“It’s a special space shuttle with gravity,” Becky whispered. “To treat injured people. Like a space ambulance.”
“I see.” Darla saw four people in dark blue uniforms with medical patches on their arms, helping some familiar faces. It was the women who’d been taken off the shuttle from Radison and locked up by the Elth. The women sat on similar padded gurneys, placed randomly in the long shuttle. A few of the women were lying flat, being attended to by the four medical personnel.
“The Elth hurt them?”
Becky took a seat on the edge of the gurney, next to Darla’s knees. “They’re weak from not eating.” She lowered her voice. “Barbara kept ranting and screaming at those aliens every time they came to check on us in that room, right until the door opened to reveal half a dozen armed fleet people.”
Darla turned to her sister and saw Becky rolling her eyes. It made her smile. “I’m not surprised by that. She seems to enjoy drama.” Then her humor faded. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m feeling better. The doctors gave us some energy drinks immediately, and something to eat that reminded me of lumpy mashed potatoes.” Her sister reached out and touched her shoulder. “They also slapped some patches on our skin, under our clothes. I don’t know what they’re for, but I was told it would help us recover faster.”
Then Becky took her hand, tears filling her eyes. “What did…he do to you? Are you alright?”
Darla knew her sister well, probably too much. She’d assume the worst. “It’s not what you’re thinking, I promise. Gnaw didn’t hurt me at all.”
“But the aliens said they were going to make him breed you.” Pink tinted her sister’s cheeks. “Your clothes are gone. I mean, you have your shirt still, but nothing else. No undergarments. I know because I was there while they were cleaning and patching your thigh, where you were torn up when you were first brought onto this shuttle. The doctor said the Elth did that to you, but was he lying?”
“Elth tentacles have hooks on them. One of them grabbed me and yanked me to the floor.”
“Did it also take your undergarments?”
Darla shook her head. “I removed them.”
“Why?”
“Um…”
Becky leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Did he hurt you? Was it painful? I assume you were forced to…you know.” She blushed again.
Her sister had never had sex, or even been on a date. They’d rarely left the greenhouse on Radison. Their father and brothers were the ones who did most of the travel. The few strangers who visited were kept far away, with no chance of catching even a glimpse of either of them. It had always been so, for safety reasons once they’d hit puberty.
“Oh goodness.” Tears filled her sister’s eyes.
“No,” Darla whispered. “Gnaw didn’t hurt me. I swear. Gnaw and I had to do some things, but it was all my idea.”
That halted her sister’s tears, and her eyes widened, shock plainly stamped on her features.
“It was either that or they’d have killed me, taken you in there next, and then killed you when you didn’t breed with him. Gnaw would never force a woman. Ever. I know he looks scary but he’s extremely respectful and kind. We knew that the fleet would look for us. That meant we just needed to stall for time.”
Her sister didn’t look convinced.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Becky. Gnaw didn’t hurt me in any way. He’s a very good man.”
Becky closely studied her face. “I believe you. Can we go home now? Do you think the fleet will take us back to Radison?”
Darla took hold of her sister’s hand. “We can’t ever go back there. I’m sorry.”
“Why? None of this would have happened if we’d just stayed at our greenhouse.”
“Oh, Becky.” Sadness had Darla feeling as if she might cry next. She just wanted to protect her baby sister. “There were things happening on Radison that we didn’t tell you about. Bad things.”
“Like what? After all this, I deserve the truth, Darla.”
She was right. Darla knew the time had come. She could have been killed by the Elth. That would have left Becky alone to fend for herself. And what if her sister tried to return to their home world at some future point? “It’s common knowledge that women aren’t treated the same way men are on our planet.”
“Yes. Men have a lot more freedom, like saying curse words and dressing however they wish.”
“It’s more than that. Men get to choose what career they want. They’re the ones who decide who they wish to marry and when. They don’t need our permission, only our father’s, to take us as wives. Becky…inspectors and other officials on our planet look for attractive women who aren’t married or engaged. They take them to work in the brothels. Women aren’t allowed to say no. They’re forced into that line of work. Our old inspector, Anthony, agreed to never let that happen to us. The new inspector wouldn’t have hesitated to turn us in.”
Becky paled.
“That’s why we left. Mom, Dad, and our brothers knew I was getting us jobs with the fleet. United Earth has laws that protect women from being forced into sexual servitude on fleet ships.”
“But brothel workers are women who don’t want marriage; they chose to make money by selling their bodies.”
“That isn’t true, Becky. Our leaders make a lot of money by selling sex to visitors. It’s highly profitable. Young, unmarried women are taken from their families against their wills and never returned.”
Becky shook her head. “That can’t be true!”
“It is. We never wanted you to worry about being taken away when we were doing everything
