Then I noticed a smaller Cat, which I first thought was female because of his size. A young Cat, perhaps teenager equivalent, or adolescent. The youngster’s eyes never left me, fascinated by me. When I noticed he wasn’t wearing the bra strap, I realized he was a young male. Unlike the older, guarded, suspicious Cats, the young one’s eyes narrowed with happiness. He was almost purring to meet me.
The Captain stood at attention before his superiors, no longer holding my hand. When one of the fatcats nodded approval, the Captain dropped his head in a bow-nod of respect. I did my best to mimic him. I swore I caught a hint of amusement in the nearest fatcat’s eyes when I bowed. The whole gang was pretty calm about my presence. Nobody stared too hard, nobody hissed or razzed the Captain about his new concubine, and nobody looked up my skirt to inspect my parts. A good sign.
The Captain directed me to sit beside the youngster who would not stop staring at me. Pinched between the overly curious Cat, and the Captain who ignored me, I needed a drink, bad. I waited politely, and when no one offered, I tapped the Captain on the leg to catch his eyes. We knew each other well enough he understood what I wanted when my eyes flicked towards the bottle of amber liquor on the table.
He grinned, showing more and more human expressions each day. Between fuck sessions with the Captain, I had done my best to study the Gran language. My Gran had improved immensely, yet the Captain also made effort to learn human expressions from me. I figured he took this new trade arrangement seriously. He had picked up many of my little quirks and copied them.
The Captain poured a fat glass of liquor for me and put it in my hand. Gotta keep the concubine sufficiently sauced. Wouldn’t want her to sober up and decide she didn’t want to fuck anymore. That would be unfortunate.
The youngster watched me sipping my drink, way better quality than the rotgut the Captain had been feeding me. The boy couldn’t keep his eyes off me. I winked at him, and he winked back. I pointed at my chest. “Angel.”
Then I pointed at his chest and he said growl click click, which kinda sounded like Rollick. “Nice to meet you, Rollick.”
“Nice to meet you, Angril.” I doubted any of these Cats would ever get my name right. Was I asking too much to expect the Gran to pronounce my name correctly?
Chapter 5
Loud growls and clicks issued back and forth among the males, and the female occasionally said her piece too, but they were talking so fast I could hardly catch it all. Something about workers, delays and mining production quotas. Pretty boring stuff.
Rollick poked at my shoulder with his claw, fascinated. “Where is your coat? Are you sick?”
I thought he meant a jacket and then I realized he was talking about fur. I smoothed down my unruly black hair and grinned at him. I took his hand – about the size of my hand, and ran his soft palm over the smooth, hairless skin of my arm. “I have no coat. Humans do not have coats. We wear clothing to keep warm.”
The Captain’s claws settled on my bare thigh and squeezed, bringing my attention back to the conversation. One of the fatcats glanced at me, then the Captain. The fatcat spoke directly to me for the first time. “What is our benefit of trading with humans? We have strong mining and trade among the Gran. All we require from humans is the supply of workers your government and Nugene provide.”
The Captain squeezed my thigh again. I was virtually at a loss for words. I had no idea I’d be expected to convince them of the benefits of trade. Seemed so obvious to me. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “We humans are amazingly adaptable when it comes to profitable business. If there is something you need, any mineral or element or material, we will find it and supply it. If there’s a tech you want produced, fast and efficient, at low cost, humans can get it done. Never underestimate our desire to make a profit.”
The whole table erupted in growling laughter. I wasn’t trying to tell a joke, but, that’s the way they took it.
Another of the fatcats addressed me. “We have seen that the human workers show great aptitude and dexterity. Yet I doubt they can manage higher order tasks.”
Like figuring out how to tail your jumpships across the galaxy to find your hideouts? I wanted to shove human ingenuity and perseverance up his smug ass. I wanted to leap over the table and kick him in his bloated, fatcat balls. But I merely nodded, accepting his ignorance.
