Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Tallie & Six Naked Aliens

Tallie moaned and wondered what she'd done to deserve this? She should have known better. When the man offered to help her and then argued about wearing clothing… she should have stopped everything right there and walked in the opposite direction.

"Gladiators don't wear clothing," he scoffed.

And she just ignored him. Saying, "Your thighs are too big for any of these pants." At that point, she had looked at the five gladiators standing with him and realized they were all too big for the pants. She shook her head. "All of your thighs are too big. I think, for now, something of Viktal's would work best."

"What is your name? I'm Tallie by the way." She had tried to sound normal. To talk about something that wasn't him being naked.

He had grinned at her, melting her brain before he told her, "I heard the girl call you this. I am Zandhor."

Of course, he heard Ceely call her by name. She was being an idiot. Then she struggled to meet his gaze and told him, "Well, Zandhor. You need to understand that there are women and children everywhere we plan to go." She waved her hand at his cock. "You can't walk around with that big boy hanging to your knees. You just can't—alright. None of you can. Remember, you aren't fighting. Not as a gladiator anymore." She frowned. "Unless that is something you want to do. But you all need to learn how to live. Not in a cage, not as gladiators, but as free men. You will see that all the other males we meet… and females for that matter… all have some type of clothing on that covers their private areas. They are private for a reason. No one else wants to see them."

When he grunted and said, "I would like to see yours."

She lost her mind. Tallie's mouth had dropped open, and she gurgled, trying to come up with a comment to make that wouldn't make her sound like more of an idiot than she already did. No. Better to ignore it. Instead, she took a quick look at his privates again and held up an animal skin. "Try this. It just wraps around your waist. You figure it out, and I'll go tell everyone we're leaving."

And she'd run out of there as fast as she could.

Now that they were on the ship. Tallie wanted to beat her head against the wall of her cabin. In the beginning, she thought it was a good damn thing she hadn't brought anyone else with her. Now she wished she had at a small army of friends to back her up.

None of the aliens wanted to wear clothes. If she couldn't get this concept across before they made it to Megoth… she'd be circling the planet for months, unable to land. She was definitely an idiot.

There was no way she could take these guys in public or keep putting up with their crap. The attitude of the men made her laugh in the beginning, then it quickly lost its charm and became threatening. At least she felt it was threatening.

Tallie was humanoid. Tall, thin, with a pink tuft of hair on her head and a short pink tuft on her tail. Her limbs were long and pale. She had light gray eyes, a slender face, and thin fingers. She also had small lips. She knew her looks were delicate, airy. Like her bones would break easily or she'd float away if the wind blew. She didn't look strong, she looked fragile. Every man she'd ever met… didn't take her seriously.

Looks could be deceiving. She'd proven to herself that she was strong. Resourceful. And able to take care of herself.

But right now, she didn't feel strong. She didn't feel confident. She felt… sad. Angry and small. Scared.

She tried talking to Zandhor about how she felt. Wanting him to make the men wear clothing. He appeared to be the leader. But he'd shrugged off her concerns. Saying that they were more comfortable naked, and it wasn't hurting anything. He tried to talk to her about other things. But as he wasn't wearing clothing… the blood rushing in her ears meant she couldn't hear a word he said.

Zandhor was wrong. Their nakedness hurt her. Scared her. And it bothered Tallie that the alien didn't try to understand how she felt.

When speaking to Zandhor didn't help, she pleaded with all of them. And nothing changed. If anything, she thought their actions toward her were worse. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a couple of deep breaths. She felt… threatened. Anxious and alone. With no one to watch her back.

For the last several hours, Tallie remained locked in her room. She kept a weapon in her hands at all times. She even held it when she tried to sleep.

This was insane. Her plan for this trip was to get to know the men. To become friends. She wanted to discover how each of them ended up being a captive in the alien zoo. Then she thought they'd talk about where to go when her trip to Megoth was finished. Did some of them want to go home? She believed they could become a team. Take any of the men home that had some place to go, then those who were left could form a partnership.

