He gripped Hayden by the arm next, ready to break it. The smaller alien struggled in vain to get out of the grip, cursing at him in his native tongue.

“Such a pretty thing, yes?” the Pirate peered down at him. “Unfortunately I don’t have time to play.”

Hayden growled, landing blows where he could.

“Let him go!” I yelled, standing, still holding my burn mark. I tried to look big and confident against the massive alien, ending up still a foot and a half too short to be anything intimidating.

“A hero, huh?” He tossed Hayden aside like a rag doll as his men waited for his command to open fire. “Bad taste when it comes to survival.”

“What does the Captain want from us?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

The ship answered for me with a groan louder than I ever heard it rumble. Like a grand final note in an orchestra, it held fast and rippled through hauntly within the metal casing of the wounded ship.

Gravity was first to go, lifting us high. I managed to seized the fallen blaster just as the other pirates began to open fire. Which was sporadic at best.

I braced myself from all the practice given from the level drops before. When gravity returned, everyone fell back down as it tried to recalculate the normal ratio.

Hayden crawled, dragged back by the massive pirate by his wounded leg. He kicked at the pirate again and I fired without thought, hearing the same skull splitting moments earlier.

The alien fell still and I pulled Hayden close to me. I gave the blaster back, what I’ve done slowly sinking in.

Self-defense, right?

A part of Hayden’s jaw began to swell and a red mark on his cheek was inflamed. Other than that, he was fine.

Which gave me relief.

“Kohl, your arm…”

I looked down at it, “It’ll heal.” then my eyes drifted to my handy work. “I don’t know about him though.”

Hayden press his head against my shoulder, relieved as well. Then it was the other pirates who weren’t so sure how to play this one out.

They stared at their dead leader, more weary as they decided that taking us prisoner was their intentions anyway and proceeded to seize an arm or two.

Hayden moved suddenly to make them tense up, purposely ramming their leader’s side with his foot when they dragged him over the bloodied corpse.

With me, I simply went around, allowing them to drag me around without much resistance.

I did have a few questions for the Captain anyway.

Hayden:

Resisting was the urge I had to fight off. I hate when people touched me. I hate how they rangled me into their ship like a wild animal.

I wasn’t the one who shot their leader.

My leg argued, collapsing when the pain grew too much from the pace. After that, they were a little more gentler with me.

Kohl was kept far behind us, only guided to go somewhere else. “Where are they taking him?” he asked the guard, watching as I disappeared around a corner. I didn’t hear the answer.

I shook off the hands and they allowed me some space in the narrow halls of the less polished ship that proudly showed off its wires and tubes under the clear flooring we were walking on. There were only gray, not the white panels, and grime infested everything, becoming one with the ship that looked too old to be still in use.

“Where are they talking him?” I asked.

“To the Captain. He’s the only one that is granted a visit,” answered one of the pirates, “As for you, that leg needs to be checked over.”

“It’s fine.”

They ignored me after that.

Kohl:

I was guided to doors that should belong here. Like Hayden said, this place breathed grime like the lowest level of the Titanic. What I stand in front of stuck out like a sore thumb, ready to take me to another world it seemed like.

I felt uneasy seeing Hayden go, but they promised that they will treat his injures while I talked to the Captain that occupied the room these doors concealed.

I opened one when I was instructed to and was unceremoniously pushed inside as if keeping the use of the door underwraps was their top priority.

Within was a study--one built for royalty.

Every nook and cranny was filled to the brim with objects, paintings, and other fancy things I don’t feel like naming off. Trimmed with the finest gold, furniture was there for decor, not comfort, covered in books as if they were in use anyway. But none of it attracted my attention more than the figure that stood in the center of it all, a walking painting himself. At least I think it was male.

More like a doll someone dressed up with the greatest fabrics one could process, dripping with jewelry that complimented him just as well as the makeup that highlighted the pinkish dots on his cheekbones.

Like any noble, he stood straight, shorter than me but slightly taller than Hayden, ageless and delegate looking in his soft features with his amber hair neatly placed.

The other figure was less eye catching, leaning by the desk with his arms crossed, dots an ivory. They glanced over at me after a moment, the decorative man basically gliding as he placed the book in his hand down on the pile closest to him.

“Greetings,” He said in perfect English, monotoned like his expression towards me. “I’m sure you have many questions.”

“Hold on,” I say, confused that I wasn’t seeing a grizzled pirate. “Where’s the one who we saw that contacted us?”

“He’s standing right here in front of you,” the none grizzley alien answered, openly judging my attire of gym shorts and an old t-shirt. “Sorry to drag you out of bed.”

“Why did you attack us? Where you the ones who wounded it the first place?”

“Yes. And I thought we did a thorough job at it. I see that I miscalculated.” Without a trace of remorse, he walked closer, “Why where you there, human?”

“To save the man who survived,” I set my jaw, already disliking the walking art that began to glide around me to observe what I had to offer. He wasn’t impressed. “All those people. Children…”

“Casualties. Nothing more. They were on the wrong side and war does not spare anyone, it does not discriminate.”

“What war?”

“Are you really this clueless?” He paused to look into my eyes, his own as intense as Hayden’s. Seeing the truth, he sighed, “The Empire and The Rebellion. That ship was fleeting the right cause and paid the price for it, Kohl. Lucky for you, I have an offer that you can not refuse...if you do care for your companion.”

“Who are you?”

“Most call me Morgan. I am loyal to the Empire.”

“What do you want from me?”

“You can read, yes?”

I nodded.

“Then it’s quite simple. A month ago, my people stumbled upon a base on a planet not so far from this ship. Horribly done, poor quality--typical human work. I would’ve had it destroyed to spare everyone else if it wasn’t for what it held inside it. Unfortunately we were unable to decipher the human scribbles and force to guard it until someone arrives to help us. That someone is you, apparently.”

“Don’t sound too excited. I haven’t agreed.” I caught his arm to make him stop circling. His friend wasn’t so happy about that, but with a dismissing wave from his captain, he stayed put. “What do you mean by humans?”

“The same race as you.”

He felt breakable in my grip and I found myself loosening it before letting go entirely.

“Who is Hayden to you?”

“Nothing more than a backstabber to what is good. A traitor to what he is. A murderer.” Saying this, he placed his hand on his stomach, a hint of emotion slipping through the cracks ever so slightly. “You have my word that you and Hayden will be set free once you give me what’s inside.”

“I want to be back on the ship.”

“It’s gone, Kohl. I’m using it for parts. Instead, I’ll drop you off on a planet where you will be safe and able to go back home.”

I gave out a sharp breath, “Fine.”

“Good,” He gave his own dismissal wave at me, singling his men to retrieve me, pausing them midway of them dragging me out. Softly he asked, “Does he remember?”

I replied with a shake of my head. “No,” I say, “Nothing.”