July 25th

If there was a word to describe Harry, it would be an enigma. Other than him being a rude and obnoxious jerk, I knew nothing about him. As far as I knew, he had no past. He never wanted to spend bonding time with us, despite our numerous attempts. The only person he tolerated was Gruma. He didn't hate Malgorth since the latter was practically a non-entity on this ship since he spent most of the time to himself in his room.

I walked down to the training room and saw him watching Gruma. I strolled up to him and asked, “Watching her training?”

“No. I’m watching her. One of the most beautiful women in the galaxy. I have to say that you did one good thing in my life,” Harry said as he continued to watch her. I decided to join in. Gruma continued to hit the dummy with a wooden staff, representing her laser poleaxe. She continued to whack it until its head flew off. She walked over to another dummy and started over.

“I can see why you’re into her. She’s the only woman who looks humanoid enough within hundreds of lightyears,” I said as I sat down in a nearby chair. I pulled out the extra SAD that I had. When Zalex left us, he made sure to give us a decent number of credits along with the SAD he borrowed. I held it out and asked, “Do you want this?”

Harry shook his head. “No. One of the perks of being a cyborg is that I’m naturally integrated into the SAD system. However, there is one downside, though.” He held out one of his robotic hands and turned it into a small projector. His downside was displayed:

Mostly Robotic Cyborg: Not completely mechanical, but almost there. The lingering of your biological brain gives you free will and sapience. However, due to most of your body being machine, you cannot exercise psionic powers. Psionic: Disabled (Due to Status: Mostly Robotic Cyborg)

“How did Gruma hold you down on that moon? You're mostly machine, so you shouldn't have gotten tired,” I asked as it didn’t seem to make sense.

“I was running low on my charge since Zalex electrocuted me. Add that to the shock of being tackled and you can see how it happened,” he explained. “Your noted strengths only describe what you are able to do at full strength. Think about how dexterous you would be if you were exhausted. Fortunately for me, I’m immune to human limits such as stamina.”

“That brings to mind a question I’ve been meaning to ask. What does it feel like to be a cyborg? I mean, you never have to eat or drink water. All you have to do is recharge to get energy. You are far stronger than all of us and are practically immortal. Other than missing out on psionics, is there anything negative?” I asked as I prepared myself to get screamed at. Instead, I heard a modulated sigh.

“Sadly, being a cyborg is not all sunshine and roses. The pleasures of life aren’t so pleasurable when you are mostly machine. I have forgotten the taste of food or water. For all the simulated drinking I do, it can never compare with the real deal. Enjoyment is hard to come by when you process things faster than others. Movies are unbearable since they last far longer for me than for you. The worst part is that I cannot survive on Gruma’s home world. Without electricity, I’ll die.” He looked at her with longing.

I tapped my foot against the floor as I brainstormed. Scarlett was trying to regain her humanity. Perhaps I could also get Harry to regain his humanity. With him, it was possible to change the modifications to allow more biological functions without sacrificing the cybernetic enhancements that he had. Of course, I would need to find out more about how cyborgs functioned.

“Do you know of anyone who deals with cybernetics? I think we can take some diversions to replace your mechanical parts with biological-mechanical fusions. Biomechanical, if you will. That way, you could eat food to recharge your internal battery and enjoy alcohol the way it was intended,” I said as I pulled out my notebook. I wrote down my new goals.

“No. While I’d appreciate it, I understand that my case isn’t as urgent as your ‘friend.’ I can survive like this.” He looked back at Gruma and smiled as she punched the head off the dummy.

“It’s no trouble. To be honest, it’s probably easier to make you more biological than to humanify Scarlett. You still have remnants of your human DNA on your face. In contrast, every inch of her body has changed. You probably also implement technology engineered by friendlier civilizations such as the Tellos Republic. Meanwhile, the secret to her existence is in Qarri territory,” I explained as I got up. Harry nodded at me before refocusing on his girlfriend.

I got up from my seat and walked over to Gruma. “Hey Gruma. I have some questions. Would you be willing to answer them?”

“Depends,” she replied as she started using the punching bag, “if you’re up to no good, I’ll beat you up.”

“Fair enough,” I said as I pulled out my notebook again. “Let’s start with some simple questions. How old are you?” They say to never ask a woman her age. I may strike a chord with her, but honestly, it’s an important thing to know.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Fifteen,” she answered. A chill ran through me as I felt disgusted with myself. Before she and Harry started dating, I thought she was somewhat attractive. While tall and muscular wasn’t my type, she was still the most humanoid person on this ship. Now with the revelation that she was a teenager, I wanted to puke.

“I’m twenty-four,” I replied as I ran over to a nearby trash can. I dry-hurled into it.

“You’re old! I thought you were my age,” she replied as she kept punching the bags. I stopped trying to vomit as I heard her call me old. Perhaps aging works differently with Taraxians. If not, I’ll return to gagging.

“What is the age of adulthood on Besmen? When are Taraxians adults?” I asked as I put my pencil against the notebook.

“Twelve. At twelve years old, we’re adults.”

I wrote down what she said. “Fascinating. Humans are considered adults when they turn eighteen, but it takes until their twenties for their frontal lobes to fully develop. We also tend to live into our eighties,” I replied as the new information threw one of my theories for a loop. While it was still possible, the probability decreased.

