic, working on his cock, and if his respiration and heart rate were any sign, she was about to drive him into a heart attack... Grinning, she let one paw trail down, between her and him, to slide between them, to lightly tickle under his tail...

The Kangaroo looked from the Monitor to the hand-lettered sign and back; "For service like no other, let the SV Beowulf handle all your charter needs"... Lifting his gaze to where the blonde Mink was working on the male Cheetah's cock, he gulped, and nodded; "I believe it!"

The Jaguar was in Heaven; between the Cheetah in front of him and the Vixen in back, it seemed like his whole body was under a thousand intimate caresses; however when the Vixen's finger found its way under his tail, the surprise, and the flood of sensations that followed proved too much for him. To everyone's surprise, his orgasm arrived full force, his yelp turning into a full-throated roar.

Tanj purrred and sucked hard, as if every drop of the Jaguar's cum was a life-giving nectar, as if it were water in the middle of the desert... Finally he subsided, and Tanj pulled back a little, to lick him softly, her tongue still teasing, licking and lapping not only until he was clean, but until he was half hard again...

Harriet groaned; she'd never expected the Wolverine girl to dive right into something like this, somehow assuming she was only interested in being on the receiving end of the Mink's tongue; however, it was a pleasant surprise. If anything, she was moving too slowly for her tastes, her licks and nibbles bringing her to the very edge... and then holding her there. It seemed almost as if... yes, as if the Wolverine was still playing the "top," controlling her responses, holding her tight as her tongue did the most marvelous things... Somehow a tiny corner of Harriet's mind wondered if she would have to beg the Wolverine for her climax? She was beginning to think that might be in character...

Hinoki struggled for control. Kath had been trained well, and knew just what to do, but he'd be darned if he was going to let HER dictate his pleasures to him! Taking both her ears in his hands, he pulled her head back, until his cock slipped from her mouth; as she looked up questioningly the male Cheetah smiled...

Zassa purrred and with her arms around the Jaguar's chest, tugged backwards, as Tanj pulled his knees in the other direction; surprisingly, his descent to the padded floor was relatively graceful as the femmes laid him down. Tanj grinned at the Vixen and moved, almost possessively, to straddle his hips; Zassa grinned back and shifted forward, to straddle his head, facing the Cheetah. With both paws between her thighs, stroking the Jaguar's cock; Tanj leaned forwards to kiss the Vixen, a soft, sensual kiss exhibiting all of the lusts and passions flowing through her body.

The Jaguar grunted as the Vixen's muff descended on his face, her scent of arousal filling his nostrils; with a grin, he tilted his head back, licking up into her eager sex, as his paws stroked up her front, to find, and cup her breasts. Zassa mmmmmed and reached out to take possession of Tanj's breasts, thumbs and forefingers rolling her nipples, tugging at them almost painfully...

The Bobcat sipped at his beer and shook his head; "Man, I do NOT know what the Captain did to get SO lucky! LOOK at him in there! The female ferret sitting just to his left chuckled; "Hell, Randy, Lucky Captain, Lucky Ship! We ain't got no cause to complain!" The Bear sitting across from her turned and looked over his shoulder, and then turned his attention back to his drink; "I dunno; seems like the more action he gets the less there is for us! Hey, the sign says that's the crew of a vessel for charter; you think he HIRED them?" The Bobcat sighed and shook his head; "Doubt it, knowing him... still, geez, will you LOOK at the rack on that Vixen? It MIGHT be worth the money..." The Ferret smiled; "if you decide to inquire about their charter services, find out if that male Cheetah's included in the package; I might just go in on it with you..."

Harriet's knees felt weak; the Wolverine's tongue was stroking deep within her, touching places she didn't even know she had; her chest was heaving, her pussy dripping, as she struggled to just stay standing... Unable to stand it any more, she whimpered softly, the first sounds to escape her lips...

The Bartender looked over the crowd again and smiled. Things had gotten off to a slow start; the crowd mostly watching the monitors, and not drinking... However the crowd had grown to almost standing room only, and while individually they still weren't drinking much, given the numbers, his revenue was pretty much back up to usual; turning to his assistant he growled; "Best call in Fred and Judy... when that party breaks up, all these furrs are going to suddenly remember just how thirsty they are..."

Tanj purrred as she rode the Jaguar's cock; having cum once, she figured he'd last a little bit longer, allowing her to use him to pleasure herself... she hoped to "catch up" with him... Grinning as she rose and fell, the Cheetah fem reached out to tweak both of Zassa's nipples, pinching HARD...

Zassa shuddered as Tanj pinched her, catching her just as the Jaguar's tongue stroked over her G spot; with a long, drawn out wail, her hips bucking, the Vixen came hard, her pussy convulsing around the Jaguar's tongue.

The Jaguar urked as her pussy clamped down with a surprising tightness around his tongue, and as her juices flowed, coating his muzzle. Chuckling, wondering if he was better at this than he thought, he slithered his tongue down out of the velvety channel, to flick it across her clitty as rapidly as he could. The Vixen howled anew...

Hinoki watched with a practiced eye as the Jaguar and Cheetah conspired to bring the Vixen to a credible climax. Turning his attention back to the Mink he stroked his hard cock in and out of her ass once again. She in a strained pose, essentially lying on her shoulders, her bottom held high off the floor, both of her ankles in Hinoki's paws. He'd driven his cock down into her pussy a half dozen times, just to get it well lubricated, and then, shifting, had worked it into her ass. Now, he held her tight, pumping her just enough to keep her panting, just enough to keep him hard. He'd cum when he wanted to, and she wouldn't get her release until he felt like letting her have it...

