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Koben picked himself up off the floor of the gym, and bowed to his friend and teammate, Wrahl. The young wolf rubbed at the grey fur of his shoulder, smarting from where he'd hit the training mat.

The older wolvan dipped his head towards his friend.

"You aren't half bad, kid," Wrahl told him. "Keep it up and we'll have taught you some good dirty fighting."

"Thanks. I did train in martial arts at home, but this stuff you're showing me... it's different," Koben said.

"It gets results. We need to make sure our people know how to take care of themselves, in this line of work. Things are different out here than at home. Kennard says you're doing good on the firing range also. You do that at home, too?"

"Not really. I went shooting with my aunts a couple of times. Nothing like this stuff though."

"Yeah, well, I hear you're about to qualify for marksman already. Not bad, kid."

"You two done beating on each other, yet?" came a familiar voice. Koben's bunkmate, Kennard, walked up, sweat from his evening run plastering his short red hair to his freckled forehead. The young human playfully punched Koben on the shoulder.

"You mean is Wrahl done beating on me? Yeah. I think we're about done. We were going to go hit the showers, change, and get a bite to eat," said Koben, "You done running? You look done."

"Yeah," grinned Kennard, rolling his green eyes, "Doc Arrek and I were having a little race. But he cheats."

"Cheats? How?"

"He drops to four legs, and the next thing I know, he's lapped me. He finished while I still had three laps to do."

Wrahl chuckled, "Did you make a rule that says you can only go on two legs?"

"I wish we had!" said Kennard.

"So where is he now?" asked Koben.

"He's coming. He stopped to cool off and watch you guys, and I think he got a call from forward medical or something. There he is. I'll go see if he's coming."

Wrahl leaned close to Koben's ear, and in wolvan, said "I think he likes you, young'un."

"Who?" answered the younger wolf, "You mean Kennard?"

"Him, too, maybe," the older wolvan grinned.

They were interrupted by the arrival of their two friends. Doctor Arrek let out a yip of greeting. The golden-furred coyote was dwarfed by the three larger males, even Kennard, who was short by human standards.

"I just talked to forward medical. Apparently Lorenz's new hand took with no complications, and he'll be off confinement to quarters tomorrow. Did you boys want to do anything special to commemorate the happy event?"

"Heh. Yeah. Kick him in the groin," said Kennard, though he smiled good naturedly, "That twit fragged everything I owned on the ship with that defective weapon he left in his locker."

"Hey, I got a new bunkmate out of it," said Koben, "and he did lose a hand in that firefight in the tunnel."

"Yeah. But it's not like you can't grow a new hand, these days. And he whined about it a lot. Come on... you guys all smell like hot dog fur, and I smell like a sweaty ape," said Kennard.

--

The showers were surprisingly empty, which Koben knew their human friend would appreciate. Jeremiah Kennard hailed from a culture where nudity was strictly taboo, and even after six months on the mercenary ship, hadn't quite gotten over his body shyness. That was probably made worse by some of the jokes the other made in the showers once they noticed.

But among their circle of friends, he was growing less nervous. Koben noticed the young human seemed much more comfortable with his fur-covered friends than with the other humans on the ship... which was probably why he'd gone into training as a xenocompatriot and was working to become one of the ship's liaison officers.

The four of them peeled off their workout clothes, and dropped them into the big laundry receptacle inside the communal shower chamber. They'd each brought clean changes of clothing which they'd stored in open cubbies in the gym showers. Nobody worried about theft on the Indeterminate. Farren's Fixers was very flexible about the races, backgrounds and genders of their crew, but not about accepting of the sort of people who'd steal from crewmates.

Besides, the only thing to steal from a locker room would usually be clothing that anyone could get for themselves from Supply, and the usual reason to do so would be a practical joke - and even that was fairly rare. Mercenary senses of humor tended to the extreme, and such antics could handily escalate into the outlandish and inconvenient. An armed society, they say, is a polite society... and nobody wanted to reach into their locker and discover their underwear had been tainted with a coating of burning riot spray, or that their shaving cream canister had been carefully filled with fast-setting bunker sealant foam.

Koben found himself watching the young human. Before leaving home, he'd always been told that humans were ugly and weird-looking, with their hairless bodies. And really, some of them weren't particularly aesthetically pleasing. Actually, their bodies weren't always hairless... many had sparse patches of strange-looking hair. But Kennard had barely any at all, and what little he had, he shaved off.

Now that Koben was used to him, Kennard didn't look ugly or strange - just different. In its own way, the other male's body was kind of pleasant-looking. For that matter, his other friends were pretty easy to look at too.

Wrahl was actually a distant cousin, from another line of Koben's family, and it wasn't hard to see the resemblance. There was a certain cast to the features, and the two wolvan were almost the same pale grey color. The older wolvan had dark brown eyes, while Koben's were a pale, almost luminous steel grey. They were considered a bit exotic, and had been frequently commented on.

But then, that wasn't the only thing about Koben that got comments, he thought, lathering his crotch. Since leaving home, more people had made observations regarding his male endowments than in his entire life on planet. Of course, that habit seemed to be more prevalent among the other races. His own people didn't generally...

"Hey! You're gonna use up all the soap on that thing!" said Wrahl.

Koben sighed. Well... he should probably expect that kind of ribbing from Wrahl. The other wolvan and his mate, Ven, a huge tiger-morph, were always good-naturedly pretending to flirt with Koben. At least, he was pretty sure they were pretending.

"Yes," said Arrek, "Some of the rest of us need to use up all the soap on their things."

"Now you've made the human blush again. Bad doctor!" said Wrahl.

Kennard, who was indeed blushing, threw a soapy washcloth at the older wolvan's head. "I can't help it! I come from a sheltered upbringing, and you guys are terrible!" he laughed.

The diminutive shunki was also, like Koben, from a line that had been gene-tailored by the famous Aunt Aralia, to have certain attributes... good reflexes, resistance to disease, efficient metabolism, and... well... other more cosmetic physical endowments.

Koben liked showering with everyone. In a way, it made him feel more at home to be interacting with people without wearing all that clothing. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to covering his body all the time.

The young wolvan computer specialist smiled as he ducked another washcloth. He'd been part of Farren's Fixers for about a standard month, and in between various sorts of training - in computer espionage, tactics, combat, languages - and a full work schedule, he'd still had time to make several fast friends. Before he knew it, it was as if he'd known some of them for years.

He'd met Kennard first. The young human had been assigned the job of orienting Koben, and introducing him to the ways of the Indeterminate, their ship - the second-largest in Farren's small fleet - and to the crew, and making him feel part of the enterprise. Farren's philosophy was that when people all knew each other, and formed tight bonds of friendship, that it made for a much more effective force. It seemed to work.

Wrahl Whitefell, who used the name of his homeworld as a surname since coming to outworld cultures, was a veteran member of the Specialists department, to which Koben had been assigned. Wrahl knew a little about everything... especially about sneaking into places, and not being seen when he did it. His specialty was "Extractions," which planning and executing plans to extract people or items from those who didn't want them taken.

He'd been working closely with Koben on a contract the Fixers had taken to retrieve several sentients kidnapped by a "gene-thief," called Doctor Scrim, who made extra money selling his victims to slavers after extracting samples of their genetic material.

Koben met Ven, Wrahl's chosen mate, an enormous tiger catfolk, through Wrahl. Outside of the Fixers, a lot of people looked down on both interspecies, and same-sex couples - especially among some of the human cultures - but Farren's made a point of discouraging such prejudices within their ranks. Despite being rather an odd couple, the big tiger and the wolvan made a good pair.

They were occasionally joined by Lieutenant Security Chief Luya Mikell. Mikell was a human female from a heavy-grav colony - tough as nails... literally. But when she wasn't on duty, she dove into life, eating, drinking, and carousing with abandon. She was short, athletic and powerfully built. Occasionally, someone would describe her as "spunky." They quickly learned that "spunky" wasn't something you wanted to call a woman who could pick up a fifty kilo heavy repeater and fire it from the waist.

