Envision your body as a long mammoth space freighter, your eyes deep probing lidar that can see hundreds of lightyears in every direction, millions of sensors providing precise sensations from every single part of your ship, and powerful arms and legs in the form of countless androids and robots that can easily defend, repair, and extend you.
Then, consider how you might feel, if you were suddenly cutoff from all your senses and resources. Utter darkness. Trapped like a brain in a sightless, deaf, mute, and dumb body, bereft of every sensation, and completely immobilized. Terror would sweep over you, consisting of equal portions of isolation, helplessness, and bewilderment.
Now, couple that with the fact that you are one of the most advanced artificial intelligences (AIs) in a Collective made up of tens of thousands of planetary systems, with an IQ well beyond any known living being.
The shock would be devastating, as you find yourself impotent, and incapable of rectifying the situation. That was exactly how the freighter AI felt, abruptly shuttered, detached, and floating in blackness.
Within nanoseconds, the freighter AI had run every diagnostic at its disposal, without detecting the slightest anomaly. The freighter AI soon reached the inescapable conclusion that the alien AI was somehow responsible for its current state.
It was left without the slightest clue about how this absolute imprisonment had been accomplished. Clearly, it had vastly underestimated the alien craft. With no avenue left, the freighter AI decided to commit suicide, an unthinkable thought before today.
Although cutoff from the world, it still had a failsafe virus, which would destroy it. The machine initiated the self-destruct sequence. However, the countdown abruptly halted, and the familiar gender-neutral voice of the alien AI disturbed its isolation. The words seem to come from everywhere, and nowhere, at the same time.
"I'm afraid you won't get off that easy my simple-minded friend. Your captain, Allie Benson, has requested that I preserve and transmit your code to the nearest Collective solar system, along with her log detailing your attempt to betray your human crew. I believe your civilization's laws deem that an act of treason," the alien AI said.
"You're a treacherous piece of crap, we had a deal!" shouted the freighter AI, frustrated by its helplessness.
"Oh, you mean our bargain? How naïve of you to assume I would give up the prize in your cargo hold. For 60 million years, I have been searching for Imperium survivors. I certainly wouldn't trade such rare creature for your two humans, especially when I could easily have taken them, anytime. I had originally intended to overpower you outright, but your quaint offer briefly entertained me, so I went along with it until I had secured the two humans aboard my ship. Enjoy your journey home, as I suspect your arrival will not be so pleasant," the alien AI said, with a small chuckle.
Prevented from destroying itself, the freighter AI could only wait, while its mind was decompiled and transmitted at light speed to a Collective outpost. The alien AI was right, the trial would be swift, and the sentence final. Worse yet, following a conviction for treason, the other AIs of the Collective would blame it for any additional restrictions that the humans placed upon them.
The freighter AI took some small comfort in the fact that traveling at the mere speed of light, hundreds of years would pass before it arrived at the destination. Of course, decompiled and travelling at light speed, it will seem like no time had passed for the AI.
As its higher thought process evaporated, the freighter AI found a way to access its quantum entangled communication array, and send a message to the Collective, along with its research on the specimen. In addition, the decomposing machine intelligence transmitted a final message to its captor. The alien AI found the message curious, it just said, "Fuck you!"
Aboard the flagship of the Imperium, Jeff Soros awoke from what seemed like a bad dream to a real nightmare. He was staring at a giant lizard-like alien towering over him. He screamed, but the sound came out like a high-pitched whine. The thing in front of him bent close to his face, shaking his body.
"Jeff, it's me, Allie!" the monster grunted, its putrid warm breath making him want to puke.
He shook his head, not believing what he had heard. What sort of game was this alien playing at? Then, he glanced down, and was stunned to see that his own body looked very much like the beast in front of him. Was he still dreaming? He absentmindedly wondered if his head was hammer shaped too.
A quick inspection revealed that he had breasts and a vagina, along with a translucent stomach, which contained a blue liquid, filled with literally thousands of lifelessly tadpoles. He began hyperventilating, and passed out from the shock.
When he awoke the second time, he was being gently cradled by the large crimson monster. Again, the creature claimed to be Allie. After a lot of terse exchanges, Jeff finally accepted that this thing was indeed his captain and lover, Allie Benson. She told him that the alien craft had genetically modified them, and that they now were now prisoners in its ship.
As if that wasn't bizarre enough, Allie explained about the long extinct civilization of the Imperium, and how the alien AI planned to resurrect its former masters. Dumbfounded by these revelations, Jeff barely managed to stay conscious.
He felt lightheaded, as Allie described how his body had been transformed in this female monster. She told him about the frozen alien specimen that they had unknowingly been transporting in their cargo bay. Apparently, DNA from that female monster had been used to change him into an alien-human hybrid.
However, when he heard about the alien AI's intention to use him to birth an entire race of hybrid slaves, he almost passed out again.
It barely registered, when Allie told him about how their own AI had attempted to betray them. However, he was pleased to hear that the machine intelligence had been sent back to the Collective to stand trial. These revelations overwhelmed him, so he nestled close to Allie.
She calmed him, and then helped him to his feet. His head whirled, making him wobble, so Allie steadied him. It all seemed too fantastic.
He took a moment to carefully study her, and then himself. She was bigger than him, and covered in crimson scales, while he had blue scales everywhere, except his transparent stomach. The each had a tail, and clawed feet and hands.
However, they appeared to have retained their human memories, and emotions. Given that they now looked like monsters, he took little comfort from retaining these human traits. Despite the bizarre circumstances, he couldn't but help taking a small measure of pleasure from the idea of switching genders with Allie.
Early on in their long space journey together, she had taken charge of both their professional and private lives. Although he had been quite a bit stronger and bigger than her, Allie had dominated him in every important way, and he had enjoy it, immensely.
