Her nickname is "Tanj", and she's certainly living up to it. For her, it seems, "There Ain\x92t 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!

The Chamberlain sat behind his polished wood desk, and examined the notes before him. For security\x92s sake none of the information had been recorded electronically. However, as his memory wasn't all that good, he\x92d gotten in the habit of collecting sticky notes. And he had a bunch of them, most of them contradictory.

The Crown Prince wanted his revenge. He\x92d been foiled (again) in one of his over-reaching plots, and demanded something be done about it. Very well, he\x92d try. Again. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep Ruprecht under control. Keep him pointed in the right direction. Manipulate him without letting him know he was being manipulated. Still, the spoiled brat was more controllable than his father.

As a gentle knock sounded on the real wood door, the Chamberlain looked up from his notes; "Come!" The door opened to reveal a Puma, still hansom and powerful-looking, if going a bit gray, in the uniform of Imperial Intelligence. "Ah, Deputy Director, thank you for coming to see me!"

The Puma smiled and nodded; "My Pleasure, my Lord." As he stared at the Chamberlain, he couldn\x92t help but think that there couldn\x92t be a more powerful furr with no apparent power, in all of the Empire. The Crown Prince had not yet risen to the throne, and his Chamberlain, therefor, had no real power. And yet, he seemed to be at the center of a web of intrigue and palace politics, pulling strings, making furrs dance. And someday he might have "legitimate" power as well\x85.. Truly a dangerous furr.

Taking the proffered seat, the Puma looked at the Chamberlain with his best poker face; "And how might Imperial Intelligence serve you and the Crown Prince, today, my Lord?"

The Chamberlain smiled; "You understand we picked you, for this very important task, as we are\x85 of like minds. We hold the same\x85 philosophies." The Chamberlain leaned closer, over the vast expanse of his desk; "The portal device would destabilize the entire Empire. It would throw us into chaos. We desperately need to suppress any and all development."

The Puma sighed to himself. That again. On the other hand, perhaps he could gain some information here\x85.. "But my Lord, I was under the impression that certain of our foes already had that technology\x85. Wouldn\x92t it be prudent for us to be on an\x85 equal footing with them?"

The Chamberlain leaned back in his desk chair, his eyes narrowing; after a moment he waved a paw in an off-hand manner; "Yes, the Kurani. There is strong evidence to support the theory that they\x92ve already developed such a device. In fact, we think it\x92s the main reason that we\x92ve never been able to conquer them."

The Puma frowned; "Admittedly, their fleet always seems to show up in the right place at the right time, but I\x92m more tempted to ascribe that to superior intelligence than a magical device that will let them move their fleet immense distances at a moment\x92s notice."

The Chamberlain rose, to pace back and forth in front of the window. "Yes, I understand that\x92s the commonly offered explanation, but YOUR department has failed to find any evidence of such leaks. No, the Crown Prince believes that given that technology, their small, but powerful fleet has been adequate to prevent any of our\x85 "incursions". And as the Empire expands, that unconquered territory is becoming a larger and larger thorn in our side."

The Puma nodded; "And that\x92s all the more reason to develop a similar technology and use it against them. Lets conquer them before the situation gets out of hand."

The Chamberlain waved a paw again; "The Crown Prince has reason to believe that the Kurani will launch a pre-emptive strike against us, the moment they think we\x92re about to acquire that technology." Again he leaned closer; "Just imagine, if you will, Sir, one of their battle fleets appearing suddenly ANYWHERE in the Empire! They could overwhelm local forces and be gone before we could marshal a larger fleet to confront them! Why, they might even attack the Imperial Home World in that fashion! No, Sir, the Crown Prince has decided that it would be more prudent to let the Empire expand until it has them completely surrounded; we can then choke off supplies, and when they\x92re in a weakened state, THEN we can launch an effort to invade!

The Puma tried not to frown openly; if they had such a device, able to open a portal to anywhere else in the galaxy, how would merely surrounding their territory cut off their commerce with other worlds? Prudently, though, he did not give voice to his doubts. Instead he looked up, and growled: "So\x85 you want me to kill all those currently working on the portal device, and destroy all their research?"

The Chamberlain looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook his head; "No\x85. not yet. We need to find out just how far they\x92ve gotten, need to make sure, absolutely sure, that we\x92ve stamped out every last one of them. What I want you to do is to capture them, for, ah, interrogation. The Crown Prince has generously agreed to provide, ah, tempting bait for the trap, including falsified records of non-existent Imperial research into the topic that seems so dear to their hearts." He smiled and waved a paw in a dismissive manner: "The details we\x92ll leave up to you. A data crystal with all the pertinent information is already enroute to your office."

The Puma rose gracefully and nodded to the Chamberlain; "You can count on me, My Lord."

As he left the Crown Prince\x92s residence, the Deputy director of Imperial Intelligence was deep in thought. The first question he had, was whether the Crown Prince really believed all that bullshit, or whether he just wanted the portal device for himself. Perhaps HE wanted to destabilize the Empire so that he could ascend the throne. He then wondered if that would be a good thing, or not. The current Emperor was an overbearing megalomaniac, but at least he was an Effective Megalomaniac. The Crown prince seemed to have all the ambition of his father without much of the efficiency, let alone the success. As he entered his staff car, the Puma decided that whatever the case, it might be prudent if Imperial Intelligence wound up with a copy of this fantastic gadget, just for their own uses. Grinning he thought to himself that it MIGHT be extremely useful. Imagine inserting an agent anywhere in the Empire, past any security, essentially instantaneously\x85.

The Wolf frowned; surely his secretary hadn\x92t gotten that right\x85 He was just rising from his desk chair when the Deputy director of Imperial Intelligence strode in; he managed to make the transition from merely rising to snapping-to-attention, but the Puma made a sitting motion before he could even salute. "Please, be seated\x85. Ah\x85 is this room secure?" The Wolf sat cautiously, as if he were afraid his desk chair had just turned into a bear trap. For a moment his mind flashed to the recorder that was activated any time someone entered his office, but he managed to force a smile; "Sir, in addition to all the built-in anti-evesdropping equipment, its swept by experts twice a day. We are as secure as it gets." The Puma nodded, and leaned forward. "Good. I\x92ve got a mission for you. This mission originates at the highest levels\x85."

"I need an individual kidnapped. The individual is a Cheetah fem, one Su An Ky, otherwise known as "Tanj", and I believe you\x92re familiar with her." At the look on the Wolf\x92s face, the Puma continued a little hurriedly; "Normally, I wouldn\x92t think of telling an experienced furr like yourself how to go about doing something like that, but, well, the operational plan has been conceived at a level sufficiently high that I\x92m not comfortable changing it." The Wolf nodded slowly; "Yessir; and that plan is\x85?" The Puma shifted his gaze; the room didn\x92t have a window; it was much too far underground for that, but there was a holographic image on the wall simulating a window, and he stared at it for a moment. "Yes\x85 well, as this Ms. Ky is a pirate, it was thought that a suitable trap should be set. Something no pirate could resist. A small, but very luxurious passenger liner, the Eastern Star, has been chartered. It will carry a number of rather high-profile passengers, including what would appear to be the Crown Prince himself. In addition, there will be technical information on board, information that this Ms. Ky might wish to access. There will of course be more mundane treasures, sufficient to tempt her superior into authorizing the mission."

The Wolf nodded slowly; "but of course things will not be quite as they seem\x85" The Puma laughed; "Oh, dear me, no. First off, most of the passengers will be Imperial Marines, masquerading as the idle rich. Secondly, the ship is being significantly modified with respect to its defensive capabilities. And third, we\x92re outfitting the INS 6634 with a cloaking device; they\x92ll accompany the Eastern Star. Covertly, of course." The Wolf nodded; generally, Imperial Battlecruisers didn\x92t have cloaking devices; what would THEY need to hide from? As he ran through the plan in his mind, numerous flaws came to mind. Looking up at his boss\x92s boss\x92s boss\x92s boss\x92s boss he cleared his throat; "Um, Sir, given the track record of our quarry, and given the track record of the exalted personage who appears to have conceived this plan, I would recommend a\x85 no, actually I\x92d recommend several backup plans." The Puma winced; "Ah\x85 Yes. I quite agree." After a moment he met the Wolf\x92s gaze; "what would you recommend?"

The Puma was gone; he had grown bored with the actual operational details with amazing rapidity. The Wolf, however, had a stack of notes. More importantly, he had a signed authorization from the Deputy Director of Intelligence, for anything he needed. The Wolf smiled wryly as the thought crossed his mind that this was NOT the same as orders, and that if anything went wrong, there was, therefor, no question who\x92s head would be on the block.

Sitting back in his desk chair, he wondered, if he was a pirate, how he\x92d try and capture a well-armed, high value target. The answer, he thought, was obvious. He\x92d use the weapon exhibited at Nikkeldepain, drain it of all power, and then board it. Well, that was fine, he was on the hook for a working copy of that weapon anyways. Maybe that was what this was really all about. If they wanted Tanj, why didn\x92t they just order her to report in? No, something else was going on. Maybe it was all about the energy sapping device. Ah, but conventional wisdom had it that the Crimson Corsairs were behind that raid, not the Black Fleet. Well, maybe that was true and maybe that wasn\x92t; there was, after all, some conflicting evidence. Chiefly the presence of a certain Cheetah fem, and the incident at the University. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered if there wasn\x92t a way to kill two birds with one stone\x85.. And then the Wolf frowned; if he was going to try and induce the Pirates, either Tanj and her motley crew, or the Crimson Corsairs, to use the energy-sapping weapon, then his own forces had best have some sort of a defense against it. Reaching for the Comm, he tried to remember how the Empire\x92s researches into that had been progressing.

The file on the INS 8834 was open on his computer. It seemed to be a fairly standard vessel, one of many like it throughout the Empire. So why had IT been selected to be the escort for the bait? The Wolf looked through the political reliability indices for the crew; they didn\x92t seem particularly unusual, either good, or bad. And then the picture of the ship\x92s Captain caught his eye. A Jaguar. He smiled and called up the Captain\x92s family history. Ah, yes, that would explain a lot, wouldn\x92t it? Jaguars.

Tanj frowned. Her agent on Samartan III was reporting that a certain luxury liner had been chartered by a very important personage, for a "special mission" from the Imperial homeworld to Alkahain II. The funny thing was that the ship was to make stops at Buratan, Elko, and Sere, before heading on to Alkahain. That route took them past the Snake Nebula, a favorite pirate haunt, and the asteroid field at Elko could hide a fleet. It was almost a route custom made for pirate attacks. And who\x92d ever heard of a charter having announced stops?

And the strangest thing yet was that her agent with the Black Diamond shipping line was telling her the same story. As was her agent with customs on Buratan. The cargo supposedly to be loaded on Buratan was in itself worth a king\x92s ransom; medical specialty items that could be sold, no questions asked, on almost any world in the Empire.

It was obviously a trap. But for who? And why?

It was near the end of the day, when she looked at the reports again. It was a tempting target. Obviously a ship full of VIP\x92s, with high-value cargo, would have defenses. But what kind of defenses? An escort? Guards? And how could she get around them? Surely there had to be a way\x85\x85

The budget meeting the following morning was grim. The Black Fleet was still solvent, but the "recent unpleasantness" had left them with some staggering bills to be paid. Some things would have to be fixed and quickly. Others could be fixed on a more leisurely schedule. But they\x92d still have to be fixed, and the bills paid. They needed money. Lots of money, and fairly soon, too. Again, the Luxury Liner came back to haunt her\x85.

"Mistress, I don\x92t see any way around it. If there\x92s ANY way, and I mean ANY way we can take that prize, we have to try." Jenka scowled; "It is tempting, but\x85." Tanj played her trump card; "Take a look at the passenger list." Jenka took the printout, her eyes widening in surprise after reading the first name; "Couldn\x92t be." Tanj chuckled; "Oh, I agree. Its got to be a double, or a stand-in. Too public to be an imposter. But it suggests who\x92s behind this." Jenka nodded; "And that tells us the "why". The Cheetah raised an eyebrow; "It does?" Jenka nodded; "Yes. He\x92s still after me. Or at least my financial destruction. If we go for this prize, gamble everything on it, and loose, the Black Fleet will probably dissolve. And without the Black Fleet behind me, I become an easier target for him." Tanj frowned; "It also suggests an alternative theory." Now it was the Jaguar\x92s turn to frown; "It does?" Tanj nodded; "I was considering using the weapon we used at Nikkeldepain. Drain the Liner of all power, move in quickly and seize the valuables, and run like hell. But\x85 Isn\x92t it possible that what they\x92re really after IS the weapon? Wouldn\x92t the Empire love to get their hands on it?" Jenka nodded slowly; "It would, but we\x92ve been marketing the countervail against the weapon to anyone and everyone who\x92ll buy it, including the Imperial fleet." Tanj nodded; "That doesn\x92t mean they\x92ve figured out how to duplicate it. AND every unit we sell has a "back door" that will still let us use the weapon against them. They may not have figured that out." Jenka nodded thoughtfully; "And I suppose\x85." Tanj grinned; "Yes, we sold that liner one of our units."

The Jaguar sighed; "I admit, I\x92d love to put one over on him. But I\x92m hesitant. What if he\x92s finally got it right and his trap works as he wants it to?" Tanj shrugged; "That\x92s why we do it with minimum resources. If the strike team is caught or killed, things go on. If they\x92re successful, we win big, and things get back to the way they were. And maybe, just maybe, we find out what he\x92s REALLY after."

Jenka nodded thoughtfully; "All right. Tentative Approval. Pull your plans together, and we\x92ll review them. But I reserve the right to veto them at any point\x85..

Tanj looked at the few furrs around the conference table. There were a lot fewer than before the mutiny\x85 but at least these she trusted a little more. Turning to look at Jenka, she smiled; "The plan comes in four parts. The first part is for elements of the Black Fleet to stage a raid against the Liner. The purposes is merely to test its defenses, AND to make it use consumables. We WANT them to fire missiles and torpedoes. We want them to burn fuel maneuvering. And we want any escorting units to show themselves. The whole point is to force them to stop at Elko as planned. We have resources there that will offer them reloads at bargain prices. The goal is to smuggle certain things onto their ship disguised as reload missiles and torpedoes. And if possible, our agent there will also arrange for high value cargo to be loaded on the ship as well.

Tanj\x92s grin widened; "Mistress, do you remember the "shipping containers" that we were going to inhabit?"

The Jaguar shuddered; "Yes. All too well."

Tanj nodded; "well, we\x92re going to modify and use those. A "strike team" will be loaded on the Liner as cargo, in those containers. Oh, they\x92ll be listed on the manifest as slaves, with the owner\x92s instructions to KEEP them in the shipping containers. Nice and safe and locked in place. But of course, the shipping containers will be quite heavily modified. They\x92ll have all sorts of hidden devices from trap doors to nanites that\x92ll dissolve the container, if nothing else works. And each container will have supposedly harmless looking items that can be assembled into weapons. The goal is to take the Liner from inside."

Chris shook his head; "we only have three of those containers; how are three furrs going to take over a ship that size?"

Tanj chuckled; "One of the containers is for Sashi. You KNOW what she can do\x85 Besides, we\x92ll have all sorts of gear concealed in the dummy torpedoes. Everything from knockout gas to more traditional leach weapons to drain power, to a portable cloaking device that we hope to be able to assemble, and use to hide the Liner." The Cheetah shrugged; "The goal is not to take the ship and fly away with it, merely to neutralize its defenses so other Black Fleet assets can rendezvous with us and take off the prizes. Obviously if the strike team fails, the fleet won\x92t show themselves, and thus the bulk of our assets remain safe.

Jenka shook her head; "Too few. We\x92ll make more of the shipping containers. In fact, we\x92ll remake them all; I don\x92t want those being recognized. Now, who are you considering for this strike force?"

Tanj smiled; "Those who can pass for high value sex slaves. I was going to say Zassa, Sashi and I, but if you want more, we could take Sabina, Kath, and Hinoki."

Forbes nodded; "Hinoki would be good, but I\x92m not sure about Sabina having, um, the required "assault skills", and I still have concerns about Kath\x92s loyalty."

Tanj shrugged; "who would you suggest, then?"

Jenka smiled; "I trust Kath, but I fear she might be recognized. Especially if there are Imperial Intelligence agents on the ship. Lets replace her with John. As for Sabina, well, I think the whole "strike team" is going to need some training for this one\x85.."

Dynotaku bit his lip as he worked over the codebook. The trick was to send a message that looked like just an ordinary piece of correspondence, and yet have every third word correspond to the REAL word, as given by the code book. It was like writing poetry. Or Haiku. There were those that needed to know what was going down. Not that they might do anything about it. That was the problem with his boss; he insisted on being kept informed, but most of the time, if not all of the time, simply didn\x92t DO anything with the information. It was frustrating. Finally, deciding that the letter didn\x92t sound too much like gibberish, he hit the "send" button. Ah, well, you do what you can, and hope for the best\x85\x85. Sitting back in his desk chair he wondered if he should stay here, try and get assigned to the fleet elements that were going on this crazy mission, or maybe even volunteer for the "strike force"\x85.

Kath finished coding the message, and hit the transmit key. Her transmitter, quite tiny and resembling something else, bleeped at her in acknowledgement. She then turned it off, and put it back in its hiding place. Imperial Intelligence had been informed. And if she was ever called to task, she could point out how her message relayed current events completely, and accurately. It wouldn\x92t be HER fault if they were mis-interpreted. Deciding she was really getting too good at this "disinformation" game, she returned to the task Wanda had set her to. She just wish they\x92d let her go; of all of them, she was the one best trained for something like this. On the other hand, she COULD understand why they distrusted her. Ah, well, this way she got to stay with Wanda, and at least Wanda would be safe through all of this\x85..

Tanj looked around the motley crew, and smiled. Zassa was looking interested. Hinoki appeared calm. Sashi looked nervous and Sabina looked confused. John had on his best poker face.. "I won\x92t pretend this mission isn\x92t dangerous. In fact, if it goes even a little wrong, we\x92ll all wind up back as slaves, or quite possibly, dead." Zassa chuckled and waved a paw; "Been there, done that. Got out once, and I\x92m sure I can get out again. If I so choose." Sabina blinked and inquired in her sweetest voice; "Mistress has been dead before?" Zassa laughed and batted at the Kitten; "no, and you KNOW what I meant!" Looking back at Tanj, the Vixen grinned; "after the last fiasco, I\x92m all for hitting back at these bastards. What do we do?" Tanj gestured at a plain grey shipping container. It had slots in the bottom for an automated cargo mover\x92s forks and recesses at the top for an automated crane\x92s grapple, and was considerably larger than the ones provided by Bradford and the mutineers.. One corner had a screened air intake, and another corner had a shielded radiator assembly. Tanj rose and padded across the compartment to it, to release six catches built flush into the long side. Two top, two bottom, and one on either end. The side split down the middle and hinged open. Inside was a cage of sorts, although it was considerably larger than the one in the previous model. "I\x92ve had Clancey and his crew in Maintenance working overtime on this thing, working from some catalog pictures Hinoki provided. I\x92m afraid we just don\x92t have time to purchase something "off the shelf" and even if we did, we\x92d have to modify it anyways. Now, who wants to volunteer for the demonstration?"

Sabina saw the Vixen start to move, and leapt to her feet; "Me! Please, Mistress Tanj, let me try it out." Zassa shot the Kitten a dirty look, but didn\x92t say anything. Tanj chuckled and waved Sabina forward. "OK, Kitten, good thing you\x92re not wearing anything." Tanj pressed more hidden latches, releasing a small door in the lower left corner of the cage. Crouching she grinned at Sabina; "This cage doesn\x92t come out of the container, for obvious reasons." At the Kitten\x92s blank look, she grinned; "You\x92ll see. Come on in here; the cage is at "zero position" to facilitate your restraint." Ducking through the opening, the Cheetah crawled into the confines of the cage. Sabina followed as quickly as she could.

Sashi tried to watch through the bars of the cage. The bars weren\x92t simple straight up and down, or side to side, but swirled in the strangest patterns. It was almost as if the cage was some sort of abstract work of art. It was somewhat difficult to see through the gaps to the interior. Tanj led Sabina to the center, to the nexus of a series of arms and bars. "OK, this is where it gets a little difficult. Kneel here, on the pad, and then lift your left foot and place it in that cuff there\x85." Sabina looked at the cuff, at the end of a shiny metal pole, and obligingly lifted her foot and slid it through the padding. As soon as she had it in place, it tightened automatically, acting as if it had sensors and knew just how tight would be secure, without being too tight. Tanj pointed to another cuff, this one in front of her: "put your left wrist in there." Sabina did as she was told, the cuff again tightening around her. Tanj indicated a cuff for her right wrist, and then had her lift herself off the floor, to put her right foot through yet another cuff. When it had tightened itself, Sabina found herself just off the floor, held horizontally, in a kneeling position, by wrists and ankles. Tanj inspected the cuffs, and nodded; "Now comes the tricky part. Its automated, so I\x92ve got to get out of the way." So saying, the Cheetah gave the Kitten a quick kiss, and backed out of the cage. As soon as the door had closed, things started to move.

Hinoki watched critically as an arm came down from above, a padded collar closing around the Kitten\x92s neck, the back of the arm forming a headrest of sorts. Other arms came in from the sides to grip upper arms and upper thighs, and around her waist. And then the whole assemblage started to move\x85.

Sabina eeped as the arms moved her into a prone horizontal position, face down, and spread her legs. She heard machinery whine, and something cool sprayed across her crotch. Then, something was pushing into her pussy. It drove deep, stopped, and withdrew, only to drive into her again.

Tanj watched the Kitten start to pant, as the machine fucked her. Turning to the others, she grinned; "This device is part exhibition, part punishment, part reward, and part training aid. At least that\x92s what we\x92ll bill it as. As you can see, right now, she\x92s getting a "reward"."

Zassa chuckled; "Looks like fun. But what about punishment?"

Tanj laughed; "you would want to see that." Tanj leaned over a display on the outside of the shipping container, to one side of the cage, and pressed various places on its touch sensitive screen. The dildo kept moving, but another arm came up from below; at its end was a small wheel equipped with leather straps around its periphery; it started to turn, the straps flying outward. It continued to rise until the straps made contact with the Kitten\x92s left breast; it held there for a moment and then retracted, shifted, and assaulted her other breast. It again retreated, swiveled, moved down her body, and rose again, until the tips of the straps were assaulting her mons. Sabina howled, her body bucking, as the sudden combination of sensations drove her to a sharp and violent climax. The device immediately retreated, slowing, and disappearing into the floor of the cage.

"Unlike the previous model, this system has slightly less, ah, "personal" provisions for hygiene. It will provide bedpans four times a day; better hold it until one is presented, or you\x92ll make one hell of a mess of your cage, and possibly short something out." All around Tanj, heads nodded sagely. No one was really interested in the catheters anyways. "Feeding is by probe." Tanj touched another spot on the touchscreen, and a phallic shape on a long arm snaked out and pushed its way into the Kitten\x92s mouth. The tube pulsed visibly, and Sabina made choking sounds, her throat visibly moving as she swallowed. Tanj frowned; "Hmmm. Might have that set a little high." After a minute, the tubing stopped pulsing and the phallic shape withdrew. Sabina panted for a moment and then purrred; "ooooh, that was GOOD; tasted like cherries and cream! Gimme some more!"

Tanj chuckled; "To anyone examining it, the nutrient looks like cum; we\x92ve, ah, just improved the flavor some." Reaching over, Tanj pushed another spot on the touchscreen. Sabina rotated, passing through upside-down, to rightside-up, the devices moving her to a sitting position. A holographic display flickered into view in front of her, and a voice started lecturing on the layout of the Liner, describing its typical systems. "As you can see, this is the training portion. For anyone who might examine our little system, all they\x92ll see is the typical lessons a slave might be given. However, for us, there will be other lessons. We\x92ll be drilled in the attack plan, contingency plans, communications protocols, the facilities and systems of the target vessel, and so forth. Occasionally, if we do really well on the tests, we\x92ll get holographic movies and other entertainment." Looking up, she smiled; "Any questions?"

John raised one massive hand; "why keep moving her around. Surely it added to the complexity of the device, and therefor to its possible failure."

Tanj nodded; "Remember, this is something a very wealthy Master might ship an errant slave in. It shows mastery of the Slave\x92s body, it puts on a show for anyone watching, and more importantly, it keeps you from getting stiff and sore from staying in one position too long. The machine will actually provide a certain level of exercise\x85" The Stallion nodded, apparently satisfied.

Hinoki raised his paw; "How do we get out?" Tanj smiled; "Each container has a certain number of spybots, although it might be very risky to use them. If our intelligence gathering abilities don\x92t work, or dare not be used, we\x92ll break out at a certain time. The AI in each container will watch the time, and at the appropriate time, release you. The backup is a collar that contains nanites, that will attack anything metallic. The collar will release the nanites at a certain time, well after the containers are set to release you; if the containers fail, you\x92ll still get out, although its probable that the nanites will eat any of the concealed weapons." Tanj smiled; "there are also voice actuated and manual releases, but I\x92ll show those to you later. The latter are a little tricky to use. You have to be in JUST the right position\x85."

Sashi raised a paw; "Mistress, you mentioned weapons. Where are they?"

Tanj grinned and reached into the container; "Well, there are several\x85." She pulled a section of tubing in the life-support module, snapping out a rod about half a meter long. Shifting a little, she pulled at a power module for the air handler, and then twisting a little, she pulled what had looked like a small compressor from its mounting. In a couple of quick motions, she snapped the power module to the compressor housing, slipped the tube into a recess in the compressor housing and gave it a quick twist; turning, she grinned at the others; "instant laser rifle. And it\x92ll pass all scans. Clancey guarantees it."

John took the device from the Cheetah\x92s paws and examined it. lifting it, he pointed it at the far wall, and pressed a knob on the power module. A bright ruby beam speared out, striking the far wall of the compartment. The Stallion released the knob after a moment, the beam flickering off; however a glowing orange spot remained on the far wall, and sirens started to howl. The intercom came on, an angry voice demanding to know who\x92d fired a weapon on the station. Tanj padded to the communicator, and assured whoever it was on the other end, that it was an authorized test, and that all was well. After a moment, the sirens faded. It took longer for the glowing spot on the wall to fade.

Tanj looked around; "If you\x92re all OK with our mode of conveyance onto the Liner, lets talk about our plans on what to do once we "escape" our confinement\x85..

Inside the cage, Sabina tried to keep quiet. The dildo had reappeared between her legs, driving vertically into her pussy; another had appeared, spearing into her ass; the two were now working in counterpoint. Tirelessly. Unflagging. In front of her, the holographic display droned on about the liner they were to capture, but she didn\x92t care. All that mattered was the delights the machine was granting her\x85. She never heard the question; suddenly an electric current passed from one dong to the other, making her yelp in surprise. It hadn\x92t been that painful, but she hadn\x92t been expecting it. Again, the voice asked a question about some system of the Liner, but she didn\x92t have a clue what the answer was. The second jolt was less of a surprise, but much stronger. When the question was repeated the third time, she moaned; "I don\x92t KNOW!" Apparently the AI had voice recognition software, as the lesson started over. Unfortunately, the dildoes remained stationary\x85.

Tanj heard the Kitten\x92s yelp, and smiled. Rising from the others, she touched the touchscreen control in a few places, and then resumed her seat. Inside the cage, Sabina grumbled. The holographic lecture had stopped; so had the dongs. Hanging in mid-air, supported at a dozen points, she listened to the others discuss the plan of attack, and wondered what she\x92d have to do to get them to turn the cage back on again\x85..

Tanj couldn\x92t help feeling a sense of Déjà vu; whoever had slipped her the information about the luxury liner must have done something similar. In her correspondence with some of her less reliable agents, she let slip that the Black Fleet was thinking about raiding a certain ship, in a certain place, in a certain time. Those she slipped that information to, were sure to sell it to anyone who had the price, be it Imperial Intelligence, or the tech pirates of Gates\x92 world, or the Crown Prince\x92s faction\x85 or even the Crimson Corsairs. Tanj knew that the leader of the Crimson Corsairs, Jane Calamity, knew that SHE wasn\x92t behind the raid on Nikkeldepain, despite the dis-information campaign. And therefor, if it wasn\x92t her, it had to be someone else. Such as the Black Fleet. A certain desire for revenge, and perhaps a greater desire to capture a working copy of the weapon that had already been attributed to them might motivate the Crimson Corsairs to be in the area. Their presence in the area would be useful; events could once again be blamed on them when the liner disappeared.

Dynotaku stuck his tongue tip out of the side of his mouth, as he concentrated on decoding the message. It was laborious, but probably the most secure method of communication anyone could come up with. Either that or whoever had come up with it was a sadist\x85. Finally the message was done and he sat back to consider it. What he saw, he didn\x92t particularly like at all. With a sigh, he took his scribblings and headed for the door.

Jenka looked up from her terminal as the Unicorn clomped into her office. Silently she watched from beneath furrowed brows as he pulled up a chair, and sat down. For a moment they stared at each other, and then the Unicorn tossed the Jaguar a paper airplane. It hit her desk and was about to skid off, when one claw stopped its flight. Scowling, Jenka smoothed out the paper and began to read.

"WHAT? He can\x92t do that! Who in the HELL does he think he is?"

Dynotaku screwed up his face, grimacing, shutting his eyes tight, and stuffing both index fingers into his ears, as Jenka ranted. Jenka, catching the motion from the corner of her eye, fell silent, and turned to look at the rather comical figure. With a sigh she shook her head and tossed the piece of paper back on her desk. After a minute or two, Dynotaku un-scrunched an eye, and peered cautiously at her. Seeing her just standing there, he tentatively opened the other eye, and then, straightening, pulled his fingers out of his ears; "Done?" Jenka grinned evilly at him; "Haven\x92t even begun to start, but there\x92s no point with you here; it\x92d just be wasted on you. So he wants you to go too, does he? All right\x85" Jenka smiled and slipped back into her desk chair; she steepled her fingers and then rested her chin on them; grinning at the Unicorn, she purrred; "you can take John\x92s place."

Dynotaku smiled; "you know, that was actually the first thing I thought of. Problem is, he\x92s bigger than I am. The cage Tanj had made was custom made to his specifications. And time\x92s growing short; I don\x92t think there\x92s time to re-build the cage." Dynotaku gave the Jaguar his best grin while he thought "There\x92d better not be, considering the bribe Clancey just got\x85." "Besides, you know when we\x92re let out of the cages, that I\x92d just break character. When have you EVER seen me act like a submissive?""

Jenka snorted; "Enough duct tape, steel and leather and no one would ever know the difference\x85."

Dynotaku spread his hands; "Tell you what. If I can talk my way on board that liner, as the Master of the slaves being transported, will that work?"

Jenka eyed him critically; "And if you can\x92t talk your way on board?"

Dynotaku smiled and shrugged; "Then I stay behind. We\x92ll just have to tell him that I tried and failed."

Jenka frowned; HE didn\x92t take failure lightly. But after a while she nodded grudging approval; "All right. Make sure you coordinate with Tanj, though, and remember, SHE is the one in charge of this operation!"

The Unicorn just grinned; "of course she is."

The sexy, flame-hued Vixen stared at the plainly dressed Rat, and frowned; "What you\x92re asking us to do is extremely risky."

The rat pushed his old-fashioned spectacles up on his muzzle and shrugged; "Conceivably, yes. However, our analysts have examined the situation and believe the risks are reasonable, both for us, and for you."

The Vixen shook her head; "yeah, but we\x92re the ones at the sharp end. If it goes awry, we\x92re the ones that will be breathing vacuum."

The Rat smiled coldly; "You think crossing the Crown Prince is without risk? You\x92re merely the hired help. WE are the ones the Crown Prince would come after, with, ah, "extreme prejudice". And believe me, there are worse things than being dead."

The Vixen stared at the Rat for a long moment, thinking about the experiments rumored to be conducted on Gates\x92 world. Finally she nodded; "Tell me again about this device you have, that\x92ll make this so easy."

The Rat smiled; "I won\x92t bore you with the physics. Lets just say it screws up the interaction of matter and antimatter. Initially, this will rob power from the targeted ship. But it goes beyond that. As the matter/antimatter annihilation reaction slows, the fuel valves will open, seeking to maintain the reaction. The reaction chamber will flood with matter, and antimatter, but nothing will happen. The valves open further, until the reaction chamber can hold no more\x85. And then you turn the weapon off. There isn\x92t a containment field in the universe that will be able to hold the power of that reaction; the reactor will explode, and if the target ship isn\x92t destroyed, it\x92ll at least be seriously damaged. Damaged beyond combat capability."

The Vixen nodded; "But what about this energy-robbing weapon they\x92re supposed to have. What if they hit us with that before we hit them?"

The Rat waved a paw, dismissively; "We have a device we believe will negate their weapon." He didn\x92t tell them that it was the reverse-engineered copy of something already on the market, albeit with a little tinkering from the "experts".

The Vixen frowned; "Believe\x85?"

The Rat looked away and muttered; "We haven\x92t been able to\x85. Reproduce the effect, so its difficult to test a countermeasure." Looking back at her, he grinned; "But we\x92re confident it\x92ll work."

The Vixen nodded slowly "So you\x92ll be along on this little sojourn with us?"

The Rat again looked uncomfortable; "Alas, no, I have a paper to present at the Imperial Physics Conference. If I wasn\x92t there, it would be noticed. No, to maintain our, ah, anonymity, I fear you must carry on without us."

The Vixen just grunted "Uh-HUH!"

---

After the Rat had departed, the Vixen looked at her second in command; "I dunno, Roj, what do you think?"

The Tiger grinned; "we take their weapon, and anything else we can get, up front. We take a quick pass at the target, and see what it looks like. If they\x92ve used the whole Black Fleet to capture one liner, well, I don\x92t care how good his weapon is, it still only shoots at one target at a time. We go for their flagship and the rest of the fleet pounds us to pieces. On the other hand, if they\x92ve captured it with only a few raiders; if its an easy hit, we do it, and run. Maybe we even settle up with the Gates\x92 World geeks. And if the Black Fleet hasn\x92t hit the liner by the time we get there, WE hit the Liner, take the booty, and run."

The Vixen nodded, and then sighed; "Do you believe what he had to say, about that Bitch, Jenka, being behind the story that we were the ones that hit Nikkeldepain?"

The Tiger shrugged; "Don\x92t have a clue. They were on our short list anyway. Might be true, might be a clever lie just to get us to do what he wants."

The Vixen nodded; "OK, we\x92ll play it your way. Work up an operational plan, for the command staff\x92s review."

The Tiger nodded, executed a polite bow, and departed.

When he\x92d gone, the Vixen stared out the viewport, and wondered what the techies of Gates\x92 World really wanted. Surely the few furrs they\x92d mentioned could not possibly be worth all this trouble\x85\x85

The slaves knelt in the boarding lounge, obviously on display. There were a half-dozen, as befitted a rich and powerful personage, such as the Crown Prince. Each one was remarkable, and most were exquisitely beautiful. Of the group, however, one stood out. The Kurani resembled a Tigress, orange fur, with a white patch traveling from chin to crotch. Her stripes, however, while in the traditional tiger pattern, were more of a dark brown, than black. Her head lacked proper hair, but instead resembled the head of a non-morphic tiger, merely covered in fur, with the traditional cheek ruffs. All of this could be overlooked however, except for two factors. One was her size; had she been standing, she would have easily topped two meters. And her ears were not the typical Tiger\x92s ears, but instead resembled pink batwings. She was an "exotic" and only the wealthiest could afford such a slave, from beyond the borders of the Empire.

The balance of the Crown Prince\x92s party, from servants to staff, to the Crown Prince himself, milled around the departure lounge. The Eastern Star had docked, and in moments the lock would open and they\x92d be ushered aboard. As they waited, the "Crown Prince" talked with the Chamberlain; "Honestly, I have no idea why he would want to risk such a large portion of his harem."

The Chamberlain shrugged; "I\x92ve come to understand that he\x92s dissatisfied with each of them, for one reason or another. Take the Skunkette, for instance. Its rumored that she\x92s cursed, that bad luck follows her wherever she goes."

The "Crown Prince" raised an eyebrow; "howso?"

The Chamberlain shrugged again; "Lord Hofbaur tripped on a crack in the flooring just after she, ah, serviced him. Broke his left arm. But upon examination, no flaw in the flooring was found; it was perfectly smooth."

The "Crown Prince" nodded; "That doddering old fool, sounds to me like he just slipped and had to blame it on someone."

The Chamberlain shrugged; "perhaps. She was delivered to the Crown Prince by a vessel called the "Great Western". Ever hear of it?"

The "Crown Prince" scowled; "Yes, something about an asteroid collision\x85"

The Chamberlain nodded; "Yes. While still in Spacedock. They, ah, later suffered a massive antimatter containment breach. Amazingly no one died, but the vessel was wrecked. It would seem there are dozens of incidents like that in her wake."

The "Crown Prince" frowned; "then\x85 isn\x92t he risking the mission by sending her along?"

The Chamberlain laughed; "I think he\x92s hoping that the curse will apply more to the attackers than to you. But\x85 Maybe he feels its safer for HIM should she be away."

The "Crown Prince" sighed; "Well, Sir, at the first sign of bad luck, I\x92m chucking her out the airlock."

The Chamberlain winced; "and you wouldn\x92t be the first to think of that solution, either. However, everyone who\x92s tried has suffered a much worse fate. As I understand it, the Prince of Marashia tried that; the airlock malfunctioned, and while she was in the airlock, the ship suffered a critical pressurization failure. As it turned out, she was in the safest place imaginable. The Prince barely survived." After a moment\x92s silence the Chamberlain went on; "it was after that, that the Prince presented her, as a gift of state, to the Crown Prince. And you know, such gifts of state, well, they\x92re not easily discarded. Gives the wrong image, no matter how much trouble they are."

The "Crown Prince" just winced. "right".

Shifting his gaze, he looked at the Kurani; "so what\x92s her story? I\x92d expect one of THEM would be on constant display in the Imperial Palace, just to show friends and enemies alike what the Empire thinks of them."

The Chamberlain shrugged; "Frankly, I have no idea; I know he was getting increasingly wroth with her, but\x85 well, on the trip here, I found her to be quite pleasant, and VERY pleasing, if you know what I mean."

The "Crown Prince" Grinned and nodded; "Indeed. I\x92ll have to give her a go, if she carries your recommendation\x85."

Kittiara\x92s ears twitched, just a little. Her hearing was remarkably good, and she had to suppress a smile. The Jaguar looked well built, and she suspected he\x92d be much nicer to her than that Imperial Bastard. Yes, perhaps this trip would be something to look forward to. And it would serve her well to please the "Crown Prince"; she needed a certain amount of freedom to prepare for the upcoming events, and only a kindly and generous master could give that to her. Yes, she\x92d have to work on him, make sure everything was just right\x85..

The lock cycled open, and a svelte Coyote in a blindingly white uniform, with gold trim, stepped out; "Your Majesty, Ladies and gentlefurrs, I am Estelle Merriweather, Captain of the Eastern Star. If you\x92ll follow me, I\x92ll show you to your quarters." Watching covertly, the slaves waited for the sign from the "Crown Prince"; rising as one, they padded gracefully behind him, following him onto the ship.

The suite was HUGE. It must have easily taken up an entire deck of the ship, from the Engineering spaces, forward. It had a sybaritic Master Bedroom, for the Crown Prince, with anterooms for his attendants, along with a dozen sub-suites for his personal guests. For this particular trip, the "Crown Prince" had invited several notable furrs. The Sultan of Peshawehr, for one. The Sultan was negotiating with the Crown Prince for certain Imperial Contracts, and was all too delighted to "discuss things" while accompanying the "Crown Prince" on his little trip. The Barroness de Montaine and her daughter occupied yet another of the sub-suites; she was trying to do a little matchmaking, although it wasn\x92t clear if it was for her, or for her daughter. Maybe it didn\x92t matter, in the end. She had her work cut out for her, though, for in the next suite was Brittany Hugo, a Holovid star of some note. The svelte Mink obviously felt that being seen in the company of the Crown Prince might do his flagging career some good, and add legitimacy to a career that had generally been attributed more to her performances on the casting couch than in front of the camera. Field Marshall Von Frocke inhabited another cabin. Now retired, he was also working on the Crown Prince, on the behalf of a rather shadowy industrial consortium seeking to sell the Empire weapons. The immensely wealthy financier, Morganthau, didn\x92t really seem to have an agenda; he was just\x85 traveling with the Prince for the\x85 pleasure of his company? It was barely organized chaos as everyone found their assigned rooms, and settled in\x85.

---

The Skunkette smiled; "Oooooh, this IS nice!"

Kittiara nodded; "Yes, the very ideal of a harem."

The Skunkette giggled; "And not an instrument of torture in sight!"

The Kurani smiled; "Ah, well, on a ship as luxurious as this, I\x92m sure such things haven\x92t been forgotten. But to prevent delicate sensibilities from being upset, I\x92m sure they\x92re cleverly hidden."

The Skunkette watched as the other slaves explored the chamber; there were pillows on the floor everywhere, but not a single bed; it was obvious that they were expected to sleep in one common room, sprawled, no doubt sexily, on the pillows. An adjoining chamber had baths, and an expansive makeup counter, with brightly lit mirror. And of course there was no privacy. But on the bright side, there were also no visible restraints, chains, or eyebolts\x85..

