Warning: There are unconfirmed reports of nekomusume ( feral cat-girls) in District 21. Residents and visitors are advised to avoid all contact with these creatures. Please be aware that Thirlmir City Ordinance 22114 – B strictly prohibits the feeding, housing or aiding of feral cat-girls.
– By Order of the Planetary Government of Ereshkigal.
~~~~~~
Thirlmir… never in my thirty years of existence had I seen a bleaker and more depressing landscape. And grafted awkwardly into this landscape, like some monstrous tumour that would have tainted and slowly killed any healthy body, was a dark city of low, shapeless buildings. These were structures, remarkable only for the level of paranoia that had determined their design – security, it seemed, was the overwhelming concern here, a concern to which all other concerns, such as beauty and utility, had been sacrificed. Thirlmir City stretched before me like an amorphous, black, angular mass below the swirling steel-grey clouds that seemingly denied it even the consolation and beauty of the stars.
I had arrived two hours earlier aboard the Lazy Eight, a small, cramped and poorly maintained Bison-class freighter whose middle-aged captain had complained tirelessly about how the ISSC had comprehensively reorganized the Thirlmir system five years ago. I listened to him rant, silently and politely, until I quietly said,
“Yeah, but we did rid the system of smugglers and bandits.”
“You’re ISSC?”
Without taking my cigar out of my mouth, I replied,
“Private First-Class Jesse Crane at your service, Captain.”
“Well, I guess I can sleep easy these days knowing that you guys are around protecting my cargoes and my sorry ass.”
“Oh, that’s the job of the military wing, not me. I’m in ice-mining, way out on the Jayasekara Asteroid Belt. There are forty-three of us stationed out there.”
“Fuuuck! What did you do to land that job? Did you fuck the Admiral’s daughter in the ass on her wedding night? Ain’t no way you’d get me going out there, this planet’s bad enough.”
I laughed.
“Oh, it’s not so bad, we’re well trained…our shields work, and the ISSC looks after us. I’m here to spend my bonus.”
He turned slightly, and I caught a skeptical, almost grim look in his eye.
“So, is this your first shore leave on Thirlmir?”
“Yeah. Do you know any good places to eat and to relax? I’m here for a week.”
After a long silence, the man said, “Meizan’s Ramen Bar is nice, and there’s a whole street full of whore houses…a couple of the older ones are… classy. You might try Madame Talinina’s. Oh, and Acenateno brews a mean cup of coffee.”
“Right.”
Then his voice softened. “Look, you seem like a nice guy, watch yourself out there. ISSC or not, this is still a frontier town; it can get pretty rough down here. We tend to attract quite a few shady characters. Keep your wits about you.”
By 11 pm, I had thanked the Lazy Eight’s captain, transferred seven oboli into his account, and left him on the deserted landing pad just as a light rain had begun to fall. The automated space-traffic control system seemed to be working well, although the captain had grumbled when, for some reason, it had directed him to a pad at the far end of the complex.
I took a hover-trolley, loaded it with my few pieces of luggage and headed towards the security gate. One swipe of my ISSC id card and the triple portcullis gate opened, followed by a raspy automated greeting,
“Welcome to Thirlmir City, Mr… Jesse Crane. Please remember that all visitors are still under the full legal jurisdiction of the Planetary Government of Ereshkigal. Enjoy your stay.”
“Er…thanks.”
I passed through the gate and immediately felt the crunch of black volcanic soil beneath my boots. Five narrow streets radiated from the spaceport gate like the distended fingers of some skeletal hand. I took in the garish holo-ads for numerous bars, hotels and bordellos, as well as the familiar logo of Hot-Line Zeta Ophiuchi – my newscast of choice. Taking it all in, I shook my head and whispered,
“What the hell would they say back in Des Moines if they could see me now?!”
I checked my phone, and it directed me down Third Street, a relatively quiet thoroughfare. The few residents I passed were all dressed in flowing black or purple robes with long, loose sleeves and hoods. As per regulations, I carried my ISSC issue Boker 363 hunting knife and my Glock Scorpio Nova semi-automatic pistol – also standard ISSC issue. The weapons made me feel safe, but at the same time, conspicuous and somewhat uneasy. Still, no one seemed to take much interest in me.
Of the people I passed, I caught fleeting glimpses of stylishly tinted hair emerging from under the hoods of one slender couple, but nothing more.
For a city seemingly founded on paranoia, there didn’t seem to be much of a police or security presence, except maybe for the numerous drones that buzzed by high overhead. Drones seemed to perform all mundane tasks here, from delivering mail, as at home, to running the meagre spaceport.
My phone chimed triumphantly as I finally reached an uninspiring five-storey building. A bright pink holo-banner above the door read, ‘D–Lux Accommodation’. The hotel’s lobby was a stark contrast to what I was expecting; a modern, sparse look with tasteful metallic colours and comfortable-looking furniture. A pleasant-looking middle-aged woman sat behind a desk marked ‘Reception’ in some retro typeface that almost defied legibility. She looked up from her holo-screen and smiled sweetly at me.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Yes. I’m Private First-Class Jesse Crane.”
I flipped open my phone and activated my holo-id, complete with an impressive ISSC logo and a slowly rotating hologram of my head. She didn’t seem particularly impressed as she scanned the code icon with a wand, then grinned.
“Welcome, Private Crane, we’ve been expecting you. I hope your flight from Jayasekara was pleasant and trouble-free.”
“Trouble-free, yes, pleasant, not so much. I’m looking forward to a bath and a nice, comfortable bed.”
“Of course, and may I say, we are honoured to be on the Interplanetary Star-Ship Corporation’s recommended accommodation list.”
As she transferred the room access code to my phone, a small group of people entered and drifted over to the well-appointed bar in the far corner. Suddenly, the light dimmed and, noticing my slight surprise, the woman said,
“Oh, that’s just some of the regulars. We dim the bar at about this time… makes it more intimate, you know. Feel free to join them if you like.”
I glanced over at the group. It comprised two men and three women; all dressed in the long, loose-fitting robes that people seemed to favour on this planet. A slim man of about fifty now appeared and took charge of the hover-trolley. He led me to a spacious elevator and then up to the building’s top floor.
