***Present Day***

The gentle clinking of chains accompanied the occasional, low, soft groan of male pleasure, and the sound of fumbling, turning pages. The hastily cobbled together lab within the freighter's many decks only had two occupants today and was otherwise quiet, chosen by Leech as her place of study for that exact reason; not even the gentle hum of the ship's reactor could be heard here.

Sitting at a large makeshift desk that was covered in loose papers, reports and other discoveries, she leaned down against her left elbow, resting her chin in her palm as she absorbed the details of the documents strewn about the desk. She strained in deep concentration as her eyes scanned the pages.

Tracking these guys is a nightmare, their ship runs so lean that its emission trail is getting impossible to trace. It was fine in low traffic areas, but now we've chased them to a moderately patrolled section of nomad space, there's too much background radiation from the other ships. Its fucking great that Moltezz wants to hunt them down, but we don't know where the hell they've gone now!

Leech sighed loudly, licking her right palm thoroughly and then returning it back to its original position, loosely clasped around the erect penis of the chained up timber wolf male, Venter, who hung next to her like a trophy. A soft jerking motion continued with her hand now more loosely lubed up with her jade green saliva, gliding back and forth with a surprising grace considering her attention was completely elsewhere.

There were… things in these documents that didn't even make sense to her, and with her old lab out of commission, she was further away from the answers than ever.

Does she know she can't be detected by machinery? Watching over that footage from my lab, it was an absolute joke, I looked like I was getting pummelled by a fucking ghost! The only material that exhibits that property is Shadowmire... It even applies to the clothes she wears and things she carries on her! It should be impossible… I'm also a-hundred-percent certain that Moltezz's psyonic potency increased when she was corru-

Venter let out a breathy moan, pulling Leech out of her thoughts. She spun her head around and shot him daggers, ceasing her motion over his manhood and snapping his attention to her instantly.

“Venter. Do not make me regret having you here. I'm spinning some thoughts out and I need you to be absolutely silent.”

She waited for him to make the mistake of verbally agreeing, but he appeared to be a little wiser than that, and merely nodded from his restraints.

“Good pup. You can help me brainstorm later, but I want silence now.”

The room fell deathly quiet again and Leech resumed her thought session. She licked her fingers on her left hand to flick through paper easier, and her right palm again to add more slip to her dissociative hand-job. Once more, only the shuffling of paper and the gentle wet motion of her hand disturbed the muted lab.

Try as she might, she couldn't keep her thoughts on the notes in front of her. She huffed louder this time, squeezing the dick in her hand and prompting a slight whimper from the wolf.

How could she just up and leave me like that? Did I really make her that unhappy? Why didn't she say? Why didn't she feel like she could tell me? I thought I had what I wanted but... Eh. I can have more. I will have more. Ambition is what we need, Moltezz gets that. I think Ink gets that too.

Her grip loosened slightly, and Venter relaxed a little. He looked like was trying his damnedest to keep something in.

Speaking of which - I have Ink now! She's hot as fuck! Loyal too! Moltezz is already recovering her strength and we're up about eighteen-thousand more bodies than we were before, we're building momentum and I should have every reason to feel confident… But I can't help but feel that having that fucking lizard as an enemy is going to be more trouble than its worth… And yet…

I can't figure out if I actually like him or not.

Her thoughts were disturbed again as she felt a warm blob appear on her left hand, drawing her out of her haze to reveal several milky white, gooey blobs on her hand and over the table. She stared forward in disbelief and then slowly craned her head towards Venter, holding her hands out as if to ask him to explain what had just happened.

Before she could speak, however, a digital clock caught her eye in the background; what had felt like only a few seconds had actually been several minutes, and her face softened.

“I was about to kick off at you then for only lasting a couple minutes, but that would be factually incorrect of me. But did you have to cum over the papers?”

“Y-you positioned me. It's not like I had much choice in the matter.” Venter retorted in a slight burst of confidence.

“Ehh, a true enough statement. I will still need to punish you though. Does that seem fair?”

“Not really; but I wouldn’t dare challenge your authority.”

“Don't worry, it'll be fun.” Her words caused a bright red blush to shadow the man's face.

Leech stood abruptly from the desk and grabbed the chains from above, unhooking him from the rigging and carrying him one handed, like a proud fisherman with her catch of the day. Her urges were rising again and needed addressing, but as she went to leave the lab, something else grabbed her attention.

She paused in the middle of the floor, her eyes darting from one corner to the other, a deep frown creasing her brow.

“Leech...? Are you okay?”

“Oh, now this... this is interesting.”

