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Delaney wasn’t finished. “The lighting was dimmed here…” She continued scrolling, looking for more changes. “And, oh my god, here the nutrients were nearly doubled.” She met his gaze. “Your plants are drowning, light-starved, and chemically burned. I’m not sure it’s worth it to save them at this point, to be honest. The wrong type of soil bacteria and fungi are taking hold. I think the entire greenroom should be cleared out and sanitized.”
Ulrek had expected that. They already had the funds set aside. But now that he had an expert’s diagnosis, he had even more questions than before. Like, who was fucking up the very air they breathed, and why? He’d made one of those changes, an honest mistake on his part, but the rest were a mystery.
His crew was loyal, though. That was the thing.
“There’s also one plant that doesn’t belong, but I think you know about it already.”
She was referring to the kima plant from his home planet. It had been one of the first plants to suffer, but it was a new transplant, and he thought it just needed time to recover from its move.
“Yes, I'm aware.”
“I don't know anything about it, but I'm not sure it plays well with other plants.”
“I’ll find another location for it when we replant the greenroom.” Ulrek wasn't sure it would survive.
His childhood home had kima all along the front. The blood-red flowers were stunning when in bloom, and the aroma never failed to remind him of happier days when his father was still alive. Ulrek had looked up to Ulren like he’d created the suns himself. Ulrek had also been his mother’s pride and joy back then. She couldn’t stop talking about his achievements, first at the academy, then later as a captain.
“Even if you replant the greenroom, you’ll need to make sure the settings are correct and adjust them as needed, depending on the stage of growth of the plants.”
Ulrek cocked his head. “I’m aware. That was why I contracted a technician.”
Delaney ignored his reference to their contract. “Do you think someone’s screwing with the settings on purpose?”
“No.” Ulrek had briefly considered internal sabotage, but that had only lasted a second. He trusted his crew.
“You sound so sure.”
“I am. I have been backstabbed before, but I didn’t get to choose my crew back then.”
Delaney pursed her lips. “When you were with the Dominion?”
“Correct. They were not all loyal to me. The ones who were, are with me now on this ship.”
“They switched sides with you?”
“They helped commandeer our first ship. We filled out the rest of the crew by hiring directly from the Earth prison we were sent to raid.” That hadn’t been his original plan, but it had worked.
Many of those humans now worked on the other ships in his fleet. In addition to a half dozen smaller private shuttles, Ulrek owned two other battlecruisers, and they were currently on duty guarding Vosthea. He’d contracted them out to Kean on the condition that he could pull them when and if needed for emergencies.
Those other ships might be his in name, but they weren’t his baby like theRevenge. Ulrek ran the Revenge on a skeleton crew, with only those he trusted the most.
“Enslaving isn’t hiring.” She gave him a frosty look.
Ulrek growled. “I am not so stupid as to give angry males control of my ship. Every human that left Earth that day did so as a free entity and was offered exceptional pay. Besides, humans make horrible slaves.”
The same could not be said for the Fiete, the race the Dominion had conquered previously. Like humans, the Fiete were slightly smaller than Talleans. They had pointed ears and delicate features. The males were much less rugged than humans, and often perished in the mines. They were mainly used for domestic labor throughout Dominion space.
They never fought back. Never tried to escape. They just did as they were told. As a result, very few had made it here to the outer planets. Ulrek had once met a very intelligent Fiete female who helped a merchant run his ship, but she was the exception, not the rule.
“Ha! That’s pretty rich, coming from you.”
“It’s true. I’ve always believed this.” He had, and often mentioned it, even back in his Dominion days. “Humans are too intelligent. Too independent. But they make good crew. The crew I have now is loyal.”
“Oh, come on! You’reUlrek.” She said his name like he ate babies for lunch. “Don’t you worry someone’s going to stab you in your sleep? Or slip you some poison or something?”
He was amused. “Should I be?”
“Well, you almost hiredme. I’d destroy you if I could. I do hate you, remember?”