“This floor is reserved for our very special guests. I’m Isaac, by the way,” he said slyly, while offering me his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Isaac.”
“We love the ISSC here on Thirlmir. I have an autographed holo of Captain Fournier from when she stayed here, about five years ago now. Do you know her?”
“Err, no. I’ve heard of her, of course, but she’s in the military, and I’m only an ice-miner.”
Isaac nodded and pointed to a wide, dark door. I activated the access code, and the door slid silently open. Automatic lights then illuminated what seemed to be a spacious, comfortable set of rooms beyond. Isaac proceeded to unload the hover-trolley and was about to leave when he turned and smiled,
“Meizan’s Ramen Bar is nice if you’re hungry, and we brew a mean mezcal in these parts, from our own variety of agaves. Check out Café Acenateno for a taste of that.”
I thanked him, and he began to walk away, but suddenly turned back just before he entered the elevator,
– “Oh, and watch out for the cats. See ya.”
I locked the door behind me and immediately began to strip.
Cats?
ISSC regulations required that I have my gun close at hand at all times on a planet such as Thirlmir with a Class-C security rating, so I hung the holster by the circular, black and yellow tub and filled the tub with water – the very water that I had been mining for the last three months. I lit my cigar stub and got in, feeling the hot water immediately relaxing my muscles. I lay back and glanced at the media screen on the wall. It was dominated by a curious thirty-six-hour clock face, accompanied by a digital display.
A day on Thirlmir is thirty-six hours; eighteen hours of murky daylight and eighteen drizzly hours of night. However, Planetary Government regulations maintain twelve hours as the working day. The remaining six hours are known locally as ‘downtime.’ This much I had learned from one of the ‘factoids’ that were automatically downloaded onto my phone during the flight from Jayasekara, along with a whole host of minor ISSC regulations, traveller’s advisories and warnings, most of which I ignored.
Thirlmir City: Class C security rating – is all I really needed to know.
Over the next half hour, jasmine scented soap and a fine loofa did much to get rid of the sweat and deep grime of ice-mining. I turned on the bathtub’s spa feature, set it on low, then looked up at the big screen again.
“Xoannon.”
“Yes, Jesse. What can I do for you?” came the warm, matronly voice of Ereshkigal’s ubiquitous central computer.
“Which episode of Wolf, Fox and Cottontail am I up to?”
“Season 25, episode fourteen. You have watched five minutes and thirty-two seconds of the episode.”
“Ok, let’s see it from the beg…”
Suddenly, I heard a slight noise from the other room.
– “Xoannon, hold.”
I quickly reached for my pistol and slowly rose from the water. Following standard procedure, I had switched off all the lights in the other rooms. It might have been a mistake.
Peering into the darkness, I struggled to recall the exact layout of the apartment. There was the lounge room, the raised bed against the far wall, and a small kitchen alcove off to the right, which I had scarcely glanced at. Luckily, the lights were all voice-activated.
“Lights!”
I quickly did a sweep of the room, then strode towards the kitchen alcove. Everything seemed to be in order, although I noticed several indistinct dust marks on the grey slate floor. They might have been footprints obscured by the swipes of a long robe such as the Thirlmiri wore. I opened several of the kitchen’s storage spaces but found only dry noodles and packets of their accompanying sauces, soft drink cans and boxes of sweet biscuits – standard hotel fare. But in one of the storage spaces, confusion reigned. All the various packets had been pushed aside as though some large object had been shoved onto the shelf in a thoughtless hurry, then removed. It might sound trivial, but it was enough to alert my security instincts – instincts honed by intense ISSC training.
I shut the doors and returned to the bathroom. I then remembered Xoannon.
“My apologies, Xoannon. Please transfer the show to the main screen in the bedroom… but give me fifteen minutes.”
“With pleasure, Jesse.”
I dried my body and stubbed out the cigar butt, then I got into bed. As I sleep naked, my skin got the full impact of the cool, sensuous satin sheets.
“Mmmm, if only you could feel this bed, Xoannon.”
“Nothing but the best for you, Jesse.”
I carefully slipped my pistol under the huge pillow and ordered Xoannon to play the episode of Wolf, Fox and Cottontail. As the opening credits rolled, I realized that this episode featured my favourite Fox, Zenobia Harussan and that always brought a smile to my lips.
~~~~~
At some time, about a third of the way through episode 17 of the show, I dozed off. I opened my eyes again, much later, to see the screen paused at a particularly interesting scene where the Fox seemed to have cornered the Cottontail in an ancient-looking temple. I was about to instruct Xoannon to end the stream when I heard a faint rustling coming from the kitchen. I got out of bed, pistol in hand and slowly approached the room. I knew that the manual light control was just inside the door jamb, so I quickly reached around and tapped it. I then stood in the doorway, covering the entire alcove, double-handed, with the Glock.
What I saw in front of me was totally unexpected and utterly perplexing.
“Ok, whoever the fuck you are, don’t move.”
Half facing each other, were two tall figures wearing black Thirmiri robes, fastened at the throat and with the hoods thrown back. Moving slowly but deliberately, they glanced at me briefly, then turned their heads to face each other. I had the Glock firmly trained on them, but this didn’t particularly seem to faze them. Suddenly, they unclipped their robes, and the garments fell heavily to the floor.
“I told you…ladies not to move!”
They said nothing but slowly turned their heads to stare impassively at me. They were clearly female and seemed to stand a few centimetres taller than I am. Both seemed to be covered all over with fine, downy fur, which was shortest and almost invisible on their faces.
One of them was slightly shorter than the other, and of a distinctly different colour; coral pink, I might have termed it, with perfect, apple-sized breasts and prominent rose-bud nipples. Her taller companion had apricot-yellow fur with hair to match. She was broad-shouldered with high, pointed breasts. Both girls were slim with subtle but well-defined muscles and masses of thick, straight hair whose colour matched their fur exactly and which looked in sore need of brushing.
I took a couple of steps closer to them and noticed a sheen to their skins under the warm glow of the ceiling lights. They stood still as statues and didn’t seem to be armed. Both now stared at me with large, dark amber eyes; unblinking and fathomless. They had slightly upturned button noses and large, triangular, pointed ears that stood erect and alert. These ears were covered in longer, darker fur with a tight bundle of long strands at the apex of each. Looking again later, I saw that a silver ring held the bundled strands together. A cosmetic touch?
