When we left Captain Jones and the crew of the Artemis III, they were beginning shore leave on the pleasure planet of Plutonia. But things are not what they appear. Criminal forces have special plans of their own, with Admiral Hartley and Lt. Riesga as pawns …

It was already a very unusual “girls night out” when K’wari found Epsilon dancing with a pair of women in the nightclub she had picked. They were both petite with soft curves, wearing sling dresses that showed off much, much more than they hid. It was obvious that they were both very turned on. The pair shifted listlessly on their feet, slack faces staring at Epsilon’s body. They were utterly mesmerized. The white lines of her matrix glided over their wide, glassy eyes.

As K’wari drew close she heard Epsilon ask them: “Or do you still prefer this one?” She blinked and the lines of her matrix changed, flowing excitedly in a waveform pattern than began at the center of her chest and rippled out across her legs and arms.

Both women groaned, their bodies shaking as they melted in lust. Their eyes never blinked as they stared helplessly at Epsilon’s matrix.

Epsilon nodded as the Vicar of Yasu approached. “I have successfully attracted two dancing partners.”

K’wari stepped up to the closest of the pair. “Hi, I’m K’wari. Is it all right if I look at your eyes for a moment?” The woman nodded sluggishly and turned to face her.

“I’m …” The woman searched her thoughts, looking for her name. “I’m … I’m soooooo horny.”

“I’ll bet,” K’wari said, studying the woman’s pupils and the orange and green flecks within them. “Listen, you’re gonna burn out. You need to hydrate now before it starts. And you probably don’t want to be on your feet. It’s going be overwhelming when it hits you.”

Her friend, who wasn’t quite as far along, took her hand and pulled her away. “C’mon. Let’s go back to those foreplay chairs we found earlier. That’ll be perfect!”

K’wari watched them go, shaking her head.

“You have dismissed my dance partners,” Epsilon said. “They were enjoying my matrix very much.”

“They’re on pleasure pills. Just watching it was getting them off. Probably their first time. When they start cumming …” She chuckled. “Anyway, they’re in for quite a night.” They watched the pair of women until the dance floor shifted and they were out of sight. K’wari’s smile faded and she let out a sigh. “Unlike us.”

Epsilon studied K’wari, her matrix shifting from a smooth languid pattern to something more fitful and random. “Maybe we should take some pleasure pills.”

“What?” K’wari turned to her, trying not to look too surprised. “Why do you say that?”

“Because we are here with each other. And since Cadet Powers and Lieutenant Riesga chose not to join us perhaps we should do something self-indulgent and erratic.”

K’wari thought a moment. “So, you’re saying because they ditched us we should get nuts?”

Epsilon’s matrix pulsed forcefully. “Affirmative.”

K’wari nodded. “I think you’re right. Not pleasure pills though. I know a place that might be just the thing for us. It’s a little shady. They don’t take tourists.” She nodded toward the exit and they weaved through the throng of dancing bodies.

“How’d you know about Riesga?” K’wari shouted over the din.

“Your electrodermal activity response to her presence is consistently elevated.”

“You don’t say.”

Before leaving the hotel following her “conversation” with Elexa Dyn, Captain Jette Jones took the lift to level 21. She buzzed the rooms of her shipmates. No one was back yet. She stopped in her room and found a video message waiting from Admiral Hartley. She had been detained, but would meet Jette at one past the half-moon. Which was now.

Jette had forgotten about her drink with the Admiral! She hurried out of the hotel. It was raining lightly. She made her way to the Paw Print Casino, somewhere she had never been before.

She found Hartley sitting at a side booth, oddly facing away from the dancefloor. Jette slid into the booth – the same seat Hartley had been in only hours before.

The Admiral wasn’t in her uniform. She was dressed in a loose, sheer top, which put her prominent breasts and large nipples on full display.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Admiral. There’s something urgent I need to talk to you about.”

Hartley blinked at the word “urgent,” but otherwise sat calmly and smiled.

“Jette. I’m so happy to see you.”

She wiggled her ass in the cushioned seat.

“I think we have a situation, Sir.”

“I’m sure it can wait,” Hartley said dismissively. “Where is your crew?”

Hartley’s simple expression didn’t change.

“Admiral, are you feeling all right?”

“Of course. I’m happy to see you, Jette.” Another wiggle. As if triggered. Jette noticed. “Perhaps we could discuss this privately?”

Jette’s jaw tightened. Hartley slowly reached for the button under the table.

“There you are!”

Elexa leaned down and gave Jette a long, deep kiss.

“That party was such a bore! I just had to drag you back with me!”

Elexa was dressed in a tuxedo, her blonde hair slicked back. The bright, red lipstick and dark mascara made her blue eyes shine. A white carnation in her lapel. She turned to Hartley, who was blinking hard at this unexpected change. “Hi. I’m Elexa.” She put out her hand. Hartley’s hand emerged from under the table slowly.

“This is …” Jette stammered, “Admiral Hartley.”

“Pleasure. C’mon, baby. We have a full night ahead of us.” Elexa pulled Jette up by the arm.

“Excuse me, Admiral.”

Hartley’s mouth was open. Silent.

Elexa steered Jette across the dance floor.

“What the hell is going – “

“Shhh. Keep cool, baby. Eyes are on us. We need to get out of here.”

Jette glanced over her shoulder and saw two men cutting through the dance crowd and moving toward them, fast. She leaned into Elexa’s ear. “On our six. I saw two.”