Harriet mewled and shuddered; the Wolverine had backed her against the wall, and that was a blessing, as it made it easier to stand, given how weak her knees seem to have become. The licking was relentless, the tongue working over her clitty, slithering between her labia, licking deep within her, plunging in and out, only to resume that maddening teasing of her pearl... She was SO close, she wanted to climax SO bad, and yet all she could do was to let out the occasional incoherent, inarticulate whimper...

Wanda purrred as she licked; she'd done this to Kath on numerous occasions. It was marvelous training; patiently, she'd lick until it had almost passed the point of pleasure, until each lick was almost painful... and THEN she'd let her pet beg for her release... It was simply marvelous for establishing their roles...

Tanj's body shuddered, her breath catching in her throat as her third climax blossomed inside her; she grinned and exercising all the will power remaining, clenched her vaginal muscles down hard around the Jaguar's shaft. With a giggle, she felt him respond. She'd known he was close too, and as she worked on him, his orgasm arrived, almost in sequence with hers... As the waves of pleasure roared through her body, she moved both paws around behind her to fondle his balls...

The Jaguar almost bit the Vixen as he felt the paws envelop his balls, to squeeze softly; it was the damndest sensation, and for a moment, despite the Cheetah's weight, his hips lifted off the floor...

Zassa laughed and wiggled her hips down onto the Jaguar's face; "ooooh, LIKE THAT! Do it again, Tanj!"

The Panda watched the monitor, sipping her drink slowly. Everything she'd heard about this Cheetah seemed to be true; if she wasn't who she seemed, she was putting on a damn good act. Pulling out her palmtop, she started pecking at the miniscule keys, composing a message...

Panting hard, Tanj rolled off the Jaguar, to lay, exhausted, on the floor by his side... After a minute, she reached up and grabbed the Vixen, to pull her down too; "Come on, Zassa, give the poor guy a breather!" Zassa started to protest, but Tanj wrapped her arms around her, to kiss her hard, stifling any complaints.

Wanda watched from the corner of her eye, as the Cheetah's impromptu kiss turned into something a little more. Lifting her eyes, she caught the Jaguar, his chest still heaving, watching them, his eyes perhaps just a little wide... turning her attention back to Harriet, she grinned; perhaps it was time to finish her... she'd held her dangling, twisting in the wind, long enough...

Hinoki tugged on the Mink's tail, pulling her back against him, driving his cock once again deep into her ass... He'd been modulating his thrusts for some time, making sure he didn't cum. Smiling, he wondered if it was time... Then he grinned and shook his head; not yet... She wasn't near desperate enough yet...

Tanj broke the kiss and then grinned up at the Vixen; "if you've still not had enough licking, turn around, and I'll pick up where the Stud left off." Zassa grinned wickedly and nodded; "Been too long since we did each other! You're on!" Turning, Zassa straddled the prone Cheetah, pressing her sodden crotch to her face as she bent, to shove her own muzzle between the Cheetah's thighs...

Harriet whimpered; it was all she could do to remain standing; still, there was a change; the Wolverine was licking her a bit differently now... Panting, shuddering, she felt the tensions building; it seemed her long-put-off release was rapidly approaching...

Kath moaned; her shoulders were on the floor, her head bent forward until her chin touched her chest. The Cheetah male held her feet high, her legs spread, holding her almost upside-down. Moving slowly he worked his thick cock in and out of her poor, distended asshole. Feeling helpless, feeling exposed, feeling used, she also somehow felt terribly excited by it all; her pussy seemed to be overflowing, her juice running down her mons, down the crack of her ass to provide much-needed lubrication... instead of taking her hard, using her roughly, Hinoki seemed to be drawing it out... Kath was tempted to reach up, to touch herself, to try and gain some sort of relief from the increasingly buring itch between her legs, but she knew if she did, she'd draw his displeasure... Still, the slow, languid ass-fucking was driving her out of her mind!

Zassa lifted her head as Harriet's scream of joy rang from the walls; she grinned, admiring the way Wanda all but propped her up, never ceasing her licking as the Raccoon climaxed almost violently. Chuckling, the Vixen lowered her head a bit to nip sharply at Tanj's clitty; she knew the Cheetah fem both loved and hated that... and sure enough she was rewarded with the bucking of hips as she drove the Cheetah fem over the edge and into the warm arms of her own climax.

Harriet Screamed; she felt as if her mind was exploding, as if her whole body was being torn apart by the force of her climax. Never in all her experience had a climax been put off for so long; never had one been so powerful. Panting, almost near fainting, she felt herself slide down the wall, helpless to stop herself...

Wanda smiled and leant over to give the Raccoon one last lick; picking herself up she wandered around Hinoki and her pet, past Zassa and Tanj, now lost in each other's bodies, and their own passions, to the Jaguar; grinning down at him, she purrred; "Think you're ready to go again, Stud?"