As I was taking all this in, I struggled to decide whether I found them cute, sexy and slightly comical or sinister, unsettling and frankly alien.
Then Apricot spoke.
“Please, sir, we mean you no harm.”
It was a low, warm voice, yet full of quiet confidence.
“Who or what are you?”
It was Coral, the shorter of the two, who answered.
“We are Daughters of Phurnia, our goddess,” she said quietly but with a distinct note of pride.
Then, with a pleading look in her leonine eyes, Apricot added,
“Some here call us nekomusume, though we do not care for that term.”
Nekomusume, ‘cat-girls’ in Japanese. My mind went back to Isaac’s parting comment. It seemed he had something to do with this. I lowered my gun. The girls continued to face me, and I now noticed subtle changes in their posture; breasts were thrust out, and they had swung their hips to opposite sides. Eyes were downcast and shaded by long lashes, and it seemed that they were using the shadows created by the ceiling lights to accentuate their elfin, no, leonine features – all for my benefit, no doubt. Subtle, ladies, subtle. I smiled.
I pulled up a chair and, still holding the gun in their direction, I sat down. They obviously took this as a good sign and quietly squatted down with their hands on their knees. I noticed that they had sizable, strong-looking claw-like nails, which they did not attempt to hide. Slowly, they looked up at me in unison, their slit pupils now visibly dilated, and I saw two muscular, snake-like forms slowly rise from behind them.
Coral immediately noticed my concern.
“There is no need for alarm, sir. These are merely our tails.”
Then Apricot added, “We are naked, sir. What have you to fear from naked foes?”
Her voice was all honey and cinnamon. I found myself momentarily wishing that I could hear her sing. Their tails were covered by the same fur that covered the rest of their bodies, ending in a tuft of longer fur that was a shade or two darker than their body colour. These tails they now swung slowly, almost hypnotically, from side to side, and I got the distinct impression that they might use them to communicate.
“Well…ladies, why are you here at 1 am. Not just to keep me company?”
I expected them to ask for money, but Thirlmir was a cashless economy by order of the Planetary Government, to discourage petty theft and burglary, although these two seemingly had no trouble getting into my room. Apricot then replied,
“We beg you for water, some humble food and a bath, kind sir…and for your mercy and discretion.”
“Food?”
Coral then added, “We love noodles with sauce. We notice that you have plenty of both here.”
The eager, naive tone in her voice made me smile.
“Oh boy. Ok, since you asked so nicely. I was going to order something from Meizan’s, but I guess they’re closed. I hope I can trust you two.”
Their tails started to sway faster and then curled away out of view.
Solemnly, Coral said, “We swear by all that we hold sacred, by Meeuty, the ancient and by Phurnia, goddess of the heavens, our saviour, that we will not harm you, sir.”
“We swear,” repeated Apricot.
I smiled and shook my head, secretly finding these solemn promises very touching.
“All right, but I’m still going to keep a close eye on you two.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I ushered them into the bathroom, where they immediately hopped nimbly into the tub. They seemed to know exactly how to operate the water supply, temperature, soap gel and the jacuzzi function, but I told them not to use that. They obeyed me without question. I stood back with my Glock in my hand and watched them as they smiled and proceeded to wash each other. The entire time they held their tails up just above their heads, making subtle movements with the tips, along with barely noticeable vibrations and undulations, all suggesting to me that they were communicating. I was intrigued. I stood back against the wall when Apricot turned suddenly and smiled at me,
“You are so good to us, kind sir.”
As she said this, I noticed two rows of perfect white teeth behind her full lips – sharp incisors bordered by two pairs of wickedly curved canines. Still, it was a sweet smile, and her compliment had been delivered in that honeyed, cinnamon and cloves voice. Keeping my pistol handy, I decided to enjoy the view.
Nekomusume. They were clearly not native to Thirlmir. In over 500 years of interplanetary travel and exploration, humans had only ever encountered basic aquatic microbial life and simple multicellular organisms. No, these ‘cat-girls’ were clearly the products of genetic engineering, most of which was currently illegal. But what were they doing here, in this galactic backwater? As though reading my thoughts, both turned their dark amber doe eyes upon me.
“Master is sweet and noble.”
“Now, wait a minute, I’m not your master.”
Again, they grinned, and their tails vibrated almost audibly.
“As you wish, sir.”
“Call me Jesse. Do you ladies have names?”
“I am Jyah,” replied Apricot.
“And I am Shyla.”
“Nice to meet you both, now behave yourselves until I steam us some noodles.”
“We promise,” they replied girlishly and in unison.
I sprinted to the bedroom and rapidly slipped on a pair of shorts. In the kitchen, I rapidly put three packets of noodles into the autochef. I chose seafood flavouring, hoping the girls would like it. I programmed the autochef and returned to the bathroom. Standing in the doorway, I had to smile as they were now shampooing each other’s hair. Shyla glanced at me and grinned, and I once again caught a glimpse of her long canines. But the sweet voice that followed pushed any other thoughts to the back of my mind.
“Would you like to join us…Jesse?”
“Hmmm, I am tempted, ladies, but dinner is only a few minutes away. Is seafood sauce, ok?”
Jyah then looked up at me with slightly hooded amber eyes.
“Yes, Jesse, but we would like to eat in here, if it pleases you as our benefactor.”
They both looked at me with expectation, but why did I get the feeling they already knew my answer?
“Oh, all right. Are quick-sticks ok?”
“Yessss!” they answered in unison.
I returned a few minutes later with two steaming bowls of noodles to find Shyla’s long, coral pink tongue lapping one of Jyah’s nipples. The latter was clearly enjoying the experience as she had thrown back her head with her wet apricot-yellow hair glistening under the bright overhead lights.
“Ah-hemmm, ladies.”
They looked at me and said nothing. Smiling, they accepted the noodles eagerly, and I stood back with crossed arms to watch them eat. When they only looked at each other, I asked,
“Is everything all right?”
Shyla answered. “We want you to eat with us, Jesse, here in this lovely warm bath…”
“…but without your shorts, please,” added Jyah.