“I know. Act like I just said something really funny.”

It took Jette a split-second, then she threw her head back with a carefree laugh and put her arm around Elexa’s waist as they strode out of the club.

Once outside, Elexa grabbed Jette by the hand. They hurried down the street and across the block.

“Gotta move, they’ll be trying to box us in.”

Jette looked back and saw the two goons rushing out the door and toward them. She scanned the crowd ahead and saw just what she was looking for. “Alley on the left!”

Elexa was already steering them toward it before the words were out of Jette’s mouth, sharing the same thought.

There was a large crowd at the mouth of the alleyway. Not a single group, several smaller pockets of beings hanging out while they waited to get into a lounge up the street. As Elexa led them into the alley, Jette pulled the hat off a short alien man with green scales and chiseled arms. She slapped the back of his head and tossed the hat into a group directly behind him.

The green man spun round and found a drunk Canoid with sleek black fur holding his crown. The green alien punched him in the muzzle without a word of warning. The two groups surged together, fists, feet and tails flying furiously.

“Go!” Jette shouted. They broke into a sprint just as the two men reached the brawling crowd. They fought to get through but ended up getting pulled into the melee.

They escaped into the alley. The man in front reached into his jacket pocket and whipped out a stuncaster. He drew a bead on Jette and Elexa … just as they raced around the corner at the far end!

“Great work,” Elexa shouted over her shoulder without slowing down. “There’s a place just ahead!”

A small, brown building, squeezed between two larger structures seemed like an odd destination to Jette. Elexa knew what she was thinking as they hurried to the back door. “They’re gonna look everywhere. I have friends here.”

Elexa pressed the door button. A middle-aged, fat-faced man peered out from the small vid screen. “A hundred credits. Let’s see the IDs.”

“Hello, Charlie. Open the door.”

The man’s face – even in the blueblackwhite fuzz of the small viewing screen – collapsed. “Oh, Elexa. The boss isn’t gonna want me to let you in. It took us a week to clean up the mess after the last time you –”

“Cut the small talk, Charlie.” She pressed her nose to the screen. “Let. Us. In.”

There was a moment’s pause, then the bolt released. Elexa pushed the heavy door inward.

The man hobbled out of his cubby-hole of a room. “The boss isn’t gonna like this. You bringing trouble?”

Elexa smiled and stepped aside, letting the man’s eyes take in Jette. She pressed a 500-credit coin into his palm. “No trouble. We’re not here.”

The Blue Room, as the dive was called, was … well, blue. Dim blue lights gave a dull shine to the blackness of the booths and floor and walls. It was impossible to tell if the joint was crowded or empty. The sounds of laughter and sensual moans wafted out of the darkness at every turn as Elexa weaved through the circular booths and toward the rear.

Some of the booths were outfitted with benches and tables, some were padded beds. Most had translucent privacy screens extending all the way to the ceiling that hid what was going on within. As they rushed past a booth, Jette leapt backward with a start as a woman’s blurry face and hands suddenly appeared out of the darkness! She’d been pressed into the privacy screen by her lover and, from the sound of it, was very happy about it.

Elexa grabbed Jette’s hand to get her moving again. When Jette looked over her shoulder she saw tentacles wrapping around the woman and pulling her back into the darkness within the booth.

“What is this place?” Jette had trouble keeping her voice down.

“It’s a brothel.”

Elexa wasted no time pushing Jette up against the darkest of dark back walls.

They stood breast to breast.

Elexa yanked off her bowtie, then pulled off her jacket, turning it inside-out, and putting it back on – its lining white. She tugged a horizonal zipper at her waist and unzipped alllllll the way around until a white skirt spilled out around her pants. She fluffed it. In an instant, her black tuxedo was transformed into a white cocktail dress and jacket.

She gave a quick look over her shoulder.

“Kiss me.”

There was a brief flash of outside light and Jette could see the two burly men – no, three – come through the door. She looked at Elexa. Her mouth was on her. Their hips pressed together tightly.

Even with the danger swirling around her, Jette melted into those lips. She sucked on Elexa’s tongue softly. There was a moment when nothing else mattered.

“Oh, you want to be a top so desperately. Right? Jette Fucking Jones? But you even more desperately want to be my bottom.”

“Shut up.”

Kissssssssss

She wrapped her arms around Elexa’s waist. Kissing was never like this.

Finally, Jette opened her eyes and glanced over Elexa’s shoulder. “They gone?”

Elexa pulled back and smiled. She half-looked around the room. “Oh, they left five minutes ago. We need to talk.”

Jette was breathing hard. “All business, huh?”

“I have to be. The moment I’m not, I’m finished. It’s the work I do, Captain Jones.”

Jette straightened up. She suddenly regretted the wetness between her legs. “Okay. Now we know where we stand.”

Elexa reached for Jette’s hand but she kept it away. Elexa found an empty table near the bar in the blue darkness and sat down.

“May I ask you a question?”

Flock was on her back, breathing deeply, as she felt the sweat and cum cooling on her skin.

“Sure.”

“Why do you not spend your time and money on a humanoid female instead of a robot?”

The question surprised Flock. She quickly thought about Hunni and Epsilon.

“It seems like I am attracted to women who are robots of one kind or another. Besides, you’re about as human as any other female I’ve been with.”