Koben looked down at the diminutive shunki, Doctor Arrek Moon. Arrek barely came up to his chest, but the coyote was brave and committed to his work. Both he and Koben had been captured by Scrim, and spent agonizing days hooked up to the man's horrible machinery. Koben had gotten them loose, but it was Arrek who'd immediately, despite his own trauma and pain, set about rendering first aid to their fellow prisoners. The doctor had signed up as part of the Indeterminate's medical crew, and after getting involved in an unexpected firefight on the way to dinner, the Doctor had become one of their regular companions. Koben hadn't known many of the coyote-folk, although they shared his homeworld, but the doctor was easy to get along with.

Arrek was pointing behind Koben. The most recent member of their little crew had arrived.

"Hey," a low voice called out from the door to the showers, "Sorry I'm late. Got kept after school."

"Hey Zain," Koben called back, "What'd you do this time?"

"Nothing bad," said the huge white wolvan, "Mikell wanted to talk to me about my training regime, and those mods I was going to get."

Zain was about the largest wolvan Koben had ever seen. He tended to walk about on all fours, and there was something almost primitive about his appearance. His fur was shaggy, and almost a pure white - which had earned him the nickname "Beacon" among some of the infantry, to which he would be assigned after he'd completed some more basic training.

Zain hailed from Frostfall, which had been terraformed rather early in their history. The rugged inhabitants of Frostfall prided themselves on living close to nature, and there were colonies there that eschewed most modern conveniences and technology. Some even lived in "the brush," hunting for their food, not even living in houses.

Frostfall was rumored to have the highest percentage of "breed-backs" - wolvan who interbred with wolves - of any of the wolvan worlds. Wolvan from other worlds often made pilgrimages there to get in touch with their wild roots, and learn from the permanent inhabitants. They were often thought strange, even mystical, but were respected as keepers of an essential part of their race's nature.

Zain hated Frostfall, he said. He'd never even seen a tri-vid show until he was ten - nearly old enough to breed. His first was about a group of star-faring mercenaries - and from that moment on, he'd known that he was destined for other worlds. He'd left home, gone to a university in one of Frostfall's more civilized colonies, and joined the planetary defense forces. After his tour of duty, he'd hitched a ride on a cargo transport, earning some "outworld money," as he still tended to call it, doing heavy labor, and made his way to Perdition to find his fortune.

He'd found himself, like Koben and Arrek, tranked with a paralytic agent by two thugs, and dragged off to Scrim's lair. That was how he met the Fixers, and after getting out of the hospital, they'd approved his application to join.

Koben came out of his reverie, and said "The mods you were going to get? I thought they had you approved. Don't they offer them to all the infantry guys after training?"

Arrek stepped forward, and said "I gave them the results of your physical, and my report was that you were physically and mentally fit to receive them. Did something go wrong?"

The huge wolvan reared up onto his hind legs and leaned an arm against the wall, out of range of the shower spray. Standing upright, he was close to seven feet tall, and powerfully built. Zain wore the casual uniform of nycrex shorts and tee-shirt, and even though all uniforms were tailored to the individual by the ship's fabbers, Koben always thought Zain looked like he would at any moment rip out of the garments.

"No... nothing wrong, exactly. Just... well... apparently they need some people who haven't been enhanced... and who have some other stuff in common."

He turned icy blue eyes on Koben, and said "Mikell and Jax said they're going to want to talk to you, too."

"Dammit," he heard a voice say behind him. "I knew that damn cat would do this." It was Wrahl. He looked worried.

--

Koben entered Jax's office. Lieutenant Ibro Jax was a tall, well-proportioned black leopard catfolk, of indeterminate age. He sat behind his small desk, hands steepled in front of him against the end of his short, feline muzzle.

Koben's uncle Mohrgan, Chief officer of the Indeterminate sprawled in a wide chair in the corner, his arms folded. The black fur of his muzzle was speckled with white, but not enough that the white spots bleached into the fur didn't still show up in stark contrast.

Both older males looked grim. Koben could see Jax's long tail occasionally flip into view behind him as it swished in agitation.

"Private Zain said you wanted to see me, sir... er... sirs?" said Koben, his ears folding back against his skull with apprehension at their expressions.

Jax looked up. Mohrgan barely flicked his eyes in his nephew's direction.

"Have a seat, Mister Koben," said Jax, indicating one of the small, comfortable chairs around his office.

The Lieutenant's deep, basso-profundo voice rumbled again, "The Chief and I have been discussing the best way to handle a tricky job. We have a few options, but the one that I think stands the best chance of success, with minimal threat to both numbers and individuals, isn't one that either of us like."

"I'm ready to do whatever I'm needed for," said Koben, taking a seat, facing forward and laying his arms on the padded backrest.

"Well, you need to hear this first, son," said Jax.

Koben looked at his uncle. Mohrgan looked uncharacteristically worried. He still hadn't said a word.

"As you know, we've been given several contracts involving retrieval of individuals who were sold off to slavers after their usefulness to a certain criminal came to an end. We've also been contracted to see about stopping or punishing those who were involved in his illegal corporate spying and trading of genetic materials."

Koben nodded.

"And partly because of your efforts, you know we've managed to track down quite a few of the individuals he sold off. I know this is your first assignment, but you've handled it well."

Koben nodded again.

"But there's a slight snag. It seems that several of our targets were sold to an edge planet called Borgia. You're aware of it from your researches."

"Yeah. Nasty place. Kind of backwards, and full of old money. Slavery's legal there, and anyone who isn't what they consider pure strain old human can't hold citizenship."

Mohrgan spoke, "When you say 'can't hold citizenship', that doesn't do it justice. They keep any people of other human genotypes as second-class citizens or chattel. And any of the nonhuman races, they consider animals. Any of us end up there, they make them slaves, or pets, or they put them in arenas and make them fight and die, or worse."

Koben swallowed.

"They think people like you, and me, and your friend the doctor are subsentient animals. They think that people like Lieutenant Mikell are genetic abominations. Hell, they'd probably consider your friend Kennard to be genetically impure because he's got those pigment marks, whaddya call em... freckles."

Koben nodded.

Jax picked up again, "They're not going to let us just orbit a warship in their space, send down dropships, and grab the people we're after. They've got a decent sized fleet, and they've got the investments to afford and hire mercenaries of their own. They've got enough sleazy friends in the central alliance to pull political strings that can make a lot of trouble, too. Central alliance doesn't like our kind too much either."

"That means a stealth operation, which I've been discussing with Mister Whitefell. He's been very grim about most of the plans we've discussed, but Aralia's operatives have gotten us new intelligence, which I'll give you the files on after this meeting."

"Okay sir. I'll get right on them tonight, and see what I can dig up. You know this whole thing is sort of personal to me," said Koben.

"He's not going to ask you to hack them, or look up their bank records, nephew," said Mohrgan. "He's going to ask you to go there, undercover, as an operative."

It took a second for that to register.

"What? Me? But... why?" the young wolvan asked, confused, "I mean... I just started training. I'm good at what I already know how to do, but... anyway, how am I supposed to go undercover? This place doesn't let anyone but humans move around freely. From what I understand I'd have no status except..."

He paused, while the two older males stared, saying nothing.

Jax cleared his throat, and spoke, "Not all of Scrim's customers dealt with him directly. In fact, few did. Some of the channels they went through are still open. And it's safe to say that you fit the profile of who the people on Borgia would try to acquire as property. Also, other than your headcomp, you don't have any enhancements. No military-grade stuff that might look suspicious and problematical. You've got some tailored genes, but those are part of your value to these people. You're young, well-formed, inexperienced, and your profile is already in the records that Scrim's contacts have made available to these people."

"And the same is true for Zain," said Koben.

"That's right," said Jax.

"I don't like it, Koben," said Mohrgan. "And not just because you're my nephew. You're green. You don't have the training for this kind of thing. You'd be almost completely cut off from any kind of outside help. And if something went wrong... and more stuff can go wrong there than you believe..."

"But," said Jax, smoothly interrupting, "I've been working with you, son. You're practically a prodigy. I saw how you handled yourself when Scrim had you, and when that other merc team attacked the bunch of you in the tunnel, you were instrumental in turning the tables on them."

"You'd be basically treated like a slave, an animal. You'd have limited ability to act, and there's no telling what you might end up going through," said Mohrgan.

"But you also handle stress and difficulty well. Doctor Arrek, and the ship's counselor, and I all agree that you came through what happened to you before with flying colors. Less innocent, certainly angry and disturbed by your travails, but not traumatized."