“We may not have the tech advancements of the Gran, but I am confident we will. Soon. Perhaps we can trade our minerals and materials for your tech.”
The fatcat watched me and nodded back. His eyes were not happy or satisfied. I think the undercurrent of my words left him unsettled. Fact was, humans would quickly figure out Gran weaponry, grav generators, and jump drives. In a few years, we’d probably be the ones dictating terms to the Gran. Unlike the Gran, we hadn’t enslaved the competing mammals of our planet. We eradicated them. My limited experiences among my own species had taught me that human cunning and wickedness had no limits.
The Captain seemed happy with my responses. He squeezed my thigh once more and his fingers slid inward, beneath my skirt. He softly tickled the edges of my pussy. To my horror, I grew wet, readying for him. I tried to smooth down the fabric of my skirt, to hide the fact he was playing with me under the table. I downed the rest of my liquor in one shot and clinked the cup on the table.
I needed something more to take the edge off. I had no idea why the Captain was doing this to me in public, but it made me very nervous. Though the table hid the Captain’s fondling, the female watched me closely. I suspected she knew exactly what the Captain was up to and she didn’t like it.
I looked over to see Rollick’s eyes glance down at the lump beneath my skirt. Enough of this shit. I grabbed the Captain’s wrist and squeezed as hard as I could. His bones creaked beneath the fury of my powerful grip. The Gran are stronger than humans, but I was not really human … not exactly.
Focusing my will, I poured strength and hate into my hand and made sure the Captain knew I did not approve of his actions. His surprised eyes glared at me, and I let go of his wrist. He quickly retreated from between my legs. Bastard was lucky I didn’t reach under his skirt and squeeze his balls until he puked all over the table in front of his Trading Guild bosses.
The idea had merit.
Rollick, seemingly oblivious to what had transpired between the Captain and I, distracted me with questions about humans, what kinds of games we played, what we liked, what’s it like to be bald with no fur coat, how was our trip across the galaxy, and on and on. I answered most of his questions best I could and artfully avoided the sordid details of my time trapped in the Captain’s cabin during our trip.
Then he asked me a very peculiar question, “Do you have a mate?”
I didn’t quite know how to answer Rollick. The Gran used words like mate, breeding, and concubine, but I didn’t really know all the nuances of those words. Rollick watched me and his eyes glanced towards the Captain, as if the son-of-a-bitch was my mate.
I gritted my teeth, trying not to curse in front of the child. “No, I do not have a mate.”
Rollick squeezed my thigh in a gesture that seemed … friendly. His face was contemplative. “You do not choose mates at your young age? I will choose a mate in two cycles. It is our way.”
I tried to correct his assumption. “I am an adult. I am … fully grown.” It was an awkward subject, but he was so friendly, and obviously the child of someone important. I did my best to oblige him.
He growl-chuckled. “You are too small to mate.” Not too small to serve as concubine. The liquor was saucing up my attitude – I hoped it didn’t reach my tongue. I finished my second glass and decided I should stop drinking before I did or said something inappropriate.
Suddenly it occurred to me – the reason this adolescent Cat was chatting at me nonstop. Rollick thought I was a child. I wondered if the rest of the Gran considered me child-like, which would make the Captain a child abuser …
I could hardly keep the smile of
f my face.
Rollick was a cute kid. All the hard edges of the Captain’s face and physique were soft and fluffy on Rollick’s darker brown fur. He didn’t really have stripes yet, just a slight hint of dark coloration where his stripes might form eventually. He was a little shorter than me, almost the size of an adult human. For the Gran, that was small.
“How much longer until you mature?” I laid my hand atop his. He made me feel … motherly.
“In three cycles I will join my father and find my place among the stars.” I had no idea what kind of time a ‘cycle’ represented. Probably the solar cycles of their homeworld.
A noise drew my attention to the stage below our raised seating area. Several Gran had assembled in strange, colorful costumes with sweeping trails of fabric. I’d almost forgotten that we were surrounded by a theater filled with patrons. Some kind of entertainment.
