And you could have knocked me over with a feather, ten minutes in, I learn that my Commander isn’t a part of the Silver military at all. He’s a “PIRATE!” I shout the word in English because it’s so ridiculous. And he isn’t just any pirate, but a notorious pirate that’s so famous he’s mentioned as an example of the kind of pirates that exist outside the social hierarchy of the Silvers. Apparently, the Silver government puts up with him because they have to. He is too powerful for them to stop his illegal activities in the sector.

“So yeah,” I say to myself. “I’m on a pirate ship.” And then it all starts making sense, why the farmers would have let him die in the transport accident and why they said if he dies, I die and what they were probably really saying, but my language was too bad at the time was, ‘If he dies, we all die.’

I unpause the cultural program and continue learning, fascinated by this new information. I find out that the Silvers are considered a mid-range civilization in terms of economy and military in the galaxy and are most respected for their honesty and kindness. This surprises me, and then I’m surprised even more when they mention the Commander and mention that his fleet is so powerful because he treats people with honesty and kindness. And some even speculate that he would’ve been a great man in Silver society had the government not changed. Fully engrossed, I say out loud, “What do you mean? What government changes?”

I then search my computer programs for the Silver history. I need to know how the government changed that made the Commander become a pirate. Still, I’ve no access to anything historical that isn’t just a sentence explaining a cultural practice, so after an hour, I give up looking. I assume my Commander is purposely keeping this information from me as he is the one who sets my culture and language programs.

I stare at the screen, taking all of this in. Finally, I look at the baby announcement again. I double-check the message I’ve drafted with my language program and send what I assume to be the appropriate gift from the Commander, a high-ranking pirate. Why people would be sending him birth announcements is a mystery to me. All I can think is perhaps they’re pirates now turned farmers.

For the first time since I moved to this side of the galaxy, I wish I could tell people back home, ‘Yes, I have this great new job. I’m a personal assistant to a galactic pirate with two penises but don’t worry, he’s known for being kind and honest.’ I smile at the thought.

Then, I move on to the next message. Now I see it isn’t just a gift; it’s a bribe. I draft an acknowledgment that is neither cold nor friendly and run it through my language program to ensure I’ve made no mistakes. I’ve managed to pick up the written language faster than I thought possible, but then again, I’ve been surrounded by it with nothing else to do for months now, and I don’t think Silver brains are that different from human ones.