"There are some matters of protocol of which you should be aware", Falik warned. "The beings you are about to meet represent the highest authority, and the wisest council, in our system. They have been trained throughout their lives to meet the enormous challenges of governing a complex, fractious body of disparate beings. Answer their questions directly and honestly - they will surely know if you are lying. And", she leaned in close, "try not to show surprise. They have a degree of knowledge about the future and are seldom surprised by anything. They have little time for it in others."

The elevator stopped. God knows how high up we were, but I sensed a faint movement in the building. My wary glances at the floor and walls alerted Falik. "You are so safe you wouldn't believe it. Come on through, they're probably ready for us." The guards flanked us as we approached another reception desk, staffed by an eight-armed humanoid who gave new meaning to 'multi-tasking'. While taking our red security dominos and processing them with two hands, two more were expertly leafing through filing cards, two more were typing and the final two were mixing a salad dressing for lunch. Its eyes constantly shifted, every half-second, from one task to another, like a juggler at the circus.

Once processed, we were gestured through to a wide waiting area dominated by tall, black double doors. There was a low hum, slightly ominous, as though we were within a great machine which lay dormant, ready. Guards flanked the giant, monolithic double doors, armed with tall spears. The tips seemed to match the electric hum of the room. I decided I didn't want to get poked by one.

Falik was tapping her feet, slightly uneasy, it seemed to me. "Have you met these people before", I wanted to know.

Falik shook her head. "They are almost deified in our culture. You hardly even see them on TV or the Net, they're so highly revered. A bit like the pope back where you are from, only more so."

"Are they spiritual leaders, like him?"

Falik thought about this. "What if I tell you that every decent thought, every kind action that you see on this planet stems from a worldview and sense of morality taught to us by these people? Would that give you an idea how much they are respected?"

I suddenly felt very small, like a child backstage at his favourite guitarist's rock concert, shyly hoping for an autograph. While I puzzled at the reputation of these people, a faint crack appeared between the heavy, black doors and they began to open. Light poured out into the dimly lit room. A figure, unbelievably tiny against the size of the portal, swept out, cloak flowing. A voice began.

"Those having business with the Council are asked to step forward." Falik visibly gulped. My newly empowered brain told me that this phrase was among the most emotive in Taklani culture. An audience with these people was a once in a lifetime event for a tiny portion of the population. Goosebumps appeared on her forearms. We walked forward together towards the blinding light between the doors and were met by the cloaked official.

ID checks were performed, once more, and we were ushered into the main chamber. It was a half-amphitheatre consisting of a deep blue stage flanked by rows of seats, bench-like but separated into booths which were festooned with screens. Delegates sat in these booths, occasional flashes of blue thought emanating forth and meeting at a blue semi-circular orb at the centre of the stage. The colours within the orb were a masterpiece. Around the edge of the stage were twelve elegant, high-backed seats, each decorated with strange, alien designs which were, I knew, representative of the senator's home system. One was bedecked with screaming, green dragons. The senator was himself an aquiline lizard, slumped huffily in his seat, tail curled up behind him. To his right was a humanoid in luminous red robes, pale faced and intent.

The official made his way to his own seat in the front row and left us standing together before the blue orb. A voice began, seemingly projected from the orb, low and calm, like a documentary narrator.

"Welcome, human being from Earth, to Takanli and to this meeting of our council. Your cooperation so far has been outstanding, and we look forward to a mutually fruitful relationship. Please make yourselves comfortable". Chairs appeared behind us and we sat, eye-level with the orb, which was swirling fascinatingly.

"Your time here has been enjoyable, so I understand". He paused. I guessed it was my turn.

"Yes, sir, it has." There was a rustle among the delegates. I glanced round but Falik smiled to reassure me. "It's just your voice, and your language. Remember how knew you are to them." The room quietened and the orb spoke again.

"It is our wish that, under the auspice of this Council, you undertake a diplomatic mission to the outer rim. This mission will provide great opportunities for the furtherment of peace in this dangerous area of our system, and it will be personally beneficial to you on a number of levels. You are permitted one rotation to consider this offer and report back to the council. Everything you read in the synopsis applies also to Scientist Falik, who is to accompany you."