---

The "Crown Prince" stood by the viewport, an exotic and powerful drink in his paw. The ship was slowly, carefully, and above all else smoothly undocking. He hadn\x92t even felt the mooring clamps release. As the spacedock receded slightly, as the liner moved away under maneuvering thrusters, he thought to himself; "Well, for better or worse we\x92re on our way. If everything goes as planned, my Master should be pleased. If it all drops in the pot, I might, just MIGHT be free of the snotty bastard." As the ship rotated smoothly, the spacedock disappearing below the "horizon", the Jaguar reflected on what life might be like away from the Imperial Court, away from the furr that by sheer chance, he resembled so much. He had a few credits stashed away, and a few pilfered objects d\x92art. He wondered if they might be enough to pay for plastic surgery to alter his appearance. Well, if not, there was always self-mutilation. A few good scars would ruin the resemblance. And it would be worth it to get away from that bastard\x85.

---

Kittiara took the skunkette aside; "Listen, Jinx, I want you to keep yourself tightly under control. NO INCIDENTS."

The Skunkette frowned, and growled; "you KNOW its not something I have full control over! Its not like YOUR talents! Besides, I don\x92t MEAN to do the things I do. Well, most of the time\x85."

The Kurani smiled; "Yes, I know. I understand. But this is NOT the time for\x85.. distracting random events. Remember the mission, the higher cause." Bending, she kissed the Skunkette softly; "now, what are you going to wear for the dinner tonight?"

---

The Skunkette watched the KURANI padd off. What to wear for the dinner indeed; what a fine joke. They\x92d wear whatever they were told to wear, or nothing at all, as befitted the whims of their master. Turning she looked out the Harem\x92s only viewport, at the receding spacedock. Keep herself under control, indeed!

On the Spacedock, now receding behind the Liner, a valve stuck open. It wasn\x92t a critical valve; all it did was meter soap into the washing machinesin the spacedock\x92s laundry\x85. But it was enough of a problem to cause the evacuation of several sections of the habitat, as soapsuds attempted to claim the volume for their own\x85..

The first night out, on vessels such as the Eastern Star, the Captain holds a special dinner to welcome his or her passengers. The Eastern Star was no exception. Kittiara knelt with the other slaves, a pace behind their Master\x92s chair. Each of the slaves was attired following the dictum that sometimes less is more. Each scrap of fabric was almost transparent, doing more to highlight than to conceal. And as might befit the slaves of the Crown Prince, each was richly adorned in the finest jewelry. It was all real, too. And yet, amongst the splendor of the luxury liner, they almost went unnoticed. Almost.

The dinner conversation swirled around items of political interest, with occasional eddies of inconsequentiality. The Baroness and her daughter flirted almost as shamelessly as the Holovid star. The "Crown Prince" did his best to act Mysterious, especially when asked where he was going, or what he was up to. However, in the Kurani\x92s opinion, he merely came off as ignorant. It would appear that SHE knew more about what was going on, than he did. Well, she\x92d knelt behind her real Master\x92s chair while he plotted and planned, both this and other things. Keeping her head down, she let her gaze rove covertly over the dining compartment. The other tables seemed to be filled with young, athletic looking furrs. Furrs that seemed to have a military bearing about them. Not the simple tourists, travelers, or even honeymooners that they seemed to be trying to mimic, they resembled more a bunch of Imperial Marines, in mufti, trying to behave under the watchful eye of an Imperial Personage. Bodyguards. The KURANI smiled; there were ways to deal with them\x85.. Shifting her gaze she returned her attention to the "Crown Prince". He seemed to be having perhaps a little too much to drink. Never the less, he was holding his tongue, not revealing anything that shouldn\x92t be revealed, holding to his role. As she watched, she wondered if perhaps he might be having a little more to drink than he should\x85

The "Crown Prince" yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his paw. Smiling at the Captain, he rose; "If you\x92ll excuse me, I think I\x92ll turn in. Its been a long day." Captain Merriweather nodded; "Of course, your Highness. Please let me know if there\x92s anything we can do to make your voyage more comfortable." The "Crown Prince" smiled graciously, beckoned to his entourage, and padded, a mite unsteadily, towards his suite.

Kittiara watched with amusement as Morganthau, bottle of vintage wine in his paw, with two glasses in the other, entered the "Crown Prince\x92s" sleeping quarters. As she\x92d thought. Well, there would be other nights. Just before the "Crown Prince" followed the financier, he turned to grin at his other guests; "if any of you have an interest, by all means, help yourself to my harem. I\x92m sure you\x92ll find them ALL extraordinarily well trained."

The Sultan smiled widely; "Ah, Thank You, My Prince!" Turning, he pointed at the Skunkette; "You. Attend me!"

Kittiara winced slightly. The Sultan wasn\x92t known as the "Sultan of Swat" for nothing. But his penchant for spankings, she thought, was about to go horribly awry. Jinx didn\x92t care for spankings, and probably wouldn\x92t be able to restrain herself. Still, there was nothing she could do\x85 She watched as Jinx dutifully followed the Sultan into his quarters.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, the KURANI turned, and then knelt as gracefully as she could. The old Bear smiled, if a little coldly; "If you would be so kind\x85" without waiting for a response, he turned and headed for his quarters. Kittiara rose and followed the Field Marshall, wondering if the Bear could truly be up to the task he\x92d just assigned himself\x85..

The Field Marshall sat in an overstuffed chair, and gestured to a spot on the floor by his feet. "Kneel there." Kittiara did exactly as she was told, exhibiting every bit of her rigorous training in the process. The Bear smiled; "Now, before we proceed to more pleasant topics, I want you to tell me about the Crown Prince. Any detail, every detail. Take as long as you need." The Kurani smiled. It was obvious; the Bear wanted to "know his enemy" so that he could pursue the task his backers had sent him on. And who knew what that task might be? It could be simple business. It could be underhanded business. It didn\x92t matter; what was another plot in the Imperial Court? Keeping her voice quiet, almost sonorous, she started to talk, doing her best to describe Ruprecht.

As she talked she watched the Bear pour himself a snifter of brandy. Her recitation took longer than she\x92d thought; he must have sat through many boring briefings in his military career to maintain his attention as long as he did, but eventually the brandy and the monotonous tone of her voice conspired to lull him to sleep.

The brain works by electrical impulses. And that was where Kittiara\x92s talent came in. Among a people known for their unusual talents, hers was comparatively minor. Telekinesis on a small scale. A VERY small scale. She could barely lift a paperclip. On the other hand, she had fine control; very fine control. A control so fine she could influence the flow of some of the smallest pieces of matter. Electrons. It was child\x92s play to tickle the Bear\x92s brain, so that he stayed deep asleep. She\x92d long since learned where the sleep center of someone\x92s brain was, and learned to put her talent to good use.

Unfortunately, exercising her talent came at a price. For a quick touch, she\x92d earn herself a headache. The more she used her talent, the worse it got, until "migraine" was a mild descriptor. And if she overdid it, as she was wont to do, when "lost in her work", she\x92d wind up with a nosebleed, and in the most extreme cases, she\x92d bleed from her ears as well. Sometimes it took her days to recover. And yet, for the cause, she was willing to suffer\x85.

Computers were another place where her talent came in handy. Working quickly, she brought the suite\x92s computer terminal on line; she did everything possible to get as far as she could, using her expert skills, but finally, she came up against security protocols she could find no other way to defeat. With a sigh, she turned her mind to following the flow of photons and electrons through fiber optics, old fashioned wires, and the more modern neural net. Finally she found what she was looking for.

The defenses for the Liner\x92s central computer were sophisticated, but nothing beyond what she\x92d seen in other places in the Empire. She entered a random string, hit return, "watched" the electrons and photons flow until they came to a place where they were compared with something else. She squelched the response, not so much eliminating it as warping it, so that the next processor in the chain rejected it as noise, instead of an alarm. THAT cost her a bloody nose. And then she tried again, until the spew of electrons issuing from her terminal matched what they were compared to. It only took her three more tries. In this fashion, she carefully picked her way through the security minefield, found the doors, some left by the programmers that had installed the system, some known to those that used the system. It took over six hours but eventually, she found her way to where she wanted to be. With a headache so bad she could barely see, she took another half hour or so, to look around, make some preliminary plans, and set up some macros. Easing out, she turned to look at the softly snoring Bear. "My, it must be uncomfortable sleeping like that\x85.." she mused to herself. Keeping him sound asleep with the most minute "touch", grunting with the exertion, she hefted him into his bed. Muscles, after all, also worked by electrical impulses, and when she needed a burst of extra strength, she could fool her muscles into yielding it. Of course, she\x92d pay, and pay dearly for it, later. She carefully removed all his clothes. These she folded neatly and hung up in the closet. Only then did she padd silently into the bathroom, to clean the dried blood from her muzzle, and ears, and to search the medicine cabinets for analgesics. Yes, she could fool her own brain into ignoring the pain, in the same fashion she kept him asleep, but that was nowhere near "zero net sum", and usually wound up only making her hurt worse. Swallowing well over the recommended dosage, she returned to the bed, and removing what little she wore, she climbed into bed next to the Bear. She still had time to get a little sleep\x85\x85

The Bear grunted; the dream was SO nice, he didn\x92t want to leave it, and yet, no matter how he tried, sleep still slipped from his grasp. But as it vanished, he realized that the pleasurable sensations weren\x92t diminishing. Cracking one eye, he beheld the Kurani astride his hips, availing herself of his usual morning erection. Saucy slave! Who told her she could do that? And yet, despite his "indignation" he found himself unwilling to order her to stop, or even reprimand her\x85\x85.

---

Kittiara waved to the other slaves, and headed for the baths. The Bear had been remarkably energetic, once she\x92d gotten him started. After his first orgasm, he\x92d rolled her over, demonstrating remarkable strength, and then covered her, thrusting into her until he came a second time. Only then had he reprimanded her for taking advantage of him, albeit with a twinkle in his eye. For punishment, he took her a third time, plowing her ass most vigorously. Finally, sated, he\x92d slapped her on the ass and told her to get back to where she belonged.

Jinx looked up as the KURANI stepped down into the bath; "Well, it looks as if YOU had a good ti\x85.." The Skunkette paused, to lean forward, sending a small wave across the bath; she took the Kurani\x92s much larger head in her paws and examined her critically; "My God, you\x92re doped to the gills! How many painkillers did you take THIS time? What in the world did you DO?"

The KURANI smiled weakly and shrugged; "I had\x85 an acceptable time. Wish I\x92d gotten more sleep, though."

The Skunkette huffed; "I\x92d HOPE the old Bear was that randy, but I know you better. What did you DO?"

Kittiara smiled; "Um\x85 He was plenty randy, once he gets started, but\x85. I surfed the LAN for a bit, using his computer. While he slept"

The Skunkette\x92s eyes widened; "Risky! Ah\x85. Did everything go OK?"

The Kurani smiled, sinking into the steaming water until just her head was above the surface. The water in the tub rose until it was running into the drain. "Yeah, no alarms. I got the preliminaries done. Next time will be easier; much easier. And I managed to keep from frying my brain. I think. How\x92d things go with you?"

The Skunkette sighed; "I lost it. He broke his first three paddles on my ass. IT WASN\x92T MY FAULT. At least I wasn\x92t doing anything on purpose! Each one cracked at the handle on the first stroke. THEN of course, maddened that his favorite paddles had all broken, he used his paw." The KURANI winced; "He didn\x92t!" Jinx sighed and nodded; "Yeah. I think that\x92s where it switched from knee-jerk reaction to something resembling an act of volition. On the back stroke, he hit one of those ornamental vases. It fell from its pedestal, hit one of the paddle handles, which was laying over his right shoe. That acted like a teeter-totter, and lofted his left shoe into the air. It landed in the big fish tank his quarters was decorated with, splashing water onto the comm panel. There was an electrical discharge and the next thing I knew he was flat on his back with his hair smoking. He\x92s still with the ship\x92s surgeon, I believe\x85\x85"

Kittiara winced; "how\x85 unlucky!"

The Skunkette giggled and nodded.

---

The Wolf dawdled in the breakfast buffet line, critically examining those around him. The Field Marshall seemed to have quite a spring in his step this morning. The Crown Prince and the Financier had yet to show up, but everyone else was availing themselves of the Liner\x92s breakfast buffet.

He\x92d decided to come "supervise" in person. This was, after all, much too important to leave to anyone else, even if it wasn\x92t the genuine Crown Prince. After a moment\x92s reflection he decided not to have an omelet. He\x92d have to spend enough time in the gym to work off what he already had on his plate. The luxury of this liner was seductive; he could really get used to it. Unfortunately, he had work to do. There were dossiers to review, contingency plans to update, a thousand details to attend to\x85. But not until he\x92d finished breakfast.

It was lunch before the "Crown Prince" finally put in an appearance. He was casually dressed, in cream colored slacks and a light blue shirt, open at the throat. He smiled at his "Guests" as he took his seat at the table.

Kittiara tried not to yawn as she knelt behind his chair, with the others. Tried not to let her stomach rumble, either. They\x92d be fed, either by their master\x92s paw, or by the harem guards, after the meal. Assuming there were any leftovers. She tried to concentrate on the conversations, listening to what the various important personages were saying. The Bear was trying to talk business, but Morganthau, his "target", seemed to be more interested in the dinner roll than the conversation. And then conversation came to a complete halt. For a moment, the Kurani frowned; she\x92d missed something\x85..

Most everyone was looking at the "Crown Prince". Those who weren\x92t were looking at the Baroness\x92 daughter. What had she just said. The Kurani searched her memory; something about "preferring boys"? After a moment the "Crown Prince" smiled, and shook his head; "you misunderstand, my dear. Morganthau and I were\x85 in negotiations last night." The Financier grinned and nodded; "Yes, difficult negotiations. High Finance. That sort of thing. But I believe we\x92ve come to an\x85. Equitable agreement\x85" Gazing around the faces at the table the Crown Prince chuckled; "Believe me, my dear, I do appreciate the female of the species. Tell you what, to demonstrate the point, why don\x92t we hold one of those affairs the Imperial Capital is so famous for. You can see for yourself!"

The Baroness\x92s eyes narrowed; "Your Highness, are you suggesting we\x85 have an Orgy?" The Crown Prince leaned forward and grinned "Why not? Don\x92t tell me you\x92re shy!"

As he leaned back, he muttered to Morganthau, just loud enough to be overheard; "That way she can see the competition she\x92s up against\x85." Morganthau whispered back; "You never know; it\x92ll also give her an excuse to strut her stuff; you might be surprised\x85."

The Skunkette surreptitiously nudged the Kurani; "Did you hear that? Sounds like fun tonight!" Kittiara just smiled, and nodded fractionally.

Slowly, conversation resumed, around the table. The Actress was recounting a previous experience at one of the capital\x92s notorious orgies, and the Sultan was countering with tales of an orgy he\x92d hosted. The Baroness had a calculating look in her eye, and her daughter\x85 her daughter, if anything, looked quite excited.

Tanj sighed; she had at least six more messages about the luxury liner, all telling her what a prime target it was. Of them all, only one, the one from Hinoki\x92s friend on Gibralter station, suggested that it might be too good to be true, and that there was some speculation "on the street" that it might be a trap. Well, the wheels were turning already; plans in motion. The Raider detachment had already departed, with very strict instructions. And it wouldn\x92t be long until they themselves departed, to get in place prior to the liner\x92s arrival. Hoping she\x92d thought of everything, she logged off and rose to go see how the "training" was coming\x85..

Ralph caught her eye as she was leaving the intelligence offices; "you know, Mistress, I\x92m really not happy about being left behind on this one."

The Cheetah smiled and nodded; "I know. But someone has to mind the store while we\x92re gone. I can\x92t think of a better fur than you."

As she slid through the door, the Tiger just grumbled, certain she was going to have all sorts of fun without him\x85..

John groaned into his gag. The cage currently had him suspended, face up, but arms, legs and head down as if he was in a "Bridge". Something mechanical was manipulating his hard cock; oh, it was a very good simulacrum, but it was still just a machine. A vibrator had been shoved into his ass, and a mechanical arm seemed to have taken possession of his balls. Grunting, he waited for the signal.

Tanj watched the Stallion on the monitor. The container was closed, all systems operating normally. Anyone checking on its contents would see the naked slave being put through his paces as per the stated purpose of the system. Clicking the button on a stopwatch, she pressed a spot on the container\x92s touchscreen display\x85.

John heard the tone. It wasn\x92t easy, but he was able to move his left hand just enough to press on the rivet on the shaft that held the restraint around his wrist. He heard the machine start to move, relaxing his position somewhat, and then the left cuff sprang open. Squirming, he was able to undo the collar around his neck, and then release his other hand. The Band around his waist was more difficult; he had to hold himself up with one hand while fumbling for the release with the other. Fortunately the arm that held the vibrator in his ass was programmed to move with him, and wasn\x92t too horribly uncomfortable as he lowered himself to the floor. As he descended, the thing that had held his cock was pulled free from his shaft. It took but a moment to release his ankles and then pull free from the vibrator in his ass. Moving in the dark he was able to find the hidden door to the cage. However as he tried to squirm through it, he hit first his head, and then his left shin on various pieces of equipment within the container. It really didn\x92t have much space in there. He managed to find the barrel of the laser rifle, and the "receiver", but the power pack eluded him for several precious seconds. Finally, he found it, more by chance than design, snapped it in place, and got a ready-light. Then, he had to push an arm through one particular gap between the cooling unit and the carbon dioxide scrubber, and hit the door release.

Tanj watched as the hidden door in the side of the container swung open, and the armed, nude Stallion emerged. She clicked the button on the stopwatch and critically examined the time; "not too bad. You\x92re behind everyone but Sabina, but still within parameters." The Stallion nodded; "Just too danged big for something like this." Tanj\x92s glance dropped to the dangling meat between his legs and smiled; "Oh, I dunno; occasionally, size has its place\x85.. Now, you take the stopwatch and you can time me while I run through the escape procedure."

Dynotaku stood quietly by the door, watching. The Stallion was throwing a few monkey wrenches into the procedure, putting the Cheetah in a particularly strained position, having her bedeviled by all sorts of distracting toys, and ordering the container to have certain system failures. It took her much longer than the schedule allowed for, but she DID get out\x85.

---

Tanj massaged a sore point on her left calf and glared at the Stallion; "That was NOT fair. Three simultaneous system failures are highly unlikely!"

John just smiled and shrugged; "Hey, the touchscreens on these things can\x92t be locked out; who knows who will wander along and start pushing buttons, for their own amusement?"

Tanj scowled; "SOME systems can\x92t be locked out; that\x92s only so that the furrs on the liner can reassure themselves we\x92re what we\x92re supposed to be. And you know it too. No fair using command overrides!"

John just chuckled and shrugged.

The Cheetah picked up her clothes, and still nude, headed for the door; what was when she caught sight of the unicorn. "Sightseeing?"

The Unicorn grinned wider; "Kinda. But I\x92m also here on business. Seems I\x92m coming too. Kinda."

Tanj stopped dead in her tracks; "Say WHAT?"

Dynotaku shrugged; "Well, Jenka and I were talking, and we figured SOMEONE should be there as the owner of the slaves being shipped. A front furr if you will. And\x85. If I can talk my way onto the liner, that\x92ll give you one more combat effective. Increase your odds."

Tanj shook her head; "All right, I can see the logic. I\x92ll talk to Chris Foxx about it."

Dynotaku shook his head; "Sorry, he\x92s coordinating the, ah, "relief" of the liner once you seize control. Kinda indispensable there. And Jenka says its me."

Tanj shook her head; "I think I\x92m going to have to have a talk with her."

The Unicorn shrugged; "As you wish\x85."

Kittiara braided Jinx\x92s hair, as they talked. Conversation in the Harem was mostly about how to adorn themselves, to gain favor, and thereby gain a few luxuries. The other slaves were discussing hairstyles, jewelry, makeup, and techniques. They were discussing the various personages that might be at the orgy, and how to behave; which ones they might be a little bolder with and which ones you really had to mind yourself around. The Kurani listened with one ear, but the strategy she was discussing with the Skunkette was somewhat different.

"But what if she\x92s NOT among the "guests"?

The Kurani shrugged; "If the Captain isn\x92t there, its almost certain that she\x92ll delegate the duty to one of her staff."

The Skunkette giggled; "Ooooh, I LIKE the looks of that Chief Engineer. The Ram with the funny accent."

Kittiara chuckled; "I\x92d prefer the first officer. But it doesn\x92t matter. We\x92ll work on whoever we can, and do our best so that if another opportunity presents itself, we\x92ll be able to make the most of it."

The Skunkette nodded; "You know, I\x92m not sure I can produce an "incident" that\x92ll merely appear threatening\x85."

Kittiara finished the braid, and sat back; "Oh, I\x92m SURE you\x92ll think of something. You always do\x85."

---

The "Crown Prince" lounged on the pillows, watching with amusement as the guests arrived. He was attired in a silk vest, and silken pantaloons, cut to resemble chaps. In other words, crotchless. He was a scandal, and knew it; he also knew that no one would EVER criticize him, either. Some of the guests, such as the Holovid star, Brittany Hugo, had arrived equally scandalously dressed, and had flashed the "Crown Prince" an appreciative, and calculating look. Others, such as Field Marshall Von Frocke, had arrived in normal attire, looking as if he\x92d just come back from a stroll in the park. Morganthau, the Financier, had shown up in a silken robe, suitable for the bedroom, while the Sultan of Peshawehr had arrived in voluminous white robes more suitable to the desert. The Baroness de Montaine, and her daughter had arrived last, sweeping in, making a grand entrance. Their outfits were more suitable as eveningwear, revealing, and stylish.

Kittiara, attired merely in jewelry, and of course, her collar, watched curiously, failing miserably to keep her eyes properly lowered, a fact not missed by the Crown Prince. However he seemed to find this more amusing, than distressing.

Servants from the Liner\x92s staff passed among the guests with trays of drinks, appetizers and recreational drugs. The Holovid star flirted shamelessly with the Field Marshall, keeping one eye on her competition. The Baroness all but ignored the Crown Prince, instead doing what she could to occupy Morganthau\x92s attention. The "Crown Prince" circulated, pausing here and there to say a word to his various guests. The Orgy was getting off to a slow start.

Jinx nudged the much larger Kurani, and nodded towards a figure standing by the wall. A rather hansom male Moose in the white uniform of the Liner\x92s crew stood, watching the crowd. He wasn\x92t mingling, and yet it was obvious that he wasn\x92t there to supervise the servers. Kittiara shot the Skunkette a grin, and in turn pointed with her chin at an equally reserved gray Wolf half a room away. She then sat up a little straighter, looking around the room.

The "Crown Prince took a sip of his drink, and by sheer chance, caught the eye of one of his slaves. The Slaves were all kneeling by the far wall, as if on display, which they were, as if awaiting selection by one of the guests, which they were. The Exotic, the big, striped one, winked at the Crown prince, inclined her head towards the token staff member the ship\x92s Captain had sent, when she\x92d begged off, claiming duty, and then made a slight, but unmistakable lascivious gesture. Somehow he instantly knew what she was getting at. It was as if she\x92d whispered into his ear; "The orgy\x92s getting off to a slow start; how about I jump-start things, with him?" The "Crown Prince" marveled for a moment at how she\x92d been able to communicate so much with a few simple motions, and then grinned, and nodded his approval. He made a mental note, however, to deal with her "forwardness" later\x85..

Kittiara watched the Moose, until he was looking at her; she then grinned, and slowly, sensually licked her lips. She was rewarded with a slight widening of his eyes. Before that expression had left his face, the Kurani had left her kneeling stance, to crawl, on all fours, towards him. She kept her body low to the carpeted floor, her tail waving behind her. The illusion was of some powerful jungle beast stalking her prey. Around the room, conversation dwindled, as more and more of the guests stopped to watch.

The Wolf didn\x92t really want to be there. But he had a cover to maintain. He\x92d hoped to loiter on the sidelines, and slip off at a time when few would notice his departure. Pretty much, he thought, like the Moose had been trying to do. He watched the Exotic crawl across the floor, listened to her throaty growl, and shivered. He didn\x92t know if he was glad not to be the center of her attention, the opening gambit in yet another of the Empire\x92s decadent parties, or disappointed\x85.

The Moose all but backed up to the wall as the Kurani crawled closer. The slave paused, sniffing daintily at his foot; with a purr, her head lifted, her nose running up the inside of his left leg; she rubbed her cheek against the fabric covering the inside of his left thigh, and then proceeded to nuzzle his crotch. It was all he could do to remain standing; somehow his knees had gone weak.

Kittiara smiled, pleased that the Moose was developing an erection merely from her approach, from her initial touches. With a smile, she used lips and tongue and teeth, to search for the zipper in his trousers. To her surprise, she found not metal or plastic, but buttons! She almost laughed out loud; instead she muffled the noise by pressing her muzzle to his crotch, and nipping off the top-most button. She tilted her head back to grin at him, opening her mouth to show the button resting on her tongue. Then, turning her head, she spit out the button. As it rolled across the floor, she turned back, to nip off the next in turn.

Jinx smiled as the Kurani removed button after button, to free the Moose\x92s shaft. The look on his face was somewhere between horror at the destruction of his uniform, to shocked fascination, to growing excitement. When her mouth captured his hardening member, the look turned to one of shear delight\x85..

Again, her special talents weren\x92t required; the Moose was very nicely responsive. He moaned quite audibly as she worked her head back and forth, driving more and more of his meat into her mouth, and down her throat. She grinned when she heard the crowd gasp, when her nose touched his belly, his not-inconsiderable cock buried to the hilt in her mouth, down her throat. It didn\x92t take long until he was bellowing, his cock exploding into her mouth.

The "Crown Prince" turned to Morganthau and grinned; "There, didn\x92t I tell you she was something special?" Of course he hadn\x92t told Morganthau anything of the sort, but the Financier was too suave to contradict him. Instead he just saluted the Crown Prince with his glass; "Right as always, your Majesty!" He looked back at the Moose, who seemed to be leaning rather heavily against the bulkhead, his chest heaving, a look of indescribable pleasure on his face as the Kurani licked him clean, with obvious relish. "In fact, with your permission, I\x92ll sample her abilities myself\x85"

Jinx had made her way through the crowd, mainly by crawling. Now that the ice had been broken, things were starting to happen. The Mink was pinned to the wall by the Bear, his hips driving into her hard enough to make her scream with delight. The Baroness was on hands and knees, being plowed by the Sultan. Her daughter had obviously gotten her wish as the "Crown Prince" was paying her the most intimate attention. And the other slaves in the "Crown Prince\x92s" harem were attending to the lesser guests. One of them had even pulled down one of the crew who had been serving drinks, much to the Raccoon\x92s delight.

The Wolf jumped a little, surprised at the touch; looking down, he found a nude Skunk fem lightly caressing his crotch. For a moment he came close to having a heart attack, recognizing her from his files as the one known as "Jinx". Strange things happened in her wake. VERY strange things. And yet, from his readings, the one thing he was sure he didn\x92t want to do was to upset her. And that meant\x85\x85

Kittiara purrrred; the Financier, sated, had left to find something to drink, and a quiet place to rest for a minute. He\x92d been replaced by a young Buck, and his friend, a rather muscular rabbit. The Kurani had the impression that these two would have to be some sort of undercover security. They were both in too good a shape to be common travelers. The Buck was flat on his back, with her astride his crotch, his shaft buried in her pussy; his friend stood astride the Buck\x92s head, his shaft in her mouth. The Buck had a great view of him fucking her face\x85.. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jinx, and the Wolf she\x92d pointed out earlier, and smiled. She wasn\x92t sure yet quite who he was, but something had told her that he was one of the "players" here\x85 And if he was one of the conspirators, well, maybe Jinx\x92s "magic" would rub off on him. On the other hand, it\x92d been her experience that the pure of heart generally did rather well with Jinx. It was just the way things worked around her\x85.. It would be interesting to see which classification he fell into, possibly quite literally.

The Baroness watched, with narrowed eyes, a slight scowl on her face; her daughter watched wide-eyed. The "Crown Prince" smiled lazily, and continued; "And thus, you see, Baroness, any marriage of state must, inherently, be based on what is good for the STATE, and not necessarily for those getting wed." The Exotic, the Kurani, was laying perpendicular to the "Crown Prince", her head on his thighs, his shaft in her mouth, working on him softly, a background to the discussion being held. "After all," the "Crown Prince" murmured; "If you were just after sex, any one of the harem would do, and most frequently, if you were merely after companionship, or, ah, "scintillating conversation", a good number of the harem would also more than adequately fit the bill." He idly stroked the Exotic\x92s head, as he watched the Baroness. He knew she was after an advancement in her status, via her daughter\x92s marriage, and he wasn\x92t about to give it to her, even if it had been his to grant. In this small matter, he was in complete agreement with his master. He could see the words burning to her very soul.

The daughter shook her head; "Surely, your Highness doesn\x92t think that his harem girls are the only ones that can be good in bed?" The mother added; "And I sincerely doubt that they could be as much companionship, out of bed, as a high-born lady!"

The "Crown Prince" smiled; "Oh, I wouldn\x92t be so sure of the first, and as for the second, why do you think that perhaps this sensual slave here isn\x92t someone of education, and standing among her own people?" At this the Kurani smiled. The "Crown Prince" thought, for a moment, that he might have felt, just a hint, of fangs as her mouth caressed his sex. An accident? Or perhaps her own form of a warning? Just who did she think she was? Well\x85 The "Crown Prince laughed softly as the contradiction of his own statements struck him; at the confused looks from the Baroness and her daughter he waved a paw at the Exotic; "Tell them, my dear, just where you come from, and how you came to be here."

Kittiara raised her head a little, the "Crown Prince\x92s" shaft sliding from between her lips. "Mistress, I am, of course, from the Kurani Patriarchy. I was captured by slavers on the borders of the Empire, trained for my current station, and sold to His Majesty."

The "Crown Prince" turned a caress into a pinch; Kittiara winced as her sensitive ear membranes felt the prick of the "Crown Prince\x92s" claws. "You know what I mean. Elaborate."

Kittiara held her head very still; "Yes, Master. I was known to the Patriarch himself; my mate is his ambassador plenipotentary."

"and the name of this ambassador?"

"Hrral, Master."

Von Frocke had been listening from a cushion, a short distance away; at the name, he shifted and raised his head; "Pardon me, your Higness, but did I hear her say "Hrral"?

The "Crown Prince" laughed, and nodded; "The same." Using his paw, he pushed the Exotic\x92s head back down, groaning softly as her mouth recaptured his shaft.

The Bear sat up, and looked at the Exotic as if seeing her for the first time; after a minute his gaze shifted to the "Crown Prince". "With all due respect, Your Highness, ARE YOU MAD?"

The Crown Prince chuckled; "Oh, relax, Von Frocke; her presence in my harem is a state secret; her mate doesn\x92t have a clue where she is. He probably thinks she\x92s dead." After a minute, the Jaguar turned to grin at the Bear; "YOU\x92RE not going to tell them, are you?" The Bear shuddered, shook his head no, and collapsed back onto the cushions. If the Kurani ever found out that the mate of Ambassador Hrral had been sold into the "Crown Prince\x92s" Harem, there would be hell to pay\x85.. And to think, he\x92d had her just the other night!

The "Crown Prince" looked back at the Baroness; "And so you see, my dear, she IS a high-born lady. And as such, a very interesting person to talk with." He chuckled; "Or at least she is when she doesn\x92t have her mouth full. Now\x85 you were saying that you think any "high born" lady can acquire such skills\x85. Might I ask how you intend to prove that?"

Any response the Baroness might have intended was postponed by the sudden and powerful orgasm that swept through the "Crown Prince." In her estimation, Kittiara felt she\x92d timed that perfectly\x85. The Kurani smiled, and licked him softly, slurping up every trace of his seed. The "Crown Prince" panted for a moment, and then pressed her head back down again; "No one told you to stop, slave." He then grinned at the Baroness, who frowned back. Rising, the Baroness collected her daughter, and they both headed for the powder room. Behind them, the "Crown Prince" chuckled softly.

The Wolf panted, exhausted. The Skunkette called "Jinx" had finally tired of him, and had, with his heartfelt permission, of course, gone to freshen up, and to seek new "prey". As he watched her ass move, as she padded off, the fur of her thighs slick with his seed, he wondered if the stories about her were true. Could the rolling power failures of Sabakistan Prime really have been attributed solely to her? Or the mange plague of New Hebridies? There was no doubt that most everywhere she\x92d been, strange things had happened, but to attribute them to her? It SEEMED so unlikely, and yet\x85.

As he turned, to head for the Male\x92s restroom, his left foot caught on something, sending him sprawling face first onto the floor. The pseudo-marble was smooth, cool, and HARD. Picking himself up, he became aware of a dozen or more furrs staring at him. Hopefully, he thought, they\x92d just attribute it to too much drink. Glancing down, he sought out the offending thing that had tripped him. Of course, there was nothing there, just smooth, unbroken pseudo-marble. Twisting his head, he looked in the direction the skunkette had gone. He\x92d thought he\x92d given her more than her share of climaxes, not been mean at all with her, or even overly demanding\x85.. Turning and limping towards the restroom, he wondered if he should ever have doubted her in the first place.

The Wolf looked in the mirror; no, the skin on his chin wasn\x92t broken. It just felt that way. No blood, there or on his knees either. Straightening, he frowned\x85. What was that, on the floor by the door\x85 Taking a step in that direction, he bent down\x85. Just as the door swung open.

Morganthau blinked at the strange wolf\x85 what HAD he been doing with his head behind the door? The Wolf straightened, rubbing his head with one paw. His other paw held something\x85 The Wolf looked up at the Financier and muttered; "Someone lost their credit chip\x85. Yours perhaps?" Morganthau shook his head no; "not mine. Does it have any ID?" The Wolf shook his head; "no, not that I can see." The Financier grinned; "Then it looks as if its your lucky day!" The Wolf rubbed his head and muttered "Yeah\x85."

The party was winding down\x85. Some of the guests had left, a few of them had even left together. Some of them were passed out, either from an excess of drink, dreamweed, or just plain exhaustion. And a few were still going, the "Crown Prince" observed casually. The Kurani was still working on his shaft, languidly, keeping him hard, doing an amazing job of keeping him right on the edge. Over the past hour, she\x92d "permitted" him three orgasms, each one more shattering than the one before. But it was time to leave, so that the party could die a natural death. Pinching one of her sensitive ears, he growled; "Finish me, bitch, and we\x92ll call it a night." The Kurani\x92s head moved a little faster, her tongue stroked him just so, and it seemed an instant later he was howling with the power of his orgasm. Dutifully, she licked him clean, and then sat back, kneeling in the proper position.

The "Crown Prince" regarded her, and then smiled. "you know, you showed remarkable initiative in getting the party started. But slaves aren\x92t supposed to show initiative. I think, for that act, you should be both rewarded and punished." Rising, he stretched. Whatever he\x92d been wearing when he\x92d arrived, was somewhere, but others could reclaim it for him. Nude, he grinned down at the Kurani; "Clean yourself up, and present yourself to the Captain of this fine ship, with my compliments; for the next day cycle you are my gift to the crew, to use as they see fit. Report back to the Harem Keeper this time tomorrow." Turning, he strolled towards his quarters.

Kittiara watched him go, trying not to let her smile get too broad. "perfect" she muttered to herself.

Jinx nodded; "Yes, I understand exactly what you want; its just\x85. I have this feeling it won\x92t be necessary." The Kurani raised an eyebrow, as she adjusted her outfit. The thin strips of almost-transparent silk had to be arranged just so, for the proper effect. The Skunkette shrugged; "well, its not that I CAN\x92T come up with something, its just that I have this\x85 well, call it a premonition that something\x92s about to happen." At the look on the Kurani\x92s face, she continued, perhaps a bit hotly; "Something NOT of my doing, ThankYouVeryMuch!" The Kurani smiled and nodded; "It would be nice, if you were right, but just in case\x85 you\x92ll be ready? The Skunkette sighed and nodded; "No one ever believes me\x85. But yeah, I\x92ll be ready."

Captain Estelle Merriweather didn\x92t even look up from her desk; she just called "Come". The computer, hearing her voice, obediently unlocked and opened the door. Glancing up, she saw her yeoman enter, followed by one of the "Crown "Prince\x92s" slaves, the big alien feline one. The slave knelt, a step back and a step to the side of her yeoman. "All right, Percy, what\x92s the problem. I\x92m really rather busy at the moment\x85\x85" The yeoman looked embarrassed; "Um, Ma\x92am, the "Crown Prince" sends his compliments, Ma\x92am, and by way of thanks, for our, ah, service so far in the voyage, has sent one of his slaves, ah, for the use of the crew, for the next, ah\x85 how long did you say?" The slave didn\x92t raise her eyes, but she smiled softly, and purrred; "The next daywatch, Master." "Ah, yes, the next day watch, Ma\x92am."

Merriweather put down her stylus and looked at the slave. BIG slave. Clearing her throat, she looked back at the yeoman; "An offer from the "Crown Prince, no matter what it is, is difficult to refuse, although I\x92m not really sure what turning her loose among the crew might do for morale." The Yeoman gave the slave a quick glance, his body language suggesting that it\x92d probably be REAL good for his morale\x85. The Captain looked at the Slave for a moment and muttered; "I would suspect\x85 that you\x92ve found yourself in this situation before\x85." The Slave took it as an invitation to speak, and smiled again; "Yes, Mistress; the "Crown Prince" is not stingy in that regard." The Captain\x92s train of thought was derailed for a moment, as she wondered in just what respects the "Crown Prince" might be stingy in\x85. Shaking it off, she growled; "And what is your usual, ah, fate, when handed out like that? The Kurani shrugged; "Mistress, it has been just about everything you might imagine. Wild orgies. Passed among the officers. Passed among the crew. Told to stand in a corner and be quiet. Pumped for information about the Crown Prince, and the Imperial Court, tied up and left on display\x85" Her grin widened; "Once, Mistress, I was even instructed to paint a furr\x92s house." The Captain blinked; "paint a \x85. Huh?" The Slave\x92s grin widened further; "Mistress, it had something to do with an old joke. As it was told to me, the Crown Prince himself had once told a joke to this furr, saying; "A lady of the evening comes up to a furr, and says "I\x92ll do anything for a hundred credits." The furr immediately pulls out a credit stick and hands it to her, replying "I want you to paint my house"" The Captain looked blankly at the slave for a moment and then chuckled. The Slave nodded her head in acknowledgement, as if the Captain\x92s chortling had been applause, and smiled; "Mistress should know, that I\x92ve also been asked to give massages. Some feel that I\x92m rather talented in that regard\x85."

Captain Estelle Merriweather paused, and looked at the Slave. "Massages. Yes. We lost our ship\x92s masseuse at the end of the last trip to a competitor, and her replacement\x85. Isn\x92t as good\x85" She blinked and then nodded; "I have to finish this, but afterwards, Yes, I\x92d love a massage. Percy will show you to my quarters, where you can prepare. I\x92ll be along, oh, in an hour or so." The decision made, she turned back to the work waiting patiently on her desk.

As the door closed, the Captain looked up, and grinned. Quietly, ever so quietly she muttered to her self "Rank DOES have its privileges\x85."

Kittiara followed the yeoman to the Captain\x92s quarters. They were far more spartan than she\x92d anticipated. Still, in the bathroom there were a suitable selection of scented oils. And the bed was firm enough for her purposes. Smiling, she noticed the yeoman lingering\x85 "Master, the Captain probably won\x92t be here for a while, don\x92t you think?" The furr nodded, perhaps a bit tensely; "She tends to get lost in her work; she\x92ll say she\x92ll be somewhere by a certain time, and is almost always late\x85." The Kurani smiled; "Perhaps we can find a way to pass the time\x85\x85"

Percy tried to collect his wits as he staggered down the hallway towards his own small office. The "Crown Prince\x92s" slave had been\x85. Voracious. It was almost as if the Kurani\x92s reputation for ferocity in combat had translated itself, through her, into a voraciousness for sex. Never had he had such orgasms. And such control! Somehow she\x92d managed to keep track of the time, and bring things to a close with enough time for him to collect himself and leave the Captain\x92s quarters, before she arrived\x85.. Wow.

Captain Merriweather found the slave kneeling in the proper position, with everything laid out for her massage, but there was an unusual scent in the air, and the slave had a sly look on her face. It took her a moment to place the scent as that of sex, male and female musk. She wondered who\x92s idea it had been; Percy\x92s or the Slave\x92s? Deciding she\x92d puzzle it out later, she stepped forward. As she did so, the slave rose smoothly to her feet, her head bowed; "Perhaps Mistress would like to start with a soothing bath?" Merriweather blinked, and then nodded; "Yes, that sounds nice. Very nice. You wouldn\x92t believe the day I\x92ve had."

Kittiara worked the shampoo into the Coyote\x92s hair and smiled; "Yes, Mistress, I\x92m well aware of how everyone goes to great lengths to keep the "Crown Prince" happy. And he can be most demanding at times. Why, I remember a time, on Arguila III, when it seemed everything he did was calculated to keep the local government, and Imperial representatives hopping. And I don\x92t think it was a test so much, as just a willful exercise of power, for power\x92s sake." The Coyote sighed as strong fingers worked over her scalp, massaging. She felt tight muscles soften and relax. And the way the alien feline stroked behind her ears was just heaven! She wondered where she\x92d learned to do that\x85.. "Yes, it does seem like he\x92s keeping us hopping\x85."

