Space Relations Pt. 22

"There, we're just like a little tribe now." Mary said, as she sat on the floor between the two calicos. "I already told them that I'm the only one that can talk with thoughts, so they won't bother the rest of you about that. I also told them how we might be taking them away from Zeus and out into open space, because the Captain thinks we might be able to help them that way."

"Is that the plan, Captain?" Thor asked.

Washington made a face at Mary, because he hadn't announced anything yet and she'd gone into his head to find that information. "This is what I'm thinking of doing. You've seen how these new people are very territorial and tribal. Even if we did find another tribe of their species, the other tribe might not accept them. Mary has already sensed that these people fought against their own kind in the past."

"Up until the volcano took them all out." Mary nodded. "Sure they did."

"Right." The captain nodded. "When the cat-women founds us, what they were really doing was capturing us. That's why they've seemed so overprotective of us men, and hardly ever let us out of their sight. They wanted to capture us to begin an entire new tribe with them. What I'm thinking, is what if we take these cat-women out to one of the bigger science colonies and clone one of them into male form?"

"We can do that, you know." Mary nodded. "We can make adult clones or we can make little baby clones, just like them."

"It isn't quite that simple, Mary." Cruz said, bringing two large, steamy bowls and setting them down before the felines. "The geneticists have to perform an in-depth study of their DNA before anything like that ever comes about."

"Well, these cats are human, just like us!" Mary exclaimed.

"But we don't know anything about their DNA, baby."

Margo handed a bowl to the captain and another to Thor. Because she wasn't as timid, and because the kitties were so curvy, she decided to sit in the middle of two of them with her own bowl of food.

"This is a carrot." Mary held one out. "Normally, this is crunchy, but we cooked it so it is soft right now. You eat it like this." Mary bit off a piece and chewed it, before passing carrots to the felines sitting on either side of her. "It's really good."

"Can they even eat carrots?" Washington asked.

"While you were busy flying the ship, Captain," Cruz spoke up. "Mary and I ran a battery of tests on our guests. We are limited in our scope, admittedly, because of the small amount of equipment we carry on this ship, but we did the best we could. As far as we can gather, their physiology is very similar to ours. Their metabolism, respiration and reproduction aspects are close matches. They have five primary senses, the same as ours. There are differences, in that their bone and muscular structure is much tougher than what we have. They are stronger than us and faster than us. One thing I found curious is that they don't have very large noses or a keen sense of smell. I expected that from a species that developed as predators under a darker sky."

"Well, we have anomalies like that on Earth." Mary reminded him. "You know the rhino, right? They can barely see anything with their little beady eyes, and just look at how huge they are."

"You're correct, darling, as you always are." Cruz complimented.

"The small noses could help explain why they didn't run away from the toxic gasses they walked into." Thor speculated. "Some of those gases have very strong and repugnant smells to them, while others can hardly be smelled at all, at least by humans."

"But they didn't even know those gases were toxic." Mary defended, as she prodded the cat next to her to start eating. "They just walked into those gases thinking, hey, this place stinks, but we're going to stay here until the skies clear up and we can go back home. They never understood those gases could kill them."

"They do make up for that with above average hearing." Cruz added. "We found something else that was very interesting. These kitties cannot hold their breath like we can. Anything coming out of the volcanoes would have gone directly into their lungs."

"Does any of that explain why the vines gave off so much fragrance?" Margo asked.

"I think it does." Mary answered. "The strong smell from the flowers attracts the prey, and then the vines come out and snatch that prey up. Not only does the scent attract the prey, but it also distracts the prey and keeps it sedated. Then the vines squeeze every last bit of air out of whatever or whomever they capture."

"I believe that electrical charges from the vines caused a reaction in our ladies." Cruz surmised. "This reaction magnetically drew the water content out of their bodies and into the vines. This explains the tingling sensation that both Mary and Margo felt." He took a carrot out of the bowl and held it out toward the cook. "Speaking of which. Margo, has this carrot been anywhere unusual that I should know about?"

"No, sir." Margo shook her head. "I've had enough plants in my pussy for the time being. That one's still a virgin."

