Doctor Curzon stepped forward and touched her shoulder. Freya flinched, shrugging his hand off her. “Freya,” he said gently. “We’re doctors. We need to know how your physiology functions. How different it is to other species we have on the colony. If you fall ill, we must know how to treat you. We will make a record of you now to benchmark against. All your measurements, your blood makeup, your skin condition, and your internal organs, too. Now, please remove your clothing, because if you don’t we will be forced to call in the guard and have him strip you. This is not a choice, Fre
ya. This medical assessment is compulsory.”
Resigned to the situation, she dredged up the willpower she needed to see her through the ordeal. Her arms moved stiffly as she hooked the t-shirt over her head. She nearly stumbled as she bent over to lower her pants, turning sideways so they couldn’t see the cleft in her bottom or the tuft of hair at the apex of her thighs. She quickly tossed the clothes on the chair unfolded, then covered her breasts with one arm and her pubic mound with her palm of her hand.
“Hands to your sides, please,” ordered Dr. Curzon.
She slowly dropped her arms and cringed as her naked body was put on display. She swayed slightly before finding the strength to lock her knees and prevent them from wobbling.
He waved a scanning device up and down her torso, noting the presence of her organs. “Heart is located slightly to the left.”
“Why is that important?” she queried.
He raised an eyebrow. “Why? It’s so with the Vendu. Most humanoids we encounter, the heart is to the right. Also you have one liver, not two, but it is larger than ours.”
She shrugged off his comments. Since the Vendu had arrived on Earth nearly a century ago, the human race had been made aware of numerous similar species scattered across the galaxy. Their origins remained unknown, but since the Vendu were dominant and controlled vast sectors of space, they hid their secrets well. Only the Vendu had visited Earth.
They worked their way through a battery of tests including a blood sample, a strand of hair for DNA analysis, and the condition of her teeth was checked, too. Dr. Curzon conducted the basic assessment and he ran through his checklist, humming to himself. “Good. Now, this might sting.” He applied a thin pen-like device to her neck and it hissed as something sharp shot under the surface of the skin.
Freya yelped. “What’s that?” She rubbed the spot and felt a small lump.
“A tracking device. In case you wander off into the desert and become lost. Also, certain locations are segregated by gender. For your safety, naturally.” He smiled, but she saw through it, because there were no smile lines around his eyes. “It’s scanned whenever you enter a building, such as your accommodation or workplace.”
Tracked? Was her every movement monitored? That gave her the creeps. “It can be removed?” she asked.
“Yes, but it has a lifespan as long as yours. Removing it is unnecessary.” He turned away, leaving her standing alone once again in the middle of the room.
Dr. Han picked up a pair of calipers and adjusted the tips. Approaching her, he began to measure the width of her limbs, calling out the numbers to the other doctor, who diligently wrote them down on the table. Upper arms, then forearms.
“Interesting,” stated Dr. Han, running his fingers along her wrist. “The bones in the forearm aren’t fused together.”
Neck, forehead, and jaw, each were treated to precise measurements. After he completed the limbs, which meant she had to part her legs sufficiently for him to measure her thighs, she snapped her knees back together again. He rose from his crouched position. “Your feet are a good size for your height,” he declared. “On planet twenty-nine, the species have unusually small feet.”
He adjusted the calipers, drawing in the tips. To her astonishment, he placed each side of the calipers around one of her nipples. Freya gasped as the cold metal tickled her pebble.
“That isn’t hurting you, is it?” he asked softly.
She shook her head.
“Your nipples have hardened up. That can be a sign of anxiety or sexual arousal. I wonder which?” He turned his back on her heated face and spoke not to her, but Dr. Curzon. “She’s sexually active, isn’t she?”
“According to the notes sent from the detention center on her home planet, yes. She’s taking medication to make her infertile and she admitted to sexual activity during her interrogations. We’ll continue with the medication. It’s similar to our own treatment.”
“Good.” Dr. Han faced Freya again. “We don’t need offspring here. Most ill-advised.”
She felt the rise in heat around her neck and cheeks. The embarrassing confessions she’d made during those sessions under the influence of the truth serum continued to haunt her. “And who the hell am I going to fuck anyway,” she muttered. Unfortunately, he was close enough to hear that comment.
“The question should be who will fuck you? Your status is low. A newcomer and unique. Nevertheless, I suspect it will make you popular.”
Her eyes widened. “But, I don’t want to have sex with anyone. It’s not how we do things on Earth. It’s about love and—”
“Love?” he laughed. “Here on Tagra, sex is a commodity for trading. It has value. Out there, the men rule. All the prisoners have decided their own rules, beyond the obvious criminal ones. Since men form the majority, they have decided women must acquiesce to their sexual demands.”
“No,” she murmured. “God, no.”
“Don’t panic,” said Dr. Curzon. “Rape is technically illegal. The Vendu won’t tolerate it. However, the men have expectations, needs they’ll want met by their fellow prisoners. You’d best identify one to look after you. He’ll keep you safe and make you his. Then you’ll be fine.”
She had to belong to somebody? That didn’t make it any less humiliating. “That’s no solution. That’s unfair.”