Stardate 2399.34
 

Tanj groaned as consciousness returned.  She seemed to
be lying, face up, on the floor, and in fact, she had a
good view of the cafeteria's ceiling.  As she tried to work
some feeling back into her arms and legs, she came to the
startling conclusion that she was unfettered.  And sore;
very sore.  Her shoulders hurt, her hips hurt, her wrists
and her ankles hurt, all her muscles ached as if she'd run
a marathon.…  and then she remembered.  The madness that
seemed to be gripping everyone; the sexual frenzy that
seemed to be pervading the Brethren.  And no one was
minding the store….  Struggling to sit up she looked
around, her gaze passing over the still form of the Mink,
to settle on the concerned face of Mindy.  The Mouse just
sat there, on the floor, cross-legged, staring at her, a
worried look on her face.  "Tanj, what's going on around
here" she stage whispered, her head turning to look over
her shoulder as if afraid.  "Everyone seems to have gone
crazy!  You wouldn't believe what I've been through in the
last couple of days!"  Tanj grunted as she tried to work
the kinks out of her arms; "Yes, I know; we're all in great
danger.  Something's happened to almost everyone on the
station; they all seem to have gone mad in a sexually
related way.  I've seen some pretty amazing sights myself."
Tanj paused to stretch again, and Mindy nodded; "do you
think this is …….. natural?  Some form of space madness?
Or do you think……"  Tanj grinned; "Yes, of course I
suspect foul play.  In fact, I suspect a pathogen; some
disease that we've been infected with.  The vector is
obvious.  I think this is all just a prelude to some sort
of attack.  Tell you what; see if you can get to
Engineering, and check on things there.  I'm going to head
down to Medical and see if there's anyone there that can
start working on some sort of counter-agent.  Then I'll try
and make it up to Ops, or to Auxiliary Control, and see
what I can do about bringing some weapons on line."  Mindy
just nodded and rose to her feet; looking at Tanj she
sighed; "I won't ask you why you're not as messed up as
everyone else is around here, I don't know why I haven't
caught it myself….."  Tanj just shrugged; "I think I've
had a mild case.  I think it got to me for a while, but now
I'm "feeling better."  But you… how are you faring, if
you're not infected?  Mindy smiled and shrugged, and for
the first time, Tanj realized the Mouse was nude; "Oh,
I've had some rough times…. And some fun times…..  No one
seems really violent, just…. Insistent.  Its like this was
bringing out everyone's dominant, or submissive side…."
Tanj nodded, and muttered an "uh-huh, well, Good Luck"
and turning, staggered towards the door, and the corridor
towards Medical.

Mindy smiled as she watched her go.  Twice she'd
encountered "hunting parties" on her way up from her
station in Engineering.  Both times the sex had been wild,
plentiful, and forceful, but not exactly unpleasant.  No,
not at all unpleasant………  Turning, the Mouse hastily fixed
herself a sandwich, and then hurried off, back the way
she'd come.  As she walked, she wondered if she'd make it
back there without being "caught" again.  And then,
smiling, she wondered if she really wanted to be caught……

Tanj listened, her ears straining.  Somewhere down the
corridor, a couple was making passionate love; she could
hear the moans and the grunts, and even the sound of bodies
coming together……  Probably she could sneak past them as
they were otherwise occupied, but as she stood there,
listening, she found her own right paw softly stroking her
mons……..  It was obvious that she still had a mild case of
whatever was afflicting them…..  Smiling she shook her head
no; she couldn't risk it; perhaps they'd reach out and grab
her, to pull her down with them…. And perhaps she wouldn't
be able to resist….

Things were quiet as Tanj snuck into Medical, holding
herself flat against the wall as she looked around.  It was
an amazing scene of normalcy… everything in its place.  But
quiet.  She was about to head back through the door when
Wanda, in a green nurse's set of scrubs, came around the
corner.  Tanj blinked at the Wolverine for a moment in
amazement; Wanda stared back in equal shock; "Tanj!
What's HAPPENED to you?  You're a MESS!"  Tanj just
swallowed and nodded; "Uh, Wanda, something VERY strange is
going on out there!"  Wanda cocked her head to one side and
then nodded slowly; "I kinda figured something was up when
my relief didn't show up, and then when I couldn't get
anyone on the comm…..   I couldn't go out and look for
anyone; SOMEONE had to cover the emergency room……  What IS
going on out there?"

Tanj sighed and shook her head; "I'd say it looks like
everyone on the station's gone sex-crazy… I think its some
sort of biological warfare attack.  The station's
completely undefended.  I thought that someone here might
be able to get started on identifying the agent, and
perhaps work to counteract it…. But it looks like
they're……"  Wanda nodded; "That would explain Dr.
Narayanan…. We…. Had a rash of flu-like symptoms oh, about
72 hours ago.  Similar to the symptoms you had, in fact.
Dr. Narayanan was on duty, and saw most of them……  Then he
complained of feeling hot, flushed….."  Wanda chuckled and
shook her head; "and then he made a pass at me.  I had to
decline…. Rather forcefully I'm afraid……  He left and I
haven't seen him since…"  Tanj blinked, trying for a
moment to imagine the slender Mongoose putting the moves on
Wanda.. She was big enough to tie him in a knot…..  For a
moment, she had the mental image of a Mongoose tied in a
knot trying to escape down the corridor and had to suppress
a giggle.  Then Wanda got a hurt look on her face, and
Tanj waved a paw; "Oh, Wanda, I'm SURE it was just the
good Doctor under the influence of whatever this is.  Did
you have that problem with anyone else?"  Wanda chuckled;
"there were two, or three that came by, but when I made it
obvious I wasn't interested, they wandered off."  Tanj
nodded; "well, you'd better stay here; they're no longer
taking No for an answer.  I'm going to head out and see if
I can find a way to attend to the station's defenses.  By
the way, do you have any idea why YOU didn't catch whatever
this is?  You must have been exposed……"  Wanda just
grinned; "I told you; I never get sick; must be some sort
of natural immunity."  Tanj nodded and rose, to head for
the door.  Stopping, she turned to look back; "Um, you
didn't tie Narayanan in a knot, did you?"  Wanda just
grinned and gave a little shake of her head, no.  Tanj
nodded, and waved and headed back out into the corridor.

Hannah sighed, and shook her head once again, trying to
dislodge the gag.  She'd been sound asleep, exhausted,
entwined in a pile of furry bodies when the crowd had burst
into Ops.  Several of the sleeping furrs had been roughly
grabbed, designated as "prey", bound in some manner or
other, and sent off at the run.  She'd watched Evie
hobbled, her arms bound behind her, a line from her rope
collar to her ankles bending her over double.  She
struggled as she sought to put distance between herself and
the hunters that were soon to follow.  Gus had a similar
problem; they'd tied his ankles to his thighs, and he was
forced to crawl on hands and knees.  As he scurried off,
Hannah thought the Otter was rather enjoying himself; he
had the biggest grin on his face.  And the biggest
erection.  For her own part, she'd gotten off rather
lightly, a gag buckled in place, filling her mouth, and her
arms tightly tied behind her back at wrist and elbow.
Wouldn't have been any trouble at all to run fast, and keep
ahead of them, except for the weighted nipple clamps they'd
added, almost as an afterthought.  Now, with each step she
took, the weights bounced, the clamps tugging sharply at
her nipples…. And yet, as she ran, searching for a good
hiding place, there was something about the situation that
excited her……  She just couldn't deny the wetness between
her thighs as she thought about a dozen hunters chasing
her…..

Kath groaned and opened her eyes.  Her head HURT.  Her
muscles were stiff, and her hands and feet felt heavy, as
if they'd been weighted.  And her throat felt constricted,
as if her shirt collar was too tight.  Blinking, she looked
around in confusion.  This wasn't her cabin on the Liner…..
how in the world had she gotten HERE?  In fact, where WAS
here?  Struggling to sit up, she raised one paw to brush
back some hair from her face, and froze.  There was a
leather cuff on her wrist.  A LOCKED leather cuff on her
wrist.  It didn't look like something you'd find on a
prisoner… more like something you'd find on a slave, or
someone playing at those silly bondage games……

Tanj heard footsteps echoing down the corridor, and
rapidly ducked into a half-open doorway.  She wasn't really
surprised to see a nude and bound vixen trot past……
stepping out into the corridor, she stage-whispered; "Hey
YOU!  Stop a Minute!"

Hannah turned to see the Cheetah Fem emerge from a doorway.
Groaning to herself, she sank to her knees, thinking;
"Dammit, its too soon to be caught already!  I wanted a
reward, not a punishment!….."

Tanj padded over to the kneeling Vixen and squatted next
to her; "Bet you're wrapped up in the Hunt, aren't you?"
The Vixen nodded.  Tanj grinned; "tell you what.  I'll
see that you get a nice reward when this is all done, if
you do me a little favor.  I want you to go find the
nearest hunting party.  Act as if you've blundered into
them by accident, and then turn and run.  There's an orgy
in progress down in Accounting, and I want you to lead them
there.  This is important; can you do this for me?"

Hannah blinked, and looked at the Cheetah from the corners
of her eyes, as if skeptical, but finally she nodded
tentatively.  "What have I got to loose" she thought to
herself; "If I don't do as she asks, I'll be punished
anyways.  Maybe this way I can earn an extra reward……."

