Her total haul consisted of the new scanner, which looked like it would fit the Slipsteam’s main entrance, and a few rare Slipsteam shield parts that would be more than beneficial to have on hand, especially considering the line of work this ship was most often used in. Sarah tried to explain what each of the parts was good for as she and Grom made their way back to the ship, but the city streets were too loud, and Grom told her to wait until they were someplace quiet. There were two different security guards manning the checkpoint, and thankfully, their return search went quickly and without issue. Once inside the Slipsteam, Grom brought Sarah directly to his chambers, passing Wex, who was installing the new gravity drive, on the way..

Sarah couldn’t help smiling to herself as Grom punched his secret code into the keypad next to his door. As Wex had explained, after the secret was out, it didn’t matter what number you typed in. The screen would always say “access granted” and the door would always unlock. Sarah would have been shocked by the fact that nobody aboard had discovered the broken keypads; however, based on the time she’d spent with this brutish crew, the general lack of awareness did not surprise her. That being said, she couldn’t help but expect more from the captain. He was a lot of things—cruel, violent, arrogant, to name a few—but he didn’t strike Sarah as stupid.

As she followed the Kylen through the door of his chamber, Sarah was immediately taken aback by the giant window that made up the better part of this chamber’s walls. Seeing as the ship was still sitting in dock 32, the current view was nothing to look at, but Sarah could only image what sights this window would provide while in space.

“Wow,” she said. “Talk about a room with a view.”

“Yeah,” Grom answered appreciatively. He walked over to the far right side of the window and pressed a button on the wall. Black fabric curtains started descending from the ceiling, blocking the windows. “But there’s nothing to see right now. Plus, I don’t like prying eyes.”

With the curtains drawn, and just the dim, yellow light of his desk lamp illuminating the room, Grom’s chambers took on a sort of romantic air. Sarah noticed how nice his furniture was, especially the four poster bed which was draped in silky, inviting sheets. Grom sat down at his desk chair and Sarah sat in the chair across from him.

“So, what did you find?” Grom asked eagerly.

“Right, well, not much.” Sarah reached carefully into her pockets, fishing out only the parts that she collected for the Slipsteam. She explained the function of each part as she removed it from her pocket and put it on Grom’s desk, though it appeared he understood little-to-none of what she said. Once all the parts were out and accounted for, Sarah leaned back into the cozy leather chair and waited for Grom to give her another order.

“That all seems fine.” Grom sat back in his seat as well, and the two remained silent for what felt like an eternity.

“I guess I should go help Wex then?” Sarah suggested, itching to get out of these chambers which, during the deeply uncomfortable silence, had suddenly become very cramped and uncomfortable.

“How’s your tongue?” Grom asked, ignoring her request to leave.

“It’s fine. He barely nicked it.”

“That’s good. You should still probably pay Nickle a visit, just in case.”

“I will.”

Grom nodded and then became quiet again. Sarah only waited a few seconds this time before breaking the silence.

“Why don’t you speak in the Kylen languages?”

Grom’s eyes flickered with fury as she said the name of his people. Sarah realized she had struck a nerve but carried on with her questioning regardless. “I know there aren’t any other Kylens on the ship, but I’m sure all of your crew members speak at least one of the dialects.”

“Why are you asking about this?” Grom’s voice had deepened into a severe, slightly threatening tone.

“Curiosity mainly.” Sarah straightened up and leaned her elbows on her knees. “From what I know about Kylens, which admittedly is not a lot, language is very important. It’s a status symbol. I guess I’m just surprised that you choose to speak in the common tongue, given you are the captain.”

“It’s more than just a status symbol,” Grom corrected, “Language is law in Kylen society. Our dialects dictate everything.”

“I understand—”

“You cannot!” Grom stood up, throwing his chair down on its side in the process. “You cannot possibly understand what it is like.”

“I’m trying to.” The honesty of Sarah’s voice must have struck something beneath Grom’s tough exterior.

The words he spoke next seemed almost rehearsed to Sarah, as if he had been thinking these thoughts for years but never found the gall to actually verbalize them. Or, perhaps, it was that he never found the right audience. “I know the Kylen race has this reputation of being brutal colonizers, that all other species fear our wrath, but true Kylen evil lies in what we do to each other.”

“Is that why you’re out here, working for next to nothing, instead of rising up the ranks on your home planet? Big guy like you, I assume you could be of use somehow to the Kylen army.”

“My people have nothing to offer me. They took away everything I had, and I will never again count myself amongst their ranks.”

Grom’s breathing relaxed as he made his way over to his bed. He sighed heavily, rubbed his hand across his mouth and down his neck, deep in thought. Sarah allowed him a few more quiet seconds.

“What…what do you mean, they took everything away from you?” she asked hesitantly. She was unsure she actually wanted to hear the undoubtedly violent details of how the Kylen ruined Grom’s life. The frightening image of Grom’s dragon form flashed through her mind as she awaited his answer.