A red cube appeared in mid-air two feet from my chest and solidified into what I knew was a memory unit. It had a quantum capacity, which meant the entire artistic and literary works of the Universe, or a movie covering 10 of all human memory and life, could fit on one cube. There would be a lot of reading to do.

"We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. In the meantime, I understand that special arrangements are now being made for your accommodation, and that you should be more comfortable. Go now, in peace".

We rose, bowed to the Councillors, who all inclined their heads in return, and left through the massive black doors. Behind us, delegates were moving onto the next matter, which sounded like a tricky hydrogen-farm dispute around the fifth planet. I guess the news was included in the Boffin's implants. I could have delivered a lecture on the dispute, but had never thought of it before.

Falik had calmed a bit by the time we left the Council chambers and were back down on street level. It was a warm, slightly humid day, but the air was almost fragrant. "Come on, let's get back to my place and download this cube. I can't believe they're sending us on a mission - did you understand what he said?" She was excited, skipping down the alley to her apartment building.

"Why me?" I asked, as she fumbled with her keys. Her answer was called down the flights of stairs to her room as she led the way.

"They know you're a powerful empath, and have a system of feelings we can't guess at. The more a negotiator is able to perceive the position of each party, the more quickly a dispute can be resolved. So much is left unsaid at these meetings, for the sake of politeness. Its like your Korea dispute - lots of talking, but no real substance. All superficial. You can get beyond that, if you have enough information. That's what this is about." She held the cube aloft and then slotted it into her home media system.

One wall became a screen, showing a red 'loading' screen as the cube became wreathed in soft, blue strands of energy. We sat on the sofa together, hand in hand.

It was a lengthy documentary on the outer rim, its history and recent problems, and then a focus on the dispute I had lectured about in the Boffin's workshop. The Megaslut raptors were desperate to help, but the local inhabitants lacked trust and preferred to hate each other. The remaining elders were camped out on distant asteroids, and some had left the system altogether with their Megaslut brides. The revolutionaries on the 11th planet were determined to wipe out the fugitive elders, who they saw as representative of a bygone, immoral era. Religious fervour had swept the planet, and powerful ideologues with large followings were causing political mayhem. Few voices urged restraint.

"They want me to parachute in and fix all of that?" I asked as the film finished.

Falik sat up, stared at the screen for a moment, and then said simply, "yeah. Bummer. Wanna fuck?"



The final three days before my departure were crammed with activity. Falik and I were considered more or less a couple these days, but that didn't stop other staff, members of the public, actually anyone who wanted to, from sucking me off. And I saw Falik getting a stout rodding from Samuel L Jackson in the janitor's cupboard, so clearly we were maintaining a fairly open relationship. But it was Falik I slept with at night, and whose lovely, silken pussy I came into every evening in the shower. And most mornings, too. And after lunch. I was in great form.

Last batteries of tests were administered. Results from just after my arrival were compared with my situation now. Everything was better, across the board, by factors of ten and more. My heart was a free-flowing powerhouse. My lungs were fresh, clean, capacious and efficient. Even my blood was thicker and carried many times the nutrients they had before. And my brain? Off the chart. I now had gigabytes of processing power. New areas had come alive, including some which had been dormant until my arrival at Takanli. And, the young nurse was pleased to find, my sexual faculties were in fantastic shape. I showed this by fucking her for half an hour, and then pulling out of her tight, hot anus to shower oceans of sperm onto her back. A quick clean and she sucked me back to readiness.

"Wait here, sugar", she purred, pushing a button on the side-panel. The door swished open and she left, to be replaced by an even prettier girl with long, dark hair.

"Quite a show. That one will be number one on the net this week." She motioned to a ceiling camera I hadn't even seen. "Popular boy, aren't you? Even some non-humanoid species are taking an interest. You're great for the ratings."

Who the hell was this?