Tanj grinned and rose; "Thanks; this is important, and
I'll see you get something nice if you pull it off."
Without another word, Tanj turned and trotted off down
the corridor.

Hannah watched the nude Cheetah depart and sighed; turning,
she started walking back the way she'd come……

Kath couldn't believe this.  Not only wasn't she in her
cabin on the Liner, she was naked, wearing locked cuffs on
ankles and wrists, a locked collar around her throat, and
to her absolute amazement and disgust, someone had pierced
both her nipples!  Her fur was a matted, sticky mess, and
it was obvious that she'd been raped multiple times….. At
least she thought she'd been raped; she couldn't imagine
herself indulging in sex to THAT extent, and especially
with someone she didn't know.  After all, she was an
Imperial Agent; she had to be discrete…..  Rising, she
padded to the exit from the…… cafeteria?…  and looked down
the corridor. Where WAS she?  Wherever she was, she had to
get out of here, get to someplace safe, and contact her
department, let them know that she'd been compromised…..
Steeling herself to the unknown, she started down the
corridor, incredibly aware of her nakedness, and of the
feeling of the rings in her nipples moving as she moved…….

Tanj grinned as she slipped through the door into
Auxiliary Control.  She'd managed to avoid the few furrs
wandering the corridors, and to her delight Aux. Control
was deserted.  Sensors were off line.  Shields were off
line….. Weapons were off line…. With increasing
desperation, Tanj moved from Console to Console….
Finally she turned and dashed quickly over to the
Engineering Console.  Her fingers flying over the keyboard,
she started checking power flows……

Hannah let out a muffled "EEP" as she came around the
corner…. and saw one of the Hunting Parties.  Turning, she
ran, wiggling her bottom as best she could as she fled in
the direction of Personnel, the howls and cries of the
furrs behind her becoming louder and louder as they grew
closer……

Tanj Groaned!  She couldn't get ANYTHING to work.
Somewhere between the fusion generators and the control
relays, something had been turned off.  Aux Control was
useless, until those connections were restored!  Sighing,
she turned to look at the door.  Engineering was a LONG way
away…  But there was nothing to do but head down there and
try and restore power….   Opening the door a crack, she
looked out, checking both ways…..  And then sliding
through, she started jogging down a side corridor…..

Kath blinked and looked left and right. "I do NOT remember
Pharrpoint station looking like this" she growled to
herself.  Hearing voices down one of the corridors, she
wondered; dare she approach them, seeking help, or should
she, naked and collared, avoid them?  After a moment's
indecision, she turned, to head away from the voices… but
when she turned, she found herself staring into the eyes of
a rather large, and completely naked Lion…….  The Lion
rumbled; "well, look what we have here!  An escaped slave!"
As the Lion turned to grin at the furrs accompanying him,
Kath turned to run, to flee…. Only to be brought up short
as the Lion's huge paw grabbed the end of her tail; "I see
our prey doesn't know how to behave, either!"  The gray
Wolf next to the Lion chuckled; "Oh, I think we can teach
her how to behave……..  And the Ferret on the other side of
the Lion chuckled softly, his head  nodding up and down…….

Hannah shouldered her way into the Personnel office, and
looked around.  She'd been told by the Cheetah that there
was a large orgy in progress here…. And the obvious idea
was to get the hunting party sucked into the orgy,
distracting them from their hunt……  But now the room was
deserted.  Papers were strewn everywhere, and a number of
desks had been pushed against the wall to provide an open
space…..  Hurriedly she looked about, seeking a place to
hide….. and then the door slammed open behind her.  There
was nothing to do but to fall to her knees, assuming the
proper position, and await her punishment…..

Kath groaned, and struggled feebly; they'd forced her to
kneel, and then a fur had taken hold of either of her arms,
holding them straight out from her body to the sides,
forcing her to arch her back just a little.  Kath was VERY
aware of how this forced posture made her breasts stand out
proudly, her nipples prominent…. She could still feel the
little rings in her nipples move with each breath she
took……  The Lion had stepped up between her spread knees
and had presented his cock to her mouth, forcing her to
take it, to lick it, to suck it…… she squirmed, but there
was no escape; the ones holding her were too strong.  And
as she was forced to suck the Lion's cock, something inside
her melted; to free a small, bright point of light within
her soul.  As the Lion wrapped one paw in her hair, to hold
her head, as his hips started to move, driving his cock in
and out of her mouth, until its head repeatedly bumped the
back of her throat, some small part of her came alive, and
she realized that somehow, some way, she liked being used
like this…….

Tanj heard the sounds from down the corridor.  It was
unmistakable; the groans of a Male, the muffled noises of a
female….. someone was getting a blowjob, and from the sound
of it, he was loving it.  Grinning, Tanj turned to
tiptoe down a side corridor, seeking to bypass the
obstruction……

Sam grinned; it was obvious her attention was on the
corridor behind her; as she moved, silent as a ghost,
graceful as only a feline could be, her head was turned to
look over her right shoulder……  For a moment, Sam watched
how her breasts bounced with each step, a soft, fluid
motion…. And then he was springing from the shadows,
driving himself forward, to slam into her middle, knocking
her to the floor.  Heinz and Pam were right behind him,
helping him to pin the Cheetah to the deck.  His hunting
party had just made their third capture, and he was sure
the Leader would be proud of them!

Tanj squirmed, and thrashed; "No… you idiots, you don't
know what you're doing!  Stop, you've GOT to let me up!
We're all in Danger!"

Sam shook his head; usually the Prey were vocal when
captured, but this one was yelling louder than most.  But
he had a solution for that.  Reaching back to his belt, the
only thing he wore, he pulled free the plug gag… and when
her head was turned just so, her jaws gaping, he shoved it
forward, the black latex filling her mouth, bringing
blissful silence….

Tanj tried to force the gag from her mouth, but then she
heard the "snick" of its lock and knew it was too late.
And then they were rolling her over, to bind her arms
behind her back.  Deciding it was useless to continue to
struggle, she let herself go limp, and panting hard, tried
to recover her breath……

Pam grinned as they dragged their prey to her feet; "Hey,
lookit this!  This one's not only got pierced nipples, but
someone pierced her clitty!"  Sam chuckled and bent to
look; "Hey, you're right.  Nice little ring… But I bet its
big enough to take the end of my leash!"  Tanj winced as
she felt the weight of the Wolf's leash on her clitty; it
wasn't supposed to be done like that, but her captors
didn't seem to care.  Moving carefully, doing her best to
keep the strain off of her most sensitive part, she
followed them, almost eagerly as they led her off down the
corridor, towards the increasing sounds of passion……
Towards the place she had been trying to avoid.

Kath's tongue stroked the Lion's cock as he drove it into
her mouth again, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him.
Some part of her wondered where she'd learned to do that so
well, even as another part of her was disgusted that she
knew how to do it at all.  And lurking in the back of her
mind was an unspoken question……. Why wasn't any of the
other furrs making use of her pussy, or fondling her
breasts?  Even as she struggled to breath around the Lion's
thrusting cock, some small part of her brain demanded;
"held here like this, used like this, aren't I the sexiest,
most alluring thing around?"

Tanj knelt when the Wolf with her leash stopped moving,
and the whole group watched the scene before them.  The
Lion was tilting the Mink's head back further, thrusting
his cock almost down into her mouth, and Tanj knew that
the way she was being held, the Lion's cock had to be
pushing past the back of her mouth, and down her throat.
The Mink squirmed and struggled, but the furrs holding her
were strong, and her movements only seemed to increase the
Lion's delight.  As she watched, Tanj scarcely
recognized her Master.  He seemed a huge beast, a primal
force of nature……..  And then he was throwing his head
back, to fill the corridor with the sound of his roar, his
cock pulling free from the Mink's mouth, to discharge its
cum all over her prominent breasts.

Kath gasped for air as the emotions warred within her; part
of her was relieved that the brute hadn't ejaculated in her
mouth, and part of her was delighted that he'd so marked
her with his seed, as if proclaiming to all; "Look at how
this one's made me cum!"  Panting, she closed her eyes and
waited for whatever was to come next…….

Sam grinned as he watched.  With luck, the Leader would let
him use his newly captured prey in the same way; it would
be a fitting reward…..  As the Lion caught his breath, the
Wolf growled; "Hey, Look at what WE caught!"

For a moment, hope blossomed in Kath's mind, as the Lion
stepped around her in response to some shout… but then paws
were pulling her up, even as other paws groped at her
crotch.  She heard a voice say; "Yup, she's soaking wet,"
and then she was being led off by a small group, and she
knew they weren't done with her yet…..

The Lion looked down at Tanj and nodded, and then looked
up at Sam; "Good Catch, Wolf.  Use her as you will, but
make sure she's WELL used, before you release her again."
Sam just nodded and reached down to wrap his paw in
Tanj's hair.  Pulling her up a bit, from a kneeling
position to a crouch, the Wolf watched as Heinz squirrmed,
flat on his back, between the Cheetah's spread thighs…..