"We don't have anywhere near as much intel as I'd like, even for sending in seasoned operatives," said Mohrgan.

"We do, however have three weeks to do more digging, and to give you some hardcore training," said Jax, "and the important part, according to Aralias's people is that we now have a man on in the inside. Seems that not everyone on Borgia approves of the way things are there. And I don't mean one of the people who's being shit on. I mean someone higher up, in one of the ruling families."

Koben nodded. His uncle had gone silent again, and if it were possible, looked even more unhappy.

"Our other options aren't so good. We could try to send in some smash and grab teams, but there's a good chance we'd end up losing people, not getting the targets out, and harming innocent civilians. We could try to fire up some of the governments of our people and our allies, to put pressure on, or even blockade and siege the world. But everyone's read the file on this place, and nobody's been moved enough yet to want to get into that sort of costly fight."

"But if we can get good intel from the inside, good evidence of some of what goes on there - especially proof that sentient beings are being kidnapped off other planets and sold as slaves, we might accomplish more than just rescuing a few people. We hope to help our inside person get off planet with some information that could be incredibly damaging to the ruling families of Borgia."

"I don't like sending anyone into a place like Borgia. I especially don't like sending in people who aren't experienced," said Mohrgan.

"And I don't like it either," said Jax. "Not one damn bit."

"But," said Koben, "You think that this might work, with minimal loss of life, and a good chance to maybe not just get out the people we're trying to rescue directly, but maybe help out a lot of other people, too."

"That's exactly right," said Jax.

Mohrgan grunted.

"And we've got at least one wealthy, powerful and connected backer, for this mission," said Koben.

"Yes," nodded Jax, "And if we get what I think we're going to get, there'll be a lot more. Planetary governments will get involved. Some of the old merc companies have been itching for contracts on Borgia, and Aralia hates them. She's got some pull with a lot of the kinds of people who shoot guns that leave marks on moons, and people who need cures for diseases that give their kids too many legs. We may be able to get the various confederacies of nonhumans, and offshoot humans in on this."

"Borgia's a place with a lot of dirty secrets," Jax continued, "If some of them were to come to light, they might find themselves without some of their powerful friends, or those friends might find themselves in less of a position to help them."

"What else can I say?" said Koben, looking thoughtful, "I'll do it."

"You could say no," said Mohrgan, "You could say you aren't ready yet."

"Sometimes, life doesn't wait for you to be ready, uncle. You told me that," said the young wolvan.

"Hmmph. So I did," said the older wolvan, wrinkling his muzzle and laying his ears back.

"And if you thought I couldn't, you wouldn't ask, would you?" said Koben, to both of them.

"I wouldn't ask," said Jax, "And the chief would have vetoed the idea straight off, instead of sitting here agonizing, and wanting to talk you out of it."

Koben nodded.

"Sleep on it, son. Read the files I gave you, and then come back to me," said the tall leopard.

--

Koben spent the next weeks undergoing so much different training, studying, and coaching that he worried that his head was going to explode. There was never a question in his mind about whether to take the assignment, and if there had been, he wouldn't have asked it.

But the more he learned about what it might be like, and worse, the more he learned what they didn't know, the more his stomach churned.

They'd arranged to insert some of their own people in place of some of the thugs that had worked for Scrim. Several of the Indeterminate's smaller craft would enter the system, in addition to the one that would pose as the slaver ship.

Koben and Zain would be brought to the planet by some of the rougher members of the crew, posing as slavers. Koben's headcomp was mostly bioware, and would be temporarily disabled in a way that should let it pass beneath the notice of their new "owners."

Once in, and after some time to allow any possible suspicion to die down, the device would be able to repair and reactivate itself, and hopefully, Koben could use it to surreptitiously access and subvert systems within wherever he was held. Failing that, he'd have to make do with whatever systems he found available. And failing that, the two wolvan would have to improvise.

Koben spent what little "free" time he had further researching Borgia itself. Despite the wealth of the place, it was an edge world, and a lot of the technology simply wasn't up to what was available to the Fixers. With their contacts with the wolvan and catfolk homeworlds, and with Aralia's moon, the merc's tech was often better than that available to the humanocentric central alliance itself.

Their would-be purchaser, as it turned out, was none other than one of the nine members of Borgia's ruling council, who claimed he was purchasing "pets" for one of his sons.

They weren't sure precisely who their contact on the inside was. Whoever it was, they were incredibly cautious, and would only make solid contact once they were inside.

The worst part was that when they arrived, they needed to look convincingly as if they had been in the clutches of first Scrim, and then rough and unpleasant slavers. Both wolvan had to practice looking and acting beaten down and traumatized. It would be very suspicious if they appeared to go meekly to their fate, but if they made too much fuss, that could get them killed or worse.

There would be a couple of ships, with human crews, posing as merchants or businessmen and their retinues, who would stay on planet to make contact, and hopefully get everyone off without even being noticed.

Doctor Arrek volunteered to go on the mission with them, the day after he'd heard about it. Mohrgan had refused to allow it. The little shunki had become very agitated, worried, and extra solicitous of Koben. It seemed like every time he turned around, the coyote was making some excuse to visit with him.

Kennard had been assigned to helping Koben and Zain sort through cultural information on the planet, and much to the young man's chagrin, attempting to coach them on the sort of prejudice and bigotry they were likely to face, as well as things they might have to do to avoid trouble.

For the last week, Koben and Zain took dietary supplements designed to speed up their metabolisms drastically, and make their bodies look more like they'd gone through an ordeal. Koben felt like he had. The extra combat training they'd been given had left him with a lot of bruises, for one.

The plan was that they'd be sedated, and against the sensibilities of Doctor Ramaan, the ship's chief medical officer, the ship's nanogel vats would be used to give them convincing-looking minor injuries and depleted bodies. They'd be packed in stasis coffins, and when they woke, they'd feel like hell, and be on a hostile planet, in the hands of people who thought them no better than animals.

Kennard had to explain that such status was even worse than it sounded to Koben... where Koben grew up, nobody hated animals or thought they were worthless, even if they were the sort of animals you ate. But in some cultures, animals were considered little more than trash. Borgia, for one.

On the bright side, Zain and Koben were apparently being "sold" for quite a large sum of money, to someone who kept dangerous and exotic sentients as pets. That meant that they represented an investment, and they probably weren't going to be injured or killed out of hand, unless they did something stupid.

The plan was, ideally, for them to get out with a minimum of violence, or preferably none at all. Nonetheless, Wrahl drilled both the young wolvan on not only the kinds of weapons they might find available on the planet, but on the concept of how to turn things from their environment into weapons. He schooled them on the use of their natural weapons, though there was the danger that they might find themselves without claws, or the use of their teeth.

After Wrahl's demonstrations with a drinking glass, and a small writing stylus, Koben found himself looking at common items everywhere very differently. At one point he wondered aloud, jokingly, if there was a way to kill someone with a napkin. Wrahl replied with suggestions that sounded scarily feasible.

--

The night before they were to leave, Koben got a comm from his uncle Mohrgan, asking him to please come directly to his private quarters for a last-minute debriefing. On the way, he ran into Zain, padding along on all fours. The big wolvan looked very pensive, offering barely a grunt in greeting.

"He called you too?" Koben asked.

"Yeah. Says there's some last-minute stuff he wants to say to both of us," Zain said.

They arrived at the entrance to Mohrgan's cabin, and buzzed the door comm.

"Mister Koben, and Private Zain, reporting," said Koben.

The doorpanel buzzed, and slid smoothly open. Mohrgan was standing in the middle of the room, wearing his full dress uniform. Silver gleamed against the deep indigo. The black-furred older wolvan was grinning, his right arm held up at forehead level. He was surrounded by a large group of people, all similarly attired. His hand twitched, and the room exploded with sound.

"SURPRISE!!!"

Mohrgan, tail wagging, gestured for them to enter.

Ven and Wrahl were there, along with Kennard, Doctor Arrek, and Mikell. Ibro Jax stood off in a corner, with Sulmin T'Shelley, the young engineer who'd once helped crack the code on some remotely-detonatable plasma weapons, saving several of their butts. Koben liked Sulmin. She approached everything with an air of complete glee. She stood about as high as his shoulder, and was shaped vaguely like an hourglass, with wide hips, and breasts like small pillows. Her honey-blonde hair was done up in a complicated swirl on her head, framing her rounded, rosy facial features. Koben was unsure of the expression "A twinkle in their eye," until he'd met Sulmin T'Shelley.

