Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Tallie ~ Better Safe Than Sorry

Tallie unlocked the door to her room and slipped into the hall.

Most spaceships on the smaller end of the spectrum were round. This one followed that pattern. There were three levels. At the bottom of the disc were cargo bays and storage for the small four-seater shuttle. The shuttle could be used to travel from the ship to the ground if she had to orbit a planet. Or it could be used for transportation once the ship landed.

She planned to use the shuttle once she reached Megoth. Tallie would visit the girls. They lived in three separate areas. Then she wanted to check on the Siloth spaceship that she and her friends had sabotaged and managed to escape. She had a deep need to make sure none of the Siloth bastards had moved back in.

She also wanted to visit the cave they'd all lived in for a few weeks after their escape.

Once that was done, she intended to explore more of the planet. She thought it would be a good idea to make Megoth her home base. When she wasn't on the ship, she would love to live near Kaitlyn and be close to the other girls. But that was something to worry about at another time.

The ship's middle level housed all three crew rooms (including hers), along with a combination kitchen and dining area, and a small lounge. With seven of them on the ship, it was a little tight. But doable. The men converted the lounge into another bedroom, so there were only two of them in each room.

Across from the kitchen was a ramp that led to the upper level of the ship. It was the only way to access the bridge. At the top of that ramp were doors leading to what was formally known as the Sky Bridge. Those doors could be locked from the inside. All the computers required to run the ship were in that room. Along with the communications equipment, defensive weapons, and all the controls for the ship's systems. Everything was in there.

The roof and walls of the small circular room were created from an extremely hard, clear mineral. There was an unobstructed view of space from that room.

Tallie spent a great deal of time deciding on the timing for this takeover. It was late in the ship's night-cycle. The interior lights were dim. She hoped most of the men would be asleep in their beds instead of wandering the halls.

That was step two of Kaitlyn's advice on how to be badass. Know your enemy. So, she had paid attention to their routines.

No one waited outside her room, and she didn't see anyone pacing the corridor. The men often walked or ran the halls for exercise. Most of that running happened during the ship's day-cycle.

Dashing past the kitchen, she smiled when she saw it was empty. Tallie pulled the cape close to her body and headed up the ramp. Moving faster now.

Just before she slammed her hand on the plate that would open the door, someone hailed her from the floor below.

The clapping of several hands jolted through her system as if they shot her with one of the Siloth canes. She didn't stop or look back. Instead, she moved faster, rushing through the now open door, and sliding across the room until her back was against the wall on the other side.

She had worked this all out in her mind, knowing where she would have some protection. She pushed between the large console in front of the pilot's chair on her right and the smaller communications center on her left. There was a small area where she was protected on three sides.

As soon as she entered the room, she noticed LaChar crouched in what she termed the corner. It was a space on the same side as the door and down from where she'd wedged herself in front of the windows. The space was just big enough for the mattress, stuck between the rounded wall of windows and the tiny rectangular bathroom.

That bathroom was an important part of this takeover. She couldn't lock herself on the deck for several days without it.

LeChar was doing what he always did—stroking his cock with his eyes locked on her face.

Tallie heard others coming.

The third step of Kaitlyn's badass advice… surprise!

She shrugged off her cloak and, with a silver cane already in each hand, stunned LeChar immediately. When he slumped unconscious on the mattress, she turned to face the door just as Zandhor and two others skidded to a halt.

Glaring at them, weapons pointed and ready… she commanded, "Don't move or you're next."

That was step four… Never point a weapon unless you plan to use it .

Tallie wouldn't hesitate.

They must have believed she'd shoot because the three men became statues. Barely breathing.

She didn't take her eyes off them. "Zandhor, I want you and the man beside you to step back down the ramp and face the other direction." She waited while they did as she demanded. "You," she pointed at the giant. "I want you to pick up the one you all call LeChar and take him out of here."

It shouldn't have surprised her when they did what she asked. After all, Tallie was holding weapons and already proved she knew how to use them.

She didn't dare take a breath until the door was closed and locked behind them. Then she let her legs give out and she collapsed on the floor. For long minutes, she concentrated on breathing… and not crying.

Unfortunately, the time for her minor meltdown expired with the jarring blast of an electronic summons. Tallie frowned. Who the hell could that be?

Well, she wasn't going to figure it out from her location on the floor. Standing, she slid into the small chair in front of the communications center and scanned for a flashing light. Ah, there. Internal COM .

Tallie didn't want to talk to Zandhor or any of the men. They had their chance.

She tried to turn off the incessant buzzing, but as far as she could see, there wasn't an off switch. So, she tried to ignore it. That lasted for less than a minute. Sliding her finger over the flashing light, she snarled, "What do you want?"

She figured it would be Zandhor, and she was right. "Tallie? Are you okay?" his voice was low and cautious.

Rolling her eyes, she responded, "I am now."

"Will you let me in so we can talk?" he questioned.

And that pissed her off. "No. I've tried to talk to you for days. You ignored everything I said. I'm done talking. Go away and leave me alone!" She jumped up and stomped over to the bathroom. She went inside and closed the door so she couldn't hear anything he said or the buzzer when Zandhor realized she wasn't going to respond. Stripping off weapons and clothes, she decided to shower and take a few moments for herself. She'd work on breathing slowly until she controlled the panicked rush of her heart.

Then she would check the autopilot to make sure they were still on course for Megoth, eat something from her pack, and figure out how to tell Kaitlyn she needed help. Now that she was safe, she thought she might be able to sleep for a little while. She didn't want to contact Kaitlyn in the middle of the night. Tallie figured she could wait a few hours.