“Humans live a long time. Us Taraxians die in our sixties if we’re lucky. Our world is a brutal one, but it’s one I understand. My mind has issues understanding this place.” She grunted as she punched a hole straight through the punching bag. “I’m a stupid woman! Everyone on this ship is smarter than me! I just want to go back home where I belong!”

“I feel you. While I appreciate the marvels of the galaxy, I feel utterly lonely. I only have two friends here, neither of which are the same species as me. I miss my family. My father and mother are probably worried sick about me. While I joke that my older and younger brothers will be overjoyed, I know the two of them are just as worried. If nothing else, that’s one of the reasons I fight on. You probably feel the same,” I said as I looked at my family picture on my phone.

“Yes,” she simply replied.

I need to pry more information from her. I walked up to a punching bag and started punching it. “Am I doing this right?” I asked as continued punching it.

“No. Your posture is bad,” she said as she walked up to me. She moved my legs apart and moved my fists into position. “Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, with your left foot ahead of your right one. Slightly bend your knees. Balance yourself. Focus on delivering quick jabs.” She grabbed my fists and moved my thumbs. “Keep your thumbs here so you don’t break them. Now hit the punching bag with a quick punch.”

I did as she said and noticed that the punch, while weaker, didn’t exhaust me as much as when I put my full effort into it. Overall, in videogame terms, my DPS was higher with these jabs than my unfocused punches. I knew punches to the head were still more impactful, but these jabs were good for giving me an opening.

As she walked back to her training, I continued my practice. When she stopped looking, I walked out of the training room and into the lounge.

The lounge resembled any from a typical movie scene. The only thing missing was the cigarette smoke. I saw Malgorth sitting in the corner with a bottle of alcohol. I don’t ever want to see another alcoholic beverage in my life. If I was sober that night, I wouldn’t be here.

“Hey man. Want to play some pool? It’s, like, a great game or something,” he asked me. He must be exaggerating his fake accent on purpose. I don’t believe for a second that he just somehow learned English.

“I’m sorry. I’m not interested in playing games at the moment.” I shook my head. I pulled out my notebook and wrote down his name. “I decided to get to know our crewmates. It’ll help us bond together. We have an issue of conflicting personalities and attitudes. Scarlett was almost murdered by Gruma over a month ago. Harry keeps insulting me and tries to undermine my authority. To be honest, I’m trying to avoid you getting involved in fights.”

“Don’t worry, man. I’m chill,” he said as he leaned back in his chair.

“I hope you’re telling the truth. I don’t think Scarlet likes you,” I replied.

“I don’t know, man. That little foxlike creature is hard to get on the good side of. It’s totally lame. Why is she mad at me?” he replied as he stood up and tossed the beer bottle into a trash can. I had a fair idea of why.

“I have no idea,” I lied as I wrote down about his annoying voice. “Now tell me, what do you want in life? There’s surely something you want.”

“I want to live the rest of my days in luxury,” Malgorth replied as he grabbed another beer bottle. He took off the cork and started chugging it down. I swear, if you get alcohol poisoning, I’m not saving you! Once the bottle was empty, he tossed it. “Bucks, booze, and boobs are what I want! Treasure hunting is a means to an end. I’d hoped to win it big back on Aria Station, but I was mistaken. I’m just waiting for my lucky break. Once I get that, I’ll retire somewhere and finally enjoy life.”

Hedonism. It’s a philosophy I disagree with. I, personally, want to change the world for the better. Even if I hit it big, I’ll keep working to build a better tomorrow. I can’t say it’s purely selfless. I tend to get really bored living a monotonous life of gaming. However, for other people, living by fun and pleasure is good enough for them. Even though Malgorth seems to have some self-destructive habits, he’s not hurting others. I’d rather have him leave unceremoniously once he gets us a profitable haul than keep him against his will. I don’t think we could afford the alcohol bill.

Malgorth was about to open another bottle of alcohol when I cleared my throat. It got his attention. “Save it for another day. If you drink all of it, we’ll have to wait two months until we get a new crate. We barely have enough for you and Harry. Scarlett and I agreed to remain sober in order to save it for you.” More like both of us aren’t drinking anytime soon. I don’t know her reason, but mine is obvious.

“Fine,” he said as he put away the bottle. He slouched in his chair and sighed. “This ship is, like, totally bogus without it.”

“Thank you. Now then, let’s discuss family.”

“I have none,” he said with a flat expression. “I was raised in some kind of orphanage. Completely lame, but it’s the past now. I have no bonds tying me down. I’m as free as a man can be.” I walked out of the room, having gotten a clearer picture of him.

Malgorth is a man with infinite freedom to do whatever he pleases. He has no friends, no family, no commitments, and a desire for a life of pleasures. If he achieves his goals, it would be a life many would dream of. But I still have to wonder if it would get boring. Especially considering how I want to return home to reunite with my family. I can live a better life among the stars, but it would feel empty without those who care for me.

Mom, Dad, Carl, and Will, I’m coming back home for you. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, I will bring your daughter back. Those are promises I intend to keep!