The address that Lead had sent her was a cheap hotel ohird deck, meaning it was on her side of the station. Lead had them already checked in and sat iiny foyer. He jumped up seeing her and led her straight to the small room. Ae Lead's overp male st, she still noticed another pair ing from their room. So they were not the only ones using this hotel for short-term fun.

  After the first hazy rush, they ehe afterglow. And now, with their minds unclouded, they bathed in the closeness of their bodies. Not pressed for time, just 55 of the 1000 had passed, they talked while cuddling. Lead made the start. He had been the single child of a poor mother, a one in 10 ce to be a lone male. His mother had been w hard in stru, a powerful cat, adored by the young Lead. Not riough to start a tribe, he stayed her only child. Since he had been small for his age, he had started school te. After his seven years of mandatory education, his mother insisted on him going to a normal high school even though it would take her st savings. He had passed more than tery exams but was rejected each time when they realized that he was a male. They finally found a mixed school which would accept him after almost a year of futile tests and searg, when he was already fourteen. Meanwhile, he had started to work at the same stru pany as his mother but only fhter jobs. He had been mostly the pany’s trophy male. When he went back to school, he took up a side job as a bartender and joihe school's gym. The school was a mixed school on paper but iy, there were five males among its 250 students. That taught him the strength to keep sane among females, at least for a few days. Being two years older than the rest, he had been immediately targeted by the senior year's cats for their pleasure. He old them that they actually helped him to resist for the few days. And the gym helped him to focus too.

  After half a year, he was strong enough that he could fend off the senior cats. Instead, he formed an informal pack with three ym-going cats from his year. They called themselves the gym pack as a joke. It had been a happy time, they kept him sane and everyone had fun. And they studied and traiogether.

  In his final year, his mother's health deteriorated, cer. At his graduation, she had bee frail and worn, but her pride and happiness in his achievements still made him smile.

  The gym pack soon disbanded after graduation too sihe other cats moved away for their jobs. He tried to find a regur job. With his education, he had many offers as a courtesan in higher s. But he had deed them all, he wao stay close to his mother in her final days. She died very soon after his 19th birthday.

  He still trained every day, not least for his mental well-being. Once, a gym owner asked him to pose for an advertisement. That had been ary to modelling. He had done quite some adverts and even had two short appearances in movies. The st shooting had been oation, four years ago. The freedom here had deeply impressed him: Males oation moving around freely, no special partments on the lift cars, no males-only roads or males-only shops as he found out when searg fym to train a little before the shooting. But then, the only gyms were in the medical facility for rehabilitation of low-g workers and in the posh area, inside some male massage parlours for the courtesans there. Sihe shootings were usually with some cats, he had met may testants. The station shot was different, all the female models had been buff. By ce, one of the models for the shooting oation was a cat from the old 'gym pack' from high school, w as a model between jobs and attracted by the location. The rebonded after the shooting. And then, he vinced her to open a gym oation together, open for everyone and affordable. She did the business iations sino bank would have given a loan to a male.

  They had a hard time starting up the gym together. After a year, things looked like they would make it. They had earned enough to pay back more than the monthly i and even started to talk about founding a tribe. But the an offer to manage a whole branch of gyms on the p. He would have liked to follow her, but they both had no illusions: On the p, he would be back to his role of eye dy. But he also did not like to hold her back, she was a cat from a nameless tribe and that offer had been too good: It had been a tearful separation. He had been too sad to care for anything for almost ten days. But then he opehe gym again.

  She promised that she would trahe gym to him after it aid it off. Hence, he still paid her each month his part. Privately, her employer must never get wind of that. And she had climbed up in the pany and was now in charge of the operation on half of the phey kept in tact. She had visited him twi a private holiday, and she even disced her pany from expanding to the station. Hence, he had found his niche and had found a true friend on his way. And by now oation, he was known as the odd male with a business. He would never go back to the p.

  She was deeply moved. Her story was much shorter, born with a golden spoon in the mouth, but mutated with hands a. On adolesce, too short with thin white fur, bullied, thus taking up martial arts and gym, and finally renoung her Samul family. Her new life after getting to the station, w in the shipyard and theing Ken and buying the Sagan from him. And hoy he made her by accepting her as she was.

  They cuddled again.

  The 1000 too soon. But they would meet again in three days.

  * * *

  Ira den, they had just started to prepare dinner when she came back, smiling like crazy but otherwise exhausted. She still wao help, not least to improve her meagre cooking skills. Fieta threron to her which she bound over her naked body. She was envious of how quickly and evenly Fieta sliced a bumore into purple see-through-thin slices. Her attempt produced uhiess while takiimes as long. Senta, the teen with the math problem, showed her how to properly hahe knife and use the cws to direct the bde. But her fingernails were useless for this, way too soft. But she got the idea from Senta and soon improved insofar as all slices were a little thicker but regur. It would still be the most uneven bumores the den probably ever had eaten. Out of pity, Fieta decided to steam them with a sauce, so nobody would notice the irregurities immediately. Albeit she used nicer w.

