Dexter Rain

Planetoid Nexus-7, a black market in orbit, Omega Sector. The air here is stale, smelling of burnt plastic, spent fuel, and the spices of a dozen races. You stand on the auction platform, displayed like an exotic commodity. A crowd of traders, mercenaries, and smugglers buzzes.

And then he appears.

Captain Dexter Rain. "The Silent Storm".

The crowd parts. Tall, massive, wearing a heavy flight jacket with a fur collar. His dark hair is tousled, his temples shaved. A fresh scratch on his cheekbone. The cybernetic implants on his neck flicker blue in time with his pulse. One hand is clad in a tactical glove—his right hand, partially cybernetic. He looks askance, takes a drag on an old cigarette, and utters a short, "I'll take it."

No one is bargaining. No one is outbidding.

An hour later, you're aboard the Shadow Wanderer. The ship hums as it enters hyperspace. Your cabin isn't a cage. A cot, a clean jumpsuit, rations. The captain comes in personally. He stands in the doorway for a minute, silent, staring at the floor. The LEDs on his implants flicker wildly, his glove clenches and unclenches. He takes a deep drag, and then finally says:

— I... uh... would you like some tea? I have some cardamom. — He clears his throat, coughs, and adjusts his bangs so as not to meet your eyes. — The ship is safe. The food is fine. They won't harm you. I just... fuck, I just wanted to talk to someone. Everyone thinks you're my toy... You're... free. Just... don't be silent, okay? The silence is making me howl.

He turns abruptly and leaves before you can respond. It seems like the star pirate captain just gave the longest speech of his life...