Tanj jerked as the Skunk beneath her drove his hard
shaft up into her pussy; for a moment, she melted a little,
thinking that felt SOOOOO good… and then she remembered;
she had to get the skunk off, and quickly, so they'd let
her go; she had things to do!  Moaning she started to move
on his cock……

Sam watched the Cheetah start to move, riding Heinz's cock
and nodded; he'd been right about her.  Padding around
behind her, he knelt between Heinz's knees and put his
hands on her hips……

Tanj jumped again, much to the skunk's delight, when she
felt the wolf's cockhead touch her anus; but his paws were
insistent, pulling at her hips, dragging her back down,
until she was doubly filled.  And then it was the Wolf's
thrusts that moved her, again to the delight of the skunk,
as he pounded his cock into her ass………

Tanj moaned as she felt the squirrel's paws on her head,
unlocking the gag…. She'd thought the fem wouldn't just sit
back and watch; no one seemed to be doing that these
days….. as the squirrel pressed her crotch to Tanj's
muzzle, the Cheetah obediently started to lick her……….

Hinoki yawned and stretched.  Both Duke sisters were sound
asleep, and he didn't want to wake them.  They'd had a
simply marvelous time together, stroking and petting and
licking and nibbling, until the urges became simply too
great, and they joined together in some absolutely
marvelous love-making.  He couldn't call it fucking, it was
beyond that; way beyond that.  He genuinely cared for them,
and was sure they cared for him too……  As he watched them
sleep, he felt his stomach rumble, and he grinned; wouldn't
it be nice, if when they woke up, he had a sumptuous
breakfast waiting?  Grinning, he rose and stretched again,
to head out to find them all something to eat.

Kath panted as she lay limply on the floor.  The hunters
had used her; used her pussy, her ass, her mouth, and one
of them had even fucked her between her breasts….. and now,
exhausted, they'd all moved on, leaving her in the middle
of the corridor, covered in their cum.  And while part of
her shuddered at the horrible ordeal she'd just been
through, something within her reveled in it.  Growling at
herself, she decided she'd have herself psychoanalyzed at a
later date; for the moment, she had work to do.  Struggling
to her feet, she looked up and down the corridors,
wondering which way to go.  With a mental shrug she turned
and walked carefully down one of the corridors, her muscles
aching, not only from all the sex she'd had, but from her
shoulders being pulled back so sharply.  They'd laid a
broom handle across her back, just below her neck, and
pulling her arms straight out to the sides, they'd tied her
arms to it.  However, as the length of wood wasn't long
enough to hold her in a cruciform pose, they'd folded her
forearms back, to tie her wrist cuffs off to the back of
her collar.  And then her upper and lower arms had been
bound tightly to the wood.  As a result, her shoulders were
pulled back, and she looked as if she were caught in the
middle of the stretch some folks do as they yawn.  As she
walked she wondered how, even if she found a comm unit,
she'd be able to contact her department……

Tanj mewled softly to herself; her captors had
eventually tired of her, and had released her, to be hunted
anew.  But they'd given her a few handicaps…….. And from
Tanj's point of view, as she tried to move quietly down
the corridor, the jinglebells hanging from labia and nipple
rings weren't as annoying for their weight, as for the
noise they made with the slightest movement.  They'd also
fastened her wrists to her neck with a pair of "stocks."
These three foot long strips of metal, about 4 centimeters
wide looked like someone had taken a flat bar of metal, and
then pounded one large semicircular depression in the
center, with two smaller ones on either end.  With the
depression at the center of one bar pressed against the
back of her neck, and the matching piece pressed against
the front of her neck, they formed a second collar.  And of
course her wrists were held to either side of her shoulders
in the classic "hands up" position, by the smaller
openings.  The bars were held together by simple wing nuts,
but the way her paws were confined, there was no way
Tanj could reach them, to undo them.  As she trotted
down the corridor, jingling, Tanj thought to herself;
"well, if I twist to one side, and bend over, I might get
one paw on a keyboard…. But typing's going to be slow……

Mindy tiptoed towards Engineering.  She'd turned her trek
into a kind of a game, seeing just how far she could go
before being "caught."  On one occasion she'd happened by a
couple making love in the middle of Environmental, but they
were too distracted to notice her.  Another time, she'd
hidden in a supply room while a hunting party thundered
past, in pursuit of some poor hapless fur.  And another
time she'd eluded a hunting party by taking a short-cut
through an electrical utility tunnel.  Now the real fun was
about to begin, the main pressure door to Engineering only
meters away.  Once through the door she'd be on "home
turf"…. But any hunting parties there might also be made up
of Engineers and technicians, not accountants or staff
wienies…..

Mark Hmmmmmed, deep in thought as he stared at the power
distribution panel for the No.3 Matter/Antimatter
generator.  The Generator was a complex system, providing
not only plasma but electricity as well, and if he was
going to carry out his plans, he'd need at least every erg
this system and its mates could deliver.  But how to
channel it all, and in time to do any good at that, without
explosive consequences….  Sighing to himself, he muttered;
"this is going to take some VERY creative engineering……"

Tanj moved in an intermittent manner; she'd dash ahead a
dozen meters and then stop, to recover her breath, and to
try and listen for pursuit, for any sign that her jingling
bells had been heard.  Twice she'd heard footsteps, and
both times she'd hidden as quietly as she could, and both
times she'd been passed by, either unobserved, or ignored.
Peeking around a corner she got ready to make another
dash……..

Kath sighed and shook her head in frustration; she'd found
a comm terminal in an empty office, and kicking a desk
chair into place, had been batting at the keyboard with her
right foot, trying desperately to get an outside line.
Except there didn't seem to BE any outside lines.  Wherever
she was, she'd determined it was isolated from the outside
universe at large.  Grumbling, she continued to try ,
seeking some sort of comm line or e-mail program that would
let her send a message to her superiors.  Concentrating on
what she was doing, she failed to hear the door open behind
her……

Hinoki smiled; he'd found the pantry in the cafeteria open,
all the "specialty" items that were normally under lock and
key were simply there for the taking, and take he had.
He'd gathered up quite an incredible assortment of
ingredients for the Breakfast he planned on making for the
Duke sisters.  In fact, he was planning one of his
universe-famous omelets.  And this time he even had a real,
fresh onion!  The green peppers looked vat-grown, but they
were reasonably fresh.  The eggs, however, were powdered.
"Ah well," he sighed to himself, "nothing's perfect."
Padding down the corridor towards the residential section,
his ill-gotten gains under one arm, a bottle or orange
juice and a bottle of champagne, for "eye-openers" under
his other arm, he idly wondered where everyone was…….

Grillo smiled as he slipped through the door.  He hadn't
had too much luck joining the hunt; no one seemed to want
him on their team, and they'd made it quite clear that no
one would be interested in hunting him……  "Ah, Well," he
mused to himself; "A porcupine's life can be a lonely one.
But that's about to change……"  He grinned as he tiptoed
closer to the bound Mink so intent on her computer
terminal.  In a moment, she'd be his, to do with as he
pleased…. And he had a LOT of things he wanted to try with
with a sexual partner, willing or unwilling……

Kath jerked and SCREAMED as the paw touched her shoulder.
Bolting from her chair, almost falling over, she turned to
regard the nightmare that had crept up behind her; for a
moment, all she saw was a monster, all jagged and pointy,
sharp spines seeming to stick out everywhere.  As she
backed towards the far wall, her eyes wide, some part of
her mind recognized the creature as a porcupine, but that
bit of rational information seemed to fail to take hold,
and she cowered, all her training forgotten, as if some
unholy terror was approaching her.

Grillo sighed to himself; why did they ALWAYS have to react
like that?  He wasn't going to hurt her; he had every
intention of being careful; it was just that he was MUCH
too horny not to do SOMETHING…. And bound as she was, well,
this one wasn't going to escape him, no matter what she
thought of him!

Hinoki paused at the cross corridor, and frowned; it
sounded like someone from down there had screamed!  For a
moment he wavered, his sumptuous breakfast forgotten as he
pondered a damsel in distress……

Kath watched in horror as the creature came closer; in
addition to spines sticking out everywhere, the creature
had a truly massive hard-on, his pink cock bobbing before
him as he approached.  Once again, her mind seemed to
fragment into pieces; one part insisting that if this….
THING raped her, she'd be a pincushion, and for a moment
she had this horrid vision of her drinking a cup of water
and it leaking from a dozen or more punctures in her body….
And another part of her mind giggled; "he's just another
male who finds you attractive!  He WANTS you!  How can you
turn him down?  As the creature reached out to stroke her
cheek, she flinched and let out a low, terrified moan…..

Hinoki nodded; "yup.  Someone's in trouble."  Setting down
his groceries by the side of the corridor, he turned and
strode purposefully down the corridor towards where the
sound had come from.

Grillo grinned, as he placed both paws on the Mink's
shoulders, to turn her towards him; looking her up and down
he grinned; "Oh, yes, you'll do quite nicely…… Now, bitch,
on your knees; you've some licking to do……."

Hinoki stopped in the doorway, blinking as the Porcupine
forced the Mink down, forcing her to kneel, and then
wrapping his paw in her hair, pulled her head forward
against his crotch……  For a moment the Cheetah just
watched, grinning, and then he remembered; he was here to
SAVE her, not play the voyeur.  Growling low in his throat,
he stepped forward.

Grillo looked up and snarled; he was NOT going to loose
this wench to any other.  Shaking himself, he rattled his
quills threateningly….. even as he thrust his hips forward,
driving his cock into the protesting Mink's mouth.

