[SWAW] A Crate Full of Thermal Detonators (6)

Rich

Ladro,

As the Libation was a half hour out of the Raxus system, Leeadra came over the loudspeakers, directing Hosk to the turret and asking everyone to man their stations. Squall's out of it, she didn't respond. Jojee speaks up for her, saying she's sick, so Jojee takes over the pilot chair and Lee heads back to the Engine Room. As she's handing over the reins of the ship, she asks you and Seesk to prep for boarding "just in case". Like the last time, things are nervous, tension is high. It's a long half hour

You come out of hyperspace on the far edge of the Raxus system. You feel the sudden hop from FTL to normal space, that odd molasses moment.


"Oh. Dwang. It's a kriffing... Star Destroyer."

Seesk pulls you over to one of the escape pod bays which has a view outside. You see this:



Hosk mutters,"I guess we won't be fighting any Primers."


After a moment, Jojee says over the loudspeakers, "We're being hailed. I'm patching it in to you, Lee."

You hear a staccato voice, female, sounds like a Correllian accent. "I repeat - medium-class freighter, your transponder IFF codes are twitchy. Please identify yourself."


Captain Leeadra responds politely, "This is Captain Leeadra Navaro of the Libation. We've got tech and trade goods bound for Secundus. I'm happy to see the Imperial presence here. Those Prime ships have been a real pain. I'm sorry our transponder's giving you trouble. I can run a feed to you direct."

There's a long pause. Several minutes long. Seesk moves back and forth on her bare feet, nervous. Finally, the loudspeaker crackles to life, "I've got it now. Captain Navaro. Thanks for your assistance. Please proceed to your destination. I've informed the Secundus spaceport of your impending arrival."

The entire ship heaves a sigh of relief. Within maybe fifteen minutes, Jojee's pulling the ship down, only a couple hangars away from the last time you touched down.


"Seesk, please get things moving when we touch down. I've got some check-ups to run down here, so I'm leaving that to you. Ladro, Jojee, once we're down and secure, can you come back to the Engine Room, please?"

WPTunes

I'll let Hosk know to look for transport for our special crate and stand by to make the delivery, then go to the Engine Room as Lee asks.

Rich

Hosk gives you a grim nod, working on getting the crate taken care of as quickly and quietly as possible.


Lee's busy doing post-flight checks, marking up a datapad with notes when you come into the Engine Room. Jojee's not here yet. She looks up, her eyes are a big sunken, she doesn't look like she's been sleeping well, or at all. "What's wrong with Squall, Ladro? Please give it to me straight."

WPTunes

"Lee, I owe you the truth, and I'll give it to you if you insist, but I think you should be talking to Squally about this, not me. Ask zir the same question and don't let zir wiggle out of answering."

Rich

Lee huffs a frustration sigh, reaching up to push some hair away from her eyes. "Fine, fine. Can you tell me if Cander said anything to you last night?"

WPTunes

"We aren't exactly bosom buddies, Lee. I have no idea what his plans were." Aside from singing show tunes at regular intervals.

Rich

Lee closes her eyes, then reaches up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Alright, well then, I guess you can go." She blinks her eyes open, turns to her work, pulling off a panel and trying to get at some wiring.

You hear someone approaching from the lounge. It's Jojee. She looks pretty much like a rancor drug her around, but she's look at you with a trace of worry in her eyes.


She comes up to report, "Hey Lee, I've locked down the bridge, everything checks out, other than the "small list". What's up?"

Do you stick around or head out?

WPTunes

"Jojee, I was just heading out to run an errand. I'll catch you later?" I don't feel great about leaving Jojee on her own with Lee, but it would seem strange to stay, and this seems like a good opportunity to make my delivery. "Hey, don't forget to give Lee the treats we got for her on Lianna." Seems like a long time ago, that market and the little girl Tanna.

Rich

Jojee makes a face, she'd forgotten. She tells Lee she'll be right back and heads up to her quarters. You make your way to catch up with Hosk, right? You find him hanging out under the shade of your shuttle. He's got the crate with some tarp over it to cover the Imperial markings.


"Lad, you want to walk this thing out to the fat man, or grab a speeder?" He seems inclined to take the speeder.

