Page 5 of Alien Peacock

His gesture gives me the tiniest little bit of hope. He’s not quite as alien as these Krunku guys.

“I own myself.”

He gasps theatrically, one hand going to his massive chest as if clutching his pearls. “She says she owns herself! Did you hear? Thisisa complicated business…oh.” The peacock looks to the side and does a double take as he spots his own reflection in a metal panel of the corridor. He gives himself a satisfied smile, runs one hand down the side of one wing, and picks out a tiny, blue feather that’s come loose. Bringing it to his face, he sniffs it and strokes it lovingly against his perfect nose while reluctantly returning his gaze to the Krunku mummies. “The more I think about it, the more certain I get that it’s better if I just take her. No need to pay me! I do it freely. But next time there will be a fee.Why, I can’t keep going around and taking on livestock like this for no compensation!”

The Krunku go quiet as they consider their offer. Then they start humming among themselves, clearly ready to protest in a more violent manner. Weapons are being raised.

“Donotdefy me,” the peacock snarls, his voice suddenly icy and his feathers a deep black with fiery orange tips. The corridor has gone dark, only illuminated in pulsating red, like the gates of hell. “Go now. Leave the female.”

The alien that carries me drops me from the sheer shock of the changed mood.

I hit the floor with my bony butt and immediately start fighting to get out of the net.

The pink little ball of fur that got kicked around scurries over and bites into the net, growling and pulling at it as if to help me.

There’s a loudthwack, and then one of the Krunku aliens is on the floor and the rest of them are hurrying away.

The net snaps, and all the tension goes out of it. I pull the opening wider, but before I can crawl out, a big hand grabs the mesh and lifts me high up.

Clear, yellow eyes stare at me from up close. “I suppose you’re mine now.”

2

- Arelion-

“I am my own,” the female in the net protests, a defiant fire in her dark eyes. Her little fists tighten as if she wants to fight me.

“Opinions seem to differ,” I point out as I turn the net around to study her properly. Her scent is fresh and almost overwhelmingly female, with a tinge of fear mixed in. There’s a note of something else, too. Something that makes my crotch swell pleasantly.

She’s dressed in the blandest, most drab clothing I’ve ever seen, all gray and loose, to the degree that she’s able to pass unnoticed through a crowd. That tells me she’s not here by coincidence. I would love to see more of her shape.

“They don’t,” she says in her bright voice. “Nobody owns me, and nobody ever will.”

There’s a small opening in the net, and I rip it all the way open as I place her on the ground. “It’s a curious place for an Earth female to claim to be unowned. Many slave traders comehere. And other traders may be tempted to dabble in slaving when you make it easy for them. Like those silly Krunku.” I kick the Krunku still on the ground, waking him up from unconsciousness.

The female fights her way out of the net and gets to her feet, straightening her clothing, face red. “Thanks for helping me. But it doesn’t mean you own me.” She has an interesting accent, lilting and melodic.

“I’m inclined to agree,” I tell her as I watch the Krunku get to his flat feet and scurry unsteadily away. “But you should get back home.Now.”

“I will leave,” the female says and twirls a long metal stick, shrinking it to a tiny cylinder. “Just so you know, I would have chased them away if it hadn’t been for that damn net.”

“And I could breathe in space, if it hadn’t been for that damn lack of air,” I counter. “Is that yours?” I point at a pink little creature that’s sitting at the female’s feet and gazing adoringly up at her.

“I think the same applies to it,” she says. “Nobody owns it.”

“I agree,” the furry thing yips with a thin voice that sounds female. “Nobody owns me.”

The female stares down at the thing. “Did you justspeak?!”

“Pretty sure I did,” the creature confirms. “Did you hear it? Or did you just see my mouth move? You see, sometimes?—”

I sigh. “A rogue robot. There’s nothing more tedious.”

“I’m notrogue,” the furry robot protests. “I’m just a free spirit. And my name is Bari.”

“Hi, Bari,” the female says. “I’m Maeve.”

“Yeah, thanks for helping back there, Maeve,” the robot says. “Girls should help each other out. But it wasn’t necessary. I was about to beat them all up something fierce.”

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