I exhaled loudly and ducked out, making sure that my gun was on the chair just out of view of the bathroom. I stripped off my shorts and padded into the kitchen. Fetching my bowl of noodles, I returned to find that they had made room for me between them. Both looked up and smiled as I got in. I noticed that they both held their quick sticks at the ready. I got into the tub gently, finding the water quite warm.
“I don’t want to sit on one of your…tails.”
Both girls giggled, and suddenly two long, graceful, snakelike forms rose from the soapy water and submerged just as quickly out of the way.
Once I was in and comfortable, Jyah spoke softly, “You do us a great honour, Jesse. Some in this land consider us… abominations.”
“Oh, that’s harsh. I have no idea where you girls came from, but I would hardly call you abominable…different and interesting certainly.”
“We come from the Venusberg,” said Shyla enigmatically.
I noticed Jyah glance at her disapprovingly for an instant, then I changed the subject.
“Let’s eat.”
There was an air of quiet politeness about them as they ate, as though they had been to some high-class finishing school. It was clear that they were hungry, with eyes downcast and heads bowed.
“How is it?”
My question was greeted with a chorus of “Mmmmmm!”
I found the noodles tasty, if a little salty, but since I was also hungry, I ate the entire bowl in no time. As I placed my bowl carefully on the floor by the tub, I noticed the girls licking their bowls and their lips with long, pointed pink tongues. Jyah’s was a slightly different hue compared to Shyla’s, which was a bright coral pink.
“Well, whoever created you certainly had an eye for detail,” I commented casually.
Shyla then looked at me with a faint note of reproach in her amber eyes,
“Our Lady, the dread goddess Phurnia, ruler of space, created us.”
“Oh, my apologies. I didn’t know that. What do you know of space?”
But I never received an answer. I turned my head to find Jyah’s lips centimetres from mine and her strong clawed hand gently cradling the back of my head. I then felt Shyla’s tail slide between my legs, under my cock and come to rest between my ass cheeks. She put her hand against my side and with her other hand she began to stroke my cock under the water.
“Now…wait just a minute here, girls.”
Jyah looked at me with hooded eyes and smiled seductively, “Why wait a minute, we want to fuck you now.”
Without another word, Jyah kissed me. Her lips were soft, and I immediately became aware of a pleasant, subtle scent on her breath and in her hair. It was like honeyed lavender or sweet thyme. Whether instinctively or not, I found myself wanting to breathe it in and taste more of it. So, I returned her kiss, and as I did so, I heard a deep, low growl escape her throat. By this time, Shyla had somehow wrapped part of her tail around my thigh and was working my cock quite skilfully with her hand. Her touch was gentle at first, but as I became increasingly aroused, she tightened her grip on me and quickened the pace. Jyah stopped kissing me momentarily and opened her lovely amber eyes. She looked deep into my eyes until I smiled. She returned the smile and opened her mouth wide. She licked her lips, giving me yet another look at her long tongue and formidable canines.
My lips met hers soon after, and then I felt that long, oddly textured tongue snake its way into my mouth. She wrestled with mine, and I felt an acute point rubbing the inside of my cheeks. She then withdrew it and looked me in the eyes again.
“Mmmmwwwrrrr, you are a fine man, Jesse.”
“Err, thanks.”
Without saying anything further, both girls moved next to each other. Shyla tapped the control that drained the tub, and both cats watched as my thick, hard, back-curving cock slowly emerged from the water. The sight of it delighted them so much that they trembled, purred and uttered low growls. I relaxed and lay back against the wall of the tub with my arms at my sides, ready for their next move.
“Ok, ladies, I’m all yours.”
I was then treated to the sight of two sets of shapely ass-cheeks, one coral pink, the other apricot yellow, rising behind two muscular and very manoeuvrable tails. They approached me, with tails held high and on all fours. They settled one on each side of my hard vertical shaft. It was Shyla who took my cock in her mouth first while Jyah licked me with her long tongue. Just how long that tongue was only now became apparent as she was able to stay politely out of her sister’s way while licking my inner thighs and slowly making her way up to my balls. The texture of her tongue was like nothing I had experienced before; she was able to make it rougher and smoother quite easily, increasing the friction against my skin as she continued. The vibrations this caused had a slow but definite effect, as did that indefinable honey and spice aroma that both girls produced.
Shyla now bobbed her head faster as my cock sank deeper into the wonderful, velvety abyss that was her mouth. She kept her tongue smooth and soft while using it to rub the head of my cock all the way along the softly ridged roof of her mouth to the back of her throat. Her hands meanwhil,e massaged my hips, but she was careful not to scratch me with her formidable claws. Jyah continued to lick and tickle every patch of my nether regions that she had access to until, after several exquisite minutes, Shyla rose from her task and turned,
“Taste him, sister, his cock is indeed a rare delicacy.”
With that unexpected compliment, I found my shaft slide past Jyah’s firm, cool lips. Whereas Shyla had been relatively gentle with me, I now found Jayah’s passionate attentions bordering on the rough. Shyla was obviously aware of this and stared at me with a knowing smile,
“We desire you, Jesse, we want your seed deep and safe in our keeping.”
All I could do was roll my eyes and nod at this enigmatic statement. A moment later, I felt Shyla’s hand grip my shaft at its base, and her lips and tongue expertly work on my head, swirling her tongue around it so that she seemed to touch every side at once. Then she abruptly raised her head and, without missing a breath, said.
“He is ready, sister.”
I then felt Jayah’s strong hands grip my shoulders as she gracefully raised herself over my rigid, straining shaft. Her sister then took my cock nimbly and fed it into Shyla’s cunt. She purred and trembled slightly as my entire length slid snugly into her.
“Don’t tell us you call it a pussy.”
I struggled to speak as Shyla then began to buck, slowly and teasingly.
“I’ll…call it whatever you like…”
Both girls giggled as I twined my hands around Shyla’s hips and began to meet her increasingly forceful downward thrusts. Only then did I become aware of her tail swaying from side to side above our heads. Something was unsettling about their tails; it was as though they were a third party and had minds of their own. Jyah now placed her arm behind my neck and slid her tongue tantalizingly across my nipples.