"But I'm not here to talk about that. The Council have sent me. I know that tomorrow you leave to begin negotiations with the Megasluts and the Planet 11 factions. The Council is aware that you have never met a raptor, and they asked me to help. There are many customs. I will show you."

Something clicked in my brain. "Is this the part where you transform into another life form?" She prowled, slightly, around me. "Because, if it is, I've got to tell you that I'm not totally sure." Her hand cupped my balls, sending a new jolt into my awakening cock. "Well, I mean it's quite a leap for me to take. I've never done this before, you see." Her hot breath was at my neck. A soft tongue emerged and licked subtly from my jugular to my ear and then I heard a voice.

"Relax. It has already happened. I will speak your language, although you'll have to pick up the local dialects from the Boffin before you leave."

Already happened?

I turned, and there she was. The Megaslut Raptor stood at about eight feet tall and was a huge, voluptuous female with long, curling blonde hair and little by way of clothing. Her skin was almost ebony black and her figure was mindblowing, once you got over the sheer size of everything. Vast, firm breasts peaked with hard, scarlet nipples hung gracefully down towards a muscular, flat stomach. Red and gold thongs hid her pubis, which I knew would be an experience in itself. She wore tall, black boots with silver inlays, like a massive, luscious, black cowgirl.

"Nice to meet you", I managed. She smiled, her expression a mix of glowering desire. I blinked for half a second and a thin white light emerged from the centre of her chest. It grew stronger and then a blue, circular shape appeared and hardened. It was an eye, bright and open, deep blue, in the centre of her chest.

"You must make the acquaintance of my Third Eye", she purred. "It is what most males of every species seek when meeting a Megaslut Raptor. It is the source of all our power". The iris of the eye swirled gold briefly, then settled into its bright, welcoming stare.

"But first, something from your own planet, I believe." She knelt in front of me and, together, we removed my clothes without a word. My erection was straining for release and popped up, hard, inches from her face.

She smiled, looked at me, and slid my cock into her mouth. It was incredibly warm. Her soft, perfect breasts rested against my knees as she began a firm suction. This wouldn't take long, I knew, if she kept going like this.

And then she slid my cock between her two magnificent breasts and began a steady rubbing, up and down. As my tip reached her mouth with each stroke, her tongue emerged to bathe me warmly, or flicker up and down my exposed glans.

Before it could happen, she untied the simple knot holding her thongs in place, and let them fall. Quickly mounting me, she brought her darkly hairy pussy over my cock and let her hips fall so that I entered her in one, deep motion. My head rested at her chest as she began to fuck me, rhythmically, steadily, very deep with each thrust. As she took me far into her warm opening, her eye focussed intently on my forehead, and I felt the pleasure surging in my cock. She continued her riding as the intensity increased, pushing me to the brink of orgasm and then somehow keeping me there, the fluids building behind a huge, muscular jolt through my cock which took an age to arrive. Her pussy massaged me over the edge and I spilled my sticky sperm into her spasming cunt. I lost count of the surges through my penis, or the time it took for them to finally cease. Long minutes passed as she cuddled me and gently massaged my seeping cock with her pussy.

"I'm sure you agree", she breathed hotly into my ear, "that practical learning methods like this are so preferable to the Boffin's mind-warping". I nodded slightly, still recovering. "There will be other opportunities." She pulled back to look me in the eye. "The journey to our planet is long, and dull." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Any time you want to.", a little giggle, "to fuck. just come to my cabin." She kissed me. "My pussy will always be yours if you want it".

She slid from me and dressed, smiling at my exhausted sighs as I collected my own clothes. Outside, Falik was waiting once more, with a wry smile. The Raptor, changed now to her blonde, human form, smiled and skipped down the passage. I was sure I could sense a touch of jealousy from Falik.

"You don't mind, do you? She rather took me by surprise."

Falik was immediately angry at the idea. "We don't belong to each other. We spend time together, we share a lot, and we make love. But neither has ownership. You must understand that."

I cuddled her closely. "You're right. I'm just having a hard time letting go of an Earth idea. Things are very different here."