A grinding, almost soothing melody started up and the Gran on stage moved fluidly to the sound. I sharpened my focus on the dancers and noticed they were all female and far svelter than the one sitting at our table. They wore colorful variations of the bra and belted-skirt thing I had. Their breasts were small, which explained the undersized cups on the bra I wore. The colors of their fur had been dyed into bright oranges and reds. They were striking – even beautiful.
The females moved in a smooth and sinuous choreography, with swaying hips and sweeping arm gestures. They hypnotized me into a sense of peace. Like the female sitting at my table, they were all smaller than the males, just a head taller than me, and very slim. Though obviously strong and agile, they didn’t have the muscular bulk of the males. I was beginning to understand why there were no females among the ranks of the Warriors.
Watching this entrancing show, Rollick’s hand found its way into mine. It was nice, friendly, but weird. I held his hand and enjoyed an alien dance of colorful grace and beauty. After the first round of dance wound down, the music changed, and became more erratic, with loud thumps of bass where the females leapt into the air in front flips and back flips – a fascinating display of acrobatic skill and coordination. These Cats were far faster than the males, and more graceful, subtle.
Soon they added glowing orbs that floated and curled around the dancers in an intimate caress. The dancers flowed with the orbs, their brushing touches directed the gliding movements of the lights. The crowd’s murmurs mirrored my own. It was an awesome show of light, rhythm and dance.
I missed dancing. I used to dance in zero G on Nugene. I prayed that someday I might be able to dance again, flowing to the music, freed of all cares and the burden of gravity. It had been way too long since I felt free. Freedom was perhaps only a dream, an illusion I’d enjoyed briefly.
Chapter 6
The show was over quickly, and so was our meeting. One of the fatcats said something in dismissal and the Captain stood and pulled me up with him. I waved goodbye to Rollick. “It was nice to meet you.” His eyes sparkled in enjoyment as he nodded at me.
I followed the Captain’s lead back to the front edge of the stage and waited. A piece of the upper tier of the theater broke away and revealed a special, large floater carrying four Gran in unusual styles of clothing that looked different from everyone else, more colorful and flamboyant. When it dropped down and landed in front of us, I realized this was not a ferry. The disc was decorated with gleaming lines of something metallic, same ornate patterns I’d seen in the hallway on the way to the theater.
Rollick slipped up beside me and took my hand again. I hadn’t realized he’d followed us from the table. He inclined his head once more. “My father wants to meet you.” Rollick stepped ahead of us onto the floater and pulled my hand. I looked back to the Captain who stood at attention as though facing a superior officer. The Captain stayed behind and I was pulled forward onto the floater.
Two massive guards decked out in full combat gear advanced on me and ran their rough claws all over my body. They had zero modesty when they reached up my skirt to rub between my legs and ass cheeks. Their harsh touch scraped my most delicate, sensitive flesh. After feeling me up and checking under my arm pits, they satisfied themselves and let me pass.
I felt violated, like I’d almost been raped in front of Rollick.
The youngster walked right past the guards unmolested and took up my hand again. I looked down as our floater ascended to the high point with a sweeping panoramic view of the entire theater. The Captain had boarded one of the ferry floaters, crossed the moat, and was now headed to a seat in the theater. He looked up at me. His eyes conveyed nothing. I wondered when and how I’d return to him. Then I realized I’d rather watch him choke to death on a hairball than to be trapped in his cabin again.
Rollick tugged on my hand and led me across the disk to a regal-looking couple. The large male wore gleaming, metallic, decorative jewelry, and his claws had been painted or dipped in something shiny and metallic, giving them an unreal sheen. I also noticed how his claws had been honed to sharp edged talons. This male, though obviously influential, and well groomed, was a ferocious Warrior.
Beside him sat an exotically beautiful female whose fur had been dyed in alternating reds and golds. Her natural stripes blended in like dark borders to the colored dye striping. She was an alluring female and her eyes shone with pleasure as I stared at her in fascination. With a gorgeous female like that, I doubted this powerful male had any need for a concubine to play games of pretend.