*

Having moved on from the adult wing, Diego and Seeth now found themselves alone on the observation deck. Spotless tiles under foot, empty benches and a huge curved glass wall that allowed the vast visage of space to be viewed directly were all that surrounded them, and it was wonderful. 

“Glad to be away from the crowds, I could feel their eyes on me all day.” Seeth pulled at the clasps on her mask and removed it gently, placing it by her side as the two picked a bench to sit on, and cuddled up together.

“Too right. How are you finding your urges at the moment?”

“Bearable.” She smiled warmly at him, squeezing him close. “All thanks to you.”

“Good, I’m glad! I wanted to ask, how does it feel when they come on? Is it hard to resist?”

“I… I’m not sure I should say.” Seeth sighed dramatically, staring out over the cosmic ocean in front of them. The stars glimmering against the void always made for a pretty, if humbling sight.

“Why not? How can I help you if I don’t understand what you’re dealing with?” Diego shuffled a little closer to her, enjoying the cool temperature of her body.

“I have two issues with sharing it directly with you. One, I’m a little apprehensive about letting you in, in case you think I'm even more of a monster than I already am… Two, I don’t want you to feel sorry for me and ruin our sex.”

Diego broke the cuddle gently and guided her to look him in the eyes, squeezing her hands as he went to respond.

“I can understand that. Being uncomfortable revealing things about yourself in case you let a bit too much of your inner demons out and scare the other person off. I get it… I don’t get the other bit about spoiling the sex, though; what do you mean?”

“I mean, If I tell you what it feels like, you might be inclined to make exceptions for me, to bang me because you’re worried about my urges rather than because you want to. I don’t want that. I don’t want you to feel pressured into that because you’re worried about me… or anyone else for that matter.” She twisted away from him, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes but she stifled them back with a sharp breath.

“I see… Look, Seeth... Part of this trust between us is you trusting me to be able to speak up for myself and make my own decisions. You’re not going to steamroll over my own wants and needs by just telling me your problems, especially after I asked you first! But I want to know what it's like in your shoes so I can understand what you’re going through and so I know how to help you.” He spoke in a calm tone, his face written with concern and care for her.

“A-are you sure? I’m just… I want to get this right, more than anything I’ve ever wanted before.”

“Hundred percent. I’m asking you - you’re not forcing anything upon me. And if you’re not comfortable doing that, I understand and I’ll wait until you are. But if you’re just worried about twisting me up, don’t be. And if I do feel different about it afterwards, that’s on me, not you. I asked.”

She nodded slowly, her shoulders relaxing visibly as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“It’s a constant ache. Anytime I’m around someone who isn’t corrupted, I get this feeling inside me. It's like a cross between hunger and an itch and it builds over time, even if no one is around. You know when you have an itch somewhere on your skin? Have you ever tried to not scratch it for as long as you can, and it starts to drive you mad? Eventually it's all you can think about and you just battle with it, trying to resist it as long as you can… It feels like that, but it's coating every organ I have, it's inside my bones, inside my veins, inside my brain. But the relief I get when it's sated, when I do get to couple with someone who isn’t already corrupted… T-there's nothing like it. It's like every itch gets scratched at the same time in the most perfect way possible, every inch of my body sighs in relief when it happens. It's why I was surprised earlier when having some fun with you helped. I mean, I wanted more, but it made the itch go away without needing it scratched… I haven’t experienced that before.”

“That sounds… agonising, Seeth. So you just being on this space station is a constant pressure on you? How long does relieving the itch make it go away for?”

“When we do it, it gives me around six to twelve hours of relief before it starts building again. It would be torture without you here. And not just because of the itch… ”

Diego leaned forward, his eyes running over her form. They’re all cursed, aren’t they? She’s going through hell just existing around people without some form of relief; no wonder her ex-cohorts are doing what they’re doing. He thought to himself, watching her shyly rub her arm and stare into space. He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

“I’m gonna look after you, Seeth. I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

“So I haven’t scared you off…?”

“Me? Never. Provided you don’t start calling me Daddy-Diego on a regular basis, I’m not going anywhere.”

They shared an emotional giggle, Seeth leaning onto his head, and that pleasant warmth spread through her chest and skin again.

“It’s a deal. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you, my little lizard hero, but I'm so glad you found me.”

“Ah shush, I’m no hero. Maybe I’m just dating you for your boobs.”

“Being honest, Diego… if you’re just dating me for those, you’re a dumbass, there’s girls with big enough busts out there that have a lot less problems than me. The problem to boob ratio is way off.”

“Never claimed to be a smart guy either.” He shrugged, smirking at her.