Well pleased with the way the Coyote was entering a relaxed state, the Kurani wondered how long it would be, before Jinx caused her little "interruption". Or how long it might be, before the "prophesized" incident occurred. No sooner had that thought flashed through her brain, than an alarm started hooting. The Captain\x92s eyes went wide open, and she surged from the tub.

Kittiara rose as well, proffering a towel which the Coyote snatched from her hand, almost without thinking. And then, leaving a trail of bathwater, she was dashing out of her cabin. The Kurani watched her go, and then smiled crookedly; "I have GOT to be more careful what I wish for\x85.." Selecting a robe from the Captain\x92s closet, and a fresh uniform, the Slave padded from the cabin (noting the security combination on the way out), and, following the wetness, headed after the Captain.

The liner wasn\x92t a warship, but it could defend itself. One of the defenses was a scanner that would only admit crew to the bridge. The Kurani solved this problem, the easy way, by slipping through the closing door on the heels of someone responding to the alarm. The Captain, still dripping, and clutching a towel around her with one paw, stood in the center of the bridge, her eyes locked on the main viewscreen. A flight of ships, each one slightly different, was shown there, along with vectors and power status. They were obviously pirate ships, and inbound. The Kurani crept up behind the Coyote, and held up the robe. The Captain did a quick double-take, but worked her arms into the sleeves. Kittiara tied the robe around the Captain\x92s waist, as she slipped the towel from underneath. Then, quietly, she retreated to a corner of the bridge where she could watch everything.

"I agree, Number one, they\x92re not friendly. Raise shields, and power up the weapons, but don\x92t alert the passengers yet." Kittiara took note of the patterns of electrons, and photons flowing from the operations console to the ship\x92s main computer, as that "old friend", the headache started to form. There was a lot to watch, much to note, and she was certain she was going to have a memorable headache from this one\x85.. On a ship full of passengers, lock-out codes for things like pressure doors were a prudent precaution. Except the Kurani now had, to a certain extent, those codes\x85..

---

Bradford stared intently at the mass detector. He had been given command of this force, quite possibly because he was one of the few experienced group commanders left in the Black Fleet, after the Mutiny, and quite possibly because Jenka wanted to test his renewed loyalty, and also, quite possibly, as punishment for having ever had anything to do with the mutineers. They\x92d said to just test the liner\x92s defenses, among other things, and that he was comfortable with. But if it was loaded as Tanj had said, it couldn\x92t possibly be alone out here, and that meant a cloaked ship. Anything decloaking would register first on the mass detector\x85. They were getting closer to the Liner, and in attack formation; if there was anyone else out here, they\x92d probably show themselves any time now\x85.

---

The Executive Officer looked over his shoulder at the Jaguar; "Sir, I really don\x92t think they\x92re much of a challenge to the Evening Star. Four raider ships would be hard pressed to take a prize like her."

The Jaguar nodded; "So\x85 do you think it\x92s a probing attack, part of something bigger, or just a bunch of pirate scum hoping for an easy mark?"

The Exec shrugged; "Don\x92t know, Captain."

The Jaguar nodded; "Neither do I. Lets just watch them for a bit and see what happens. I don\x92t want to tip our hand unless we have to."

---

Bradford watched his first missiles streak towards the target, surprised that their hidden escort hadn\x92t revealed itself yet. Maybe they felt his group just wasn\x92t a big enough threat\x85 Well, maybe he could change their mind on that. As anti-missiles streaked out from the liner, he launched his first salvo of torpedoes.

The "Crown Prince" looked up from his cards and frowned; "That sounded for all the world like missiles being launched."

Morganthau played a card, and shrugged.

Von Frocke stared at the ceiling as if he could see through it; another thud came through the ship\x92s structure, and he nodded; Yes, it does, doesn\x92t it?"

The "Crown Prince" smiled wryly and nodded; "Well, whatever it is, I\x92m sure they can handle it. Maybe the Captain will have something to enliven the dinnertime conversation with\x85"

---

Kittiara watched, her head pounding. The Bridge Crew functioned smoothly, as smoothly as any warship. While they\x92d been surprised by the maneuverability of the raiders, and by the number of missiles and torpedoes they\x92d launched, they were nowhere near panic. Or even concern. That was something she\x92d have to think on; the situation didn\x92t look THAT good to her. Never the less, she was getting what she\x92d wanted. A crisis that would force the Captain or other senior officer, to access certain command functions. She was learning more about the ship\x92s control systems and computer net every second.

---

Bradford frowned; this definitely wasn\x92t right. The liner was fighting well, but not well enough for a ship all alone in the depths of space. He was pressing the attack, but not too hard. He half thought that if he were really trying, they MIGHT just be able to take this prize. And he would have been doing just that, if he hadn\x92t known all the ship carried\x85. No, it had to be a trap of some sort. He was going to accomplish his mission objectives and get out, before someone decided it had gone far enough, and did something he wouldn\x92t like\x85.

---

"Do you think its gone far enough, Captain? The Liner\x92s shields are down to 27%, and they haven\x92t succeeded in taking out any of the raiders\x85."

The Jaguar stared at the tactical display for a moment and then waved a paw dismissively; "No. No, they\x92re not trying as hard as they could. They\x92re holding back, for some reason." He leaned forward, to study the display intently; "I think this IS just a probing attack. They\x92re gathering intelligence for a greater effort later." Sitting back, he turned to look at his Exec; "I smell a trap. We\x92ll wait. The Evening Star can handle this rabble. We\x92ll wait for the main force."

"Captain, we\x92re almost out of anti-missles. Shields are down to 13%! Why doesn\x92t the Battlecruiser come to our aid? Could they\x85 could they have left? Cloaked, we\x92d never know!"

Merriweather smiled; "Calm Down, No.1. They\x92re there. They know we\x92re in no real trouble, yet. Why, not a single weapon has gotten through our shields yet! Besides, those Pirates HAVE to be about out of ammunition! No, I think they\x92ll break off in a moment." Crossing her arms, the Coyote threw back her head and grinned; "I do believe we\x92ve already won. This round at least."

Kittiara smiled. A cloaked Battlecruiser. Completely in character. She should have known. But\x85. Did the pirates know? The way their raiders were acting, quite possibly they did\x85.

---

Bradford fired the last salvo, and altered course. The rate of anti-missiles and torpedoes from the Liner had diminished significantly. For a small ship, it certainly was well armed! Signaling his group, he headed for the rendezvous point. Their job was done.

---

Captain Merriweather smiled broadly as the pirates fled. Turning towards her communications officer, she growled; "when they\x92re gone, send a tightbeam signal the Battlecruiser. Ask their Captain what he made of that." The communications officer nodded, and then half-turned in her station chair; "Ma\x92am, communications coming in from the Battlecruiser!"

Merriweather\x92s eyes widened; "I can\x92t talk to him looking like THIS!"

Kittiara smiled and took the Captain\x92s dress jacket from the hanger; moving up behind her, she again nudged her softly. The Coyote turned to look, saw the jacket and smiled; "Well, my hair will still be a mess, but\x85 All right." The Slave slipped the jacket over her shoulders and moved to help button it up. A moment later, she stepped out of range of the video pickup. The Coyote nodded, and turned to face the viewscreen.

---

"Excellent work, Estelle; I\x92m glad to see you haven\x92t lost your touch."

The Coyote smiled; "Thanks, Mikhael. I hate to admit it, but it was nice to feel the adrenaline flowing again. Sometimes this job can get a little boring."

The Jaguar smiled; "Don\x92t say that. I think this was just the opening gambit. You\x92re likely to have more adrenaline rushes than you could want before this voyage is over."

The Coyote smiled and shook her head; "No, I think it was just a small pirate clan trying to bite off more than they could chew. I don\x92t think they\x92ll be back."

The Jaguar nodded; "hope you\x92re right. But when you stop at Buritan, I\x92d make sure to restock your magazines, just in case!"

The Coyote smiled; "I\x92ll make a point of it. Glad you\x92re out there, Mikhael."

The Jaguar just smiled and cut the connection.

---

The Captain sighed and turned to look at the slave. She was in a corner by the door, kneeling in the proper way, but with the rest of her uniform held carefully across her lap. How had she gotten onto the bridge? And should she be punished for following her? If she hadn\x92t, she would have fought the battle wearing a towel. And\x85 For a moment she was tempted to laugh; imagining her old comrade and how he might have reacted to seeing her wet and in a towel. No, maybe not punished\x85. With a sigh she nodded to Number One; "You have the conn. If we\x92re done with emergencies, I\x92m going to go resume my bath."

Kittiara worked her fingers slowly down the Coyote\x92s back. She\x92d attended to her bath, rewashed her hair, dried the Coyote\x92s hair, and fur, and thoroughly brushed her. Now, the Captain was face down on her bed, on top of several layers of towels as the Kurani slowly massaged her back. The Coyote was almost purrring with delight. Kittiara smiled as her paws made their way down to the globes of the Coyote\x92s ass. It was obvious the Coyote worked out, her body trim, and rounded in all the right places.

Merriweather stiffened a little as the slave started massaging her ass, but after a moment she relaxed; it just all felt way too good\x85.. Smiling, she started imagining it was a lover touching her like that, and idly her thoughts turned to where she\x92d really like to be touched.

Almost as if the slave had been reading her mind, fingers stroked between her legs, fingertips grazing over her sex. For a moment the fingers paused, as if awaiting a rebuke, but when none came, their motions resumed\x85..

Floating within a haze of pleasure, Estelle wondered just where she\x92d lost control. The bath had been nice, the massage a delight, but somehow they\x92d made the transition from massage to hot, steamy sex without her remembering any act of volition on her part. Now, she knelt on the bed, body arched back, paws by her ankles, as the Kurani lay in front of her, the big alien head between her thighs, rough feline tongue licking up hungrily into her sex. As the tip of that tongue stroked deep within her, she quivered, moaning softly, the passions building\x85.

Kittiara gave her just a little nudge; it was all that was needed, and the Coyote, Mistress of the Liner "Eastern Star", absolute ruler of dozens, if not hundreds of furrs, seasoned professional, dissolved in writhing paroxysms as her climax ripped through her. The Kurani purrrred, letting the low frequency vibrations travel along her tongue, to the Coyote\x92s deepest recesses\x85\x85 The Captain had obviously needed some stress relief, and this was the best way she knew how to give it.

Estelle awoke, and stretched languidly. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around. Her quarters were just exactly as they should be. Her uniform for the upcoming day was laid out\x85 And the slave was gone. Shifting her gaze to the chronometer on the wall she frowned; could it really be that late? Why, she\x92d slept the day away! Rising, she made her way to the bathroom. All was in order there too; in fact, the place looked cleaner and neater than she could ever remember seeing it. Chuckling to herself she decided she could really get used to having a slave like that.

--

Jinx looked up as the Kurani entered the "harem". When the big alien had settled by her, she smiled; "well, was that good enough for you?"

Kittiara laughed; "It was perfect, but I really MUST know how you managed to arrange a pirate raid on such short notice."

The Skunkette shrugged; "Maybe next time when I say something is going to happen, you\x92ll believe me! Now, tell me all about it! Did you get what you were after?"

The Kurani chuckled; "That and more. And I\x92ve got the splitting headache to prove it. The Captain, as you might expect, was quite exhausted by the battle; after I helped her unwind, she slept quite soundly."

"And of course, you made use of the terminal in her quarters."

Kittiara chuckled; "of course. You wouldn\x92t BELIEVE what they\x92re showing for spring fashions on New Paree\x85."

The Skunkette chuckled; "Yeah, like I believe you spent all your time on the Captain\x92s terminal shopping for clothes\x85."

The Kurani just grinned.

---

That night at Dinner, the Captain was seen to blush repeated, as most of the guests commented about her monopolizing the slave the "Crown Prince" had sent her. The "Crown Prince" seemed to find it MOST amusing; the Baroness less so.

---

Kearny checked the manifest against his computer again and shook his head. It was about time the shipping line updated his manifest for the Eastern Star, but this was the first time he\x92d seen THIS happen. The shipping company was insisting the shipment of six crates, to be loaded at Elko, had been scheduled for months. Trouble was, it wasn\x92t on his older print-out. Ah, well, if they were sure it was an authorized, scheduled, and paid-for shipment, who was he to question. He made a change to his documents to reflect what they now said SHOULD be, and moved on to the next task.

Chris Foxx stood, arms clasped behind his back, as the Purser, the Security Officer, and the Executive Officer of the Eastern Star examined his merchandise. The torpedoes were Krrupf Industries Mark 22\x92s, block 4, and were literally the best on the market. And his price was just a touch below that of any of his "Competitors." The Missiles were Langdorf "Vipers", Model 48g\x92s, multifunctional against attack vessels or incoming torpedoes, and again, they were the latest, and best available anywhere in the Empire. Their price was slightly higher than his competitors, but the missiles were worth the extra, and everyone present knew that.

The Security Officer straightened, "picarded" his snow-white uniform blouse, and nodded to the Purser; "on-board diagnostics, and the level 4 diagnostics from the hand-held all show them to be exactly what they appear to be. They check out." The Exec nodded, and turned to the Purser; "I trust we can afford them?" The Purser grinned; "Given what the Cr\x85 ah, our charter is paying, yes, we can. And I\x92m sure the Home Office would not have us scrimp, at least not in this instance." The Exec nodded, and turned to the Fox; "Very well, sir, you have a sale. The Purser will see to completing the paperwork, and with your permission we\x92ll start loading our magazines."

On his way from the starport, Chris sighed. They\x92d lost money on this deal. A LOT of money. Well, it was invested in taking the prize, so it couldn\x92t be considered lost. Not yet. Clancey had been at his finest, rigging some of the missiles with spy gear to let the Black Fleet know the exact location of the liner. Other missiles were rigged with jammers that would disrupt the liner\x92s sensors, on cue. And the torpedoes; they carried all sorts of things, from a disassembled cloaking device to devices to leach power from the liner\x92s systems. And every single one of them would test out as a fully armed, fully capable weapon. Of course some of the missiles and torpedoes were just exactly what they were supposed to be. Except they wouldn\x92t arm without a passcode. Oh, they\x92d report they were armed; they just wouldn\x92t go off. As the Fox exited the cab, and strolled towards public transport, the first step in shaking any tails that might be on him, he wondered if they\x92d ever get to reclaim those weapons. They really had been quite expensive\x85.

---

Tanj tried not to fight the controls as the Yakima T3J descended from orbit. One of the Black Fleet\x92s prizes, it had been subtly altered in appearance, given new, and apparently genuine papers, and was serving to deliver Tanj and her "Strike Force" to Elko. If the message from Chris Foxx was correct, they should be about a day ahead of the Eastern Star. Plenty of time to do what they had to do.

The T3J was boxy, and ubiquitous, and only a few meters shorter than the landing pit was wide. Tanj muttered under her breath, as the ship settled, and the landing gear groaned. Finally she was satisfied with their position, and cut the drives. Power-down was a lot more bother than with her ship, the Yakima not having a very sophisticated computer, and it took her a while before she could rise from the Pilot\x92s station, and stretch. She had to go check in at the terminal building, arrange to "clear customs", and handle all the other paperwork that any arriving ship had to do. But before she tackled those jobs, she thought she ought to check in on her team. Things on the trip out had been just a little\x85. Strange.

Dynotaku smiled and admired his handiwork. It wasn\x92t often that he got to work with a pair like these two, each seemingly trying to out-do the other. Both Zassa and Sabina squatted, facing each other, almost touching. Their wrists were crossed behind their backs, in a typical Japanese rope tie, with their crossed wrists tied to a convenient point overhead. This limited how far they could descend in their squat. Between them, was a rather home-made, and jury-rigged teeter-totter. Each end of the teeter-totter sported a rather thick, if some what flexible dildo, and of course, each dildo was buried in the respective female\x92s pussy. The object was to grasp the dong with vaginal muscles, and push down; when that side of the teeter-totter hit the floor, their dong would vibrate most delightfully.. and the other fem\x92s dong would stop vibrating. And of course the ropes prevented them from sitting down on the board of the tetter-totter. It all had to be done using kegel and pelvic floor muscles\x85. Zassa and Sabina were locked in dire combat, each trying to force their end of the teeter-totter as far down as possible, so they could rob the other of the delightful vibes. And in the process they were fucking each other silly. It was a delight to watch, and an interesting dynamic. But there were also other entertainments\x85.

Sashi stood, bent at the waist, her torso supported by the top of the shipping crate. Her legs were well-spread, bound to the corners of the crate, and her arms, bound behind her in a monoglove, were pulled upwards towards the ceiling by a rope tied to the ring at the end of her leather-encased fingertips. Her head was encased in a harness that held a rubber-coated ring gag in her mouth, and the harness itself was tied to her tail in such a way as to make her keep her head back as far as possible. In this position, her pussy, ass and mouth were all equally available. The Unicorn had already taken advantage of her mouth. Twice. And now he was considering availing himself of her pussy. Then the Cheetah walked in.

Tanj stopped, looked around the cargo bay, and then groaned; "Awwwww. You started without me!"

Dynotaku just blushed and shrugged; "Sorry."

The Cheetah sighed again, her eyes watching Zassa and Sabina go at each other; "I\x92d love to stay and play, but unfortunately there are things I have to do portside." Her gaze traveled to the nude Unicorn; "and to tell the truth, you should attend to them with me. After all, if you\x92re the one who "chartered" this ship to bring your valuable cargo here, you should be interested in seeing that customs are cleared and that everything goes smoothly."

The Unicorn blinked, and his gaze shifted meaningfully to Sashi\x92s rump; "Um\x85. I thought that "clearing customs" here was little more than an appropriate bribe... Uh.. They won\x92t want to inspect the "Cargo" yet, will they?"

Tanj chuckled; "Probably not, and I guess your presence isn\x92t really required, yet. All right, I\x92ll handle it."

Dynotaku grinned, his paw sliding down the cleft of Sashi\x92s ass, to fondle her slit; "Thanks, I promise I\x92ll make it up to you!"

Tanj just chuckled, and shaking her head, left the cargo bay.

---

Things with the port authority took longer than she\x92d expected, and cost a bit more in bribes than she\x92d budgeted, but finally she was able to drag herself back to the ship. Hinoki met her at the personnel lock. Tanj scanned his face, and then muttered; "All right, what\x92s wrong?"

The Cheetah shrugged; "The Eastern Star entered the system about an hour ago."

Tanj\x92s eyes went wide; "They\x92re early!"

Hinoki nodded, and shrugged; "And we don\x92t have much time to do what we have to do. Come on, lets get started."

---

Tanj giggled; "That tickles"

Hinoki stroked the brush over her ear again and smiled; "I\x92ll remember that. Now, take a look and let me know what you think."

Tanj turned and looked into the full-length mirror. What looked back wasn\x92t her; it was a female Serval. Tanj smiled; "Very good; you\x92re a real artist!

Hinoki nodded; "you\x92re not so bad yourself."

Shifting her gaze, she looked at Hinoki\x92s reflection; he too resembled a Serval; still, she didn\x92t think her fur-dye job was as good as his had been. But it was probably good enough for what lay ahead of them. "So how long is this dye good for?"

Hinoki shrugged; "The manufacturer says it\x92ll only come out with their special cream rinse, but you know manufacturer\x92s claims. Still, it SHOULD be essentially permanent for the length of time we\x92ll need it."

Tanj nodded; "Hope so!"

---

The nude Calico cat padded through the door, and bowed to them both; "Mistress, Master, may I present the artistic accomplishments of your associates?"

Hinoki\x92s eyes widened; "Sabina is that YOU?"

The Kitten nodded and grinned; "Yes, Master." She grinned wider; "Master Dynotaku did me himself\x85 Ah, did the dye job I mean." Hinoki stalked around her, examining her critically; "Well, its very convincing."

Tanj chuckled and nodded; "Yes, lets see how everyone else came out!"

Sabina smiled and crooked a finger towards the door. A rather grumpy looking startlingly white arctic vixen stepped through.

Tanj laughed and nodded; "Yes, Zassa, I\x92ll have to agree; that\x92s just NOT your color."

Zassa just growled; "I look so\x85 PLAIN! Besides, how am I EVER going to keep clean?"

Sabina made a face; "Mistress knows you just didn\x92t look right as a coyote\x85 and you wouldn\x92t even discuss a Fennec fox\x92s ears!"

Zassa turned to glare at her slave, but her retort was interrupted by the arrival of the Puma. Turning on Sashi, the Vixen growled; "how come YOU can come out so well as another species?" Sashi grinned and shrugged; "All large Felines are similar, Mistress; but what compares to a Fox?"

Zassa opened and closed her mouth a few times and then just grumbled "Awwww, I give up!"

John came through the door with Dynotaku. The Stallion was magnificent, as a Palomino. The biggest dang Palomino anyone had ever seen, but the colors looked good on him.

Dynotaku looked at the Horse and shrugged; "Honestly, John, I have no idea if a different coloration will lead to changes in character. Deep down underneath you\x92re still the same person, even if you DO look different\x85."

The Stallion just nodded; "I know, I know, but I just don\x92t FEEL myself."

Sabina chuckled; "Really? I\x92d be GLAD to feel Master for him, if he\x92ll let me."

Hinoki looked at the Unicorn; "By the way, congradulations on the fur dye jobs; they\x92re excellent." Dynotaku just grinned; "Thank you; I have been accused of being something of an artist, in my time\x85"

Tanj chuckled and shook her head; "unfortunately, time is running short. Our funny-looking "Owner" here has a schedule to present the shipment to the Eastern Star\x92s purser in an all-too-short time, and we need to get ourselves loaded. As it was my idea, I\x92ll go first\x85."

Hinoki shook his head; "No. You\x92re the team leader. You know more about these things than anyone else. YOU go last. I\x92ll go first." Having said that, the "Serval" bent, and crawled into the cage.

Tanj had done some tweaking of the sensors and the software. When Hinoki placed his neck in the padded half circle at the end of the articulated arm, the other half closed smoothly, locking with a soft snick. The "Serval" held still, while the cage\x92s systems came alive, other arms reaching out, for wrists, ankles, upper arms, thighs, waist, and even the end of his tail. After a moment, the cage started to move Hinoki, forcing him to a kneeling position, pushing his head towards a waiting phallic shape. Another phallic shape approached from behind, and a concave shape approached from below. Hinoki groaned as the phallic shapes drove home. The one in his ass stroked him a few times, vibrating softly; it didn\x92t take him long to develop an erection. Then, he groaned again, as the convex shape enveloped his growing erection, and suckled softly. The contented purrring stopped suddenly as yet another articulated cuff closed around that tender bit of flesh between testicles and body, and started tugging softly in time with the thrusting\x85.

Tanj checked the readouts on the container\x92s interior display, nodded in satisfaction, and stepped out. The side of the shipping container closed automatically behind her. On the end of the shipping container was a recessed touch screen; Tanj studied it for a moment as information scrolled along the right hand side, and a deep-radar image showed the "Serval\x92s" position in the cage, complete with the activities of all the toys. The latter, of course was meant for "outside consumption" and did not necessarily represent the truth of what was happening inside the cage. Locking the system with a command code, Tanj turned to her team; "OK, who\x92s next.

They had a minor problem with one of the cuffs not wanting to lock around Sashi\x92s left ankle, and a glitch with the tracking of the gag prod on Sabina\x92s system. The latter wanted to track about three centimeters too far out of her mouth, and about a centimeter to the left. Not critical, but not right either. And of course John just didn\x92t seem to fit, despite the fact that his system had been custom made for him, to his exact measurements. Somehow the "Palomino" seemed bigger than ever.

Finally, it was Tanj\x92s turn. She gave Dynotaku a jaunty salute and crawled into her own cage. It took an act of will for her to put her head into the padded-half-circle, but once the other half had closed, and locked, she was able to relax. For better or worse, they were on their way. Arms reached out to take hold of her, prods moved smoothly into mouth, pussy and ass. And then, there was stillness. They\x92d decided not to risk any tutorials, or training, until after they were aboard the liner, in case anyone was checking with hand-held scanners. For the next day or so, things were going to be rather boring. And then the vibrations started in her ass. Tanj smiled to herself; well, maybe not TOO boring\x85.

Dynotaku watched the shipping container close itself, and with a smile, he turned and left the cargo bay. Dockside cargo handlers would be here in about a half an hour; plenty of time for him to change, and get a snack. If everything worked right, he\x92d only be back to this ship, to pick up his luggage.

---

The Purser of the Evening Star watched the small parade approach, and groaned. Just what he needed; another complication. The Shipping line that owned the Evening Star had been sending out contradictory manifests, and he\x92d been going crazy trying to straighten everything out. And this just HAD to be one of those problem items.

A rather outlandish creature led the parade. What he wore might have been high fashion somewhere, but here it just looked, well, a little strange. In fact, the Purser couldn\x92t remember the last time he\x92d seen a codpiece worn in polite society. Especially not with a frock coat. The creature LOOKED like a male Unicorn, but he was a bit "bulkier" than the average Unicorn. In fact, most Unicorns the Purser had ever seen had been rather slender. This guy was much more muscular. Taller too. And while most Unicorns had white, or light gray coats, his was spotted, reminiscent of a Giraffe. But, he had the horn, all right\x85.

The Unicorn, or whatever he was, was followed by a procession of six large shipping containers on float pallets. Normally, shipping containers of that size wouldn\x92t be a problem; it was the CONTENTS that had everyone worried\x85.

"Ah, there you are, my good furr!" The Unicorn-whatever, was actually carrying a cane, and the Purser watched the knobby end carefully. He didn\x92t know if that was a real Antillean fire-gem or not, but if the Unicorn, who was swinging his cane rather wildly, actually hit him with it, he just knew it was going to hurt\x85. The Purser looked up at him and raised one eyebrow; "Yessir. What might I do for you?" The Unicorn grinned; "I, Sir, am Viscount Habadar Sergio Andreyovitch Dynotaku Chang Sanchez DeLaMancha. I do believe, Sir, that your shipping line has a reservation for the transportation of some EXTREMELY valuable property of mine\x85.." The Purser ducked the swinging cane, and checked his PADD; "Um\x85. Yessir. Six slaves." He looked up, and then around the docking bay; "I\x92m afraid I don\x92t see them\x85"

Dynotaku laughed, and gestured with the cane to the six shipping containers; "My dear sir, they are there." Turning back, he leaned over and whispered conspiratorially; "Sex slaves of this caliber, sir, require constant training. Constant control. And constant security. I\x92m sure you know what I mean." Taking the Purser by the arm, he dragged him over to the first container. "There, see, my good fellow; my property is contained within, secure, and controlled. The containers are code-locked, and I do not have to fear anyone, ah\x85 upsetting their carefully executed training and conditioning!"

The Purser looked at the image on the screen; some female was being held in a crouched position, an articulated dildo pumping slowly into her from behind. Stepping to the next container, he observed the image of a male, bent backwards into a bridge position, held tightly by restraints, a similar dildo working on his ass. There seemed to be something over his crotch too, but the Purser wasn\x92t sure just what that might be. The Unicorn came up behind him; "My slaves are shown holographic training material, and other stimuli; on-board sensors monitor their reactions; if they react correctly, they are rewarded. If they react negatively, they\x92re punished. This keeps them in the correct frame of mind; wouldn\x92t you say?" The Unicorn reached past him to touch the screen in various places. A table of training programs was displayed, along with response factors. The Unicorn scowled; "Hmmm. He\x92s not doing very well, is he? I think I\x92ll have to increase the punishment quotient a little." The Unicorn\x92s fingers danced over the screen, and a moment later something rose up underneath the arched male; it appeared to strike him on his ass. And then it struck again. Suppressing a shudder, he turned back to the Unicorn; "Ah, yessir. I believe these containers will keep them QUITE secure. Now, if you\x92ll follow my assistant, there are some forms to fill out."

Hinoki grunted as the paddle connected with his ass. It was moving fast, but wasn\x92t very heavy, and actually didn\x92t hurt very much, although he was sure it looked good on the external monitor. As it hadn\x92t been in the original programming, he was sure Dynotaku was demonstrating the system. His "Training Program" had actually been an old holofilm by Toshiro Kitsune. One he\x92d seen about a dozen times before. If the paddling was punishment for not enjoying the film, Hinoki sincerely hoped the next film would be better\x85.

The Purser watched the Unicorn chat with his assistant, as he talked; "Yes, Captain, each slave is locked in the damndest automated prison I\x92ve ever seen. No, Ma\x92am, I don\x92t think they could get out, but I can\x92t guarantee that. Yes, Ma\x92am, I think that\x92s a perfect solution. Thank You, Captain." The Purser broke the connection and straightened. Forcing a smile, he walked over to where the Unicorn stood; "Sir, everything has been taken care of; we\x92ll load your cargo now, if you please."

---

Dynotaku watched the cargo containers being loaded by the liner\x92s automated cargo handling equipment; "You\x92re sure the containers will be at the end of the stack; I would appreciate being able to check on their status from time to time."

The Purser frowned; "I\x92ll arrange for them to be placed where they can be checked\x85 but I wasn\x92t aware, sir, that you were accompanying the shipment."

Dynotaku waved a hand, the cane swinging through the air; "I hadn\x92t originally intended to, but\x85 well, there was this cancellation in my schedule, and I figured "why not?" They ARE after all, quite valuable."

The Purser sighed; "Sir, I\x92m afraid the ship is completely booked. A charter, you know. There simply isn\x92t any available room."

The Unicorn looked crestfallen; "None? None at all?"

The Purser shrugged eloquently; "Sir, there are no vacant suites or staterooms." The Unicorn nodded, a little dejectedly; he turned to go, but stopped, and turned back, a smile on his face; "Your passengers\x85. Are they completely occupying the suites they\x92ve arranged for?"

The words were out of the purser\x92s mouth before he could consider them; "Sir, several of our guests have vacant rooms within their suites, but I cannot place you within any of them; THEY would have to invite you to join them."

At the Unicorn\x92s look of delight, the Purser felt like biting his tongue. WHAT had he just done? Dynotaku smiled; "I\x92ll simply have to see if any old friends, or acquaintances are aboard, that I might impose upon\x85 Thank you, Sir!"

As he swaggered off, Dynotaku thought to himself "Well, I didn\x92t really think it would be THAT easy. Still, I stand a fair chance. Now, on to Plan Two!"

Earl looked at the Purser and scratched his head; "Yessir, of course I can do that. But\x85 are you sure its necessary?" The Purser shrugged; "I don\x92t really think the containers are full of armed furrs ready to take over our ship. Our scanners show just what the manifest says they are. However, these slaves are in some sort of automated training program. One of them was punished while I watched for some unspecified failure on his part. I\x92d\x85 sleep easier knowing that they\x92re not suffering. At least not while on board MY ship." The Rat nodded; "I understand. I\x92ll see to it right away, Sir."

Earl watched the display in the end of the container. The Stallion was not his type, but the male Serval looked VERY interesting. Whatever training program had been running, he must have done something right, as some automated masturbation device was working tirelessly on his hard shaft. It made Earl horny just to watch. With a sigh he shook his head, stood up, adjusted his pants, and hit the controls for the float pallet. The container floated through the big double doors into the mirror-bright chamber. When it was in place, he let it settle to the deck, clamped it down, and padded out of the chamber. The doors closed slowly, but when they\x92d made contact, the stasis field engaged automatically. Made to hold perishable goods, the stasis chamber was designed to essentially stop the passage of time for anything inside. Earl hoped the field had come on just as the Serval was having an orgasm. That\x92d be nice\x85.

---

While in port, the passengers, and what of the crew that could be spared, from the liner tended to sample dockside life. They weren\x92t really going to be on Elko long enough for anything more than a day-trip, so most furrs stayed close to the ship. Some, like the "Crown Prince", never left the luxuries of the liner at all. But Brittany Hugo was starting to feel a little cramped\x85 and a little bored. The Orgy had been fun, but the conversations in the small group were starting to go \x91round in circles for the third time. She was looking for something different. Something new, and exciting. And so far, the Elko Spaceport didn\x92t seem to have anything to offer.

That was, until she spotted the Unicorn, in the Spaceport\x92s bar\x85..

Dynotaku sipped his drink and smiled; it wasn\x92t so much seduction as entrapment. He had a file on all of those on the liner, provided thoughtfully by his boss\x92 employees. He knew she loved flattery. He knew she had a thing for size. And he knew she had a thing for exotic and unusual furrs, and loved to be seen with them in public. The only thing that could make it better would be if she was a closet submissive. Unfortunately her file hadn\x92t hinted at any of that\x85.

He made his approach carefully. She\x92d been studying him in the mirror behind the bar, and not trying too awfully hard to be covert about it either. Picking up his drink, he stood as tall as he could, and moved over towards her.

"Hello, Pretty Lady; has anyone ever told you that you bear a remarkable resemblance to my favorite Holovid star?" The Mink smiled and turned to look at the Unicorn. the BIG Unicorn; chuckling softly, she nodded; "I get that a lot. Dunno why." Dynotaku laughed, and slid onto the barstool next to her "I would suspect its because that\x92s who you are." She smiled and shrugged; "OK, so we both know who I am; who\x92re you?" Dynotaku straightened a little, stuck his chest out dramatically and in a deep, and patently false voice, rumbled; "I am Viscount Habadar Sergio Andre\x85. Oh, nevermind. Even I can\x92t remember all my names. Just call me Dynotaku." The Mink giggled and nodded; "And, Dynotaku, what brings you to a backwater like Elko?" The Unicorn shrugged; "Oh, I\x92m just trying to make my way to Alkahain, with some very expensive, very delicate merchandise. Unfortunately the ship I was on had mechanical problems of some sort, and dumped me here. I\x92ve managed to ship my cargo on the liner that came in a little while ago, the Eastern Star, but the rotters won\x92t let me book passage. Something about a charter. Looks like I\x92ll have to send my cargo on ahead, and follow when I can." The Mink nodded; "Huh. And what is this cargo that\x92s so important?" Dynotaku smiled and leaned closer; "Slaves. Not just any slaves, but carefully trained, highly motivated sex slaves. I\x92d like to think they\x92re the very best in the Empire." He let his smile widen as he sat back; "Trained \x91em myself, I did." Brittany shook her head; "The Empire, these days, seems to be full of sex slaves. Those on board the ship with me seem to have quite a few." Dynotaku raised an eyebrow; "And what ship might that be?"

Whatever the Mink\x92s reply was going to be, it caught in her throat as Dynotaku\x92s tongue snaked out, to fish a pearl onion from his martini. The Mink stared, wide-eyed, as the tip of his tongue lofted the pearl onion\x85 Dynotaku tilted his head back, catching it adroitly in his open mouth. Chewing quietly, he tilted his head down to look at her, a bemused expression on his face; "Hmmmm?"

Brittany swallowed, and shifted her gaze to look the Unicorn in his eyes; "Um\x85 Ah, I\x92m on the Eastern Star\x85. Say\x85 just what exactly ARE you? You don\x92t look quite like any Unicorn I\x92ve ever met before\x85" Dynotaku fished another pearl onion from his martini and then grinned; "Well, you might say I come from "mixed parentage". Somewhere in my family tree, there were unicorns, but a significant proportion of my heritage is Giraffe. Hence the spots. And the Tongue." He smirked; "And if you think my tongue is impressive, well, lets just say that other accoutrements are equally sized as well\x85.."

The Mink prided herself on being able to make a quick decision. "Things are getting a little, ah, boring, on the liner. Stuffy. I could use a bit of a diversion. And I\x92ve actually got some room in the suites assigned to me. Tell you what; you prove your statement, and you can join me and my party for the rest of the voyage." Dynotaku smiled; "Why certainly. It\x92d be a pleasure." Leaning forward he grinned wickedly; "How would you like me to demonstrate my, ah, "abilities"?"

The corridor looked little-used, an accessway to the back of several of the shops and businesses near the landing bays. Brittany dragged the Unicorn-whatever along by one hand, until they\x92d turned a corner, and moved behind a refuse bin. Pushing him up against the wall, she dropped to her knees, and with the tip of her nose centimeters from his crotch, worked on the straps to his codpiece. When it fell free, she purrrrred in delight.

Dynotaku softly caressed the Mink\x92s head as she worked on his cock. Her mouth was comparatively small, but still, she seemed able to take much more of him than he\x92d ever thought. And her tongue was quite talented. He was tempted to pull back, when he came, almost certain that she\x92d revel in letting others see her with a cum-stained dress, just for the shock value. But in the end he just pressed at the back of her head, forcing a little more of his meat into her mouth. She squirmed most delightfully as he came, her noises somewhere between ecstasy and distress.

She was panting hard when he pulled his shaft from her mouth. Before he could recover he wrapped both hands around her waist, and lifted her up to the top of the refuse bin. Pulling up her dress, he roughly tore her panties away, and before she could regain her composure, he thrust his tongue into her pussy. As he\x92d suspected, she was already dripping wet.

Concerned that her howls of pleasure might draw a crowd, the Unicorn stuffed her torn panties into her mouth, and held them there with one broad hand, as his tongue ravaged her sex. Rapidly, he learned just where she liked to be stroked, just how she liked to be held, and where her most sensitive areas were. Afraid of discovery, he brought her to three rapid, and increasingly powerful climaxes. When he withdrew, she was panting harder than ever. He was about to lift her down from the top of the refuse bin when she lunged at him, arms going around his neck. As he stepped back, she hung from his neck; her pussy pressing against the head of his once-again hard cock. Shrugging he turned, and leaning her against the wall, proceeded to drive his meat into her wetness.

Again, he had to put a hand over her muzzle, to stifle the screams of ecstasy. He held her, easily, as he thrust into her; the Mink writhed on his shaft, squirming as only a Mink could, until once again, he came. He had to use both paws to lift her from his shaft; she obviously didn\x92t want to stop. Stifling her protests with a finger across her lips he grinned; "We\x92ll continue, in your suite, on the Liner. Don\x92t you think its time we got going?" The Mink could only nod numbly. This time, he led her by the paw, towards the docking bay.

The Purser listened to the rating as he described the arrival of the Holovid star and her new Beau. Somehow he\x92d known this one was going to be trouble. Well, if she wanted to invite him to travel with her, she had that prerogative\x85.

---

The Wolf frowned as he listened to the conversation. Of course, neither the purser nor the rating knew anyone else was listening in, and they\x92d be surprised to know someone COULD listen in, but Imperial Intelligence was not to be denied. Sitting back, he wondered just who the heck this creature was. Viscount Habadar Sergio Andreyovitch Dynotaku Chang Sanchez DeLaMancha indeed! That had to be a fake ID if ever there was one, or at least a cover. Turning to his laptop, he started a search. Someone with an appearance like that should be easy enough to find. After all, how many spotted unicorns could there be in the Empire?

The Mink buried her face in the pillow and screamed for all she was worth. Dynotaku was taking her from behind, with maddening slowness. One hand rested on the small of her back, holding her in the kneeling position, while another reached around underneath her, to lightly graze her clitty. He was driving her crazy, taking her to the edge, then backing off, then taking her to the edge again, holding her there, then easing off, and then giving her a climax so sudden and powerful she couldn\x92t see it coming\x85 the whole thing over and over again. It seemed like they\x92d been fucking for hours, maybe days, and yet she still hadn\x92t gotten enough of him. What kind of magic was this?

---

The "Crown Prince" wiped his muzzle with the napkin, and raised an eyebrow at the Baroness; "You say Ms. Hugo has a new friend?"

The Baroness sniffed; "Yes, some strange looking creature she found on the docks at our last stop. I believe they\x92re still in her quarters, undoubtedly\x85."

The "Crown Prince" smiled; "Fucking like crazed Minks? That would, for her, my dear Baroness, be only natural\x85."

The Captain smiled and sipped her tea; "I\x92m told, Your Highness, that this fellow is the same one that shipped several, ah, "containerized" sex slaves with us, at Elko."

The "Crown Prince" frowned; "Really\x85. Most curious. I take it you\x92ve taken all the necessary security precautions?"

The Captain smiled; "Of course, your Highness. We had the containers put in the hold we normally use for perishables. They\x92re under a full stasis field." She took another sip of tea and smiled; "No surprise boarding parties from that quarter, I think."

Kittiara listened intently as she kneeled behind the "Crown Prince\x92s" chair. This might be just the event she\x92d been waiting for. It might be MOST interesting to arrange a systems failure in the stasis field, a failure not reported on the engineering boards. And, given the knowledge she\x92d recently gained on the liner\x92s computer system, this was something she could easily arrange. All she needed was access to a suitable terminal for a while. Perhaps another massage for the Captain? Or\x85.. Maybe there was a better way; she needed to talk to Jinx\x85.

---

The Skunkette stared at the Kurani, and then shook her head; "HOW many times have I TOLD you, I don\x92t have any control over things like this. THEY JUST HAPPEN! Its NOT a conscious act! NOT an act of volition!"

The Kurani looked at her, face carefully neutral; "Love, if I have to try and arrange an engineering failure, I\x92m going to need access to a terminal. That means I have to coerce the "Crown Prince" into letting me out of here, and that carries its own risks. And you know the penalties I might have to pay. Besides, it might be days before I could pull that off. Who knows what timetable they originally had? If I get them out late, it could completely screw up their timetable\x85."

