I watch the AI hand out the food, and I’m not surprised that they have sent AI to get us or that we are in a cargo hold. Other civilizations in the galaxy laughed at humanity when we were still sending humans into space instead of much more efficient AI. To me, that says a lot about these aliens, too. Do they lack any courage or curiosity to explore for themselves? In my worst thoughts, I imagine them all being overweight and unable to move, sending AI out to do all their bidding, and then chaining up women like me to do their bidding at home too.

* * *

We have traveled for days or possibly even a week without being able to bathe. I smell nothing, but I’m sure we have a vile human stench to us. The AI have notified us that will be arriving soon. But there’s nothing to prepare as we weren’t allowed to bring anything from Earth, only the jewelry on our person at the time of departure. So, I’m not even sure why they told us. Maybe we should be preparing to run or defend ourselves. I don’t know. But I’m not going to say anything. Neither do the other women. I feel like we are all just waiting to see what happens next then we will react.

Unfortunately, we cannot see the planet as we land. There aren’t any windows or computers in the cargo hold. But we can feel the landing. The spaceship creaks and shakes for a minute, then completely stops, and for the first time, the loud engines are off.

I expect to hear shouts of alien voices, but it’s strangely silent except for the AIs’ metal-on-metal footsteps.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t to be pushed into a large vehicle immediately after landing. The only thing the AI are attentive to is ensuring the purple veils are covering our heads. I manage to push mine to the side a little to peek out at my new home as we walk from the ship to the vehicle, but all I can see is a purple sky with shockingly large nearby planets dominating the skyline. I’ve no idea if it’s dawn, dusk, or midday. All I know is this place is purple.

Once inside the large vehicle, I peek out from under my veil again and notice it has no windows, just a small light, so we aren’t in complete darkness. The AI told us nothing about where we were going or when we’ll arrive. I know AI don’t have emotions, but I have strong feelings for them, and I hate them immensely right now, as one hates the executioner. I try not to think about what will happen to me when I reach my destination. I only hope that whatever it is, how bad it might be, that it’s over quickly.

After what seems like a few hours, we stop, and the AI begins removing purple veils and scanning the tattoos on our faces. It looks like we all have different ones, but it’s difficult to compare the alien language when it all looks like a three-year-old’s imitation of writing. When the AI’s scanner hits on the woman it’s looking for, it quickly pulls her out of the vehicle and closes the door behind it so that all we get a glimpse of is purple sky but not much else. It all happens too quickly. I think we’re all both curious and afraid to see what these aliens and this world really look like.