Hinoki purrred. It was time. Grinning, he released Kath's ankles, giving each a slight shove away from him. For a moment she balanced there, wobbling, and then her feet slowly fell away from the Cheetah; she was still balanced on her shoulders, but the Cheetah's thick cock in her ass held her more or less in position; now her feet touched the floor, adding perhaps a little stability. With the Mink bent almost double in front of him, Hinoki put his paws on her ass, almost on either side of her pussy, and started to thrust harder, pushing her into a more vertical position. Driving hard in to her, his thumbs stroked inwards, to tease her dripping pussy...

Kath Groaned, and shuddered; the fingers stroking the periphery of her pussy was a delight, but the Cheetah's sudden hard pounding, plus the ache in her shoulders and neck all conspired to work against each other. Rocking her head from side to side, she mewled, and moaned, the tensions building... Opening her eyes, however, was a mistake, for there, to one side, sat her Mistress, astride the Jaguar's hips, riding his cock with languid slowness as the Cheetah had done... Kath's eyes went wide and her moan turned into a YELP!

Hinoki grunted as the Mink's body tensed, as her ass was suddenly VERY tight around his shaft; it caught him by surprise, and with a YOWL he found himself cumming hard. With a growl he jerked his cock out of the Mink's ass, to stroke his shaft with one hand, splattering the impudent mink with his cum.

The sudden extraction of the Mink's cock, the cool air flowing past her distended anus, the sudden thump of her body against the padded floor, all served to trigger the Mink's own climax, and as the waves of pleasure coursed through her body, she lost sight of her Mistress... had she REALLY seen what she'd thought?

Wanda smiled; it was, if anything, better than the program she'd run in Hinoki's machine. The Jaguar knew how to move. Knew how to touch her... and somehow a real cock just felt... "right"... Smiling she moved a little faster, riding him a little harder... This might not have been the perfect "romantic" moment, but in the end, she marveled, wondering what she'd been waiting for...

The Jaguar grunted; the Wolverine Lass was a lot heavier than the Cheetah, much heavier than the Vixen; grunting, he still tried to thrust up into her, somehow knowing that he had to do his best with this one...

Tanj purrred, oblivious to all else, save the Vixen's burning needs... and her own matching needs; nibbling along one labia, her tongue flashing occasionally in and out of her sweet sex, the Cheetah strove to match, in kind, if not in extreme, what the Vixen was doing to her. Gasping at a nip, the turned, hooked one fang through the Vixen's clitty ring and tugged HARD even as her tongue flicked out over the sensitive flesh; she grinned as she was rewarded with the Vixen's immediate and intense climax...

Hinoki sighed; in the end, he hadn't been able to dictate just when he would cum, or just when the Mink would be allowed to cum. Either he was slipping, or the room just provided too many distractions... Still it didn't look like Zassa and Tanj were being distracted by anything, wrapped up in each other as they were... and Wanda looked to be totally centered on the Jaguar. Maybe he was slipping, loosing the edge he'd held for so... Wanda? Turning, twisting, the Cheetah STARED at the Wolverine lass.

Kath tried desperately to uncross her eyes. That climax had been a powerful one... could she actually have LIKED what the dominant Cheetah had been doing to her? Squinting, opening just one eye, she peered at her Mistress. It was obviously too late to try and stop her; it was obvious her virginity, such as it was, was definintely gone... For a moment she wondered if anyone was taping this, wondered if a copy might find its way into her Father's hands, assuming he still lived. Then she grinned; how could he POSSIBLY get any more furious at them? Smiling, she stretched out on the padded floor, and tried to catch her breath...

The Jaguar felt the Wolverine shudder, felt her pussy clench like a velvety vice around his shaft, and he knew he'd brought her off; smiling, he concentrated on the sensations, abandoning the prime number calculations he'd been using to try and stave off his own orgasm... It didn't take long until he was Howling at the top of his lungs.

Wanda smiled, and squeezed, clenching her vaginal muscles; the program she'd run on Hinoki's machine just did NOT do the feeling of an ejaculating male justice; she purrred to herself, closing her eyes, to try and memorize the sensation...

The Bartender smiled; the club had never been so packed. Folks were literally jammed up in the doorway. Still, he wanted the show to end, anticipating the flood of drink orders that would follow... It seemed two of the three couples had wound down, and about time, too, but the two femmes, the Cheetah and the Vixen were still all wrapped up in each other, with no sign of EVER quitting. Grabbing his assistant, he whispered in his ear for a moment...

Tanj sighed as someone nudged her... Without pulling her tongue from where it was, she lisped; "Whath?" Hinoki looked down into his Captain's upturned face, and grinned; "the management says if we stay here any longer, we'll have to take out a lease..." Tanj sighed and nodded, her tongue waggling in the Vixen's pussy. Giving her one last nip, getting the requisite shudder in response she sighed and squirmed, trying to escape. Hinoki gave Zassa an open- palmed swat on her rump, enjoying the way her flesh rippled, and then bent to help her to her feet... Zassa for her part, just moaned mournfully. Tanj chuckled as she looked about for what she'd been wearing; "if you're STILL not satisfied, we'll do something when we get back to the ship..." The Vixen just grinned.

Kath took a sip from the cup that her Mistress held, and then turned to the Vixen. "What was it you told Tanj, earlier, that got her in the mood for this?" the Mink whispered. Zassa grinned and gestured to the sign that was still taped to the monitor; "I told her that it would be a good reinforcement for our cover if we did a little advertising for our "special Charter Service... Show the station just how we could entertain customers on those long dull voyages." Kath grinned and just shook her head.

