Morose Encounters

I've always been partial to the idea that any supposed extraterrestrial race would have the same relationships to their spaceships and technology that we do to our computers and cuisinarts, our toasters and tasers - they don't have the slightest idea how they work. As on our planet, a couple of dozen experts on their homeworld have managed to appropriate enough of the technology, ideas and work of others to put together this hovership. And darned if its pilots would know how to fix it.

So their ignorance is hardly damning - we accept a certain degree of ignorance and confusion in our daily lives, understanding that we can't hope to understand half of what happens to us on any given day. But adding indecisiveness to the mix seems unneccessary. So what if they don't know who to abduct? If they have any red wine on board, I'd suggest that they go with the dog.