Jinx watched the Kurani; she\x92d stopped moving, one paw partially raised in some gesture. Her eyes were wide open, pupils dilated; it almost looked as if she\x92d stopped breathing. She\x92d seen this happen before, and it generally wasn\x92t good. With a sigh, she settled down to wait.

Kittiara jerked, shook her head, and looked around. She found Jinx sitting on a cushion, a sour look on her face, watching her. The Kurani shrugged; "what I said before\x85 Nevermind. I have the most overpowering feeling that things will work out best, if we do nothing at all. At least for the moment."

The Skunkette shook her head; "Another one of your premonitions, no doubt?"

The Kurani just shrugged; "Call it feminine intuition, but I think events are going to overtake us again." She grinned; "Should be an interesting ride; just hang on."

The Skunkette just nodded and sighed; "It always is, around you."

----

Dynotaku strolled into the dining room, the Mink on his arm, and a grin on his face. He wore a purple robe that looked as if it might be proper attire for some mythical wizard\x85. Except for the fact that the hem was well above his knees. The Mink looked like she\x92d just thrown on whatever was at hand, and her hair was a bit of a mess. She had a glazed look in her eyes, and was breathing just a little hard. The Unicorn seated her at the table, and then took a chair himself. This earned him a dirty look from one of Morganthau\x92s senior aides, but the aide found a chair further on down the table, displacing one of Von Frocke\x92s staff.

Looking around, the Unicorn grinned; "Boy, I\x92m starved; what\x92s for Breakfast?"

The "Crown Prince" sipped his aperitif, and smiled; "I\x92m afraid you\x92re a bit late. This is Dinner."

The Unicorn\x92s eyebrows rose, and he looked at the Mink as if seeking confirmation, and then looked back at the "Crown Prince. "Dinner? My, how time flies when you\x92re having fun!" Polite laughter circled the table.

The Baroness studied the strange creature critically, and then turned to the Mink; "Well, Brittany, is he any good?"

The Mink looked up at her, blinked, and just chuckled; "I think you can say that." She turned to grin up at the Unicorn; "Yes, I\x92d have to say he\x92s good. Almost as good as he thinks he is."

Dynotaku adopted a hurt look, which instantly vanished as one of the waiters handed him a menu\x85

.

The Wolf studied the Unicorn as covertly as he could, from his table. The dossier had been unusually thin. So thin, in fact, it was almost a certainty that SOMEONE in the Imperial Hierarchy had edited it. So what did that make him? And WHAT was he doing here?

Dynotaku studied the "Crown Prince" covertly, and concluded that he must be a "double." The REAL Crown Prince would most likely remember him, and there\x92d been no signs of recognition. Leaning back and sipping his orange juice, he shifted his gaze to the Captain, and wished he\x92d been listening when Tanj had outlined the schedule. Shouldn\x92t something be about to happen, by now? He decided he really shouldn\x92t have let himself get so distracted\x85..

There was a nice lull in the conversation, after desert was served. Dynotaku swallowed his apple cobbler and turned to the Captain; "By the way, Ma\x92am, I wonder if I might check on my cargo. Just want to look at the readouts, to make sure the systems are functioning correctly."

The Captain shot the "Crown Prince" a smirk and then turned to the Unicorn; "I\x92m afraid that\x92s not really practical, Sir. You see, due to some\x85. Storage complications, the containers were placed in a stasis chamber. You see, there\x92s no need to check on them; for them, time hasn\x92t moved at all. No way for anything to fail, you see."

Dynotaku let his eyebrows rise in surprise. He caught an intense look on the face of the "Crown Prince" from the corner of his eye, and forced a smile; "Cool! That means I\x92ll save a bundle on food for them this trip! Of course, they\x92ll be a bit behind on their training, but I think I can overcome that, when we get to Alkahain." He shot the Captain a big grin, and then turned and muttered something inconsequential to the Mink by his side.

The "Crown Prince" watched the Unicorn, and tried not to frown. Was he part of some plot to take over the ship from the inside? Aside from the one abortive attack, he really would have expected SOMETHING to have happened by now. Maybe the pirates hadn\x92t taken the bait. Was this creature just a goofy looking slave merchant? If he was a social climber, trying to get in good with the Crown Prince, he certainly wasn\x92t going about it the right way. Just what WAS his story? Setting down his glass, the "Crown Prince" made a mental note to have this Unicorn, or whatever he was, watched. He couldn\x92t think of anything else to do. And if this voyage finished without further incident, his Master was going to be really pissed\x85

Dynotaku sighed to himself. Now what? He\x92d have to find a way to break the stasis field, AND get them out of the containers. Their timers would have to be running way late by now. And all without being caught. And he\x92d left all his tools behind, on the Black Fleet\x92s station, too. Ah, well, he\x92d think of something\x85. After all, the worst that could happen would be that he unloaded the containers at Alkahain, and they all found a way home, right?

---

Jenka looked at the burst transmission from the not-quite-a-torpedo they\x92d sold to the liner and frowned. No signal from any of the "cages" Tanj\x92s team was in. It wasn\x92t likely that all six burst transmitters would go down at the same time, and that meant something wasn\x92t right. Rising, she headed down to operations. If something was going wrong, it was time she joined Chris Fox\x92s task group.

Chris Foxx watched the stealthed recon drone\x92s tight beam transmission and winced. He didn\x92t know who those furrs were, but the thought getting caught between them and the liner was just a little scary. Discretion being the better part of valor, he ordered his task force to pull back a little. He\x92d watch and see how the situation developed. If the other pirates managed to take the liner, they might be so weakened that he could then take it in turn from them. On the other hand, if the liner had hidden defenses, as they suspected, they in turn might be weakened driving off this band of pirates. Sitting back, he wondered if popcorn would be appropriate, as he watched the show.

---

Dynotaku heard the alarm bells sound. The first thought that flashed through his mind was that they were being attacked. That they were being attacked by the Black Fleet, in support of Tanj\x92s assault-from-within. His second thought was that he ought to DO something. Unfortunately, he was flat on his back, on the Mink\x92s rather luxurious bed; she was impaled on his shaft, and squirming MOST delightfully\x85. Still, he OUGHT to do SOMETHING\x85.

---

Captain Merriweather hurried onto the liner\x92s bridge, and glanced at the tactical display. What she saw there chilled her heart. There were several ships, but only one of them drew her immediate attention. The long, rakish shape was definitely a pirate vessel; it looked like one of the big Corellian jobs. Perhaps it wasn\x92t quite as large as their hidden escort, but it looked every bit as deadly. Well, she couldn\x92t say she hadn\x92t been expecting something like this. Turning to her Exec she growled; "Number One, I trust the shields are up, weapons charged, and the crew at their stations?" The Exec just nodded, his eyes glued to the tactical display.

---

Jane Calamity sat in the center seat, on her bridge, and hoped that they\x92d gotten everything right. The communications protocols, the idle chatter among her small flotilla, the paint schemes, the costumes\x85. Dammit, she just wasn\x92t used to wearing this much. Signaling her communications officer, she turned to face the viewscreen. It was showtime.

---

Captain Merriweather looked at the flame-hued Vixen in the rather severe gray jumpsuit, and frowned. She\x92d been lead to believe that the commander of the pirates would be a Jaguar, or possibly a Cheetah. Still, everything else seemed right, at least from the information they\x92d been given\x85

---

Jane Calamity looked at the Coyote and smiled coldly; "Surrender your ship, Captain, and no one will get hurt. Try anything, and, well, we have the means to enforce our demands."

---

The Jaguar looked at his Executive Officer; "It would appear that our primary quarry didn\x92t decide to attend the party. I wonder who the Vixen is; can\x92t say as I remember Intelligence telling us about any Vixens among her senior staff\x85"

The Exec shrugged; "That\x92s still a moderately substantial flotilla out there. If we take it out, we should still cripple their operation. The Imperial Navy should be able to hunt the rest down at our leisure."

The Jaguar nodded; "All right, lets find out if our "countervail" will work against their energy-sapping weapon. Go to battle stations, and decloak the ship."

---

Dynotaku grumbled as he made his way towards the cargo areas. The Mink had NOT wanted to let him leave. He wondered if she\x92d enjoy her first bondage experience. Probably not, even though he\x92d left her with plenty of toys. He hadn\x92t had time to do it right. Now, dressed only in a robe, he was trying to puzzle his way through the powered door commands. When the Liner had gone to battle stations, all the air-tight doors had closed. It SHOULD be a simple thing to key one to open long enough to let him pass through, but the controls didn\x92t seem to be working right.

Unlike most of the other fems in the harem, the Skunkette sat cross-legged on the cushion, eyes narrowed to slits. She had that look on her face, one of half-bemusement, half wonder. The Kurani let her be, wondering just what she might be up to. Turning, she looked out the harem\x92s only viewport; all it showed was stars. The single vid-screen wouldn\x92t pick up anything but entertainment channels, and even if it did, most of the other denizens of the Harem were clustered about it as if it WOULD tell them something. Finding a cushion, where she could watch the door, the Skunkette and the gaggle of silly geese, she let her mind stretch out, searching out those flows of electrons, and photons. It was going to hurt, but maybe she could figure out just what was going on, in her own way\x85.

---

Roj yowled as something BIG started appearing on his sensors; turning towards the Vixen he growled; "Jane! Imperial Battlecruiser decloaking off the port bow!"

The Vixen nodded calmly; "well, I can\x92t say as if I wasn\x92t expecting something like this. Although I do admit that\x92s a mighty big ship to carry a cloaking device. Well, lets see if that fancy weapon the rat gave us will work against them. Weapons free! Fire when you have a targeting solution!"

---

The Jaguar frowned as the duty officer at the engineering console yelped in a most undisciplined manner. The Captain rose and stalked over to look over his shoulder; what he saw almost made him yelp too; they were loosing power from the main matter/antimatter reactors! Looking up he growled at his Exec; "Are you sure that damned countervail system is on line?"

The Exec checked a display and nodded; "Sir, its not showing any activity at all. Just humming away!"

The Captain looked back, as the Engineer turned; "Sir, it can\x92t be that. Can\x92t be. The fusion reactors are working normally; battery and fuel cell power is nominal. Its just the main reactors! This is something new!"

The Jaguar nodded; "Shut \x91em down." Turning to the Exec he growled; "Beam weapons, and warp drive are off line; but shields are good for the moment, and we can still maneuver. Lets see if we can\x92t knock out their fancy new weapon the old fashioned way! Launch Torpedoes!"

The Engineer muttered; "Sir, we\x92re loosing power but we haven\x92t lost all power from the main reactors\x85 The shields\x85. Are you SURE you want to shut them all down?"

The Jaguar rounded on the Engineer, growling; "Mister, in space, what you don\x92t understand can kill you. I don\x92t understand this, and therefor its dangerous. SHUT THEM DOWN!"

---

Jane Calamity\x92s eyes widened as the Battlecruiser started launching torpedoes. A LOT of torpedoes. Mixed in were ECM and ECCM drones, and a lot of anti-radiation missiles. She looked up at the Tiger; "Rog, can we handle that many? Tell me PLEASE that we can handle that many!"

The Tiger just shrugged, more than a little busy with the defensive weapons systems operators.

The Vixen took another glance at the tactical display and turned to the offensive systems officer; "Hap, lets turn off the fancy weapon that rat gave us. Maybe if their matter/antimatter reactors start cooking off, it\x92ll screw up their targeting systems!"

The Aardwolf nodded, turned to the jury-rigged console, and flipped a switch.

---

On the bridge of the Imperial Battlecruiser, alarms howled, lights flashed, and then dimmed, and deckplates vibrated. Heavy thuds came from somewhere below decks. The duty engineer was swearing non-stop as his paws flew over the consoles. Most of the safety systems were automated, but he wasn\x92t depending on them, or in some cases not waiting on them.

When he thought he could get a word in edgewise, the Jaguar growled; "What\x92s happening?"

The Engineer cursed and then yowled; "All of a sudden whatever was happening just\x85 stopped. We\x92ve got uncontrolled reactions in all our main reactors. I\x92m venting plasma and reaction material to space, to try and prevent catastrophic failures, but\x85.."

The Jaguar laid a paw on the Engineer\x92s shoulder; "Do what you can." He looked up at his Exec; "Move us away, using what power we have. Send out a distress signal and make sure Fleet knows just what we\x92re facing. Launch decoys and noisemakers. As soon as things stabilize, I want to know just what our options are. And signal the liner; looks like they\x92re on their own!"

---

Jane winced as the deck shook under her. And her flagship was a BIG ship; it took a lot to make it shake like that. Looking around Rog, at the tactical display she winced. Facing sheilds were down, and the Tiger was rolling the ship to present still functioning shields. They\x92d been hit by three of the heavy anti-ship torpedoes, and one of them had even blown through the armor. They were loosing air. Life support was down on decks 17 through 21. But\x85. The Imperial Battlecruiser seemed to be in much worse shape. Blow-off panels in the Engineering section had disintegrated, huge gouts of plasma flaring into space. The rat\x92s gizmo HAD worked!

---

The Engineer watched the display for the main matter/antimatter reactors and muttered to himself; "Dangit, I will never, ever, ever question him again. If he hadn\x92t insisted we shut down, we\x92d all be so much incandescent dust right now\x85. Never, never again\x85."

---

The Vixen looked at the damage reports and nodded in satisfaction. They were hurt, but still functional. And the Battlecruiser was limping off under fusion power. For a moment she wondered if they should go finish it off, before they turned their attention to the liner.

---

The Battlecruiser\x92s Exec smiled, and lifted his head to catch the eye of his Captain; "Sir, I think I\x92ve got some good news. Damage control has rerouted power from the No.3 fusion APU; they think they can get the cloaking device online!"

The Jaguar nodded; "Do it. Immediately! Engineering reports that three of our four main reactors are so much scrap! They think they can get the last one working, at partial power, but it\x92ll be iffy. When the plasma was vented, it caused feedback surges in most of the power systems; we can\x92t even launch missiles at this point, and we\x92re all but blind. We\x92re out of the fight. For the moment." The Jaguar lifted his gaze to the main viewscreen; the enemy ship was slowly receding. "But we\x92ll be back. Oh, we\x92ll be back\x85."

---

"Can\x92t do it, Ma\x92am. They just cloaked, and our sensor net\x92s degraded enough we won\x92t be able to find \x91em, unless we ram \x91em by sheer luck."

The Vixen sighed and nodded; "OK, lets go collect our prize. We\x92re going to have to get out of here before their friends show up."

---

Dynotaku growled in frustration; he\x92d gotten stuck between two sets of doors, and none of the controls were working. He couldn\x92t go forwards and he couldn\x92t go backwards. What in the heck was WRONG with this stupid ship?

---

Kittiara smiled at the Skunkette; "See. Told you it\x92d work out."

Jinx shook her head; "how do you figure that?"

The Kurani shrugged; "Well, if our little sex-slave-raiding-party had succeeded in taking over the ship, they just would have run up against THIS band of pirates and probably would have lost out to them. Now they still have a chance."

The Skunkette looked at the Kurani and shook her head; "you\x92re crazy, you know that? WHAT chance could they possibly have? THEY\x92RE IN STASIS!"

Kittiara smiled and shrugged; "I just have this feeling it\x92ll all work out."

Jinx nodded; "Hope you\x92re right."

The Kurani smiled; "by the way, when the pirates arrive, I want you to be on your best behavior. No, ah, "accidents". Not until the time\x92s ripe.

Jinx sighed; "I\x92ll try\x85."

When the Kurani\x92s attention was elsewhere, the Skunkette muttered to herself "Buzzkiller\x85"

---

Captain Amanda Merriweather stared in shock at the image of the Jaguar as he related the bad news. How in the world could one of the Imperial Navy\x92s finest be defeated so quickly? Her musings were interrupted by a most undignified shout from her sensor operator. Bidding the Jaguar goodbye, and wishing him a safe trip back to base and a rapid return to aid them, she broke the connection.

"Ma\x92am, the pirates are closing on us; they\x92re demanding our surrender!"

She turned slightly; "Number one?"

Her Executive Officer shrugged; "Ma\x92am, we\x92ve been making our best speed away from them ever since the battle started. Didn\x92t give us much of a lead, I\x92m afraid. They\x92re just faster than we are."

The Coyote nodded; "I\x92d expect that in a successful pirate ship. And our chances in a stand-up fight?"

The Exec just winced; "poor, Ma\x92am. We\x92re heavily armed for a merchant ship, but they\x92re heavily armed for a warship. AND they have that weapon, whatever it is."

Captain Merriweather nodded sadly; "Very well. Communications, open a channel to the pirate vessel. Lets see what terms they demand."

---

Jane Calamity grinned; "Terms? My dear Captain Merriweather, my terms are unconditional surrender. Nothing less. Cooperate and no one will die. That\x92s all."

The Coyote blinked; "Madam, I\x92m afraid I have very important passengers on this ship. Passengers I dare not allow any misfortune to befall. Unless I can have strict assurances that they will not be harmed, and that they\x92ll be set free at the earliest possibility, I\x92m afraid that I cannot surrender my ship!

Jane turned and looked at Rog; "I\x92m tired of chasing them. Kill their engines."

Captain Merriweather felt her ship drop out of warp, and sighed; "Very well, Number One, shut down the reactors, and vent the reaction chambers. I don\x92t want a repeat of what happened to the Battlecruiser."

The Exec nodded; "Shall we resist the boarding parties, Captain?"

The Coyote shook her head; "No. It would just cause needless deaths." With a sigh she headed for the door; "I suppose I\x92d best go break the bad news to our guests\x85.."

---

The "Crown Prince" blinked in amazement as the Captain related events. He wondered what would happen when it became apparent that he wasn\x92t the real "Crown Prince". Should he tell them right off? Would they believe him? Would the pirates take out their frustration on him, when they found out he wasn\x92t the REAL Crown Prince? Or would he manage, somehow, to escape his current situation? Maybe this wasn\x92t such a bad thing after all\x85..

---

Dynotaku watched through the airtight door\x92s viewport, in absolute amazement, as the pirates came down the corridor. One of them touched the controls on his side of the air-tight door, and it opened immediately for him. Before the pirate could speak, the Unicorn growled; "how\x92d you DO that? I\x92ve been trying to get through that door for twenty minutes and it wouldn\x92t open!" The pirate looked at him, turned, hit the control the Unicorn had been pounding on in frustration, and the door closed smoothly. He hit it again and the door opened just as smoothly. The Unicorn stared at him for a moment and then just shook his head "That door is jinxed. Gotta be."

---

"Jane, with the damage we\x92ve taken, life support is a little strained. I can see moving the high value cargo into our cargo bays, but I\x92m not wild about all the prisoners."

The Vixen nodded; "What do you suggest?"

The Tiger shrugged; "We can put a prize crew on the liner and have it follow us. Or we can tractor it. The problem is, that\x92ll just slow us down. It\x92s a bit risky, but we could remain docked with it; it\x92ll put a great stress on the docking clamps, the structural integrity field, and the inertial damping field, but it would give us our best speed."

Jane chewed a clawtip for a moment and then nodded; "make it so. But be ready to jettison it at a moment\x92s notice if there\x92s a problem."

The Tiger nodded and turned to go.

---

Dynotaku watched the others, in the liner\x92s main lounge. The pirate\x92s initial boarding party had herded all the passengers together, separating them from the crew. They\x92d been quite amused at the bound Mink. The Mink had NOT been amused. She was now standing on the far side of the room shooting Dynotaku dirty looks. The Sultan of Peshawehr looked nervous, almost bordering on panic. The Baroness de Montaine looked resolute, and her daughter looked as if she were enjoying the change in routine. If she expected this to be like one of those romance novels some girls read, Dynotaku thought she might be sorely disappointed\x85.. Von Frocke and Morganthau were talking quietly. The Field Marshall looked as if he were ready to spit nails, and the Financier looked unnaturally calm. Servants, and retainers milled about, in various states of agitation. And a half dozen armored and heavily armed pirates kept an eye on everyone.

Kittiara watched the Vixen stride into the liner\x92s main lounge. Her headache was finally starting to recede, and her nose had stopped bleeding, and she finally felt she could concentrate on "local" events. She knelt with the other slaves, towards the back wall, but she could still catch glimpses through the mass of bodies. Now, if she could just hear what was being said, she could gauge how much trouble they were in\x85.

---

The "Crown Prince" crossed his arms over his chest and grinned down at the Vixen; "you know I\x92m not the genuine article, don\x92t you?"

The Vixen grinned back up at him and laughed; "If you were the genuine article, would you say anything different?" At the look on his face she laughed again; "Oh, all right, all right, I admit the possibility of a double, or a stand-in. After all, if you really WERE the Crown Prince, you probably would have been traveling on the Battlecruiser, not on this tub. But, until we\x92ve had your genetics checked out, we\x92ll hang onto you anyways. Just in case."

The "Crown Prince" nodded somberly.

The Vixen turned and strolled among the other guests as if taking inventory. She smiled openly at the Baroness, and her daughter. You could see the credit-signs in her eyes as she calculated a ransom for them. The Field Marshall drew less interest, but the Financier drew her interest. The Sultan only got a passing glance, but the Mink; ah, Ms. Brittany Hugo definitely drew the Vixen\x92s attention.

Dynotaku stood quietly, watching. He didn\x92t care for the way the Vixen was looking at the Mink; there was something there that wasn\x92t quite right. He wondered, for a moment, if she was one of these vain furrs, that had to be the sexiest in the room\x85. If that was true, Ms. Hugo was in for a rough time. And then he thought of Zassa and smiled.

Jane caught the smile, and turned to look a the strange creature. He LOOKED like a Unicorn stallion\x85 but the heftiest Unicorn she\x92d ever seen. Not that it looked bad; not at all. But\x85 spots? His pelt looked familiar\x85 Strolling over, she inquired lightly; "something strike you as funny?"

Dynotaku put his hands on his hips and nodded; "Yes, I was just thinking of a slave of mine. An artic Vixen. I was thinking about how much she resembled you." He raised one paw to stroke his chin as he gazed down at her; "Except I think she\x92s just a little more generously endowed in the bust."

Jane tilted her head to one side; "Oh? And just where is this friend of yours?"

Dynotaku smiled; "Well, as fate would have it, she\x92s on this ship."

The Vixen looked around, as if trying to spot an ambush; "Really? Where?"

Dynotaku laughed; "Oh, don\x92t worry, you\x92re safe. She\x92s with several other very high end sex slaves of mine. In stasis."

The Vixen straightened; "In STASIS? Why would they be in stasis?"

Dynotaku shrugged; "The liner\x92s Captain put them there." He leaned over conspiratorially and whispered; "I think she thought they were too sexy to let loose on her ship." At the look on her face, Dynotaku had to laugh; "Yup, trained \x91em myself, I did. Finest in the Empire."

Jane looked from the funny looking Unicorn to Rog and back; "Finest, eh? Then they should be worth an awful lot."

Dynotaku contrived to get a pained expression on his face; "Um\x85. Well, yeah\x85"

The pirate nodded; "Good. Show me." Turning to the Tiger, the Vixen growled; "Have these Very Important Furrs stripped and put in the kennels on the flagship. Have their servants remain here, under guard. And see to the transfer of the high value cargo. I want to be under way as soon as possible."

Dynotaku glanced helplessly around the lounge, as if seeking aid, but finally shrugged and nodded to the Vixen; "As you wish\x85. They\x92re this way\x85"

As the pirate queen trouped out, with a half dozen guards and Dynotaku, the Kurani whispered to the Skunkette; "That went rather well, don\x92t you think?"

---

The Vixen studied the display on the end of the container; "My\x85 How intriguing."

Dynotaku nodded; It keeps them in their place; constant training. Constant testing. They\x92re the best behaved, most highly trained slaves in the Empire!"

The Vixen shot him a curious look, and then grinned; "Open the container with the Vixen. I want to see her directly.

Zassa heard the container start to open; there was no need to adjust her position, however; the articulated arms within her cage held her just so. She couldn\x92t have moved if she\x92d wanted to. As the side of the container swung away, she was startled to see Dynotaku, in a too-short robe, in the presence of a bunch of armed furrs, and a rather voluptuous red Vixen. She knew that Vixen. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The Vixen stared through the bars, and then grinned; "You\x92re right; she does look like me, if you discount the color." Turning to the Unicorn, she smiled; "I\x92ve always thought Arctic Foxes were so\x85 plain. Just white; nothing else. Don\x92t you agree?"

Dynotaku smiled; "I have to admit, you are Magnificent But\x85.. I bet if her fur was dyed to match yours, you could be mistaken as twins."

The Vixen laughed; "Perhaps. And its an intriguing idea; but its not going to happen." She grinned up at the Unicorn; "Nice Try. No, we won\x92t set the stage for you to have her replace me. However, she does look like fun. Get her out of there, I\x92ll take her "home" with me."

Dynotaku tapped on the container\x92s touchscreen control panel. Zassa felt the arms lift her, move her, returning her to that initial position. And then all the restraints were clicking open, one by one\x85. As directed, she low-crawled from the cage, and knelt in front of the Vixen. Jane smiled and ran a paw through her hair; "That cage seems to have been a little rough on you; you could use a bath." Producing a length of leather thong from a pocket in her jumpsuit, she slipped a noose over the vixen's head, and then, turning, tugged; "Come along; there\x92s work to be done."

Pausing by the door to the stasis chamber, Jane looked at the Unicorn. "It seems to me that such a knowledgeable slave trainer should know something of the other side." Turning to look at one of her guards she growled; "Put him in the kennels with the others, on the flagship."

As they trooped out, no one bothered to re-engage the stasis field. Inside the other five containers, telemetry resumed.

---

Chris stood up and stretched. He couldn\x92t believe how fast the Imperial Battlecruiser had been taken down. He had a drone shadowing it, but they were still moving in Einsteinian space; not very far off at all, as things went. It was obvious that the other pirates had a weapon that did something with matter and antimatter, and he\x92d have to keep that in mind when they tried to take them on. In the meantime, they were now getting signals from the shipping containers that held the strike team. Five reported everything normal, except their clocks were all running days slow. The sixth had been opened. And if they\x92d done anything to Zassa, they were most certainly going to regret it\x85..

Jane dragged Zassa onto the bridge of her ship, and putting her foot on the thong, between her hand and Zassa\x92s neck, forced her to kneel. Zassa did her best to obey. For once, Zassa merely wished to fade out of sight; if Jane Calamity ever discovered that she\x92d been the one impersonating her in the Nikkeldepain raid, things could get very ugly indeed. Calling on her academy training and all she\x92d learned since, Zassa did her very best to portray the ideal sex slave. Jane just grunted at the complete obedience, and then cast her eyes around the Bridge. Grinning, she tugged on the thong; "Slave, do you see that Tiger over there?"

Rog looked up from where he had been discussing repairs with the Chief Engineer, his face carefully neutral.

Zassa flicked her eyes up for just an instant, and then gave the tiniest of nods.

Jane\x92s grin widened; "he was of great service to me in the fight with the Imperial Battlecruiser. I\x92d like to do something nice for him\x85" The flame-hued vixen leaned a little closer to the Arctic Vixen; "But you see, the poor boy has a problem. Doesn\x92t let him enjoy the company of too many fems. You see, he\x92s, ah, a little too generously endowed."

From elsewhere on the bridge, someone snickered, and the Tiger just rolled his eyes, as if he were tired of being teased on this point.

Jane chuckled, and dropped the end of the thong; "I want you to crawl over there, and reward the nice Tiger. If you do a good job, I might just let you have something to eat tonight. And maybe some sleep."

Zassa swallowed hard and nodded, and moving with as much grace as she possessed, crawled over to the Tiger. The Tiger watched her, his face still neutral. It seemed everyone on the bridge was holding their breath\x85.

Kneeling at his feet, Zassa leaned forward, to unzip his pants, using just her teeth. She then carefully undid the button at the top, using lips, tongue and teeth. This drew a few appreciative chuckles from those watching. As she pulled his pants down, a little at a time, alternating side to side, Zassa tried hard not to chuckle. Yes, the Tiger was nicely hung. But he certainly wasn\x92t the largest she\x92d ever seen, not even the largest she\x92d ever had. Feeling a little calmer, she went to work, teasing him with her tongue. Maybe this wouldn\x92t be so bad after all\x85..

Rog groaned as he felt the white Vixen\x92s tongue drag along his sheath. He wasn\x92t wild about this, right in front of the whole bridge crew, but it didn\x92t look as if he had any choice in the matter. Dammit, he had things to DO! This just wasn\x92t the time!

Zassa put everything she had into teasing the Tiger; it didn\x92t take long before he was hard, and panting. Keeping her paws behind her back, she worked on his shaft using just her mouth. Constantly aware of all those watching, she did her best to put on a show.

Jane watched the Vixen, with amazement; she didn\x92t think anyone could deep-throat Rog! Maybe there was something to the Unicorn\x92s statement after all. If he could train slaves like this, maybe she ought to keep him around. There might be others that could benefit from his tutoring\x85.

Rog managed to keep his paws off of the white Vixen\x92s head, but when she finally pushed him over the edge and he came, he couldn\x92t help but let out a roar. For a moment the world grew dim, and he felt his knees go weak; fortunately, though, it only lasted a moment, and he was able to recover himself. Looking down, he grinned, as the Vixen licked him clean. She was good. Maybe he ought to put in a bid on her, when they sold the booty from this raid\x85.

Jane smiled at the Tiger; "Now that you\x92ve had your fun, why don\x92t you put her back in her cage. Those things have their own life support, and that\x92s something we\x92re a little shy of right now." At the look on the Tiger\x92s face, the flame-hued Vixen chuckled; "Oh, don\x92t worry, we\x92ll let her out to play again, soon. In fact, I was thinking we might as well pass the slaves from the liner around the crew, as time and duty permits."

Rog nodded, and then grinned; "I\x92ll set it up with your permission. And\x85 Thanks."

As the Tiger led the white vixen away, Jane lounged in the center chair and purrred to herself "Never let it be said that I didn\x92t look after my crew\x85"

---

The Wolf looked around and sighed. He\x92d seen the insides of slave kennels before, but never quite from this perspective. All of the passengers from the liner had been stripped, rather roughly bathed, and then shoved into absolutely miniscule cells. All he could do was lay down. The design wasn\x92t what he\x92d expected either. No hullmetal, no straw on the floor, but white plastic; the ceiling glowed softly, uniformly, the floor was some sort of soft, but resilient material. In one end was a small video display, and the other end was a white plastic door. It was like being in a well-lit coffin. It was a good thing he wasn\x92t claustrophobic. Still, it wouldn\x92t be forever. He\x92d worked up the contingency plans. He knew there would be a rescue attempt. And if that failed, well, if anyone could escape something like this, it would have to be someone from Imperial Intelligence. And if the kennels were escape-proof, well, he\x92d be ransomed eventually. All he had to do was keep his cool and wait for an eventual rescue.

---

Zassa felt the clamps close around her. The big Tiger had led her to the shipping container, but apparently hadn\x92t a clue how to work it. After studying the touchscreen for a while, he just shrugged, and gestured for her to do it. Glad that Tanj had drilled the system into them, Zassa touched a number of spots on the screen, and the cage door popped open. If the Tiger wondered why it took so many keystrokes to get the door open, he didn\x92t say anything. Zassa had given him a wink and crawled inside, to assume the "zero" position. He watched as the cage door closed, the clamps secured her, and things started to move. Zassa had set up an initial "reward" session; the articulated arms rotated her from an all-fours position to a kneeling position, legs well spread, facing her captor. Three arms then appeared; two held vibrators, the third held a rather large plug gag. The Vixen opened her mouth willingly; she knew the gag tasted of raspberries and cream, something she particularly relished. She relished the vibrators too, as they slid easily into her, filling pussy and ass. As the machine worked her over, she kept one eye on the Tiger; he stared at her, eyes wide. Sometime between her third and her fourth climax, the outside door to the shipping container hinged closed, and she lost sight of him.

Rog stared at the touchscreen display; the device was working over the Vixen something fierce, and he wondered what kind of a punishment it had been programmed for. He WAS going to have to have a talk with that Unicorn fellow about the way he treated his property. Dang it, she hadn\x92t done anything wrong! Resolving to put in a bid for the Vixen, the Tiger turned and headed back for the flagship. Too much to do\x85.

The container brought Zassa to an even half-dozen climaxes, hosed her down, and then the articulated arms released her, and retreated. Zassa sat in a small tornado of warm air as the environmental systems dried her, just purrrring to herself. It really was a delightful toy. When she was dry she moved to one corner of the cage and tapped on a set of rivets. This brought up a holographic display, and a holographic keyboard. Cryptic commands were entered, and then she found herself staring at Tanj\x92s face. "Hi, Tanj; hate to tell you this, but we\x92ve got Trouble."

Tanj sighed; she was still held tight by the cage\x92s restraints, but she was in a comfortable position, and had been reviewing her engineering journals, something she hadn\x92t been able to keep up with, of late. "What\x92s wrong? As near as I can tell, we haven\x92t been on the liner for more than six hours! And I hope no one\x92s monitoring our transmissions!"

Zassa shook her head; "I don\x92t think anyone\x92s got time for that. We\x92ve been on the liner a LOT longer than that; they put us all in a stasis chamber. Listen, the liner\x92s been captured by the Crimson Corsairs. I\x92ve seen Jane Calamity with my own eyes!"

Tanj blinked; "Really? Gee, I guess that means we didn\x92t have to go to this elaborate ruse after all; we could have just taken it the old-fashioned way!"

The Vixen shook her head; "No, I don\x92t think so; the Crimson Corsairs have some sort of new weapon. I heard them talking, but I obviously couldn\x92t ask for any details. And their ship\x92s taken some pretty good damage, too. I think they tangled with something pretty big."

Tanj sighed and nodded; "OK, if the Corsairs have us, its more imperative than ever that we find a way to get out of these cages. If they find out who we are, and what we\x92re responsible for, it could get really nasty."

The Vixen swallowed hard and nodded. "I think Calamity\x92s planning on passing us around to her crew; it might give us a chance to fill in some of the blanks, and scout around a bit."

Tanj nodded; "OK, I\x92m going to try and establish a link with that transmitter-disguised-as-a-torpedo, and get word out to the Black Fleet. If anything else happens, let me know!"

---

Kittiara watched the pirates come through the door to the harem compartment, through lowered eyes. She, like all the others, was kneeling in the proper position; knees well apart, back straight, head bowed, the backs of her paws resting on her thighs, palms up, showing submission. Two of the pirates carried coiled chains, with ankle cuffs; it was obvious they were going to form a coffle. They were going somewhere\x85.

---

"Dammit, Jim, how\x92d this thing get so tangled?"

"Dunno, Bones. Look, that ankle cuff\x92s snapped closed on that length of chain."

"Well, where\x92s the key?"

"Got it right here; lemme get it op\x85. Huh. Key doesn\x92t fit the lock."

"OK, I\x92ve got a spare, lemme fi\x85 damn, there\x92s a hole in my pocket!"

"What in the hell is taking you two so long?"

"Can\x92t find a key; the chains are all tangled up, stuck on an ankle cuff!"

"I\x92ve got a spare; geez, you two are useless."

"Crap, boss, its jammed!"

"Here, let me see that! I swear, I\x92ve never seen such a pair of klutzes in my\x85."

"Damn, boss, you broke the key off in the lock!"

"guess he doesn\x92t know his own strength."

"All right you two, we\x92ll just have to do without the chains. Get \x91em up, and herd \x91em out the door, and make sure you don\x92t loose any of \x91em!"

---

Jinx just smiled softly to herself. She wasn\x92t as big as some, and those chains had looked heavy.

---

Kittiara watched, trying to take in as much as possible, as they left the harem, and moved through the liner to the personnel lock. Along the way, she managed to figure out that they were under way, in warp drive. The liner was docked to a much bigger ship, and as they passed through the lock from one ship to the other, she used her special talent to pick up the access codes. Fortunately Jinx was there to steady her as a wave of fire passed through her brain. Panting lightly, she tried to concentrate on walking\x85 and on remembering what she\x92d just paid so much to learn. The Pirate ship was a maze of corridors, which she also did her best to memorize. There were no markings at the corridor intersections, and it wasn\x92t easy. On the other hand, it would make it easy to tell someone she\x92d "gotten lost" if she was found where she wasn\x92t supposed to be\x85. Finally they arrived at a big, open room, where a Tiger was "auctioning" off slaves for the use of the pirates. He was just finishing with a rather trim looking Serval male. Taking her place in the line, she watched as a good looking calico Cat was auctioned off, to the delight of the crowd. It was the female Serval that had caught her attention, however. She smiled to herself and wondered just how she could find a moment to talk to that one\x85

Sashi watched as the other group of slaves were escorted in; she wondered who they were, and why THEY hadn\x92t been chained together in a coffle. And then her blood ran cold. The Kurani. She\x92d seen that one before\x85. There was something important\x85. But she just couldn\x92t remember! WHERE had she seen her before, and why did her presence frighten her so?

Kittiara caught the look from the Pantheress, and smiled at her reassuringly. She should have figured she\x92d be here. Ah, well, the more the merrier!

---

Dynotaku looked up as his gleaming white prison cell was opened; he\x92d been doing isometrics, and had worked up a decent sweat. He\x92d also managed to turn himself completely around in his cell, so that his head faced the door. No mean feat, considering his size, not to mention his horn. The guard that had opened the door immediately stepped back, and drew his stunner as he got a VERY close look at the Unicorn\x92s horn. Dynotaku just grinned at him; "Ah, there you are; I\x92m glad you came. I am in desperate need of a shower\x85."

---

Tanj listened to the bidding with interest. How much information she could get about what was happening, and what they might do to salvage the situation would depend on who "bought" her for the evening. There was an officer over there, who was bidding, and there was an interesting looking Bobcat fem that seemed to command the respect of those around her, who was also bidding\x85. Unfortunately there was a group of four males who looked to be from Engineering, in stained work clothes, that seemed to have pooled their resources\x85 if they succeeded, she didn\x92t know what her chances might be of gaining useful information\x85. Still, all she could do was to send encouraging little looks to those she thought might provide her with the best possible information\x85..

The Wolf watched as the Serval Fem was bought by the four scruffy looking characters; this seemed to delight the mob, and ad-hoc groups formed as the next furr came up for bid. He wondered how HE was going to handle being sold. How bad could it be? Now, the Baroness, she looked like she was about to blow a gasket\x85.

Tanj sighed as the engineers won the bid. The Officer had been so close, but the engineers had been persistent. Stepping down from the block, she kept her head bowed, as one of them took the end of her leash, and one of the others paid the auctioneer. Apparently they were using script issued by the Crimson Corsairs just for this event, not real credits. She wondered just what was going on\x85.

The Kurani watched the crowd unabashedly. There. There was the group she wanted. They had been joking, familiarly, with the group that had bought the Serval. The clothes they wore had the same sort of stains and rips as the other group. And they looked like the type that would purchase someone large like her; a Mouse, a Chipmunk, and a Squirrel. Furrs that would prefer to intimidate something much larger; something larger that they knew dare not strike back. She watched them as they watched her, occasionally doing a little bump and grind, just for them\x85.

---

As the Guard walked him through the corridors, Dynotaku wrestled (mentally) with the restraints. He wasn\x92t used to being bound, especially not like this. Not that he was unfamiliar with the restraints\x85 no, he\x92d put them on numerous fems\x85. He\x92d just never tried them on himself. As the Guard led him by a ridiculously thin leash, he wondered where he was going\x85\x85

---

Tanj waited as her new "owners" chatted with friends, watching the rest of the bidding. As she waited, she watched as the Tiger-striped fem stepped gracefully up onto the block. She frowned, trying to place the species; it wasn\x92t easy. After a while she just shrugged, figuring it was another case of "mixed parentage", such as Dynotaku. However, the ears\x85. Where had she seen ears like that before?

---

Dynotaku stepped onto the pirate ship\x92s bridge, doing his best to project the image of an arriving Admiral, despite the restraints. In the center seat was the Vixen, and she smiled wickedly as the seat turned; she was sprawled out, wearing little more than a g-string, and very abbreviated, and probably completely ineffectual armor. Still, the shoulder-pads and the bracers did give her a primal, dangerously sexy look. He gave her his best grin.

Jane looked at the Unicorn-whatever and smiled; he DID have a good body. "I\x92m glad you could join us. I thought you might like to keep me company for a while." The Unicorn just shrugged. Jane\x92s grin widened and she pointed to a spot by her seat; "Kneel there."

Dynotaku took a glance around. There was a furr with a disruptor at his side; another carried a needler, and a third, a stunner. And that big, ugly Warthog had a coiled bullwhip. Was there room on the bridge to actually use something like that. After a moment\x92s reflection the Unicorn decided that perhaps there was. Perhaps discretion was the better part of valor. Moving as clumsily as he could, he knelt in the indicated spot.

The Vixen shook her head; "you know, for someone who trains slaves, you\x92re not really well versed in the program, are you?"

Dynotaku grinned up at her and shrugged again; "not my style I\x92m afraid."

Jane regarded him, through slitted eyes; "you know, it might be fun to break you. They all break in the end."

The Unicorn laughed; "I suppose. But it would be such a waste. Why, I bet you\x92d miss my scintillating personality, my clever wit, and\x85 my imagination!"