"Captain, are we really going to take these animals with us?" Willow asked. "I don't like the way they're looking at me!"

"You don't like the way anybody looks at you." Thor chuckled. "You don't like way I look at you..."

"That's because you're always mad at me!" Willow shot back.

"You don't like the way Margo looks at you..."

"Well, she always looks like she wants to eat me out!"

"You don't like the way Cruz looks at you..."

"He's a pervert!"

"You don't like the way Mary looks at you..."

"She's always horny!"

"You don't even like the way the Captain looks at you, and you're married to him!"

"That's not true." Willow replied. "I do like the Captain!"

"Why haven't you slept with him yet? He is your husband."

"It isn't the right time! I want Barbie to be there!"

"She's lying." Mary teased. "What she really wants is for Barbie and her to hook up."

"Stop reading my mind, you bitch! I never invited you in there!"

"I think somebody needs another Happy Kiss." Margo said, coyly.

Willow covered her mouth.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Willow," The captain said. "But Mary and Margo should be the most stressed out people on this ship, and not you. Because of your ongoing emotional distress, I'm relieving you of your duties for the time being."

"What else am I going to do except for helping you fly the ship?" Willow balked.

"You'd better not hide in your bunk, either." Mary pointed a leaf of steamed lettuce at her. "You did that last time!"

"Hmm, I hadn't thought of the bunk situation." Washington said. "Mary, why don't you try and find out if these cat-women are willing to come with us for DNA testing? If they agree, we might have to pair up in our bunks so they'll have somewhere to sleep."

"You can always sleep in my bunk, Willow." Margo flirted.

"Oh, god, no!" Willow cried out. "Captain, we can't take these creatures!"

"Too late, honey." Mary looked ready to smile, but she caught herself when she recalled being told not to do that in front of the felines. "I just asked two of these cat girls, and they both said they're going wherever our men go."

The fastest way into true space was to get out of Saturn's sheath. Since they were no longer exploring but leaving, the first step was to exit the magnetic field of Zeus. Next, Thor came up with a herky-jerky plan where the Space Relations would pull itself toward a planetoid, then rapidly reverse its polarity upon close approach and become repelled. In this way, they could shave an entire day from the travel time and hit the regular hydrogen vacuum they were accustomed to. Since the ship would not have to filter out so much extra helium in true space, the engines would gulp up the hydrogen and their movements would no longer be hampered. In just over a day and a half, they would leave the strange purple atmosphere within Saturn.

For the crew, it was going to be an interesting ride. Gravity on the ship would shift depending on whether the ship was accelerating or decelerating. Getting closer to a planetoid meant the passengers would have a heavier gravity and tougher time moving around. Being propelled away from a planetoid would have the effect of weightlessness where gravity was temporarily annulled. The crew couldn't just float; they could glide in the air from one part of the ship to the other by kicking themselves off with their feet. The ship's computer was programmed to announce a deep tone right before interior gravity increased, and a lighter tone right before it decreased.

A qualified Spaceman always had to be on the bridge. With Willow on restriction, that meant either the captain or Thor. Willow sulked around between the kitchen and the lounge until Cruz and Mary got a hold of her. The science officers were still running various physical tests on the cat-women while using the exercise equipment they had on board, and despite that they already had plenty of Willow's vitals on record, they decided to use her as a control during the gravity shifts. Margo was much quieter than usual. The big cook strode from one end of the ship to the other, but when she was in the lounge, she got a good eyeful of the curvy felines as they were working out.

The first time the gravity was increased and burdened everyone, the cats became clearly agitated and started looking for a way to get off the ship. Mentally, Mary used her telepathy to calm them down, while Cruz went around trying to cheer them up. When the lighter tone was heard over the ship's speakers, the science officers gathered everyone up and took them into the hallway.

Mary was already sending the pussies visions of birds flying through the air. As zero gravity arrived and the entire bunch began to float, Cruz showed them how to kick off the back wall and float twenty feet down the hallway to the opposite end. Two cat-women were eager to try the maneuver, as apparently they'd imagined being birds at some point in their lives. The rest of the cats were reluctant, until Mary encouraged them into giving it a try. It became fun to fly around like that, except for Willow, how was still brooding back in the lounge. Margo went to go grab her and lugged her into the hall with the rest of them. By hugging the smaller woman, Margo kicked off the wall and sent them both hovering across the way. It took nearly half a dozen attempts before Willow lightened up and started doing it on her own.

