Black Velvet

"Thank you, honorable council members," Jules replied. "You've done a great thing today, there's an entire civilization of people who can sleep easy now because of your decision."

Zuki surprised him, standing up abruptly and bowing her head before the council.

"Our prayers have been heard," she said, "I cannot express my gratitude. The Araxie will remember this day, our kittens will learn your names along with those of the great figures of our history."

"This is an outrage!" Korbaz hissed, rising from her seat and stalking around the table to put herself between the council and their desk. "Your decisions were swayed by the unfounded accusations of these...these interlopers! You would take their word over that of a Vice Admiral who was appointed by the Matriarch herself!?"

"Order!" Murray replied, standing with his gloved hands resting on the table as he narrowed his eyes at the belligerent Rask. "Under the Coalition Charter, all member states are obligated to comply with Security Council decisions."

"Of course the humans stick together," she spat, "and their clawless pets along with them!"

Jules recognized the insult, it was directed at Torza, who bared his sharp teeth at her.

"I will have order Vice Admiral, or you will be removed from these proceedings," Murray continued. Zuki's ears were flattened, Rasheth was looking on in concern, and the Broker's many cameras were going crazy, its segmented arms still suspended in the air. You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. Jules glanced warily between Murray and Korbaz, the Rask looked as if she was about to dare him to try it.

"I'm already leaving," she eventually replied, her tone now low and menacing. "There will be consequences, mark these words. The Matriarchy will not take your actions lightly."

As she passed by their desk, she gave Zuki and Jules a look that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, then she stormed out of the door and off into the hallway of the hub.

"Let me apologize on behalf of our more...outspoken council members," Murray muttered, straightening his cap. "Honestly, we haven't even begun the inquest yet, does she expect us to overlook these accusations based on her word alone?"

"The Rask are an emotional people," Torza muttered. "She may later regret her outburst, but do not expect her to apologize." He then stood and clapped his massive, furry hands together. "A productive morning! If my fellow councilmen have no further use for me, I have an empty belly to fill."

"Yeah, I'll call it," Murray replied as he tapped on his tablet for a moment. "This meeting of the Security Council is adjourned. Thank you all for your time."

Jules and Zuki stayed put as the council members began to rise from their seats. Torza was the first to pass them, and he paused to appraise the two again.

"I look forward to further cooperation between our two territories," he said with a toothy grin on his face. He seemed very self-satisfied. Perhaps in his mind, he had won a victory against his Rask rival today. "If you should happen to visit Elysia, and you find yourself in the vicinity of the Royal Palace, ask for Torza Elysiedde. If I am not tasked with resolving a dispute in some far off star system, I would be happy to show you the glory of an Elysian banquet hall. That goes for you too, Mister Lambert, if you have not had your fill of Borealis already! All in the name of forging closer bonds between our peoples, of course," he added. Jules got the impression that greasing palms and perhaps stomachs with gifts and feasts was a very Elysian way of doing politics. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must find something palatable to eat. Perhaps my estranged cousin can advise if she is done clipping the ears of her recruits."

"The Elysians are as wise and as noble as I had heard," Zuki said. With that, he swaggered off into the corridor. Next up was the Broker, marching past them on its piston-like legs without so much as a word. For all Jules knew, the thing was running on auto-pilot now that its task here was complete. He watched its featureless bulk vanish through the door, marveling again at the rare sight. Did it have a ship docked in one of the hangars on the station? How he would have loved to see it.

"Family grows, like clutch of eggs hatching in season of rain" Rasheth said as he paused by their desk and turned his leathery snout towards them. He was the size of a truck, all of his movements were exaggeratedly sluggish, almost like he was moving in slow motion. His tail was so long that it trailed nearly all the way back to his seat.

"The stories of Krell compassion were not exaggerated," Zuki replied. "Thank you for your vote, councilman. Araxie families can now live without fear for the first time in years. There will be no more orphaned kittens."

"Grateful for opportunity to render aid," he rumbled, his synthesizer translating his words after a brief delay. "A similar peoples, ours. Krell seek community, those on the outside of the circle must be brought in."