Rollick gestured. “Angel, meet my mother and father, the Empress and Emperor of the Allied Federation of the Gran.”
At a loss for the protocol, I bowed low to each of them. “Pleasure to meet you, Empress and Emperor. I was delighted to speak with your son. He is a good friend.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I feared I was violating convention – fraternizing with royalty.
The rulers of the known galaxy inclined their heads towards me in greeting. No one seemed offended. Rollick pulled me in further and placed me beside the impressive Emperor, who was over three meters tall, a male of exceptional size and physicality. By comparison to his father, at half the size, Rollick did look like a child.
Rollick squeezed in on the other seat next to me, still holding my hand. He sat so close his warm, furry leg pressed against my bare left thigh, tickling my skin. I had made a friend. A powerful, influential, and possibly dangerous friend. One misstep, and I could be on the wrong end of an Emperor’s decree.
The Emperor took my small hand in his massive grip and looked in my eyes with great, piercing intelligence. “I hear tales that humans want to trade with the Gran.”
I simply nodded – struck silent by this strange, private audience with the Emperor. Without the Captain I was lost in a sea of alien customs and language, no anchor.
The Emperor continued. “We have long considered the potential of humans. The Traders Guild believes they are good for only one thing – work. My wife believes humans are far more complex and interesting than we know. She would like to better understand your race.”
Wouldn’t we all.
I was a stranger to humanity. How could I hope to make these aliens understand a race and culture that rejected my existence as illegal and unethical? Though I was the wrong person for the job, I nodded to the Emperor and his wife. “I will tell you all that you ask.”
The female purred, a wonderful humming sound. She patted her husband’s hand. “She is very different from the workers. I like her.”
Before I knew what I was doing, I opened my big fat mouth. “The workers are not the same as the rest of humanity. They are bred special for the Gran, to meet your work requirements. The workers are docile and unintelligent.”
She inclined her head again. “We have heard this too. Without others like you for comparison, it is difficult to know the difference.” I blushed. The Empress who knew nothing about me was complimenting me. She purred again. “Captain Cronin’s reports did not do you justice.”
What reports? I had no idea what the Captain told his sup
eriors, or what he might have left out of those reports.
“The Captain has been kind. He’s taken good care of me.” I was still sore between the legs from the last time he took care of me.
The Emperor’s eyes drilled into my soul, and I suspected he knew the truth of what the Captain and I shared in the confines of his cabin. The thought that these regal leaders knew of my role as concubine made me very uncomfortable. “I was not aware the Captain made reports about me.” I dangled it out there, hoping to catch a clue of what he’d said.
The Emperor’s great hand landed on my knee, a gesture of comfort. “Fear not, Angel. All is well.”
I felt a lump slide down my throat. A lot of things were going unsaid here, and I’d begun to sweat. What should I be afraid of? What was he cautioning me about?
His wife leaned forward slightly. “Rollick enjoys your company.” Her beautiful golden-yellow eyes landed on the Emperor. “She should join us later. Rollick could learn much from her.”
I had no idea what they were up to, and I doubted I could influence them even if I tried. Before I was appointed as a cat-sitter for their son who was damn near climbing in my lap, I changed the subject. “The Captain and the Traders Guild show interest in the idea of trade with humans. What are your thoughts?” Unlike the Trader’s Guild fatcats sitting below, this lovely couple actually wanted to speak to me. They seemed to genuinely value my input.
The Emperor closed his mouth and looked to his wife. A wise male. She spoke for him. “We would love to exchange goods, technology, and culture. You must teach us your customs so we can better communicate.”
Sounded great to me. Only thing was, I wanted out. I wanted free of this ownership, of the metallic ring around my neck that marked me as the Captain’s personal fuck doll.
I saw no way apart from asking. “If I help the Gran establish profitable trade with humanity, can I have my freedom?” I slipped my fingers underneath my collar to demonstrate exactly what I wanted.