The Vixen smiled; "perhaps\x85." After a moment she sat back; "But I don\x92t have to make that decision right now." She grinned at him; "I have to find out what you\x92re worth, first. Find out if I have to return you intact for whatever ransom there might be. And towards that end, I want you to tell me about yourself\x85.. Just who\x85 Just WHAT are you?"

---

Kittiara didn\x92t like the way the bidding was going. There was a pair of males, a Rhino and a Grizzly Bear, that seemed to feel she was the right type for them. They were giving the trio from Engineering a run for their money. Or whatever it was they were using for the bidding. Turning her head just a little, she caught the skunkette\x92s eye, and inclined her head just a little towards the huge pair.

Jinx sighed. WHY did that silly Kurani think that she could do things on demand? Wouldn\x92t she ever learn! Growling to herself, she stomped one foot in frustration.

Seven decks below, in the electronics repair shop, every circuit breaker blew, leaving the duty shift in the dark, and wondering what had happened now.

Kittiara watched impassively as the duo strode forward to claim their prize. The Rhino stuffed his hand in one pocket, and got a funny look on his face. He turned to the Bear; "Hey, Ben\x85. Do you have the script?"

The Bear gave him a look; "No, Ralph, YOU had it. Remember, you folded it and put it into your right front pocket. I SAW you\x85"

The Rhino shook his head; "Then someone\x92s picked my pocket\x85 its gone!"

The Auctioneer sighed; "Bad luck, guys. If you can\x92t find your script, I\x92m going to have to give it to the other group. A short distance away, the Mouse, Chipmunk and Squirrel cheered.

Jinx blinked and met the Kurani\x92s eyes; she was smiling gently at her. The Skunkette growled, sotto voice; "But it wasn\x92t ME! I didn\x92t DO anything!"

The Kurani\x92s smile just widened, and she inclined her head as if to say "of course not\x85.." It just made the skunkette madder!

On the Bridge, the Helmsfurr yowled and stabbed at her console. The asteroid had come out of nowhere; she\x92d like to have said that her quick maneuvering let them miss it, but the rock ripped the port ECM mast from the hull\x85..

Sashi stood waiting her turn on the auction block. It was curious, but although she hadn\x92t moved, she\x92d felt a tickle deep within her, as if someone had goosed her. It made her squirm. She\x92d been trying so hard to keep herself under control; it\x92d been a while since she\x92d had her last overdose of vitamin E, and she knew what was going to happen once they got her juices flowing\x85. And now, despite her attempts at self-control, it was getting away from her.

---

Tanj followed the small group through the corridors. How anyone could find their way was beyond her. Nothing was marked. It was probably a technique to screw up boarding parties. If so, it certainly had her confused. Finally the group stopped at an unmarked door, while one of them fumbled with a magnetic lock.

The bunk room was\x85. Well, to say it was messy would have been an understatement. No neat-freaks on this ship, or at least in this division. Tanj looked around the room in dismay, as two of the furrs started pulling matresses off of the bunks, and laying them side by side on the floor.

---

Jane frowned; "So\x85 you are the Viscount DeLaMancha, but you have no property, no estates\x85 nothing?"

Dynotaku moved his head up and down, rubbing the spiral surface of his horn over the Vixen\x92s g-string, and murmured; "Oh, I have all the responsibilities and duties of being a Viscount, just none of what a position like that usually brings. You see, my Grandsire got into a betting contest with the then-emperor; I\x92m afraid he didn\x92t bet wisely. Lost everything. In fact, in some respects he lost more than everything."

The Vixen nodded; "but\x85 you\x92re known in Imperial circles?"

Dynotaku shrugged; "Infamous in Imperial Circles is more like it."

The Vixen wrapped one paw around the horn, and pressed it harder against her crotch, tugging it back and forth, making the Unicorn\x92s head follow suit; "So\x85 you\x92d know the Crown Prince if you saw him?"

Dynotaku laughed; "Worse; he\x92d know ME if he saw me. I\x92m afraid we\x92ve\x85. Had our little arguments in the past."

The Vixen nodded, panting lightly; "And\x85.."

Dynotaku chuckled; "It ain\x92t him. It\x92s a double."

The Vixen started to moan "awwwwwww", but the pitch and timbre changed, as her climax arose.

Dynotaku smiled and twisted his head left and right as he continued to stroke her crotch with his horn. Some ladies particularly liked that\x85..

---

Tanj smiled and stretched, leaning forward. She was straddling the Shetland Pony, his shaft in her pussy, with the Coyote behind her, his cock buried tight in her ass. The Otter knelt over the Pony\x92s head, and as she moved forward, his shaft slid deeper into her mouth. To her surprise, the Pony was licking the Otter\x92s balls. Very good friends, it would seem. And behind the Coyote, the Red Panda was slowly driving his shaft into the Coyote\x92s ass. VERY good friends. Her kind of furrs, obviously. Purrring softly, she pushed herself back, feeling both cocks drive deeper into her. For furrs that had never met before, it was amazing how well they were working together, almost as if they\x92d rehearsed. So far they\x92d been fairly courteous, and considerate, if just a little demanding with respect to the sex. Glancing across the room, she watched the exotic; she was astride the Squirrel, sitting across his waist, with the Mouse\x92s cock in her mouth and the Chipmunk\x92s shaft in her paw; she gyrated in an interesting motion, that seemed to keep a smile on each of their faces\x85\x85

---

Sashi smiled at the Auctioneer; "Master wants me to do WHAT?"

The Auctioneer blinked; "Things are getting a little slow. A little boring. I want you to put on a show for the crowd. You know. Dance, or\x85. Stroke yourself, or something."

Sashi grinned back at him; "Oooooookay, but don\x92t say I didn\x92t warn you!"

John watched the Pantheress writhe on the auction block; her sensual dance involved a lot of stroking; her paws moving over her breasts, along her belly, tracing the curves of her ass\x85 and between her legs. He could smell her cinnamon and sex scent, and knew what was going to happen. Looking around at the Crimson Corsairs, he could only murmur "you poor bastards" to himself\x85

---

Tanj purrred, and clasped the Red Panda\x92s head TIGHT to her crotch. For the Moment the Pony and the Otter were occupying themselves, and the Coyote was getting them all something to drink. It was nice of the Panda to lick her like that; he seemed to know just what she liked! Thinking that he was a good candidate for some place like the Academy, she stroked his ears, as his tongue took her higher and higher and higher\x85.

Kittiara\x92s head throbbed. There was a blinding point of pain just behind her eyes, that was making it difficult to function. But Function she had to; she was engaged in a wager with the Mouse, and his friends; she\x92d bet them an extra day\x92s servitude (something she couldn\x92t deliver, if she lost) against a couple of free hours, and a decent meal, that she could suck each of them off within a minute. Needless to say they\x92d laughed and taken her bet\x85 Of course it helped that by now they had all had quite a bit to drink, and weren\x92t thinking too clearly. With her mouth around the Mouse\x92s shaft, she gently fondled his balls, tongue stroking just below the head of his cock. Just using her skills, practiced as they were, at this point she wouldn\x92t have had a chance; that was why she was cheating. In the multiple orgasms she\x92d given each of them, she\x92d had a chance to examine the structure of their brains; she knew where the pleasure centers were, and it was child\x92s play to stroke THOSE erogenous zones, sending electrons flying, causing neurons to fire\x85. The Mouse was about to have an orgasm to remember.\x85.

Tanj panted hard; the Panda had brought her off quite nicely, and then wandered off to see what had happened to the Coyote, and their drinks. Laying on one of the mattresses, the Cheetah/Serval turned her head, as across the room, a Mouse Roared. The exotic had just sucked him off, apparently to the Mouse\x92s extreme delight. As she watched, the Mouse literally collapsed back onto the mattress. For a moment his friends just stared at him, and then, with a shrug, the Chipmunk stepped forward. The exotic smiled and leaned forward to slurp his cock into her mouth\x85.

When the Chipmunk howled, even the Pony and the Otter stopped what they were doing to look. Tanj frowned; it seemed as if the exotic had just started. As the Chipmunk staggered off, the Squirrel edged forward, looking almost a little afraid. The exotic smiled reassuringly, gave him a tentative lick, and then leaned forward to repeat her magic\x85.

The Coyote stopped a tray of drinks in his paws, as the Squirrel yodeled his delight. "What got into Fritz?" he mused.

Tanj looked at the tray; every cup on it was different, and she wasn\x92t sure how clean they were, but they all seemed to be filled with a pale blue beverage. Taking one, she took a sip and almost choked; "What IS this stuff!"

The Coyote grinned; "Its our home brew. Pretty much pure ethanol, with a little flavoring. Like it?"

Tanj blinked the water from her eyes and croaked out: "your still needs a little work, but yeah. Just wasn\x92t expecting that\x85."

The Coyote smiled, gave drinks to the Pony, Otter, and Panda, and then setting down the tray, he leaned back against one of the bunks, and pulled Tanj into his lap. Knowing what he wanted, she settled, astride him, facing away. Deftly, he slid his once-again hard shaft into her wetness, and as she started to move, languidly, she studied the Exotic. Three furrs in as many minutes. How in the WORLD had she done that? And she thought SHE was good. She\x92d have to find a way to talk to that one; maybe she could learn something\x85..

---

Kittiara wiped her nose, hoping the blood wouldn\x92t show too much against her orange fur, and nibbled on one of the fried\x85 whatevers. She\x92d never seen anything like it, but it tasted good. It would have been better warm, though. It had been, once, but the platter of finger-foods had been put out quite a while ago. She hadn\x92t asked permission to take one, mainly because almost everyone in the room was asleep. In one corner, the Pony was humping the Serval, taking her from behind, but even he was looking pretty tired. Picking up one of the cups of blue liquid, she tiptoed over, carefully stepping over, or around slumbering bodies. Standing behind the Pony, she watched for a moment; his thrusting had brought the Serval to a climax, and as it faded, she reached out and lightly touched the back of his head. His body stiffened, and he shuddered as an orgasm took him as well. Then, he was pulling out of her, and collapsing sideways, asleep before he hit the mattress. And her nose was bleeding again\x85.

Tanj blinked, and looked over her shoulder; the exotic just smiled at her, with a slightly pained look; "Looks like you wore him out. Hello, I\x92m Kittiara." Stiffly the Serval rose; "Hi. They call me Tanj." The exotic\x92s eyebrows went up; "Tanj, as with the Black Fleet?"

Instantly Tanj regretted giving her name; it\x92d just slipped out; "Um\x85 you might not want to say that too loudly around here\x85."

The exotic laughed; "Oh, don\x92t worry about them; they\x92re all sound asleep. And this room doesn\x92t have any evesdropping equipment. Oh, one of the furrs set up a holorecorder, but it malfunctioned about twenty minutes ago. About the time the owner fell asleep."

Tanj frowned; "you make it sound as if you were behind that. By the way, did you know your nose was bleeding?"

The exotic adopted a hurt look and shrugged; "Who, little ol\x92 me?" Then she grinned and wiped her nose again; "I think you and I should take some time to discuss our situation here."

Tanj\x92s frown deepened; "Our situation sucks. The question is, what to do about it?"

The Exotic smiled; "Well, we have to escape, of course. And in the process, accomplish certain things. There are certain talents and resources that I can bring to the table, but in order to formulate a plan, I need to know what resources you and your associates brought." As she talked, the exotic had stepped across the room, to a computer terminal. Kneeling by it, as the chair seemed to be missing, she started tapping carefully. It only took her a half-dozen tries before she\x92d gained access.

Tanj watched in amazement; "How\x85. How did you get the password?"

The exotic grinned; "Passwords. There were three levels of security to get to where I wanted to go. My Mother was a computer whiz, and she taught me a great deal\x85 But\x85 Mostly, it was just lucky guesses." She waved a paw; "They\x92re engineers; they think logically. It wasn\x92t too hard to deduce what they\x92d use."

Tanj raised an eyebrow; "So what DID they use?" The exotic leaned back from the computer, and grinned up at her; "Simplicity itself. The passwords were "fuckme, Booze, and Fellatio".

Tanj just "Ooooohed"\x85.

---

"So how did you know I had associates?"

The Exotic shrugged as she paged through the pirate ship\x92s security protocols. Occasionally she would stop and add something. "Well, this whole thing was a trap for you; I didn\x92t think you\x92d stick your head in the noose by yourself." The exotic looked up; "So how many DID you bring?"

Tanj shook her head; "A trap for ME? Me personally? Not Jenka, not the Black Fleet, but ME?"

The exotic nodded; "You. You\x92ve screwed up the Crown Prince\x92s plans in a number of areas. He\x92s scared stiff you\x92re going to succeed in developing your "portal" device. It seems something like that would mess up his plans to overthrow his Father. And you\x92ve given him a huge setback in his economic model project." She looked up again; "By the way, they\x92ve figured out the data was corrupted; but the backups were lost and they\x92ve had to start from scratch. You probably set him back three years, and cost him\x85 oh, something on the order of twenty-four thousand expert furr-hours. He really is rather pissed at you."

Tanj swallowed and nodded. After a moment she muttered; "As for my team, there are five others. And we brought some toys\x85."

The exotic nodded; "I would imagine some of them have some very special talents."

Tanj thought of Sashi and winced; "Oh. Oh my. Sashi!"

The exotic smiled; "Ah, yes, Dear Sashi. I thought that was her in the auction room. I would imagine things there are quite interesting about now\x85.."

---

Sashi smiled in satisfaction, as she looked around the auction area. Everywhere she could see, furrs were coupling wildly. She smiled and held the Minotaur\x92s head by the horns, directing his eager tongue to her snatch; he seemed perfectly content to lick her in the most delightful way. Of course, a mare was on her back under him, his cock deep in her throat. And an otter was wildly humping the Mare. Her pheromones floated on the breeze, and she was certain that the air handlers were carrying them throughout the pirate ship\x85..

---

The Vixen pushed him away, with a moan of "Enough! ENOUGH!"

Dynotaku sat back, ran his tongue over his muzzle, and grinned; "Are you sure? He\x92d licked her to a good half dozen climaxes, licked her until she was screaming with passion, and then screaming for mercy. With a groan, Jane sat up, to look at him; "No, I\x92m NOT sure, but there are too many things to do. I need to get back to work."

The Unicorn sat back on his haunches and thrust his hips up, just a little, to emphasize his erection; "Are you sure? I could do with some relief, you know. How about just one more\x85?" The Vixen stared at the size of his cock, licked her lips, and then, sliding down from the bed and into his lap, growled; "OK, just one more, but then I really do need to get back to work!"

---

"So how do you know Sashi?"

The Exotic smiled; "Oh, I was there when the Crown Prince got this wild idea about a biological weapon. Seems he had a grudge to settle against a certain member of the Imperial Court. This furr had gifted him with a friend of mine, and he was intent on revenge\x85.. But, then, well, the political climate changed a little, and by the time the geeks on Gates\x92 World had finished her, he\x92d decided to use Sashi on Jenka, first." Looking up, she grinned at the Cheetah/Serval: "I AM a member of the Crown Prince\x92s harem, after all. And I shouldn\x92t have to tell YOU what a slave can hear\x85."

Tanj just nodded in agreement.

---

Sashi grinned; the Bear had stormed into the auction area, a scowl on his face. He\x92d made it over to where a Chinchilla, a Stoat, and a Badger were wrapped up in each other, growling "What in the HELL are you doing here? You\x92re late for your SHIFT!" She\x92d come up behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle, grinding her dripping pussy against him from behind. His head had whipped around, left and then right, as he tried to get a look, and then her scent, the overall pervading scent in the room, had hit him. He\x92d lost his shirt, and pants, but still had his tie around his neck; it made a good handle. Now Sashi had him flat on his back, riding his cock, fucking him senseless. She\x92d been ambushing everyone of authority who\x92d come in, like that, to the best of her ability. Eventually, it would HAVE to have an effect on the Pirate\x92s operation. If nothing else, everyone in the room was going to be stiff and sore in the morning\x85

---

Jane groaned, and staggered to her feet. Walking a little bow-legged, she\x92d made it to the bathroom before that sex-crazed Unicorn could catch up with her; she\x92d literally slammed the door in his face\x85 Well, that wasn\x92t quite true; she\x92d almost slammed it on his erection. Panting lightly, she sat on the toilet and tried to recover. Of course, part of her just wanted to go back out there, but another part demanded she return to her duties. The place, after all, wouldn\x92t run itself without her.

Still in indecision, she looked up as the comm beeped. Glad the comm in the bathroom did NOT have a video pickup she leaned over and mashed the button; "Yeah, what is it?"

Rog\x92s voice growled from the speaker; "Ma\x92am, I think we\x92ve got a problem\x85.."

Dynotaku listened through the door and smiled. He\x92d been expecting this. In fact, he was surprised that it had taken as long as it had, for the Pirates to recognize that they had a problem\x85..

---

Tanj watched the logs of the battle with the Imperial Battlecruiser play, and winced. "Geez, that\x92s going to be a problem!"

Kittiara looked up; "Why?"

Tanj sighed; "I\x92ve got friends out there; they\x92re probably just waiting for a signal from me, saying its time to come join the party. But I can\x92t signal them if they\x92re going to walk into THAT!"

The exotic\x92s fingers danced over the keyboard; Operations logs were replaced with an offensive weapons screen, and then an engineering screen. Kittiara studied them for a moment, moved the cursor, and made a minor change in a number. "There, all fixed. Just tell them not to get too close"

Tanj frowned; "but\x85.."

The Exotic grinned, paged over to the Engineering displays, called up the diagnostics routine for the new weapon, and changed a parameter there as well. "Now if they run a diagnostics on their new toy, everything will show as within tolerances. Someone would have to actually CHECK the targeting tolerances to notice there\x92s a problem. Yes, they might do that, but not in the middle of a battle."

Tanj nodded; "Slick. They\x92ll be leading any target by a good three seconds of arc. The further away the target the greater they\x92ll miss by. But\x85 can you erase any trace of your presence there?" The Exotic just grinned, her fingers flying over the keyboard; "just take a second, Dear\x85."

---

Jane stared at the Unicorn; "You KNEW about this?"

Dynotaku shrugged; "Sure. She\x92s my property, isn\x92t she? Of course I knew about this."

The Vixen\x92s fists balled and she growled up into his face; "Well WHY DIDN\x92T YOU TELL SOMEONE?"

Dynotaku grinned and shrugged again, palms up; "Mistress you KNOW slaves aren\x92t permitted to speak without being spoken to." At the look of rage on the Vixen\x92s face, he laughed; "And nobody ASKED."

---

"Where did you learn so much about weapons systems? That was a pretty slick trick, for a sex slave."

Kittiara laughed; "Dear, I\x92m half Kurani. Lived with them all my life. Its just the kind of thing EVERYONE there learns."

Tanj nodded; "I thought you looked a little\x85.."

Kittiara smiled wryly; "Yeah, the ears are a dead giveaway." After a moment she chuckled; "Besides, I haven\x92t been a sex slave all my life." She shot the Cheetah/Serval a grin; "Actually, I\x92m a writer."

Tanj\x92s jaw dropped; "You\x92re a WHAT?" The Kurani just smiled, and pointed to the display; "Looks like they\x92ve found out about Sashi. I do hope they don\x92t hurt her\x85."

---

Sashi sighed when the sprinkler system came on. It really had been too good to last. Rising to her feet, she wondered how many of them she could take out, before they killed her. When the door slid open, she just groaned; she\x92d wondered how they\x92d found out. There stood the Unicorn, completely nude except for a respirator designed for some other type of furr taped over his muzzle; he just looked at her and waggled a finger, as if to say "Bad Sashi\x85 Now look what you\x92ve done." Before she knew what she was doing, Sashi found herself chuckling and shaking her head.

---

Kittiara ran through a mental checklist; they\x92d examined work schedules, patrol times and routes, and such, and made a few changes to permit Tanj and her furrs opportunities to escape their confinement, and assemble the toys they\x92d brought with them. What had been a fairly decent security plan for the liner now wasn't quite so good. Now, more of the Pirates were assigned to repair the battle damage. And the security systems of both the Liner and the pirate ship had been degraded. Backing out of the pirate ship\x92s computer, the Kurani did her best to erase any record of her activities and of her presence. Finally, she shut down the terminal, rose and stretched.

Tanj watched. She wondered if Ralph was that good, with computers. Probably not. "Well, at least we\x92ve got a plan."

The Kurani turned her stretch into a shrug; "I know, its not a very good plan, but we\x92ll probably be able to improvise. It all hinges on whether or not you can get that cloaking device assembled and working. Without it, we\x92ll never get away."

Tanj nodded; "Still, we\x92ll need a good distraction, when the time comes." She looked skeptically at the Kurani; "Are you sure you can provide one?"

Kittiara smiled; "Leave it to me. If circumstance doesn\x92t provide one, I know someone who can. But I think that part of the plan will take care of itself. Just make sure you get the cloaking device assembled as fast as you can."

Tanj nodded; "oh, we will\x85.."

Kittiara looked across the room at all the sleeping furrs. She smiled, and pointed to the Otter. A moment later, the Otter reached around to scratch himself. Slowly, yawning, he untangled himself from the others, and muttering grumpily, staggered off towards the bathroom. If he noticed the two slaves standing there, he didn\x92t show any sign. Tanj missed the wince that crossed the Kurani\x92s face after the Otter awoke.

The Kurani smiled; "I think we should pretend to be asleep, just in case someone\x92s a little more alert than he was."

Tanj looked at the exotic a little strangely, but nodded; laying down, she snuggled up against the Bear, while the Kurani draped the pony\x92s arm over her, pulling his hand tight to her breast; she winked at Tanj, and closed her eyes.

The next thing Tanj knew, someone was shaking her, not ungently; "Wakey Wakey, sleepy slave!" She opened one eye and yawned, wondering how she\x92d dropped off to sleep so fast. She must have been more tired than she\x92d thought. The Bear smiled at her and ran a finger from her chin, down between her breasts, to her crotch; "Gotta get you and your friends back; seems we\x92re a bit tardy\x85.

Tanj chuckled and reached out to stroke his stomach, her paw moving lower and lower; "Is Master sure? I bet there might be a LITTLE time left\x85.."

The Bear closed his eyes as her paw found his cock, and with a deep rumble, just nodded.

Tanj chuckled and slid on top of him, teasing him with her body. As the Bear got hard, as his paws found her breasts, squeezing lightly, she looked over at the Kurani; she was softly licking the Pony\x92s cock. For a moment she wondered if it had all been a dream. Had she REALLY watched as the strange alien had hacked into the very core of the pirate ship\x92s computer? Had they REALLY made changes to the basic programs, in targeting, security, and engineering? Sliding down on the Bear\x92s shaft, moaning softly as it pushed deep inside her, she figured they\x92d find out the first time they tried to escape their containers on the Liner\x85..

---

Dynotaku watched as the chief medico on the Pirate Ship gave Sashi an injection of Vitamin E.

Jane frowned as she watched; "Are you SURE this is all it takes?"

Dynotaku chuckled; "Yes, absolutely."

At the Vixen\x92s glare he appended; "Mistress." After a moment he smiled; "Of course it might take a bit to take effect; you might want to return her to her container for a few days." He grinned at the Vixen; "And if you think she\x92s been bad, we can always set it for, ah, some "correction" type training\x85..

Jane looked at the Pantheress and sighed; "I think it would be very prudent to put her back in her cage. Besides, we\x92ve got some problems with life support\x85." She looked up at the Unicorn; "YOU however, are staying here. I\x92m keeping YOU where I can keep an eye on you!"

Sashi thought Dynotaku looked unusually proud at being thought so dangerous a fellow\x85..

Kittiara smiled when she found Jinx already in the baths. The tub was full of steaming hot water, and the Kurani entered as if she was coming home. Settling into the water with a sigh, she smiled at the Skunkette; "How\x92d you do?"

The Skunkette smiled, just a bit decadently; "Oh, for once, rather nicely. Three brothers. Lions." She grinned; "They really knew how to show a girl a good time."

The Kurani just laughed.

---

Tanj marched in lockstep with the others. Sashi was in the middle of the coffle, and she looked just a little unhappy. Tanj supposed that wasn\x92t all that unexpected, given the failure of her "slave revolt." It was a pity things couldn\x92t have been a little better timed. As the guards fumbled with a stuck door, on the Liner, and the ones at the rear of the column moved forward to offer undoubtedly invaluable advice, Tanj leaned forward and whispered to John; "Breakout, tonight, Oh-two-hundred. Pass it on." Tanj saw the Stallion\x92s ears signal confusion, and his tail flick an assent. After a moment, he leaned forward and whispered in Sabina\x92s ear.

---

"So it went well?"

Kittiara grinned at the skunk; "About as well as could be expected. I got certain necessary tasks done; now they have to do theirs."

The Skunkette raised an eyebrow; "You trust them to do that?"

The Kurani shrugged; "what\x85. You don\x92t?"

Jinx shrugged in return, sending small ripples across the tub; "not exactly; but you know me. I\x92d be happier if I was there to make sure it all came together."

Kittiara regarded her with a neutral expression for a moment and then grinned; "You feel up to a midnight adventure? I know how you hate to miss your sleep\x85.."

The Skunkette frowned; "Dang straight I do. My furry butt\x92s riding on this too!"

The Kurani smiled; "OK\x85\x85"

---

Tanj sighed as the clamps closed around her. The cage system had a built-in shower, but it just wasn\x92t the same. She felt the articulated arms lift her, rotate her, and the water spray start. It was like going through an automated aircar wash, she thought. All it needed was the whirling brushes\x85.

---

Jinx came awake with a start; the lights were dim, and soft snoring could be heard from all around the harem. There, in the dark, stood the Kurani; "Sure you want to go check on them?"

The Skunkette bit back a retort, remembering her words from before. Dragging herself to her feet, she nodded; "Yeah. Lets go. Um\x85. Ah, how are we going to get out of here?"

The Kurani grinned; "The pirates are finding themselves in the middle of a furrpower shortage. Oh, its all artificial; just a scheduling screw-up, but right now they\x92ve decided that its more efficient to let the liner\x92s security systems keep us all in our quarters." As she was whispering, she\x92d been moving towards the doors, which obediently parted at her approach. "Of course, I\x92ve done a little reprogramming there. Any door will pass us, if its safe to do so, and the computer won\x92t keep any record at all of our passage."

As they started down the hall, the door whooshing quietly closed behind them, the Skunette nodded; "Uh-HUH. I sure hope you\x92re right, or we\x92re going to be in for a beating!"

The Kurani just smiled; "Lets swing by the crew\x92s quarters. I think we should pick up some clothing, just in case we ARE discovered. That way we can try and pass ourselves off as pirates doing maintenance..."

The Skunkette nodded grimly; "The operative word there is "try"\x85."

---

Hinoki had read the message at least a dozen times; there wasn\x92t much else to do in there. He was extremely dubious about Tanj\x92s plan, and quite worried that her new-found friend was a double agent. Thus, when he tripped the latch for the hidden door in his container and squirmed out, he almost had a heart-attack when someone handed him a pair of khaki overalls, with a "I hope they fit; there wasn\x92t much selection".

Tanj yawned as the articulated arms brought her back to the "zero" position, and the clamps unlatched. She\x92d taken the time to issue verbal commands to the computer controlling her container system, making sure that the commands were copied to the other containers, and to the dummy torpedo that was actually a burst hyperwave transmitter. The Kurani had assured her that no one was watching at all, and that her activities would go unnoticed; she certainly HOPED so. Still, it was logical to assume the Pirates had other things on their minds\x85 Tripping the hidden latch, she pushed open the hidden door in the container, and squirmed out.

She hadn\x92t expected company.

The Kurani stood there, almost as tall as John, calmly talking to the others as if they\x92d met for breakfast. There was a petite Skunk fem with her; the Skunk was clothed in what looked like hand-me-downs, but the Kurani seemed to be wearing a silk sheet draped as a toga\x85.. Somehow it looked good on her.

"Well, Jinx here was a little doubtful we could do this, so I thought we\x92d show her."

Next to the Kurani, the Skunk fem nodded sagely; "Seen too many screw-ups, working with her." At the male Cheetah/Serval\x92s look she hurried on; "Oh, not HER. Well, not often anyways, but some of her associates\x85." The skunkette finished with a shudder.

Tanj sighed; "Well, its not going to be US. Come on, we\x92ve only got a small window to get down to the Armory."

Along they way, they found one unexpected guard; he, however, was sound asleep, and they were all able to tiptoe past successfully. As they went, Tanj couldn\x92t help but wonder if the Kurani\x92d had something to do with the guard\x92s lack of alertness\x85.

"OK, it should be in here. We\x92re looking for D267-A-15, D279-A-37, and D283-A-03. Those are the ones with the cloaking device parts."

John nodded; "Can we use the computer to find them?"

The Kurani smiled; "Let me do that\x85."

At John\x92s look, Tanj waved a paw; "Its OK; she\x92s pretty good at that. Now\x85 lets see how much noise the automated torpedo handling gear makes\x85."

Zassa looked at the end connector on the cloaking device\x92s feedback modulator and growled "this isn\x92t going to work." Looking over at Sashi she growled; "you got a 72 pin RS-494 connector in that toolkit?"

The Pantheress looked up, brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, and growled back "Male or Female?"

Zassa chuckled; "Male, of course" A moment later the connector came sailing through the air towards her.

Sabina, working on bolting the supporting structure together a short ways away chuckled; "I think Mistress came out rather well in the "male" department, as of late."

Hinoki chuckled and nodded; "Yeah, tell us about the Tiger, Zassa!"

Zassa grinned; "Reminds me of a guard I knew back at the Academy; very demanding, very masterful, but he also has his tender moments, and he really knows how to push my buttons!"

Tanj laughed, and then grunted as she heaved the cloaking device\x92s pilot coil up on top of the main field coil; "We\x92ve got some time; tell us."

Sabina giggled; "Yes, Mistress, tell us what we\x92re missing!"

The Vixen grinned and shrugged; "OK\x85.."

---

The Vixen stood on the auction block and watched the bidding. Curiously, it was rather lackluster; she\x92d expected more. Still, there were a few that were bidding; Zassa studied those. There was the big Tiger, the one called Rog, obviously one of Jane Calamity\x92s senior lieutenants. Others, when bidding, or when considering a bid, would shoot him a sideways glance. Zassa wondered if the word was out that the Tiger meant to have her, and it would be prudent to bid against him. Sure enough; there, the trio of Badgers upped the ante, and the Tiger shot them a withering look. Finally the bidding was over, and the Tiger paid the auctioneer, obviously pissed at how much it had cost him, and delighted, at the same time, at having won. He lost little time leashing the Vixen and dragging her off.

They paused in the corridor. The Tiger seemed to have been quite sure of winning the auction; he had a box of toys hidden in a damage control locker just outside the room being used for the auction. Zassa didn\x92t resist as he bound her arms behind her, in a white leather armbinder. He tugged the straps tight, until they indented her flesh; there was no way she was going to squirm out of it. Just the thought of no escape made her knees go weak, and her quim start to drool. He had a short spreader bar, that went between her ankles; it wouldn\x92t keep her from walking, but it would give her a curious gait as she swung her feet wide, in semicircles. The white leather hood went well with the armbinder and seemed to have been custom-made for her. It even came equipped with an inflatable gag, which the tiger proceeded to pump up to just-beyond-painful. What came next both surprised and delighted her; he unclipped the leash from her collar, and threaded a chain through the D-ring. This, she felt descend between her breasts and across her belly. Then, he was fumbling between her legs, attaching the end of the chain to her clitty ring. And then she felt the chain go tight as he reconnected the leash to the other end of the chain. When he tugged, insistently, on the leash, she found herself bent almost double, trying to relieve the delicious pressure. Groaning into her gag, blind, deaf, and dumb, she staggered as best she could, after him.

They\x92d traveled for a while, perhaps a couple hundred paces, when he stopped. She felt his paws on her ass, and then he pushed on the back of her head, bending her over. Something large, knobby, and slippery was shoved rudely into her pussy. He\x92d obviously lubricated it, although the most cursory check would have shown the lube wasn\x92t necessary. Then he was tugging on the leash again. Somehow the Vixen knew if the toy fell out, she\x92d regret it, so in addition to trying to move with the awkward spreader-bar, she now had to keep control of the toy as well. It helped that she was already rather well bent-over.

Another couple hundred paces, and several turns later, he was tying her leash to the spreader bar. Her body bent double, he proceeded to paddle her. Where he\x92d found the paddle, she didn\x92t know; maybe someone had stopped him and offered it to him; maybe he\x92d stashed it somewhere. The swats on her bottom made the toy in her pussy dance delightfully, and by the eighteenth stroke, she was shuddering through a climax. If this had any effect on him at all, she couldn\x92t tell; he never missed a beat. And then, he was untying the leash and dragging her off.

The last leg of their journey seemed to last forever; she lost count of the paces, but although the pirate vessel was a big ship, she could have sworn she\x92d been stem to stern at least three times. When they stopped he again tied the end of her leash, tightly, to the spreader bar, and with her bent double, yanked out the toy, and replaced it with is own thick cock, to fuck her hard. He took his pleasure from her, heedless of her desires, and yet, in the course of events, she managed to climax at least twice. He left her, then, standing there, wobbling, panting hard, trying to gather her wits.

He was back, after a few minutes; the warm washcloth felt good on her nether parts; he cleaned her tenderly, and then disappeared, only shortly to return. The Vixen gasped, as his rough feline tongue dragged over her slit. He licked her teasingly, occasionally plunging his tongue into her innermost recesses, its tip twitching like mad, occasionally nibbling on her labia, or, using his fingers to hold her nether lips well spread, to flick his tonguetip wildly over her clitty, making the chain that held her, dance. And whenever she seemed to be approaching a climax, he\x92d back off, softly lap her thighs, or her belly, or use a finger to tease under her tail. When she\x92d regained her composure, he\x92d start again.

Not known for her patience (when she had a choice), Zassa concentrated on controlling her breathing, and to what extent she could, her heartbeat; her climax came as a surprise, for both him, and her. She could feel him rise, and the swat on her bottom was hardly unexpected. She was sure he\x92d said something to her, but the leather helmet prevented her from hearing it.

The tension on the chain slackened, and she felt it removed; still, she held that posture, as if awaiting instructions, as if acknowledging her misbehavior. Rough paws forced her to a kneeling position and she could feel the ring at the end of the armbinder being tied to the spreader bar, holding her in the kneeling position. She felt him fasten wide straps around her upper thighs, even further preventing her from leaving her kneeling position. And then she felt him undoing the helmet.

The room was spartan. In fact, it was so bare, she wondered if he\x92d borrowed it just for this evening. The only thing, aside from a metal-framed bed, with bare mattress, was a cardboard box, full of toys. It looked out of place. Without a word, the Tiger sat on the edge of the bed, knees well spread, and with a grin, pointed to his cock. Zassa needed no further invitation.

It wasn\x92t easy to maneuver herself to him, tied as she was; judging the distance critically, she jerked herself until she was balanced on her knees, teetering, and then, with a whoop, she fell towards him. As she'd expected, he caught her; but she\x92d judged things perfectly; his cock was in her mouth. With her body as straight as she could keep it, her knees on the bare floor, his paws on her shoulders, his cock buried to the hilt in her mouth, she proceeded to suck him off, using the pinnacle of her talents. As she worked, he moved his paws, shifting them, to cup her breasts, squeezing lightly, holding her torso there, as her head bobbed up and down on his shaft.

She sucked him to a powerful orgasm, but he didn\x92t release her. Instead, he just sat there, keeping her head in his crotch, his cock in her mouth, occasionally fondling her breasts, occasionally stroking her head, until she\x92d licked him to hardness once again. And again she sucked him off, until the walls echoed with his roars.

He seemed quite content to leave her there, her mouth warm around his meat. However, the next time she\x92d gotten him hard, he\x92d gathered her hair at the back of her neck with one paw, and reaching down, grabbed the spreader bar with his other paw. Grunting he heaved her up and onto the bed. Rising, he pawed around in the toy box, until he\x92d found what he\x92d been looking for.

With the arm binder removed, with the spreader bar gone, Zassa felt as if she\x92d achieved the most freedom she\x92d had all day; it was short-lived, however. After a quick trip to the bathroom, the Tiger presented her with a set of wooden stocks, with widespread holes for her ankles, and between them, holes for her wrists. When he\x92d finished bolting her into the assemblage, she sat, her body bent forward, wrists imprisoned between ankles, ankles well spread. He left her there, like that, while he went to the bathroom. On his return, he graciously gave her a drink of water, and then pulled the white leather helmet over her head, strapping it in place tight.

Zassa felt herself being upended, tilted. And then her face was being pressed into the bare mattress. With her arms between her legs, her breasts squeezed together between them, and pressed into the mattress, she felt his paws caressing the globes of her ass. The Thwack wasn\x92t exactly unexpected. Neither was the gentle caress between smacks. Slowly, patiently, he built the heat, both in her asscheecks, and in her loins, until she was screaming into her gag. The climax, when he finally let her have it, was everything she\x92d hoped for.

He took her, in that position, driving his shaft into her pussy, and then later, into her ass, and then after a pause, again into her pussy. He filled her with his seed, flooded her, to the point that when he finally released her, and leashed her for the trip back, his accumulated jism flowed down the insides of her legs, matting her fur, dripping on the floor. Bound as she\x92d been for the trip out, she must have been a sight on the way back, a naked and very well used slave led by a powerful and knowledgeable Master.

---

Zassa grinned, as she plugged in the connector; a green light came on, on her hand-held diagnostic tool. Purring like a kitten, she started a level one diagnostic. As it ran, she looked up at the others; "And that\x92s about all there was to it."

Sashi put down her multi-tool and nodded; "So\x85 is he better than Chris?"

Zassa sat back and thought about that for a moment; the diagnostic tool\x92s bleep brought her out of her reverie; she nodded, cleared the screen, and turned to the next task; "Um\x85 Rog is more intense than Chris; while I like that, on occasion, I\x92m not sure I could live that way. Its nice to just take it easy from time to time. I won\x92t say one\x92s really better than the other, they\x92re both good, just different."

Sashi just grinned knowingly.

Kittiara smiled as she listened to the Vixen\x92s story with half an ear. She was working at the computer terminal, in the magazine; there were some loose ends that needed attending to, and this was as good a time as any\x85.. No, wouldn\x92t be able to move any of the high-value prisoners; they got too much attention. But what about the cargo the liner had been carrying? Yes, something might be done there\x85

"Are you sure its OK to just LEAVE the place looking like this?"

The Kurani shrugged; "Do you really think anyone would come down here, to the magazine, unless we\x92re in combat, AND we\x92ve had a malfunction?"

Tanj bit her lower lip; the place was a mess. Tools, and parts were scattered across the floor, and there was a strange device taking shape in the middle of the floor. They\x92d encountered a number of problems, from stuck fasteners, to missing pieces, to the serious question of whether the Liner even had enough power to run this thing. It was obvious they were going to have to relocate it, probably in pieces, to Engineering, when they got a little further along, and THAT was going to be fun. Still, there was hope. But now it was time to head back to where they belonged. The night was almost over. "I don\x92t have a clue. But I guess we\x92re going to have to chance it."

The Skunkette grinned; "I wouldn\x92t worry about it; I\x92ve got a pretty good feeling no one will disturb our work.

The Kurani just smiled.

The trip back had been as quiet as the trip out. The sleeping guard was gone, with no replacement at that station. Kittiara and Jinx had left them at a cross-corridor just short of the stasis-storage bay, making their way back to the harem quarters. As she crawled into her container, Tanj wondered what to do with the clothes. Finally she stuffed them behind the waste recycler, and slithered into her cage. The restraints closed obediently around her, and before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

The Jaguar looked at the Kemodo Dragon and growled; "Why wasn\x92t I informed of this?"

The Lizard shrugged; "Captain, I have NO idea. All I know was that I was ordered to put my furrs in captured pirate craft, and stand by. I had assumed it was just a contingency, and to be perfectly frank, I never thought that contingency would come to pass."

The Jaguar growled; "Does that mean, Commander, that your furrs can\x92t run the ships they occupy?"

The Lizard shrugged; "We got here, didn\x92t we?" At the look on the Jaguar\x92s face he hurriedly continued; "They\x92re not as proficient as if they were on their own ships, of course, but we can fly, and we can fight. Of course we can fight."

The Jaguar nodded; "Good. I\x92m taking command of your squadron, Commander. I\x92ve seen the enemy and the new weapon they\x92re employing and I feel that gives me a better chance to work up a strategy to defeat them."

The Lizard nodded; "Yessir, just give me the order in writing, and we\x92ll do whatever you say." The thought that passed through his head was more along the lines of "and if you screw the pooch, it won\x92t be MY ass on the line\x85."

---

The Jaguar looked over the file on the ships. Apparently a pirate group under a Monitor Lizard named "Sleigth" had been captured while trying to steal some fuel. While they never admitted it, there was quite a lot of circumstantial evidence that they\x92d recently been with the Black Fleet. If that was so, that might give him the opportunity to get close to the pirates, before their true identity was determined. Grinning to himself, he routed orders to the Dragon, telling him to drill his crews in "piratical" behavior", and to have them adopt communications protocols consistent with the Black Fleet.

---

Jenka looked at the holovid of the battle, and winced. "That does NOT look good."