The robotgirl abruptly got out of the bed. Flock could see the faint seams around its joints, the thin, horizontal slot for ID cards above a skin-toned access plate where a navel should be. Other than that, it looked like a beautiful young woman – auburn hair, green eyes, perfect breasts.

It opened a compartment built into the wall and removed a vial of lotion.

“What are you doing?”

“I must relubricate.”

“You could have said that sexier.” Flock flipped forward, tucking a pillow under her chin at the bottom of the bed. “So … do you have orgasms?”

“I am a pleasure bot. I would not perform to my maximum capabilities and give my clients maximum enjoyment if I did not react to human stimuli.”

“Sweet talker.”

Flock rolled out of the bed and stood close to the robotgirl as it lubricated itself. Flock grabbed its hand and moved it aside. She began fingering the hairless robot.

The robotgirl opened its legs, its eyes drifted upward. “However … I do react to some more than others.”

“Good. I thought I was losing my touch.”

Flock massaged the robotgirl’s pussy as the bot began to hummmmmm.

“You’re right, Captain. There is something seriously wrong here on Plutonia.” Elexa gave the room a quick scan from their table. The Blue Room’s bar was full of alien beings and just loud enough to foil anyone trying to listen in.

“I have a certain talent for undercover work,” Elexa continued. “Someone very high up in the Galactic Systems League hired me to look into some security breaches on Earth and Moonbase One. Involving very important people.”

“People who have begun to act strangely and soon afterward show up on Plutonia?”

Elexa smiled. “Very good, Captain. You’ve figured out a lot in a short time. Have you ever considered undercover work?”

“Undercover. With you?”

“Well, let’s try one kind of undercover and maybe try the other later.”

“Keep going.”

“Anyway, it seems these people have something else in common.”

“Catwomen.”

“Right again. Originally, I thought it was blackmail. But it may be something more insidious. I’m not sure who is running the show, but someone is collecting information. And something else. Minds.”

Jette leaned back, catching herself as she looked around the bar. She leaned forward into Elexa’s whispers.

“I got inside, as a courier. They’ve been peddling this drug, catatonic. Heavy stuff. I’ve also been passing along information gathered by the catwomen, who seem to multiply by the day around here. I’ve been swapping out stolen files for useless ones. But I don’t think it’s making much difference.”

“It’s quite a tightrope you walk.”

Elexa half-nodded in agreement. “I’m already worried your following me has compromised my cover. They have eyes everywhere.”

Jette shrugged. “Sorry. You play your parts very well. If they’ve gotten to Hartley and Commodore Kruett and a few others, whatever they are planning is gonna hit soon.”

“Agreed. I was going to follow Hartley, but I was obviously too late. I had to slip her a fizzer in her drink to get you away from there.” Elexa’s face turned suddenly hard. “I don’t think you were going to her hotel room. She should be out all night.”

“How –?”

Elexa plucked a small gumdrop-shaped object from Jette’s vest pocket. “Listening device. Wrestling with you was such fun.”

“And here I was thinking you just liked my bottom.”

“Hartley certainly does.”

Jette winced. “She’s my commander. So I’m on my own too. And I can’t locate any of my crew.”

Elexa tapped Jette’s hand to signal for silence as a small group exited a nearby booth and shuffled past their table. When they’d gone, Elexa nodded and quickly slid into the booth with its partial privacy screen. Jette kept hunched over as she joined her. Elexa’s voice was lower and deeper.

“The GSL has been trying to keep a lid on this. The optics of being infiltrated from the inside isn’t good politics.”

“So why Plutonia?”

“Plutonia is a sovereign planet, Captain. It’s not part of the GSL. It’s not really part of anything. It’s a pleasure planet. It’s also a safe harbor for anyone engaged in activities outside of legal norms. The polizi keep the peace. But that’s as far as even they dare go.” Elexa looked around the room. “Why ruin a good vacation spot.”

“So the GSL sent you in …”

“To keep their hands clean. But, as you have discovered already, this situation is bigger than even the GSL is aware of. Whoever is behind this … it’s not just information they’re after. It’s mind control.”

Jette reflexively ran her hand along her rayvolver. “And they just added the rear admiral of the Start Ranger Corps to their list. You’re gonna need reinforcements.”

“Not on my end.” Elexa shook her head firmly. “It’s impossible to know who to trust now.” They looked at each other for a long moment. “However, if the two of us teamed up …”

The laugh sounded bitter. “I’m an officer in the Star Ranger Corps. I don’t freelance.”

“Listen, Captain.” Elexa’s whisper was louder, her face finally showing Jette honesty. “I don’t like being hooked into this any more than you do. But I have a job to do. And it’s going to get messy. Who knows? They may have already gotten to your crew. Hartley was clearly a trap.”

Some vacation, Jette thought.

“Alright. Usually, I have a plan. But in this case … what’s our next move?”

“Puss, puss, puss.”

Kanivia never felt so good.

So comfy. The two catgirls were curled around her body as she lay in the bed. Petting, stroking. Their hands running smoothly across her breasts and down to her tummy. The long brown hair on her head petted rhythmically. It was so wonderful.

And the purrs. Soothing and soft. The humming tones made her asscheecks clench as they got louder, then softer again. Up and down. It felt as if her brain was vibrating, like it was being massaged.

And the tails. The two catgirls clung to her – her eyes wide and wet. Swaying above her like thick blades of grass on a gentle breeze. Back and forth, to and fro. Her eyes never leaving them as they rolled across her vision.

