Across the Galaxy: A Pirate's Path to Glory

Celebration

The next day, Tristen went to meet the head captain. The rest of us were ordered to stay on the ship. Valerie and Zayn were playing a board game while I was watching them as well as scrolling through social media, stuffing my face with snacks. Sylas was blankly staring at the game as well, sighing every time Valerie made a move. Which annoyed Valerie over time. 

“If you are so disappointed stop watching!” Valerie snapped which only made Sylas sigh even more. 

“It wouldn’t make a difference if I stare at the wall or the game.” Valerie took a deep breath and kept going. If she pushed the issue further, she knew he would explode instead and she preferred when he was a sarcastic jerk instead. Tristen eventually returned and closed the door to the ship before running a hand through his hair. 

“The actual head captain didn’t show up like usual. Honestly, I think he’s hiding his identity or something. But it was Bert who took the stuff this time, a great guy. With the money I received, we can go and celebrate! Such as buying some new clothes for our newest member. She barely has any spare clothes so of course she is gonna get a whole wardrobe change!” He winked towards me before walking towards the cockpit and Sylas followed him. Valerie and Zayn finished up their game and Valerie left to grab something. An awkward silence fell which was painful, I couldn’t stop thinking about what to say and decided to ask the first question that came into my mind.

“So um… How come you decided to become a pirate?” 

“To leave my home planet, hope I can somehow escape the female gaze” He didn’t elaborate more and I stayed silent, swallowing harshly. 

“What about you?” 

“I couldn’t do what was expected of me. I want more out of life…” 

“So do most of us.” A smile of approval appeared on his lips and Valerie returned with cans of soda. 

“I hope strawberry works.” She handed a can to Zayn and for me as well then sat down right before the ship lifted off. Valerie almost chugged all of it before putting it down on the table in front of her before placing her feet on the table. She let out a satisfied sigh. 

“Are you gonna join us and hit the club Dahlia?” 

“I guess, haven’t been out partying a lot actually”

“No? I thought you Tuners were all about partying! The news is also just about gossip. Living there must have been amazing. Not needing to worry about something so simple as relationships. You guys are all about loving everyone.” She leaned further back and seemed to be dreaming away. I bit my lip, not agreeing with her but didn’t want to start an argument. Death and crimes were common there, but no one wants to talk about it. Drug overdose is especially common just to be able to escape the pressure of being a talent who can be replaced the next day. So I finished my drink in silence as I continued to scroll through social media. Pictures after pictures that no longer held any meaning. 

Days later, we arrived back at Peclite, where we recently just looted the cargo ship. However, the ship was no longer in sight. As I was looking out from the window I was expecting to see a luxurious building in white and blue with lots of greens surrounding it. But we arrived at the entertainment district. It still looked more modern and clean compared to the usual places in Sadotune. 

“Alright guys, me and Dahlia are gonna go and burn some money on clothes. You go ahead and do whatever. But be back at the ship by midnight. We have to leave early in the morning for a new job!” Everyone nodded and agreed and soon all of us split up. I followed after Tristen, hoping I wouldn’t get lost. I had never actually been to Peclite before, humans always looked down on us tuners. 

“So tell me, what kind of style are you looking for? Valerie loves black and chains. Zayn is a bit more colourful, changing from more nature-inspired looks to neon ones as well.” 

“Well…” It was hard to pick right away. There were many different kinds of clothing I wanted to try out but considering my current conditions it can’t be too elegant since who knows what could happen in pirate life...

“Let’s take a look around first, I haven’t been shopping for ages! And it’s usually my mother who picked it out for me.” 

“Then how about this, I transfer some money to you, spend it all on clothes, you need it for a while. Then here’s the spare key for the ship. When you’re done dropping everything off on the ship, meet us up at the Court club.” He flashed a smile and patted me on the back before he went off. Sighing, I went to the first store I saw, picking up some practical clothes in black and belts that could hold the whip and tools. I couldn’t hold myself not to buy the pretty ones. After that, I strolled around the shop and the money was soon gone. 

Returning to the ship was a real struggle. Despite being so technologically advanced compared to all the other planets, they still haven’t made up a way to be able to shop for lots of clothes or whatever without having to worry about carrying it somewhere. There wasn’t even a cute boy around or girl who offered a hand to carry some of it… It had also gotten pretty dark and I entered the ship, closing it behind me before going to my small room. I tried to fold all the clothes into the small closet but some had to be in their bags in front of the closet. Thinking about dressing up to go clubbing I tried to come up with what to wear. I quickly checked my phone and saw a few messages that they ended up going to another club. Angelic love or something. I felt a lump in my stomach. I didn’t know where the clubs were in this district and following maps was not my strength. So I decided to stay on the ship instead. 