WPTunes

Definitely a speeder. I find a rental and load the crate, then we're on our way. I cannot be rid of this pile of poodoo soon enough.

Rich

You rent a speeder and head out to the flunge courts where you first met Orux. You find him by the fences watching a very spirited match. Do you grab the crate and head straight up to him? Send Hosk over to pull Orux away from his crowd?

WPTunes

I have Hosk wait with the speeder, and head over to get Orux's attention. I'll stand there until I catch his eye, then give him a "walk with me" head nod in the direction of the speeder.

Rich

Orux pawns off his datapad on one of his lackeys, then ambles over to walk with you. "What is it? Here for a rematch? People are wise to you and the purple girl now. Competition will be tough."

WPTunes

"No," I clear my throat, "I have, ah, a package you're expecting, I believe? I'd like to make the transfer somewhere less public, though."

Rich

Orux agrees, "Yeah, not here. Where can I find you? I need you to sit on it, and I'll send some people."

WPTunes

"I'm not sitting on anything, Orux. I've had this for too long already. We need to make the transfer now."

Rich

Orux narrows his eyes, "Just because you're tired of holding the bag doesn't mean I have to extend myself. The Boys in White have eyes on us. I guarantee that package is safer with you than it is me right now. Tonight."

If you want to Threaten him to take it now, or Manipulate him, feel free. Otherwise, he's happy to bully his way here.

WPTunes

He does have a point, about making the transfer in broad daylight. "I've already had enough fun avoiding those particular fellows, Orux, and I'm not taking your package back to the ship. Where's someplace safe for me to wait that's not at the port and not overrun with eyes we want to avoid?"

Rich

The big man continues walking, seeing your offer as legit, considering. He glances over at Hosk, then answers, "I'll send Jaleena with you. She'll lead you off to the stockyards, then I'll have a crew some by for the pick-up within an hour or so." He motions towards his crew, then points at Jaleena (that's the blonde from last time). She comes speed walking up and he whispers in her ear, gripping her arm. She nods a couple times, then turns and walks towards your speeder.


Once you're out of earshot, she says, "Didn't expect to see you again."

WPTunes

"Neither did I. Well, here we are, right? Lead on, or should I just follow my nose to the stockyard?"

Rich

Jaleena makes a pfft noise, "Don't be a wyrstix, Ladro. This is my home.." She hops up onto the speeder, sitting on the back bumper, gives the driver directions out to the stockyards, which seems to be one among several. The wind kicks up and her hair flies behind her.

Hosk is totally staring at her in the mirror, all subtle like.

WPTunes

I'm certainly looking, too. She's worth looking at, even if she's not nearly as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. "Jaleena, how'd you wind up hooked up with Orux?"

Rich

She's leaning back with her palms on the metal of the back of the speeder (it's one of those speeders with no roof, a convertible-type) as she lets the wind buffet her. "Grew up on a big Agro Commune, hated it. Came into the city for something new, learned flunge, won some games." She looks right in the mirror back at Hosk, who looks away. Then she chuckles, "He pays the best, so I went to him. Haven't competed in a long time, but the creds are good."

The speeder slows down a bit as you exit the city and come to a set of stockyards. The smell is as bad as you'd expect, and there are acres upon acres of pens for the various animals that are slaughtered every day. He stops and lets you and the crate off.

Jaleena leads you down towards a small house, like a storage shed or something, behind the nearly invisible force walls around the place, "I worked here for a bit. Slaughtered three hundred and eight cobochos*. Not a fun job." She's walking with this sexy little sway to her hips now, like she wants Hosk to notice. "Good workout for the arms, though."

She pulls out a small whistle, blows it for a bit until the force wall winks off on your side. Hosk's ears twitch and he grunts a little with discomfort. She chuckles, but waves you on, "Head on in. The shed's open now."

WPTunes

I push the crate into the shed, hiding my amusement at the way she's showing off for Hosk. Once we're inside, I'll look around for a clean place to sit. Moments like this, I sort of wish I had Hosk's deathstick habit. At least it'd be something to do.

Rich

The storage shed is actually a cooler. There are rows and rows of hanging carcasses, and the smell of blood is almost overpowering. The floor is a reddish muck. Jaleena seems relatively nonchalant about it. Hosk shakes his head a couple times, nostrils twitching. He heads outside to, you guessed it, smoke a deathstick, leaving you alone with Jaleena.


