PRECIOUS CARGO

@Copyright 2000, Maureen. All rights reserved.


Part 26


   In the First Mate's private bedroom, Caitlin wasn't spending 
his time as he had expected -- teasing Katie until she was 
doubled over with sexual frustration.
   Instead, he was comforting her. 
   He'd held and reassured the traumatized vixen while one of the 
Perion Port Authority officers gently questioned her about her 
version of events. Afterward, he'd hustled her off, not to her 
slave quarters but to his own room, to wait while he in turn was 
questioned. Then they'd all journeyed back to an appalled and 
sympathetic Cambelli to spend the night at his mansion, while 
Authority went over every inch of the Satisfaction looking for 
evidence.
   Between the Port Authority investigation and the need to 
carefully scan every single component of the Satisfaction's 
systems for sabotage, their departure had had to be postponed 
until this morning.
   Caitlin had discovered nothing amiss. They'd caught the 
saboteurs just in time.
   Even as he held the trembling Katie, he was shaking inside 
too; he knew better than she did what could have happened.
   Now he just hoped she hadn't changed her mind about a life of 
sexual slavery -- or at least about trusting the Satisfaction to 
get her to the auction block in one piece.
   He stroked the nape of her neck as she lay cuddled against 
him, her platinum fur cloud-soft under his paw. His shoulder fur 
was still wet with her tears, but at least she'd stopped 
shivering.
   "Feeling any better now?" he asked gently.
   To his astonishment, she actually managed a smile. It was a 
shaky smile, but sincere.
   "Yes, Caitlin," she answered. He'd asked her to drop the 
"Master" honorific for the time being. "I -- I think I'll be fine 
now."
   She swallowed, licking her dark lips reflectively.
   "It's just that -- well, I knew it was dangerous. But -- I've 
never seen anyone die before. I mean, k-killed."
   Another shudder shook her, but her crisis seemed to be over. 
Already the reek of vulpine fear was fast diminishing.
   He looked at her with new respect. She'd lost it there, all 
right -- a lot of furries would -- but she was pulling herself 
together fast. She's tougher than I gave her credit for, he 
thought.
   They lay together a while longer, and he could feel Katie 
relaxing still more in his arms, comforted by his warmth and 
nearness as he stroked her and purred.
   Then he gave her shoulder a final squeeze and rose up to paws 
and knees on the bed, crouching over her. He moved down to her 
crotch, picking up her slender right thigh and lifting it up to 
expose her vulva.
   "Let me relax you a bit more," he said, grinning, and his 
black muzzle lowered between her legs.



   "What did Port Authority say?" asked Windrunner.
   They were in Fodessa's quarters again. The wolf sat on her bed 
as she walked back and forth, pacing off her emotions. For the 
moment, the darksex game was dropped.
   Fodessa sighed, clasping her paws behind her back. 
   "Not much," she admitted. "But then, they haven't had much 
time to question the leopard." Perion Port Security, like many 
police forces, used painless but highly effective truth drugs and 
high-tech extraction methods -- but that took time.
   "They did say neither of them were from Perion," she went on. 
"Actually, I don't think they're from the Open Planets at all, 
and so does Authority."
   "Carson."
   "Of course." She shivered involuntarily.
   "What was that thing?" Windrunner asked.
   "It's a device to sabotage a ship's computer. On the spaceways 
we call it a blackflag. It would have waited until we were in 
deep space, then struck. We'd have either been killed outright 
or, worse, stranded in hyperspace in a dead ship."
   She looked at him to see how he'd react. A shudder ran through 
him as his ruff bristled, and she nodded.
   "Maybe -- maybe only until we were at the Port exit," he 
suggested. "Then, if it blew one of the port reactors, the 
explosion would blow a hole in the airlock, too. Killing 
everybody in the Port would really make a statement and spread 
terror in the Underground."
   Fodessa looked at him in mingled horror and new respect. 
"Sweet Slaaneth, I don't like the way your mind works! But yes, 
if he's ready to get more obvious, that'd work."
   She paced for a few more lengths of the room, until she 
realized that Windrunner's smell was changing from fear to 
curiosity. She glanced over to find him looking at her.
   She drew a deep breath, ignoring the sudden heaviness in her 
stomach.
   "Of course, you realize this means our agreement is null and 
void."
   "*What?*" His eyes widened. His tail jerked on the quilt.
   "I mean, I'm going to hand you over to the auction masters on 
Halcyon. I can't expose you to any more danger."
   The wolf spat out a foreign word that she guessed was a New 
Yukon obscenity. "NO! I want to stay with you!" He looked 
momentarily embarrassed at having blurted that out.
   Fodessa glowered at him, ears flattening, but said, "I don't 
want you getting killed just because you're with me. You don't 
know what you're getting into." *Why does he have to make this 
harder for me?* she thought.
   "I'm not afraid! Not of Carson, not of anybody!"
   "Then you're a fool!"
   Windrunner practically leaped off the bed. Cat-quick, Fodessa 
whirled to face him, but he halted inches from her, ruff 
practically standing on end, breathing hard. His expression 
mingled anger and pleading.
   "Listen to me, Fodessa, because I want you to hear every word 
before you punish me for insubordination." A quick smile 
flickered across his muzzle. "When I signed myself over, I knew 
it could be dangerous, that there was a chance of getting caught 
or even killed."
   Fodessa opened her mouth to interrupt, but he ran right over 
her, making her tail twitch with annoyance. She unsheathed and 
retracted her claws reflexively.
   "When you made your offer, you warned me about this 
*geffargazi*. I'm not stupid -- I knew if I took it up, I'd be in 
danger. I said 'yes' anyway, remember?"
   "I can't risk your getting killed --"
   "And why not? What's changed? Besides that now he's made his 
first try on you. Did you think he wouldn't? *What's changed?*" 
He was shouting now, bare inches from her nose.
   Fodessa slapped him across the face -- hard, even though her 
claws were sheathed. "How dare you?"
    He stepped back, but his green eyes were still adamant.
   "I know I can't make you stick to our agreement," he said. 
"But if you dump me on Halcyon, you've broken your word to me." 
And he fell silent.
   "Is that all?" she asked, her voice taut as a bowstring with 
controlled fury. He nodded, black lips taut.
   "Then go to your quarters. I don't have time for a slave who's 
forgotten his training."
   His eyes were nearly incandescent with anger, but he turned 
without another word and walked out of the room. 
   Her fur was bristling from behind her ears to the base of her 
spine. Rage boiled in her, masking the empty feeling in her guts 
so she would only be aware of it later.


Direct comments and criticism to: maureen_lcn@yahoo.com .