Shyla arched her back, presenting me with a fine view of her perfect downy breasts and rosebud nipples. I looked down her torso and saw a fine set of abdominal muscles flexing and relaxing as her cunt massaged every inch of my cock. She shut her eyes and threw her head back. Her coral-pink hair danced around her broad, downy shoulders as she rode my cock harder and faster.
I found myself gripping her hips with mounting desire and pulling her body down onto myself with growing lust. The entire time, the three of us were bathed in that mysterious, sweet, spiced aroma that I found so irresistibly intoxicating.
Down came Shyla’s magnificent head, and I suddenly found myself lost in her fathomless amber eyes.
“Seed me, Jesse, I am a fertile furrow, impregnate me!”
There was such command in her voice, yet it masked an almost pleading need. I was in no fit state to answer. I simply abandoned my concentration and thrust faster and harder, but I was immediately met with a rippling, pulsing sensation all along the walls of her cunt that totally surprised me. She had full control over this, and in seconds, I felt my balls tighten and tingle, and my cock reach the very limit of its hardness. She growled as she came, but the sound was so deep that my ears tingled listening to it. Seconds later, I fired rope after delicious rope deep into her, and she responded to each spurt with an appreciative and contented sigh.
Panting and drained, I shut my eyes as images of galaxies and nebulae sailed through my mind, just as though I had somehow passed the perimeter of the Milky Way. Finally, I felt two pairs of soft lips kissing my mouth to the accompaniment of gentle, sweetly scented breath.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
An hour later, after the three of us had showered, the cat-girls sat up in bed, with me nestled snugly between them. I noted that they didn’t seem to be the least bit tired, and the thought entered my head that they might be nocturnal. Glancing from one to the other, I asked,
“Would you… like to watch something. Do you have media at the…Venusberg?”
“We are content,” answered Shyla almost evasively.
I lay back against the luxurious pillow, trying to relax.
– “Well then, let me ask you a few things.”
They both turned to look at me like attentive students.
“Ask, and if it is within our power to answer you, we will.”
“Okay. That aroma you both have. Is it something you wear, like perfume?”
Jyah smiled and sweetly asked, “Do you like it, Jesse?”
I turned towards her and breathed in theatrically.
“Mmmm, yes, it’s wonderful, intoxicating.”
Jyah now turned fully towards me and tenderly caressed my cheek.
“That is our pheromin. We can produce it at will. Isaac says it makes him feel drunk.” She giggled before Shyla reproached her mildly.
“Sister, must you give away all of our secrets?”
“Pheromin? I think you mean pheromone.”
“It is yet another gift of The Goddess,” intoned Shyla solemnly.
“And this goddess…”
“The Dread Mother Phurnia.”
“Tell me more about her.”
Shyla was quick to respond but in a gentle way, as though repeating a lesson that she had been taught and had memorized.
“She commands the stars, she is the ruler of space, the avenger, the destroyer, the wellspring of all mercy and the source of all wisdom and honour. Our elders tell us that she came with her legions years ago from distant Isskia, and that she will come again to save us in our time of greatest need.”
“Phurnia? Hang on a minute, you mean Captain Fournier? Commander of the stars and ruler of space, you say. Isaac mentioned that she was here a few years ago. Isskia sounds a lot like the ISSC, too.”
The girls looked at me mystified, and I found myself conflicted between preserving the cherished illusions and revealing the truth about their Goddess.
“Ok, I have a treat for you. Xoannon, play an interview with Captain Suzannah Fournier from Hot-Line Zeta Ophiuchi, referencing the Thirlmir system.”
“There are nine interviews with those parameters.”
“Well, show us the one that got the most views and comments.”
The large wall screen came to life, showing the attractive but severe-looking form of veteran journalist Lauren Kierkegaard. She was a middle-aged woman dressed in a formal grey business suit and surrounded by on-screen feeds and data.
“We are privileged and honoured this evening to be joined by ISSC Captain Suzannah Fournier. Captain Fournier is the commander of the Chimera Class battle cruiser ISS Bellerophon and was recently awarded the Planetary Government’s prestigious Silver Star of Covenant. She joins us this evening after just having returned from fighting pirates out around the Jayasekara asteroid belt in the Thirlmir system. Captain Fournier, welcome to Hot-Line Zeta Ophiuchi.”
“Thank you, Lauren, as always, it’s a pleasure to be here.”
“Captain, what is your reaction to allegations made by Senator Trousseau this week that the ISSC acted with unnecessary violence and overbearing, destructive force in dealing with the alleged pirates of Thirlmir?”
I am a simple soldier, Lauren, and if Senator Trousseau’s party were in government and they ordered me to blow something up, I would do just that. As far as ‘alleged’ goes, piracy and other criminal activities in the Jayasekara Belt were long known before the Planetary Government gave the ISSC its mandate to take action.”
“You just follow orders essentially…”
“No, Lauren, that is not the point. The mission I was given involved breaking up several of the larger Jayasekara asteroids. These asteroids are rich in minerals and water ice. A few of the larger ones were also being used as bases by outlaws, brigands and smugglers. These criminals had been menacing and preying upon law-abiding space travellers, businesspeople and their families around Thirlmir and many nearby systems for years.”
“Yes, Captain, but was the use of Crimson Hawk-Moth missiles warranted? Senator Trousseau…”
“With all due respect to the senator, he does not know what he’s talking about.”
“The minister was simply voicing his concern about the very real possibility of civilian casualties.”
“The Department of Planetary Defence and the Security Bureau consulted me about the use of those missiles. I recommended them. A Type IX Crimson Hawkmoth can not only shatter rock and ice cleanly and without contamination, but the concussion pulse wave that it sends out destroys all ships, all structures, and all life within a radius of six thousand parasangs. That is nowhere near Thirlmir’s zone of habitation.”
“So, it was ‘killing two birds with one stone’ to use an antiquated expression.”?
“Antiquated or not, that’s exactly what I did, and I will do it again if it means safer space travel for our citizenry.”
“…and no prisoners, Captain?”
“No prisoners. Piracy is a capital offence, and until that changes, we will hunt down and mercilessly destroy anyone who breaks the law.”
“Well, Captain, I think that is as unambiguous as it gets. I’d hate to be up against you in a fistfight.”
Fournier smiled sweetly and looked askance at Lauren.
“Captain Susannah Fournier, thank you for your time this evening.”