Tanj yawned and shook her head; if the chronometer over the bar was right, this club should have closed two hours ago. The Jaguar had his head propped on one paw; his eyes were open, but he seemed asleep. Kath and Wanda were curled up in a booth. Hinoki was flat on his back on the bar, snoring softly. And Harriet and Zassa were engaged in lively conversation, discussing how she was going to run HER club... Dragging herself to her feet, the Cheetah staggered over; "Don't you think its time we went home?" Zassa blinked, her head snapping around as the club's few remaining staff started applauding.

Tanj yawned, and slowly unwrapped the fabric from her body, the ripping sound as it came free still annoying. The Jaguar had said his goodbyes at the lock, one eye on Zassa, as if worried that if he took them up on their offer for breakfast, he'd never escape intact. Tanj had kissed him softly and promised to be in touch, and he'd departed, not on foot, but in a robocab, as if he were having trouble walking. Now, the Cheetah fem wanted nothing more than a hot shower, and to sleep around the clock. But someone was already in the head, the water running. With a sigh, she tossed her garment through the open door to her cabin, and nude, padded towards the flight deck. There were always messages to check.

Tanj smiled wryly; sure enough, while she'd been out, a good number of messages had appeared on the comm terminal. One was from her boss, in the Intelligence department... There were several suggestions as to how to handle the "Imperial" situation, but nothing concrete. At least there wasn't the censure she'd so feared. Not yet anyways... One of them was from the Battlecruiser, wondering where their Captain was. The second from the last was from an anonymous furr who wanted to meet with Tanj in a day's time, with nothing else said. The last one was a brief note from her master and Tanj had a momentary pang of guilt, thinking about him, and the evening with the Jaguar... Most of the rest were about ship's services on the station, and junk mail. Sitting back, Tanj scanned the list again, wondering if that one lone appointment might be the furr they'd been waiting for, for what seemed like so long...

Tanj came slowly awake; the erotic dream she'd been having, persisting... slowly it dawned on her, that someone's tongue was teasing her softly betwee n her thighs... Smiling, leaving her eyes closed, she tried to identify who it might be by the texture and style. She knew the Jaguar had gone back to his ship, the night before, and as it was a rough, feline tongue, that could only mean Hinoki... Groaning, the Cheetah Fem mumbled; "I thought you were going to be working on moving your invention over to Harriet's new club this morning..." The tongue paused, and Hinoki chuckled; "Just thought I ought to ask permission before leaving the ship... Tanj nodded and stretched; "Go; get out of here before I pull you into my bed! Just check in every couple of hours so we know you're all right." Hinoki nodded, and then realizing Tanj's eyes were closed, grunted his acceptance. Grinning, for a moment down at the Nude female Cheetah, he reached down and rolled her over roughly to Slap her on the ass, once, twice, and then a third time. Tanj Yelped; "Hey, what's THAT for?" As he slipped through the door, Hinoki chuckled; "For NOT dragging me into your bed... but I do have work to do. Later, Captain!"

Tanj looked at the chronometer and groaned; it was WAY too early to get up... And yet... Hinoki's teasing had gotten her aroused enough that getting back to sleep would be a problem... And her ass was burning a pleasant warmness... Grinning, she rolled over and reached into the nightstand for her favorite vibrator.

The Hoverpallet wasn't exactly overloaded, but the support beams stuck way out over each end, making it difficult to maneuver. The beams had been the last part to be disassembled, and of course, had to be the first part to be reassembled... Holding the remote in one hand, Hinoki guided it into the dockside "Traffic", heading for Harriet's new place.

The door to the new club was opened by Salde; the Ermine was wearing a body harness that accentuated, rather than concealing her charms, and nothing else. "Good morning, Master Hinoki. Mistress Harriet is in back, waiting for you. Can I help you with that?" Hinoki chuckled and paused to kiss the Ermine, the hand not holding the pallet's remote moving to caress a breast as he kissed her. After a moment he broke the kiss; "No, I got it, but thanks. Looks like you're getting a little more "freedom" than you had under your old Mistress." Salde grinned; "Mistress Harriet has been kind enough to make me head girl. In fact, she's offered me a deal, that if I can make the "living" side of the operating here profitable, she'll free me in five years." Hinoki paused, looking up from the remote; "you mean she's going to let you help run the operation here? Salde just nodded, a smile on her face." Hinoki hit the "halt" button on the remote and grabbed Salde for another kiss; "that IS good news; congradulations!"

Harriet was on her hands and knees, the cover off a power outlet on the far wall. Hinoki thought she looked just marvelous like that, presenting her ass, barely covered in tightly stretched denim... For a moment he was tempted to walk over and... but then he caught sight of the Tiger standing next to her, looking at some sort of hand-held instrument... Figuring there was always later, he parked the hoverpallet, letting it settle to the floor with a tired whine. Pocketing the remote, he padded over to where Harriet was crouched...