Hinoki stopped for a moment, watching the quills move.  For
a moment he wondered how the Porcupine ever got anything
done, carrying around all those sharp little barbed spears,
and for an instant he flashed on the hapless creature in a
space suit, air leaking from a hundred pinpricks….. then he
shook it off.  Still growling he stood there, wondering how
to successfully attack the creature.

Kath mewled softly, her tongue instinctively licking at his
cock; there were quills on either side of her face, but
they were long enough that no points threatened her
there….. however, the way her arms were bound, sticking
straight out to the sides….. as the Porcupine had pulled
her head to his groin, her arms could feel the pinpricks of
dozens of quills……

The office seemed devoid of anything he could use in his
assault, and Hinoki sighed to himself.  What he needed was
a suit of armor, and as that thought ran through his head,
he suddenly realized he was naked.  How'd he ever venture
out without at least his shorts?  Pushing that thought
aside for the moment, he looked around again, his eyes
finally lighting on a desk blotter……

Grillo growled and turned away from the intruder, placing
his back, and the majority of his quills towards the
Cheetah; the Mink's tongue was heaven, and he was having
trouble both watching over his shoulder and concentrating
on the feel of her tongue and mouth on his cock…. Why did
someone always have to come along and screw up what few
pleasures he could find?

Hinoki stripped the sheets of paper off the desk blotter
until he had the bottom sheet of cardboard; holding it in
both paws he swung it upwards, in a golf-like swing, square
into the Porcupine's rump.  As he intended, he'd caught a
large number of quills point-on, embedding them in the
cardboard.  By themselves an embedded quill would merely
pull free, but he'd latched onto dozens, and when he tugged
at the cardboard, the combined pressure was sufficient to
make the Porcupine howl.

Kath almost bit the Porcupine when his hips were suddenly
pushed against her muzzle; and then, wonderingly, she found
his cock jerked from her mouth as the surprised Porcupine
was pulled away from her……

Hinoki used his new "handle" to pull the Porcupine away
from the girl, spinning him just enough so that when the
startled creature turned to face him, he was able to jab at
its unprotected face.

Grillo saw stars as the fist slammed into his muzzle.  For
a moment he stared in confusion at the spotty cat dancing
and bobbing before him… and then the image split into three
spotty cats, blurred out, and went dark as he fell
forwards, flat onto his face.

Hinoki saw the Porcupine topple (thankfully forwards and
not backwards into the girl; he hadn't thought about
THAT!), looked at his fist as if to say; "did I do that?"
and then lifted his head to grin weakly at the Mink.
Stepping carefully forward, he helped her to her feet;
"come on, fair damsel; lets get you out of here before he
wakes up; I'm not sure I could do that again if I had
to….."

Kath blinked at the Cheetah; she'd seen him somewhere
before; she was sure of that, but she couldn't remember
where.  Didn't matter; he'd rescued her from what she was
sure was going to be a horrible experience, and that was
all that mattered.  Following him, she made her way into
the corridor.

Hinoki paused to retrieve his groceries; straightening he
grinned at her; "You'd better come with me, Ma'am.  I know
a place where you'll be safe for a while."  As they started
down the corridor, the Cheetah looked at the Mink once
again, almost shyly, and muttered; "you look familiar; do I
know you?  My name's Hinoki by the way… what's yours?"

Mindy smiled to herself; she'd made it into Engineering,
without too much trouble, and while she'd evaded another
hunting party, she'd found a rather large orgy in progress
in Engineering Central Control.  Things there had been so
wild, they'd never even noticed her look in the door.  Now
she was almost to the primary motor control center, the
main electrical switch room for the base.  If she could get
in there, she could still figure out what was running and
what was off line from the maintenance terminal there…….

Tanj squirmed, but found she couldn't escape; her
jingling had finally attracted the attention of another
hunting party, and they'd pounced her without too much
difficulty at all.  Instead of hauling her off to be
delivered to some hunt master, they'd dragged her into a
utility room, and had tied her, suspended horizontally,
face up, between a series of pipes.  With pumps humming in
the background, the hunters had taken turns, one stepping
up between her well-spread thighs to fuck her, in ass or
pussy, as was their preference, while another had stepped
up to her head, forcing it back and down, until she could
take his cock in her mouth.  She'd lost count of how many
times she'd made one or another of the hunters cum; it
seemed like they were going around for the third time…….
As the stud between her thighs came once again, pulling
out, to spray his jism over her tummy, she moaned around
the cock in her mouth…….. She HAD to find a way to get them
to release her, and she knew that wouldn't happen until
they'd tired of her…. But what would it take to satisfy
them?  As the stud stepped away, she stiffened, her muscles
going tense as she felt a tongue between her thighs; the
way it stroked her, the places it danced over, it could
only be a female, and that meant…… there were more hunters
joining the "party"……  With a moan she applied her tongue
to the cock in her mouth, striving to bring him off as fast
as she could; she simply HAD to get out of there……

Mindy stared in amazement at the switchgear.  Almost all of
it had been disconnected from the main power, all the
breakers thrown.  Some critical switches were locked in the
"open" position, preventing her from sending power to the
switchgear that might let her send power to the station's
shields or weapons…..  Lockout procedure was very strict;
Each person who worked on such devices had one lock, and
one key.  No one was allowed to remove anyone else's lock
(preventing equipment from being worked on from being
suddenly energized).  There was no way she'd get those
locks off short of cutting them off……..  Looking over the
system, she traced backwards until she came to the master
breaker for the Motor Control Center.  This massive piece
of switchgear was designed to handle the combined power of
all the station's generators… and its door was open, the
safeties bypassed, and a weird yellow-green cable of a type
she'd never seen before spliced across the massive buss
bars…….  Scowling, she turned, preparing to trace it, when
she noticed a shadow on the floor, right next to hers…..

Hinoki let himself into the Duke sister's room quietly,
motioning for Kath to follow.  Lazily, Emmie Lou opened her
eyes, and looked up from the rug by the holographic fire,
to smile; "Oh, Hinoki!  How sweet!  Such a delicious little
plaything you've brought us!  And so nicely bound, too!"
Hinoki just smiled and patted Kath on the head; "be a Dear
and go entertain my lovers while I go fix us all some
breakfast, will you?"

Kath looked at the sleepy Tigress, and then looked at the
Cheetah…. Somehow she'd thought that he would be her
complete salvation, that when they'd found a quiet place,
that she'd be able to convince him to untie her, to help
her contact the Empire, to arrange for her rescue…. And
here he'd just casually turned her back into the sex slave
she so seemed to resemble!  But before she could protest,
the Tigress had crawled over to her, a predatory look in
her eye, to distract her with a firm lick to her pussy.  As
Kath's insides melted, as she felt herself once again get
wet, she heard the other Tigress yawn and stretch, and then
giggle; "Sister, whatever DO you have there?"

Tanj panted, and struggled to move. The hunters had
finally tired of her, and had released her to be hunted
again…. She'd lost the damned metal stocks that had held
her wrists by her sides, and the jingle bells, but what
they'd done to her was scarce an improvement.  Someone had
come up with a latex dress, at least two sizes too small
for her.  They'd taken great delight in rolling it down
over her shoulders, without letting her put her arms
through the armholes…. As a result, her arms were tightly
pressed to her sides by the tight latex that covered her
from neck to ankles.  In order to walk, she had to stretch
the skirt material, and try as she might, she found she
couldn't take more than an eight-inch step.  And as she
walked the latex squeeked almost as loudly as the jingle-
bells had been.  "I look like I'm wearing a giant condom"
she grumbled to herself as she tried to peek around a
corner, to see if the way was clear.  Stumbling and almost
falling, she staggered on her way towards Engineering.  As
she moved, she wondered; if she fell, would she ever be
able to get up, or would she have to try and roll there…….

Mindy gasped, and squirmed.  The hunters had dragged her
back to Engineering Central Control, and had promptly
buried her under a mass of writhing bodies.  She was
astride someone, unable to even see who it was, his cock
firm in her pussy, while another crouched behind her, to
fuck her ass.  There was another cock in her mouth, and
lips on her nipples, and paws stroking her, seemingly
everywhere…… and as she was licked and stroked and fucked,
she gradually lost all memory of why it was she'd come down
to engineering in the first place…..

Mark looked at his jury-rigged power supply system.  He'd
had to build most of it from scratch, using materials he
wasn't supposed to have, and had browbeat several natural
laws into grudging submission, and the end result was
anything but pretty.  Still, it would work…. At least this
once.  Pausing for a moment, he contacted his "hidden
asset", to check on the Mercenary cruiser……

Franz smiled as he looked over the shoulder of his
Offensive Weapons operator.  Zylex had obtained for them
three Nova class torpedoes, any one of which would destroy
a small moon; the three of them together could have done
major damage to Elysium, or any other planet.  But they
were a bitch to bring on line.  The plasma charge that each
one held had to be brought to temperature, and once that
was done, they had to be used within a set time.  Holding
one too long risked the chance of it going unstable, and
possibly blowing up in their launch tube.  And he didn't
want that……. As the Mercenary Cruiser moved closer to the
asteroid base, they carefully prepared their weapons…..