The concept sounded great. Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. Now she just wanted them all gone. In the long hours since they boarded the ship, all she'd learned about the men was the length, breadth, and color of each of their cocks.

It was an education she didn't want.

Tallie didn't realize that the male anatomy was so varied. She supposed that made sense when there were different species.

Zandhor and two other aliens were more humanoid. Their blue skin and features were similar, so maybe they were the same race. The other three were vastly different. Diverse skin color and various body types. Yet their male anatomy appeared to be compatible with more humanoid species.

However, if those cocks ever pointed at her, Tallie would run screaming in the opposite direction.

One of these men was a giant.

Tallie didn't know his name. She only knew Zandhor's name and one of the other men. The rest hadn't introduced themselves and she couldn't talk to them without stuttering.

She was tall, standing head and shoulders above her friends from Earth. Zandhor was several inches taller.

But this male was one of the biggest she'd ever seen. He was somewhat humanoid. With skin that was so dark blue, it was almost black. He also had scales covering his body. She once glimpsed his tongue. There was nothing humanoid about the length and dexterity of that appendage. She would swear it was the same size as her lower arm.

He made sure to turn his back on her. Ignoring Tallie for the most part. He didn't laugh or stare at her, yet he still ran around naked and often said things in a language she didn't understand. What he said always made the other men laugh. She felt like the comments were directed at her. Based on how big his tongue was… well… his cock had to be even bigger. It was a scary thought, and one she didn't want to dwell on. Since he turned away from her, she was more acquainted with his butt cheeks than his cock, and she was okay with that.

The second, more alien male, had light purple skin. He was shorter than Tallie and his body was hairless. He didn't even have hair on his head. She noticed the webbing between his fingers and toes and wondered if the planet he came from was mostly water. He was the only other male that always walked away when he saw her. He'd laugh and clap in a quick rhythm, and then turn on his heels. One time he hadn't turned fast enough, and she'd seen that he had two thick, long members dangling between his legs. The top one was a few inches shorter than the bottom.

Tallie simply could not put all the parts and pieces together in her mind. She did not want to know how that worked.

The alien who really bothered her was the third one. She heard someone call him LeChar, so she knew his name. The male was covered in green fur. Or at least several places on his body were covered. Mostly across his chest, over the small of his back, and on his thighs. The hair on his head stuck straight out, surrounding his face, forming a short mane. His eyes were small, slanted slits. And he had claws. Not all the time. Sometimes his hands looked normal. But she saw him get upset at one of the other men and those claws came out. So, retractable claws.

His cock was long and thin. When she first saw it, she thought the thing was his tail. Then she realized he was facing the wrong way. His cock was the same color green as his fur. LeChar always sat in a corner of the bridge, stroking himself. Watching her.

Damn. She hated that the men she'd chosen to help her now made her feel as if she were a captive on her own ship. She couldn't help assuming the worse. That they would band together, pulling her from the safety of her room to rape her. Just like it happened to her when she was captured by the Siloth.

Was she that bad at judging someone's character?

The truth was, she hadn't taken the time to judge anyone's character. She had decided by sight alone that Zandhor and his men would make great guards. She assumed they would be… what?

Tame? Civilized? Respectful?

Oh, my gods and goddesses. She was an idiot. Those men had been captives in an alien zoo for who knew how long. They'd been gladiators. Fighting for their lives and being treated horrifically. She learned that much from the stories other zoo captives had told. How could she be so stupid?

For hell's sake, as Kaitlyn would say, she screwed this up.

Tallie worked to slow her breathing. She needed to get control of herself before she passed out. She had no idea what the men planned to do. Even if they weren't planning anything… she couldn't go on like this.

She had one chance to save herself.

Each time she stepped out of her room, most of the men rushed to her side. They would poke each other and laugh. Crowding around her to reach out and stroke the top of her head or her arm. Because of their actions, she'd been locked inside her quarters for hours.

The men scared her.

But she couldn't give up and just allow them to take over her ship and ruin her life. Somehow, she had to take control. It meant that her dreams of turning them into the ship's crew had to be forgotten. It was more important to make sure she was safe.