After some time of standing around, "Where's you're purple friend? And the gray one, with the tats?"

WPTunes

"They're back on the ship, dealing with the more legitimate cargo. Hey, I noticed you giving Hosk a little show back there. You're interested in trying something exotic, huh?"

Rich

She tilts her head, fixing you with those white eyes of hers, "Why?" She smiles, showing her white teeth, "Are you?"

WPTunes

Right now I just want to get off Secundus without entanglements, Imperial or otherwise. "Me? Hosk is not my type. But I understand he's left quite the trail of satisfied customers across the galaxy."

Rich

The smile almost glows in the dim light. She seems to fit in this place of red and dark, "Why don't you bring him back in here and go get lost for a bit, Ladro?"

WPTunes

With a grin, I head outside. "Hosk, our... liaison would like to see you inside. I think she wants to explore some mutual interests." I lower my voice. "Have fun if you want, but be careful. She's carrying and I don't trust this situation."

Rich

Hosk stamps out his deathstick and gives you an odd look. "Heh, sure she does. Yeah, keep an ear out, Lad. I don't trust that girl as far as I could throw her. Which aint far." He opens the door and heads inside.

He doesn't come back out.

Five minutes later, you hear him howling from inside. It doesn't sound like a painful howl.

Twenty minutes after that, a hovertruck comes in and four Secundans hop off. You recognize a couple from Orux's crew. They're going to want to get the crate. They're walking up.

What do you do?

WPTunes

I kick my heel against the wall of the shed to let them know there's company on the way and step forward to greet the moving crew. "You made good time. Appreciate that. Let me just go retrieve the crate and bring it out to you." I turn to enter the meat cooler.

Rich

They hang back, motivated more by laziness than trust in you. You open the door to the interior and see Hosk quickly turning his back to you, looking like he's adjusting his pants (pulling them back on). Jaleena straightens up. She has her hands on a mostly dry carcass, like she was holding onto it and bending over. There's a smear of dried blood in her blonde hair.


"Hey Lad! They're, ah, here already? Poodoo, let me get the crate."


Jaleena doesn't bother to adjust her skirt, which is barely covering her, "Ladro can take them the crate, Hosk. Can't you?" She flashes those white eyes at you, not begging, more like "commanding".

Do you snag the crate and give Jaleena what she wants?

WPTunes

I shake my head, but activate the lift on the crate and push it on out to the goons, tarp still on. I transfer it to Orux's men and ask one of those I recognize, "So, do you have the payment, or does Jaleena?"

Rich

The broader one who takes the crate from you, he's busy opening the crate up as he answered, "Orux didn't mention any payment. Must be Jaleena." He checks it out after opening up the crate, then nods to his fellows. They push the crate along.

What do you do?

WPTunes

I'm really only hoping I can convince someone to give me some creds for this thing. I know Sark didn't say anything about it, but a Kiffar can hope, can't he? "I'll talk to Jaleena, then. Thanks for taking that off my hands."

Rich

They do take it off your hands, loading it in their truck quickly, then taking off. Nearby, you hear the lowing of the cattle here. Most of them have days to live, at most.

What do you do?

WPTunes

I set my chrono for seven minutes and look at some of the livestock until it chimes. Then I go back and pound on the door of the meat locker shed. "Hosk, Jaleena, time to zip up and head out."

Rich

The pair of them come out. Hosk first, followed by Jaleena. He's got a lopsided grin, she's licking her fingers.


Jaleena blows her whistle to drop the security fence."That was fun. Alright, I take it you boys can find your way back to your ship?"

Hosk isn't giggly, but he's definitely in a very good mood as he walks out with you.

WPTunes

"There's the matter of payment, Jaleena. I assume Orux gave you the creds to take care of us? That is, to take care of our expenses?" A quick look at Hosk's grin.

Rich

Jaleena reaches slowly into the dark red wrap around her waist, the one that was hitched up over her hips the last time you went in that shed. She pulls out some scripps, "Prux said the bulk of the crate was paid for, to give you a hundred scripps. But I'm giving you boys two." She hands it to Hosk, then rubs his head playfully. He chuckles a little, still grinning.