Harriet snapped the cover on the power outlet, and stood up; she turned and kissed Hinoki hello, and then turned to look inquiringly at the Tiger... The tiger squinted at the display of his gadget through antique wire-framed glasses and slowly shook his head; "there's enough amperage, but the wave-form just isn't as "clean" as it is on the average starship. I think we're going to have to install a buffer." Hinoki nodded; "might not be a bad idea just to use an uninteruptible power supply; that'll clean up the waveform and make sure no one's program crashes at an inopportune time It'll also buffer the system against anyone trying to hack into the program through the power lines." Harriet nodded; "I'll run out and see if I can find one that'll meet the power requirements. Oh, by the way, Hinoki, this is CT; I've hired him to look after the electronic end of the business. He's got some fairly impressive credentials in Sims... And... Agriculture?" The Tiger nodded shyly, pushing his glasses up onto his nose; "Um... sometimes you need to do something to keep body and soul together, while you try to get the other to the point it'll support you. If this works, I do believe I will have successfully made the transition. Hinoki nodded; "Pleased to meet you. Now, this is what we need to do first..."

Zassa adjusted the zipper on her jumpsuit, pulling it down to show just the right amount of cleavage... or at least the amount she thought she could get away with on Gibralter station. Pausing by Tanj's door, she smiled at the sounds she heard... Peeking through the door she saw Tanj, on her knees, facing away from her, arms under her body, paws between her thighs, working the big, knobby vibrator in and out of her snatch, to the accompaniment of her soft moans... It was just a little too much to resist. Stepping through the doorway quietly, she took both of the Cheetah's paws in one hand, holding her in that position, as she brought her open palm down hard on the Cheetah's upturned ass; Six quick slaps, alternating left and right. And then she bent low to whisper in the Cheetah's ear; "Bad Girl! Not supposed to do things like that without ME! I'm heading out to do some shopping; I'll check in at Harriet's club when I'm done." Still holding the Cheetah's paws tight, the dong droning away in her pussy, the Vixen grinned and gave her another four hard swats, before releasing her and escaping through the doorway.

Tanj shuddered with each swat; they were bordering on that gray area where it was no longer fun, and was starting to get painful, but Zassa knew just how to play her... by the last swat, the vibrator had taken her to the point where her climax was unstoppable. As the Vixen strolled down the corridor towards the personnel lock, the sounds of the climaxing Cheetah was music to her ears.

The Vixen struggled under her load of boxes and bags, as she moved through the door to Harriet's club. Salde, seeing her struggling, hurried over to help. The Vixen grinned and as she set down the other packages, she bent to give the Ermine a kiss; "got some interesting things here for you and your "sisters"... Lets go find Harriet and show her what we got...

Hinoki shook his head; "Yes, CT, you're right; that would give us greater resolution in the holograms, but that increase in detail would slow the central processor WAY down; I'm afraid we might drop below "real time" if we did that." The Tiger pushed his glasses back up on his nose and nodded... After a moment's thought he raised an eyebrow; "what if we were to try parallel processing? That might solve the problem..."

Zassa grinned as the Cheetah came through the door to the back rooms. She was standing by the antigrav pallet, obviously waiting for him. Hinoki took in the large bulky object wrapped in a tarp on the pallet and grumbled; "What's this?" Zassa chuckled; "oh, just a little something I traded Harriet for; should make the trip home a little... Well, less interesting for some, more interesting for others. Its my surprise, so no peeking!" Hinoki just grumbled, and snatched up the remote; "well, come on, I've got work to do. Need to shift another load of gear from the ship..."

As they walked behind the pallet, moving slowly through the corridors of the station, Zassa edged a little closer to the Cheetah and asked "Something's bothering you. You want to talk about it?" Hinoki sighed; "its just that... well, I can't blame Harriet for trying to find someone to tend to the system when we leave... it makes perfect sense... And that Tiger, CT, he DOES seem to know what he's talking about, its just that... well..." Zassa smiled and hugged the Cheetah; "he's tinkering with YOUR invention, and that upsets you?" Hinoki sighed, made a small correction to the pallet's path, and nodded; "Yeah, I guess that's it. He's made a couple of suggestions so far that are really rather good; its just that I guess that I should have thought of them first..."

Tanj sighed and read through the message again. Her boss, the old Fox, had gone on for about two pages, saying that he wasn't really surprised that Kath had been a sleeper agent, intentionally, or unintentionally. That he was glad she'd been able to help get Tanj out of trouble, and that at this point, he didn't see how having an Imperial Intelligence agent sitting in their midst was going to change a damn thing. There was advice on how to keep her from finding out the things that might be a little delicate, and suggestions on countering surreptitious methods of communication that the Mink might try and use. He made it sound like a game, a battle of wits for no other real purpose than to keep the other side off balance... Finally, he made a few suggestions as to just how it might be useful... It was this portion of the message that Tanj had read and re-read, until she felt she had it memorized. Dare she even try?

"Wanda, I'm going to need to borrow Kath for a bit." Wanda looked up from her nursing journal, and blinked; "Um, sure, Tanj... Mind if I ask what you're going to do to her?" The Cheetah just laughed; "Its not what you think. I'm going to go talk to that Wolf that's her contact in Imperial Intelligence. I think we need to clear the air, and I think I know how to do it, too." Wanda blinked; "you... You're going to see Imperial Intelligence? Voluntarily? I didn't think anyone did that!" Tanj just grinned; "Yeah, well, I doubt they'll throw me in a dungeon... and it MIGHT help." The Wolverine nodded; "Want me to come along?" Tanj thought for a moment and then shook her head; "no, someone'd better stay here, just in case our contact shows up. By the way, where IS Zassa; she back from her shopping trip yet?" Wanda nodded; "had a whole bunch of something on the hover pallet. I think she's down in the cargo bay, setting it up...