She needed a plan. Unfortunately, any plan she came up with meant she needed to be on the bridge. She couldn't change the flight plan and land on a deserted planet, then force the men off the ship—unless she was on the bridge.

Even if she got to the bridge and landed on an uninhabited planet… she didn't know how she would force six men off the ship.

Which meant Tallie needed help. The only people she could trust to help her… were on Megoth. She took a deep breath. She needed to contact Kaitlyn and tell her what had happened. Then, when the ship landed, the welcoming party would be armed and ready for anything.

She frowned. If she got in touch with Kaitlyn, her friend could ask Makayla to track the ship. They could make sure Tallie made it to Megoth and that the men didn't mutiny and change direction. She had assumed none of them could fly the spaceship, but she had no idea if that was true. So, the second part—having Makayla monitor the ship—was important.

Tallie felt as if she'd come up with a good idea… except for one thing. She had to make it to the bridge and get all the men to leave so she could lock the door. This would ensure a private conversation with her friend and Tallie's safety for the remainder of the trip.

She knew the bridge had become the men's hangout room. Someone brought in a mattress from one of the beds so they could lie down and watch the stars. She hoped they didn't know how to change the ship's programming or how to use any of the electronic gear. She just assumed the men liked looking out the window.

She could understand how they felt. Hell. She enjoyed spending time on the bridge. All the other rooms were windowless, and the walls seemed to press down on her after a few hours. The only way to get rid of that feeling was to stare into deep space from the bridge.

Maybe she was wrong about the men's intentions. They could just be joking and not realize how their actions made her uncomfortable and afraid. But Tallie couldn't wait and find out what they would do. Because if she was right, she'd lose the opportunity to reach out for help and that could get her killed, enslaved, or worse.

If she made a fool of herself… fine. She'd apologize later. Kaitlyn always said, better safe than sorry . Now Tallie knew what she meant.

She didn't have a choice. She couldn't wait for the men to realize they upset her and see if they changed. With the way things were, she couldn't talk it out and become friends. No one was listening to her or respecting her wishes.

Being out in space alone meant she couldn't hide in her room and hope they left her autopilot alone and that no one figured out how to unlock her door.

There wasn't one person on this ship that Tallie could count on for help. She was on her own. The only help was on a distant planet. And without getting to the bridge, her friends wouldn't know she needed them.

She prayed to the Pft Goddess for a miracle. Knowing the Goddess couldn't do a damn thing for her if she remained hidden in her room. The miracle would happen once she contacted Kaitlyn.

The only option left to her was to take over the bridge by force. The men wouldn't leave if she asked them. She tried that before and they just laughed at her and LeChar kept petting his cock.

Her encounters with men were always horrible. From being a captive of the Siloth to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her chosen mate. She'd been a victim. Now… she'd put herself in a dangerous position. She refused to be the victim again.

Since asking nicely didn't work, Tallie had to drive them away. As far as she knew, no one had weapons but her. She knew how to use the Siloth weapons she kept after escaping from the red aliens' ship. She also knew how to use the blaster she'd taken from her parents' house. The element of surprise would be in her favor. They wouldn't expect her to act like this. Because all she'd done to this point was blush and run to her room when they refused to put on clothes.

Tallie took another deep breath. Kaitlyn, Lauren, and Makayla—taught her how to stand up for herself. She puffed out the air and frowned. The first lesson was how to dress the part. Tallie didn't have a lot of options. But she had the most important part of that lesson. Pulling out the weapons belt from where she'd hidden it in the closet, she settled it on her hips. Then she holstered the blaster and made sure the silver Siloth cane weapons were set on stun before she added them. She was well-armed.

She frowned and thought about the dark blue giant. The lower stun setting would probably do nothing but tickle him. So, she turned the second sliver cane up to high. If the first one didn't work, she'd use the second. If that didn't work, she would use the blaster.

The only thing left to do was brush her hair and smooth her clothing. Then she settled her pack on her back and slipped her dark cape over everything. Hiding her weapons. She didn't need to take crap from these men. She wanted her ship back.