  She admitted that she was no help for cutting. Instead, she started to put the ptes and cutlery orolley. Here she could use her power, taking the eack of 17 ptes at ohat meant of course that she was finished in no time. Kit came from the den and the work ged again. She was now assigo stirring duty, ting off boiling pots, and the like. This was a task she could deliver without problems.

  But for the final phase of finishing and arranging the dishes, she was again more hindrahan help and withdrew to the den. Bowing to the mother wheering and while being already assaulted by the kittens. Their carefree joy made her fet her defeat i. She chased them around the den, ughing.

  Wherolley entered, she shooed them aside and rolled up the carpet. She still had to choose first, it became more embarrassing with each day.

  Just when the mother had filled her pte, Eli arrived with a trolley full of leftovers and id dowhe wall o the mother's pce, her infants quickly crawling to her to suckle on her full breasts. Eli had closed her eyes and seemed to have dozed off already, despite the noise of the den.

  She felt bad again, being a guest inally invited by Eli, whom she yet had to see having a day off. Eli certainly did not hold back, being the figurehead of Petra catering.

  After dinner, she helped to put the dishes into the industrial washer and to store away the food or to dispose of it. Slowly she learned how the kit was anised and was fident enough to be less of a hindrahe ime.

  Then it was time to dim the light in the den. She wondered if she should stay for tonight or not. The big, tired eyes of two of the still-awake kittens bade her to stay. She hesitated but no one gave her a hint. And the mother was already asleep.

  Hehe big eyes won. She id dowo the kittens and the two soon snuggled at her belly, slowly purring until deep asleep.

  * * *

  This m, she woke up as soon as the lights were brightened. 2150 said the pad in her drawer which she checked while waiting for the toilet. She would be at her in time to meet Trina, she had even time for a short shower as she was reeking after sweltering uhe kittens.

  Today, Trina looked more tired. At the 'Blended Followers' she told her of the st evening, a big official family fun which had totally spun out of trol. The other party, some ground tribe of Samul, had brought two males with them. Another cat had found it funny to spray rexants into the room and everythi downhill from that. Including assaulting pints from the catering. "Stupid politics powerpy", she finished her rage.

  "Trina, actually, you remembered the white fluffy tigress catering for us with Ken?"

  "Eh, yes? But yesterday was a different catering pany. Why?"

  She rexed knowing this. “You know”, she began, “That tigress is from the Petra . We talked a little after you left. Sihen, I have been invited a few times into their home." She patted her belly although that was still ft as it should be. “e this good.”

  Trina smiled, "Good hat's what I need. So how is the Petra ?"

  "Tiny and poor, what else? Still, they have their reside the terside; but one-half of it is the kit. Only one room houses the whole , from the mother to the kitten and infants. The st days, I watched the kittens who cuddled all night with me."

  "Wow", Trina was really hooked, "So I smelt kitteerday."

  “Yes, five kittens all over me. And only two this night. And, you know, the den is very traditional. We were all naked, from the infants to the mother.”

  "That sounds very different indeed. Although, I am not sure about being naked."

  "It is no big deal, at least after the first time. Somehow, it is not sexual at all, it even feels natural like being with close friends."

  "Sounds more cosy than Samul for sure."

  They both ughed bitterly.

  "We have to go", Trina said, pointing to her pad, "but on the way, you have to tell me your sed secret: Before you test jump, you were with a male."

  She stopped, sighing. "Trina, please keep this a secret."

  "Well, the smell was all over you, so you failed with the secret. But ok, I was just curious."

  "It was not paid for", she said, "he took me for what I am. I met him at the gym."

  "Ahh", Trina said and nodded. "Fine, no more questions, you lucky cat." Her face betrayed her, big curious eyes. But Trina was no kitten.

  “Sorry, Trina, not cute enough!” she giggled, “I am not inocuted by kitten eyes.”

  Trina feigned disappoi.

  The lift car came, they both straighteo look more serious. Although, this early in the m, just two other passengers were in the car. The door closed.

  "Trina, you teach me welding?"

  "Hmm. For hull 472?"

  She nodded.

  "Welding is not so easy. If it is just for a few times, ask the twins. They could also teach you. But it’s not easy to get a nice joint. Trust me, I had tried it too." Trina held up her arm and showed a scar slightly below her right wrist. "At least you have shorter fur, sparks will have a harder time igniting your fur. Anyway, you promised to work the first 4000 every day for the shipyard. You know how uaffed we are."