“It’s been a pleasure, Lauren.”
“Xoannon, pause on the captain.” I held my hand out towards the screen. “There she is, Phurnia. She was here five years ago and obviously left a lasting impression.”
The girls were silent, entranced, staring at the still image of Susannah Fournier on the screen. She must have been around forty when the interview was conducted; athletic, honey-blonde with fine Scandinavian features and piercing, authoritative blue eyes. As always, she was dressed in the immaculate uniform of a decorated ISSC captain. Finally, Jyah spoke,
“There, you see, Jesse, the Goddess can rain fire down from the Heavens and obliterate entire towns!” Then she turned to Shyla and, with urgency in her voice, said, “We must tell our sisters what we have learnt here tonight, Shyla.”
Shyla nodded her fine leonine head and whispered, “Indeed, sister, this is momentous.”
I decided to leave them with their thoughts and say no more. I climbed carefully over Jyah and stood by the bed.
“Would you both like a drink?”
In unison, they answered, “Water.”
Still naked, I strode into the kitchen and poured two tall glasses of water. I was about to return when the auto bar caught my eye. It was included in the price of my stay, so I tapped the activation panel and saw it light up.
“A double scotch on the rocks.”
In a raspy voice, it asked, “Single malt, sir?”
“Of course.”
The machine produced a glass and dropped ice into it, followed by a stream of the rich golden liquid. From the aroma alone, I could tell that it was a good whiskey.
– “This place is full of surprises.”
No sooner had I said these words than I turned to see both Jyah and Shyla with arms crossed, leaning provocatively on either side of the doorway.
“Water coming right up, ladies.”
“How very kind you are to us, Jesse,” said Shyla politely.
Then Jyah added, “But there is something that we crave more than water.”
In an instant, they had me trapped against the kitchen counter, and I felt four strong, velvet-smooth palms gliding over my muscles and caressing my flanks. Initially, they were careful to keep their claw-like nails out of the way, but then I began to feel their tingle tickling my skin.
Jyah then clasped me around the waist. As her luminous amber eyes filled my field of vision, she said,
“I, too, wish to taste your pleasures. Grant me the delights of your body.”
I grinned and kissed her deeply, and she responded in kind. After a few minutes, she became more assertive, and I found her subtle, snake-like tongue slowly easing its way between my lips. Down below, meanwhile, Shyla had found my cock and was pumping it gently while licking the tip with her own inventive and versatile tongue.
Jyah pressed her now erect nipples against my chest and slowly bit and nibbled my ear, my neck and my chest. She slowly worked her way down to where her sister’s handiwork had now produced a hardened cock. Jyah emitted a low growl of approval and soon both their hands and their mouths were working on my shaft, my head and my balls. Faster and harder, yet with a skilful restraint and subtlety that ensured I didn’t climax too quickly. What are cats or cat-girls if not subtle?
I spread my legs and leant back against the counter, gripping it to push back against the onslaught of pleasure that the girls were unleashing upon me. I bucked my hips as each of them deep-throated me, fucking their mouths without once making them gag. Again, I wondered at what their origins were, but only in passing. I then looked down to see Shyla running her drooling mouth over my balls while Jayah waited to lick the underside of my shaft from base to tip.
The sight was amazing, but I found myself turned on even more by the riot of coral pink and apricot yellow hair shaking and bouncing about their shoulders as they fell into their task. At length, my cock was a glorious, dripping, glistening pinnacle of rock curving up towards their faces appreciatively.
Jyah looked up from where she squatted, and I saw the look of primal lust in her polished gem-like eyes. I nodded to her, and she jumped gleefully to her feet while Shyla stood close by and grinned. Of course, I couldn’t help but notice her long, curving canines, but they now somehow filled me with a sense of pride and strength rather than trepidation.
Jyah turned my face away from Shyla, and I suspect that she looked a little hurt that I was paying attention to her sister. She faced the counter, arched her back and parted her long, perfectly wrought legs. She then turned and looked at me.
“Fuck me from behind and grip the base of my tail.”
She reached between her thighs and guided my cock into what must be one of the warmest, coziest and wettest cunts that I can ever remember. As soon as I penetrated her deeply, I noticed that unmistakable cinnamon and cloves aroma. It was laced with other far more elusive floral scents and a wholesome deliciousness that I now suspect was more the product of my imagination than of some biochemical process.
Jyah sighed and trembled as I began to fuck her. Slowly and deeply at first, then, as we developed a rhythm in unison, I held her by the base of her tail and thrust more forcefully. Needless to say, this was a unique experience for me, but I soon realized that Jyah’s tail was just as strong and sturdy a limb as any other. With one hand around her slender waist and the other gripping the base of her tail, I pulled her forward hard onto my shaft with every thrust. She moaned several times the turned back to look at me with an approving nod and a sly smile. It was all the encouragement I needed, and soon she was meeting my every thrust with equal force. I felt the rest of her tail snake up my spine, and she used it to push me even deeper into her divinely delicious cunt. Rippling, undulating muscles along her entire passage massaged my cock and kept every part of me snugly in her caress.
I then felt Shyla’s hand fondling my balls as they swung low and heavy between her sister’s thighs. Shyla tickled them with her claws, causing ripples of sweet sensation to race up my spine. Jyah’s tail still held me pinned against her body, and I used my free hand to grip a handful of her hair and pull it back. She responded beautifully, arching her back just as my balls began to tighten and tingle. I felt Shyla’s hand slip between my ass cheeks and give me an added push. This was the final ingredient needed to tip me over the edge. Holding fast onto Jyah’s hair and tail, I shot countless ropes of come deep into her. She produced several shrill high notes, and I suddenly realized that she, too, was coming. With her muscles tightened around my shaft. I was still hard but felt drained like never before.
With incredible flexibility, Jyah twisted her head around and said,
“I need your every precious drop, Jesse. Fill my body with your treasured essence.”
I was too overwhelmed to reply.
I hugged her and kissed her until Shyla joined us and wrapped her tail around both of us. She slid the tuft over her shoulder, and I kissed her deeply, even venturing to lick each of her canines. She seemed to find this amusing and treated me to a macabre grin that would have chilled the blood of any unsuspecting human.