She smiled warmly. I'd never communicated so easily, so honestly with anyone. "Well done, Earth man. I'll give you your reward later, once your poor cock has had a chance to recover. Those raptors are infamous, you know."

I nodded. But didn't mention that the raptor would be travelling on our vessel. I would keep that to myself.

Once our decision was conveyed to the council, things moved quickly. The unrest in the outer rim had become a really hot topic, subject to media scrutiny, and it was beginning to embarrass the council that renegades were acting outside of its laws. I mulled over, once more, what I knew about the region and combined this with the history of the Council's intercessions throughout the solar system. They were reactive, stepping in to solve problems, but also predictive in an almost uncanny way. Quite how they had failed to forsee the raptor problem, with its elusive, maverick priests and fractured societies, was anyone's guess. Maybe, I reasoned, they knew what was going on, but had let it happen.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Falik return to our new apartment, which was in perhaps the tallest building in Takanli. To call it a tower would be an insult. This soaring, endless spire of glass and glimmering, curved metallic sheeting had been completed in only three months, yet stood over three miles tall in the central district. Nearly a million people lived, worked or played in this building, and many of them had taken a distinct interest in me since our arrival. Falik's presence, often, wasn't enough to ensure against an attempted seduction, or a blue strand of erotic thought from a passer-by. Most of the time, she giggled at these advances, reassured by the satisfied glow from within her pussy. We had never spent a day together without fucking at least once. Last night's efforts, after a party with the crew of the Solar Cruiser which would take us to the outer rim, produced four torrents of creamy sperm - one in each of Falik's warm, soft openings, and a fourth over her breasts. That little metal sphere the three girls had given me was still coming in handy.

Preparations, however, took up most of our time. I learned more about Gaspiri, the troubled planet we were heading to. Its history was a mess, but I was getting the hang of its various tribes, practises and beliefs. Most Takanlians regarded these outer-rim types as a bit suspect, probably too close to the tenets of barbarianism to be taken seriously, but still worthy of respect and, particularly in the presence of the Frejudian cannon, a little fear.

I also helped to load the Solar Cruiser, Daedalus. They had allowed me to name the ship, for which this would be the first long-distance trip after years of shakedown cruises among the inner planets. The crew of seventy seemed well-trained and competent enough, especially as now I understood most of their roles as well as they did. The Boffin had sorted me out with a vast array of input, from extra science modules to help me understand the journey and spot interesting phenomena on the way, to language skills in all relevant dialects and local news bulletins from the past few years. By the time he had finished and I reluctantly removed the cerebral tiara, I was probably as knowledgeable as anyone alive on the subject.

Launch Day approached. Falik and I helped each other pack, although no-one knew for sure how long the negotiations might take. The journey out, however, was nearly four months, even at the speeds involved. The captain reminded me that any speed we gain while accelerating away from Takanli and establishing a fast cruising velocity would have to be shod if we were to enter Gaspirin orbit. It was seen as inefficient to roar off into space, only to have to expend just as much energy slowing down a few hours later. This vector also allowed two planetary fly-bys, which would provide a valuable opportunity to see new places, however fleetingly, and show the flag among these distant planets. We carried pods, bolted to the underside of the vessel, which would detach to deliver cargo and passengers to these worlds. Falik had requested that we dock at one of the orbiting stations and visit the surface of the only rocky planet on our route, Berjarai, but she was refused. Time was of the essence.

So, we spent most of our day at the Spacedock, becoming more familiar with the ship, its people and its systems. This would be our home, and I worried that it would feel like living in a hotel for four months. Add to that however much time it would take us to get back once the negotiations were finished, and this really was a big deal.

"Why can't we just sleep through the flight?" I asked Falik, having paused once more to consider the size of this undertaking. "In movies, on Earth, they always go into hypersleep, or something."

Falik had taken to the habit of giving me a few seconds to dredge the answer up from my packed, competent mind, but occasionally she did obliged me, so that I didn't feel self-conscious about still asking questions when I actually knew the answer perfectly well already.