And the voice. Whispering kind, comforting words. It was so nice. She never wanted it to end. There was only the pleasure. It consumed everything else.

Kanivia never felt so good.

Marissa kissed her cheek and stood back. Someone else was in the room. Kanivia couldn’t move her eyes from the entrancing tails bobbing in front of her face, but she could feel her presence. This was no kitten. This was a catwoman.

“I was just about to give her the catatonic, Nu Marr,” Marissa whispered.

“No,” the catwoman said as she peered down at her prey. “She needs to be aware for this. I don’t want her drugged. It has a much deeper and lasting effect if I alone break her mind.”

She ran her clawed fingers down Kanivia’s arm, and even that slight touch made her clit throb. “Keep the kittens in line. See what they are up to. Then wake up the admiral and deliver her to Kitka.”

“She’s been drugged. Out cold.”

“I don’t care what it takes.” The sudden dominance in her voice made Kanivia open her legs slightly, even though she couldn’t make sense of the words. “Kitka wants her ready.”

Marissa slipped out. Nu Marr stood at the foot of the bed and stared menacingly at her prey, as if looking for weaknesses, ways to control her body as much as her mind. It was a compact, athletic body. A swollen, neatly trimmed pussy.

“Pretty, pretty pussssssy.”

Her fur was petted. She wasn’t even concerned that she was naked next two the warm feline bodies that embraced her. All that mattered were the sensations – feeling them more deeply the lighter she was caressed. A tickle of whiskers. A long, slow lick along her ear. Kanivia faintly felt her wetness as it dripped oh so slowly down between her cheeks.

“You are doing so very well, little kitten. Kanivia? Do not sleep. But do not wake. Embrace the twilight of simple thought. It isn’t time to use your mind. It’s only time to play. Play with the other kittens.”

Kanivia’s hands searched upward, pressing against thighs, feeling the warm stickiness as her fingers danced on twitching kitten pussies. Their approving purrs and meows made her entranced smile widen.

Everything else was shallow in her mind.

“Yesss …”

The catwoman’s body slid up and onto her, nipples kissing along her body. The catwoman’s face encircled by the swaying tails made Kanivia’s head spin – dark green eyes, the sharp points of her ears atop her head. The black hair tickling across her chin and neck. The striped tails spinning round and round …

“Look into my eyes, sweet thing,” Nu Marr purred. “You are so strong and brave, young Star Ranger. But now you love being so weak. But there is always a fire in your heart, like a bright star. So much energy. So much life. But now you are relaxed and dreamy. That fire is but a tiny flame now. You are at rest. At peace. Surrounded by playful kittens. Furry and warm. You enjoy this feeling, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked. Speaking was so hard.

“You are content. Happy. No need to have that fire burn brightly now. No need to think about anything but how tiny that flame is now. Small, like a flickering candle, now. But you remember, now, don’t you, when it burns brightest and hottest. Tell me, when does that light in your heart shine? Perhaps when you are being a brave Star Ranger? Yes?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, when you are doing brave things.” Kanivia felt the claws lightly scraping along her mons. Her pussy began to weep. “When that fire is hottest, when you are most alive. What do you do? Tell me, Kanivia Riesga?”

“I … I try to be …”

Nu Marr’s lips were by her ear. She purred the words. “Yes. You try to be what?”

There was a moment of clarity in her clouded mind. “I try to be like Captain Jones.”

There was a deep purr, womanly, not like the catgirls. There was a lick and suck on her nipple. She arched her back into it. A reward.

“Yes. Like Captain Jones. A hero. Someone you care about and listen to. Yes?”

“Yes.”

“And you feel that fire … the light is brightest when you do what will please Captain Jones. Nothing else matters. Nothing else to ever think about. The fire. Captain Jones. Obeying her commands. How good it feels. Nothing else in your mind. Think of Captain Jones. Now. Everything else is in darkness.”

Fingers petted her pussy, the nub of her clit twitched. She felt the heat inside her, down her arms and legs.

Kanivia orgasmed. The reward.

She was aware of the spasms and shuddered with sexual delight. Still, her eyes could only see the twirling tails and deep green eyes. Then Captain Jones was there in her mind. She wanted to move, to run … to escape with her.

“Too weak …”

So helpless. Kanivia spun into the post-orgasmic helplessness. The farther down her mind fell, the weaker she became, the less she could think. The catwoman told her so.

“The flame is small again, Kanivia. It only shines brightly when you are being a good little Star Ranger for Captain Jones. Protecting people, saving lives. Defending the defenseless. When your body is taking action. Being brave. Using your rayvolver. Aiming and pointing. And firing. The light burns so brightly then. And it is at its brightest and hottest when you fire your weapon.

“When you kill.”

Kanivia gasped as the rubbing and petting became more urgent. The other catgirls stroked her legs, her arms, her head. She spread her legs, pushing her hips forward. So needy. The catwoman licked her clawed fingers, then slide the sharp digits deeply inside her.

“I feel that heat now, Kanivia. Your flame burns when you are fighting. Stopping evil. Protecting and defending. And killing.” Kanivia could feel a cool breath on her throat. “Tell me, who was the last person you killed?”

Kanivia’s face fell. The fingers felt so good, but something was wrong. She was sad.

“I killed a Diamond Warrior.”

Another low purr. There was something approving in the sound.

“But you had to do it. You had to kill. Didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

There was no hesitation in her mind. It was a thought, an image that stood out in the darkness. “He was going to hurt Captain Jones.”

