It was still night. The ship was in cruise mode, probably between star systems. My eyes slowly opened, but I was immediately blinded by bright lights coming from a blue device on a black background. The lights weren't focused on me, and I managed to sit up and shield my eyes by reaching overhead.
"Finally up, I see," a female alien said from a raised platform slightly in front of me. She was about six feet tall, with long blue-green hair and purple skin. Her scaled clothing looked like a translucent version of purple fabric, and her large breasts heaved as she looked at me. "I'm glad to see I wasn't wrong in my diagnosis," she said.
"Just what is this diagnosis?" I asked. I was looking around, trying to get a general feel of my surroundings. I saw figures moving in the shadows, and I saw moonlight on ceiling. The effect was that it looked like the ship was a floating in space with the Earth spread out beneath me.
"Yes, you've been telling us what your kind is called in more than three different languages. We've been calling you the Earthers since you left the atmosphere about five months ago," she said. "I think you had the correct diagnosis. I just wanted to check."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Dr. Agazziz," she said. "I'm with the research team."
Of course, I didn't believe her. I never believed anyone at first. The first thing we always do is ask if they are the good guys or the bad guys.
"You don't believe me," she said. "I'm surprised you'd believe me. The first few times, I was hoping to prevent this from happening, but when the reports came back that you were not cooperating, I had no choice. Otherwise, I might try to convince you we're not the bad guys. In that you'd be correct."
"What do you want?" I asked. Her eyes shifted around the room. They fell on one of the humans.
"We might get more information from him," she said.
"Let me go," the human said. He started to struggle against the straps holding him down.
"The restraints might keep you from doing it again, but it will also keep him from moving," the doctor said. Then, she looked at the prisoner again. "I'm sorry, but we have to get some answers from him."
"This is not necessary," I said. But then I was losing my footing. The doctor had me captive and suspended upside down in the room. I couldn't move as my feet were free of the floor. I struggled, and then the doctor released me. She walked over to the edge of the platform.
"You need to know I'm not going to hurt you," she said. She reached down and tapped the man's cheek. He didn't budge. His eyes were half closed, and his short brown hair was sticking out all over. "I'm sure you and your friends among his kind will have to be treated with harder methods. As far as I'm concerned, this is a new place, and he is a new species. If we damage his psyche, it will be only because he did not respond to imagination."
"Don't you mean you're going to beat some information out of him?" I asked.
"Yes," she said. "It will be quite violent. And, of course, you'll be there to admire the beauty."
"Is he going to survive?" I asked. Fear had begun to course through me.
"I'm sorry," she said. "But if he survives, that would make all this useless."
"I don't believe you," I said.
"But you know you can trust me," she said. "You and I are going to be working together."
My eyes were wide as she walked over to me and bent down. She held a roll of purple fabric between her hands. She lifted herself up, and lowered the fabric to cover my eyes. It had a smell, more like herbs. I blinked and then felt the fabric on my skin. A second later, everything went black.
My body felt like it was being pinched. It wasn't a sharp pinch, but it was pounding with quick pinches. It only lasted a few seconds, but I was gasping for breath as my body adjusted.
"I think that's enough," the doctor said. Her voice was close by. I could feel her breath on my face. The hands holding me let me go, and suddenly, my feet were on the floor. I sat down as the doctor dropped the fabric in front of me. I was dizzy and confused as I opened my eyes.
"I don't know what he's been told, but there's no point in fearing the aliens," she said. "As I'm telling you, we're not aliens. We are just people of this new world."
"They told me you were going to be violent with me," I said.
"You must remember what they said. Unfortunately, I can't ask my superiors if it's true."
She walked over to a control panel set up near the open door of my little chamber and pressed a few buttons. A view screen on the wall showed. My chamber door was only slightly ajar. I saw men and women in blue robes carrying five or six human bodies in transparent cylinders down the corridors of the ship.
"What are they going to do with the men?" I asked.
"They'll collect their body fluid and tissues, then dispose of the bodies," she said. "You'll tell me that this information clears my species of any possible wrong doing."
"You've been spying on me this whole time?" I asked.
"We had to be sure you weren't going to be a problem for us," she said.
"Do you often kidnap humans to use them for research?" I asked.
"We're not kidnapping you. We've been watching you ever since you came into my jurisdiction."
"What exactly does that mean?" I asked.
"My species isn't that different from humans," she said. "We have females and males just like you. We have government and a police force. In fact, my job is similar to a police officer's. I am the police scientist."
"On the ships?" I asked.
"No, I'm a scientist on the planets closer to the sun. One of the planets is an agricultural world. We use the plants as food sometime. We have to keep the population backed up, just in case something goes wrong with the crops. I was chosen to be the scientist of this starship for this mission. I was in charge of the demonstration on this ship, but two breeds were more valuable to the species than I could be on a starship, so I was replaced. I was captured along with a few other scientists. I'm the only one who managed to stay alive. The others were aliens who had been convicted of crimes on the agricultural world. They were being shipped out to work as slaves on the starship. We got the impression you were being sent as slaves, too."
"Or as food?" I asked.
She was standing next to me, looking at me. I felt her hand on my shoulder. It was a kind and gentle touch.
"When you're with me, I'm positive we can have a real conversation," she said. "But, we have to work. I want your help in making sure our guests are comfortable and happy."
"What's going to happen to them?" I asked.
"They will be examined and given the best treatment possible. They will live comfortably. When they are no longer useful, they'll be morosely disposed of."
I was looking at her. I was hoping that she wouldn't exchange the information that her kind was committing crimes on other ships.
"Was my information accurate?" I asked.
"It was more or less accurate," she said. "The things you hear about my species aren't true."
"Your kind isn't violent?" I asked.
"We are just like humans," she said. "There is nothing abnormal or malicious about us."
"Did my bosses know what was going to happen to me?" I asked.
"You are being very curious," she said.
"My curiosity is getting the better of me," I said.
She stared at me for a moment and then pressed a button on the wall. We both watched as the people were piled into a large room. From where they were, it looked like a huge archive of books.