But then he shakes it off. Jaleena saunters off towards the Farm courts.

You know the Libation will be unloading and loading with plans to take off tomorrow. Where do you two head?

WPTunes

"Nice work, lad. What do you want to do before we head back to the Libation?"

Rich

Hosk does this little strut and says, "Lad, I think you just pimped me out. heh." He moves over and slaps your back in a good-natured way, "That Secundan girl. She's crazy. I mean, you don't want to know what happened in there. But if ya buy me a few rounds, I'll tell ya. I'm headin' to that tourist trap spacer bar. You comin?"

WPTunes

"Seems to me you're holding the take, partner. I think you're buying the rounds." As we make our way back to town and the faux-spacer bar, I'll raise Jojee on my communicator. "How're things?"

Rich

Hosk holds up the scripps and chuckles, since you're right.


Jojee comms back, "Squall's still out. Lee's still working. I helped for a while, but she's tearing the kriffing ship apart looking for excuses to keep working. I'm gonna stick around for a while, feels weird leaving her, you know, alone. How's by you?"

WPTunes

"Finished our thing. Heading to that tourist-trap bar with Hosk. I'll come back to the ship if you want to let your hair down. You know we're going to have to do something about Squall, right? I've been picking up the pieces for weeks." Made sure Hosk didn't hear that last bit.

Rich

Hosk hails the only transport he can find, a cart pulled by some lizard beast of burden. As he talks with the cart driver, Jojee keeps chatting with you.


"I'm fine, just a little tired. I got plenty of liquid, and I don't think Lee wants you around, if you know what I mean. As for Squally... I know. It's bad. Maybe ze will sleep it off. Now that he's gone, things might settle a bit, you know? I'm gonna crash in a few hours, you and Hosk drink a couple for me, yeah?"

WPTunes

"Okay, we will. But you know 'settle a bit' isn't good enough, right? I love Squall, but ze's been on the precipice for a while." Once Hosk is finished with his negotiations, I jump onto the cart and settle in for a bumpy ride.

Rich

SCENE WIPE

The cart ride was "rustic" and slow, but it gave you a chance to see aspects of Secundus you'd missed on your previous trip. For a large city, the technology is nowhere near as advanced as Mid Rim, not to mention Core Worlds. Nevertheless, it's relaxing.


You and Hosk walk into Star Citizen and grab a booth. Hosk logs into the bar's system to order the rounds. You kick back, watch some holosports, a local flunge tourney on one screen, some kind of grav-ball match on the other.

After an hour of kicking back, you spot someone at the bar. She's just walked in, still standing as she orders a drink.



Ahji Dar turns her head to look over at you, offers that little smile for a flash of a moment, then turns back to the bar.

WPTunes

I ask Hosk for some of the scripps and excuse myself to go to the bar. As the bartender slides Ahji Dar's drink across to her, I catch his eye and pay for it, then turn to the Cathar and raise my own drink, and an eyebrow, in salute.

Rich

She looks over at you out of the corner of her eye, then raises her in a return salute, "Tvajó zda-ró vye, lyubovnik." (To your health, lover)

Ahji Dar steps over closer to you, enough so you can feel her warmth, her body half turned to you, "It is good to see you again, Ladro."

WPTunes

"Unexpected reunions are one of the great pleasures of this life, lyubovnik. Do you have business tonight, or are you in the mood for a bit of company?"

Rich

Ahji nods agreement to your assertion about reunions. You ask about her mood, she gives that sly grin of hers, answering, "I could be tempted by your company. Sit with me?"

She slips onto a bar stool that she was standing beside.

WPTunes

I set my drink next to her and briefly head back to the table. "Hosk, it seems I've run into an old friend. I'm guessing you'll be okay without me."

Then I'm back at the bar, sitting next to Ahji Dar. Keeping my voice very low, I lead with a warning. "At the risk of spoiling this before we even begin, I need to tell you something. An I.I. officer that's currently calling himself Captain Sark has been pulling strings to get me to do little jobs for him. I will never willingly betray your trust, Ahji Dar, but you need to be very careful not to share anything with me that would threaten you if he were to decide that I need to be pulled in and interrogated for whatever reason."

I take a sip of my drink. "I'll understand if you want me to leave." I really hope she doesn't want me to leave.