Flying in tandem was the next novelty, with all of the cats eager for Cruz to take them on the short trip. By then, they felines had also accepted Mary, enough that the brown tabby let the blonde grab her and propel them both down the hall. With Margo, Willow and four felines still gathered on the one side, Margo shrugged and took the nearest cat, the gray, with her on the next trip. This left the timid Willow as the lone human floating there. By that time, the cats were aware of how frightened Willow was of them, and how Margo had basically bullied her into having fun. This prompted the black cat to take a bold chance by grabbing Willow and kicking off faster than Willow could get out of her clutches. Thanks to Willow's struggles, their momentum was thwarted and they didn't make the full trip. Instead, they bumped to a stop halfway down the hall and of course set everyone to laughing at them. The last two kittens were still keeping apart, kicking off separately instead of in tandem like everyone else had done.

Once the gravity was normalized, new sleeping arrangements were made. Willow would bunk with the captain, and Thor with Margo. Cruz and Mary already shared the same sleeping quarters, so there was no problem there. It was thought that the felines were only loosely banded and probably slept alone. Cruz showed a couple where the bunks were and how to sleep on them while Mary had a tougher time showing the other four cats how to use the lavatories and humidifier. That is, until Margo volunteered and went to assist by watching the felines bathing.

It looked like everything was under control, until everyone went to settle down for naps. While the humans headed off into their segregated bunks to sleep, the cats went back to the lounge and simply curled up on the floor.

A rotation was set up on the bridge. Whenever the ship was between planetoids, the captain and his right hand man would take a break. This meant that anybody except for Willow was allowed to sit in and make sure nothing anomalous interrupted their flight path or schedule.

Margo yawned herself awake, staring into the low light of her bunk and listening to Thor snore from the bunk above hers.

"You loud son of a bitch, you woke me up!" The woman grumbled as she sat up. Margo stretched out from one side to the other, as much as she could with the second bed right above her head. She saw the face of one of the calicos peering into the hatch. "What do you want, kitty?"

Margo got to her feet, intending to mess with Thor enough to wake him up like the sleeping man had done to her. When she raised her arms to do this, she saw the calico quickly step into her bunk.

"What, you don't want me to wake him?" Margo asked the feline. "Who appointed you his guardian angel, anyway?"

The second time Margo lifted her arms, the cat came right up beside her.

"Are you going to stop me or something?" Margo wondered, before she finally gave up. "Fine, I'll let him sleep. Get out of my way, I'm grumpy right now."

Margo brushed by the cat-woman and stepped to the comm mounted next to the hatch. She activated the transmitting button. "Yo, who's on the bridge?"

"Hello, dear." Cruz's voice came back through the speaker. "Mary and I are on watch. Are you awake now, sweet-cakes?"

"You're sweet-talking me. What do you want?"

"It would be tremendously gratifying to have a cup of coffee at the moment. Could I trouble you into making some for us?"

"It's going to cost you, son."

"Mary and I are willing to lick you for it, at a later date. We're too tired to do it right now."

"Hi, Margo!" Mary's happy voice was heard in the background.

"You're both on. Give me ten."

Before Margo went through the hatch, she looked behind her. The calico had placed her furry form between Margo and Thor, still looking very protective of the man.

"Whatever." Margo shook her head.

She traversed the walkway that lined the front of their enclosed bunks, before climbing down the ladder into the kitchen. When she saw the pantry door open, she looked inside and saw two cats standing there munching on something.

"What do have there?" Margo asked, walking in with them. She found an open box sitting on a shelf. "I didn't know you guys liked cereal. I bet you like milk, too. Come here, both of you. I'll pour you each a glass of milk and you can keep eating what you have there. Come on."

The cats were the black and the orange. Margo pointed at the table, but they didn't catch her meaning. When she pulled out a couple of chairs, the felines understood she wanted them to sit down. Margo took the box of cereal and poured most of it into a large bowl.