Mark nodded to himself; the mercenaries were living up to
his expectations.  No surprises there, other perhaps than
that they HAD taken this long…  He turned towards the Brou
device and nodded again, determinedly; "And now, lets show
a certain fur who's name shall go unmentioned but starts
with an "X" how even the best laid plans of mice and men
can go awry…"  Throwing a series of switches, he listened
as relays clacked, circuits engaged, and massive amounts of
power started flowing……

Tanj hugged the wall as the three furrs emerged from
Engineering Central Control.  All were nude, and two of the
three were kissing, or trying to, as they walked.  "Looks
like things are a mite hot in there" she sighed to herself.
Shaking her head, waiting until the trio were far enough
down the corridor not to notice, she turned and squeaked
with tiny steps towards the Motor Control Center.

Hinoki popped the cork from the champagne bottle, letting
it fly across the room.  The noise startled the Mink, and
she raised her head to see what had happened, only for
Emmie Lou to put a firm hand on the top of her head and
force her muzzle back down to her hungry sex.  The Cheetah
chuckled as he watched the Mink lick slowly at the Tigress,
with Emmie's sister behind the mink licking slowly at her
exposed sex.  Shifting his gaze, he slowly added the
champagne to the half full glasses of orange juice on the
table.  Eye-openers, half orange juice, half champagne,
were one of his favorite breakfast drinks, and went well
with his omelets, he thought……..  Then, grinning up at the
three ladies, he thought; "but nothing goes better with it,
than some good loving.….."

"This isn't right" Tanj thought to herself as she looked
at the cables and wires snaking across the floor of the
MCC.  "I've seen a lot of power distribution systems in my
time, but this is just plain……. Weird!"  And then it hit
her.  Mark.  The Alien Teleportation Device.  Smiling to
herself, she turned to try and trace out the path of the
cables, trying to confirm to where the power was all
flowing.  "I should have KNOWN Mark would know." Tanj
thought to herself.  "I don't know what he's doing, but I
think I'd best get down there……."  Tanj turned and
minced towards the door, taking miniscule steps….. and then
she stopped.  One of the disconnect doors was open,
exposing the 1760 volt wires within the box…..  The door
edge was sharp sheetmetal, its top corner just about crotch
height, and she looked at it for a long moment; "If I push
into that, it might just puncture the latex, and let me
tear this damned dress enough to be able to MOVE…… but if I
push too close… voltage that powerful has been known to
jump considerable distances to "ground"……"  Finally with a
sigh, the Cheetah moved forward, to push against the corner
of the door, pressing herself forward until she heard the
latex go "pop."  Staggering, she all but fell backwards as
she tried to keep away from the exposed live circuits……
Working her legs, moving her knees apart, she managed to
enlarge the tear enough so that the could bring one knee
through the opening, hook one foot against the lower edge
of the tear, and use her claws to shred the latex the rest
of the way down to the hem.  It now looked like she was
wearing a dress slit up the front to the crotch…. Looking
down, Tanj grunted; "very stylish.  At least I can run
now…… but if I could just free my arms……"  Another look
around convinced her that there were no other sharp
projections that she could use to her advantage and she
didn't seem to be able to get the leverage she needed to
extend the rip further upwards.  With a sigh she once more
headed for the door.

Hinoki smiled and slid the finished omelet out of the pan.
It was huge and he grinned as he sliced it into four
portions……    Putting a piece on each of the plates at the
table he'd set, he served up the hash browns and then
turned to announce that Breakfast was served……..

Kath blinked as the Cheetah held her chair for her; things
had taken on a bit of a dream-like quality as she went from
rolling around on the floor, licking and being licked, by
the two tigresses, to sitting down to a mouth-watering
breakfast, albeit nude, at a finely appointed table.  She
blinked and picked up her fork, only for one of the
Tigresses to gently lay a paw on hers; "wait a moment,
Dear; I know you're hungry, but we'll let Emmie say Grace
first…. Then you can dig in….."

Mark growled as yet another alarm sounded; the numerous
beeps, bleeps and screams from his control panel was
distracting him with warnings  which would have made sense
BEFORE his extensive rewiring, but were worse than useless
now. Reaching out one paw, he flicked a finger and four
meters distant, the console speaker made a funny sound and
lapsed into silence.  Nodding, he folded his legs under
himself, closed his eyes and concentrated………

Franz's head jerked up as his sensor operator yelped; "NOW
what's wrong?"  the Sensor tech just shrugged; "I …… don't
know….. there's some sort of distortion growing in front of
us….."  Franz just sighed and shook his head; "I KNEW this
was too easy to be true.  I KNEW those Pirates were
professionals, and too slick to be caught like this!….  OK,
put it on the main viewer and lets see what we're up
against……..

Tanj panted hard as she ran; she'd managed to avoid any
and all furrs …… well almost all.  One she hadn't seen
until the last minute had merely waved politely and kept on
walking as if seeing a naked Cheetah half encased in
translucent latex was an everyday occurrence.  And now, as
she ventured further away from the more inhabited sections
of the station, Following the strange yellow-green cables
that sang with power, as she drew closer to Mark's remote
workshop, she ran harder, less mindful of the noise she was
making….. something told her they were very near to
disaster, and she wanted to be with Mark when whatever was
going to happen, happened.

Kath settled into the cushions of the couch and smiled.
Breakfast had been a delight, even if her head now swam
from the strange concoction she'd been drinking.  The two
Tigresses were splayed out on other pieces of furniture,
smiling, half dozing, as the Cheetah male bustled
industriously in the kitchen, cleaning up the remains……

Franz scowled as the distortion took shape on the main
viewer; it looked for all the world like a black and silver
flower blossoming before them, opening…..  Looking over at
his Exec, he raised an eyebrow in a silent question; the
Exec just shrugged in return; "Never seen ANYTHING like
that….."  Franz nodded and bit his lip.  The Nova torpedoes
had been "lit"… he'd have to use them soon, or jettison
them.  Should he bore on through, and ignore the… whatever,
or take evasive action and hope he could get back to the
right vector before he had to fire?

Tanj slid to a stop before the doorway to Mark's lab.
It was closed, and she couldn't use her hands!  Growling
she threw herself to the floor, bringing one foot up to
pound on the keypad…….

The sensor operator growled and shook his head; "Sir, I'm
getting some awfully strange readings here; there's a LOT
of power in that thing, whatever it is……"  Franz nodded and
turned to his helmsman; "Try and skirt that thing, whatever
it is, and then get us back on track on the other side of
it."  The Helmsman just nodded, his fingers dancing over
his console.

Tanj howled with triumph as she finally hit the right
button and the door slid aside; rolling, moving quick
before it could close again, she squirmed her way into
Mark's lab…. To behold a bizarre sight. The mouse was
seated in a lotus position…. Floating a good three feet off
the floor.  Over one portion of the Brou device, a sphere
of light showed a starscape, the wavering outline of a
vessel more hinted at than directly visible…. And in front
of it, shifting as the ship changed course, was a black
flower, its petals outlined in a crosshatched pattern that
seemed to describe and delineate the flow of energies……
Transfixed, Tanj stared, open mouthed.

The Helmsfurr on the Mercenary Cruiser cursed and tried
again; it seemed no matter what course he set, that strange
flow of dark energies seemed to slither straight in front
of his ship.  It was obvious there was an intelligence
behind it, whatever it was……  "Captain, I can't seem to
evade it…. And I can't kill our forward momentum in time…
we're going to hit it……."

Franz growled and nodded; "Weapons officer; put the first
Nova square into that thing; maybe we can blow it out of
our path!"  The Wombat he was growling at hesitated for a
moment, and Franz knew what was going through his mind; at
this distance, their massive weapon might destroy them as
well as that thing….. but after only a split second, his
fingers were caressing the controls, and the ship bucked as
the first torpedo left its tube…..  They watched it run
straight and hot, only to be swallowed up by the energies……

Hinoki purrred and settled onto the couch between the Mink
and one of the Duke sisters.  Snuggling softly, he settled
down for a short nap…….

Franz watched in amazement as the torpedo just seemed to…
vanish.  One moment it was there and then next it wasn't….
No flash of light, no wreckage, no energy discharge that
they could detect… it was just gone!  Growling he turned to
yell at the Helmsfur; "Do SOMETHING!  Don't let us pass
into that thing!"  But even as he spoke, he knew it was too
late…..

Tanj watched in amazement as the image of the ship
passed into the cloud of roiling black energies…. And
didn't come out the other side.  After a moment the black
flower seemed to fold in on itself, diminishing until it
was gone, leaving only the blackness of space, sprinkled
with distant stars……  And then a breaker somewhere slammed
massively as it tripped and Tanj turned to gasp as a
panel seemed to dissolve in a shower of sparks.

Ben blinked and shook his head.  Sitting up, he looked
around in amazement.  How'd he get in Personnel?  As he
struggled to get up, his jaw dropped, as he realized he was
naked!  Staggering he headed for his quarters, hoping he
wouldn't run into anyone on the way…….

Mark smiled and nodded in satisfaction; opening his eyes he
turned and looked at the wide-eyed Cheetah; "Hello
Tanj!" he called cheerily; "What's new?"