Rich

Hosk grins, raising his glass, "I hope you run into her over and over, Lad. heh heh."

You return to Ahji, make your confession. She listens quietly, those yellow eyes studying your face intently.


She finishes her drink with a quick toss of the remaining liquid into her mouth, then licks her lips slowly, enjoying the taste. Aji Dar looks at you for a moment longer, then says, "I want you to leave." She gives you that look, and adds, "With me." She puts her glass on the bar, and stands up.

WPTunes

"I thought you'd never ask." I smile as we walk past Hosk. Not a leer, just a smile. Something going right, for a change.

Rich

You head outside, following Ahji Dar. The area around the Star Citizen bar is loud, so near the small spaceport. Secundus doesn't have the kind of sound dampeners you find on other worlds. She slows so you can walk beside her. "How did this Captain Sark become interested in you, Ladro? Did you make the wrong kind of glory for yourself?" She's headed towards one of the hangars, not towards the Libation.

WPTunes

"He was on Falleen, somehow had eyes on the job Hosk and I pulled there. He's also got poodoo on just about everyone on the Libation, sufficient threat to get me to dance to his tune for now." It occurs to me that Ahji Dar is one of the very few people in the galaxy I can speak with openly about this situation. "I'm some sort of... deniable asset, but it seems like he might be playing his own game, not necessarily the Empire's."

Rich

She continues listening, leading you towards a particular hangar. She points a device towards a set of doors that open, revealing the interior of the hangar. Inside is the Woenid Nexus. It's the first time you've gotten a good look at it from the outside. It's one hell of a gunship. Long and sleek, too. A truly dangerous thing of beauty. "You think he's setting you up for some play against his own? Or perhaps he wants to carve a way out of II. Either way, is rough deal for you."

As you come closer to the lowering ramp of her ship, she gives you a serious look, "Are you going to kill him?"

WPTunes

"I think I'm going to have to. I can't see any other way to cut the puppet strings, unless I can figure out what he's doing and set the Empire on him. And I'm not even certain I would want to help the Empire, if he's undercutting them somehow."

Rich

"Always tricky, dealing with Imperials." Ahji says as you reach the ramp and start walking up. She looks over at you, "Is why I avoid them. Sark could be legit, but trying to lure someone. He could be rogue. Either way, you are raskhoduyemy." (expendable)

She pauses at the top of the ramp, turns on the ball of her left foot to face you. She trails a soft fingertip up to trace your cheek. "Kiss me, lyubovnik."

WPTunes

"With pleasure." I do, and the remembered feeling of her rough tongue on mine is a reminder and a promise at once. My hands come up to her face, thumbs rubbing her high cheekbones while my fingers curl behind her ears to pull her into me.

"I have been hoping our paths would cross again, kitten. I think of you often."

Rich

The kiss is electric, her wet mouth contrasts with her rough tongue, the purring sound deep in her chest rumbles through her mouth into yours. You feel her hands running along your back, her claws scratching along your spine. When your hands work up to the tufts of her ears and rub, her body relaxes into that sensation, her purring sounds revving up as her hands slip down to your hips, no longer caressing, merely holding on, unable to do more than revel in the sheer pleasure you give her body.

When you pull back, call her kitten, her eyes close languidly and she sighs. "And I you, Ladro," she trills the 'r' in your name, as always. "And I you." Her eyes open, meet yours in that intense, unflinching way she has.

WPTunes

I lean in to whisper in her ear. "I'd like to keep my shirt intact this time, lyubovnik. I have a limited wardrobe budget." Then, I head in the direction I remember her stateroom being.

Rich

She chuckles at your shirt comment and falls in behind you, stalking you to her quarters, "Ho ho, shchenok. Your shirt is mine. I may allow you to leave with it. If you are good." She skips forward a step and slaps your behind, catching up to walk beside you, "I think you will be good, yes?" Her smile is wicked.

As her quarters open, she speaks into that device she used for the hangar, "Serzhant, lock down the Nexus. Number One, all access for my guest."

As before, her living quarters is nicely appointed, leather couch and chair, a fine wooden table, the shuttered porthole, the door to her bedroom and refresher. Among the photos of different worlds are a few new ones. The largest is very familiar, an electrical storm on Kiffu, beautiful as it is dangerous. Not unlike her.