As I slowly caught my breath, the cats led me to the bed. We rested in each other’s arms for a while, and I took the opportunity to explore their bodies with my hands. The silky down and the now subtle pheromone made this a gentle pleasure. The girls certainly reciprocated and seemed to appreciate my attentions. By around 3 am the girls had drifted off to sleep. As ISSC procedure dictated, I made sure my Glock was within easy reach under my pillow, and I whispered to the ever-reliable Xoannon to dim the lights.
I must have drifted into a blissful, dreamless sleep, but I wasn’t going to enjoy it for long. I was awakened by a fingernail running gently down my side. That was followed by a silky finger across my lips. I half opened my eyes to see Shyla’s luminous amber orbs.
“Shhhhhh.”
My first impulse was to kiss her, but then she said,
– “Intruder.”
I think a writer once called it ‘four am courage.’ I had no idea what time it was, but courage was now called for. I reached for my Glock and silently slid over Shyla, who helpfully propped me up with her hands. I didn’t doubt that she had heard something and had good cause to alert me. She then woke Jyah, and both tumbled quietly off the bed to crouch by the wall out of sight of the other room. Their alert eyes and ears reassured me as I held the Glock with both hands and stepped forward.
“Xoannon, lights!”
The lights snapped on immediately. Framed in the kitchen doorway, I saw a sight that froze my blood. It was a figure of medium height dressed head to foot in black. He wore padded armour and a sophisticated black-ops helmet that totally hid his face. At chest level, he held a thick snub-nosed gun of a type I recognized from my ISSC training; a weapon that could fire standard rounds and tranquillizer darts. Perhaps most disturbing of all, he stood as still as a statue. Then he spoke.
“Where are they?”
The voice was thin and clear, but I could tell that it had been electronically distorted. Gathering all my guts and holding my Glock steady, I answered,
“Look, I don’t know who the fuck you are or what you want, but I am ISSC, and you have ten seconds to turn around and get the hell out of here!”
“I want those two filthy furry freaks you have hidden!”
“I don’t know who the fuck you’re talking about.”
Suddenly, he jerked his head up slightly as though he had noticed something over my shoulder. He fired into the bedroom. The gun emitted a ‘pffyyyt!’ sound indicating that he had fired a dart rather than a solid round.
I immediately put a shot straight into the middle of his chest. He absorbed it with a flinch but remained standing. Our situation had become far worse.
Armed and armoured though he was, he didn’t seem to be interested in shooting me, maybe because I had told him I was ISSC. Killing an ISSC member, even a First Class Private like me, was a capital offence. I wanted to divert his attention from the bedroom, so I fired again, aiming for his head. I missed and dove behind the sofa. Then came his chilling voice,
“Give them up, ISSC scum, the day of reckoning has come for your hell-spawn.”
Now I could detect a note of fanaticism in his tone despite the distortion. He could easily have shot me where I lay, but he was clearly determined to go after the girls. I peeked out from the edge of the sofa, and sure enough, I saw his back striding slowly into the bedroom.
Gripping my gun more for reassurance than for protection, I listened intently for shots. When none came, I was hugely relieved. After a few minutes and another glance, I saw him pass under the doorjamb and exit the bedroom.
“I said leave motherfucker!”
I stood up and put another two rounds into him. This got his attention, and he started towards me. He took four paces before the ceiling above him suddenly collapsed. In amongst a shower of white fragments, both cat-girls dropped down, landing on their feet, one on either side of him. I lunged forward instinctively to help them, but I was halted by Shyla’s commanding hand.
I stood my ground as Jyah kicked the gun from the assassin’s hand while Shyla held him from behind. Once they had achieved this, Jyah began to tear at the fabric just below his chin. Now Shyla gripped his head with both arms while Jyah nimbly avoided his kicks and his attempts to lunge forward. But her attention always returned to tearing at his throat with her claws and this caused him to struggle even more.
“Vile…abominations!”
His strength seemed considerable, but at such close quarters, he was as much hampered by his armour as he was protected by it. And against two naked cat-girls, with all their power, speed and nimble flexibility, he might have just met his match. I took the opportunity to dart forward and pick up his gun. I had little experience with such a weapon, but I held onto it with as much feigned authority as I could muster.
Jyah’s claws now slashed at his throat in a blur of deadly force. He still attempted to shake Shyla from his back, but she had her feet firmly planted on the floor, pushing him forward, hard onto her sister’s shredding talons. As Jyah tore into the tough fabric, I heard her snarl and growl, whether in triumph or frustration, I could not tell at first but then I noticed that she had finally succeeded in exposing a tiny patch of the intruder’s skin just above his right collarbone. This part of the suit seemed to be a vulnerable point. The cats clearly knew what they were doing. It entered my mind to hand Jyah the gun, but, once again, the cat-girls had a surprise in store for me.
Jyah looked at Shyla and nodded, whereupon Shyla lifted him clear of the ground. Up until now, Jyah’s tail has rippled reflexively behind her, but now, in a lightning-fast stroke, she curved it up scorpion-like over her shoulder. Watching, totally fascinated, I saw the tuft of long hairs at the tail’s end puff up into a ball and produce a long black, upward curving spine. With a blood-curdling hiss, she plunged this spine deep into the assassin’s flesh while Shyla continued to hold him.
Within seconds, the man began to shake violently. He produced a few low groans, then he convulsed and finally uttered pained words full of venom,
“You… shall… all perish by the… gnashing jaws of… Moloch for thissss!”
When he was still, Shyla dropped him heavily onto the floor. She then turned to me and smiled as though nothing had happened.
“Jesse, please call Isaac.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Late the next morning, I sat near the back of the tiny Café Acenateno, awaiting Isaac’s arrival. The owner was something of a local celebrity and claimed to be a descendant of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. As unlikely as this was, he was friendly and polite and offered me a copy of his book of poetry. I was surprised to see it printed on paper, and I was even more surprised that he had Turkish coffee brewed with rosewater on the menu.
Full of surprises…
As I waited for the coffee to cool, I took out my phone and activated Xoannon.
“Xoannon, tell me about the Venusberg on Thirlmir.”