Jules wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but he and Zuki thanked Rasheth as he lumbered towards the exit, his thick tail sliding out of the room behind him and tripping the sensor on the sliding door to keep it open until the scaly tip was through.

"The Admiralty should be happy with this outcome," Admiral Murray said as he gathered up his tablet. "We'll have more Borealans to reinforce our troops, and more eyes on the ground on Borealis. The more territories we can bring into the fold, the safer the situation in the system becomes for everyone. You both had to go pretty far outside of your comfort zones to be here today, but it looks like your hard work has paid off."

"Thank you, Admiral," Jules said as he stood to shake the man's hand again as he passed by their desk. "You've done these people a great service. I know that it must all seem rather abstract to simply be told about what's going on down there, but their plight is very real, I've seen it for myself."

"Jules spoke highly of the Coalition and the UNN," Zuki said, taking his hand again when he offered it to her. "He had such faith in you. After what we had seen, soldiers invading our territory armed with UNN weapons, we had our doubts. You understand, with the information that we had at hand, we couldn't decide if you were friends or foes. I am happy to call you friends."

"All in a day's work," he replied. "If I can make the brass happy and get help to where it's needed at the same time, then that's a good day for me. Seems the only one who isn't happy is Vice Admiral Korbaz, but you let us worry about the Rask. If we have to march the bloody Matriarch out of her sandcastle and make her clean up the bandit camps herself, then that's what we'll do. And if the Rask are violating the treaties that they signed, well...that's a bridge we'll have to cross when we come to it." He tipped his hat to the pair, continuing towards the door. "Mister Lambert, Miss Zuki..."

Jules waited until the door was securely closed behind the Admiral, then he nudged Zuki with his elbow.

"You called me Jules," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out," she replied. They stared at one another for a moment, then they began to laugh in unison. "We did it!" Zuki exclaimed, reaching down to take Jules in her arms. Her tail was wagging like an excited dog, and she was beaming, as happy as he had ever seen her. He warded her off, however, straightening his tie.

"Not yet, not here," he said. "Wait until we're off the hub and somewhere private, then we can celebrate. You did good Zuki, better than good. If you weren't a diplomat before, then you're certainly one now."

They made their way to the door and out into the hallway, Jules using his tablet to navigate as they dodged past clerks and guards. He was asked to show his ID once more by a passing Marine, then after a few minutes of walking, they found themselves at a pressure door. This one opened automatically, and they stepped out into the spoke, mercifully empty and spacious in comparison to the rat's nest that was the hub.

There was a spring in Jules' step as he walked beside Zuki, he felt elated, almost euphoric. The meeting had gone better than he could have hoped for. Together, he and Zuki had gotten everything that they had set out to achieve. Admiral Murray was no doubt already delivering the news and giving the orders. Before long, a contingent of UNN Marines and auxiliaries would be making camp in the territory in order to protect its inhabitants. Their mere presence should be enough to deter further Rask attacks.

"You handled yourself so well," he said, his praise making Zuki's tail flick back and forth again. "All of your study and practice paid off. You even managed to get Torza on your side by pitting him against Korbaz like we discussed. I'm pretty sure it was your testimony that swayed Rasheth, too. Scales as hard as rock and hearts as soft as butter, those Krell."

"Well, I have studied under a master," she shot back with a wide grin.

"Seriously, Zuki, I don't think there's much left for me to teach you. Besides the pages and pages of individual laws and charters and things like that, which you should have on hand for reference anyway, you have all of the skills that you need to represent your territory. You're going to be Bozka's right-hand gal, he's not going to know which way is up without your counsel."

"So...what happens now?" Zuki asked, glancing at the stars beyond the windows as she passed them by.

"Whatever you want to happen," he replied. "You're a Coalition citizen now. You can go back home and help your people if you want to, you can stay here a little longer. Hell, you could go buy a cabin on a civilian liner and take a trip to Earth if that was what you decided to do."

She paused with her padded fingers on the glass, looking out at the torus as it curved off into the distance.

"I meant...between you and me," she added hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Jules asked.

