by Julia Sexton
“Why human? I mean, if we are so stupid that we can’t even get beyond our own moon, why would you choose to become human? Clearly we aren’t the kind of creature that you need diplomatic relations with. You aliens wouldn’t be abducting us if we were worth the time for diplomacy.”
“This is true. The last I was told humans still largely disbelieve in intelligent life beyond themselves, even though there are a number of species on your own planet who prove there are plenty of intelligent creatures. It shows a lack of logic if not intelligence, but-”
Trisha was giving him a look that said she was not amused, “despite your species being a bit primitive and mentally delicate, your bodies are really quite resilient. And extremely useful. I mean look at these,” he held up his thumbs and wiggled them, “how incredible are these. My vehicle was specially made for me, complete with steering like humans use. Most species out here wouldn’t be able to drive it. It’s why I had to get my ship myself instead of having a valet do it.”
“So you chose a human form because it is useful?”
Alexander looked out a window, “Partly.”
“So there was another reason.”
“Yes. The first slave I met was my nurse when I was young. After my parents died, no one in my family could take care of me. I was smart and quick, two things that are important to my species and it was a rare combination to be both mentally and physically skilled. So I was given to another family who couldn’t have children.”
“They had recently bought a slave out of curiosity, and she was human. Her name was Racheal. I always felt bad for her because she was kept to a very small area. She could only walk around the side of the house where my room was. Her room was next to mine so she could take care of me. She used to tell me these amazing stories, but there was always a sad look in her eyes. I could tell she missed home.”
Trisha gave him a sympathetic look, “What happened to her?”
“Humans don’t live very long away from their planet. Like I said, you are an extremely delicate species when it comes to your minds. Unbelievably so. Racheal made it longer than most, two and a half years.”
Trisha’s eyes widened, “She only lived two and a half years after being abducted? That’s horrible!”
“Well, that was how long Racheal was with the family. It doesn’t account for the time she was with the slavers either. But a Galactical year is a lot longer than a human year. I don’t know the exact conversion, but it’s something like 10 years for a human.”
“How old was she when she started taking care of you?”
“She said she was 17 when they bought her.”
“So she wasn’t even 50 years old when she died? That’s not right.”
“It isn’t right. It isn’t right that anyone is enslaved. It is barbaric and cruel.”
“Then why is it allowed?”
Alexander cocked his head to the side, “Why do humans have dogs?”
Trisha gave him a questioning look, “Dogs make great pets.”
“Exactly.”
“Wait – you are saying that aliens think of slaves as pets?”
“Yes. Creatures that are enslaved have to be below a certain evolutionary level. Once a species reaches that level, they are no longer allowed to be enslaved.”
“What you aliens do is nothing like what the relationship between a dog and human.”
“How are they not similar?”
“To start, we don’t have sex with our pets. That’s just wrong.”
“Well, not all aliens have sex with their slaves either.”
“But most of them do!”
“And how would you know? How long have you been exposed to aliens?”
“I- well-“ Trisha gave him a pouty look and put her arms across her chest.
“Besides, you do stuff with your dogs that is far more barbaric than that. Dog fighting. Abuse. Neglect. Slaves out here would never be treated so badly. The Empire won’t stand for it. They are all specially marked and monitored to ensure they are properly tended to.”
“Being forced to have sex with an alien is a type of abuse.”
“I agree with you there, but it is much harder to change the minds when so many enjoy the existing benefits. I think they will eventually change it. These things always take a long time through.”
“So do you go around rescuing slaves all the time? Is that how you protest the law?”
“No, not at all. This was only the second time I’ve taken a slave for myself.”
“The second?”
He sighed, “The first time, I tried to rehabilitate the woman, Daisy. But you saw how the slavers break most of their creatures. I spent several weeks trying to fix her, but her mind was already broken.”
“Did you … do stuff with her?”
Alexander gave Trisha a cold look.
“I gave her time and attention. I took time off of work, in the middle of a war, to try to rehabilitate her, so yes, I did stuff with her. But if you mean of a sexual nature, never.”
“Then you must have given up on her too fast.”
“She had stopped eating after the second week. Daisy required special time and attention that I could not give her. I think in the end she wanted to go home too badly, but” he cut Trisha off before she could interrupt, “by that time she would never have survived the trip home.”