“Venusberg is the name of a dormant volcano located approximately 500 kilometres north-east of Thirlmir City in the Thirlmir System. It is the planet’s third-tallest peak at an estimated 2,175 metres. The mountain is permanently snow-capped and largely unexplored. It is said to be riddled with caves, lava tubes and thermal springs. The name derives from European folklore and from the 19th-century opera Tannhauser by Richard Wagner.”
A few minutes later, Isaac arrived and headed straight for the bar. He bought two tumblers of what turned out to be mezcal and discreetly headed in my direction. I nodded in greeting as he sat down.
“How is he?”
“Fine, out cold but…alive.”
“Secure?”
“Oh, yes, I’ve got him tied up and well-hidden with the girls standing guard.”
“Who is he? He said something about Moloch.”
“He’s a member of the Brotherhood of Moloch. They’re a bat-shit-crazy cult. They hate artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, longevity therapy and a list of other things too fucking long to remember. He’s been here for months, lurking around the city but laying low. If the ISSC had not put out that nekomusume warning, he would not have come here. Luckily, he knows nothing about the Venusberg.”
“Good, and what the hell did Jyah inject him with?”
“I think it’s some sort of neurotoxin, naturally secreted, nothing artificial.”
“Another weapon in their arsenal.”
He took a sip of mezcal. “They’re tough little cuties.”
“What are they, Isaac? Where did they come from?”
He lowered his voice before answering me.
“I’ve looked into it discreetly over the years, and as far as I’ve been able to find out, they were bred to order by some covert genetics lab off-world.”
“…and a damn good one too.”
“The client was apparently some high-end crime boss or some ultra-rich kinky bastard who wanted what no one else had.”
“Living ornaments for his private pleasure gardens?”
“Maybe.”
“Or a private bodyguard of deadly cat-girls.”
“That’s possible and far more likely, but then something went wrong – the client may have died, and the contract was never honoured. A few cat-girls were dumped in a couple of the nearby systems, where The Brotherhood of Moloch killed at least two, but most were left here on Thirlmir. This was around twenty years ago.”
“And they were probably not expected to survive.”
“Ah, but they’re resilient little darlings, and their numbers are steadily growing.
“Yeah?”
He took a long sip of mezcal, then gave me a toothless grin.
“Did you fuck them?”
When I hesitated to answer, he laughed.
– “Of course you did! Hell, I couldn’t resist them for a moment, especially with that scent they have – enough to drive a man wild. Sadly, they’re not interested in me these days. They like variety, and I’m too old.”
“Are there males?”
“No, it seems they were…designed… to give birth only to females, females like themselves. They’re very fertile, very eager to breed and in a few months our two ladies will have a cute pair of nekomusume daughters, your daughters.”
I swallowed the rest of my coffee. “Well, never in a million years would I have imagined myself coming here and becoming a …father. When do we head out?”
“The only transporter I could hire will be available in two days. It will take the four of us to their home base. Our ‘passenger’ can ride in the ore hold.”
“What are they likely to do to him?”
“I don’t know. Sacrifice him to Phurnia, probably or eat him.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two days later, at an out-of-town scrap yard, we boarded a small Pegasus ore transporter, a very old machine that, unbelievably, still used a form of jump-jet technology. It was battered, slow and noisy, but it was capable of vertical take-off and landing in just about any terrain. Isaac assured me that it was reliable and that he could pilot it. Moreover, run-down old vehicles were a common sight around Thirlmir, so we were unlikely to attract unwanted attention.
The girls seemed to be excited at the prospect of going home, a difficult journey that would have otherwise taken them weeks. They had earlier loaded the sack containing our ‘passenger,’ minus his armour, into the ore hold. That the man was regaining consciousness became obvious soon after they had done so, whereupon Jyah administered another lightning-fast jab of her tail spine. After that, he was still. I never learnt his ultimate fate.
Three hours into our journey, the immense volcano came into view. We landed in a small clearing bordered by huge, black volcanic crags that resembled the waves of a petrified sea. We were to wait until contacted and this allowed me to offer the girls my reluctant farewells. While Shyla conversed quietly with Isaac, a wide-eyed Jyah looked at me sadly as she rested her head on my shoulder.
“Our sincerest apologies, Jesse.”
“Apologies, for what?”
“We used you.”
“Oh, that. Well, I’m flattered, really.”
“It’s not just that we bred with you, although it was wonderful, and we are forever grateful. But once Isaac told us that a member of the ISSC had arrived, we hoped that you would help us to draw our enemy out. Shyla and I have been training for this mission for months. We couldn’t tell you the whole story, and we did put your life in danger. Forgive us.”
She looked like she was about to burst into tears, so I leant forward and kissed her. She was comforted and kissed me back tenderly. After a few delightful moments, we were notified by Shyla that members of her people had arrived. I saw a procession of purple-robed figures emerge from the rocks. They were hooded, but their butterscotch amber eyes were unmistakable. Isaac opened the cargo hold, and ‘the package’ was extracted.
“Goodbye, Jesse, goodbye Isaac,” said the girls in unison.
I nodded and smiled. Jyah turned to leave the cabin, but then suddenly turned back. She grasped my hand and pressed it against her abdomen.
“I will name her Jessie, after you.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The long flight back to Thirlmir City saw the planet’s murky thirty-six-hour day finally coming to an end. Isaac, at the controls, had sunk into a mood of quiet contemplation. This did nothing to reassure me about the safety of our transport, and I avoided looking down at the jagged crags and seemingly bottomless black chasms over which we invariably flew. I took out my phone and opened an app called Poetry and Solace – Selections from one thousand poets new and old.
Suddenly, Isaac informed me, “There’s a storm front coming up behind us, but don’t worry, once we start to ride it, we should be back in no time.”
I glanced at him dubiously but said nothing. Returning my attention to the app, I read that day’s offering: lines from Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound.
Dreams and the light imaginings of men,
And all that faith creates or love desires,
Terrible, strange, sublime and beauteous shapes.
There thou art, and dost hang, a writhing shade
‘Mid whirlwind-peopled mountains; all the Gods
Are there and all the powers of nameless worlds…
Then Isaac excitedly pointed up above us to a sizable gap in the clouds; a rare occurrence on Thirlmir.
– “I’ll be damned! Look, stars!”
“Yeah, I see them.” Countless, beauteous, nameless worlds.