"Here ya go." She said, as she set the bowl between the two. "Pretend they're like finger snacks or something. No fighting or I'm taking it away."

Once she'd started up the coffee maker, she went and filled up two glasses of milk. She walked them over and showed them to the felines. "I know you can already drink out of sports drinks with small tops of them, but these are glasses. I'm going to show you how to drink from these. You hold them up like so, you tip them over slowly, and you let the milk go into your mouth. Not so hard, right?"

The black cat tried it, only to spill half the glass on her face and chest. Margo watched the feline gasp and look down in shock as the milk streamed down her body.

"You guys are dumb enough to stay in pockets of toxic gas." Margo said absently, as she went to get a towel. She started wiping off the cat-woman. "I knew that was coming, by the way. I'm going to show you how to drink one more time, but that's it. After that and you'll be licking the milk off the floor."

While Margo waited for the coffee, she saw the calico climbing down the ladder. The cat-woman had barely descended by three rungs when she simply let go, dropped the rest of the distance and landed on her feet.

"Well, you are agile, I'll give you that." Margo commented. As a tease, she made for the ladder, only to see the calico jump over to get in her way. She backed up, scrutinizing the feline. "So you don't want me to get close to Thor, is that it, you jealous little minx? I was just messing with you, anyway. I'm not in the mood to do anything with Thor right now."

Margo set up the coffee cups and wondered if she should give them a shot of liquor, and if so, what kind of liquor specifically. Some sort of commotion broke up behind her, causing her to turn around. The first two cats had finished up their milk and apparently told the calico about it. Since there was no milk left, all three felines were now looking at Margo. The black cat came over with the two glasses, speaking in that strange hissing and mewling language they used.

"I'm guessing you want more milk." Margo said, taking the glasses and putting them down on the counter. "Give me a minute. I'll pour you some more as soon as I decide what kind of liquor I want with my coffee. Some brandy, maybe."

The black cat reached out and squeezed Margo's breast.

"What?" The woman asked. "I don't understand what that means."

The other two felines came over as well, looking at her expectantly.

"All right, you want more milk." Margo realized. "I'll give it to you in a minute. Just hold on for one, okay?"

The black cat groped her breast again. Right after, the orange cat fondled her other breast.

"You think that's going to make me hurry up?" Margo asked. "Go ahead and squeeze away, because you're not getting any milk until I'm good and ready to give it to you."

The black cat started tugging at Margo's shirt. When she'd gone to sleep, the big woman had only worn an oversized shirt and her black thong panties.

"What now?" The cook asked.

Between all three felines, they managed to pull Margo's shirt far enough to expose her double Ds. The trio kept prodding and groping at Margo.

"This ain't bad. You can keep doing that all day." Margo chuckled, before another epiphany blossomed up in her mind. "Oh, I get it! You guys think the milk comes from me, right? You think I squeeze it out and pour it into the gallon or something. No, no, no! The milk comes from cows back on Earth. We freeze it and thaw it out whenever we need it. You know what? Screw all that. You don't understand me anyway. I'll just pour you some milk and get it over with."

She took care of the task, just as the coffee maker buzzed that it was ready. The cats took the glasses and drank the milk, while Margo readied the creamer and sugar on the side of a serving tray. For the liquor, she poured in a shot of rum into each cup.

"I don't want you cats to get the idea that I'm somebody's bitch, because I'm not." Margo said, as she walked the tray over to the dining area's door. "I am just making a delivery here and I expect to be paid for it at a future time. Get the handle for me, yeah?"

Except for the entrance hatch, which was guarded by a security code, all of the other doors in the ship were easily managed. The felines were sophisticated enough that they could operate the toilets and humidifier, so they had no problem pushing a handle and using their weight to maneuver a door.

"You guys want to hang out on the bridge?" Margo asked. "Come on. I bet Cruz and Mary could use the company."

Two cats, the black and the orange, followed the cook down the hall. What Margo did not see was the calico dart across and into the lounge. The second calico, the brown and the gray were sleeping there. In short order, the calico woke up the others, and it was becoming apparent that a mysterious plot was afoot.