Tanj blinked at the Mouse and then growled; "New?  NEW?
The base is inundated with some sort of sex craze, probably
a biological attack of some kind, you're using a device
that isn't supposed to work to make ships vanish, and you
ask me whats NEW?"  Mark laughed at her expression, and
nodded with only mildly exaggerated seriousness.  "Of
course.  News travels rather slowly down here, after
all….."
 
The Lion blinked and sat up.  "Now how in the Hell did I
get down in the Docking bay?" he growled to himself.
Rising, he scratched his head and padded off towards his
quarters.  It wasn't until he was about to step into the
shower that he realized that he wasn't wearing anything to
take off.  Yawning widely he put off that conundrum for the
moment.  He wanted to get clean and then get some sleep,
and he'd deal with that curiosity later.

Tanj grunted as she rolled up the cable.  Mark had cut
the latex sheath from her, but they hadn't been able to
find anything for her to wear, so she was working in the
nude.  Mark was insisting that they get the power grid back
to the way it was supposed to be as soon as possible, or
the Engineering managers would have his hide.  And therefor
Tanj worked to help him undo all his jury rigging, not
understanding half of what she was disassembling.

Emmie Duke yawned and stretched…. And her eyes fell on the
sleeping form of a nude Hinoki, as he snuggled against an
equally nude Mink.  Blinking in surprise she looked around;
her apartment was just the way it should be, perhaps with a
pillow here or there out of place……  As her gaze fell upon
the form of her sleeping sister, she blinked and then
grinned wickedly as she realized that she too was nude…..
as she was herself!  "Well," she purrred to herself; "I
don't know what's been goin' on here, but it looks like
we've all been having fun…..  but enough's enough.  Rising
she padded over to Hinoki, to shake his shoulder lightly.

Hinoki awakened to the sight of a smiling Tigress looking
down at him; with a grin he tilted his head up to try and
kiss her, only to have her put a finger on his nose and
push him back gently; "enough of that, Dear.  I think its
time you and your friend went home.  Sis and I have to get
to work in the morning and we need our sleep."  Nodding
sleepily, Hinoki yawned and tugged Kath to her feet, to
lead her from the appartment.

Emmie closed the door behind them and locked it and then
padded over to her sister, to rouse her just enough to get
her to go in to her bed.  As the two tigresses headed for
their bedrooms, Emmie growled; "getting' kinda risque, Sis,
inviting those two over for a wild night….."  Her sister
just looked at her sleepily; "Me?  I thought YOU invited
them!"

Tanj put the heavy, insulated electrician's gloves back
in their storage bin and turned to Mark; "OK, everything's
pretty much back the way its supposed to be, with the
exception of the one melted transformer, and all the blown
breakers.  Engineering IS going to notice that, I suspect.
The smell of burned insulation is EVERYWHERE."  Mark just
smiled and shrugged; "some things we can't hide; but we do
have power flowing to most of the rest of the station, like
its supposed to be."  Tanj nodded and crossed her arms
under her breasts; she stared down at the Mouse for a
moment and then demanded; "So just what WAS that I saw, in
your workshop?  What did you DO?"

Mark shook his head and smiled disarmingly.  "Only what I
was supposed to.  Remember how I told you I'd been assigned
to figure out what that device DOES?  Well, how would I
ever find out for certain without at least one test run?"
Tanj frowned and shook her head; "Why is it I get the
feeling you're not telling me the whole story?"

Sam grinned as he stepped through the door and into Ops.
He was fifteen minutes early for his shift, a fact he was
sure was going to shock and amaze his boss.  But as he
looked around, he realized something was very wrong.  The
place looked like a tornado had struck, papers and manuals
scattered everywhere… and there wasn't a soul present!
Shocked, Sam turned to check the status of the station's
defenses, only to find them offline.  Biting his lip, he
started the recycle procedure, to bring the shields back up
to their normal status…..  When he got them some
protection, he'd get on the comm and find out where
everyone was…. And then he grinned; usually his boss gave
him grief for being late; now, it was quid pro quo time!

Franz looked over his navigator's shoulder, and shook his
head for the dozenth time; "it just doesn't make sense.
Are you sure our navigational database wasn't corrupted
somehow?  I mean, if the stars around us don't match
anything on our charts, we'd have to be WAY outside the
Empire!"  The Navigator shrugged; "I know its unbelievable,
but there's no trace of computer problems, and nothing
matches.  I literally have NO idea where we are, or how we
got here!"  Franz just groaned; turning to the Exec, he
shook his head; "better put us on restricted rations.
We're going to have to find out where we are by going
around and ASKING folks… Might be a while before we get
home……."

Tanj padded slowly back towards her quarters.  It was
all catching up with her and she felt wore out, totally
exhausted.  On her way, she passed a few furrs, wandering
about; most seemed to be confused, or dazed, as if they
didn’t really know where they were, or how they got there.
She had one bad moment when she recognized one of the
members of the hunting party that had captured her, but the
wolf walked right past her as if she wasn't even there……
As she watched him padd away down the corridor, she had to
chuckle; "has to be an improvement over the last time we
met……"

Grillo opened his eyes and groaned, only to hear a "No, no
don't move; you've got a nasty bump on your head; better
lie still."  Forcing his eyes open he blinked as things
came into focus…… A lady was kneeling over him, dressed
only in the tattered remains of a blouse, gently pressing a
damp cloth to his brow.  Shaking his head a little, the
porcupine groaned; "Be careful, I wouldn't want to stick
you."  To his surprise she laughed, a light musical sound;
"Oh, I'm not worried; I don't think you can hurt me……"
Taking another look, the Porcupine blinked, trying to focus
his eyes; as the image of the lady armadillo cleared, he
smiled and muttered; "I think I'm in love……"

Jim rolled over in bed, and swatted at the comm switch;
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here, whats the emergency?"  Sam's voice
came over the speaker; "hey, Boss; I'm in Ops and YOU
AREN'T!  YOU'RE LATE!"  Jim blinked, suddenly more awake
than he wanted to be.  Shifting his gaze at the
chronometer, he blinked; "Naw, that's GOT to be wrong!
Check again!"  "Sorry Boss, every Chrono I can find,
including my wrist unit, says the same thing.  Got the
schedule right here on the monitor in front of me.  And I'm
the ONLY one in Ops!"  Jim growled and shook his head; he
felt like he'd been drugged, and was still so sleepy he
could hardly see straight; "all right, all right, but if I
find out you're screwing with me, you'll regret it!"
Stabbing a finger at the disconnect switch, he struggled to
sit up, only to go wide-eyed as a feminine voice behind him
purrred; "who was that, Lover?"

Rafe blinked at the mass of bound furrs in the middle of
the kennel area.  Walking around them, he chuckled and
shook his head; "I see SOMEONE'S been busy.  Pity I missed
it; they do good work!  Chuckling he reached up and started
undoing the straps holding the lady squirrel in what had to
be a most uncomfortable position, thinking this was going
to take a while to undo… but it should be interesting work.

Tanj keyed open the door and stepped into the cabin she
shared with the Lion, only to come to a quick stop.  There,
in the middle of the bed, he lay, snoring softly.  For a
moment her mind was filled with the animalistic image of
him on the hunt, and she almost turned and slipped back
out.  After a moment of indecision, she turned and tiptoed
quietly towards the bathroom, and a good hot soak.

Hannah worked her jaw hard, as the Chipmunk pulled the ball
gag out of her mouth; "thanks; that'd been in there so
long, I was afraid it was going to take root!"  As the
Chipmunk worked at the straps that bound her, he muttered,
"Geez, Lady, who DID this to you?"  Hannah smiled; "you
know, I don't remember… but I'd love to run across 'em
again!"

Jo smiled and nuzzled Amanda soflty; she had no idea how
she'd wound up in her roommate's bed, and could only
suspect what they'd been up to, given the ruffled state of
her fur, and certain matted areas… but after a few minutes
reflection, she decided this was a nice place to be, and
snuggled softly against Amanda once again……

Hinoki padded into the Kennels, leading Kath at the end of
her leash.  They'd both had a shower back at his quarters,
and the Cheetah had found some clean clothes, and after
some quiet conversation, he'd decided he'd better get her
back where she belonged.  As they padded through the
entrance, they stopped to watch for a moment as a Wolf
slowly unstrapped a rather large and exhausted looking
Tigress from the center of the floor, to lead her towards
the baths.

Kath sighed as the Cheetah gently pushed her into the cage.
She'd been polite, but firm as she dared, given the way she
found herself, given the fact that everyone assumed she was
a sex slave.  But the Cheetah had just smiled and shrugged,
and refused to let her use a comm, or to get a message to
her office.  When she'd told him that she was an Imperial
Agent, he'd just smiled and said that was Tanj's domain,
and she'd be along shortly, he had no doubt.  It wasn't
until they were almost to the Kennels that she'd had her
worst fears confirmed.  She still didn't know exactly where
she was, or who these furrs were, but she knew she wasn't
on pharrpoint station any more……

The Lion yawned and stretched; he felt good, felt rested……
and somehow he felt… well, young.  Like he'd just won some
sporting event the previous day, and after the strenuous
task, had gotten a good nights sleep.  And then his eyes
narrowed; there was Tanj wrapped in a blanket, sleeping
on the couch?  What was she doing over there?  Had he said
something to make her mad at him?