The catwoman mewled with glee. She kneaded her breasts, firmly tugged on Kanivia’s nipples. The clawed fingers rubbing inside her. The sadness quickly replaced by need. She climaxed. Another reward.

“You are doing so well, Star Pussy. Relax now. Let the heat and brightness recede. Be happy and at peace. Enjoy the sensations. Enjoy the kittens. The firelight is so far away now. Like a tiny candle. No thoughts. Going deeper now. Deeper.”

The two catgirls rubbed her gently on the inside of her thighs. Her labia petted. There was something long and hard between the catwoman’s legs. It bobbed along her tummy. Kanivia couldn’t think what it was, although she had felt one there before. She began to moisten again, a reflex. The purrs and the pets. The licks and kisses.

The phallus slid slowly between her lips. Her mouth opened – she needed to speak, to think, to stop – but lips were there to catch her moan.

She felt it enter. There was nothing else. Nothing in her mind. Only the pleasure. More licks and kisses. More hands. The tails danced excitedly. The green eyes stared lustfully. She spun down, deeper, with the tails, falling into them with those green eyes. Cat’s eyes. Every thought shut down. Blank, empty.

The catwoman’s smooth black cock stoked the fire again.

“You feel my heat, Kanivia? Feeling my fire? Burrowing into your empty mind?”

“I … I …”

“Look at me. Look into my eyes. Think about your captain. You want to be like her. You want to be like me. Listening and following orders. Feeling that tiny flicker of warmth grow inside you. And as it grows, think about what makes it burn brightest. When you are brave. When you are obeying Captain Jones. When you obey me.

“When you kill.”

Nu Marr sped up, faster and harder. The catgirls stroked her legs, licked her neck. There were soothing purrs … a meow.

The climax was building. Her final reward.

“I am Captain Jones. Say it and know it to be true.”

“You … are Captain Jones.”

Kanivia blinked hard but all she could see was Captain Jones looking down at her. The smile of approval.

“You cum for Captain Jones.”

“I cum for Captain Jones.”

“You kill for Captain Jones.”

“I kill for Captain Jones.”

The assault on her senses made Kanivia’s eyes roll up. Scattered images flashed in the deep, dark well of her mind. The Artemis. The Tarkarians. The Diamond Warrior. Her shipmates …

They were fucking. They were always fucking. But she was fucking now. Being fucked by Captain Jones. Jette. So good. Obeying Captain Jones. Obeying. She obeyed the voice above her and threw her legs around Nu Marr’s hips.

“You need to cum again, sweet thing. Sweet Star Ranger. But your light? The fire in your heart isn’t big enough now. It must grow again so you can cum. Again. When is it brightest? When can you cum?”

There was only one answer in her mind.

“When I kill for Captain Jones.”

“You will kill for Captain Jones. Kill for me. Kill when you are commanded. And then you may cum.”

Kanivia wiggled her hips in anticipation, in need. Nothing else mattered. The cock drove deeply inside her.

“The fire is growing. The light. The heat. Your need is growing. So hot.”

Nu Marr pressed her lips to Kanivia’s ear. “Feel your rayvolver. Feel the weapon in your hand. Take aim. Do it for Captain Jones. Do it for me! Pull the trigger.

“Kill.

“And cummmmmm.”

K’wari steered Epsilon off the main thoroughfare and into a side street. It was quieter here. The buildings’ architecture jutted out over the road barely leaving enough space for a single air skiff lane between them. The narrow avenue gradually sloped down toward the warehouse district.

The handful of signs casting light were mostly bars and hangouts where the locals congregated. Locals who knew how to mind their own business. The pair passed several doors, with music and people spilling out onto the sidewalk, without great notice. They stopped in front of an alley.

Epsilon peered down the passage to a dimly lit door at the end, perhaps fifty yards away. The alley between them gave off angular shadows. “That is our destination?”

“That’s it.” K’wari glanced back up the street to where the crowds were thick and joyful. She looked down the alley.

The white lines of Epsilon’s matrix jittered across the black surface of her artificial body as she watched K’wari. “Your bio patterns indicate anticipation and fear.”

K’wari didn’t look back. “Risk heightens the enjoyment of many activities.”

Epsilon looked at her blankly. Processing. “A curious evolutionary development.”

K’wari looked over her shoulder. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Epsilon looked at the door at the end of the alley, then back at K’wari. “I want to get nuts.”

K’wari smirked. “Then you’re in the right place.” She led them into the alley.

The glow of Epsilon’s matrix cast faint light on the ground and walls around them. Their footsteps and breathing were the only sounds here. The din of the music and people they’d passed was already a world away.

The door seemed to be a single piece of heavy steel with a large circular oculus set about head height. There was no handle or control of any kind. K’wari planted her feet and struck the door firmly once with her open palm.

Epsilon’s matrix shifted patterns as a question formed in her mind. K’wari held up a hand for silence before she could ask. Then there was the slightest scrape of metal on metal and suddenly the oculus irised open. A being of some sort peered out at them through the circular opening. Its visage was completely hidden by a tinted black shield that reflected only K’wari and Epsilon’s faces back at them.

“We’re closed,” the electronically modulated voice from behind the shield announced.

“K’wari. Barada. Nikto,” K’wari replied.

The oculus shut with a hiss.