I continued to organize all the different clothes I bought and I ended up buying some makeup as well. I was experimenting a bit and suddenly someone was calling me. I quickly picked it up. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dahlia. It’s me Tristen. Did everything go well with shopping?”

“Yeah, just came back. unpacking a bit right now.” 

“Great, just wanted to make sure you’re doing okay. I just wanted to let you know we are at the Angelic dust club currently. Do you know the way? I can send Zayn to pick you up if you’re unsure.” Biting my lip I felt my heart rushing. 

“Oh, that’s not necessary… I feel kind of tired after shopping so I think I’ll stay behind.” He didn’t say anything. The longer he didn’t say anything, the more it made me nervous. I was about to further explain myself which is when he spoke up. 

“Alright. Then go ahead and rest. We’ll be back later. Take care.” Then he hung up. Suddenly I felt extremely guilty. I don’t even know why I cancelled. Having Zayn coming to get me would have solved my problem of getting lost. But I just didn’t want to be a burden. But now I lost an opportunity to get to know them better… 

Finishing up organizing I laid in bed and just scrolled through different socials and stumbled upon some news from the sweet and spicy club. There were pictures of Sarova and then Meiji. My eyes quickly fell on the caption. 

“Our dear dancer Sarova, performed by Meiji won’t be at the club anymore. She has now been bought off by Mr Wade, who is a producer-” I felt how disappointment ran through me. The man who… Dabbled in dangerous drugs… Almost hurt Meiji. Is now the owner of him? I didn’t know what to say… It felt wrong. The unconscious dream about being together with Meiji shattered. I thought I could save him but I just left him there. In the pictures, he did seem happy too...

I got up to grab a glass of water before trying to sleep, no matter how early it was. I suddenly heard the door open but it was too late to hide. I stayed in the kitchen and tried to at least look okay. But they didn’t come into the kitchen. I could hear Tristen and Sylas talking to each other. 

“Come on, I can’t carry you Tristen. At least try dammit.” 

“Nooo, too tired..” 

“You’ll sleep when you get to bed.” Eventually, they arrived at their bedroom and the sound of whining was heard at first then loving whispers. I didn’t want to invade their privacy so I thought I would sneak into my room quickly. As I did, I saw Sylas going out from the room and closing it behind him. Our eyes met but they didn’t hold the same coldness. 

“Oh, ahaha. Is he a difficult drunk?” I tried to fill up the silence quickly with some nervous laughter. He nodded then sighed. 

“He promised he would watch out tonight but I know he never does. So it’s couch time for me.” 

“How so?”

“Either he climbs into my bed naked. Or, he pukes everywhere and then the room stinks. I don’t want to take any chances.” 

“Fair point.” We laughed a little before he moved towards the kitchen and offered to make something to eat. I sat down at the table as he began to make something simple, like scrambled eggs. 

“How come you weren’t at the club? Valerie did mention you aren’t a big party girl.”

“Very ironic… A tuner who doesn’t like to party.” Sighing, I placed my chin into my palm. 

“Such as a human from Peclite having emotions.” He turned around and placed the pan in the middle of the table, taking two plates before sitting down in front of me. 

“But care to tell me?” I took a deep breath before deciding to tell him. 

“I… Don’t know… I think it didn’t feel right to go. Something felt wrong.” The thoughts about Meiji came up as I said it and I felt sick. 

“You okay?” Sylas seemed a bit worried and I just shook my head. 

“What do you think about… Being owned by someone else?” He seemed surprised but then he thought through the question. 

“Well… I know I wouldn’t like to. Back at Peclite, I was always ordered around and I remember how much I hated it. Trying to control me, trying to fit me into a mould…” His eyes were filled with hatred as he explained it but then it disappeared when he turned his attention towards me. 

“How so?” 

“No, it’s just… My crush has suddenly got into a relationship like that. Sure it’s common on Sadotune but… I hoped he and I…”

“Did you want to own him?” I bit my lip, images flashing by. I didn’t know if I was supposed to feel sick or not. 

“Maybe… I’m not sure. I’m more of a candidate to be owned. Not being an owner. He probably wouldn’t be satisfied with me.” Sylas just shook his head and placed a hand on my shoulder. 

“Then he isn’t for you. You can be anyone you want. Doesn’t matter your appearance or who society thinks you fit. You’re a pirate now, like it or not. We, pirates, aren’t bound to anything. We can sail wherever we want to. We are criminals in the eyes of the law. But even we have some rules to follow. Except if you are the king or queen of pirates.” The last sentence caught my attention but he didn’t explain it further. Instead, we ate up and I returned to my room since he decided to plan out the next morning. But what he said did make me feel better. I can be whoever I want to be.