As the door closes behind her, Ahji Dar pulls the scarf from her head and slips it over the back of her couch, moving to stand near you, like a moon in orbit.

WPTunes

"I don't need to be back to my ship until morning. I would like to savor all the delights that you care to offer me." After another kiss, I say, "I see that you've been to Kiffu since I saw you last."

Rich

She slowly, carefully, begins working at your shirt, looking up at you as she does, "Yes. It was a delightful trip. You have a lovely home, Ladro." Once you take the hint and remove your shirt, she pulls your hands to her hips, silently asking you to strip her skirt from her as she puts her hands on your bare chest.

WPTunes

I comply with the silent request, feeling the promise of her claws tickling my chest. There's a subtle change in the dynamic, the center of gravity seems to have shifted a little in my direction. Soon enough, we're both naked.

"Kotenok (kitten), you are the most beautiful thing I have seen in more cycles than I can count." I lower my mouth to her breast and bite, gently.

Rich

As you suckle and nip at her, she sucks in a breath, then lets it out in a sigh as the claws of her right hand draw down your shoulder blade in little streaks of delicious pain, just enough to add her spice to the heat. "I am Kiffex, Ladro. You are Kiffu. Sometimes, our orbits bring us close. Then, beautiful storms erupt, and the passion shakes the heavens." Her left hand, pads only, no claws, reaches down to gently stroke you, the rest of her brushing against your skin.

WPTunes

I lean into her hand and respond with a moan, but I'm conscious of the gravitational shift. "Kotenok, tonight I shall be the Tom, yes?" I move away with some regret, then turn her around and grip the back of her head, above the neck, but promising.

Rich

THIS SCENE CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT

"Mmmmn, yes, lyubovnik. This would please me greatly." She bends over, arching her back, submissive and pliant. "Be a rough Tom, yes?" she asks, turning to look at you over her shoulder.

WPTunes

This is what I need. Control, freely given. There is no Sark, no Spice, no Libation. There is only us. Kiffu and Kiffex. And the fierce and beautiful storm between us.

I move up close, pressing against her soft, silky thighs. I reach my right arm around her neck to straighten her up, the grip tight enough to restrict her air without cutting it off entirely. I don't have claws, but the fingers of my left hand are not gentle as they knead at her breast, pull on the nipple. I don't have her sharp predator's teeth, but I employ those I do have, biting hard on her shoulder, ear, neck.

After minutes of this, escalating, I release my hold, push her roughly forward so that her hands support her against the back of the sofa. I grab her hips with both hands and push inside her until my pelvis meets her firm flesh.

Rich

Ahji Dar writhes underneath you, arching her back and purring like a rumbling train under your assault. She grips the couch with claws, burning up in heat, not caring about the marks on her furniture.

When you enter her, you find she's wetter and hotter than ever, her body shudders as you push home. "Yes, lyubovnik. You are a good Tom. You are my Tom. Tonight, I am your kitten. Take all you want, I want to give it to you..." the next words die on her lips as you begin pushing in and out of her. She lays her head against the top of her couch and mews, pushing back against your thrusts and panting.

WPTunes

I continue without mercy until I feel my kotenok begin to shudder with her orgasm, then push all the way into her once more and hold her against me with my left hand. My right hand reaches up to grab the scruff of her neck, hard, in just the spot my teeth found, the first time we met.

Rich

The rough sex seems to really unlock something in Ahji Dar. Different from when she was the aggressor, she chokes out words and orgasms without abandon. That is, untill you scruff her, and she freezes, cries of pleasure and want dying in her throat as she siezes up into a furry ball of ecstasy. It's like she could be held in an unending state of bliss like this.

WPTunes

Slowly, slowly, I pull back until I'm just barely inside her, then forcefully push myself home once more. Just as flesh pounds into flesh, I release my hold on her scruff.

Rich

The push and release of her scruff brings a strangled cry of pleasure you hadn't heard from her before. She collapses on the top of couch, laying on it, not breaking contact. her thighs quivering. With a weary voice, broken by panting, she mews, "shkirku menya i yebat' menya , lyubitelya . voyti vnutr' menya , lyubovnik...shkirku menya i yebat' menya , lyubitelya . voyti vnutr' menya , lyubovnik" (scruff me and fuck me, lover, come inside me, lover.) She reaches back with tired hands to try and touch your thigh with the soft pads of her fingers. She forces her head up a little, angling her neck so you could grab it again.