The Fox shook his head; "No Ma\x92am. The only thing we\x92ve been able to come up with so far, is to sneak in close and hit \x91em with Corey\x92s weapon before they have a chance to hit us. Then, once the fur starts to fly, we power down all the antimatter reactors, and proceed using fusion power. That should take most of the wind from their sails."

Jenka nodded slowly; "They\x92ll be expecting an Imperial counter-attack\x85 I think we should give them just what they expect. It MIGHT lull them, a little." At the Fox\x92s confusion, she explained; "If they see the Black Fleet coming, they\x92ll KNOW we have Corey\x92s weapon. But if they see the Imperial Navy coming, they\x92ll think they\x92re about to have another easy victory." Nodding decisively, the Jaguar grinned at the Fox; "Issue orders for everyone to adopt Imperial communications protocols. Have the ships repainted, where possible. Have the larger ships hang back, but remain in missile range. If someone actually uses a telescope to look at \x91em, instead of just relying on sensors, I want the image as blurry and indistinct as possible. I want the smaller ships out in front, well dispersed. If they only have one "special" weapon, and if its not an area weapon, then the more targets, the less effective their weapon will be. Once we\x92ve pulled power, we can move the larger ships in to evacuate everyone from the hulks. See if you can round up some Imperial uniforms for the Bridge crew, anyone who might be on monitor\x85 and perhaps the lead elements of any boarding parties. And lets look sharp about this; the real Imperial response probably won\x92t be too far behind us!"

Chris just grinned and nodded; "You can count on it!"

---

Babcock stared at the printout in amazement; "But\x85 we just MOVED all of that stuff off the liner!

Farmer took the sheet from her paws and looked at it; "hey, if the work order made it through the computer system, we do it.

Broyhill looked over Farmer\x92s shoulder; "its got all the proper authorizations, passes, item numbers and passcodes; its GOT to be legit."

Babcock sighed; "Oh, I have no doubt its legit. Nothing this stupid could be a mistake; its got to come from the command deck. I just wish they\x92d make up their minds! OK, I\x92ll go get the float pallets, Broyhill, you go get the heavy lifters. Farmer, you get the pallet jacks. Lets get going\x85."

---

The Wolf stared at the unrelenting white plastic of his cell, and tried, for the umpteenth time, to think of a way to escape. When he wasn\x92t being used as a sex toy, he was in here. And as he was a little past his prime, and not really endowed beyond average, with no special training in that area, he was spending a lot of time in his cell. It was mind-numbingly boring. Completely nude, he was without tools of any sort. And he hadn\x92t been able to pull anything off of the smooth interior of his cell. Overpowering a guard was hopeless, and no one seemed to have the least interest in anything he might actually have to say. The only thing he hadn\x92t tried, was to claim to be with Imperial Intelligence. Boring as his existence was, that might only get him a quick trip out an airlock. He wasn\x92t quite ready for that; not yet. He found himself hoping that the Cheetah would actually pull something out. He was convinced that he could escape from HER\x85.

---

Things had fallen into a routine. The same-old same-old. Dynotaku knelt by the Vixen\x92s chair, in the center of the bridge, thumbs and middle fingers touching as he let his hands rest on the backs of his thighs. His eyes were closed, a look of forced serenity on his face. Occasionally, he\x92d let an "Ooooooommmmmmmmm" rumble through the bridge. At which point the Vixen would thwack him with the riding crop; he\x92d open one eye, look at her, and then close the eye and force that look of serenity back on his face. HE called it "meditating"; She called it "insolence". It was a game they\x92d been playing for several days. And while he thought she was getting tired of it, he knew he was. Why wouldn\x92t she just send him back to the kennels, or better yet, back to the Liner? What in the heck was Tanj and her group up to? Were they all locked up tight, or loose preparing mayhem? Why couldn\x92t he think of anything to do to help, aside from annoying, and distracting the Pirate Chieftaness?

Jane Calamity watched the chronometer tick over. They were taking the long way home, convinced they were being pursued. There were the occasional sensor ghosts, the occasional stray burst of radiation that just happened to set off the detectors, as if they were being scanned. No hard evidence, but everyone was running a little paranoid. Just a few more days, and then\x85 well, they probably wouldn\x92t be "safe", but at least they could dispose of their loot\x85. In the mean time, things were pleasantly boring. At least her new slave had a most entertaining tongue. Now if she could just do something with his attitude!

---

Tanj yawned. When this was over she was going to sleep for a week. Things were falling into a routine; they\x92d sleep in the late morning, for a few scant hours; then they\x92d play sex slaves during the late afternoon and evening. They\x92d get back to their containers sometime around midnight, and shortly thereafter, they\x92d head out to work on the cloaking device, making sure to be back before the 7 AM shift change. She was afraid that they were going to get tired enough that they\x92d make a mistake, and yet, the last burst-transmission from Jenka suggested they were running out of time. And all they needed was a little more time\x85. Just a little more.

---

"That\x92s it then?"

Zassa looked at Hinoki, who nodded; the Vixen in turn, turned to Tanj and the Kurani and nodded; "Yeah, as near as we can tell; all the diagnostics show green. No way to tell for sure without trying it, though."

The Kurani nodded; "Then that\x92s what we\x92ll have to do. I\x92ve already set it up in the pirate ship\x92s computer." She turned and grinned at Tanj; "We\x92ve caught a bug; Tau Cetan Ghonnorreah. Easily curable, but it requires at least 48 hours of quarantine." She chuckled; "Good thing it was caught early."

---

Jane looked from the printout to the Tiger and back; "What in the hell is THIS?"

The Tiger shrugged; "Routine medical scan. One of the sex slaves was detected with it, and Medical decided to quarantine the lot, just to be safe. It seems they\x92d put on a bit of a sex show for some of the Maintenance Group the other night, and the autodoc seems to think they might all have it now."

Jane growled, and shook her head; "We\x92re barely keeping things under control; I was hoping to keep using the slaves to keep the crew, ah, "distracted."

The Tiger nodded; "Indeed. Some of them can\x92t wait to spend their loot, and almost everyone is scared stiff about the repercussions. Lots of tension in the air."

The Vixen nodded; "Yeah, you can almost smell it\x85."

Kneeling by the Vixen\x92s command chair, Dynotaku cleared his throat. When that went unnoticed, he did it again, a little louder. Finally he all but yelled; "A-HEM!" When most of the bridge turned to STARE at him, he grinned sheepishly; "Um, if you don\x92t mind a suggestion from low places, I think I might be able to help\x85.."

Rog nodded; "Yes, we know who they got it from. But even if we didn\x92t, we could just pick someone." Turning to the Vixen, the Tiger grinned, showing a LOT of teeth; "I like his idea, Jane; it\x92ll certainly distract the crew."

The Vixen looked as if she was barely containing herself. Dynotaku\x92s leash was tight in her paw; it was obvious she didn\x92t like taking ideas from HIM, but\x85.. Finally she nodded; "OK, Set it up." Turning to look at the Tiger, she raised an eyebrow; "Just who DID they catch this Tau Cetan whatever from?"

Rog looked at his copy of the printout; "Um\x85. Someone named Doodles."

The Vixen\x92s eyes bulged; "Doodles? DOODLES? What kind of a name is DOODLES for a PIRATE?" Next to her, on the floor, Dynotaku just laughed.

---

The Rabbit looked at his captors in bewilderment; "But\x85. I\x92ve never even BEEN to Tau Ceti! I haven\x92t BEEN with any of those females yet! Check the work roster!" The Warthog shook his head; "The autodoc says you\x92ve got it, and it says they\x92ve got it, and the work schedule says you had an evening off two days ago. The Auction records show you bought one of the girls at 20:17 hours and returned her half an hour late, at 00:37." The other guard chuckled at the Rabbit\x92s expression; "Hey, the computers don\x92t lie! Now come on, we\x92ve got to get you ready for your "punishment"\x85.

---

Sashi blinked as her container opened, and her cage returned her to the zero position. Weren\x92t they supposed to be in "quarantine?" That\x92s what the Kurani had said, anyways. And it wasn\x92t time for their daylight foray to Engineering; what was going on?

Low-crawling from the cage, she caught sight of two husky furrs, anonymous in Hazmat suits. Following their instructions she rose, and let them bundle her into a similar suit. They neglected to slip her arms into the sleeves, though, leaving her paws bound behind her back. That made the suit VERY tight across her chest. This seemed to amuse the guards. Following as bidden, they took her from the Liner into the pirate ship, and into the depths of its hull.

Jane chuckled as she watched the monitor. Most of the ship was watching at the moment. The Puma had been delivered to Environmental. Fortunately, Environmental had an airlock that would function for this little escapade. Still wearing their hazmat suits, the guards had stripped Sashi down to the furr, even removing her collar; then she and some bunny were stuffed into a standard "rescue ball". That was when things got strange. Leaning through the opening of the half-deflated ball, one of the guards directed a hose at them, and proceeded to spray them both liberally with something, until they were both dripping. The ball was sealed, the environmental package activated, and without a further word, they were shoved into the airlock.

The Bunny held his arms out from his sides and made a face; "Ewwwww, what IS this stuff?" He glanced up at the Puma, realizing for the first time how big she was\x85. "Uh\x85. Ma\x92am, do you have ANY idea what\x92s going on?"

Sashi rubbed thumb and forefinger together, feeling how slippery the goo was, and then grinned at the Rabbit; "Master, I think we\x92re both being punished."

The Rabbit grinned; "Call me Doodles; and I can understand the "punished" part, but how is THIS punishment?"

Sashi grinned; "Well, Master, if you\x92ll notice, this rescue ball has an unusual number of video pickups. I think we\x92re being watched. It may be punishment for us, but I suspect its entertainment for others\x85."

The Rabbit opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, when the ball lurched; the inside airlock door had closed, and the chamber was now being evacuated. He looked around wildly; "Are you sure this isn\x92t more along the lines of "executed?"

Sashi shook her head; "Master should note the tether, already fastened, from the winch, to our rescue ball. I do believe they plan on bringing us back inside, eventually."

The Bunny nodded; "Oh\x85 OK, so how does floating outside the ship, covered in goo, with a bare naked lady qualify as punishment?"

The Puma\x92s face held a lopsided grin; "Master didn\x92t hear about the orgy in the auction area?"

The Bunny\x92s eyes widened, and he pointed a dripping finger; "That was YOU!" Before Sashi could reply, the outer door opened and what air remained in the airlock blew them out into space.

Doodles Whoooped, and flailed as they passed through the artificial gravity field; in zero gee, globules of the goo floated freely and it was difficult not to breath them. Sashi twisted and turned, trying to capture as many of them as possible, smearing them over the rescue bubble\x92s walls, trying to get them out of the air. "I think surface tension will hold them there, Master\x85. I hope. Its probably not a good idea to breath this stuff."

Doodles slithered along one wall, arms and legs flailing; "Yeah\x85 slipperiest dang stuff I\x92ve ever SEEN!"

The Pantheress nodded; "Yes, Master; some lubricants and some water treatment chemicals have a lot in common. I think that\x92s why we were in Environmental. They had the polymer there."

Doodles nodded, and stared through the thin plastic into space; "Um\x85. OK, so we\x92re here\x85.." He turned to look at the Puma. This time the lopsided grin was on his face; "Any idea what we might do to pass the time?"

Sashi just laughed\x85.

---

Tanj checked the readouts on Sashi\x92s container; she wasn\x92t in there. The logs showed that she\x92d been removed not twenty minutes before\x85

Hinoki muttered over her shoulder; "Good thing those guards didn\x92t show up while we were exiting; that would have blown the whole thing."

Tanj nodded; "I wonder what they pulled her for? I hope she\x92s not being punished for that auction orgy\x85."

Hinoki just shrugged; "She\x92s a big girl, and tougher than you\x92d think. But in any event, we\x92ve got work to do, if any of us are going to get out of this in one piece."

Tanj sighed and nodded; "True, but I can\x92t help worrying\x85."

---

Doodles groaned in frustration; no matter how much he wanted, no matter how much he tried, he just could NOT get a grip on the Pantheress. Whatever they were coated with was SO slippery they just kept slipping apart. And yet, the gentle and all too infrequent frictions had brought his cock to full attention. As they grappled, slipped, slid, and tumbled, he found himself half way between giggling and tears\x85 Talk about a PUNISHMENT!

---

"Hey, Who are you?"

Tanj stopped and turned to look at the Rhino. After giving him a quick up-and-down glance she growled; "Kowalski, from Maintenance. Who the hell are YOU?"

The Rhino blinked, and then his face hardened; "I\x92m the guard here, that\x92s who. What are you doing here?"

Tanj thrust her clipboard at him so hard it almost rocked him back a step; luckily for him, he was wearing a back-and-breastplate. "I\x92m installing the flaming Cloaking Device, as my boss told me to. There\x92s the work order. AND authorization. Got a problem with that?"

The Rhino leafed through the printouts, studied the signatures, and glanced at the gizmo on the float pallet. He couldn\x92t recognize any of the signatures, although he did recognize the names. And he wouldn\x92t know a cloaking device from a warp coil. But he wasn\x92t about to tell HER that. Pulling his communicator from his belt, he thumbed it open; "I still gotta call it in."

Hinoki watched the Rhino from the corner of his eye, wondering if he\x92d remember him. They\x92d had quite a night, that first night. The night of the Auction orgy. Still, there\x92d been a LOT of furrs around\x85\x85 How many Servals were there on this tub?

The Rhino listened to his dispatcher and then nodded; he handed the clipboard back; "it seems you\x92re in the computer. Go on ahead. Just don\x92t stray out of your assigned area." Tanj snatched the clipboard back, and with a snarl, strode off towards Engineering.

The Rhino watched the small group leave, his eyes fastened to the butt of that cute male Serval. Somehow he looked familiar, but he couldn\x92t quite place him\x85. Nice butt, though!

---

Sashi giggled as the Bunny slipped free; even with her arms wrapped around him, she could NOT maintain a good grip. Doodles bounced off the ball\x92s wall, ricocheted off another wall, and then bounced into her from behind; he grasped at her wildly, proceeding to squeeze her breasts quite nicely before they parted once again. He too was laughing uproariously. Yes, it was frustrating, but it was also hilarious\x85..

Jane watched the two fumble, and chuckled along with them. To her right, Dynotaku chuckled, from the floor, "Better\x92n Andorian Mud Wrestling. I wonder how long it\x92ll take them to figure it out."

The Vixen looked down at him; "Figure what out? How to stay together?"

Dynotaku chuckled; "Oh, I don\x92t think there\x92s any way they CAN stay together. But there is a way they can get satisfaction\x85."

The Vixen raised an eyebrow; "Couldn\x92t be. They\x92ve already proven they can\x92t hang on to each other, or anything else\x85."

Dynotaku grinned up at her; "Want to bet?"

The Vixen grinned down at him, fangs showing; "I\x92ll warn you; I don\x92t like to loose."

The Unicorn shrugged; "Neither do I. So, whatcha want to bet?"

---

Tanj watched as Hinoki finished tying the cloaking device into main power. Those superconducting conduits were tricky\x85. Kittiara had already routed the control circuitry through to the liner\x92s bridge, suitably password protected of course. And Zassa had run a level 4 diagnostic. Everything SEEMED to be as ready as they could make it\x85\x85. Now all they needed was a diversion\x85.

---

Doodles floated in mid-air by the wall and laughed; they\x92d been wrestling with each other for what seemed like hours. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, and his cock throbbed in time. LORD this Panther was sexy. He hadn\x92t thought that he\x92d ever find ANY predator so sexy\x85. Across the ball, Sashi grinned at him, and holding her legs wide, she slid a finger from each paw into her quim, and pulled, for a moment spreading herself; "Want some of this? All you have to do is come and get it\x85." Doodles chuckled; "Sure, all I\x92d have to do is hit the bullseye, dead center on the first try\x85." He looked at Sashi and then blinked; "Hey\x85 that MIGHT work\x85\x85 Hold that pose, and hold that thought! HERE I COME!"

Sashi watched as he twisted in mid-air, strong rabbit legs kicking out at the wall; he shot across the bubble, turning in mid-air, arching his back as he came, his cock sticking out in front of him like a lance. Unfortunately, he was a little low, his stomach thwapping into her crotch, sending them both tumbling\x85..

Jane frowned; she hadn\x92t thought of that. The bet with the Unicorn was something she did NOT want to loose. There was NO WAY she was going to agree to be his slave for a night. NO WAY. She smiled as she remembered the look on his face when she\x92d made her demand for what he\x92d have to do if he lost. Service, in any way they desired, every male crewfurr over 500 pounds on the ship. THAT one had made the Unicorn blanche. Looking back at the two still tumbling around the ball, she thought to herself that he must be awful confident in those two\x85\x85.

---

Tanj stripped off her coveralls, and hid them behind the waste recycler. They\x92d made it back, apparently unobserved. Now all they had to do was to pretend they\x92d been here all along. The Kurani was still insisting that a diversion would present itself, and that they\x92d know when the time was right. Tanj certainly hoped so\x85.. Waiting was NOT something she did best\x85.

---

Sashi shook her head; "No, you\x92re getting too tired; your accuracy is getting worse. Let me try\x85." Doodles chuckled, reached down and grabbed his ankles, pulling himself into a bow, his cock sticking straight out from his body. Sashi judged angles, and slowly straightening, gave the wall the lightest of taps. It was just enough for her to sail across the ball, and as she drifted, she twisted, grabbing her ankles, pulling her legs up to her chest\x85 It almost worked (and their collision, being less energetic, didn\x92t hurt quite as much). Laughing she twisted, lining up for a second try\x85..

---

Tanj put off sleep for a bit, programming the container\x92s computer to send a message to the disguised transmitter in the dummy torpedo, telling it to send a burst transmission to Jenka, outlining the latest results. That done, she relaxed in the container\x92s articulated arms, and tried to drift off to sleep. There were just too many things running through her mind, however, and no matter how much she yawned, she just couldn\x92t fall asleep. Where WAS Sashi? What was going on?

---

Jane\x92s jaw dropped as the Pantheress sailed in slow motion across the ball, to collide with the Bunny, his hard cock driving straight into her pussy; for a moment, inertia pinned them against the wall, and then, in equally slow motion, they drifted apart\x85.

Doodles\x92 wail of frustration made the Pantheress grin; "Hey, I\x92ve about got it down now; lemme try again\x85 Hold still, stud, here I come!"

---

Jenka looked at the message and nodded; "OK, its time." Looking up at Chris, she growled; "Move the fleet in; tell them we\x92re going to intercept the Crimson Corsairs at 0600 there time. And signal our intentions to Tanj."

---

Doodles floated in the middle of the ball, panting. Aside from that one lucky moment, they\x92d completely failed to connect. With a sigh, he wrapped his own slick paw around his equally slick cock, and pumped himself a few times; "Awww, that was sooooo good, Sashi." Closing his eyes, he grinned; "I can just imagine\x85."

Sashi watched the Bunny jack himself off for a moment, and then laughed; "Hey, Bunny; let me give you something to think about while you do that\x85.."

Doodles opened his eyes and then grinned as the Pantheress stroked her left breast with one paw, the fingers of the other paw flashing in and out of her pussy\x85.

Dynotaku watched the two in the rescue ball tease each other. Verbally, and by the most lewd of actions, they stoked each other\x92s imaginations, telling them what they\x92d do to each other if they could, until finally, the Bunny came with a shout.

Jane watched the jism explode from the bunny\x92s cock, to sail across the rescue ball; the Pantheress twisted and turned, capturing most of the white gobbets in her mouth, licking her lips with apparent relish. And then Jane realized that she\x92d lost. There HAD been a way for them to get some relief. However, whether it was with each other or not, that was open to discussion\x85. Frowning, she wondered how she could get out of the bet without seeming to welsh on it\x85.

Sashi laughed as she felt the Rescue Ball start to move. Inertia carried her to the far wall of the sphere, where she pawed slickly at the Bunny\x92s body; they teased each other until they passed through the artificial gravity field and then slid down the curve of the ball to the bottom. When the guards, still in their hazmat suits, unzipped the ball, Sashi was astride the Bunny\x92s hips, pinning him to the floor in a small puddle of slime, humping him for all she was worth. And they were both laughing like maniacs.

Jinx straightened, and looked across the room at the Kurani. Kittiara had been giving a back rub to one of the other slaves, making her purrrr with delight. Catching her eye, the Skunkette mouthed; "Its time"\x85.. The Kurani just grinned and nodded, as if to say "yes, I know."

---

The Jaguar studied the tactical display and nodded; "Very well, Commander, lets do this as we\x92ve discussed. Nice and quick. I trust the Marines are ready?"

The Monitor Lizard looked up from the pilot seat of the raider craft and nodded; "They are. I\x92m worried about them, though; those transports are particularly vulnerable."

The Jaguar nodded; "Then we\x92ll just have to take out the point defenses before they get too close. Make it so, Commander."

---

Jenka scowled at the long-range scans; who the heck where those ships? Had the Crimson Corsairs linked up with other assets? If so, their problems had just increased. Looking at Chris she growled; "Lets go; its Showtime!"

---

Jane swallowed what she was going to say, and turned to the comm; stabbing at a button she tried to scowl at the image of the Tiger; "Dangit, Rog, I\x92m busy!"

The Tiger nodded; "and you\x92re going to be busier; we have unidentified ships on the scanners; we believe its an incoming attack."

Jane nodded and broke the connection; she turned to the Unicorn; "We\x92ll finish this discussion later." Turning she headed for the door, and the bridge. As the door closed behind her, she grinned; never had she EVER thought she\x92d be happy to be attacked. The argument with the Unicorn hadn\x92t been going very well.

Dynotaku watched her leave, and then grinned; he was probably supposed to stay here, like a good slave. They obviously didn\x92t know him very well. If they were being attacked, this was probably Jenka, and just what Tanj had been waiting for. He should go and find her\x85. But first, there were a few things he needed to do\x85.

---

Tanj acknowledged the burst transmission signal from Jenka, and issued the verbal command to the container\x92s computer, to set her, and the others free. As the articulated arms returned her to the "zero position", she went over their plans in her mind. She just hoped she\x92d covered everything.

Dynotaku listened to the alarms as he padded, still nude, down the corridor. Too many times, if you merely LOOK as if you know what you\x92re doing, folks assume you do. However, in his case, he was making it up as he went. Seeing the Ferret, the Mouse and the Minotaur head for one of the turbolifts, he grinned and sped up a little. Three to one odds shouldn\x92t be too bad, and he needed the Minotaur\x92s clothes and weapons\x85..

---

Hinoki squirmed from his cage, and twisted, hopping over the waste recycler tank, and squeezing between the cage\x92s back wall and the scrubber\x92s power supply. He\x92d practiced this in the dark, and in VR, and now he was getting to do it for real. The weapons snapped together just as they were supposed to, a gentle hum and a glowing indicator light showing him the laser was fully functional. The variable sword, and the stunner also went together without a hitch. THEN he had to find a way to retrace his steps, carrying all that stuff\x85..

Sabina raised an eyebrow at Sashi; "not going to put on anything?" The Pantheress chuckled; "No; most males stop and drool when they first see a nude slave. THEN they wonder what she\x92s doing loose. I can use that time to good advantage." The Kitten thought for a moment, and giggling, shed her stolen clothes.

---

Dynotaku stepped from the turbolift, reaching back and pushing a button for the lowest level. Even though he\x92d been careful, he\x92d gotten blood spattered on the Minotaur\x92s pantaloons. Oh, well, the turban worked as a loincloth, and the vest had pockets. More importantly, the Minotaur\x92s belt now held the Mouse\x92s disruptor, the Ferret\x92s stunner, and the Minotaur\x92s scimitar. And he had a collection of key cards he could try. Smiling, he strode down the corridor as if he owned the place. Now, to see if he REALLY knew where he was going\x85\x85

---

The first guard went down, caught in the crossfire between John\x92s and Zassa\x92s stunners. The small group hurried up the corridor; things would shortly become difficult, when they had to split up\x85.

---

Dynotaku stuffed the keycard into the slot and was rewarded when the door slid open. He didn\x92t know who the Ferret had been, but he had pretty good access. The naked Jaguar looked up from the pallet on the floor, questioningly. Dynotaku smiled; "How would you like to make a deal? I think I can get you out of your current situation, but I\x92m going to need your help\x85\x85

---

The encounter with the second guard was more of a surprise; Kittiara had been in the lead, and rounding a corner, she literally bumped into him. Moving with not-quite-unnatural speed, she\x92d touched him on forehead, left side, right shoulder, right side of his neck, and then the center of his chest. The guard shuddered, uttered a croak, and\x85. Remained frozen in his tracks. The Kurani simply smiled, relieved him of his weapons, and communicator, and left him standing there. As the group hurried on, Sabina looked back over her shoulder; she\x92d heard of things like that, hitting pressure points in a certain combination to produce various effects, but she\x92d never really believed the stories were true\x85.

Sashi paused to look at the frozen guard; the look on the Rabbit\x92s face was one of bewilderment, and terror. It was also a face she knew. Grinning, she hurried after the group, muttering, "I have GOT to get her to teach me how to do that!"

Doodles tried to yell for help, but all he could get out was a soft "urk!" Guard duty had been boring; so boring it had been pushed all the way down to those too junior to escape it. Except now it had turned terrifying. First the HUGE Tigress growling at him, and then\x85 just what HAD she done to him? No matter how he tried, his muscles just would NOT respond! He couldn\x92t even twitch an eartip!

---

The Panther went down in a heap; he\x92d never heard Dynotaku coming up behind him. The Unicorn grinned at the still-naked Jaguar and gestured to the crumpled form on the floor; "Go ahead and get dressed. Then we\x92ll go get the others."

---

Jane stared at the image of the Jaguar; the cat was dressed in some sort of leather-like tunic, and to the best of her determination, no pants. Smirking, she growled; "The HELL I\x92ll surrender! If you want what we\x92ve got, scum, you\x92re going to have to get it the same way we did; FIGHT FOR IT!" Turning she made a "cutting" gesture across her throat at the communications furr.

However, the Comm Tech just shook her head back at her; "Ma\x92am, we have another signal coming in\x85. I\x92ll put it on split screen"

---

The Jaguar scowled; more ships were coming in, not quite from the other side of the Crimson Corsair\x92s small flotilla. If the pirates were getting reinforcements, he could be in for a rough time. It didn\x92t matter, they had their orders, and he was NOT going to loose a second time\x85.. That thought had just flashed through his mind, when his board lit up, showing an incoming hail\x85.

---

Jenka looked at the image of the flaming-red Vixen, and smiled coldly; "This is the Imperial Battlecruiser Tsun Tsu. You will surrender Immediately, or\x85.."

---

The Jaguar\x92s jaw dropped as he beheld the female in the Imperial Navy uniform; there was no mistaking that face; and there just weren\x92t that many melanistic phase Jaguar fems around. Before he could stop himself, he growled; "YOU!"

Jenka paused, and looked at her communications officer; the Badger shrugged; "We seem to be receiving cross-talk from that other group of ships, piggybacked onto the Crimson Corsair\x92s carrier wave, Mi.. Um, Admiral." Jenka nodded and waved towards the main viewer; "Well, put \x91em on screen and lets see who we\x92re talking to."

Jane\x92s head jerked from side to side as she looked at the two Jaguars; "Aw, now this is just TOO much\x85."

Jenka smiled lopsidedly, and one eyebrow rose; "Hello, Mikhael; what are YOU doing here\x85. And\x85 aren\x92t you out of uniform?"

The Jaguar stared open-mouthed at the image on his screen; finally he found his voice; "Me\x85 out of\x85.. What are YOU doing in THAT uniform???"

Jane shook her head; "Hey.. HEY! Will someone PLEASE Exp\x85 Oh, nevermind." Turning to Rog she growled; "Do a threat assessment, and open fire with your primary weapon. Standard targeting protocols on all other weapons that will bear. Then signal the flotilla to come about to\x85..173 mark 84; and have them open formation. I\x92m not sure who these clowns are, but I\x92ve no intention of waiting around to find out!"

Jenka smiled coldly; "Mikhail, you always were a little slow on the uptake. I\x92m here to capture that liner from the Crimson Corsairs. You can figure out why. I\x92ll do it the easy way, or the hard way; but I\x92d recommend that you not\x85 Say, isn\x92t that Sleigth\x92s ship?"

The Jaguar straightened; "It belonged to a pirate we captured; can\x92t say as I remember his name. Why? Is he a friend of yours? Or should I ask WAS he a friend of yours?"

Jenka\x92s face hardened; she turned to Chris and growled; "Signal the fleet to engage the enemy; you have your target assignments. And make sure that any of those countervails for Corey\x92s weapon that we sold have been sent the "do not function" signal."

Jason "Blood and Guts" Hammnick stared at the airlock door in utter amazement. He had one of the highest clearances in the Crimson Corsairs and the damned door would NOT open for him. It kept telling him he didn\x92t have authorization! Jane had ordered him to take command of the liner, to detach the high-valued ship from the flagship, and to maneuver independently. Oh, he knew it was probably a suicide mission; at the moment it looked as if three different groups of ships were after this one prize, but that was all right with him; he LIKED being in the middle of a fight. As far as he was concerned, it just gave him a greater chance to kill and maim. But he couldn\x92t do that if the thrice-damned door wouldn\x92t OPEN!

---

Kittiara pulled the corpse from the Operations chair, and heedless of the blood, sat down; her fingers flew over the board, calling up the ship\x92s status. Looking up at Tanj, she smiled; "We\x92re in luck; APU\x92s are still running. I\x92ll have main power on line in less than fifteen minutes."

Tanj watched as John slid into the helmsfurr\x92s seat, as Sabina took Weapons, and as Sashi took Engineering\x85. It almost looked as if there was nothing for her to do\x85 and then she smiled. Stepping to the center of the bridge, she sat herself in the center seat. Somehow, it felt good\x85..

The Kurani smiled; the back doors she\x92d left in the liner\x92s security program were still there. She stroked a few keys almost lovingly and all over the ship powered doors started to close. All the Crimson Corsairs that had been guarding the ship were now as much prisoners as those they\x92d been guarding.

---

Morganthau looked from the Unicorn to the weapon he carried, and back; "you want me to WHAT?"

Dynotaku grinned; "I want you to come with us. Won\x92t force you, but I really, REALLY think your chances are better with us. Right now all sorts of folks are after the Crimson Corsairs\x85." His statement was punctuated by the sound of the pirate ship\x92s disruptor battery firing, and the high-pitched whine as the capacitors built back up for another volley. The Unicorn grinned; "the bus is leaving; best make up your mind quickly."

Morganthau looked past the Unicorn, to the turmoil in the corridor, and shrugged; "Awwww, I didn\x92t much care for this crowd anyways\x85."

---

Tanj purrred in delight; the Bridge of the Liner was state of the art; from the center seat, she could call up any of the other displays on the bridge. Under normal conditions she might be able to run the whole ship from here\x85. But this wasn\x92t normal conditions. Calling up the engineering panel, she "looked over Sashi\x92s shoulder" as the main reactors came on line.

---

Just outside the door, the Financier stopped; there were the Baroness and her daughter, the Mink holovid star, and the Field Marshall, among others, formed up into a slave coffle; he shot a questioning look at the Unicorn.

Dynotaku just shrugged; "Hey, I had to kill a furr to get these clothes and weapons; but how many can we kill for their clothes before the alarm is sounded? Besides, no one is ever going to remark on a slave coffle; now a bunch of nude furrs all traveling together\x85 that would draw attention."

The Financier nodded slowly in agreement, and let the "Crown Prince" fasten him at the end of the coffle.

Dynotaku just grinned.

---

Hammnick looked up as Baffles ran down the corridor to him; "Hey, Boss! Found a way in! There\x92s an access corridor to the crew spaces; its wide open!"

Hammnick nodded; "Great, OK, team, On the Bounce, Lets GO!"

---

Bullard winced and pulled his finger back from the button on his right joystick. The ship in his sights had an Imperial IFF signal\x85 except it was one of HIS. Growling to himself, he horsed his Raider around, and against all his better judgement, locked his weapons on a ship with the Black Fleet IFF. This was one crazy fight!

---

Jane turned and stared at Rog; she\x92d heard the main weapon fire, but the "Imperial Cruiser" was still moving, still under power. Still using energy weapons that could only be powered by matter/antimatter reactors. "Rog! What in the hell\x92s WRONG?"

The Tiger just shrugged; "Dunno, Jane; the weapon seems to be firing correctly, but\x85.. It doesn\x92t seem to be having an effect!"

---

The Jaguar smiled as he pulled his ship around for another run; it would seem he\x92d been right; a large number of small ships gave a foe with one BIG weapon targeting nightmares. That was the good news. The bad news was that he just didn\x92t have enough to cover BOTH enemy fleets\x85. Well, in a three-way free-for-all, MAYBE they\x92d knock each other out for him, and he could pick up the pieces. Maybe.

---

Dynotaku looked both ways at the corridor junction, and then, grinning, waved to his "associate". The "Crown Prince" nodded, and tugged on the leash of the lead slave. Slowly the coffle started to move, in a very stumbling and uncoordinated fashion. The main lock to the liner was only a couple dozen meters away\x85 and there wasn\x92t anyone in sight. Could this really be working?

---

Jane smiled as the high-pitched whine of the energy-sapping-weapon Countervail howled through the bridge. "How \x91bout that, Rog, its working!"

The Tiger looked up, his mouth open, but whatever he said was lost in a sudden bang, and a shower of sparks from the engineering console. Howling the duty engineer rolled backwards out of his station chair, swatting at his tunic. Jane\x92s head snapped back, to look at the Tiger; "Wha\x85?"

Rog, his fingers flying over the operations console, growled; "Its half-working; that\x92s the good news. The bad news is its setting up unbalanced power flows all over the ship. We\x92ve got some really massive surges, and our own circuit breakers are tripping to keep systems from burning out under the surges!" He looked up, right at the Vixen, and shrugged; "And that\x92s having the same effect as the weapon would!"

The Vixen rose from her seat and strode over to the still-sizzling Engineering console; "No it ISN\x92T! Breakers can be reset! Dammit, get Damage Control going! We can fight this thing!

---

Hammnick winced as the lights flickered\x85 and the airlock doors at BOTH ends of the access corridor started to close. He tried to sprint for it; he was wearing armor and if he could just get in the way of the door, he could probably stop it. Unfortunately, he WAS wearing armor, which slowed his sprinting speed considerably, and he didn\x92t make it in time\x85.

Baffles winced as his leader, his hero, ran full-tilt into the now-closed door.

---

Dynotaku watched the lights blink; the air lock to the Liner was closed, which wasn\x92t surprising. The fact that power to this whole part of the ship was now fluctuating wildly, was. He was just trying to figure out whether he should try and push the "open" button when the lights had just flickered on, or wait a second, when the panel erupted in a shower of sparks\x85.. and the door slid open! Thrusting aside the fear of being stuck in the airlock, he motioned his small party forward.

---

Tanj watched the indicators slowly climb towards the green. Just a few more minutes and they\x92d be able to cast off from the pirate ship and attempt their escape. In the middle of a raging battle. Ohhhh, this was going to be fun!

Kittiara watched the party enter the airlock. The Liner had been on the far side of the pirate ship when Corey\x92s weapon had been used, and as Tanj had the good sense to disconnect them from the pirate ship\x92s power feed, the disruption to their systems had been minimal. In a minute she\x92d open the inner door and let them in. Then they could go.

---

Morganthau yelped as the pirate ship\x92s airlock suddenly closed, almost taking off his tail! He did his best to turn and GLARE at the offending device, despite still being bound in the coffle. And then the lights flickered and went out.

Dynotaku sighed; "OK, no body panic. I\x92m sure there\x92s GOT to be a manual release for the door here somewhere\x85..

---

Lieutenant Commander "Buzz" Harshaw pulled his Raider around in a tight loop. It just wasn\x92t as maneuverable as the Imperial Deep Space Fighter he was used to. But it did have better shields and more firepower, so it wasn\x92t a complete loss. Scanning the heavens, he looked for a target...... There! There was a target with the Black Fleet IFF! He was just about to squeeze the missile release, when his navigator choked; "Um\x85. Skipper, isn\x92t that one of OURS?" The Rabbit frowned and then groaned; "Dammit, yeah, it is. Lord, I can\x92t figure out who\x92s who in this Furrball!"

---

Jenka watched the flagship of the Crimson Corsairs roll, as they tried to bring stronger shields between them and Jenka\x92s ship. As the Liner, still docked with the pirate ship rolled "over the horizon" she nodded to her tactical officer. Again, Corey\x92s weapon fired

---

Jane yelped as the lights flickered again; she could swear she heard relays tripping, breakers blowing, all the way on the Bridge. Turning she glared at the Tiger; "Rog! Why can\x92t we do this to THEM?"

The Tiger growled; "I\x92ve uncovered a flaw in the targeting program! Sabotage, I believe. It looks like they don't have a countervail for this; instead it would seem we\x92re just MISSING them!"

Jane nodded, and turned; "There\x92s a solution for that! Helm! GET US CLOSER!"

---

Jenka watched the Crimson Corsair\x92s flagship turn, and smiled coldly; "It would seem they\x92ve figured it out. Helm, maintain your distance, and continue evasive maneuvers."

---

Dynotaku smiled as the Liner\x92s airlock door smoothly rolled up into the overhead; "Everybody through the door QUICK, before it changes its mind!" Reaching out, he grabbed the lead slave and PULLED!

Morganthau howled as he was jerked off his feet; he was sliding along the floor sideways, when the door started to close\x85 Again, he almost lost his tail. He was coming to hate space travel\x85. How had he gotten into this mess anyways?

---

Kittiara smiled; "Our wayward friends have returned; you may undock now, Captain."

Tanj just turned and looked at her; "huh?"

The Kurani\x92s smile widened just a trifle; "Dynotaku has returned with the furrs taken to the flagship."

The Cheetah/Serval\x92s head nodded once; "Oh. Good. Knew he\x92d turn up." Turning back, she studied the power levels for a moment, and then with a mumbled prayer, hit the key that would uncouple them from the pirate ship.

---

Jane felt the lurch and growled; "Hammnick, its about TIME you got that tub under way!

---

Hammnick howled as the access tube separated from the liner. Dangit, he\x92d always had in the back of his mind that this was a suicide mission, but he\x92d really hoped he\x92d be able to kill something first!

---

The Jaguar smiled; "about time." Pushing his intership comm button, he growled; "Gamma group; get a tractor on that liner!" Releasing the button he growled; "Maybe we can at least salvage something from this clusterfuck!

---

John pushed the throttles to the limit, and sighed as the liner moved sluggishly away from the pirate ship. Not bothering with shields, he waited until they were several ship-lengths from the other ship, and then, after a glance at Tanj, nodded to Sabina. The Calico Kitten grinned, her fingers flying across the weapons console. A moment later a very carefully selected torpedo launched from the liner\x92s forward magazine. However, it didn\x92t follow the standard path of any common torpeodo; in stead it spiraled around the liner, releasing dozens of bomblets, which rushed to take up positions around the Liner.

When everything was in position, Tanj pushed the button to activate the cloaking device.

Nothing happened.

---

Zassa watched her breadboard panel closely; yes, there was the signal from the bridge. She looked up at the cloaking device; it wasn\x92t doing anything. No power flow, no field strength, NOTHING! Growling, she waved a paw to Hinoki, and advanced on it at a run. It was going to work, or she\x92d know the reason why!

Hinoki watched the Vixen pulling inspection covers off the cloaking device. There were a number of reasons why it wouldn\x92t work, but none of them should have gotten past the level four diagnostic. There hadn\x92t been any severe vibrations, or power fluctuations to damage its systems. So\x85. Maybe the problem was with the interface. It was one thing they hadn\x92t tested. Looking up, he grinned; Hey, Zassa!"

The Vixen growled; "WHAT? Dammit, I\x92m BUSY!"

Hinoki smiled; "Yeah, I can see that. Did you try the manual start button?

Zassa pulled her head out of the inspection port, glared at him, and then growled; "Are you kidding? It can\x92t be something THAT simple! Here, I\x92ll show you!"

---

Tanj smiled as the ship cloaked. The instant she heard that characteristic hummmm, she hit the button for the bomblets. Instantly the Liner was wrapped stem to stern in blazing fire. If everything went right, in the thick of battle, it would look as if the liner had been destroyed. As soon as the flames had dissipated, she altered course, heading away from the majority of the milling ships. She\x92d get outside the firefight and then send a tightbeam to Jenka, telling her they were away.

---

The Jaguar\x92s jaw dropped as the Liner vanished in a titanic explosion; "Dammit! DAMMIT, that just is NOT fair!"

---

Jenka smiled as the Liner disappeared. For a moment, half of the "Black Fleet" ships had turned to follow it, and now they were in a poor tactical position; turning calmly to her tactical officer, she made a few recommendations\x85.

---

Jane winced; as expected, half the ships in the area had turned towards the liner as it dropped free. However, when it had vanished in a huge explosion, they\x92d all turned back. Turning to the Tiger she growled; "We\x92re screwed; lets get the heck out of here!"

---

The Jaguar devoted a good twenty seconds to studying the tactical display. His group just wasn\x92t big enough to take on both of the other two parties, and with the Liner gone, he wasn\x92t sure how to salvage the situation. Fully cognizant of what failure here would do to his career, he decided it just wasn\x92t worth getting any more of his furrs killed in a hopeless fight. Pushing the all-ships comm button he growled the withdrawal order.