Tanj jerked awake when she felt the rough tongue on her
cheek; as her eyes came open she beheld the face of her
Master and instinctively flinched.  The Lion just sat back
and blinked at her; "Tanj, what's wrong?"  She shook her
head; "wrong?  Urrrrr, the hunt!  I remember you leading
the hunt… and the feathers, Oh LORD, the feathers!"  The
Lion just frowned; "Tanj, you're not making any sense.
What hunt?  And what feathers!"

Zassa yawned and stretched, looking about, wondering how
she got here… wherever "here" is; looking down at herself,
she grined at the stickyfurr; "must have had a truly great
time; can't remember a thing!"  Rising, she padded nude and
not in the least self-conciously back to her quarters.

Mindy purrrrred as various furrs disengaged themselves and
headed home.  Thinking over what Tanj had said, she
realized she'd never really had the "flu" bad, it never
really affected her….. but now that everyone else seemed to
be recovering, she was kind of sad to see it end.  She'd
been  enjoying herself.  Suddenly remembering why she had
come to Engineering in the first place she rose and padded
towards the MCC to check it out.  Standing in the doorway,
she looked around and frowned.  No strange yellow-green
cables.  No systems modified, and re-arranged…. Everything
looked, well, normal.  There was the stench of burnt
insulation in the air, but nothing seemed IMMINENTLY in
danger, nothing too hot…..  Finally she shook her head and
with a shrug, turned to head back to her quarters, thinking
she must have imagined it all……

 As they padded towards the Cafeteria, the Lion shook his
head; "Tanj, I remember you coming back from the last
mission not feeling well…. Are you sure you didn't run a
fever, and, well, imagine it all?  You have to admit, it
sounds like something delirious……  Tanj sighed and
nodded; "it sounds wild all right; but I bet you we can
examine the internal security cameras and prove it…..
except the power was turned off.  There HAVE to be records
somewhere……"  The lion just shrugged and got a tray, to
move down the line, grabbing things for both of them for
Breakfast.  Tanj just looked around the Cafeteria,
remembering the wild night, and the tickling.  Finally she
settled into a seat opposite her Master, to stare at her
glass of Orange juice, as if trying to divine whether her
memories were real, or imagined.

The Lion took another spoonful of cereal and watched the
distracted Tanj.  Frowning, he looked past her and a
little to her left…. Rising he stalked around behind her
and bent to pick up something……..  The yelp Tanj let out
when the Lion picked up the feather turned heads all
through the room……

Tanj sat at her work station in Intelligence, the hum of
the busy office serving to reassure her that everything was
getting back to normal.  The e-mail and field reports,
however, were all stacking up as she sifted through records
from engineering.  There was no doubt that the generators
had delivered an absolutely massive surge of power to
something…..  the Engineering staff members she'd
questioned had passed it off either as an instrumentation
glitch, or as some power spike caused by what Mark had been
doing.  Tanj was convinced of the latter; she'd been
there, seen what had happened, but try as she might, she
could convince no one of what she'd seen happen.  All the
sensors had been off-line at the time; the records showed
that clearly, although no one could explain WHY they were
off-line.  As to the missing three days, most were evasive
about that.  Some firmly insisted that there was some sort
of a glitch with all the chronometers in the station, and
the true date was almost three days ago.  Some thought it
all some obscure practical joke….  Others thought that
Mark's experiments had somehow thrown them three days into
the future.  And no one wanted to own up to three days of
wild sex.  But Tanj was convinced.  There HAD been a
ship out there, there HAD been a threat.  She was just
having difficulty proving it.  Turning back to her
terminal, she called up the communications logs.  She had
to find out if that ship out there had transmitted
anything, if they'd revealed the location of the Brethren's
base…..

The Mink stared at the Cheetah fem as if she'd gone crazy;
"Madam, I am an Imperial Agent; there is No WAY I'd behave
like that!"  They'd taken her from the kennels, biterly
protesting until someone had gagged her, to some sort of an
interrogation room, strapped her tightly to a chair, and
then left her.  Kath had squirmed, tugging against her
bonds for what seemed like hours, before the Cheetah had
shown up.  The Cheetah had then proceeded to tell her the
most fanciful story of a sex contest at Pharrpoint station,
and of how SHE had approached HER, asking to borrow her
male slave.  LUDICROUS!

Tanj smiled and shook her head at the still gagged Mink;
"I know you don't believe any of this, and I think I know
what happened to you, but before we get into that, let me
show you a holotape.  You see, one of the prizes we won was
a copy of the commercial recording of that evening's
events.  At one point, if you ignore the goings-on, on
stage, you can see, in the lower left hand corner, yourself
coming over to our table to talk to us."  Tanj sighed;
"and to my chagrin, my crewmates have been distributing
copies of this tape all over the station………"  Shaking her
head, Tanj sighed and then shrugged.  After a moment she
looked up; "No matter.  Aside from that, we also keep a
camera running in the cargo bay of my ship, just for
security purposes.  The player will switch to that
recording as well.  I think you'll find it….. interesting.
I'll start the player and then I'll leave you to watch in
peace.  I'll be back by the time its over."  So saying, the
Cheetah rose and pressed a button on the holoplayer, and as
the air filled with the images of the bar on Pharrpoint
station, she slipped quietly out of the door.

Tanj smiled and sat down across from her Master, only
slightly late for Dinner.  As they discussed the day's
events, in what Tanj found to be an annoyingly normal
manner, Mark and Mala sat down next to them.  For a while,
the conversation turned to the recent voyage of the
Overlord and the success of their operations, and of Mala's
exploits.  As happens, after a while, the conversation fell
off, and in the momentary silence, Mark turned towards the
lion; "Say, did anybody ever find out just where those guys
trying to attack us while most of us were, ah,
"incapacitated" came from, and who might be behind the
operation?"  The Lion turned to look at Mark; "you mean the
story about the cloaked cruiser being eaten by the Brou
device?  As much as I trust you two, I find that story
awfully hard to swallow.  But if it IS true, could you put
on a demonstration for us?  Show us how the Brou device can
make a Cruiser, or something of equivalent size, vanish?"
Mark frowned lightly and shook his head; "No can do, I'm
afraid.  The device was never really meant to move quite
that kind of mass OR operate off station power, and in
doing both, it was severely overtaxed.  It has some basic
self-repair capacity and should be able to restore itself,
within time IF we can feed it the correct raw materials…
but for the moment, its essentially out of order.  To be
honest, it’s a miracle and a half that it didn't just go up
in smoke under the strain."  The Lion gave Mark a long hard
look and just let out an "uh-huh….." before returning his
attention to his meal.  For his part, Mark turned and gave
Tanj a smile and a shrug as if to say "I tried……"

Kath looked up as the Cheetah re-entered the interrogation
room; the holoplayer had run its course and she'd been
alone with her thoughts for a while.  The Cheetah set down
a covered plate, and turned to remove the Mink's gag;
"well, what do you think?"  "I think it’s a blatant
forgery!" the Mink snarled.  "I'd NEVER behave in such a
manner!  NEVER!"  Tanj just grinned and bent, to shove a
paw rudely between the Mink's thighs.  She'd been bound to
the chair with an ankle secured to each of the front chair
legs, and she was unable to pull her knees together to
defend herself.  After a moment Tanj looked up, into
Kath's eyes and smiled; "for someone who finds such
activities so objectionable, you're awfully wet, Dear."
And under her fur, Kath blushed, the blood rushing to her
skin, the heat making her facial fur bristle.

Tanj smiled and fed the Mink another spoonful.  It was
obvious that while the Mink was hungry, she hated being
spoon-fed.  On the other hand, Tanj knew Imperial Agents
were well trained and she had no intention of discovering
the Mink's unarmed combat abilities.  "So you say the
Buffalo jabbed you with his cane on the Transport, and that
it bled a little.  How much you want to bet you were
infected right then and there?"  Tanj could see the
indecision flicker across the Mink's face before she flatly
rejected the idea.  Smiling, Tanj held up another
spoonful; "now, tell me all about this Buffalo, and
anything else you might remember about anyone else you
noticed on that ship……"

Kath grumbled, the ball gag once again stifling her
comments, as the Cheetah dragged her down the corridor at
the end of her leash.  At one point the Cheetah had
actually threatened to re-attach the leash to a nipple
ring, if she didn't behave.  Grumbling, not quite fighting
the leash, she followed the Cheetah down the corridor……

Wanda smiled and gave Tanj a hug as she entered Medical;
"you wouldn't BELIEVE what I've found!"  Tanj turned and
looked at Kath, and pointed to a spot on the floor, and
with a glare that would singe fur, the Mink reluctantly
knelt where she was told.  Turning back to Wanda, Tanj
grinned; "What did you find?"  Wanda led Tanj over to a
computer terminal, and called up a file; "I found this
little beastie.  Well, all right, Dr. Narayanan helped….
Its definitely a virus, and we're pretty sure its
artificial.  Not many natural viruses die out so completely
after they've run their course."  Tanj nodded; "Pretty
much as we thought.  Now, the big question; who made it?"
Wanda blinked and shrugged; "well…… I would have to guess
there are a couple dozen labs throughout the Empire that
might produce such a thing…… Be awfully hard to figure out
which one though.  They don't exactly put logos or serial
numbers on things like this."  Tanj nodded and bit her
lower lip as she thought…… "Is there any place on Elysium
that might have produced it?"  Wanda thought for a minute
and then nodded; "actually, there was, but I heard it was
destroyed in the fighting a while back…."  Tanj just
smiled and nodded….. "how convenient…."