Koben recognized a large, lioness catfolk as Marasha, one of Zain's friends from infantry training. Kennard's former roommate, Lorenz was there, the gangly, brown-haired human looking slightly out of place, but still smiling, and clapping. One hand was slightly pinker than the other... it had only recently been grown back, after all.

"We wanted to give you something of a good luck, come-back soon, surprise party," said Kennard.

"And I offered my rooms, since they're big enough to hold everyone," said Mohrgan.

"Hey man," said Lorenz, "The chief opened his liquor cabinet, and we've got some chemical enhancements that Doc says even work good on you guys."

"All strictly regulation ones, of course," said Arrek. The coyote was wearing a bright green, metallic, cone-shaped party hat, that seemed quite at odds with his perfectly tailored, starched-white formal physician's uniform.

Lorenz pushed forward and clapped Koben hard on the back, grabbing his shoulders, and shaking him. "Listen buddy, I just wanted to tell ya, I'm proud of ya. I hear this thing you're going on is gonna be rough. But don't worry, I'll tell Kennard here to sleep in your bed and keep it warm for ya... wink wink, nudge, nudge."

Behind him, Kennard's face went its familiar shade of red.

"Hey, look," Lorenz said, "I feel bad about this, but I can't stay. There's this gorgeous hotchik I just met on station after we docked, and if I don't go, my balls will explode. I'll see ya before you ship out tomorrow though, and hopefully I'll be walking funny!"

Before Koben could say a word, Lorenz had bustled through the door.

Mikell just shook her head. "I slept with that. Twice."

"Was he any good?" asked T'Shelley, as she placed a purple party hat on Zain's head.

"Of course!" said Mikell. "You don't think I'd have slept with him a second time because I wanted him for his brains, do you?"

Kennard just shook his head. "You guys are terrible, you know that?"

Jax said, "I'm sorry to leave right away too, but I have a bunch of things I want to get done before you two leave. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Mister Jax," said Koben, "I wish you'd stay a little bit. I'll feel bad knowing you're off working while we're having fun."

"Son, you should be happy knowing I'm working," he grinned, "Seriously. You folks have a good time. Try to traumatize young Kennard over there a little. He blushes too easily. Perhaps you can cure him of that."

"Thanks sir," said Zain, adjusting the party hat, "I wish you'd stay, too, though. Just for a bit."

"Well... I have a feeling that y'all might get a little too crazy. I know what these two get up to," he said, indicating Mohrgan and Mikell, "And I've left way too many irons in the fire as it is. Y'all have fun."

He gave a short salute, and headed for the door. "Not so fast, mister," said T'Shelley, intercepting him, "You forgot your hat."

She reached up, and placed a gold party hat on the sleek black head, fastening the strap under his chin. She reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. It left behind a smear of glittery pink in the rough shape of a pair of lips.

The leopard smiled, and said, "Thanks, hon, you have a good time. And make sure you take some of those hangover tabs if you do anything tonight. I need your brain tomorrow missy."

He saluted, and left, his dignified stride unchanged by the presence of the party hat. Someone turned the music on, loud.

They had a great time. At some point, after a few drinks, someone decided that in light of the preponderance of people who only wore clothes so as not to offend other people, that it would be considered optional. Nobody objected. From her place curled up on the couch with Marasha, who was licking her ear, Sulmin giggled.

"Come on, chief, you first," said Mikell.

"If you insist, but my dear, please don't try to control yourself," said Mohrgan.

Koben leaned close to Kennard, and asked, "You okay with this? I know you get uncomfortable with... well... stuff."

Kennard grinned at him, and said "Naw. I'm fine. I'm pretty much comfortable with everyone here. Besides, I took one of those pills the guys chipped in for, the empathogens, and I just feel... well... wow. I can't describe it. I've never done them before. They're illegal where I come from. But I can't feel bad about anything."

"You're not going to feel sorry when you come down, are you?" Koben asked.

"No. I don't think so. I really don't," Kennard said, "Did you try one?"

"Yeah, but it hasn't kicked in yet. Doc says they take a little while to take effect. Heh. Look at that," the wolvan said.

Kennard turned to see that Marasha and Sulmin had descended to either side of Zain, where the huge white wolvan sat on the floor, leaning against the couch. Marasha was saying something into his ear that set him grinning, and the human girl was scratching the ruff of fur under his neck.

Mohrgan was slowly and deliberately removing his clothes, and laying them aside revealing a hard, well-formed torso, and solid physique. Koben was surprised to see a silver ring hanging from a piercing on the upper right of his chest.

Kennard said, "Wow, the chief looks in pretty good shape. I thought he was supposed to be pretty old."

"He's only seventy-four, that's not that old," said Arrek, stepping up, a greenish drink swirling in a glass as he sipped it.

"How long do their kind live? I mean wolvan," asked the human.

"Depends. He'll probably make it to at least one-twenty or one-thirty or so, without any rejuve treatments. And we don't really start to go downhill until the last few years. If he takes care of himself, he'll be in good health and not look that much different until he's well over a century."

"You said, 'we', Doc, I thought wolvan and shunki, were, well, different."

"We are and we're not. We consider ourselves a separate species, but not far removed. We're descended from the same genetic roots, and we intermarry reasonably often. We share the same planets, which we colonized and terraformed together. Our people have been very close since before the diaspora - essentially for our entire known history," the doctor said.

"When you intermarry, can you... you know... have kids?"

The shunki laughed, "Of course. We're genetically compatible. Our DNA is probably a lot more similar than say, yours and Lieutenant Mikell's. Some of us can even have offspring with some of the human genotypes, although those may result in mules... sterile offspring. We can breed back to our more primitive genetic ancestors - wolves and coyotes - pretty freely. Someone in his family line certainly did," the doctor said, indicating Zain.

The white wolf was leaning back on his haunches, between the two females. They'd managed to get him out of his clothes, and he was happily allowing himself to be petted and stroked. Zain's eyes were closed, and his tongue lolled from the side of his muzzle in bliss.

"What I've read so far mentioned that sometimes you could create mules with humans, but not the other stuff. It almost doesn't make sense. Aren't there different numbers of chromosomes and whatnot?" said Kennard.

"Hybrids between species are possible regardless of chromosome number differences as long as the combination of the parent's genes contains the necessary information for embryonic development to birth. It's not how many chromosomes, but whether the necessary genes are present to create a living creature."

"He looks happy enough," said Kennard, smiling.

"He does indeed," said Arrek, "And he's beautiful, too. Look at him. And of course he's happy... he's got two charming and beautiful ladies from different worlds, who find him just fascinating and exotic enough that they want to explore him."

The doctor looked up, with a twinkle in his yellow eyes. Kennard was staring, and for once, not blushing. "I'm guessing your empathogen kicked in, eh?"

"Huh? Wh... oh... yeah... I guess it did. I feel... well... all of a sudden everything's just beautiful."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. That's what it's there for. And you're among friends here."

"Everyone's so... relaxed. Open. Look at them," said Kennard.

The chief was completely naked now, except for his rich coat of fur, and was dancing with Mikell, who was herself gloriously nude. Neither of them were touching, or even looking at one another, but both were clearly dancing together. There was something primal about the dance, there were no scripted steps, but it somehow looked like a ritual that Kennard didn't understand.

Mikell's dark olive-skinned body was was marked with patches of deep indigo, where serpentine tattoos flowed across her back, her buttocks, her muscular thighs.

He'd long known that Luya Mikell was something of a libertine, despite her hard-bitten and professional demeanor when on duty. But there were obviously hidden depths to the chief, who he'd always thought of as distant and conservative. There was a flash of silver as the big male danced, and Kennard realized that in addition to the piercing on his chest, there was a small loop through the end of his black-furred penile sheath.