Epsilon’s matrix danced uncertainly. “Was that—“

The door suddenly swung inward with a chatter of gears and a low hum from the motor operating it. K’wari motioned with her head and they entered a wide foyer. The dim receiving area was lined with alcoves full of clothing, armor and weapons. The door slammed and the blinding light of a force shield fell like a circular curtain around K’wari and Epsilon.

The bouncer removed the face shield revealing the handsome features of a female Morae. Their race had needles instead of pores and hers twitched like whiskers as she clicked something on her hand comp. Then, a dozen or more metal tentacles descended from the ceiling over K’wari and Epsilon. Several were holding tools or equipment of some sort.

“Ku are rrrheee,” the woman murmured, the words sounding like water bubbling through pipes. One of the tentacles held up a small cylinder to K’wari’s face and a faint grid pattern flashed over her features for a moment. “I have you here.” She nodded and looked up from the hand comp. “Surrender your weapon.”

“I don’t have it with me,” K’wari lifted her hands into the air, knowing what was coming.

“Search her,” the Morae instructed. Three of the tentacles sprang up, rolling across K’wari’s body before diving under her clothes and rummaging across her torso and back, down her legs and out the cuffs of her pants. There was a rude, low squawk from the hand comp.

“And her?”

“My guest,” K’wari pushed her disheveled clothes back into place.

The tentacles flowed over Epsilon’s body, wrapping around her limbs and searching curiously for the non-existent seam between the skin of her head and shoulders and the black, smooth surface of her body. Her matrix danced erratically until the tentacles withdrew.

“Name?”

“I am Epsilon.”

“Species?”

The living computer looked back at her, one eyebrow raised.

“I am Epsilon.”

“She, uh, is one of a kind,” K’wari said.

The bouncer shook her head and grumbled as she tapped at the hand comp. The force shield deactivated and a hatch at the end of the hall swished open. Red light from the room beyond spilled in along with music, excited chatter and fragrant smoke. “Do you need a primer on the rules?”

“No, I’ll fill her in.” K’wari nodded down the hall. “We’ve come to play Bohgn. Are you hosting a game tonight?”

The bouncer’s needles spread out as she stared back. “Yes. Upstairs.”

K’wari nodded as they headed toward the throbbing red light of the club inside.

“I should warn you,” the bouncer called after them. K’wari turned back. “Contessa Morova is playing tonight.”

K’wari bowed slightly. “I owe you.” She led them toward the growing sound of music, laughter and lust. “Epsilon,” she called out as they stepped over the threshold. “Welcome to Club Dimonica.”

“I wasn’t completely honest with you, Captain. I did make copies from those discs.”

Elexa stood on the bed in her suite and, thumbing a small device, reached into a panel that opened in the ceiling. She produced a smaller disc and handed it down to Jette, who was struggling to keep her eyes off Elexa’s pear-round ass.

Elexa hopped down, took the disc and slid it neatly into her hand comp. They sat side-by-side at the table. Jette took a moment to appraise Elexa’s suite – as functional yet immoderate as she was.

Fingers swiped across the display from one file to the next – minutes from GSL board meetings, League admission standards, security protocols …

“I’m not sure what this one says.” Elexa turned the screen.

“It’s encrypted.” Jette’s eyes narrowed. “That looks like a Star Ranger code prefix. Curious. Give me a minute, I’ll try to decipher it.”

Jette took out the hand comp she had grabbed from her room and began to hit buttons. Elexa leaned slightly, her nose nearly touching behind Jette’s ear.

“You smell good, Captain. What is that?”

Jette turned to her, their lips close.

“Me.”

Elexa flashed a pleased smile but Jette was dispassionate, all business.

Jette squinted as she read the documents. “I think we found it. Someone is coming here to Plutonia.” She looked up. “They’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Doesn’t say who?” Elexa peered over Jette’s shoulder at the hand comp.

Jette scrolled down a bit more and suddenly tensed.

“What?” Elexa looked at her curiously.

Jette looked back, her mouth hanging open. “It says Show Dog. That’s the code name for the Chancellor of the GSL.”

Elexa stood and began pacing. “Then they got to him too,” she said grimly.

Jette held up a hand. “I don’t think so. It’s not a vacation. He’s coming with a full delegation, heavy security. With a Star Ranger Patrol ship as escort.”

Elexa folded her arms, thinking. “Maybe we’re looking at this from the wrong end. What if … what if the catwomen knew ahead of time that he was coming. Learned all they could about his security, his timetable. With specific people – like your admiral – under their control. That’s a pretty elaborate cat-trap. They might snatch him. It could be blackmail after all. But why?”

“You said it. Plutonia isn’t part of the GSL.” Jette put down the hand comp and stood. “Maybe the Chancellor is coming to make them an offer? Maybe that’s why Hartley is here too.”

Elexa nodded. “There would be a lot of people unhappy about being under the thumb of the GSL.”

“More polizi, GSL law enforcement. A formal government.” The distance between the two women shrank. They were in sync. “Not good for the crime business.”

“Or for catwomen, Captain. They’d have to go legit. Maybe even an end to prostitution here altogether. No more dealing catatonic. Hell, maybe not even pleasure pills.”

Jette leaned forward, her hands on the table. “I’d blow the whistle on all of this if we were sure. There are just too many unknowns.”

Elexa’s sly smile returned. “I figured out where the shipments of catatonic are going but … it’s no place for a Star Ranger. It’s not for tourists.”

“You said undercover. I’d need a disguise.”

Elexa tapped her chin. “Have you ever worn a catsuit, Captain?”

