As they say, “there’s more than one way to get off the planet.” (I don’t know who “they” are, I just made that up)
———————-Alt Text———————-
Still at the restaurant, their food has arrived and they’ve begun eating, although Picknar shows signs of not liking it. Thoos said, “it’s been an odd time for manufacturing, as the main space drives used on ships have utterly changed in our lifetime. They were all the spacetrawler drive which ran at greased light speed, but then it all switched over to the mihrrgoot greased dark light speed drive.” Annoyed, Knox said, “you two have definitely been reading too many sci-fi novels.” Picknar said, “II get it, you don’t believe us. I’m not sure if I’d believe us if I were walking in your hooves.” To which Thoos adds, “as opposed to these fleshy foot-endings our current bodies have.” Calmly, Rodrigo said, “I believe you. So, welcome to earth. Is there anything, you’d like to experience? Ways we can make your stay more comfortable?” Frowning, Thoos said, “a seat on the first ship off of here. With any drive you’ve got.” Smiling, Rodrigo said, “most of my drive is carnal or intellectual, but it doesn’t sound like “theoretical” space travel is gonna’ cut it with you two.”
If they did find a way off Earth, in their human bodies, would they be accused of alien abductions?
Kind of ironic that it’s the one person of colour talking about their flesh being pink.
They arrived while wearing swimsuits, and being in a foreign body means they likely looked at the hands and feet and noticed that the palms and soles were relatively pink. Those areas usually have minimal pigments.
@mic, Oof! Yeah, I thought long and hard on this one, and am still unsure if I made the right choice. Maybe I should just take the word “pink” out altogether. James has a good point, but mostly I had Thoos say that, because to Thoos, everyone else at the table is pinkish so it’s an assumption one might make. But I suppose Thoos would have seen their own feet when they put those sweatpants on. :-/
Anyhow, will probably remove the word “pink,” because it’s unimportant and so that noticing it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the story.
@Mic, @James, I decided to change it! Changed!
I have a T-shirt whose front reads, “I’m getting OFF this turkey planet!”
On the back is a picture of the Space Shuttle lifting off, below the legend: “Taxi! Spaceport, please!”
Go out in the desert and knock on the doors of random sheds…
They are worried about animal products, but no mention that the space trawler drive used an enslaved sapient to work.
Savagery IS terribly subjective, isn’t it? Tell’em what their shoes are made of. They’ll promptly freak.
I noticed that too.