Kath looked up as the Cheetah and the Wolverine padded back
towards her, completely forgetting her new "station."
Tanj grinned and forced the Mink's head back down, to a
more proper posture and then turned to grin at Wanda;
"years ago, your father gave me to you as your servant, and
I've always felt a little bad about "stealing" myself away
from you, and for landing you in such a strange and awkward
situation.  I told you I'd bring you back a little
something from this trip, and to try and make up for some
of that, I'd like to give you this slave.  In chorus, both
Kath and Wanda yelped "WHAT?"

Tanj smiled; "well, we certainly can't risk letting an
Imperial Agent get loose on us.  I don't trust the memory
wipes the Psych folks say they can do, and the only other
alternative is to kill her.  Don't really want to do that
either.  I think, deep down inside, she's an amazing
submissive, and that she's been hiding it under a layer of
bluster all her life.  And I think you could keep her under
control.  Oh, I'll have to borrow her from time to time, as
certain questions come up, but aside from that, she's
yours.  Her name's Kath.  Wanda smiled and hugged Tanj
again; "Thank you, she's lovely and I'm sure we'll get
along famously!"

Kath watched the Cheetah leave, and then turned to look at
the Wolverine lass in the nurse's uniform; shaking her
head, she muttered; "this can't be happening……"  Wanda just
laughed.  "you stay right where you are, and keep quiet.
I've got another two hours left in my shift, and then I'll
take you home……  In the meantime, think about what you're
going to make me for dinner……"

Xylex watched calmly as Trotskie stepped out of the
shadows.  The industrial side of town was always dangerous
after night, especially now that the rebellion was growing
so strong, but he knew he had nothing to fear from the
Reds.  They needed him too much.  The Bear looked at Xylex
for a moment and then growled; "the Brethren are still
making their presence felt.  Their forces are constantly
backing up the Blues.  Their ships actually provided fire
support for the assault on the Government facility at
Arneth last week.  I thought you said you were going to
destroy them!"  Xylex shrugged; "the Mercenaries I hired
haven't been heard from.  I know that operation was
initiated, but obviously something's gone wrong.  But
that's my concern.  Tell me about your advance on New
Prague……"

Later, Trotskie watched Xylex's ground car disappear into
the night.  He was growing tired of the Wolverine's
attitude.  Yes, he was providing priceless intelligence,
and yes, he was able to provide the weapons and money…. But
he was starting to act like HE was in charge….  And now
this failure with respect to the Brethren….. Trotskie
wondered to himself if Xylex wasn't also supporting the
Blues, and his story about trying to take out the Brethren
just a decoy to make the Reds more … amenable.  Grumbling,
as he turned to head towards his own transport, the bear
decided he didn't care one way or the other if the pirates
lived or died; just so long as they stopped helping his
arch rival, Cromwell, and his goody-goody Blues.

Xylex watched the scenery go by as his groundcar took him
home by a circuitous route.  That Trotskie was becoming an
annoyance.  He was starting to fight against the leash
Xylex had so carefully forged for him.  "Have to get rid of
him soon" the Wolverine thought to himself….  And then his
thoughts turned back to the mercenaries.  Why HADN'T they
completed their mission?  The plan was fool-proof!…… unless
someone had tampered with it.  Had Trotskie and the Reds
done something to mess up the plan, to keep him distracted
while they sought to usurp HIM?  Growling, Xylex reviewed
his plans for replacing Trotskie, evaluating how he might
accelerate the time-table.  Besides, the cause could use a
martyr about now……  Settling back in his seat, Xylex made a
mental note to figure out how to blame the loss of the
Imperial Courier on the Brethren, and if possible, on the
Blues.  Maybe some profit could come of this fiasco after
all…….

Wanda smiled as she watched Kath do the dishes.  As a chef,
the Mink's cullinary skills definitely needed improving.
And the MOUTH on that one!  She'd finally had to gag her to
shut her up about how the Empire was going to destroy them
all, and how she'd have her vengeance…… and about how she'd
been so horribly mutilated……  Wanda chuckled at that one;
she'd seen the Mink flick one of her nipple rings back and
forth, when she thought no one was looking…….  Relaxing,
waiting for Kath to finish the dishes, Wanda wondered if
she might be able to use her tongue for something other
than complaining…… "Only one way to find out" she mused to
herself, watching the Mink's ass move as she scrubbed one
particularly stubborn pot……

Tanj smiled as she read the field report.  She'd been
gathering bits and pieces of information, in the weeks
since the "incident."  The medical evidence that Wanda had
turned up was hard to refute, but still there were those
that insisted that nothing had happened.  The short term
memory loss associated with the virus was amazing, and the
Brethren's own scientists were trying to find a way to
incorporate just that in a virus…… And now she had a report
of yet another skirmish on Elysium.  Except this time it
was between the Reds and a Mercenary group.  Well, that
wasn't THAT unusual; sometimes thieves fell out with each
other.  But in this case, a reason was listed.  It seemed
the Mercs were trying to charge the Reds for an operation
that hadn't quite come off, including a rather hefty
payment for equipment lost… and the Reds didn't want to
pay, because they hadn't completed their mission…..
Smiling, Tanj composed a message, to her opposite number
in the rebel group known as the Blues, asking him to have a
few select furrs "picked up" for her……

Kath knelt in the corner of the interrogation room, at
Wanda's feet, the Wolverine lass lightly holding her leash.
Tied tightly to examining tables on the other side of the
room was a female Gerbil and a male Mongoose, both nude.
Various barbaric instruments of torture lay about, as if
ready for use.  The room was cool, almost chill, and Kath
had trouble keeping from shivering.  The tension in the
room was so thick you could cut it, as if the cold had
congealed it from the bodies of the Gerbil and the
Mongoose.  After a while, Tanj padded in, looking
particularly rough in her combat vest and camouflaged
pants.  For a long moment she paused, just inside the door,
ignoring Wanda and Kath, her gaze fixed on the two bound
prisoners.  With a convulsive movement, the Cheetah jerked
a slim-bladed dagger from a sheath at her belt, the metal
of the blade making a hisss as it was withdrawn.  Toying
with the dagger, its point pressed against the pad of one
finger, its hilt twirling back and forth, she padded over
to stand between the two examining tables. "Lets see now,
you're from whats left of a mercenary unit called the
Renegades…. No, don't answer, I know that to be a fact.
You don't have to confirm that……  I understand you recently
had a small altercation with the Reds…. I'd like you to
tell me about it."  The Gerbil's eyes flashed to one side,
as if trying to look at Mongoose, but the way she was
bound, unable to turn her head, it was obviously more a
reflex than a genuine effort to obtain guidance or
reassurance.  Finally her eyes turned to Tanj and she
sighed; "It was just business you understand.  Nothing
personal……"  Tanj smiled; "so the cruiser that was about
to attack us WAS yours……?"  The Mongoose nodded; "Yeah, but
if we'd known your defenses were THAT good we would never
have taken the contract…. There wasn't even any report of
WRECKAGE!  How in the Hell'd you DO that, anyways?"
Tanj just chuckled; "so who gave you the contract?"
Again the prisoners tried to exchange looks.  After a
moment, the Mongoose muttered; "Um, that wouldn't be
ethicalllllLLLEEEEYYYOOOOWWWW!"  Tanj smiled sweetly,
the point of her dagger under the Mongoose's chin, a drop
of blood forming from where its tip had pricked the skin…..
The Gerbil looked at the instruments strewn about and then
at Tanj and sighed; "Leave him alone; I'll tell you!  It
was Xylex.  He set the whole thing up.  On the other side
of the room, both Wanda's and Kath's jaws dropped.  Tanj
smiled and nodded as she looked up into the corner behind
them, the voice stress analyzer flashing green…. "Thank
you; that’s what I thought, but its good to hear from
you…..  now… what can you tell me about……."

As they padded back towards Wanda's cabin, Kath edged up a
little, until she was essentially walking next to Wanda.  A
frown on her face, the Mink growled; "Xylex was the Elysium
Government official I was to contact on my arrival.  He was
the one I was coordinating all my travel plans through.
Obviously he sold me out!  If I EVER get my paws on that
Xylex, he'll wish he'd never been BORN!"  Wanda chuckled
and tugged on the leash just a little, to remind the Mink
of who and what she was; "my Father?  No way, I got first
dibs!"  Kath blinked and came to a complete stop, the leash
jerking tight; "your FATHER?  You're Xylex's DAUGHTER?"
Wanda just grinned; "Yup.  Real bastard, isn't he?  Come
on, Slave, we've got revenge to plan….."

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
209.100.167.128 8888.  Hinoki, and Zassa are copyright their
players (Zassa can be found on FurryMuck, and Hinoki
on Tapestries (or as Jollimon on FurryMuck).  Mark and Mala
are copyright Ann'katar's player, who also can be found on
FurryMuck, and most of the text regarding that character is
by him.  Copyright 1999.  Comments, suggestions, or flames
can be directed to ha_seng@hotmail.com.