Together {Star Trek Enterprise Fan Fiction}

Eating for Two

There was a sound of hydraulics. The front walls were opened slightly, on the left. Barely seen alien hands threw two tubes into each of the five chambers, “Nutrition time!” yelled gruff, unfamiliar voices.

Malcolm got up and brought the tubes over to Lili, “It's not exactly your gourmet fare, I imagine,” he said, handing them both to her.

“You get one of these,” she said, trying to hand one back.

“I'm not hungry. Besides, you're the one who's eating for two.”

“It won't do us any good if you starve yourself. Don't be a martyr.”

“Very well,” he said, “Only a little,” he squeezed about fifteen cc's into his hand. The paste was whitish in color. He took a taste.

“And?” she asked.

“No flavor whatsoever.”

“Well, this is prison. I guess,” she uncapped the other one and squeezed a mass into her hand, then shoved it messily into her mouth, “Man!” she said, once she'd swallowed it, “Good thing I'm starving.”

Kick Kick.

“Keep your strength up,” he said, handing her the remains of the other one.

=/\= 

Hoshi and Tripp looked theirs over.

“Looks like tubes of toothpaste I saw in a museum once,” she said.

“Don't suppose they even know what we eat,” he replied, “Gawd, this is bland. Want mine?”

=/\= 

After about a half an hour, the front wall opened again. This time, it wasn't just unfamiliar hands, but entire bodies, tall alien guards. They were huge, almost two and a third meters tall. There was one assigned to each chamber, and they were wielding big sticks. The sticks were pointed between the men and the women, but were directed to the men. Jonathan got too close, and received a wicked shock to his midsection. Deb ran at the guard but was shocked as well. She fell to the floor and writhed a bit.

“Oh, come on!” It was Quellata, “Your first day! Really, slime molds, you'd think you'd be better at this,” she was in the hall in front of the rooms, and wasn't holding a stick, but there was another guard, next to her, dwarfing her. He had one.

Quellata continued, “Now, so far, so good. But you do need to learn how to do this as well. See, this can be almost pleasant. So long as you keep production up, we'll get along fine. If you don't, things will become ... uncomfortable.”

“What kind of production?” gasped Jonathan.

“Isn't it obvious?” Quellata asked, “It's the production of more humans.”

Lili stayed as far away from the stick as possible. The guard was separating the two of them, and herding her out into the hallway. She tentatively stepped out.

“There now, that's right,” Quellata said, “Follow this one. Females only.”

Doug called Lili's name, and got his own nasty shock. Lili looked back, scared, but kept quiet.

Kick Kick Kick Kick.

Pretty soon the five of them were out. Jennifer was really shaking. Lili took her hand.

“Stick together,” Hoshi said quietly.

“We have rights!” yelled Tripp, “It's a part of the Tau Ceti Accords! You can't separate prisoners like this!”

For this, he got his own shock.