Zassa looked at the pile of metal and sighed; she'd taken it apart, you'd think she'd know how to put it back together... Shrugging she pulled off her coverall, and with a grin, hung it over the security camera; this was to be a surprise and she didn't want anyone seeing what she was up to. Picking up the power wrench, she turned to the first section...

"Please tell Colonel Chalmers that Captain Ky is here to see him." The Jackal behind the desk took in the Cheetah fem, and then his gaze flicked to the blonde Mink standing to one side. Somehow they looked familiar. "I'm sorry, but the Major is a very busy furr; I'm afraid he won't be able to see you today. Come back tomorrow." To his amazement, the Cheetah and the Mink exchanged grins, and then both started laughing. With a growl, the Jackal rose from his chair... "Enough of the standard line, Corporal. Get on the comm and tell the Colonel we're here, and that we want to talk to him. Now." The Jackal shook his head and growled, "now just who the FUCK do you think you are, to be telling ME what to do?" Kath just smiled, and slipped her I.D. out of a pocket; smoothly, she put it face down on the counter and slid it towards the Jackal.

Suddenly it hit him. He remembered where he'd seen these two. On the Vids. The Mink was wearing the black uniform of Imperial Intelligence, too. And the Cheetah... she hadn't been wearing anything. With a small degree of trepidation, the Jackal lifted the ID just enough to confirm his suspicions. "Sorry, Major, I didn't... recognize you." Picking up the comm, he made the call.

The Wolf blinked at the image of the guard; "WHO? They've come HERE? Damn! OK, I guess if they're here, they might as well come up. Just make sure they're thoroughly checked for weapons...

Tanj smiled as she settled herself into the cheap plastic visitor's chair. The Wolf was in what had to be a borrowed cubicle; his brief case, and portable computer were on the desk, along with a number of print-outs, but there were no personal touches. No photographs, trophies, or any other reflection of his personality. Either he'd borrowed a vacant cubicle for this meeting, OR as she suspected, he was merely a visitor here. The Wolf made no effort to find a chair for Kath, so the Mink stood, just inside the doorway. Tanj could feel the awkwardness in the air, and she savored it for a moment.

The Wolf studied the impudent Cheetah, waiting for her to announce the purpose of her visit. He was used to summoning furrs to see him; having one show up unbidden was unique in his experience. And how had they learned his name?

Tanj smiled; "Since it looks as if we're going to be working together, I thought an exchange of information might be in order. There are some things that I've learned about, in the course of my business, that you would probably like to know about. I suspect there are things that you know, that I could make use of. What I propose is a simple trade. I'll give you a piece of information, and if you think its worthwhile, you respond in kind. If I think what you have to share is worthwhile, I'll offer another item for trade." The Wolf leaned back in his chair, annoyed as it squeaked. He felt like a nobody in this cheap cubicle, almost no privacy from any of the local crowd... And then he wondered why he should worry about impressing these two. After a moment he shrugged; "I seriously doubt there's anything you know that we don't. But if you would like to try and surprise me, help yourself."

The Cheetah smiled. Half a sector away was a situation the Brethren were aware of, even though it mattered little to them... "Did you know that the Imperial Light Cruiser Burkett was taking payoffs from the local pirate clan? I understand they've been very skilled at hiding their profits, but I'm sure if you were to look closely, you could trace the funds..." Tanj smiled as she watched the Wolf's face; the look was not one of disbelief, but one of surprise. "Um, actually we know about that situation" the Wolf grumbled. "Of course, I'm not going to mention that we just learned of it three days ago" he thought to himself. "But did you know," the Cheetah purrred, "That they have shared the wealth with some comrades in the chain of command, to make sure they're warned should anyone ever get wind of their actions? I'm told they have a rather detailed contingency plan for when they're discovered..." The Wolf blinked; there was an operation underway to corral in the crew of the Burkett... But if what she said was true, they'd probably come up empty. "That we... Were unaware of. But why tell us this? No honor among theives?" Tanj shrugged; "the Crimson Rovers operate outside Brethren territory, and as such have no impact on our bottom line... But you know as well as I do that most pirate clans operate under a loosely-agreed-upon set of rules. And you know that the Empire doesn't stridently go after those that play by those unofficial rules. The Crimson Rovers are a bunch of malicious, vicious cutthroats, that adhere to no rules, and as such they bring dishonor on us all. We won't mind seeing them taken down a notch." The Wolf chuckled; "in other words, if the merchant shipping thinks they may survive being taken by pirates they might not fight as hard, they might surrender more easily, and thus your life becomes easier." Tanj just smiled and shrugged.

The Wolf smiled; "All right, I'll offer a tidbit in return for that little gem. As you know, the Imperium demands taxes from all client systems. The taxes from the Fairmont, White, and Chatsworth systems were going to go in convoy, leaving on the tenth, but that's been delayed." Tanj chuckled; "as if we would be so foolish to try and take the Imperium's cut; and its been delayed to the 16th, when the Imperial Cruisers Haverty and Badcock can join the convoy, to replace the Blair, which has engine trouble. Sorry, we're well appraised of that situation. Try again.

Kath listened, feigning boredom. While doing her best not to move, she let her eyes and ears rove around the office. From her standing position, she could see partially into some of the nearer cubicles. It was apparent that they had an audience. In at least two of the cubicles she could see, the furr's screen savers had come on, advertising their inactivity. And here and there, she could see ears just above the partitions...