Kennard's eyes were drawn to Wrahl and Ven. His friends were lying side-by-side, undressed, in a pile of floor cushions. Their clothing lay in a heap next to them. The wolvan looked almost tiny next to his enormous mate. Even though both of them were watching Mohrgan and Mikell dancing, the wolvan's clawed fingertips were lightly tracing the edges of Ven's stripes where they angled from the rich orange fur of his flanks toward the creamy white of his belly.

The human's eyes were drawn by the motion, and traveled down that long torso to the join of the legs. The tiger's balls and small, sheathed penis made a neat, white-furred package at his groin. Ven's arm moved to lay across his mate's chest, and he petted idly along the wolf's lower belly until the big hand reached the furred length of the other male's sheath. He caressed it idly, turning his big head down to whisper something into Wrahl's ear that made the wolf smile and lick at the big tiger's cheek.

"Hey, Kennard," Koben's voice came from right beside him, bringing him back to himself.

"Oh... Koben. Hi. The doc and I were just talking..."

"I brought you another drink," said the wolvan, handing it to him.

"I figured you'd be the first to shuck clothes," said Kennard, "You usually do the second you get into our quarters and shut the door."

"I was waiting," said Koben, smiling disarmingly.

"For what?"

"For you to watch. I know you like to, but up til now, you've acted like there's something wrong with doing it. So, since I can see you're up and feeling good, and the atmosphere seems right, I thought I'd give you the chance to do it with permission, where it's okay."

Kennard found himself blushing, as usual. "Oh... I ... look, I'm sorry if I..."

"It's okay. Listen.... I know you grew up somewhere that certain things are considered wrong or bad, or taboo, or whatever. But here they're not. And you look like you want to be happy, but can't bring yourself to let go."

Koben reached down, and in a fluid movement, stripped the tight black shirt off over his head.

"I'm not intruding, am I?" asked Arrek's voice, from alongside. Kennard had almost forgotten the coyote was there.

Koben shrugged and grinned, "Of course not, Doc!"

Kennard felt as if his head was floating somewhere up above his body. His skin was tingling. Great, rolling waves of warmth and pleasure coursed through his body and mind.

And relief. He realized that he had been fascinated by the bodies of his furred friends, that he'd been stealing glances, and looking away, ashamed.

But as the young wolvan carefully stripped off his uniform, he didn't have to look away, didn't want to look away. He wasn't seeing his friend's nakedness. He was simply seeing his friend as he was meant to be, in his natural state. Koben was beautiful.

The wolf didn't do a striptease, or put on a show. He just slowly, easily, and deliberately removed each item of clothing and tossed it onto a chair, and then, smiling, ruffled his fur with his hands, to free it of the pressed-down shape the garments had forced on it.

To Kennard, it was almost as if he could feel what it was like to dwell in that glorious body. Well-formed muscles shifted beneath that warm grey coat. The subtle charcoal-colored markings of Koben's flanks, gave way to a paler near-white belly. The white made a path that went down from the deep chest, down the long abdomen, to the insides of the male's upper thighs. It framed the long, heavy sheath, and the egg-sized orbs of the wolf's testicles, drawn up in a neat package at the base.

A movement caught his eye, and beside him, Arrek was calmly doffing his own clothing, still watching the dancing figures nearby. Kennard found himself avidly watching as the coyote medic shrugged off the white coat, and stripped off the dark indigo shirt underneath.

Where Koben was a study in grey, charcoal and white, the shunki doctor was all pale gold and cream, speckled only here and there with black-tipped fur. Kennard watched as the seemingly delicate feet kicked off the shoes, so that Arrek could hustle first one leg, then the other out of the white uniform pants. The glorious brush of the shunki's tail drew through the hole under the waistband, seeming to shrink as the fur was pressed down by it's passage, and then the whole thing burst free, a flag held at attention.

Kennard's eyes were drawn to the creamy white fur of the doctor's belly, trailing down to an impressive furry sheath. Below it, the testicles were only sparsely furred, the dark skin beneath showing through. When Kennard looked up, the golden eyes had turned to look at him, the muzzle below turned back in a canine grin.

Kennard felt himself swaying to the music. Waves of pleasure rolled through his body. As his eyes moved around the room, lighting on each of his friends, he felt love and friendship filling the chamber. And yet, he felt strangely set apart, disconnected, insulated.

And then there was a warmth against his back, almost conforming to his whole body. He felt a warm breath against his cheek, and the tickle of whiskers, as Koben moved behind him and wrapped his sturdy arms around him, hugging him close.

"How are you feeling?" he heard his friend's voice say, right beside his ear.

"I... feel fantastic. I should be nervous right now. But I'm not," Kennard answered.

"You know," said Arrek, suddenly right in front of the human, looking up at him, "You're the only one in the room still dressed."

"Yeah," said Kennard, "and now that you mention it, I'm starting to feel... kind of weird about that. I mean... it's like if I were the only person naked in a room, it would feel strange... now..."

"How about you join us, then?" asked Koben.

Kennard could feel the wolvan's legs to either side of his own. He leaned back against the furry chest. He could feel a soft bulge against his lower back, and knew that the heavy shaft of Koben's maleness was pressed unselfconsciously against him.

"I... yeah. I'd like that," Kennard said, but found himself not moving, too caught up in the sensations flowing through his body, the feel of being almost surrounded by Koben's embrace.

And then, the huge, but amazingly dexterous fingers were undoing the clasps of Kennard's uniform jacket. As the garment opened up, the sudden wash of cooler air across the thin shirt beneath nearly made him gasp. There was a second pair of hands tugging the shirt gently out of his pants, as Arrek lent the assistance of his delicate furry paws.

From somewhere off to the side, Kennard heard Sulmin's delighted voice call out, "Kennard, is it all right if we watch? I mean, it's so sweet, the three of you, and I know you're usually so shy."

"Yes... yes... I don't mind," Kennard found himself saying. And he meant it. As Koben gently drew the jacket off him, and Arrek untucked the shirt, Kennard realized that he felt as if a thousand years of weight were being peeled away. He was surrounded by friends, being touched by friends he loved and trusted. The experience was beautiful for him, and he couldn't imagine withholding it from anyone present.

As the front of his shirt tugged free, he realized that there were other shapes near him. He'd hardly noticed through the fog of pleasurable sensations from the empathogen he'd taken. Wrahl's face appeared nearby, smiling, and gave his cheek a short lick. Kennard expected it to feel wet and slobbery, but it was warm and only moist, and it felt... good.

Wrahl's large paws gripped the bottom of his shirt, and were drawing it up his torso. Kennard leaned against Koben, and as the shirt moved up, cool air hit the smooth skin of his stomach in front. Behind, a wave of fur was appearing against his naked skin as suddenly, nothing lay between his back and Koben's furry chest. Kennard shuddered with pleasure.

Below, he felt first one foot lifted, then the other, as Arrek drew off his shoes and socks. The soft paw-pads brushed against his ankles and feet, mixing with the feel of cool air against the skin. Kennard found himself sagging against Koben, the wolvan supporting his weight.

He could feel himself surrounded by a multitude of sensations, of personalities. There was the cool air stroking his chest and belly, the fabric of his uniform pants sliding across his legs. Warm fur behind him, hands touching him. He felt movement and Koben vanished, replaced by someone larger. Kennard looked up to see Ven's broad feline face above him. The huge tiger's hand gripped him gently under the armpits, holding him steady, as Arrek and Zain took up positions to either side, Koben standing in front of him, watching. The coyote's nimble fingers worked at the fastenings of his pants, opening them at the waist. Kennard looked down at the huge white wolvan, into blue eyes - Zain was standing on all fours, one paw-hand resting lightly at Kennard's waist. He sat down on his haunches. alongside the human, and rested another paw on the waistband of his pants.

And then the fastenings were open, and Arrek's hands took the other side of the trousers, and together, the diminutive coyote and enormous white wolf drew them swiftly down Kennard's slim, athletic legs. They picked his bare feet up, one at a time, freeing them from the pooled fabric.

For a moment, Kennard felt a brief flash of his familiar shyness. With how he felt, he surely had an erection, and clad only in his thin, form-fitting nycrex underwear, it must be on display. But when he glanced down, his member was soft, shrunken against his groin. His body and mind exploded with sensations, as if every inch of skin was stimulated. It was sensual in the extreme, mind-numbingly pleasurable, and there was an undercurrent of eroticism... but innocent, stripped of the usual sexual connotations and layers of shame and guilt.