WPTunes

If Ahji Dar could see my smile, it might look a little cruel. I pull back, grab her roughly and throw her over my shoulder. "Not yet, lyubovnik. Not yet."

I bend with the Cathar still held over my shoulder, lighter than expected, rummage until I find something in my pouch. Straightening, I move to the door of the bedroom, open it, and throw my lover on the bed. "I think it's time for you to be blindfolded, kitten." I take the strip of silk I've been carrying with me for these past weeks and tie it around her eyes. "Don't move until I tell you you can."

Rich

She lands on her bed and giggles delightedly, expecting you to join her. When you produce the strip of silk, her yellow eyes flash with expectation. She pushes her face into your hands as you cup her cheek and blindfold her. "I am the good kotenok for my Tom." She lays back on the bed, stretching her hands above her head and clasping them together in a show of submission. She lies still, purring and waiting for your next move with renewed energy.

WPTunes

With a single swift move, I flip her onto her stomach. Then, I walk quietly out the door and set up the klava, using the closest thing to my usual mix of spices I can find in her collection and adding just a touch of dried hot peppers from Tatooine that catch my eye.

Once the aroma starts wafting out into the air, I pad back into the bedroom on my bare feet to where Ahji Dar is waiting on the bed. I move up close and whisper, "Kotenok, you should know... this Tom likes to play with his... food." I reach out with one finger, trace the outside of her ear, then flick the tip, hard.

Rich

When you return to her bedroom, the place is filled with her musky scent. It's powerful, what you've done tonight is unlike anything before. You find Ahji hasn't moved. She's gleefully submissive, as eager for your touch as you were before for hers. When you rub her ear softly, she coos and barely resists the urge to push her face in your hand. Then you flick her ear and she hisses in surprise. But there's an undercurrent of passion and hunger, of ache for more pain with the pleasure, the two mixing, overlapping, growing each other like echoes in a canyon.

"Da, Tom. Da. Poglotit' menya. Ya sgorayu dlya vas, lyubovnika." (Yes, Tom, yes. Devour me. I am burning for you, lover.) She writhes softly on the bed, her body hot with need, barely able to control her hunger. She's so carnal now that her words are only in her native tongue, Basic is too much for her senses, overwhelmed and primal.

WPTunes

I'm tempted, now, to just take her again, to fuck her hard and fast until I finish inside her. I'm almost dizzy with the desire to do so, but... the sight of Ahji Dar face-down on the bed, waiting and wanting, unlocks something deep inside me, something predatory and almost as primal as desire itself.

A growl rises in my throat as I run my left index finger lightly down her spine, teasing and tickling. When it reaches the base, I give her ass a sharp, hard, flat handed smack with my right hand. And again, on the other cheek.

Rich

That slap, followed by the second, it shocks Ahji Dar. She hisses delightedly, purring and shifting her lovely little ass as if she had a tail twitching. "Bol'she. Pozhaluysta, bol'she, lyubovnik ." (More. Please, more, lover)

WPTunes

More indeed. Four more sharp, stinging slaps to her ass, then I'm up on the bed, kneeling over her, alternating bites and kisses along her shoulders, her ears, the sides of her neck before I flip her again onto her back and take her left nipple in my teeth, then the right.

I trail down her ribs, once again alternating bites and kisses, down past her navel and on, to make a feast of her silky soft thighs. I am anything but gentle, not worrying about what marks I might leave.

The deep musk of her arousal fills my nostrils as her purrs and hisses fill my ears. The sensation of her downy fur under my fingers, the sight of her thighs trembling under my attentions. One sense left. I move my mouth up to taste her, tongue lapping at the dew-beaded lips of her sex.

Rich

She tastes completely unlike any human female you've ever enjoyed. The taste is bitter, but not unpalatable. She mews and whines, pants and gushes. The pent up emotion of your treatment, especially the roughness, sets her off. She mutters, over and over as you lap at her sex, "Vy gubite menya, lyubovnik...Vy gubite menya, lyubovnik..." (You are ruining me, lover.)