The Wolf frowned; "all right then, you might be interested to know that the Elysium government has contracted with the mercenary outfit known as the Reavers..."

Tanj grinned; "And they're arriving in three weeks"

The Wolf scowled; "to defend the Gulan starport"

Tanj's grin widened; "so the Elysium government can move certain high-value things off planet, just in case"

The Wolf's scowl vanished and a look of triumph crossed his face; "not exactly; they're there to cover the retreat, should it come to that, of the Elysium government itself!" Now it was Tanj's turn to blink; "urrrr, I wonder if the Reavers know that? They'd be in a bad position to collect their fee, I think, should that happen." The Wolf leaned back in his chair, ignoring the squeek, and waved a paw off-handedly; "they depend heavily on conscripts from their home world. I suspect those that would collect the money probably could care less what happens to the troops that get left behind." Tanj nodded; "OK, you got me with that one.

Tanj smiled; "I've heard of an Ecstasy lab on Triton...

The wolf's grin widened; "shut down two days ago...

Now it was Tanj's turn to scowl; "but the smuggling network..."

The Wolf's grin widened; "had a mole in it; we've dismantled that too"

Tanj sighed and shrugged; "and I suppose you have a customer list too." The wolf shrugged; "we've shut down the producer and completely destroyed the smuggling and distribution network; why would we want to be bothered with the poor degenerates that are the end-users?" Tanj's smile came on like a light-bulb; "because of who's on it. You might want to know to prevent a scandal..." Grinning, the Cheetah fished a memory crystal from a pocket and slid it across the table. Hesitantly, the wolf picked it up and slid it into the input port on his computer. The screen was hidden from Tanj's view, but she noted how the Wolf's eyes widened as he scrolled down."

Kath smiled as the battle raged. The wolf would throw out a tid-bit, and Tanj would either counter with even more details, or claim that wasn't of any interest to her, and the Brethren. But occasionally she'd get a worried look, and the whole thing would start, inverted, with Tanj throwing out something, and the wolf either claiming it was worthless, or that they already had that information... but on occasion he too would make notes. As her feet started to get a little sore from standing so long, the Mink looked around. A number of the cubicles were dark, but there were a surprising number of furrs still around, despite the only clock in view saying it was well past quitting time. With her stomach rumbling, she wondered how long this might go on...

Tanj sighed and shrugged; "I hate to say it, but I've run out of things to put on the table. Anything else we might have, I doubt you'd be interested in." The Wolf nodded, and leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his neck. For a moment he looked at the Cheetah, and then nodded; "there's one piece of information you could offer, that I haven't heard yet." Tanj raised an eyebrow; "and that is?" Leaning forward, the Wolf grinned; "tell me what you're doing here. Why have you come to Gibralter station? Surely it wasn't to screw traffic controllers, break up a drug ring, or open a club." Tanj smiled; "That, Sir, is something I simply can't tell you. Believe it or not, I just don't know yet." The Wolf frowned, and for the first time, he looked up at Kath; "that true?" Kath nodded; "True, Sir. We're to meet someone, but we don't know who, or when, or why." The Wolf scowled; "well, if it has any bearing on the Imperium, you WILL report it to me. Dismissed!"

Tanj smiled and languidly rose from her chair; her tail had fallen asleep ages ago and now she winced as blood flowed back into that area of her anatomy. Stretching as only a feline can, she turned and padded from the cubicle, Kath following.

Ensign Overstreet was about to hand the data crystal to the desk clerk when the Cheetah, followed by the blonde Mink strolled by, escorted by no less than three security types. As they passed through the doors to the Imperial Intelligence offices, Overstreet swallowed, the data crystal forgotten. That was the Cheetah her Captain had been seeing; she'd seen them together in the clubs. The "Old Man" apparently had some serious Imperial Intelligence connections all right!

The Wolf smiled as he hit the "send" key on the secure comm terminal. He was risking a lot, passing the Cheetah's information on, without vetting it first, but if what she said was true, he might just prevent a few disasters before they happened... And in the process look like a hero...

Tanj sighed and hit the "transmit" button on her comm console; all the information she'd gotten from the Wolf was now on its way to the Brethren. She just hoped he'd been giving her the straight poop, and not just making things up. It would be interesting to see just how far they might trust him...