“Just promise me one more thing.” She turned serious again, feeling for his hand. “Promise me you’ll let me look after you too? If you need anything from me, whether it's space from me, or Plasia, or attention, or help or - or anything, anything at all, that you’ll give me the chance to help you.” She turned back to face him, touching his cheek and slowly stroking his ear. “I want you to lean on me as much as I lean on you.”

“I promise. We’re in this together.” He spoke with such sincerity, clasping her hands tightly and staring deep into her eyes. When he spoke in that tone, it made her feel like she could achieve anything.

“Together.” She pressed a wet, long kiss against his forehead, leaving a tingly purple patch on his skin. They held each-other close, staring longingly into the others eyes and just basking in their appreciation for one another. “C'mon you, we should go find Plasia. I'm starving.”

*

Sat uncomfortably on a bench within the main lobby of the space station, Oxyi leant forward intensely, leg bobbing up and down anxiously, foot tapping on the tiles loudly as she pressed her fingers against her cheeks.

“I don't like this, Geralt. She's up to something. Where the hell even is Plasia!? It's been over two hours already, surely selling salvage doesn't take that long... I thought she had most of it ready to go!”

The feline man sat next to her and passed her a thick, foil covered wrap, placing a bag full of identical wraps on the floor next to him.

“W-where did you get those? I thought we didn't have any money?” Oxyi's anxiety was briefly swept away by confusion.

“I know a few peeps down here, told them a little about what was up, so they gave me some food for everyone. I'm sure it's fine, Plasia said she'll be fine as long as Leech isn't around. I don't get the feeling she was lying.” Geralt shrugged, unwrapping and taking a bite out of his wrap. “We can go check the ship if you want?”

Oxyi twitched on the spot, feeling a sudden drop in her stomach as she noticed a crowd building. Shocked gasps and nervous chattering filled the mall. More and more people began to notice, pacing over to have a look at whatever was grabbing the attention of the others. Oxyi stood without saying a word, the air stinging her nose as she inhaled sharply. Geralt followed immediately, grabbing the food and running up to her.

Please be something stupid, please be something stupid, please be something stupid - Oxyi pleaded internally, her limbs stiff and cold. She pushed her way through the crowd that was rapidly gathering in the main lobby and eventually caught sight of what was grabbing everyone's attention.

In the centre of the room, slowly shambling forward, a naked doe made her way shakily across the cold tiles, leaving sticky blue footprints behind her. Her lower half was caked thickly in neon blue slime, dripping down her thighs and soaking into her fur. She stood awkwardly, hands balled up and arms curling around her body, almost like she was giving herself a hug. Her eyes were glazed over purple with colourful blue specks within them, and she seemed to be looking around the station, but not paying any attention to the crowd gathered around her.

Some were shielding their eyes from the naked woman, others were staring in astonishment, but all kept their distance, forming a fixed ring around her as she half-limped further into the centre of the mall.

Oxyi felt the blood drain from her face as she recognised the condition. As Geralt appeared behind her, the rabbit turned and looked at them, her face cold and empty but it was obvious to everyone that she appeared to recognise him.

The lioness reached for her combat knife, but felt a firm hand on her shoulder as several security guards showed up, along with the white rat, Venner, who rapidly approached the rabbit and slapped a pair of handcuffs on her.

“Can't wait to hear about what made you think it was appropriate to wander out here naked, dripping some sort of glow lube everywhere.” Venner looked more bemused than anything else as she addressed the rabbit.  “Ugh. Cmon! In a cell for a few hours whilst you come down from whatever the hell you've taken.” She glanced up at Oxyi and Geralt. “You two, come with me, now. We need to talk about one of your giant czarites.”

“Where... am... I?” The rabbit gurgled as she spoke, slow and unnerving, the crowd going deathly silent as she did so.

“You're in the middle of the mall...? How many drugs have you taken?!”

“Where... am... I...?” She asked again, slightly more forcefully, the crowd began to back off.

“Uh... Bar-”

“NO! DON'T TELL HER!” Oxyi yelled, charging forward towards the pair, a few guards jumped to attention and grabbed Oxyi by the arms, pulling her back away from Venner and the rabbit. “I - I can't explain quickly but you can't tell her!”

“I don't think I care much for any of this. Take them all back to the fifth floor, see if you can find the others that arrived with them.” Venner shook her head, unimpressed. “As for you, rabbit, you can read a sign, can't you?” The rat pointed her thumb over her shoulder and then walked around the rabbit, pushing her forward towards the stairs.