WPTunes

I can live with that. After a few more minutes' exploration with tongue and fingers, I'm more than ready for "my turn." I command "Ass up, face down." When she complies, I grip the scruff of her neck once again and push into her deep, thrusting fast and urgently until I feel myself ready to blow. Just at that moment, I let go of her neck and grab both hips.

Those last few seconds are punishing. The hard thrust of my pelvic bone against the flesh of her ass and thighs is sure to bruise us both, but the pain and the promise of pain doesn't matter. When I cum, I scream wordlessly and push her head down into the softness of the bed.

Rich

That last torrent of your lovemaking, you fucking her from behind, hands on her scruff, it is an incredible feeling of power. Heady, isn't it? She freezes up, her whole body clenched and immobile. A low keening sound comes from deep inside her chest. When you release her and slam into her, all she can make are ragged gasps and yips. She hits another peak, this one riding with yours, her claws gripping and tearing her sheets without a care. Your hand on her head is met by one of hers, claws pricking your wrist. But she isn't pushing you away. She's holding you there.

After you ride it out and are spent, she collapses on the bed, rolling to the side, her blindfold preventing her yellow eyes from looking at you. She's wearing a very satisfied smile. "Tell me. Please. Tell me I am a good kotenok?" She purrs lightly, eager to hear your approval.

WPTunes

I reach behind her head to untie the blindfold, and meet those eyes. "Yes, lyubovnik, you are a good kotenok." I kiss her, gentle for the first time tonight. "A very good kitten." Another kiss. "Do you want klava?"

Rich

She tries to reach up for you, but her arms are a little shaky, her thighs are still quivering, like tremors after an earthquake. She returns the kisses with what little energy she has left. She will sleep well tonight, you know this. "Klava would make this night perfect, lyubovnik. You know me well."

WPTunes

I head out and pour two cups of klava, bring them back to the bedroom. I sit on the bed, set one cup where she can reach it, stroke her fine, pronounced cheekbone with my left thumb while I sip my own cup, tasting the earthiness of the klava and the fire and brightness of the spices against the memory of her on my tongue.

"I'm glad our orbits brought us together, Ahji Dar. I wonder, if Kiffu and Kiffex could steer themselves, would the storms come more often?"

Rich

She calmly, slowly rises up to sit against her pillows, propping herself up enough to reach for her cup. She sips it, then answers with her own question, "If they could, the storms would cause a great deal of damage, don't you think?"

WPTunes

I hold my cup to my nose and inhale deeply, then take a sip myself. "Yes, they probably would. Still, they endure, Kiffu and Kiffex. They endure." I trail my left hand down her thigh.

"Tell me, lyubovnik, do you return home often, to the city-trees of Cathar?"

Rich

She takes another sip, the Klava seeming to help rouse her. "Da. They do. Is good." Ahji Dar offers a smile, "This brew is very good, Ladro. I like the mix."

She draws her knees up to her chest and holds the cup between them, pondering your question about her home. "Nyet, lyubovnik. I do not return home. I am not welcome. I am welcome in very few places." She says it plainly, but you've learned enough of her to sense her resignation to this fact

WPTunes

When she compliments my brew, I can't help feeling a touch of pride.

"Home has been coming up a lot for me, recently. Home, and family. Attachments." I shake my head. "Ahji Dar, I will always welcome you."

Rich

Ahdi Dar doesn't respond for a moment when you tell her that you'd always welcome her. You see it in her eyes, though. It touches her, deeply. She looks at you for a long time before saying, "You are my only Tom."

Gain 1 Bond with Ahji Dar.

WPTunes

For once, I don't have words, and I sense that Ahji Dar doesn't require them from me. After a deep drink, I set my cup aside and place my hands around hers, feeling the warmth of her klava as our fingers intertwine.

I want to ask what we do now. Metaphors and planets don't seem enough, somehow. Her utter surrender earlier and her frank statement moments ago are a clear enough promise of... something, though, and I don't ask. Instead, I look at her, those enigmatic eyes, fine ears, the marks of my teeth where they are visible. I have had her, taken her for my own this night, touched her deeply, body and heart.

Finally, two words. "My kotenok."

Rich

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