A WARNING, AUTHOR'S NOTES AND INDEX TO THE STORIES NEW STORY: "Shamelessness", added May 9, 2000. Read the blurbs below for more info. For anyone sensible enough to be reading this before diving in for the first time: Please be aware that this is ALL sexual material. What that means is, if you're underage for your area or you're using a workplace computer to view this, you must leave NOW. Also be aware that this writing explores themes like bondage, sadism, masochism, dominance, submission, and even rape -- not to mention furries and cheap derivative space opera.;-) If this kind of subject matter offends you, you really should leave now. A few notes on the Precious Cargo series: Yes, I've noticed that the numbering sequence got screwed up. This is in the process of being fixed. No chapters are actually missing; what happened is that two chapters were repeated, so just skip over them. Needless to say, until this is fixed, the chapter summaries will not be reliable. This began as a birthday gift to a dear friend, but quickly expanded (with his permission, of course). It's basically a space opera that functions as a vehicle for lots and lots of BDSM yiffing. Those who are looking for it will see concepts blatantly ripped off from sources like Andrew J. Offut's Spaceways! series, Anne Rice's East of Eden and Beauty trilogy, and even Cecil Kornbluth's The Sound of His Horn (a rarely-seen novel indeed). Hopefully, what I've done with these tangled sources is sufficiently unique to avoid any accusations of simply being a plagiarist. The basic plot is my own, and so are the characters except for Windrunner. Fodessa now has her own account at FurNation (http://www.furnation.com/Fodessa/). Hopefully, over the course of the next year or two, the entirety of Precious Cargo as it stands now will be rewritten, and HTML versions of each chapter will be put up on that account, for those of you who prefer that to plaintext format. End of self-indulgent writer's comments. Now, on to the stories! These blurbs are helpful while deciding what to read -- for example, if you want to go straight to the sex parts. PRECIOUS CARGO Part 1 In which our main characters are introduced in the midst of tragedy. No sex yet, but violence. Part 2 We get to know Windrunner better, he encounters Caitlin, and the first actual darksex takes place. Part 3 In which Fodessa and Windrunner get formally introduced, and we have still more darksex. Part 4 In which we encounter the redoubtable Kathryn, who gives Caitlin a difficult time. Part 5 Fodessa punishes her First Mate for his ineptness, and the first hints are revealed of a foul conspiracy. No sex per se, but painful, prolonged bondage. Part 6 More darksex with Windrunner and Caitlin, while Fodessa gives orders. Part 7 We learn a little more about Katie, before Fodessa and Caitlin punish her. Some very hot and horny darksex here, if I do say so myself. Part 8. In which the darksex continues, as we -- and Katie -- encounter a very unusual machine. Part 9 A simple but erotic dinner, in which hints of future delights are dropped. An alarming message from Blackmuzzle is received. Part 10 We learn more of Windrunner, and romance is in the air. Meanwhile, Caitlin teases Katie. Part 11 Fodessa makes a call to the Jegarlik Hacker Anti-State. See if you can spot the two "inside jokes" here. Also, those safety straps on Fodessa's bed prove to have another use. Part 12 The night before Perion, during which we learn a little more of the vile traitor. Part 13 Landfall on Perion. No darksex, but we have an amusing encounter with the two bodyguards an anxious Fodessa has hired, Dosh and Quong. Part 14 The little party of six arrives at Cambelli's luxurious mansion, and gets to see the lifestyle possible on an Open Planet. Part 15 In which Cambelli samples the charms of Fodessa's slaves and is favorably impressed. Part 16 Party at Cambelli's! Part 17 Party at Cambelli's, continued, during which we learn that not all humans despise darksex. Part 18 Party at Cambelli's continued. Windrunner gets a chance to perform. Part 19 Party at Cambelli's, conclusion. Part 20 While Caitlin once again punishes Kathryn, Fodessa makes Windrunner an unusual proposition. Part 21 On the way to Bessie's, through Telper's SouthGate district, where we get to see SouthGate's unusual public transportation system. Part 22 Pretty much the same, though now Fodessa and her crew get to try out one of those carts. Part 23 The ride to Bessie's. Part 24 Bessie's, part one. Part 25 Bessie's, part two, in which we get to the actual darksex. Part 26 A murder attempt on our furry companions narrowly misses! This is the first of three chapters of boring character and plot development, with no yiffing. Part 27 Aftermath of the murder attempt. Caitlin shows a gentle side to Katie, while Fodessa goes back on her word to Windrunner. Part 28 Inside the mind of Carson. Fodessa and Windrunner make up. OTHER STORIES: Shamelessness (not furry) This is a fairly gentle tale of a master magician and his gifted apprentice, the love they share and the problem they solve. The Price (not furry) Sometimes "Hell to pay" takes on a different meaning, as the Dark Warrior knows only too well. This is one of the fiercest, darkest erotic stories I have ever written (as well as one of the best, I think). Be warned. The Wolfpack A pack of werewolves hunts a man down -- but the feast they want is of a different kind than Hollywood would have you believe. It's rather vague how non-consensual this is: it can be read as either a rape or a "rape" game. -- Maureen, maureen_lcn@yahoo.com