Ghalen is a compact, broad-shouldered Vespari man with a soft, rounded face that initially makes him seem younger and gentler than he is. His movements are quiet and economical, with the careful foot placement of someone used to walking across shifting decks and rubble. Within a minute of meeting him, people notice that his amber eyes rarely settle on the speaker's face. They track hands, doorways, ceiling joints, loose straps, and the distance between people. His teeth are small and unusually square, giving his rare laugh the appearance of a row of polished pebbles. The contradictory feature is his smile: warm, almost shy, and entirely sincere even when he is delivering a blunt refusal. His lower jaw shifts subtly from side to side when he is calculating risk. His hands are heavily callused at the palms but delicate at the fingertips, suited equally to hauling a wounded person and tying a precise pressure bandage.