"Everything that I have done, I have done in service to my people. All my life, I just wanted to be accepted, to find a place in a pack, to be respected by my village. Now, I have found something that I'm good at, something that makes me invaluable to them."

"I'm not seeing the problem here," Jules said, leaning against the hull beside her.

"I will return to them victorious, they will be crying my name from the treetops, that's what I should want the most. And yet...the thought of leaving now fills me with dread, because it will lead me away from you."

Of course, he had been so focused on getting Zuki prepared for the council meeting that he hadn't put much thought into what would happen afterwards. He certainly hadn't planned on starting a relationship with the alien when they had first arrived on the station. He had assumed that they would be parting ways as friends...not as lovers. It had all happened so quickly, they had been caught up between hard study and moments of intense passion, affording them so little time to reflect on the ramifications of what they were getting themselves into.

They lived and worked on different planets, they had completely different goals beyond this point. Jules realized that he was hesitating, Zuki peering down at him from behind the obscuring lenses of her sunglasses. Could he deny her everything that she had worked so hard for just so that they didn't have to be apart? Could he quit his job, end his career for her? No, there was another solution.

"We've come this far," he finally replied, "we're not going to fall at the last hurdle. Come on, I want to make a few calls..."

CHAPTER 18: POLITICAL FAVORS

"Yes, Mister Secretary. Thank you, sir," Jules said as he stood before the monitor. He was inside one of the vidphone booths that could be found around the torus, the constant noise of the crowds muffled, rendered almost inaudible by its sound-proof walls. The inhabitants of the station passed him by beyond the glass barriers, the panes rendered temporarily opaque while the booth was in use. It wasn't much larger than a shower cubicle, but it could be used to make calls in relative privacy. If he had been discussing sensitive information, Jules would have placed his call to the UN Secretary General in the safety of his apartment, but he wasn't transmitting diplomatic documents or giving a field report. He was simply asking an old friend for a favor.

He shut off the monitor and stepped out onto the torus, Zuki looking up at him from across the walkway where she was perched awkwardly on one of the human-sized benches. Her ears pricked up as he threaded his way through the throngs to reach her.

"W-what did they say?" she asked warily, as if afraid to hear his answer.

"Well, I have an immaculate record, and I'm severely overqualified. Since Araxie joined the Coalition this very morning, the position was, of course, vacant. The Secretary General had only just gotten word of it himself, and fortunately, he owed me a favor. It pays to have connections."

"So...?"

"You're looking at the new ambassador to Araxie," he said, spreading his arms triumphantly.

Zuki pounced on him, lifting him clear off the ground and sinking him deep into her bosom through the woolen fabric of her suit. She laughed as she spun him, she was on top of the world, finally able to enjoy her success without the fear of losing him hanging over her head like a dark cloud.

"Hey, hey! Not in public!" Jules protested, struggling in her tight grasp. She set him down gingerly, clasping her hands behind her back as she gazed down at him with a grin on her face. "We're probably in the clear now," he muttered, straightening his tie and brushing himself off. "But let's keep up appearances for a little while longer at least. Wait until we're somewhere more private."

She thought for a minute, glancing around conspiratorially, then took him by the hand and led him off into the crowd. Jules was too short to see over the people that clogged the torus, and so he couldn't tell where she was taking him. As the pedestrians parted before her, she dragged him into a vacant space between two of the buildings that lined the hull. It looked like a narrow alleyway, but it was clearly some kind of maintenance area, designed to let the engineers access the inner workings of the station. It was a lot deeper than it had looked. The further they walked, the more the white hull material began to give way to pipes and exposed machinery, and the quieter the din of a thousand muddled conversations became.

Zuki stopped, then took him by the upper arms, her furry hands large enough that her thumbs met across his chest. She turned him towards the nearest wall, pushing him up against it and nestling him between two silvery pipes, very much out of view to any passers-by.

"Is this private enough?" Zuki asked with a mischievous smile. She was blocking his escape with her body, leaning down so that her warm breath blew his hair. Her dexterous tail snaked around the side of her thigh, brushing the material of her skirt as Jules felt it stroke the crotch of his pants. He lurched, surprised by her sudden assertiveness.