---

Tanj was surprised how fast the fight dissipated, once the "prize" was gone. She set the ship towards the rendezvous point, and turned to her "Bridge crew"\x85 "OK, we\x92ve got the ship, but the ship\x92s still full of furrs; how do we maintain control until we get where we\x92re going?" Kittiara smiled; "Oh, that\x92s easy. Can you run the ship with the furrs you\x92ve got?" When Tanj nodded; she grinned wider and outlined her solution.

---

Jenka studied the tactical display, and pointed with a clawtip at a certain blip; "That one. I\x92m fairly certain that was the command ship for the group masquerading as the Black Fleet. I want that one captured!

Chris grinned; "Easily done; he\x92s still in range of Corey\x92s Weapon."

Jenka smiled, showing fangs; "Make it so, Mr. Foxx!"

---

The Jaguar groaned as every system on his ship died. Not sure just what had happened, he pulled out the hardcopy of the ship\x92s manual and started working his way through unfamiliar flowcharts, to determine just how bad it was.

Captain Merriweather hadn\x92t been enjoying herself, since the pirates had taken over her ship. They\x92d locked most of the crew in the crew quarters, after a thorough search; however they\x92d crammed them all into quarters meant for a third their number. Easier to guard, they\x92d said. And the food had been emergency ration packs thrown through the door, at very random times. Disgraceful! But now, to be herded like a common slave into a cargo hold, that was simply intolerable! When she voiced her objections, the huge Palomino Stallion had just grinned at her, and shoved her, carefully, but insistently, into the hold. And then, the door closed. Looking around, she was aware of the huge press of bodies. The place was PACKED. "Oh, this is ridiculous; how in the world can they expect all of us to survive in here?" And then it hit her. They were in the stasis hold.

Before she could even turn around, the door was opening again. This time a completely different group of pirates stood there, all armed; in front of them, paws bound behind their backs, were a scruffy looking group of furrs that were definitely NOT in her crew. These too were herded into the cargo bay, and again the door closed. One of the furrs, a huge Boar, looked at her and growled; "Now, if I can just get my paws free, we can have ourselves some\x85. And then the door was opening again.

---

Doodles would have whimpered in terror, if he could have made any noise at all; the huge Tiger-whatever was back, moving into his vision, except this time she was armed. She stood in front of him, studying him for a moment, and then, reaching out, touched him again; back of the neck, left side, right side of his throat, just under his chin, and then a rather stiff poke right below his sternum. With a gasp, the Rabbit felt his muscles relax, and his body collapse. The strange looking creature caught him, and seemingly effortlessly, threw him across her shoulder\x85.

Doodles tried to catch his breath as he bounced up and down on her shoulder. Why was she jogging? After a bit, the Tiger-whatever joined several other furrs, each with several prisoners in tow. It seemed all the Crimson Corsairs on the Liner were being rounded up. But by who? And Why? The how, he didn\x92t have to ask; his chest still hurt, and his muscles were completely drained; apparently, just standing there for a few hours, immobile, had totally exhausted him.

---

Captain Merriweather watched as the door slid open; the Boar turned, and frowned, as still more furrs were herded into the compartment, pressing everyone back further. Chuckling, Merriweather poked the Boar, drawing a glare and a snarl; "You can fantasize, my good fellow, but neither of us will be here long enough for you to actually DO anything!" The Boar growled; "oh YEAH?" Suddenly he was struggling with his bonds, as if trying to break them.

Kittiara watched the door close, and the stasis field re-engage. That should be all of them. At least that\x92s what the computer records had shown, and they matched the onboard security sensor sweeps. They should have the ship to themselves now. Heading back towards the bridge, she wondered how long a trip they\x92d have to wherever they were going\x85.

---

Tanj watched the tactical display closely, occasionally muttering a suggestion to John. The Stallion was doing a remarkably good job of piloting the Liner, a job skill you didn\x92t find in just anyone. She wondered what else might be in his repertoire. Slowly they were moving away from all the other ships. There was still some sporadic fighting going on, mostly between rear-guards, but it looked as if they were going to get away clean.

The door to the Bridge slid open, and Hinoki padded, in, tugging on a leash. Behind him, was a disgruntled looking Hedgehog in a white outfit. Tanj turned and looked at them, raising one eyebrow. Across the bridge, Jinx laughed and clapped her paws, and the Kurani nodded, a smile on her face. Hinoki shot each of those a questioning look, but addressed Tanj; "I know we were to put all of the ship\x92s crew in stasis, along with the Crimson Corsairs, but I figured it might be prudent to keep a few out."

Tanj looked at the Hedgehog and then back at the Serval/Cheetah; "Oh? Why?"

Hinoki grinned; "Well, this is the Liner\x92s Chief Chef."

Tanj made an "Ooooh!" and grinned; "Yes, I can see that. Who else?" Hinoki chuckled; "I\x92ve got their chief Masseuse, and the head Bartender.

I figured those three probably couldn\x92t make TOO much trouble\x85" Tanj chuckled; "I\x92ll leave it to you to make sure they don\x92t; the last thing we need is a counterattack."

Hinoki chuckled; "just leave it to me!"

Dynotaku strode onto the Bridge as if he were in command. To his chagrin, Tanj turned, in the center seat, raised an eyebrow at him, and then turned back to study the tactical display. Everyone else ignored him. He sighed, and found a station chair. After a minute\x92s silence, he muttered; "Well, don\x92t everyone thank me at once."

Without looking around, Tanj chuckled; "You did your job just like everyone else. Why should you get special praise?"

The Unicorn straightened and grinned brightly; "Because I\x92m ME!"

Kittiara and the Skunkette exchanged smiles. Jinx rose and padded over to hug the Unicorn; "Well, if no one else will, I\x92LL thank you!"

The Unicorn looked down at her and grinned; "Ooooo goodie! My place or yours?"

Hinoki watched the door close behind the pair and muttered; "He\x92s going to regret that, isn\x92t he?"

Kittiara laughed and shrugged; "possibly; with her you NEVER know\x85."

---

Jenka watched as the prisoner was brought onto the bridge of her flagship. The Jaguar looked absolutely furious, and Jenka had a hard time not laughing. After a moment of glaring at her, he growled; "you realize of course that he\x92ll never let this stand, don\x92t you?"

Jenka waved a paw; "Who? Ruprect? He\x92s been trying to kill me for ages." She leaned forward in her command chair; "You realize that HE was behind all of this, don\x92t you? He set it up for the specific purpose of decoying me, and Tanj into taking the bait, so he could capture us both."

The Jaguar frowned; "Tanj\x85.. Tanj who?"

Jenka smiled and leaned back in her chair; "Tanj is her nickname; her proper name is Su An Ky. I believe you met her when she visited Gibralter station."

The Jaguar\x92s eyes went wide; "SHE WORKS FOR YOU? I thought she worked for Imperial Intelligence!"

Jenka waved a paw and smiled; "Oh, she does that too. Part time job." At the look of confusion on his face she continued; "Now, ask yourself why Ruprecht would want to lay his paws on someone in Imperial Intelligence? Ask yourself why Imperial Intelligence would have agents (yes, she\x92s not the only one; I can introduce you, if you\x92d like) within my organization. I would imagine you could figure out why Ruprecht would want me dead. And given all that, you can understand why the one you THINK isn\x92t going to let this stand is going to do EXACTLY that."

The Jaguar thought a moment and then just groaned; "I HATE Imperial Politics! This is making my head hurt\x85.."

Jenka just laughed and turned to look at Chris; "put dear Mikhael somewhere\x85. Comfortable. See that he\x92s well fed, and gets some exercise, but keep a very VERY close eye on him." Chris nodded and turned to the Jaguar.

As the door closed behind them, Jenka muttered to herself; "but you\x92re right about one thing, dear cousin. I doubt we\x92ve heard the last of this.

---

Dynotaku groaned, put his hands against the wall and PUSHED. This just could NOT be happening! It COULDN\x92T! One minute he was laying out all the ropes, straps, cuffs, and such for what promised to be a VERY nice evening with the Delightful Skunkette, Jinx, and the next\x85. Well, he wasn\x92t really quite sure what had happened. He could have sworn his left hoof had struck something solid. Not like a wrinkle in the carpet, or a seam in linoleum, but like a cement block. A HEAVY cement block. He\x92d stumbled, and before he could catch himself, the tip of his horn had struck the wall.

The wall was hullmetal, covered by a thin sheet of insulation, and plastic.

His horn was a Unicorn\x92s horn, but it was still just a horn. And yet it had penetrated the wall to a depth of about six inches, and stuck fast. Try as he might, he could NOT pull it free.

The worst part, was, behind him, the still-unsecured slave was laughing her head off.

Moving carefully, trying hard not to break his own neck, Dynotaku placed one foot on the wall, and then the other. Bracing with both hands he SHOVED until he could hear his own bones creak. Finally, he relaxed. Panting, he groaned; "Jinx, you\x92re just going to have to go for help."

The Skunkette laughed; "Oh, CERTAINLY, Master. But\x85 perhaps a little lubrication would help?" The Unicorn blinked; "Lubri\x85 what, like drilling oil?"

The Skunkette chuckled and slid between the Unicorn\x92s legs, nuzzling upwards at his crotch; "not quite what I had in mind, Master\x85.. What say we try some of this?"

Dynotaku groaned as the Skunkette\x92s mouth closed around the head of his cock\x85..

---

Tanj looked at the "Crown Prince", a wry smile on her face; "I take it you\x92re not the genuine article.

The Jaguar laughed; "No, Ma\x92am, but you would have a hard time proving that. Believe me, I know. Cosmetic surgery, to the point of having his cloned retinas implanted in my eyes. Gene therapy to fool even the most detailed scan. No, I\x92m not him, but I can\x92t prove that."

Tanj nodded; "I assume Dynotaku promised you something to gain your aid, in the escape from the Crimson Corsairs."

The Jaguar shrugged; "Not much really. I wasn\x92t in a good bargaining position. Just that he\x92d put in a good word for me."

Tanj nodded slowly; "And assuming the good word fell upon receptive ears, what is it you\x92d want?"

The Jaguar sighed; "I want out. I do NOT want to resemble that Bas\x85 uh, the genuine Crown Prince. I want to go someplace where no one knows who I am; where I can build my OWN personality. Be my own furr."

Tanj smiled; "That might be a little difficult."

The Jaguar grinned; "Oh, not at all. You could do what was necessary in about ten minutes with a kitchen knife. I\x92d willingly hold still."

Tanj winced; "you must want out bad\x85."

The Jaguar grinned; "you have no idea."

---

The Unicorn howled as the Skunkette\x92s talented mouth brought him to his first orgasm of the day. The way she was acting, he had no doubt this was only the overture. Giggling, she rose, and standing on tiptoes, proceeded to transfer his cum from her mouth, to his horn. Personally, he couldn\x92t see what in the world this was going to do, but he wasn\x92t in any position to stop her. Giggling, she licked all around where his horn disappeared into the wall, spreading his seed with her tongue. When she was satisfied she\x92d done all she could, she stepped back and examined the situation critically. "Needs another coat, don\x92t you think, Master?" Dynotaku just groaned as she squirmed underneath him\x85\x85

---

Tanj shrugged; "You realize we don\x92t always get what we want."

The Jaguar nodded; "Believe me, here is preferable to going back. Especially after the way this little mission turned out."

Tanj nodded; "Well, you\x92ll have to be debriefed; I\x92m sure you know a lot about Imperial politics and such\x85"

The Jaguar nodded; "You\x92d be surprised how much I know\x85 And I\x92ve got no problem telling you."

Tanj nodded; "And there may be a few, ah, "repeat performances" we\x92ll ask you to play. Of course, nothing like that goes unrewarded, in all senses of the term."

The Jaguar winced, but nodded; "Understood, but\x85 if you would please, I\x92d appreciate something like a suicide pill in a false tooth, or something. I REALLY do not want to go back."

Tanj nodded; "I\x92m not wild about things like that, but I\x92ll see what I can do. Tell me, though, aside from impersonating royalty, what can you do?"

The Jaguar sighed, and then shrugged; "Nothing, really."

After a moment Tanj glanced back at the navigational display, and then at the sensor display. Looking back at the Jaguar she smiled; "We\x92ll talk further about this. For the moment I\x92ll leave you to your own recognizance, but I\x92ll also warn you you\x92re being monitored."

The Jaguar nodded and rose to leave. As he approached the door to the bridge, Tanj called out; "hold on a sec\x85 what should we call you. What\x92s your name?"

The Jaguar\x92s mouth opened and closed, a funny look passing over his face; "Um\x85 I\x92ll have to get back to you on that. Its been so long\x85 I can\x92t remember."

---

Bent over at the hips, his horn stuck in the wall, Dynotaku found himself in almost the perfect position for her to move underneath him, on paws and knees, to back down onto his once-again rampant shaft. Despite the situation he found himself involuntarily bucking his hips, thrusting into her as she moved against him. It was an interesting philosophical question; was he fucking her, or\x85 was she fucking him? After a while, it really didn\x92t matter.

---

Hinoki looked over Sashi\x92s shoulder as she reviewed the security camera tapes; "Whatcha doin\x92, Slave?"

Sashi looked up and grinned; "Oh, hi, Master; just looking for the Bunny."

Hinoki\x92s eyebrow rose; "Bunny? What Bunny?"

Sashi grinned; "Well, the one they locked me in the rescue ball with, of course."

Hinoki pulled up a station chair, sat in it backwards, crossed his arms along the back, and rested his chin on his arms; "I think you\x92ve got a story to tell me, Slave\x85"

---

Dynotaku panted hard, chest heaving. The Skunkette had wrung another orgasm from him, and a powerful one it had been too. Then, within his vision, she\x92d stood, and using her fingers, had transferred his juices and hers to the horn, until it was literally dripping. Idly he looked down at the carpet and wondered if it was going to leave a stain.

Jinx eyed the situation critically and nodded; "Not enough. But then\x85. Wait right here, Master, I\x92ve got to check something out\x85." Before he could say a word, she\x92d danced out the door. Grumbling to himself he muttered; "Like I could really go anywhere\x85." She was back a moment later; "As I thought; it goes clean through the wall. Obviously I need to put some on the other side too! THAT\x92S why it hasn\x92t come loose yet!" Before he could think of a suitable rejoinder, the Skunkette had dived between his legs again; he groaned as her mouth took possession of his shaft once again.

---

Hinoki laughed; "Oh, I wish we\x92d gotten that on tape; it would have been a best seller!"

Sashi nodded and gestured to the security vids; "That\x92s why I was trying to confirm he was on the Liner when we took her. I could have sworn I\x92d saw him as we headed to the bridge. If he\x92s here, we could recreate it."

Hinoki looked at her critically; "You know, I think you\x92ve got a soft spot for this furr\x85."

Sashi just smiled and shrugged\x85.

---

The feeling of the Skunkette\x92s mouth on his throbbing tool was heaven itself; every touch was just right, every motion only seemed to add to the overall pleasure. When she fondled his balls, he moaned, when the tip of her tongue danced around the head of his shaft, he groaned, when her lips slid back and forth over his meat he found himself speechless. The Unicorn\x92s third orgasm was probably the best. He actually felt his knees go weak, and his eyes try to cross. It left him panting so hard, that he never heard the door close behind the Skunkette\x85\x85

Sabina paused in the corridor, to stare at the Skunkette\x85 what was her name? Jinx? Shifting the armful of towels, and bottles of shampoo she watched her curiously as she mouthed a phallic shape that protruded from the wall. "What in the world are you DOING?" she finally exclaimed.

The Skunkette grinned at her, giving the pointy shape another lick; "Oh, just trying to get Dynotaku off."

The Kitten frowned and then ah\x92ed; "That\x92s his horn, isn\x92t it? I wondered what that was. Didn\x92t know it was that sensitive; I\x92ll have to remember that!"

As she padded away, determined to remove the "Calico" color scheme from her fur, she muttered; "And I didn\x92t know Unicorns had such strange sexual practices either."

Jinx laughed and slipped back through the door; she found the Unicorn leaning heavily against the wall, panting hard, eyes closed. His soft cock hung between his legs, a drip of his cum still hanging from the tip. Giggling she moved behind him, reached between his legs, grabbed his limp shaft with both paws and growled; "All right, Master, now or never! PULL!"

Sabina paused at the howl that came from down the corridor, followed by a crash that shook the deck. Turning she resumed her trek towards the baths; "VERY strange sexual practices!"

Dynotaku rubbed his bottom; somehow he\x92s missed landing on the Skunkette by centimeters; instead he\x92d stumbled over the spreader bar, and sat down hard on the coffee table. The glass-topped coffee table\x85\x85. It was now reduced to kindling and to\x85. Shards of glass!

Jinx watched the Unicorn leap to his feet, the tip of his horn almost touching the ceiling; fortunately he ducked his head just in time. She smiled as he made sure the "family jewels" were intact; while he was busy, she padded around behind him\x85..

"Oh my. Oh! Oh Dear\x85.."

Dynotaku\x92s head whipped around, left, to right, to left; "What\x85 WHAT?"

Jinx sighed; "I\x92m afraid you\x92re bleeding\x85 Here, let me see if I can\x85."

Dynotaku strode to the bathroom and studied his posterior; "No, no, its just a scratch; I\x92m OK\x85."

Jinx raised an eyebrow; "I\x92ve had first aid training, Master, I\x92m sure I could\x85." She shrugged; "Do something\x85"

The Unicorn shook his head; "no, no thanks I\x92ll be fine\x85."

Jinx tried to hide her grin; "Um\x85. Now that Master is free, perhaps he\x92d like to pick up where we\x92d left off?" She nudged a ballgag with one toe, pushing it across the floor, neither towards Dynotaku, or towards herself\x85.

Dynotaku sighed; somehow he just wasn\x92t in the mood anymore. Despite what he\x92d said, he was sure there were shards of glass in his ass. "Um\x85 its getting late; perhaps I could have a rain check?"

The Skunk\x92s smile was dazzling; "Of course, Master, any time you please!" She rose to tiptoes, and kissed him quickly. And then she was gone\x85.

Tanj yawned; she\x92d been on duty on the bridge for close to thirty-six hours. Navigating the Nebula the Black Fleet\x92s base was hidden in was never easy. And she was still concerned that someone might jump them. Cloaking devices didn\x92t work too well in here; too many charged particles floating around that could create a wake. And by the time escort ships showed up, well, there was no point in trying to catch an hour\x92s sleep before they docked; she\x92d just wind up even more tired. Sipping another cup of coffee, she wondered if it had all been worth it.

John was fresh, and highly skilled; he nudged the liner up to a docking port normally used by a light cruiser. Tanj heard the docking clamps engage, and called up the Engineering display; she started the sequence that would shut down main power, making sure to leave a few APU\x92s running. Just in case station power failed. She did NOT want a riot in that stasis cargo bay. Yawning, she tried to think of what else needed doing\x85.

Jenka strode through the airlock, and onto the Liner as soon as the safety systems would permit her. Taking in the opulence of the main salon she smiled; this ship was going to bring a small fortune, either from the black market, or more likely, from the owners\x92 insurance company. Yes, this would definitely help the bottom line.

Hinoki grinned at the Fox; "All the prisoners are down in Cargo Hold 3b." His grin widened; "It\x92s a stasis chamber; they probably don\x92t realize its been days since they entered there."

Chris raised an eyebrow; "I like it. A bit high on power costs, but definitely the way to control a large number of furrs."

Hinoki nodded; "I think you\x92ll be pleased with the haul; our agents should be quite busy arranging suitable ransoms for the high-value prisoners. We have some interesting celebrities there."

Captain Merriweather\x92s head turned in surprise as the door opened yet again. On reflection she shouldn\x92t have been surprised at all. The Boar continued to struggle for a moment, but then he too looked up. In the doorway stood several dozen furrs, all armored, and equipped with riot gear. A brown Fox in the front swept his eyes over the crowd and growled; "I want you to exit the room one by one; DO NOT SPEAK unless spoken to! There will be a preliminary sorting, and you\x92ll be moved to better quarters. ANY resistance will be met with force, and believe me, you\x92ll regret it."

The Boar muttered "Oh Crap", and his shoulders sagged.

Merriweather held her place, until one of the armored guards gestured at her. She stepped forward, back straight, head up.

The Fox looked up from his PADD; "Name?"

"Captain Amelia Merriweather. This is\x85 was my ship."

The Fox nodded, his face expressionless. "Line A, please. Next."

Being fastened into a coffle was a new experience for the Coyote. Captain Merriweather looked over the line of furrs ahead of her; they were all from her ship\x92s crew. Turning her head, trying to look about as much as possible by moving only her eyes, she saw the Crown Prince\x92s guests in one, rather short line, other passengers on the liner in a third, and the former Crimson Corsair guards in a fourth. Slowly the contents of the cargo bay were sorted out.

---

Tanj yawned as she hugged the Jaguar. "Glad you made it back, Pet; I was worried there for a while."

Tanj chuckled; "Me too, Mistress, but with more than a little luck, we pulled it out in the end."

Jenka looked up; "And who are these two?"

Tanj turned; "Ah\x85 this is part of the luck we were blessed with; the Kurani is called Kittiara, and the Skunk is Jinx.

They\x92re former members of the Crown Prince\x92s harem, and have been instrumental in our escape."

Kittiara grinned at Jenka, meeting her gaze, and purred; "The Cabal sends its regards, Mistress." Next to her the Skunkette, smiling, energetically nodded her head.

Jenka jerked as if shocked; she STARED at the Kurani, eyes wide, and then growled; "No. NO! Absolutely NOT! I am NOT getting mixed up in that."

The Kurani shrugged; "I\x92m afraid, Mistress, that it\x92s a little late for that. Things have progressed beyond the point where you can maintain such a stance. I\x92m afraid the fastest way out, the ONLY way out, is through, not around."

Jenka shook her head vehemently; "Absolutely not!" Turning to Tanj she growled; "I want those two secured. I do NOT want them talking to anyone about this. THIS CONVERSATION NEVER HAPPENED!" After a moment she pulled herself together; "Come and see me in my quarters, Pet; I\x92ll debrief you there." Turning she strode from the bridge.

Tanj watched her go, and then sighed; "Whoaboy; will someone please explain to me what just happened?"

Kittiara smiled and shrugged; "The Cabal is a group operating behind the scenes in the empire, to keep everything together. To keep everything functioning."

Jinx smiled; "Surely Mistress doesn\x92t think that with all the Idiots on the Imperial homeworld, that things function as well as they do because of THEM?"

Tanj frowned; "No\x85 no, I\x92ve never understood how the day to day workings of the Empire continued, considering how many idiots there seem to be at the top."

Kittiara nodded; "Exactly. There are, well, you\x92ll pardon the expression, "powers behind the throne" that keep the wheels turning. Doesn\x92t always work, of course, but we do what we can."

Tanj\x92s\x92s eyes narrowed as she looked at the exotic; "I thought you were just here to gather material for a book!"

The Kurani shrugged; "That\x92s why I came her, yes. Unfortunately, because of whom I\x92m mated with, I got, ah, drafted into a small effort to prevent a war between the Empire and my people. Its ONE of the reasons why I\x92m here talking to you."

Tanj blinked; "ME? WHY ME?"

Kittiara smiled; "Because of your efforts to develop a portal device. Some think it might be a prelude to an assault by the Empire on the Kurani. Others think that its mere existence might provoke a pre-emptive strike by the Kurani on the Empire."

Tanj winced; "I\x92m just trying to bring my friends and loved ones home!"

Kittiara nodded; "I understand, but others find motives such as that quite alien, and go looking for some more sinister motive." She grinned; "You have to admit it would be a marvelous tool for a pirate. It could elevate a mere pirate clan to a pirate empire, and beyond that, to who knows what?"

Tanj sighed; "So what\x92s Jenka\x92s part in this?"

The Kurani\x92s eyebrows rose; "You mean she hasn\x92t told you?" Kurani and Skunkette exchanged glances, and then Kittiara turned back to the Cheetah; "If she hasn\x92t told you\x85. Well, I think I\x92d better let HER explain that one\x85."

The Bridge door slid open, and John strode through. He looked around the Bridge and then gestured to Kittiara and Jinx; "Mistress has instructed me to escort you to the kennels. Now."

Tanj just shrugged; "We\x92ll talk more about this later." Kittiara grinned and nodded; "Of course." Strolling up to the Stallion, she grinned at him; to Tanj\x92s amazement, he offered his arm, and the Kurani took it. Jinx was offered the other arm, and then, as if they were going to a formal dance, the trio exited the Bridge.

Tanj shook her head; things were definitely getting weird around here. She finished the matter/antimatter reactor shutdown sequences, and made sure the ship was set up to be safely left unattended for a while. Then, gathering her notes, she went to find Jenka.

---

John paused at the airlock to the station; "This isn\x92t going to work, is it?"

The Kurani looked around him at Jinx, who grinned; looking back at the stallion, she grinned and shook her head no.

John sighed; "I don\x92t want to know how. In fact I don\x92t want to know ANYTHING about this\x85." as they headed into the Black Fleet\x92s stronghold, the stallion\x92s voice echoed down the corridor; "I know NOTHIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!"

---

Tanj stopped just inside the door to Jenka\x92s quarters. Jenka wasn\x92t there, but there on the floor, just inside the door, was her collar. The Cheetah smiled, put down her notes and other briefing materials, and pulled off her clothes. She chuckled to herself "Call it a return to normalcy". Putting the briefing materials on Jenka\x92s desk, she picked out an appropriate place, knelt, and pushing her hair out of the way, buckled on the collar.

---

John sighed; "Say that again?"

The guard, a rather burly Panda, shrugged; "The Kennels are full. Heck, we\x92ve got two, in some cases three furrs in each cell. You\x92re simply going to have to put them somewhere else."

The Stallion shook his head; "But Jenka ordered they be held HERE."

The Panda looked at his computer screen and then shrugged; "Sorry, don\x92t show any special instructions. In fact, I don\x92t have them on the list at all."

John looked at the Kurani; "You did this, didn\x92t you? NO, DON\x92T TELL ME; don\x92t want to know!"

Kittiara just smiled; "Perhaps Tanj\x92s quarters would be a suitable holding area?"

John opened his mouth, and then closed it; a sly grin spread across his face; "You know, you\x92re almost exactly Sashi\x92s height\x85."

The Kurani got a worried look, and then nodded; "Maybe a few centimeters taller, and a bit heavier\x85. Your point, sir?"

He grinned, and grabbing the Kurani by the paw, dragged her from the kennels; "just had an idea; one I think Jenka would be proud of. COME ON!"

Jinx looked at the Panda, shrugged, and turned to follow.

They retraced their path to the Liner, wending their way through corridors until again they were in the cargo area. The containers Tanj\x92s group had arrived in had been moved, but were still accessible. John stopped before the container that had been Sashi\x92s. He studied the touch-screen panel for a moment and then let his fingers dance lightly over it. The side of the container opened, and then the door to the cage within opened likewise. Turning he gestured to the door, making a small bow. Kittiara looked at the cage dubiously, and then, with a sigh, shrugged, and low-crawled through. The Stallion waited until she was in the "zero position" and hit the activate key. Restraints closed around her with a snick, and the doors closed.

Jinx watched curiously; "And what of me, Master?"

John looked at her and smiled; "I think you\x92re about Zassa\x92s size.

Don\x92t worry, I\x92ll change the programming; I doubt you\x92re as much into pain as she is\x85."

Jinx nodded solemnly; "That\x85 would be prudent, Master."

With the Skunkette put away, and both container systems running nominally, the Stallion grinned, turned out the light, and headed back to check in with Jenka, convinced she\x92d be delighted with his innovation.

Kittiara smiled; the mechanisms had initially filled mouth, pussy and ass with phallic shapes, manipulating her to a dozen different positions, while "instruction holograms" droned in the background. It\x92d been fun, in a mechanical sort of way. Finally, the machine consented to let her rest. As the prod pulled from her mouth, she worked her jaw a couple of times, swallowed, and then purrred; "Computer. Voice command function. Display menu." Obediently, the container\x92s computer complied. The Kurani studied the holographic display and smiled; "Computer, open a tightband link to the computer on the Black Fleet Flagship. Encrypted protocols\x85."

Jinx purrred; the Stallion had been quite kind, setting up all sorts of "entertainment" programs. Of course she probably wasn\x92t going to get as much sleep as she\x92d prefer, but\x85 it should still be fun, for as long as it lasted\x85.. Held tight in the machine\x92s embrace, her first climax was eminently satisfactory\x85..

Many parsecs away, a freighter captain decided to take a shortcut. He\x92d heard that the pirates in the area had some sort of a problem, and he figured he could get away with it. Elsewhere, the commander of an Imperial Navy patrol suddenly decided that they ought to patrol over near Hapsburg III. Things had been quiet in this sector, and he was getting bored.

---

Hinoki padded down the row of kennels, looking at the furrs within. Those of high value were being held for ransom, or until payment from their insurance carriers was received. Others were waiting for a ship that would take them to be wholesaled. And among that group, if anyone among the Black Fleet took a fancy to them, a bid could be submitted. Hinoki had some loose cash, and he could use some help in his shop\x85.

---

Sashi strode through the corridors of the Liner as if she owned it. The ship was largely unguarded, and those that were on guard knew her. Telling them she\x92d left something on board, they\x92d seen no reason to stop her.

---

Hinoki stopped in front of the cage, and just looked. In one corner, a male Rabbit, of medium-young age sat dejectedly. He didn\x92t look like anything special, to Hinoki, but if Sashi said he was, well, he was inclined to believe her. Besides, if there wasn\x92t anything special about him, the price wouldn\x92t be high. After a few minutes, the Rabbit looked curiously back. They stared at each other for a few minutes, and then Hinoki gave him a smirk, and a wink, and turned to go find the proper furr in accounting.

As the Cheetah strode off, Doodles thought to himself; "NOW what have I gotten myself into?"

---

Sashi studied the display on the container, knowing that what it revealed might not be what was really going on inside. Touching a portion of the screen she whispered; "Hello? Can you hear me?"

Inside the container, Kittiara smiled; "Edward, I\x92m going to have to call you back; something\x92s come up. Computer, intercom microphone on. Hello, Sashi; its good to talk to you again."

---

Hinoki smiled, and looked at the receipt. The Rabbit had been cheaper than he\x92d anticipated. Good intelligence scores, but no real skills. Manageable personality (i.e. "submissive"). Good health. Not especially strong. Nothing to drive the price up over that of the average warm body. Pocketing the receipt he headed back towards the kennels.

---

Sashi blinked; "Um\x85. Do you know me?"

The voice from the speaker sounded warm, and friendly; "Sashi, I\x92ve known you for a while; as I feared, the mission you volunteered for has\x85. Caused problems. I take it you don\x92t remember much, since Gates\x92 World?"

---

The Rabbit watched curiously as the guard unlocked his kennel. The Cheetah was back. Why? At the Guard\x92s motion, he crawled from the cage, pressing himself low to the floor, squeezing through the ridiculously small door. The guard growled; "you\x92ve been sold." He jerked his head towards the Cheetah. The Cheetah smiled; somehow his grin looked just a little predatory\x85.

---

Kittiara sighed; "And I\x92m afraid that\x92s all I know, Dear. Your past was a mystery, even when I met you."

The Pantheress\x92 voice came from the speaker; "But\x85 I wasn\x92t always like this?"

The Kurani smiled; "no\x85 you were always special, but\x85 well, I fear the furrs on Gates\x92 world changed you more than we\x92d anticipated."

Sashi sighed; "I\x92m going to have to get back; I\x92ll be missed soon. I hope we\x92ll have time to talk again."

The Kurani\x92s voice was full of confidence; "Oh,, I\x92m sure we will. Till later, then."

Sashi touched the screen again, looked it over to be sure no trace of their conversation remained, and then, with a nod, turned to head back. It seemed her conversation had raised more questions than it had answered. So she WAS a part of this "Cabal". It\x92d be nice if she could remember just what it was, or why she\x92d joined\x85\x85 With a grin, she wondered if membership came with a health plan that covered lost memories\x85.

---

Hinoki stared at the door; it was supposed to open on his approach. But it hadn\x92t. Just moments ago, another furr had approached, and it had slid smoothly open, and then closed behind her. Now, when he, and his new acquisition had approached, it had failed to open. Moving to one side, he studied the door\x92s control panel; everything was in the green. Poking at the override, he growled; "now, this is getting ridiculous." Slowly, a crowd was forming, waiting to move through the door and down the corridor. Hinoki turned and looked at his new Slave; "I\x85.." And behind him, the door whooshed open. Turning, he glared at it, and then, tugging the leash hard, growled; "Come on, lets go before it changes its mind."

---

Hinoki stepped through the door to his shop, leading the Rabbit; "Slave, I\x92m back! Got something for you!"

Sashi slipped from the back room; she\x92d made it in the back door only an instant before. Catching sight of the Rabbit on the end of Hinoki\x92s leash her face broke into a wide grin; "DOODLES!" She launched herself across the room, to hug the Cheetah, and kiss him hard; "Oooooo, Master is TOOO kind! Can we keep him?"

---

Jane Calamity stared at the Tiger; "What do you MEAN all the high value cargo was transferred back to the Liner? WHO THE HELL ORDERED THAT?"

The Tiger shrugged; "Actually, according to the computer, you did. See? Right here."

Jane stared at the screen for a moment and then sighed; "I never did that. Honest."

Rog nodded; "And I believe you, Jane. I think someone got into our computer, bigtime. The targeting system, certain failures in Engineering during the battle, unexplained closing of pressure bulkheads keeping furrs from their stations\x85 I think we were taken by pirates without even knowing about it."

The Vixen shook her head; "But HOW? WHO?"

The Tiger shrugged; "There\x92s only one place that has computer experts of a level like that, that I know of."

The Vixen\x92s face hardened, and she nodded, a sharp, defining gesture; "Yes! Gates\x92 World. That damned Mouse!"

Rog shrugged; "Can\x92t think of anyone else. To get past ALL our safeguards, all our security systems, to get past EVERYTHING would have taken a wizard."

The Vixen sighed; "So\x85 after all that, what DID we get out of it?"

The Tiger shrugged; "Well, it seems that Dynotaku fellow gathered up the high-value captives and scooted them onto the Liner just before it undocked. Got surveillance video of him, and that cat that was supposed to be the "Crown Prince". Don\x92t know who they were working for, but I still think the Gates\x92 World folks must have been behind it. It certainly doesn\x92t match the actions of what we know about the real Crown Prince\x92s intentions\x85 Unless that was all a smokescreen. Anyways, we got the up-front money from the Gates\x92 world furrs, and that prototype weapon they gave us. That alone should be worth quite a bit. We should be able to stop any warp-drive ship in its tracks. Taking the average freighter, or maybe even the average convoy should be cubsplay. I wouldn\x92t say we came out of it with nothing\x85..

Jane nodded; "That\x92s true. But the Gates\x92 World cartel is going to be really pissed at us for not getting them what they wanted."

The Tiger shrugged; "I see our failure as a direct result of their meddling; they can\x92t possibly hold it against us."

The Vixen nodded; "Yeah, but that still might not stop repercussions." Looking up at the Tiger she sighed; "Maybe we should move our operating area. Head out a little further from Gates\x92 World\x85"

The Tiger nodded; "Might be prudent."

Jane grinned up at him; "BUT, if we EVER have a chance to snatch that Dynotaku furr, I want him. I want him BAD!"

The Tiger just chuckled and nodded; "We\x92ll do what we can to get him for you, Jane. Promise."

---

The Kemodo Dragon stood at rigid attention; "Sir, there was NO WAY we could have accomplished our mission. We were out-numbered and out-gunned. The Captain fought the battle as best he could, possibly even brilliantly, but it was impossible from the start." He flicked his eyes at the Admiral; "Sir, the ships\x92 logs will support my statements."

Behind him, the Crown Prince growled; "I still hold the Imperial Navy responsible for this debacle. They should have been able to have defeated a simple band of pirates!"

The Admiral shifted; "Your Highness, that isn\x92t completely fair. There was no way to anticipate a weapon that suppressed the reaction between matter and antimatter."

The Crown Prince growled, and then, after a moment, regained control of himself. "The refinement of the energy-sapping weapon should have been anticipated. The Imperial Navy should have used more ships. It was obvious from the sensor tapes that the Pirates only had one such weapon. If the Navy hadn\x92t scrimped, they could have still won! Believe me, Admiral, the failure of the Navy will be heard at the highest levels!" Turning, the Jaguar stormed from the office.

As he strode through the halls of the Naval command center, the Crown Prince\x92s Chamberlain commented lightly; "You know, that weapon that was used really doesn\x92t bear any resemblance to the weapon used at Nikkeldepain. In fact, it resembles things we\x92ve heard rumors of, coming from Gates\x92 World."

The Jaguar grinned and nodded; "Yes, I know, but I\x92m not going to let THEM off the hook. They COULD have pulled it off, if they\x92d tried harder."

The Chamberlain shrugged, thinking that the Crown Prince himself had approved the plan, including the allocation of forces. "So\x85 You think the Gates\x92 World Cartel is behind what happened?"

The Jaguar nodded; "I\x92m almost sure of it. It wouldn\x92t be the first time those bastards have broken ranks and gone their own way."

The Chamberlain nodded; "Still\x85.. we need them. No one else could develop the portal for us, and ou\x85 your plans require it."

The Jaguar nodded; "True; we\x92ll just have to be more careful in our dealings with them." He grinned; "And there\x92s always the chance that Cheetah Bitch might succeed. An outside chance, but still, a chance." Looking up at the Chamberlain he growled; "See that she\x92s watched more closely. If she succeeds, I want to be first in line to take it away from her!"

The Chamberlain just nodded; "By your command"\x85.

---

Tanj sifted through the huge amount of paperwork as she tried to figure out exactly what they\x92d accomplished. Sometimes she thought the paperwork at the end of a mission was worse than the mission itself\x85. Putting down the file folder she picked up a little heap of data crystals, and juggled them in her hand. Part of the "bait" that had been dangled before her, was the rumor that the Liner had, among other things, the sum total of the Crown Prince\x92s researches into the "dimensional gate", or "portal". And sure enough, in his personal quarters, had been a case full of data crystals clearly labeled to that effect. However, what she\x92d found, when she\x92d scanned the contents looked to her as if it were go much gibberish, and she suspected it was false information. Still, she\x92d forward it on to Corey, just in case it had been genuine. Some of the other treasure on the liner had turned out to be valueless, but other items had turned out to be every bit as valuable as they\x92d been led to believe. For the moment, the Black fleet was back in the Black\x85.. But there were still a few loose ends\x85.

---

The Wolf was brought into the interrogation room, nude, as befitted a slave, his paws bound behind his back with a disposable tie. He jerked when he saw Tanj sitting there, waiting for him. Recovering quickly, he kicked the chair at the other side of the table out a little, and without waiting for permission, sat.

They stared at each other for a few minutes; finally the Wolf grunted; "I didn\x92t get to see much of the action from where I was. I\x92ll take your report now."

Tanj threw back her head and laughed.

---

"Seriously, the device that would dampen the reaction between matter and antimatter was NOT ours. It was something the Crimson Corsairs had."

The Wolf shook his head; "We have reliable reports that high energy physics is NOT one of the Crimson Corsairs\x92 strong suits."

Tanj nodded; "Not ours either. So who DOES that kind of thing well?"

The Wolf sighed; "there are a few places\x85 but only one of them would actually use it in this manner."

Tanj chuckled; "Let me guess; Gates\x92 World." At the blank look from the Wolf she resumed; "And how would someone like Jane Calamity get their paws on it?"

After a moment\x92s silence, the Cheetah continued; "They either stole it, which isn\x92t likely, or they were given it for a specific mission. So what exactly do you think that mission would have been?"

Tanj wasn\x92t getting anywhere. The Wolf was being uncommunicative. He wanted her to tell him everything she knew but didn\x92t want to give any quid pro quo. Finally, Tanj\x92d had enough: "OK, here\x92s what\x92s going to happen. I\x92m going to let them wholesale you out with the other middle-class passengers. I\x92ll let Kath feed your department the where and when, and they can recover you. That way your cover is preserved." The Wolf just nodded. Tanj leaned forward; "But we\x92re looking for a little more in exchange for the Imperial Navy officer we captured." The Wolf raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Tanj sat back and grinned; "Yes, seems his ship had a power failure while he was trying to disengage. Seems he was the commander of the flotilla. A Jaguar by the name of Mikhael." The way the Wolf\x92s eyes bulged told Tanj she\x92d hit paydirt. The Wolf HAD known who was in charge of the Imperial Effort, and THEREFOR he had prior knowledge. What exactly HAD he been up to? "We\x92re going to exchange him for the survivors of Sleigth\x92s group. Oh, I doubt we\x92ll get their ships back, but the experienced crews are valuable enough to us. Over all, I think it\x92ll work out rather nicely." Again, the Wolf said nothing. Tanj hit a hidden button under the desk; when the guard came in, she gestured to the Wolf; "You can take him back."

As she padded down the corridor, Tanj thought that the Wolf wasn\x92t the only one who\x92d been uncommunicative. Jenka had flatly refused to clear up any of the mystery between her and Mikhael. Well, that left two other furrs she might try and pry information out of. The first was Mikhael himself\x85..