Flock slammed her thighs around the pleasure robot’s head. Her ass lifting as she moaned. Then collapsed.

“Lucky for me your tongue doesn’t get tired.”

The robotgirl slid off the bed and stood above Flock, whose legs were still shaking.

“What would you wish to do now?”

“What about toys?” she said between long exhales. “Got any of those?”

The robotgirl pointed toward the wall. “There is a selection over there. In that cabinet. For a fee.”

Flock sat up. “What about you? I’ve heard pleasure bots come fully equipped. Anything you wanna show me?”

The robot appeared slightly amused. It spread its artificial labia apart, exposing the nub of its clitoris. It slowly began to grow, to inflate. Longer and larger. Flock’s eyes widened. In a matter of seconds the robot had a rubberized penis between its legs about six inches long.

“Small, medium or large?” it asked.

“Holy smokes! Uh … let’s start with small and work our way up.”

Small became large two blistering orgasms later.

Flock’s fingernails ripped the pillowcase as she lunged forward. The “attachment” popping out of her with a wet plop.

“Okayokayokay.”

Flock rolled onto her back, panting, and looked up at the smiling robot.

“You know what this means, don’t you?”

The robotgirl’s head tilted. “Our session is completed?”

Flock grabbed the phallus and pulled herself up with it. She walked over to the cabinet – after digging through her hip-purse for a 100-credit coin – put the coin in the slot and heard the door open with a click. She pulled out a similarly sized strap-on and quickly stepped into the harness.

“Not by a long shot.”

The robot’s attachment shrank as it smoothly lay back onto the bed and spread its legs.

“Uh-uh.” Flock waggled her finger. “Not that way. Not that hole.”

“There is an extra charge for that.”

“Yeah,” Flock laughed out. “You just keep the tab running, babe.”

The robotgirl flipped over and jutted its hips. The silky smoothness of its ass made Flock’s mouth water.

“We’ve still got a long way to go.”

Jette felt naked without her rayvolver.

Just like the other clubs Jette had been in, Club Shile – which means leather in Algarian – was dark and full of whispers. It may not be ground zero for Plutonia’s criminal underworld but it certainly had the vibe.

It wouldn’t be a good idea to linger long in this place, Jette knew already. The patrons she could see clearly all looked like they were either just out on parole or waiting for their next fix. And there was enough leather in the place to upholster the Artemis from stem to stern.

She made her eyes avoid the bondage equipment which lined the vibrant red walls – more decorative that practical, but it definitely showed what was possible if anyone was brave enough or sadistic enough to find out.

The “hostess” was there to greet Elexa at the door.

“Good evening, Ms. Dyn,” the woman said. Her lurid gaze ran up and down Elexa’s crimson leather three-piece. Especially its tight and obscenely short skirt. “It’s always a pleasure to see you. And it looks like you’ve brought a new pet.”

“I’m tired of blondes,” she said with a huff. “I thought I’d try something with a little more color.”

Elexa gave the leash a firm tug, and Jette stepped into what little light shown by the entrance. Wearing a black latex catsuit – adorned with cat’s ears, a black mask and a thick tail – Jette felt as if every eye in the club was on her.

Elexa unclipped the leash on her collar, giving Jette a slight nod. “Go on and play, Pussycat, while I talk with Mehai. But don’t wander too far.”

“Yes, Miss.” Jette felt herself blush.

Jette wasn’t sure where to go. She tried to keep along the back walls hoping for an open door, but it was clear she wasn’t going to be able to go anywhere unnoticed. She tried to look bored or disinterested or above it all, but that only seemed to draw more stares.

“Hello.” A woman’s voice turned her head. “On the prowl?”

“I’m having a look around. See what’s interesting.”

The woman, older, blonde, buxom, ran her hands down her hips as if modeling her purple sequined dress. “Interested?”

“You couldn’t afford me,” Jette repeated the line Elexa had told her to say.

The woman was undeterred. “Then perhaps after you’ve taken in the sights, you’ll realize that I may be just what you’re looking for after all. Price is no object. So, whatever you are asking, I’ll double it.”

The woman ran her finger across Jette’s shiny breasts lightly. “Triple it, if it’s soon.”

Jett fought an eye roll as the woman sashayed away. There was no way she was going to be able to investigate this place without drawing even more attention to herself. She hoped Elexa was having better luck.

She spotted an empty booth along the back wall. Set into an alcove, it would the perfect place to watch without being seen. She tucked in her tail and scooted onto the circular bench. A mounted screen on the table’s surface swung toward Jette and offered her a variety of services the booth could perform on her. Some seemed to involve massagers, some involved quite large massagers. And all came with a two minute free trial.

Jette tried to push the screen away but accidentally tapped something. A compartment beneath her opened up and she could feel a massager prodding up between her legs, poking at the catsuit in its way.

“Excuse me, Madame. The owner would like a word with you.”

A tall, thin man half-bowed in her direction.

“No, thank you. I won’t be staying.” As casually as she could, Jette repeatedly stabbed the ‘cancel’ button until whatever was trying to impale her returned to its hidey hole.

The man smiled politely. “She insists on your company, Madame. Insists.”

Jette quickly scanned the room for Elexa but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Very well.”

She was led through a door and down a short hallway. The man waved her through a set of double doors, which opened into a large room. It was a playroom for … specific tastes. It was half dungeon, half earth Victorian.