Zassa torqued the last fastener, and stepped back to admire her handiwork; the cage looked just the same as it had in what had been the kennels of Miss Kitty's... A rectangle roughly a body length on a side, and perhaps just barely tall enough for someone to kneel in, without hitting their head. The door was low, and obviously difficult to crawl in and out of; it would put a slave very low to the ground on entering or exiting. In one back corner was a simple hole in the floor, for waste elimination. The Vixen had connected that into the ship's recycling system. In the opposite front corner, diagonally across the cage, were the amenities that had captured her imagination. There was a phallic shape, at about muzzle height for a kneeling slave, that, when sucked upon, would feed the slave water. To one side of that was another phallic shape that delivered "food"... and on the floor, just where a slave would kneel to suck on that one, was a vertically mounted dong. This dong had to be gripped with vaginal muscles, and moved up and down to charge the dong at muzzle height. The vertical dong had to be "pumped" 30 times to activate the second dong, and it had to be kept moving; if the slave stopped humping that dong, the food would stop, and the 30 stroke "priming" counter would be reset. The second dong had to be sucked upon, just right, for it to deliver its meal, a synthetic nutrient that had all the consistency and taste of cum. While it provided the minimum daily nutrition, no one would ever get fat on it; it wasn't for long term use, and yet it would keep a slave healthy for several weeks. The rest of the set consisted of a body harness designed to support the slave's breasts without concealing them, to hold her neck almost immobile in a stiff posture collar, and to hold her wrists at her waist. The last piece was the head harness that had a ring gag that held the jaws just far enough apart to let them accept the water or food phalluses, and to hold a visor; the latter was the most diabolical part of the device. It held a curved piece of opaque plastic in front of the slave's eyes; she could look down, by her cheeks, and gain a small view of the upper curves of her breasts, and perhaps a small view of where her feet were, thus easing the task of walking at the end of someone's leash; but there was no way they could see where they were going. It would be just enough to let her find the "pump" dildo, for the food phallus...

Zassa shook her head; she was just going to have to try it. The cage latched with a simple sliding bolt, and the Vixen was sure she could manipulate it even with her wrists fastened at her waist. Checking to make sure that the waste port was correctly connected to the recycling system, that the water and "food" jugs were full, she slipped into the body harness...

The cage door clanged shut. Zassa threw the bolt, reaching through the bars to do so. The head harness went on next, the ring gag filling her mouth; it wasn't too large, and the Vixen thought she wouldn't have trouble wearing it for a while. The visor went on next, snapping into place. In the posture collar, Zassa tried to look around, to see what she could see. It wasn't much. Fumbling, she managed to clasp one of the wristlets to the snap at her waist, and then clicked the other wristlet to the opposite side... Across the cargo bay, her jumpsuit hung on the only security camera that could see the cage, and its new prisoner.

Hinoki sighed and wiped the sweat from his eyes. The system, long since reassembled, had FINALLY passed its diagnostic test. The Tiger had been very helpful in sorting out all the glitches, but somehow, at the same time, he'd been particularly annoying. It was almost as if he had blamed the Cheetah for every unexpected glitch the system had coughed up, as if he expected it all to work without fine tuning. At least he'd learned a great deal about troubleshooting the system. Harriet had been insistent; she wanted to be the first to christen the system, and having selected one of the programs Tanj had authored, she'd shooed the males out. For a moment, Hinoki had thought about running one of his programs, perhaps one of his darker programs, and shoving the Tiger into the machine... grinning, he'd decided that perhaps that was a good idea, but that a little more forethought might be required, before properly showing the Tiger just exactly what his system could do... His head full of rapidly congealing plans, he bade the Tiger goodnight and headed for the ship...

Zassa groaned as she sank onto the food system's pump, feeling it fill her pussy. She wasn't really hungry; more like she was bored. With no view to the outside, with no clock, and no change in lighting in the cargo bay, she had no idea how much time had passed. Still, driving the dong into her wet sex was a nice distraction. Leaning forward, she nuzzled about until she could find the food phallus. Holding it in her mouth, clenching down with her vaginal muscles she started to drag the dong up and down... As she sucked, as the count hit thirty, she felt the dong in her mouth start to spurt. It DID taste just like cum. As she worked at pumping the system, as her climax grew closer and closer, she sucked hard on the spurting dildo, wondering just how much the system would give her to "eat"...

Hinoki sealed the personnel lock, waved goodnight to Tanj, and headed for his bunk; he had a lot of ideas for the Upstart Tiger... but they would wait until morning. He'd had a long day, and now all he wanted was sleep.

Zassa's climax interrupted her motions, and as her body shuddered, the dong in her mouth stopped spurting. Sighing she waited for the waves of pleasure to receed a little, before she started humping the dong again...

Tanj sighed, stretched and yawned. The day's e-mail finally resolved. The situation on Elysium seemed to be disintigrating rapidly. There was a lot of field intelligence that had to be sorted, evaluated and summaries formulated and fired back to the Brethren, and the Blues, and in some cases, even to Jenka. Shutting down her console, Tanj took a look over the flight deck; she noted that everyone was "home", and turned to head for her cabin, missing the fact that Zassa's telltale was in the Cargo bay. The fact that the Cargo bay security monitor was solid blue was also missed by the tired Cheetah. Flopping down on her bed, Tanj was asleep within minutes.

In the Cargo Bay, Zassa fumbled again at the latch on the cage's door. For some reason, the job that had looked SO simple from outside, was now eluding her; she couldn't get her paw, clipped to her waist, through the small opening in the bar far enough to lift the little lever on the bolt, before pulling it back. Finally, groaning in disgust, the Vixen flopped down, to try and get some sleep. "Shoulda put a mat in here" she sighed to herself. It was soon evident that the only reasonable position was on her back. With her wrists bound to either side of her waist she couldn't lie on either side and the way the body harness lifted her breasts, making them stand almost straight out, made it difficult to sleep on her stomach... Squirming, the vixen sighed and tried to find sleep.

Tanj yawned as she shuffled into the wardroom. "Coffee; gotta get coffee" was the only thought in her head. Finding her favorite mug, filling the mug from the pot, she took her usual chair and with a purrrrr, sipped at the mug. She was enjoying the aroma of the coffee, the mug held near her nose, when Wanda entered the wardroom.