---

The Jaguar tried very hard to keep his face neutral. It wasn\x92t easy. He hadn\x92t experienced hazing like this since\x85. Well, since his freshman year at the Academy. That thought gave him pause, and he smiled to himself; hazing there had included physical abuse, and nasty situations that just hadn\x92t happened here. Yet. Oh, the passing pirates had plenty of teasing things to say, plenty of slurs on the honor of the Imperial Navy, and on his own capabilities, all calculated to get a rise out of him, but\x85. They just weren\x92t up to the standards of upperclassfurrs. Chuckling to himself, he made a rude gesture to one of the pirates, as he followed the Stallion towards the Gym.

Jenka had said to see that he got regular exercise. The Stallion that seemed to be one of her Lieutenants, curiously a palomino when he\x92d met him, now black as the inside of the Coal Sack, had taken that to mean unarmed combat drill. He\x92d collected quite a few of the pirates eager to have a go at the Imperial Officer, but so far he\x92d made sure they were fairly evenly matched. In a way, it was a great way to relieve his frustrations. Maybe the Stallion was smarter than he looked\x85

Today\x92s match was going to be interesting; the Giraffe wasn\x92t that muscular, but most definitely had reach on him. Stripping down to just his skivvies, the Jaguar bowed to his opponent, being VERY careful not to take his eyes off of him, and then dropped into the Wang Chung fighting stance\x85.

Tanj smiled and slipped through the door. She\x92d spent a good bit of time getting ready, making sure the last traces of the Serval disguise had been eradicated from her fur, making sure her teeth and claws were clean, her breath fresh, and her hair brushed until it shone. Once inside the door, she looked around. As she\x92d thought, the Jaguar was keeping the guest quarters painfully clean, neat and orderly. Chuckling, she tossed her robe in the closet, making sure it wound up on the floor in a heap. Pulling down the bedspread, she snuggled underneath the covers, doing her best to be as anonymous as possible.

The Jaguar panted hard, and bowed to his opponent. The Giraffe had been a difficult adversary; it had been difficult to land a blow on him, the Giraffe moving surprisingly fast, in a seemingly awkward manner; however, when the Giraffe had landed a blow, it had been powerful. Only the Jaguar\x92s grim determination had kept him going. The Stallion had declared it a draw, but the Jaguar knew he\x92d gotten the worst of it.

The public showers were a bit demeaning. Too many comments about dropping the soap. Still, no one came TOO near, probably because the Stallion was there, keeping a careful eye on everything. And no one seemed to want to cross HIM. Still, he\x92d wished they\x92d just let him return to his quarters to shower, but that didn\x92t seem to be on the Stallion\x92s schedule. Shower in the Gym, it was, and then off to the mess hall for the evening meal.

More teasing. If he\x92d had these pirates on HIS ship, he was positive he wouldn\x92t have let his crew tease them like this. On the other hand, they\x92d be in the brig, not the Mess Hall. And could he be so sure, that far below decks, his crew wouldn\x92t tease and taunt like this? Mechanically shoveling the food into his mouth, he tried hard not to dwell on what the Stallion was eating just across the table. Herbivores!

It was almost a relief to get back to his quarters. The Stallion took him right to the door, and made sure he went through; when the door closed, it closed with a very final "SNICK" that informed him, once again, that he was locked in. With a sigh, he looked around. The closet door was open, and the bedspread was a rumpled mess. Someone had been in here! He chuckled to himself; searching his quarters wouldn\x92t get them anything; all he had were the clothes he\x92d been wearing when they\x92d pried him out of that Raider ship\x85.

His eyes narrowed as he glanced, again, at the bed; was that some pale yellow hair on the pillow? Slowly he stepped closer\x85.

As the covers were pulled down, Tanj opened one sleepy eye and smiled; "Sorry, fell asleep waiting for you. Guess its all catching up with me."

The Jaguar\x92s eyes widened\x85. "YOU? What are YOU doing here?" He looked about, as if looking for lurking, menacing figures, and then he looked back down at the Cheetah Fem, his face full of confusion.

Tanj laughed, and sat up in the bed, making no effort to cover herself; "What am I doing here? I\x92m here to see you, Silly. Do I need a better reason?" The Jaguar frowned; he seemed to be having trouble making sense of her words; it might be, because his eyes were locked on her breasts, watching the way they moved as she breathed\x85 "Um\x85." He shook his head and tried to look her in the eyes; "See me about what? What are you talking about?" His face changed; his eyes narrowing, his back straightening a little; "Jenka said you work for her\x85."

A chuckle escaped the Cheetah, and she shook her head; "Well, I wanted to make sure you were OK, and I DID want to talk to you about the recent action, but\x85. Yes, I do work for her." She grinned; "I also work for Imperial Intelligence. As a matter of fact, just a little while ago, I debriefed my, ah; "superior"." Her grin widened; "I can introduce you, if you\x92d like. If we can find a way to do it without blowing his cover. You might find him an interesting furr."

The Jaguar gave her a disbelieving look, and then sighed, and turned to pace; "I\x92m getting awfully confused. Just what in the world is going on here?"

Tanj shrugged; "I\x92m still trying to figure that out. It seems everyone I\x92ve talked to recently knows a piece of the puzzle, but they seem disinclined to talk to me about it. But maybe you can help." She shot him her best smile; "For instance, when they assigned you to escort the liner, did they tell you what it was all about?"

The Jaguar\x92s mouth opened and then closed. It seemed as if a shadow fell over his face; when he spoke his voice was carefully neutral; "They told me that a trap was being set for Dangerous Pirates. Pirates that were a threat to the Empire. A mission so important it came from the Crown Prince himself!"

Tanj nodded; "Oh, the last part is true, but I\x92m afraid there\x92s a lot they didn\x92t tell you."

His face shifted again, now to a full frown; "Yes. They neglected to tell me the dangerous pirate they were after was Jenka." He cleared his throat; "Not that it would have made too much difference."

Tanj laid back on the bed and stretched; a long, slow, sensual movement. "Yeah, well, when we were setting up our part of the operation, we didn\x92t really quite realize exactly what it was all about, either."

His eyes widened; "We?" Tanj nodded; "I was in on the planning; I\x92m in the intelligence department. It fits in nicely with my part-time job with Imperial Intelligence, don\x92t you think

The Jaguar sat down heavily on the bed; "Now wait a minute\x85 How could Jenka\x92s pirate organization be such a threat to the Empire, if they\x92re working with Imperial Intelligence?" Suddenly he stood back up; "My GOD; they\x92re in it with you, aren\x92t they?"

Tanj laughed; long and soft. Finally she shook her head; "no, you\x92ve got it backwards. WE\x92RE not the ones trying to take over the Empire. In fact, the situation has gone as far as it has, because Jenka WON\x92T have anything to do with the Imperial Government, the Imperial Court, or anyone else." She sobered a little; "Think about it. WHO do you think most wants to be Emperor?"

The Jaguar\x92s mouth moved again, for a moment, no sound coming out. Finally he muttered; "The Crown Prince." Tanj just nodded.

"But why would he CONSPIRE for something like that? ALL he has to do is be PATIENT!"

The Cheetah shrugged; "Because he\x92s spoiled. Because he\x92s an idiot?" She grinned; "He set you up. Worse, he set up a plan so convoluted that it got completely out of control. Do you really want him running the Empire?"

The Jaguar shook his head; "THAT, madam, is NOT for me to decide; I merely follow orders!"

After a moment the Jaguar sat back down on the bed and looked at the Cheetah; "What do you mean, he set me up?"

Tanj shrugged; "I can document at least three instances where the Crown Prince has conspired with the techies of Gates\x92 World on various different projects. You probably don\x92t want to know the details, but at least one of them is directly related to taking over the Empire. Now, we believe the weapon that almost destroyed your ship came from the same technopirates, on Gates\x92 World. Why would the Crimson Corsairs have something like that? Could the Crown Prince have set you up to fail, for a reason? And if so, what were his real motivations?

The Jaguar rose and paced; "I don\x92t know. Imperial Politics are NOT something I\x92m skilled at; I\x92m just a simple ship driver!"

Tanj nodded, and smiled; "But\x85 you are related to the Emperor."

He stopped pacing at that one; "Yes\x85 although distantly. Grand-nephew, or something like that." He chuckled; "But there\x92d have to be a helluva bloodbath among the Imperial Family before I had a claim on the throne."

Tanj nodded; "True. There are others much closer." The Jaguar\x92s head turned, almost involuntarily, and he stared at the door to his cabin for a moment; after a muttered; "Yeah\x85" he turned back. "So\x85 are you and Imperial Intelligence working to STOP the Crown Prince?"

Tanj sighed; "No, not really. I don\x92t think Imperial Intelligence has made up their mind yet what to do. You know them; they gather intelligence out the wazoo, and then, when they have all the information, they give it to someone else to make a decision. I\x92m not sure they\x92re really capable of acting on their own\x85."

The Jaguar chuckled; "Yeah, I know what you mean\x85\x85 And Jenka?"

Tanj chuckled; "Oh, I think she\x92s just trying to survive him." She looked up at the Jaguar pointedly; "She\x92s survived several obtuse assassination attempts that I know of, and I\x92ve only been here a while."

The Jaguar nodded; "you know, this isn\x92t getting a whole lot clearer."

Tanj laughed; "That\x92s because it\x92s a very complex situation. And I\x92m CERTAIN that we haven\x92t even identified all the players in the game, yet." She shrugged; "I still don\x92t have all the pieces of the puzzle."

The Jaguar nodded slowly; "So\x85.. Where do we go from here?"

Tanj patted the bed beside her; "you come to bed, and we both try and forget about all this for a while. Eventually, those that do the negotiating will finish talking, and you\x92ll go home. I\x92ll go on doing what I do, as will Jenka, and the Universe will proceed along whatever course its on, until we all get to where we\x92re going. For better or worse."

The Jaguar sighed; "Somehow I doubt they\x92ll want me back. I really didn\x92t handle the situation very well."

Tanj chuckled; "Oh, I don\x92t know; I know what we\x92re demanding for your release, and they\x92re negotiating. Personally, I think you should be honored they\x92d even consider paying the price we\x92ve asked." At his look she smiled; "Believe me; SOMEONE wants you back!"

It took him a while to get going, but Tanj had been persistent. Once aroused, he made love like a stallion, holding her tight, thrusting hard, until they both screamed out their pleasure. Twice more, they took each other to the pinnacle, before exhaustion overwhelmed them, and they drifted into sleep, entwined in each other\x92s arms.

Tanj shifted, and felt him shift in turn; it was just about as good as it was going to get; he was in that realm, half between sleep and wakefullness. Trailing a finger through his chestfur, she purred; "By the way, just how ARE you related to Jenka." He chuckled, and then yawned; "Cousin. Kinda. Her mother wasn\x92t married to him. Illegitimate." He chuckled again, and then smiled sleepily; "but she\x92s his daughter; no doubt about it." And then he was asleep again.

Tanj found that she couldn\x92t sleep. What he\x92d said made all sorts of pieces of the puzzle fit together. Now she HAD to talk to the Kurani; this needed independent confirmation. As she laid there, listening to him snore softly, she wondered, now that she had this piece of information, what was she going to DO with it?

Some time in the middle of the night, it happened again; neither one could remember starting it, but gentle stroking gradually heated up to passionate sex. Tanj ran him through most of her favorite positions, their motions making a mess of the bedcothes. Finally, they were spent, drifting off once again into slumber\x85.

The Jaguar watched her chest rise and fall, and smiled; so beautiful. Pity she was a pirate; it\x92d never work out between them. He chuckled to himself; on the other hand she was also with Imperial Intelligence\x85 maybe if she\x85 but no, she\x92d never desert Jenka. Jenka was a charismatic leader, that inspired deep loyalty among her followers. Ah, well. Smiling, he reached out a finger, to lightly stroke a nipple; she smiled and stirred a little. Purring, whispering almost inaudibly; "What is it you do for Jenka, anyways?" The Cheetah smiled, and murmured; "Head of Intelligence". Then she shifted and rolled away from him, back asleep before she even knew she\x92d spoken. He looked at the pattern of spots on her back, and thought somehow that fit. But\x85. Was Imperial Intelligence supplying field agents to help the Black Fleet? And if so, why? The thought that her Father might be behind it boggled the mind, and yet he couldn\x92t come up with any other explanation\x85. Rolling over, he threw an arm across his eyes and tried to find sleep again; this was becoming much much too deep\x85

The Jaguar awoke to the most pleasurable feelings; the Cheetah had pulled back the covers and was astride his legs, sucking softly on his morning erection. Ah, what a lovely way to awaken. He softly stroked her head, until she brought him off. And then she was gone, into the bathroom. Rolling over and looking at the Chronometer, he groaned; it wasn\x92t even 0600 yet!

Tanj smiled at the sleeping form, as she slipped through the door. She\x92d had the foresight to set up the lock program, to open at certain rather random intervals. Hence her early rising. Pulling the door closed behind her, she heard it lock, a moment later. Smiling, she headed back to Jenka\x92s quarters.

Jenka, already fully dressed, looked up as the Cheetah shambled in; "Well, Pet, you\x92ve been out late\x85." Tanj smiled; "Conducting an interrogation." Jenka nodded with a straight face, although Tanj could see her mind whirling behind her eyes; "Learn anything?" The Cheetah laughed; "Got a few more pieces of the puzzle; got a few more to get yet." As the Cheetah headed off to the shower, yawning, the Jaguar just nodded; "Yeah\x85 that\x92s what I was afraid of."

The containers were pretty much as she\x92d left them. It wasn\x92t hard to find the two that were occupied; they were the ones with the lit touchscreens. Entering her command code and several passwords, Tanj called up what was really going on inside the container occupied by the Kurani. It seemed to be running a bondage holofilm, the cage\x92s articulated arms mimicking what was happening to the Heroine. Tanj tried to remember if she\x92d programmed that for Sashi or not. It was at least conceivable. Smiling, deciding to wait for the film to run its course, she padded over to the Skunkette\x92s container. Half a dozen yellow lights were flashing for attention. The container had suffered several failures, and a few subsystems, such as the one that would provide an occasional corrective electric shock, were burned out entirely, despite the redundancy. Frowning, Tanj instructed the container to release the skunkette. Environmental was on its last redundant system. She wondered what had happened, and made a mental note to talk to Clancy about his handiwork.

Jinx low-crawled from the cage, and grinned at the Cheetah; "Wow, what a ride! Definitely an E-ticket\x85. But\x85." She turned back to look at the cage\x92s entrance, perhaps just a little wistfully; "I think I might have worn it out\x85." As she spoke, something within the containers\x92 guts suddenly decided to shoot out a shower of sparks, and the touchscreen went dead.

Tanj blinked; "Um\x85. Yeah. Lets get your friend out; I\x92ve got some questions for you two."

Kittiara smiled and stretched after crawling from the cage; "Interesting device you have there. But it needs a built-in auto-doc. No way to get anything for a headache in there." Jinx frowned; "Or a nosebleed?" The Kurani wiped her nose self-consciously with the back of one paw, and grinned lopsidedly; "Yeah, that too."

Tanj just blinked and tried to reassert some self-control; "I\x92ve got some questions for you, and I won\x92t be put off. I want answers!"

Kittiara nodded absently, and turned to sniff delicately at the Skunkette; "you know, Dear, I bet you could use a shower as much as I could\x85."

Jinx chuckled; "True, but first, something to eat. The \x85.. stuff that thing provided wasn\x92t very filling." She made a face; "Tasted like cum, too."

Tanj blinked; "Um\x85 It wasn\x92t supposed to." At the look the Skunkette gave her, she continued; "But I guess we could find you some solid food, if you\x92re hungry\x85"

Tanj wondered how she\x92d quite lost control; she had each of them on the ends of leashes, and yet they seemed to be leading. The Skunkette had mentioned a desire for fried mushrooms, and the Kurani had said they might go well with Andorian Prawns, and the next thing Tanj knew they were heading for the mess hall. When had she agreed to THAT? And yet somehow, she had the feeling she had, even if indirectly\x85..

The mess hall was only moderately crowded, but somehow all heads turned to look as the newcomers led Tanj in. Standing in the serving line, Tanj found the big Kurani talking to Travis, from Recon. Within moments he was telling her his life story, describing how he\x92d come to be with the Black Fleet, and what he did there. The line moved slowly, and somehow Tanj found she couldn\x92t get a word in edgewise, although no one but Travis seemed to be talking. Everyone else was just listening, and staring.

Jinx clapped her paws in delight as the cook brought out a big pan of stuffed, fried mushrooms. "Oh, you read my mind!" The cook smiled shyly; "Don\x92t often make them; not everyone like them."

Kittiara leaned over and looked at the pan; "What did you stuff them with?"

The Cook got a puzzled look on his face; "Believe it or not, I decided to try a new recipe. Usually I stuff them with Neptunian Crabs, but today I decided I\x92d use some Andorian Prawns."

The Kurani smiled; "I think that sounds absolutely delicious!"

Tanj just stared, her mouth hanging open.

A table came open as they left the serving line, and the trio made their way to it. Kittiara sat, and bowed her head, paws folded, eyes closed, for a moment before sampling the pile of stuffed mushrooms on her plate.

Tanj found that little ritual interesting and made a mental note to ask her about it later. "What I wanted to talk to you about was this "Cabal" thing you mentioned the other day, and how Jenka fit into it."

The Kurani popped another stuffed mushroom into her mouth and nodded; "Of course\x85. Oh, Hello, Zassa! Who\x92s this?"

Tanj\x92s head snapped around, and she found herself looking up at Zassa, nude except for a rope harness, and holding her leash, Chris Foxx." Before Zassa could speak, Kittiara\x92s gaze dropped to the ropes; "And what\x92s this?"

---

"And so, you see, by performing self-bondage, she makes an offering of submissiveness to her master."

Kittiara grinned; "That\x92s very interesting, Master Chris. So what are your plans for her further training? What\x92s next?" She looked around the Fox, at the Vixen; "And Zassa, what are your thoughts on this? Do you think he\x92s finding the weak points in your training? Are his efforts meeting YOUR needs?"

Tanj listened to the Kurani talking to Chris Foxx, and Zassa. There was something about her style, the way she subtly directed the conversation, that bothered her. As Chris expounded on his philosophy on how to properly train a slave, punctuated with specific examples as to how he was working with Zassa, the Cheetah\x92s frown deepened. The conversation was definitely being led; subtly guided, Chris being maneuvered so that his full plan for the Vixen was revealed\x85. It almost sounded like a very subtle interrogation\x85\x85..

Chris sighed; "Lets talk more about this later; I\x92ve got quite a few more ideas I think you\x92d find interesting. Unfortunately, I\x92m due on duty in a few minutes."

Kittiara smiled; "And you still have to get something to eat. Yes, I\x92d love to. I\x92ve got a few thoughts myself that you might find\x85 relevant."

As Chris turned and padded off, Zassa grinned and waved bye, from the end of her leash.

After the Fox, and Vixen had left, Tanj turned to the Kurani; "who do you work for?"

Kittiara looked at her, a little wide-eyed; "I beg your pardon?"

Tanj\x92s smile was a bit brittle; "you heard me; you\x92re much too good. Are you with Kurani Intelligence? Did they send you here? What are you REALLY after?"

Kittiara shot the Skunkette a look, and they both exploded into laughter.

Tanj frowned; she didn\x92t think the concept was THAT funny, and yet they were both laughing so hard, they were literally rolling around on the floor\x85.. Furrs around the Mess Hall were turning to stare. Deciding that getting mad would be counter-productive, the Cheetah forced herself to just sit and wait it out.

Finally the Kurani caught her breath, and managed to pull herself back into her seat; "Oh, that\x92s a good one. I\x92ll have to tell Hrral that when I see him\x85."

Jinx, sitting on the floor, proceeded to devolve into a series of Hiccups and Kittiara rose and hurried around the table to pat her on the back\x85..

Three decks below, every third light tube in the recreation area flickered and went out, including the lights directly over the pool table. This, just as the challenger made the shot that might win her the Third Division championship. In the main Holotheater, the primary element in the projector exploded, just as the detective was about to reveal who the murderer was\x85\x85.

"Put a bag over her head; she\x92s hyperventilating."

Kittiara shook her head; "Don\x92t HAVE a bag\x85.. Wait a minute\x85. Let me think\x85. She held the Skunkette\x92s head, and stared into her eyes.

A moment later Jinx let out a squeal and pulled herself from the Kurani\x92s grasp; "Hey, That HURT!"

Kittiara sighed; "Sorry; desperate measures\x85 but\x85 it did cure the hiccups, didn\x92t it?"

Jinx blinked and then nodded; "Yeah. Yeah, it did. Get a napkin, your nose is bleeding again."

Tanj sighed; "OK, she\x92s better; now answer the question\x85. Please."

Kittiara resumed her seat; "Oh, its simple. As I told you, I\x92m a writer. I\x92m just looking for material for my next book. That\x92s how I got here, after all."

Jinx chuckled; "Yeah. Digging for material is more like it." The Skunkette grinned; "Has she told you what KIND of book she\x92s working on?" At the Cheetah\x92s blank look, the Skunkette laughed again; "She decided to research the curious custom here of sex slaves; managed to get herself kidnapped, enslaved, sold, and trained, just so she could write a book about it!" The Skunkette giggled, the giggle ending abruptly with a hiccup. In the kitchen, the sound of breaking dishes and muted curses could be heard.

Kittiara glared at her sternly, and the Skunkette, covered her mouth with a paw as if she\x92d made a major indiscretion. Turning to the Cheetah, Kittiara confided; "When she gets the hiccups, well, she looses control a little, and things happen\x85"

Tanj shook her head; "Quit changing the subject! You\x85. You\x92re here to gather material for a book on sex slaves!" Kittiara nodded; "can you think of a better way to gather material? Oh, I\x92ve had quite a few adventures since I left home! Got enough material for several books, I think." She grinned; "Especially this last adventure we just had. I could almost call it "Practical Applications of sl\x85."

The Cheetah leaned forward, elbow on knee, and growled at her; "Prove it."

The Kurani blinked; "Prove\x85 Prove what? That I\x92m a writer?"

The Cheetah nodded; "First off, I want you to prove to me that you can spin a story that will keep others listening. So far, all I\x92ve heard YOU do is listen, and duck giving answers. THEN, if I\x92m satisfied, I\x92ll tell you of an adventure we had. You write the book; if the book sells well, I\x92ll see that you get home. If it sells poorly, I\x92ll see that you get additional "material" on the life of sex slaves. Deal?"

Kittiara grinned at the Skunkette; "I love a win/win situation." Turning back she nodded; "Deal. Now tell me the story\x85.

Tanj grinned; "There was a place called Nikkeldepain\x85..

---

The old Jaguar put down the PADD and sighed; he looked up at his old friend and closest associate; "Well, it looks as if he\x92s screwed up again."

The Elephant nodded; "true. The plan was overly complex, and too clever by far."

The Jaguar looked down at the PADD again; "I see we\x92re going to have to pay a pretty penny to get Mikhael back."

The Elephant laughed; "Oh, he\x92s worth it. That boy will make Admiral some day, and a good one too. Mark my word." The Elephant took a sip of his Thai iced tea and then smiled; "He showed great wisdom in breaking off the engagement when he thought there was nothing left to be gained. Common sense like that isn\x92t, well, very common."

The old Jaguar nodded; "True." Silence reigned for a while, and then the Jaguar tossed the PADD onto the coffee table; "So\x85 What do you think we should do?"

The Elephant shrugged; "About who? Mikhael? Ruprecht? Jenka?" He grinned; "The dashing Captain Ky? Or perhaps the Kurani Amabassador\x92s mate?" The Elephant\x92s grin widened; "Or perhaps you mean Morganthau? He\x92s sure to raise hell over this. Or maybe Von Frocke? He still has a lot of friends in the Military; who knows what he might engineer behind the scenes? Ah, and then there\x92s the lovely Baroness, and her daughter. I can well imagine what THEY will say, in Imperial Society."

The old Jaguar winced; "You have convinced me things have gotten about as screwed up as I\x92m willing to let them get. Yes, there will be fallout from this little fiasco, in financial circles, in military circles, in high society, and even, as I\x92m sure our dear friend the Sultan will make sure, in the Imperial Court as well. The question is, what to DO about them?"

The Elephant smiled, took another sip of his tea, and leaned forward; "Old friend, I know you too well. I KNOW what\x92s in your heart of hearts. And that leads me to a recommendation, a course of action, that will probably astound those "in the know". In fact, they\x92ll find it so unreasonable, they\x92ll be sure you\x92re up to something."

The Jaguar frowned; "And that is?" The Elephant sat back and grinned; "Nothing." After a moment\x92s silence, he continued; "Do nothing. The situation WILL sort itself out. You KNOW Ruprecht. He couldn\x92t possibly pull off what he wants to. He isn\x92t competent enough. SOMEONE will stop him, someone competent. And that\x92s what you want, isn\x92t it? Someone competent to handle the situation?"

The old Jaguar sighed; "You do know me too well. But\x85.."

The Elephant nodded; "Competence has been proven. Many times in general, but in this most recent incident in specific. Its only foolish pride, and attitude that are slowing things down. Tell me; could YOU have handled the situation in the field any better?"

The old Jaguar just laughed; "point taken".

Meanwhile, back on Elysium:

The Collie was pretty, if you liked long hair. And he did. The Alsatian took the Thermos, and tucked it under his arm. She smiled and waved goodbye. As she left, the Alsatian watched the way her ass, and her tail moved. With a sigh, he turned, opening the rear door and putting the thermos where Comrade Xyloff could easily reach it. Then he took a quick walk around the aircar. Comrade Secretary was becoming increasingly\x85 well, "picky", and it would be best if everything was in perfect order\x85..

---

"But Comrade Secretary, that unit just isn\x92t strong enough to hold that position. It doesn\x92t matter how determined they are, it doesn\x92t matter how politically reliable they are, if the enemy finds out that\x92s all that is holding that portion of the border, you can expect at least a raid, if not a major incursion!"

The Wolverine drew himself up to his full height and glared at the Field Marshal; "They will HAVE to hold. There is nothing else that they can do. There are no other units to send there, without creating still worse situations elsewhere. Tell them, that if they don\x92t hold, they\x92ll be shot as cowards and counterrevolutionaries!" Turning, the Wolverine stormed from the command center.

The Field Marshal watched him go. When the door had closed, and the telltales indicating that the room was free of spy devices had flashed from red to green, he sighed. "you know, Igor, if I tell the brave troops of the 37^th Guards Army something like that, it will only guarantee that they\x92ll surrender at the first sign of an attack."

The Colonel nodded; "The reason there aren\x92t any other units to put in that area, I think, is because of the desertion rate. I hear the 43^rd Shock Army is down to 10% of its paper strength."

The Field Marshal winced. "Well, we\x92ll just have to do what we can, with what we\x92ve got\x85"

The Colonel stared at the now-closed doors and sighed; "Actually, I wonder if the solution to our troubles doesn\x92t lie a little closer at hand\x85."

---

Xyloff paused outside the door, and winced. Something wasn\x92t right. He just wasn\x92t feeling right. It wasn\x92t indigestion, but it was similar\x85. Forcing it down, ignoring it, he resumed his march; there were too many things to do, too many details that required his PERSONAL touch. Otherwise some idiot was sure to screw it up!

---

The Major tried not to stare. He did his best to keep his face neutral, and his tail still. It wasn\x92t every day that the Secretary of the Party came to visit. The Wolverine was pacing, asking random furrs wildly disparate questions about the operation of the Supply Regiment. When he\x92d finally run down, he paced over to the Major and stared at him for a moment. "Changes have to be made, to improve the efficiency of your unit. As you may not have the authority to make the changes, I\x92ll make them for you. From now on, you will issue supplies ONLY on receipt of a signed authorization from the Division commander himself. There\x92s way too many critical items going out the door, and I want to make sure they go to those that need them the most! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD? Other instructions will follow!" The Wolverine turned and stormed off through the tent\x92s flap. A moment later, the sound of his aircar lifting off was heard.

The Major waited until he was SURE the Secretary was gone. Then he cautiously peeked from the tent, as if not believing his own senses. With a sigh he turned back to look at his Master Sergeant. The Master Sergeant handed him a cup of what passed for coffee these days, and just grinned; "Talk about micro-management. I\x92m surprised he didn\x92t demand that HE authorize all the requisitions himself!" The Major nodded; "They\x92re going to love this up at Division. The Division commander just got promoted to supply clerk\x85..

---

Xyloff looked at the sloshing liquid in the bottom of his travel mug and sighed. Something was giving him heartburn. Maybe it was his busy schedule, but he just hadn\x92t been feeling right. Reluctantly, he pulled out his laptop, and called up his schedule. Somewhere in there he\x92d have to make time to see that quack that called himself his "personal physician".

---

The Minister of Agriculture studied the Chief of the First Intelligence Directorate. How could the Muskrat look so calm when everything was coming down around their ears? Forcing his attention back to the central committee meeting, he watched the Wolverine, in the guise of the Defense Minister, argue with the Finance Minister. The latter wasn\x92t budging. There just wasn\x92t any more funds for what the Wolverine wanted. Oh, they could use forced labor gangs, but those always turned out shoddy work, and even that, at a snail\x92s pace, despite the brutality. The Wolverine just didn\x92t want to hear it. As the Wolverine devolved into another one of his tirades, the Minister of Agriculture let his mind drift again\x85\x85

The sound of his name snapped his attention back; everyone was looking at him. Rising, he cued the slide projector, and started the presentation that he\x92d been dreading; the presentation that he thought would probably end his life\x85.

"And so, Comrades, we have fairly significant proof that the Blues are trading with unknown aliens for advanced technology. And Coffee seems to be their chief export, although we have reason to believe there is something else, as of yet unidentified, that they\x92re trading with." The Wolverine opened his mouth to speak, probably with a blistering retort on the tip of his tongue; however, the Muskrat beat him to it. The phrase was simple, if electrifying; "The First Intelligence Directorate concurs with the Minister of Agriculture. Our investigations confirm his conclusions."

The Central Committee meeting dissolved as a dozen conversations started all at once.

It was the Wolverine\x92s roar that brought things back under control. The Wolverine glared at the Muskrat, and then growled; "If our esteemed Chief of the First Intelligence Directorate confirms this, then as incredible as it seems, we must take it as fact. We cannot allow enemies of the state to have such an advantage over the People. Therefore we MUST do two things. We must cause trade between the Blues and the Aliens to cease, and we must find our own allies among the stars. Surely these aliens themselves are not without\x85. Rivals." He looked back at the Muskrat; "what plans have you for dealing with this?"

The Muskrat smiled a gentle smile; "Working with my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture, we have come up with a blight that we believe will decimate their coffee crop. Surely the aliens will be upset with the lack of trade\x85" He grinned around the table; "I know how some of you, dear colleagues, are, when you haven\x92t had a cup in the morning!" Looking back at the Wolverine, he smiled; "It will give us an opportunity to offer them a substitute. Tea."

The Minister of Agriculture nodded; "While coffee does not grow well in the climates we control, we do have sizable tea resources. All we have to do is convince them its superior\x85"

A voice down the table muttered; "Not to mention contacting them in the first place." The Wolverine\x92s head snapped around, and he searched for the owner of the voice; after a moment he growled; "That will be left to the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Communications. I will expect a plan from them, on my desk, by morning!" Looking up at the Muskrat, he growled; "See to it that the Blues\x92 coffee crop is destroyed. Immediately!"

The Muskrat just smiled; "Already under way, Comrade Secretary."

After the meeting broke up, the Minister of Agriculture hurried to catch up with the Muskrat; "Alexi! ALEXI! Why didn\x92t you tell me you had a plan?"

The Muskrat stopped and regarded him with the same soft smile; "My dear friend; I don\x92t. At least not yet. But I will, before our esteemed comrade secretary has a chance to check."

The Minister of Agriculture swallowed and nodded; "So\x85 what are you going to do?"

The Muskrat shrugged; "I\x92m going to try and find a way to poison the coffee crop. Surely your scientists know of things that will work in our favor? Molds? Fungi? Diseases? Damaging insects?"

The Minister of Agruculture nodded; "Yes, there are several, but mostly they\x92re easily treatable."

The Muskrat nodded; "Well, then we\x92ll just have to pass them through the biological warfare labs we don\x92t have, and see if we can\x92t make them more resistant to countermeasures." The Muskrat sighed; "The trick will be delivery. Recently, so many of my best agents just haven\x92t come back from their missions. Dead, or, I fear, worse, deserted. I really don\x92t have much left in the field anymore\x85\x85"

The Muskrat brightened; "But don\x92t worry, old friend; with luck, it\x92ll all work out!"

The Minister of Agriculture watched as the Muskrat walked off. "He knows something. He knows something he\x92s not telling me\x85" he muttered to himself. As he turned to head back to his office, the Minister of Agriculture wondered if the Muskrat knew something about sabotaging the coffee crop\x85 or if he knew something about an assassination attempt on comrade Xyloff? Such thoughts were better left unthought, he decided, turning his mind on how to damage a perfectly good crop\x85..

---

It was later that day, when his secretary stuck her head in; "Minister, the Chief of the First Intelligence Directorate is here to see you\x85" Concern was writ large on her face. The Minister smiled and waved a paw; "Show him in, please."

The Muskrat came through the door, followed by an attractive Tigress, and an Otteress. The Minister looked at the Tigress for a moment; she seemed quite familiar; certainly she worked somewhere in one of the Ministries\x85. Looking over at the Muskrat, he found he was involved with some handheld gizmo\x85 And then it hit him; he was scanning for eavesdropping devices. Nodding, the Muskrat smiled, and pulled out a small plastic case. Flipping a switch he set it on the Minister\x92s desk; "There; we should be able to talk in private now." Before the Minister could ask if that meant his office was bugged, the Muskrat started talking; "I won\x92t introduce my friends here; lets just say that in the course of my duties their activities came to my attention." He grinned at the two ladies, who shied away under his benevolent gaze. Turning back, he smiled; "Lets just say that while their activities, on a higher plane, SHOULD have been legal, and perhaps in some places, even welcome, what they were doing was\x85. Most ill considered."

The Minister of Agriculture looked at the ladies and then back; "And that was\x85?"

The Muskrat smiled; "They were investigating the background of our esteemed comrade secretary himself. And they\x92ve uncovered some VERY interesting things. Things I thought you might need to know about."

The Minister thought rapidly. Not "want to know about" or "ought to know about" but NEED to know about\x85 What WAS this? Looking up, he swallowed hard and nodded; "Go on\x85.."

---

Dana wiped her brow, and finished; "And thus, Minister, it would seem that there is at least a good chance that Comrade Xyloff, or more properly, Xylex, murdered his wife." Trish nodded; "Or had her murdered. We\x92ve already related how he handled his daughter\x92s kidnapping, a matter not fully reported to the police."

The Muskrat nodded; "I suspect, if these facts were known, perhaps, just perhaps, the Party might decide to elect a new secretary\x85."

The Minister of Agriculture nodded slowly; "True, if anyone survived the telling\x85. But\x85 why tell me?"

The Muskrat smiled; "Oh, I just wanted to be assured of your support, when the time comes."

The Minister of Agriculture nodded; "Certainly; if these facts can be substantiated, it casts serious doubts on his\x85. Mental processes, and possibly his sanity." Under his breath he muttered; "I always did think he had a touch of megalomania\x85."

The Muskrat nodded and gestured to the ladies; "I\x92ll count on you, when it comes to a vote then. Thank you, and good day."

The Minister of Agriculture watched them leave. Could it really be solved so simply as with a vote? He hoped so. They\x92d had enough violence. More than enough. Turning back to his computer, he wondered where he\x92d been, what he\x92d been doing when they came in. It seemed like aeons ago\x85.

---

Xyloff pulled his shirt back on, and looked at the physician; "Well?"

The Physician shrugged; "Simple, Comrade Xyloff; you have Hypertension. High Blood Pressure. When you get mad, you have problems."

The Wolverine scowled; "These days there is a LOT to get mad at, Comrade Physician; there are an awful lot of inept furrs out there that are NOT making my job any easier! Why, I could tell you\x85.."

The Physician watched the Wolverine pause, a wince passing across his face; "See? Let me prescribe a simple medication for you. Take it in the morning, and you should have no more trouble."

The Wolverine just nodded; "OK\x85"

Parks watched the gauges in amazement. The mass conversion reactor had run flawlessly for a week now. At least under their tentative tests, and "minor" loads. Smiling wryly, the Lynx wondered if that meant he\x92d have to start putting the Overlord back together around it. Corridors were torn up, and compartments violated as the new power conduits had been run in a semi-logical fashion from the new heart of the ship. Warp drive trials had been "interesting" but they\x92d survived, and he\x92d even tuned the engines so that they ran half-way decently. He still had a lot of work to do there, but at least they could travel, if they had to.

Now weapons, that was a different matter entirely. Most of the weapons tests they\x92d run had ended rather abruptly with the weapons themselves blowing up, from what was simply too much power. He really was going to have to come up with a better power regulator\x85. Still, work in that area was also progressing\x85. Maybe not as fast as Ben wanted, but it was progressing.

The bright side, of all of the changes was that the Overlord also had new shields. A meld of the alien and Imperial technology, the Overlord now probably had the most powerful shields in known space. The entire mass reactor could go up, consuming the entire ship, and while the shield generators remained, the entire titanic explosion would be contained. Amazing. So much power.

Parks wondered if the engineer that had brought the first matter/antimatter reactor on line, or further back, the one that had pulled the trigger on the first fusion reactor had felt this way?

---

The Lion sat in the full lotus position, eyes closed. He was getting better and better at approaching the alpha-brainwave state necessary to interact with the Brou device. And it seemed to be getting better at interfacing with him, too. Maybe it was the aliens, acting as a "rosetta stone" that was facilitating things. As the first tendrils of thought passed each other, the Lion smiled. The Brou device was happy, or at least as happy as he\x92d ever experienced it. It finally had all the power it desired.

The Brou device wanted to go home. The Lion didn\x92t have a clue WHY, it just did. It wanted to go back to the Brou. Maybe those minds were the only ones it was truly comfortable in dealing with. In any event, it had been opening "windows" into other places; windows much MUCH further away than anything the aliens had attempted with their copycat devices. The windows were held open just long enough for a sensor cluster on the end of a pole, to look around, take recordings, and then the pole was retracted, a new window opened, and the process repeated. In the three days they\x92d been at it, they\x92d examined several hundred locations. And so far they hadn\x92t chanced on ANYTHING that looked remotely familiar. The Brou device was undaunted. IT felt that it could search for centuries if it had to; eventually it would find something.

The Lion wasn\x92t sure he had that much time\x85.

The Aliens, now they\x92d been putting their copies of the Brou device to, according to them, much more practical uses. Starting with the courier service, they\x92d been gradually expanding, firing at first small ships and then whole freighters across their rapidly expanding trade empire. They had a different philosophy; they wanted a "gate", a gate in each system that would let them send rather simple freighters to other places. They felt this was more secure, as if a freighter was hijacked, the hijackers wouldn\x92t gain the technology they\x92d fought so hard to develop.

The Lion disagreed; he wanted a device that would fit on a ship, to allow the ship to go anywhere. Of course, he had interests other than trade. Exploration, for one, and of course, combat, a philosophy largely, well, "Alien" to the locals. The aliens seemed to tolerate his interests as long as he was willing to pay for the development of smaller devices, and the mass conversion powerplants that would be needed to power them. So far, a large part of his share of the profits were being devoted to that.

Things were looking good. Most of the competition had collapsed; his alien allies were just undercutting anyone with traditional ships. There had been attempts at sabotage, attempts at espionage, but so far they\x92d all been deflected. The only real problem was\x85 finding where "home" was. They couldn\x92t go home until they found it.

<<<a signal, wait for>>> That was what the Brou machine always said. That and <<<Patience>>>. The Lion sighed, and nodded, almost loosing the alpha brainwave state. Patience was easy for a machine. Eventually, someone in the Empire would develop something like this. Probably Tanj, if he knew her. The thought made him smile. When they did, whoever did, the Brou machine said that he\x92d be able to detect the disturbance in the time/space continuum, and home in on it. The Lion wondered about that. Weren\x92t the Brou using devices similar to it? Couldn\x92t it pick up THOSE emanations? Was no one else in the Universe using this technology (and if not, was there a reason?). Shoving those thoughts aside, he tried to concentrate on the "exploration" schedule. Parks had some concerns about resource management, and the sensor bouys the Brou device wanted to deploy. Astrophysics had a few suggestions\x85. Now, expressing them clearly to the Brou device, that was going to be the problem.

This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any characters, living, dead or imaginary is purely a coincidence. Tanj is copyright Kittiara's player. Kittiara can be found on Furrymuck; telnet 24.164.231.38 8888. Jenka, Hinoki, Chris Fox, Roland, Sashi, Sabina, Dynotaku, Doodles, and Zassa are copyright their players (Jenka, Chris Foxx, Dynotaku, Doodles, Sabina and Zassa can be found on FurryMuck, and Hinoki on Tapestries or on FurryMuck. Sashi is copyright her player. Chris Foxx is copyright Bondofox. Roland is copyright IronBadger. Hopefully I didn\x92t miss anyone\x85. Copyright 2003. Comments, suggestions, or flames can be directed to ha_seng@hotmail.com.