And then Koben was kneeling before him, gripping the waistband of his undershorts, and pulling them smoothly down and past his feet. In a moment, the young human stood there completely bare, cool air moving past his skin where warm fur didn't brush against it. He could feel the eyes of his friends on him, and instead of feeling embarrassed, he felt liberated, free. To be naked in front of such as these was no shame, it was a blessing. It was sweeping away a barrier between himself and those he cared about.

Kennard found himself wanting to be touched and looked at, after having held himself apart for so long. And he could feel his companion's happiness, their joy in seeing him. He found himself, instead of fearing to show his body, reveling in the exhibition of it.

He stood under his own power, Ven gently releasing him. He ran his hands up and down the length of his body, reveling in the feeling. When his hand came down, Zain's muzzle was gently touching his hip, the cold nose sending a ripple of pleasure throughout him. He reached down to feel the fur of the warm, brilliantly white body.

Koben still sat on his haunches, his weight on one arm, the other resting across one lupine knee. His face radiated calm pleasure, and for a moment, it was the most beautiful thing Kennard had ever seen. And then there was a flash of skin beside him. Sulmin had drawn close, and planted a quick sisterly kiss upon his freckled cheek, surprising him. Marasha stood just behind her, her eyes twinkling with mischief, one tawny-furred hand on Sulmin's hip.

"I just wanted to give you a kiss for being brave and getting over your shyness," said Sulmin, "And to thank you for letting me be a part of it. I hope you'll forgive me, though, but Marasha wants to drag me off for some special girl time."

And Kennard saw that Sulmin was blushing a little, herself. "I've never, well... Marasha will be the first female I've played with, and I'll just kick myself if I don't take the opportunity. Have fun with the boys, Kennard."

"Good for you, Suley," Kennard said, smiling. "I'll miss you, but I'm glad you were here for this. It made it all the better."

And then the two females were gone, Marasha sweeping the smaller human girl up into her arms, eliciting a giggle. Zain sighed a little as they left. Clearly, he'd been enjoying the females' company.

Mikell and the chief also excused themselves. Kennard found himself briefly sad, at the thought that he wouldn't be able to see them. But the gleam in Mikell's eye as she dragged Mohrgan off to another room made him smile.

Kennard wandered around the room, reaching out and running his fingers through his companion's fur. They returned the contact, smiling and petting. The feel of fur against his naked flesh was exhilarating, almost dizzying. He flopped down into one of the piles of cushions. He could hear his companions talking, but it was hard to make out the words.

Ven settled down onto the soft pile behind him, and gently pulled the smaller human onto his lap. Kennard sprawled back, stretching his legs to either side. Wrahl laid down on the couch next to them, laying his head on Kennard's outstretched leg. The human found himself sinking his fingers into the warm fur of the wolf's mane, eliciting warm murrs of contentment.

Koben settled himself on the other side, lying lengthwise next to him on his back. Kennard moved his arm to lay it along his friend, and found it slipping along the inside of Koben's warm furry thigh. Ven straightened his leg, and Kennard found his wrist and forearm trapped alongside the soft warmth of Koben's sheath, with his arm resting gently against the fur-covered balls.

He was so distracted by this that he barely felt as the little coyote doctor climbed up on top of Wrahl, and plopped down to lie across partly on the wolvan, and partly on Kennard, trapping his other arm. He did notice that his other hand was against something warm and slightly flexible that shifted when he moved it. He realized after a moment that it was Arrek's furry sheath and lower belly pressing his hand down. When he wiggled his hand around to get more comfortable, the shunki stretched his body with pleasure. The weight felt so good against the human's hand that he couldn't bear to remove it, so he pressed it in deeper, palm up, and gently scratched his fingers through the soft belly fur.

The group shifted slightly, as everyone made themselves more comfortable. Kennard felt a warm, rasping sensation along his neck, and realized that Ven was licking him with his rough feline tongue. Between his shoulderblades, he felt a set of shifting bumps that he realized were the big tiger's genitals. There was an explosion of sensation against his thigh as Wrahl's long muzzle stretched toward his crotch and began to sniff. It felt wonderful to be explored, sniffed, scented.

Over his belly, Koben and the doctor were rubbing faces, and sniffing the fur of one another's necks. He heard the doctor saying, something.

"Sorry I didn't say something before, but I wanted to make sure of my feelings," said Arrek.

"It's all right. I'm just glad you sorted it out and said something," Koben said, "I know you've enjoyed being with me, with all of us, but it's felt like you were keeping yourself back. Now I know why."

"I feel foolish," said Arrek, "But after what we went through, I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fixation caused by... well... feelings of you having saved me. But this whole time, I've been distracted by wanting to be around you, to touch you."

"Well, now you know I don't mind," said Koben, stroking his big paw along the golden fur of Arrek's back.

Kennard was distracted by the sensation of something moving beneath him. He realized that Wrahl's arm was wriggling it's way behind him, and he felt the wolvan's hand maneuver until it was cupping his feline mate's penis and balls. The fingers moved ever so slightly in a kneading motion, feeling like a massage against Kennard's back, and presumably moreso to Ven. He felt the tiger squeeze against him, laying his big head and chin against his shoulders.

He heard Wrahl almost bark, "Hey... Zain, what're you doing over there?"

There was a slightly frustrated whine in response. Kennard realized that the tiny sound, like all the noises his wolflike companions made, was layered with meaning. That short burst of noise contained playfulness, a plaintiveness, frustration, but happy frustration, and delight all at once. There was a sound of padded feet bounding across the carpeted floor, and Zain was before them, still on all fours. Through the pleasant haze of the empathogenic substance, Kennard almost fancied that his friend had actually transformed into an animal. He shook his head to clear it a little, and Zain seemed normal again.

And almost blindingly beautiful. The big wolvan had plopped down to sit on his haunches, almost between Kennard's legs, at the edge of the cushions. His coat was unbelievably white. Not the white of an albino, for his nose and the thin line of his eyelids were black as ink, as were the edges and inside of his mouth.

Wrahl reached up and began scratching the larger wolvan under his jawline.

"Were you sniffing under that door?" asked Wrahl quietly, in a laughing voice.

"Mmmmmhh... Yyssss," said the big white wolvan. "Wzzn't thhnking. Jsst... curious..."

"Aww... did that kitty and that human girl give you a bunch of attention and then leave you hanging?"

"Hhhrrrmmmffm," came the reply, a vague rumble, conveying disappointment with good humor, and hopefulness. Or did it only seem to Kennard, in this state, that he could understand? Zain took a deep breath, seeming to concentrate, and said, "Srry. Hard to talk. That sstuff makes me feel good, but head funny."

"I thought the way they were carrying on with you earlier, they were going to drag you off and show you a good time," said Ven.

"Hhhh... yeah," replied Zain, collecting himself again, "But.. Sulmin... little shy, bout being with 'nother f'male. Nnd anyway... this empath... 'mpath... the pill... can't... my shaft won't get hard 'nn 'ts own."

Kennard heard Koben say, "Well, we haven't got any females in this pile, but we've got plenty of warmth and rubs and good conversation. And look, Kennard seems to have gotten over his hang-ups,"

"Yeah," said the human, surprised at how clear his voice seemed, "I've been surrounded by you types so long I've gone native."

Zain leaned his head to the side, to look at Kennard, grinning. He took a deep breath and said "Looks like you g't ... best spot. S'rry. Hard... talk."

He stood up, and stepped forward over Kennard, stopping briefly to sniff at his groin. The sensation was surprising but exhilarating. And then Kennard felt a warm wet tongue under his chin, as Zain licked his neck and jawline. The fur on Zain's chest came together in a tufted ridge, and the ends were brushing along the sensitive skin of the human's own chest. Kennard extricated his hand from beneath the to reach up and scratch alongside the white flanks. Arrek scrambled from beneath Zain, to lay alongside Koben's side.

In the periphery of his vision, Kennard saw Wrahl stand and move beside his mate. The tiger turned his head, to find the wolf's sheath and balls right near his face, and pressed his short feline muzzle into them, sniffing deeply.