“They killed my wife,” Grom said, unable to look Sarah in the eye.

“Oh.”

“She used the wrong dialect when addressing a nobleman. I believe she used the spacer dialect instead of the civilian. Either way, the nobleman took offense and demanded one of his attendees put his spear through her neck. As was his right.”

“You mean, he didn’t even get in trouble?”

“Like I said, language is law. She broke the law by using the wrong dialect, and he was allowed to punish her however he saw fit.”

Sarah had no response. Hearing the rumors about the Kylen’s violent practices is one thing, but actually hearing the repercussions of those practices was too much for her to handle.

“They waited until I got home to tell me,” Grom continued. “I was on a mission when it happened—which is actually the only reason it did happen. If I had been in the city, no one would have dared lay a finger on her, regardless of improper dialect use.”

“You were on a mission?”

“For some top ranked Kylen officials. I used to deliver packages and make trades for the higher ups. I was no more than a glorified errand boy, but they hired me right out of army training because I was the strongest in my class. The needed someone with muscle to ensure the job got done.” Grom finally looked up and locked eyes with Sarah. “The death report they handed me when I got back didn’t even have the guy’s name. They were protecting him. All the notice said was that he was a ‘nobleman.’ We lived in a small city, and I knew all the noblemen, I worked for all the noblemen. Chances are, I was doing the guy’s bidding while he was murdering my wife.”

Sarah contemplated getting out of her chair. If this were anyone else besides Grom, she would feel inclined to go to the poor soul, wrap her arms around him, and whisper stupid yet heartfelt sentiments. But this was Grom, this was the man who took her captive, threatened to rape her, and sold her fellow humans as slaves. So what if his troubled past explains his present atrocities? Sarah thought as she sat further back into her chair. It still doesn’t justify them.

“So, then what?” Sarah asked, hoping her tonal shift would demonstrate her newfound indifference to Grom’s sob story. “You quit?”

“It’s not that simple.” Sarah noticed a slight twinge of annoyance in Grom’s voice. He must have detected her sudden lack of sympathy. “Quitting would just result in my being executed. I knew too much about the Kylen officials’ various dealings. Instead, I waited until they sent me on my next extended mission. It was a solo mission, just a small delivery. Instead of making that delivery, I hopped out of the safe lanes, and therefore out of radar and radio range of any planets or stations. I waited until I picked up a signal from another rogue ship. The only ships that dare venture out of the safe lanes are either smugglers or pirates. Within a few hours, there was a big, ugly, slow-moving ship coming directly at me. I was able to maneuver my little one-man vessel underneath them, sneak up into the main cabins, and take out the captain without anyone being the wiser. And that’s how I inherited this baby.” Grom motioned to everything around him.

“You mean stole,” Sarah corrected.

Before Grom could argue over the semantics of his story, Wex’s voice came on over the newly repaired intercom.

“Captain, it’s Wex. The new gravity drive is installed, and it appears we are ready to go.”

Grom made his way to the small speaker by his door and pressed the button. “Good. Inform the crew of our departure and get us the hell out of here.”

“Do you want me to do a headcount, sir?” Wex asked.

“A headcount? What are we running, a smuggling operation or a daycare?” Grom yelled. “I told everyone to be back on the ship before sundown, and if they don’t make it, they don’t make it.”

“Copy that.”

Grom turned back to Sarah. “The intercom sounds very good.”

“Yeah, well, it was nothing really. Just replaced a few wires and tightened a few screws.”

“The real test will be the gravity drive.” Grom turned back to the door and opened it. “If anything goes wrong with our next jump, I will find you completely at fault.” Apparently the touchy-feely sharing time was over. Grom motioned for her to leave his room. “Now, go back to your chambers and buckle yourself in. We’re jumping soon, and I can’t afford for you to get scratched any more than you already are, especially if I’m going to have to sell you at the next stop.”

Although Grom’s words were threatening, his tone lacked the fiery passion he possessed when he threatened Sarah her first night on the ship. She stood up out of her seat slowly, feigning caution so as to give Grom the impression that she actually took him seriously and left his room in a hurried scuffle.

The Slipsteam took off without a hitch, and within seconds they were headed towards their next destination. The trip was scheduled to take less than two days, during which time Sarah spent most of it sulking in her chambers, leaving only to grab a bite from the kitchen. Based on what she gathered from a few overheard conversations, they were headed to the Beffund Space Station to pick up some cargo. Nobody ever said what exactly this “cargo” was, leading Sarah to believe it was likely something very secretive and very illegal. Although Sarah had never been to the Beffund Space Station herself, she had seen plenty of ships come in to Bernie’s shop that had just come from Beffund. Those clunkers always had the same problems: tons of stolen parts, shattered lights, and enough graffiti to cover an entire city block.

I thought Grendle Port 6 was as scary as death itself, Sarah thought as the pilot’s voice came over the intercom, informing the crew they were about to land, and now it looks like I’m walking straight into hell.

End of Part One.