"Here?" he asked, momentarily confused as his brain struggled to keep up with what was happening. She leaned her upper arm on the wall above his head, getting close enough that she could reach his ear, sucking it between her soft lips and nibbling it gently as she loomed over him. Her chest was at eye level, and as he watched, she began to unbutton her dress shirt with one hand. She opened it just enough to expose a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage, her breasts pressed together tightly beneath her sports bra.

"I have everything that I ever wanted," she whispered, a shiver of pleasure crawling up his spine as her long tongue slid out to rake his neck. It was hot and slippery, the barbs tickling his skin. "And a few things that I didn't know I wanted until recently..."

"I-in public?" Jules stammered, his brain battling for control as his growing erection tried to muscle it out of the equation.

"We Araxie are masters of stealth," she replied with a smirk, "nobody will see us. Just stay quiet...and let me do all the work."

He opened his mouth to protest again, but she filled it with her tongue, all of his doubts evaporating as she subjected him to a slow and lurid kiss. Her taste, her scent, the feeling of her roving organ coiling around his own kindled a fire in him. She blanked the thoughts from his mind and replaced them with warmth and desire. When she broke away, a strand of her saliva fell to the collar of his shirt, dampening the white fabric. He was red-faced, and his heart was beating in his chest like a drum.

"I think I've created a monster," he chuckled, his laughter interrupted by a gasp as she slid her hand beneath his shirt and lightly dragged her claws across his belly. She locked him in another probing embrace, this one clumsier and more urgent, Jules struggling to unfasten his belt as she pressed him up against the wall and ravished him. Every deft stroke of her tongue sent another surge of excitement coursing through him, his hands trembling with anticipation as he opened his zipper and let his member bounce free. She afforded him a chance to breathe, hovering with her smooth, black lips an inch from his as he panted.

"This feels so risky," he said with a nervous laugh, "what if someone sees us?"

"Nobody will see us," she whispered, "I'll hear them coming long before that."

He felt her fingers enclose his shaft, her delicate fur gliding against his skin like satin. She squeezed gently, a throb of pleasure turning his legs to jelly. Why was this so exciting to him? He felt electrified, so much more aware of his surroundings than he usually was when they made love. It was cool out on the torus, making the warmth of her hand even more appealing in contrast, and he leaned his weight against the cold wall behind him as she began to move slowly.

"How far are we going?" he asked, his eyelids fluttering as she planted a sucking kiss in the nape of his neck. She didn't answer, keeping up her pecking and gentle biting, Jules feeling completely overwhelmed as she boxed him in. It was a positive feeling, he was liking this new confidence that she exhibited.

Despite the hypnotic movements of her hand and the warmth of her lips, Jules found himself unable to relax. He was hyperaware, something about doing this outside the confines of the bedroom felt so unsafe, and yet that element of danger also made it all the more exciting. He felt like a kid smoking his first cigarette behind the bike sheds at school, knowing that it was wrong, but taking satisfaction in his own little microcosm of rebellion. Zuki looked so good in her form-fitting suit, her skirt hiked up to expose more of her muscular thighs, his eyes drawn to the sliver of wobbling cleavage that was peeking out from beneath her shirt.

Using her tail, she raised the hem of her skirt, releasing his member for a moment to leave it bobbing in the air. She slipped her hand between her thighs, and Jules wondered if she was going to mount him right there. But when it emerged again, her palm glistened in the light. Her silky fur was matted with a web of her juices, her excitement sticking to her coat in a shining layer. She made a fist, then opened it again, strands of it clinging to her fingers. She grinned at him from behind her sunglasses as his member bounced at the sight, slowly closing her digits around his shaft again.

Her already velvet-soft fur was now slick and slimy, permeated with her heat, gliding against his skin like she had a fist full of lubricant. He could hear the wet, obscene sounds that it made as she began to pump her hand. The sensation was incomparable, and he shivered as she squeezed him a little harder, Zuki watching him intently as she drank in his reaction. She played her fingers up and down his length, twisting and alternating the tightness of her grip, controlling the swells of pleasure within him like a goddess of the seas might command the tides.