Page 21

Chris flies back against the bulkhead, and one of his teeth pings out of his mouth and bounces across the metal deck. That instantly shuts him up.

It gives me some small satisfaction to see Chris disciplined – but it also fills me with rage. He’s still part of my crew.

“Don’t touch them!” I yell out – but I’m completely ignored. Instead, the guard looks up at Captain Aelon for orders.

Captain Aelon steps forward, in front of Chris and the other members of my crew. Only Sawoot is absent – presumably kept in a part of the brig designated for women.

Out of the five of them, Theme is the only one who looks contrite. In fact, he looks like he’s about to cry. Only four of my crew tried to rebel, but Theme will be painted by the same brush; and punished accordingly.

Captain Aeon’s voice is a chilling drawl.

“You assaulted my crew as they brought you fresh supplies.”

There’s a sudden hiss as Theme releases his bladder on the floor. I wrinkle my nose at the sharp, ammonia stench of piss. Poor Theme looks down, staring at the puddle spreading between his feet, both scared and humiliated.

Despite my annoyance with him, I feel an instinctive sense of protectiveness towards Theme. It was the four men of my mining crew who’d orchestrated this attempted break-out – and I know Chris was their ringleader. Poor Theme just got dragged into it.

Thankfully, Sawoot was absent from all this – because that little spitfire would have been the only one of my crew to present arealthreat to the Aurelians. We’re just lucky Aelon’s crew are chauvinistic enough to keep male and female prisoners segregated.

My mining crew are roughnecks, and they’re not above extending their skills and training beyond drilling and boring. In fact, they’ve turned our mining beams towards the cargo holds of tempting ships more than a few times.

We don’t do illegal jobs too often – and our bread and butter remains standard mining jobs – but there’s a certain element to my crew that explains their…open-mindednessto lawbreaking.

Out in the cold of space? Mining attracts a rough crowd. When you’re a crew on a rickety ship like the Wayward Scythe? Rough doesn’t even begin to describe it. Chris and the other three miners knew what they were getting themselves into, and I’m confident they can handle whatever punishment Captain Aelon metes out.

But Theme? He won’t last.

Felix, the second in command of my mining crew, is a tough fellow in his mid-thirties. He’s been mining since he was twelve, and has a steady head on his shoulders – steadier than Chris, at least.

He steps forward – asserting more authority than Chris by doing so – and addresses Captain Aelon.

“With all due respect – we’re facing forty years in prison. We’re dead men if we stay on this ship. You can’t blame us for trying to escape.”

Captain Aelon snorts humorlessly.

“Aye – and any caged beast will try to escape. It’s only nature.” Then his cold, slate-grey eyes narrow. “However, you hurt one of my men. Youwillbe punished.”

Theme drops to his hands and knees. He doesn’t even notice he’s kneeling in his own piss, he’s so terrified. His face is pale white, like that of a corpse.

“Please,” he begs. “Please – I didn’t have anything to do with this!”

The other four miners are glaring at him. They were contemptuous when Theme failed to assault the Aurelians alongside him, and now they’re disgusted by his cowardice.

So, too, is Captain Aelon.

“Stand up!”

Aelon’s voice shudders through the room, resonating with a powerful echo. Theme stands up instantly, seemingly astonished that he can manage to raise himself on his shaking legs.

Yet Aelon has a voice that cannot be refused. As cocky, arrogant and preening as the Aurelian commander is – there’s no denying his natural aura of command.

Aelon observes the five men, placing his hands behind his back.

“I’m an understanding man, if not a sympathetic one. Because I understand your motivations for your foolish actions, I’ll give you the choice. Twenty lashes, or to be thrown out of the airlock.”

The men gasp. My stomach churns.

I’d hoped Aelon would be merciful. Far from it.