“I did the only thing I knew to do. I gave her to a family who took care of her with the strict orders to treat her like a prized possession. Daisy didn’t seem to have much self-awareness at that point, so it was clear normal interaction wasn’t going to work. I also told them not to tell me what happened to her, so before you ask, I do not know exactly how long she lasted after that. When that failed, I swore never to get involved again.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate. You are in a position of power, you could help stop this.”
“Do you think I haven’t tried? My position on the counsel is as a warrior, not a politician. My political views are considered…eccentric, as is my appearance. They listen only to my advice and decisions about war. Nothing else.”
“So you enjoy fighting?”
“No, it was simply the choice that was made for me once it was obvious that my physical prowess and mind were an unbeatable combination. I did not select my life, just as you did not choose to be a slave.”
“It doesn’t sound like more intelligent beings are very ethical. If you don’t have the freedom to choose, then it is not civilized.”
“And how many people on Earth really get that choice? Racheal told me about the different countries. How humans are not concerned with each other, letting others starve, hording money, these are not ethical practices.”
“The poor have to take the jobs they can find. But unlike the Galactic Empire, they have to fight to get those jobs. We are at least assigned jobs that meet our skills when it is obvious that we are gifted. The needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few. Whether I like what I do or not, sacrificing what I want has benefited everyone within the Empire. And it has had many perks if I had been inclined to enjoy them.”
Trisha was looking at him with an expression he did not know.
Alexander shrugged, “Any way, let’s get you settled in. There will be time to talk later, although I can’t imagine you are interested in my story.”
Pursing her lips, Trisha spoke, “No, I like learning about you. It’s nice to have someone to talk to. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone since the abduction.”
He gave her a sad smile, “We will get you home as quickly as possible so that you can put this miserable experience behind you.”
“It hasn’t been entirely bad.”
“You don’t have to try to humor me. One thing going right does not make up for everything else that has happened to you, or could have happened.”
“Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m not interested in learning or that I can’t see when an experience can be beneficial. This is not an experience I would ever
willingly forget. It’s comforting to know that no matter where I go there is always good mixed in with the bad. That is something that most people should remember from time to time instead of always focusing on the bad.”
Alexander smiled again, “That is a very rational way to look at things. Now, I’ll take you to your sleeping quarters. I can’t imagine you want to continue dragging that thing around with you,” he said pointing to the wedding train.
Trisha nodded, “You are right there.” She hefted the sides of the dress and he led her out into the halls.
“For the longest time I had wanted to get married. It wasn’t my only goal in life, but there is something irresistibly romantic about finding the right person, someone who actually cared. Someone who wanted the best for me instead of trying to figure out what he could get out of me. Having recently had a steady string of terrible luck, I was feeling particularly jaded one day, so I went into a shop to try on a dress, you know, kind of as a reminder that things would work out some day. The next thing I know I’m on an alien ship and, well, nothing really worth mentioning after that.”
“I am sorry for the way that worked out. It seems trying on the dress worked out to do the exact opposite.”
“You mean like a bad omen?”
Alexander nodded. Trisha laughed, and to his ears, it sounded like a haughty melody.
She continued, “You may be right about that. I’ll have to find out just how emotionally damaged I am after getting back. Some of the guys who were interested in me may not look so bad after that one creature.”
He nodded as he slowed down to walk beside her.
“The Cheritin race is a pretty disgusting bunch. Most of us hate dealing with them, but every once in a while they produce some remarkable young, so we put up with them.”
Trisha shook her head, “I’m glad that isn’t my job.”
“Indeed.” He stopped outside of a door, “Here you go. This is your area. You should be able to order something more suitable, although I’m afraid you won’t find any human designs in there. You can have the clothes modified to your form though, so whatever you select should fit after you step through the form reader.” He pointed to an odd contraption at the other end of the room.
She walked over to it. As he turned to leave, she spoke up, “How does it work?”
He moved back to her side and moved his hand over the machine, and many different images appeared. Colors, patterns, and shapes danced in a holographic form in front of them. You select these. Then you have to walk naked through it so the machine applies the clothing.”
“That’s…. very futuristic.”
He smiled at her, “It’s normal technology out here. I will leave you to get changed as I have been told humans don’t like to be watched when they are so vulnerable.”
“Well, some humans don’t. There are some who are quite proud to go nude wherever they are allowed to. That’s not me though.”
He smiled and turned to leave.
Chapter 3
Trisha turned her attention to the machine. After entering data, she began to remove the dress. Of the entire process, that was the most time consuming. Once the dress was off, she was dressed in under a minute.