Kennard realized he didn't feel embarrassed. He felt privileged to be right in among his friends, with them completely without self-consciousness as they took pleasure in one another. He watched, enraptured, as the tiger's wide, pink, sandpapery tongue came out to lick the furry balls, wrapping around them as it moved. He quietly stared as the furry orbs lifted up as the tongue dragged across them, then settled back down as it passed. Wrahl settled his hands against Ven's shoulder, steadying himself, and spread his legs further apart, so that the pink tongue could reach in alongside the orbs of his maleness.

Kennard felt something warm against the hand that still lay in Koben's groin. He glanced over, and it was Arrek's tongue. The shunki gently picked up the human's hand, and placed it directly over Koben's sheath, carefully curling the human's fingers around to grip it at the base, the bottom of his palm resting against the tight package of the furry scrotum below. Zain was still standing over him, but his muzzle was pointed up, his eyes closed to slits, his powerful neck and back arched with what looked like immense pleasure. Kennard realized that the coyote's other hand was moving somewhere along the huge wolvan's belly, out of sight beyond the curve of the deep, muscular chest.

He heard Ven's voice by his ear, his breath carrying a subtle scent that Kennard realized was that of his lover.

"We'd be honored if you'd participate as a helper in our play, if it doesn't embarrass you, and isn't too much for you."

"I.. of course. I don't mind," Kennard heard himself say, "I thought I would, but I don't. I'm just so happy to be here among you. What can I do?"

The tiger gently reached out and said "Give me your hand."

Kennard put his free hand into the tiger's massive paw. Ven carefully took it and placed it so that it was cupped behind Wrahl's testicles.

"Just gently hold these so I can lick them with my tongue," said Ven. "Is that all right? You're not embarrassed?"

"No, not any more," said Kennard.

Wrahl's voice interjected, "You're welcome to play with me a bit, if you want, if you're curious."

Kennard reached up, to more firmly wrap thumb and forefinger around the base of Wrahl's scrotum. The furry balls were warm and heavy against his palm, and just as he was beginning to enjoy that sensation, he felt the heavenly stroke of Ven's rough tongue against the exposed parts of his hand as the tiger licked. As the tongue caressed both Wrahl and Kennard, the human felt it exploring between his fingers, insinuating itself between the furry testicles and the smooth flesh of his palm. For a moment, the sensations were so intense that Kennard thought he might faint.

But it continued.

Zain moved around to stand the other way, but still loomed over Kennard's prostrate form. When the human looked away from Ven and Wrahl, instead of seeing the familiar white furry face, he realized he had a close-up view of dangling black testicles, and a heavy white-furred sheath, beneath the upraised silver flag of Zain's tail. Above the heavy black scrotum, set over a neat, almost heart-shaped region of short fur, was the almost modest ring of the big wolvan's anus, dark-pigmented like his lips and eyelids and balls. Kennard found himself thinking that the whole arrangement seemed a lot more practical than humans, with their large tushes of gluteal muscle against their backsides. It didn't look dirty or improper. It was just another part of his friend's body. As the tail descended slightly, the flesh around it closed to hide it completely from view. One of the doctor's hands was vigorously rubbing a spot on Zain's back, right at the base of his tail. The powerful hind legs descended in pleasure, placing the big genitals even closer to Kennard's face.

He heard the shunki speak, then, "Kennard, are you up to helping us also?"

Koben rumbled, "I'd be pleased and honored if you would, Kennard. I'd like to share this with you."

"Of course," said Kennard, "Just tell me what to do."

The coyote doctor gently took one of Kennard's hands, and laid it at the base of Koben's splayed groin. He pushed the man's thumb and forefinger to grip tightly around the base of the heavy, sheathed penis. Zain stepped forward and turned around, returning to stand over Kennard again, watching the shunki, curiosity and interest radiating from his broad, open features, the flag of his tail waving slowly.

Arrek placed his hand just above Kennard's, pressing the man's palm down onto the mound of Koben's scrotum, and squeezed his own nimble fingers around to grip the base of the wolvan's penis tightly, through the soft padding of his sheath.

Arrek explained, "The substance we took makes us feel great, but in most males, it interferes with..."

"Stiffies!" said Wrahl, from somewhere above them.

"But there's a trick you can do with us canines," continued the doctor, blithely. "If you grip in the right spot, you can keep the blood from leaving, and if you hold it, you can... well consider it a manual override."

Kennard found his hand guided to grip his friend's member in the most intimate of embraces, as the coyote leaned forward and gently rubbed with one hand, maintaining pressure with the other. The human watched, fascinated, as the mobile skin of the sheath moved back and forth over the thick organ within. In moments, Koben's shaft began to swell, and two large bumps began to show through the sheath.

Kennard watched as the huge knot became visible at the base of his friend's cock, under the gentle ministrations. The girth of the whole organ began to expand, losing it's soft contours as it swelled, revealing the true shape of the chambers within the huge shaft. Shortly, the purplish-pink, pointed tip appeared at the small opening at the end of the furry sheath. Kennard's eyes met Koben's from across his belly and chest. The wolvan's were half-closed in pleasure.

Deft, golden-furred hands gently slid the furry sheath down to the base of the engorged organ, and positioned Kennard's hand to grip the whole thing tightly at the base. Zain sniffed at the pointed shaft standing up from Koben's belly, and gave an excited little whine. He turned abruptly and licked Kennard's face, setting him laughing and spluttering.

Suddenly, Wrahl spoke, "Now I feel embarrassed. I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot that the whole point of this get-together is to show our young heroes a good time before they go off on their big mission."

Kennard felt the big wolf draw away from his hand, and Ven shifted position. "Hey, Kennard," the big tiger said.

"Mmm... yeah?" the human responded, grinning.

"I was thinking... poor Zain there looks like he's about to explode. How about you help Arrek give Koben some special treatment, and Wrahl and I focus on Zain a while?"

Rather than feeling dismay at giving up his warm, central position, Kennard found himself joyous at the idea of helping give his two friends a good time.

At Wrahl and Ven's invitation, the big white wolvan bounded into their embrace, and the two mates accepted him with hugs and scritches. Kennard turned back to focus on Arrek and Koben again.

"I... I've never done anything like this before," he said, "So, please just tell me what to do, and if I'm doing anything wrong."

"You're doing fine," said Arrek, "And if there's anything you don't feel okay with, don't hesitate to say. You won't hurt anyone's feelings."

Kennard nodded, smiling.

"Okay, now you saw what we did with Koben's parts, right?"

Kennard nodded.

Koben spoke this time, saying "We'd like you to do the same for Doctor Arrek. I'll help you."

Kennard looked into Arrek's face, and asked, "Is that okay, Arrek? I can... touch you too?"

"I'd be honored," said the coyote.

Kennard moved around so that he squatted by the two of them, maintaining his grip on Koben's massive erection. The grey wolvan settled onto his back, comfortably, a cushion behind his head, while the much smaller shunki climbed over him to stand on all fours above him.

Koben gently took Kennard's hand, and placed it up against the base of Arrek's sheath, holding it in place with his own. He leaned his head up to nuzzle the creamy fur for a moment, before gripping the shunki's smaller, but still-impressive member in his other paw.

He gently stroked up and down, sliding the sheath back and forth over the coyote's rapidly-bulging member. Kennard laid his face against the golden flank, and breathed the scent of the warm, furry body. It was a pleasant, mild canine smell, and as he inhaled, Kennard felt the substance they'd all taken rise up in him again, propelling him to greater heights of ecstasy.

In moments, both canines were at full extension, and Koben was tightening the human's grip around the base of the shunki's engorged cock. His thumb and forefinger were locked around the base, holding back the folds of skin of the retracted sheath, leaving his palm and other fingers to grip the huge basal knot hanging below.

Arrek craned his neck forward, and ran his tongue up along Koben's penis, starting at Arrek's fingers, and languorously working his way up to the pointed tip. He felt the wolvan's hips press upward in pleasure. And then the long muzzle began again, licking gently up Koben's shaft, sliding around to reach the sides of the long organ.

Kennard felt a hot breath on his other hand, and then the warmth of Koben's tongue. The larger wolvan drew back, and starting at the tip of the shunki's member, drew his large tongue up along the underside of the organ, until he reached the man's gripping fingers. When the tongue came back for a third pass, Kennard opened his three outside fingers and moved his palm away, retaining a tight grip with index and thumb. The wolvan's warm, muscular tongue slipped into the space between cock and hand, and Kennard delighted in the feel of his friend exploring his hand, tasting him, even as he caressed the coyote's huge basal knot.