The rabbit’s head cocked awkwardly, her long ears rising as she stared at the information sign just outside the doorway to the ship docks, reading “Barru X” with the station’s coordinates located firmly below. She stared at the sign, transfixed by its details until she was made to walk out of its line of sight.

It took only a few minutes for the rabbit, Oxyi and Geralt to be escorted by the guard squad to the fifth floor. Its main glass doors opened into a large lobby, with a white and gold humanoid statue in the centre, posing with what looked like a real, if oversized metal sword in a stalwart fashion.

The rabbit was quickly pushed into a waiting cell, the barred door drawn across quickly as she was forced inside. Geralt and Oxyi were guided into Venner's office, a decent sized room with a large computer terminal with several CCTV screens hooked up to it and an ornate looking desk with another smaller computer and some scattered paperwork on it. They took a seat on the stools provided and watched Venner sit in her much comfier looking chair and sigh loudly.

“I should be arresting you two really, but I figured I'd try the gentle approach first. You don't seem like the evil type, so let's try this from the top shall we? One of your czarite's has been giving me quite the headache.”

“W-w-what's happened? What have you found?” Oxyi edged forward on her chair, listening intently and watching the rat’s every movement.

“What have I found? It's what I haven't found that's getting me worked up!” 

The lioness felt another pit in her stomach but for a different reason than previously. I absolutely cannot shake the feeling that Venner is playing us. She focused back into the conversation, weighing up what Venner was saying, versus her body language.

“Why the hell didn't you tell us that the purple one can't be seen on cameras?! I've been watching that lizard walk around with his arm wrapped around nothing! She's completely invisible! There is no bit of kit I've got that picks her up. She could be up to anything!”

“T-that's what you're worried about?” Oxyi did her best to stifle her surprise at Venner's concerns as the rat continued to look cool and collected.

“Look, I want you two and a couple of my boys to bring her here along with her lover-boy, so I can put a tracking chip on her whilst she's about the station. I'll deal with the drugged up rabbit, we don't usually have much fuss from the adult wing so it's a bit unusual, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. You do that for me, and I won't arrest any of you.”

“There's nothing else you're concerned about...?”

“Well. We're gonna have a chat with this naked girl and make sure she's okay. She'll spend the night in the cell and we'll take her back to “The Warrens.” I'll have a little talk with Tani, too. Don't really want this to happen again.” Venner continued to pick at her fingers.

Oxyi's eyes narrowed as she stared the rat down. Venner nervously broke eye contact after a few seconds.

“Go on, get to it! I want the lizard and his invisible alien here, ASAP!” The rat huffed, pulling a drawer open in her desk.

“Right... we'll be on our way then. Be careful with that girl in there, she looks a little messed up to me.” Oxyi stood from the chair, speaking with a lot more confidence than before, and placed a hand firmly on Geralt's shoulder. He had been sat in stark silence, trying his best to figure out what the hell was going on.

Two large guards, well armed and armoured, stood at the entrance to the office. As they approached, Oxyi leaned into Geralt's ear and whispered as quietly as she could.

“We're getting played. I told her about how the corruption spreads, and a rabbit walks out of the adult wing looking like that, and she doesn't care?! Why aren't they looking for Plasia?! We need to find Seeth and Diego and tell them what's going on, if they don't know already. Just keep your wits about you... I don't like this one bit. Little rat bitch!”

Back in the office, Venner closed the blinds across her glass walls and locked her door. The room darkened as a call came through on her computer. She grabbed her communicator and popped it into her ear.

A blue “I” appeared in the middle of the screen, and a distorted male voice came through her ear piece.

“Have you done what I said?” He asked gruffly, voice crackling loudly in her ear.

“Yes.” Venner whispered, despite the office being sound proof. Her tail twitched nervously. “Y-you're putting my entire station at risk. She's gotten into “The Warrens” at the very least... How dangerous are these things?”

“Standard small arms fire should put them down, it's the czarites you need to worry about. I wouldn't advise CQC against them but everything else is easy pickings for an experienced crew.”

“I... I... Is this the only way...?” Her voice wobbled, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“Don't lose your nerve now, Venner. You've sacrificed this much for him, you just need to go a little further, and I'll get him out and back to you.” The voice softened. “He's struggling without you, Venner. I don't know how much longer he'll last in there if we don't get him out.”

“Please don't... I don't want to know -” She stuttered harder, tears starting to flow freely from her eyes.

“He's only a little guy, Venner. Do you really think he'll be able to stand up for himself for much longer?” The voice pressed harder.

“I -”

“Not much meat on his bones, but they'll still eat him. There's only so long he can evade that fate, Venner. He needs -”

“Alright! I get it! Stop! Just... What else do I need to do...?”