A woman stood in the center of the room wearing silk robes, finely stitched with ornate patterns. She had short black hair, black fingernails and a long black smoke-holder.

And next to her, Admiral Hartley. Looking like she had just been hit with a stun beam.

“Welcome, Captain Jones. I am Kitka. Governor Kitka. The owner of this club and also the provincial governor of Plutonia. Did you really think wearing that silly mask was going to fool anyone?”

“It was worth a try.”

“Captain Jette Jones. Admiral Hartley was very helpful to us. We know all we need to know about you.”

Two men quickly grabbed Jette, overpowering her, and trussed her up with rope. They forced her against a bondage table turned upright.

The doors opened again and in strode Elexa Dyn. Alone.

“Ah. The resourceful Ms. Dyn. I knew you’d be able to reel in Captain Jones. Although I didn’t expect it to be on a leash!” The woman’s laugh was more like a cackle. “You should have let us take Jones when she was with Hartley.”

“Right. The rear admiral and the legendary Jette Jones both just go poof in the same club? You didn’t think anyone would notice?” Elexa could feel the heat of Jette’s angry stare from across the room. “Besides, what else could I do? It’s like a hypnotized GSL board meeting around here. No wonder you needed my help. Jones was just here on vacation and she figured everything out. I wouldn’t be surprised if three Star Ranger ships were on their way. Sloppy, Governor Kitka. Very sloppy.”

The thin man standing next to the governor stepped forward. “We didn’t want to take any chances.”

Elexa jabbed a finger at him. “You stick a plug in it. This should have been handled quickly and quietly.”

The woman took a long drag of her astro-smoke. “It won’t be much longer. Do you have the information?”

Elexa pulled the disc from her waistband and looked at Jette. Her eyes were fire. She handed over the disc.

“The Chancellor arrives tomorrow morning, three before the day moon. Although I doubt even you’ll pull it off. The GSL knows something is up. Security will be tight.”

“We know.”

“And what does Hartley have to do with all this? She’s too far gone to pull off any deception.”

“The admiral serves a very important purpose, Ms. Dyn. She’ll have access to the chancellor. Marissa, her aide-de-camp, will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly. Besides, she’ll do what she’s told with the help of a small stimulator in her ass. She is most definitely a rear admiral now.”

“So how do you plan on kidnapping him in broad daylight?”

The man’s laugh was cut short by a stern look from Kitka. “Everything is going according to plan. Despite some problems, which you helped tie up.” The woman winked at Jette, tightly bound.

“I’ll take my money in advance.”

Governor Kitka’s sigh was long. “I’m afraid you are what we call a loose end, my dear. You’ve done a wonderful job. But I’m afraid your luck has run out.”

The two men grabbed Elexa from behind. She spun around quickly and one-two slammed each man in the face.

“Before you start breaking things, Ms. Dyn …” The men back-peddled away – one holding a bleeding, broken nose – as Elexa turned toward Kitka. She was armed with a laser pistol.

“Oh, crap.”

Elexa’s arms were pulled against her body tightly as black ropes were wound around her. The men pushed her next to Jette and tied her to a similarly upright table.

“I have two surprises for both of you,” the woman said, turning and whispering to the thin man.

Jette looked at Hartley, then back to Elexa. “Out all night, huh?” she whispered.

Elexa shrugged.

“You had me worried for a minute. Although I think my plan would have been to not get captured right away. And I feel absolutely stupid in this costume.”

“Shh. Be happy you’re still wearing it. It may be the only thing that gets us out of this mess.”

The thin man hurried outside. The governor stepped toward Jette.

“This is bad for business, Kitka,” Elexa spat.

Ignoring Elexa, Kitka smiled at Jette. “The first surprise is that we’re not going to do something as mundane and inconsequential as kidnap the Chancellor.” She took a puff. “We’re going to assassinate him.”

“Assassinate?” Jette couldn’t believe her ears. “What for?”

“Simple. He wants Plutonia in the GSL. It’s a purely political stunt. He doesn’t have the complete support of the GSL board anyway. With him removed, Plutonia will be deemed too dangerous a planet to join their little club. And we’ll continue with our enterprises and have control of key members of the GSL and the Star Ranger Corps. Business will never be better.”

“That’s crazy.”

The woman ran her hand across Jette’s face and she turned from it. “But I did promise you another surprise. Dallan!”

The thin man returned, pulling a young woman by the arm. She looked like a sleepwalker.

Riesga.

“Here’s our little assassin now.”

“Riesga! Kanivia!”

“Say hello to your Captain, dear.”

“Hello, Captain.”

Riesga’s knees shook from a sudden climax, although her face remained a blank. Jette pulled at her bindings, then fixed the woman with a death glare.

“She won’t do it. No matter what you’ve done to her,” Jette said angrily. “And murdering the Chancellor is only going bring the full weight of the GSL down on this planet.”

“Not if the murderer is handed over to them, gift-wrapped by me. Very embarrassing for the Star Ranger Corps, however. But you won’t have to worry about any of that, Captain Jones.”

Jette’s eyes fell on the laser pistol.

"Don’t look so scared, Captain. We’re not going to kill you. That’s the last thing we want. The very last thing. Captain Jette Jones murdered on Plutonia? We’d have Star Rangers swarming all over this planet.

“No.” The woman blew a smoke ring around Jette’s head. "I don’t want to kill your body.

“I just want to kill your mind.”

To be concluded next month in Part 3 of Pleasure Trap of the Catwomen…