It was then she wondered what she should do next. She hadn’t thought to ask where to meet up with Alexander. Moving to the door, Trisha wondered how she was going to communicate with him.
To her amazement, the floor lit up when she stepped into the hall, the path leading a different direction than the way she had come. She moved down it, her head swiveling around as she tried to take in everything on the vessel.
A few minutes later she was in a strange looking room with a table. Alexander was placing a couple of plates on the table.
“Ah good, you made it. I wasn’t sure-” he stopped talking when he looked up at her.
As beautiful as she had been in the gown, Trisha was much more enticing without all of the puffy material around her. The shirt clung to her upper body in a way Alexander had never seen before. She had chosen a skirt that came down just above her knees, showing off her exquisite legs. She wore sandals with a slight bit of heel to them. For a second, Alexander forgot to speak.
Trisha barely noticed as she looked around the room.
“This place is amazing. More like a palace than a vehicle.”
Alexander swallowed and tried to still his thoughts, “It is a little bit nicer than what most people have, that is true. There’s even a pool, which is excellent exercise.”
Trisha smiled at him, “I couldn’t agree more! I love swimming. Could we try it out a little later?”
“Uh, yes, of course.” He looked away, “But surely you are hungry.”
Trisha watched as he walked over and pulled a seat out for her. Now that the situation had seemed to resolve itself, she was better able to appreciate just how much this alien had been able to look human.
As she sat down, she said, “You have done a remarkable job of looking human you know. You are a much better looking man than any I have ever seen.”
Alexander stopped as he was about to sit down, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I just mean, you know, you are very attractive. I’ve never met a man who was as handsome as you. It is impossible to imagine a more perfect looking man than you. It’s difficult to believe you aren’t human.”
“My species is very exacting, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.”
“Maybe not to other aliens, but speaking as a primitive being, it’s quite extraordinary.”
“I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“What?” Trisha was momentarily confused.
“Oh, no. Well, I was offended, but considering what you’ve shown me within such a short timeframe, I can see how we appear to be unintelligent. To be honest, I’ve been saying that about my species for years.”
She took a bite of her food. She was so caught up in everything that she did not even think to ask what it was.
“You don’t think your species is particularly intelligent? And you have no qualms admitting that to a Galactic warrior?”
Trisha smiled at him, “Not even to the Galactic Commander.”
“That is very…brave of you.”
“No, just honest.”
“Very few are honest with me. They are too busy trying to make themselves out to more important than they are to give me a straight answer.”
“Power does that to people, or aliens. Beings. That’s probably a better word. If it is honesty you want, I have plenty of that, to a fault I’m told.”
Alexander laughed. Trisha watched as a dimple formed on the right side of his face and his hair moved like the flow of the sea.
“Are you certain you aren’t human? I mean, you even have a dimple.”
Alexander sighed, “Forgive me for this. I can’t think of any way to prove it to you without going to my planet, which is now out of the question.”
With that, he raised the knife and stuck it through his arm. He ignored Trisha’s gasp as he pulled it out the other side. There was a small trickle of blood that wasn’t quite red, then the wound closed leaving very little evidence that anything had happened, except for the blood now covering the knife.
“That was extreme.” Trisha said placing her fork on the table.
“I do apologize, but I don’t want you to think that I’m being dishonest with you. Now you should believe that I am not human.”
“Yes, that display certainly made that evident.”
“Why are you not eating?”
“I have lost my appetite.”
“No, please eat! I can’t stand to watch you waste away. Please eat.”
Trisha gave him a huge smile, “It’s not the same as Daisy. I just have trouble with the sight of blood, even alien blood. It makes me lose my appetite.”
“I am so sorry!” He rose and moved around to sit beside her.
“Are you ok? Should I have first aid applied?”
She laughed, “No
, no, I will be fine, just need to get up and walk around.”
“Humans really do have fragile minds.”
“Not all of us. I’ve just never been able to deal with blood outside of an emergency. Gratuitous violence gets to me.”
“I am truly sorry, I did not realize. In the future, I will be more cautious.”
“It’s ok. I wasn’t that hungry to begin with.”
Alexander moved back to his seat and pushed his plate away. He was only eating because it was polite. The pair sat at the table and talked for hours. Finally, Trisha began yawning. As he led her back to her room, she swooned a little from exhaustion, and she bumped into Alexander. Gently, he picked her up and carried her to her room.