With one hand still grasping Kennard's at Arrek's groin, the larger wolvan reached out and laid the other against his human friend's side. The man arched his back in satisfaction, as the soft, warm pads trailed down his flank and belly. And then he nearly cried out in ecstasy as that huge hand, tufts of soft fur poking between the heavy black pads, moved to cup his penis and testicles.

Even through his half-lidded eyes, he could see the shunki's muzzle move down over Koben's erect shaft, taking more than half it's length inside, the black lips closing over the delicate skin of the organ. The gold-furred head drew back for a moment, and then slowly descended until his mouth lay pressed against the huge knot. Kennard could see the cheek and jaw muscles working as the coyote began to rhythmically suck on the hard shaft of Koben's maleness.

When he looked to the other side, he was just in time to see Koben's mouth open to swallow the shunki's cock to the base. A moment later, he opened his jaws again to engulf even the engorged knot. Kennard felt the black nose press against his hand, the short whiskers of his friend's muzzle tickling his fingers.

Over their bodies, he caught a glimpse of Zain, Wrahl, and Ven. The big tiger stood behind the great wolvan. His arms were under the white male's armpits, and locked behind his head, his feline muzzle nuzzling the pale mane. Zain's feet barely touched the ground - he hung suspended by the tiger's massive strength. Wrahl crouched before him, his grey mane blocking Kennard's view of the wolvan's groin. Zain's muzzle was upturned, the black lips parted, tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, eyes closed dreamily.

The motion against Kennard's hands increased, and he found himself leaning against the shunki's flank. Koben's hands pressed his genitals against his body, one large finger gently rubbing the soft skin behind his scrotum. Kennard found himself leaning into that hand, sheer pleasure shooting through all his limbs. As the two canines reached almost simultaneous climax, for a moment, Kennard felt as if he were three creatures at once, the boundaries between their bodies unclear...

And then both males were spasming in rhythmic release, Kennard leaned back, his arms going limp, his half-lidded eyes watching as both males swallowed, over and over, hips still bucking slightly.

Arrek slid his pointed muzzle away from Koben's retreating shaft, while drawing his own penis free. There was a thumping noise as Koben's tail beat against the floor. Kennard sagged onto his side, the wolvan pulling him close. Arrek flopped down on top of both of them, putting his arms over both the human and the larger wolvan. The three of them lay there, panting, for several moments.

Kennard luxuriated in the feel of fur against his flesh, of the hot length of Arrek's sheath where it pressed against his belly. There were still "murrs" of pleasure coming from the other side of the room. Koben lifted himself up on his elbows, partly dislodging the coyote, who slid over and righted himself, to sit on his haunches.

Kennard forced himself to a sitting position, forearms resting on his knees. The three of them watched as Wrahl's careful ministrations brought Zain to shuddering climax, still held in the arms of the grey wolvan's lover. Wrahl sat back on his haunches, gripping the other male's white-furred sheath and gently drawing it up past the diminishing knot, to cover the sensitive organ. He cradled the dark-colored testicles with one hand as Ven carefully released the wolf's arms and instead held him upright by wrapping his big arms around the other male's chest. Zain reared his head back to lick gratefully at the tiger's chin.

Wrahl stood, licking his lips rather smugly.

Kennard leaned toward Koben and whispered, "I kind of had the impression that Zain, well... liked females."

"He does," Koben murmured. "He's... probably more or less what you'd call heterosexual, if that's what you're asking."

"But... he just..."

"That's sexual attraction. This was pleasure. Play taken with friends who happen to be male. Some of our people wouldn't be interested particularly. But apparently, Zain's not too fussy. And this was sexual play, not ... mating. It's about what feels good, and doing it with friends."

Kennard nodded. "Thanks."

"For what?" Koben grinned, "I'm glad you were here. I'm glad you were part of this."

"Me too. I... I'm realizing that somewhere in my heart, I've wanted this all along."

"I could tell something was up with you," said Koben, "But I wasn't sure whether to say anything. You seemed to have... well... I could see you looking at me, I could tell you liked me, and that you had some kind of feelings that were more than that. But you always seemed to draw away. I figured it was something you'd need to work out, and I didn't want to offend you."

"And you're leaving tomorrow," said Kennard, "I guess if I was going to get over myself, I'd better do it now. You know... in case..."

Koben hugged his human friend close.

"Don't worry so much. It'll be fine. We'll be back before you know it."

The whole bunch of them settled into a huge pile. Eventually, they slept.

--

Koben reported to forward medical early the next morning. He wore only the minimum shirt and uniform shorts, since he wouldn't be returning to his room. He knew that soon he'd be unconscious, undergoing treatments designed to make it appear that he'd never escaped Doctor Scrim's clutches. He knew that when he woke up again, he and Zain would be on a hostile world, posing as slaves. They'd begin their assignment naked, battered, and out of contact with anyone who might possibly help them.

A wrong step and they'd be in the same boat as those who had been actually sold off for real.

The young wolvan was nervous, but he didn't want to show it. He didn't want to give anyone the chance to yank him off this assignment.

He didn't want to go. But he was damn sure going to.

Doctor Arrek was there to greet him. The little coyote looked a little tired, but that was to be expected, considering the previous night.

"Good morning Arrek... err... Doc. Zain here yet?" Koben asked.

"Morning. No. He's not here yet. We're going to do you first. We could have had another team take care of him, but you both asked for me," Arrek explained.

Koben nodded. Quietly, he said "Thank you for agreeing to be the one to do this."

Arrek sighed, and with a wry smile that didn't completely hide the worry in his golden eyes, said "Of course. What are friends for?"

"What do you need me to do?" Koben asked.

"Just come into the tank room over here, and get undressed. I'm going to put you under pretty quickly. There's no good reason for you to be awake for procedures intended to debilitate, rather than restore. Not much for you to do."

Koben followed the small shunki into the nanotank facility. The room contained several large, lozenge-shaped tanks which could be filled with nanogel - a medium containing billions of microscopic "machines," ordinarily used to heal injuries. There was nobody else present.

Arrek patted a white gurney next to one of the tanks. "We'll be using this one. Get undressed and just lie down up here."

Koben nodded, and walking to the indicated gurney. His friend and doctor busied himself with a holocontrol display while the young wolvan hacker stripped out of his clothes. Koben hoisted himself up onto the gurney, and sat on his haunches.

A moment later, Arrek turned back to him, holding a small hypo.

"No assistants?" Koben asked.

"I can manage on my own. Piece of cake," Arrek paused, "Promise you'll come back safely to us, understand?"

Koben thought a moment, and said, "I promise I'll try like hell. How's that?"

The coyote sighed, "It'll have to do. Just lay yourself down. This should take effect pretty quickly."

Koben laid back. Doctor Arrek gently ruffled the fur of his chest.

"Journey well, across the darkness," he said, in Wolvan.

"I shall journey and return home," Koben answered, formally.

There was a slight pressure on his upper arm, and Koben felt a moment of dizziness, and then nothing else.

Arrek sighed, closing his eyes, and gently stroked Koben's chest fur for a moment, composing himself. Then he checked the big young wolvan's vitals, assuring himself that all was well.

He hated this. It was bad enough that his friend - someone he now felt was more than just a friend - was being sent into this danger, so untried, so unready. It was now his job to injure that beautiful body, to recreate the injuries he'd so recently been part of helping the young wolvan recover from. He'd almost asked to have one of the other doctors perform this duty. But Koben had asked that it be him.

The shunki doctor sighed, and got to work. After prepping his friend, most of the work would be done by the nanotank, which he'd already given all the instructions it needed.

But while it worked, Arrek would watch over him.

In old legends, on the night that a warrior took his vows as a warrior, he would spend the whole night in prayer and preparation. It was called a vigil. The shunki wondered if the activities of the night before counted as such a ritual. If so, he could think of few better, to send a warrior out into the dark, than a reminder of life, love and friendship, a ceremony of joy.

But the old Earth word could also mean when you watched over something or someone.

Until it was time for his friends to leave, heading into unknown danger, he would himself sit vigil, watching over them.