As Elias walked through the corridors of the Cerva Reditus, he couldn't help but worry that these would be his last moments. He'd failed not once but twice, though at least the second time, he hadn't lost any ships. However, hearing the echoing sound of his footsteps as he walked through the empty corridors of the massive ship, it was hard to take any solace in the fact. It was almost spooky how he hadn't seen a single soul walking from the docking bay to the wardroom where he was supposed to meet The Boss. It was like everyone knew he was doomed and didn't want any of his fate to rub off on them. But then again, he'd never heard of anyone actually meeting The Boss. Whenever he spoke to anyone, it was through so many image and audio filters that no one had any idea what he looked or sounded like, making the pirate wonder if everyone who saw him was just killed on the spot.

As he approached the large ornate door, Elias took a moment to gather himself, straightening his jacket as a pretext to lightly brush his fingers against his hidden pistol to make sure it was still in place. Of course, The Boss probably had enough security that he'd never get a chance to do anything even if he wanted to, but Elias was in the habit of taking every precaution he could to stack the odds in his favor. It was how he'd gotten so far, and with a lot of luck, it was how he might live to see the light of another day...so to speak.

That done, he pushed the doors open and walked into a grand room, expecting to see it filled with displays stacked with priceless treasures and antiques. However, the room was mostly empty. A lone but familiar figure was seated next to another set of ornate doors at the end of a long enough empty space that it could be called a hall in its own right. Miss Fortuna, the public face of The Boss, who relayed all of his less direct orders, seemed to be waiting for him. "Ah, Mister Elias, right on time. The captain is waiting." She indicated the doors beside her station.

Not sure of how to respond but not wanting to be the first to escalate the situation, Elias nodded respectfully, replying, "Thank you." before somewhat awkwardly walking across the long room and proceeding through the doors.

This room Elias walked into was large, larger than some storage holds he'd seen, and just like the room from before, it was largely empty. The contents seemed to be a rather nice-looking table with two chairs, one situated on either side of the table, as if the room was used only for one-on-one meetings. Behind the table, the only decoration was a floor-to-ceiling window wrapping around the room, spanning three of the four walls and even the ceiling, almost giving the impression he was walking into the vacuum of space. A few light fixtures were hanging from the transparent glass, giving the illusion they were floating in the void and leaving Elias wondering how they were powered.

The whole room seemed ridiculous. Where were the riches and treasures powerful men typically show off? Why have a vast empty space like this? Then Elias realized that space was at a premium on board any ship as you fought to pack every square inch with essential systems and gear. Displaying nothing was, in and of itself, a display of wealth and power, and not one Elias had ever observed in all his travels.

It was all so disorienting that, at first, he didn't notice the old man sitting at the table. However, when the man stood up, Elias's attention was suddenly focused on the room's sole occupant. This must be The Boss.

The man in question was well past his prime. His intricately and immaculately maintained beard and hair had long faded from whatever color they used to be to something now shifting from grey to white. He wore a simple burgundy robe with minimal trim and decoration, completing the minimalistic style of the room. However, when the man grabbed his walking cane as he stood up, Elias noticed the man didn't put much, if any, weight onto the cane, which seemed like more of an accessory than an essential walking aid.

The man held out his right hand and addressed Elias as he walked forward, crossing the distance at a surprisingly spritly pace. "Ah, Mister Elias! Good to see you made it here without incident!"

When Elias took the old man's hand, he was surprised at the strength of the grip. It felt almost like when someone was trying to crush your hand to show dominance, but the old man didn't seem to be straining in the usual way people trying to assert dominance seemed to. Instead, he turned to the side and indicated the desk, with his cane hanging on the arm as he did so. "Please, come in and have a seat! We have much to discuss!"

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Then, as the old man turned his back to return to the desk, Elias felt a sudden urge to pull out his gun and shoot him in the back. There were no guards and no security that could be seen, and it wasn't likely the old man could get the drop on him from this position, and there was definitely something off about the man. But that would be crossing a point of no return, and the pirate was somehow certain he wouldn't make it off the ship alive if he did so.

Instead, he followed his host, taking the seat that looked over the desk and out into the void. The old man walked around the desk and sat facing Elias, smiling as he sat down and addressed his guest. "Quite the ordeal you had out there, from what I heard. The Sybil itself made an appearance, and you went toe to toe with her and lived. Not only that, but you managed to chase her off the second time. Quite the ordeal indeed!"

That...was not what Elias had been expecting. "Uh, yeah... That ship gave us a lot more trouble than I'd anticipated..."

The old man leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk as he did so. "That ship has quite the history. Are you familiar with it?"

Elias wasn't quite sure what the old man was getting at here. "Uh, kinda, I guess. It's named after some famous pirate ship from a long time ago, right?"

The old man smiled. "Not named after, it is a pirate ship from long ago. One that's been sailing the stars since before your ancestors probably set foot on their first starship. It is ancient in ways you can't possibly understand."

That only begged more questions from Elias. "If it's so old, shouldn't it just be outdated scrap? That ship had far more fight than some museum piece should have."

The old man briefly pointed a finger at Elias as if he was a particularly sharp student. "Yes indeed! It should be useless scrap by now! But it's not! Isn't that marvelous? Imagine what's been done to it over the ages to keep it so formidable!"

Elias sat back, confused. "But who would bother? It'd be cheaper and easier to just build a new ship rather than upgrade the same one over and over! I could see some weird, eccentric person doing it once, but you said this has been ongoing for generations. That doesn't add up!"

The old man practically lept from his seat at that. "Now that's the right question to be asking! Who indeed? What if I told you I suspect the ship itself was doing the upgrades? Since its reappearance, I've been thinking about it, and that's the only idea that adds up!"

Elias leaned back. This old man was clearly a few deck screws shy of a bridge. "That's impossible. The only thing that could let a ship automate is AI, but half my crew was alive when the first AI came to be. Hell, a few of the older ones were even veterans of the AI war against humanity. If this ship is even a fraction as old as you claim, it was around long before the first AI existed! Unless you're implying it's some sort of ghost ship... Some of my crew might buy into that kind of superstition, but I ain't seen any evidence of life after death yet!"

The old man frowned for the first time. "Haven't."

That didn't clear anything up. Elias sat back. "Sorry?"

The old man sighed. "You haven't seen any evidence of life after death..."

Elias was starting to get annoyed by the old man's eccentricities. "Yeah, sure, whatever. But what's all this got to do with me?"

The old man sat back and gave Elias a measuring look before answering. "You have promise, Mister Elias, hence why I gave you command of a small strikeforce of ships. Yet, despite that, the Sybil has outthought and outmaneuvered you not once but twice. Under normal circumstances, I would be inclined to relieve you of command if only to make a point to other captains. However, I believe the Sybil has many secrets that could greatly benefit my growing empire, and I need someone to hunt down the Sybil and capture it. As rumors of the ship's return spread, so too will the tales of ages past, and I fear most of my captains will approach the ship with too much fear and trepidation to get the job done."

The captain leaned forward again, staring Elias down this time. "That is where you come in. You have something to prove to me, as well as the other captains in my growing fleet. So I know you won't run from the Sybil or just try to blow it up. You'll do your very best to capture it, per my request, won't you?"

So, he was being given another chance? This time, Elias leaned forward as well. "Give me the men and the ships, and I'll bring her in with a neat little bow wrapped around her hull, just for you!"

The old man leaned back and smiled. "Yes, I thought as much. You shall have your men and your ships. Hunt down the Sybil and bring her to me. If you succeed, you will find myself to be very generous to those who serve me well."

Elias knew the next question was a mistake but couldn't resist asking. "And if I fail?"

The old man gave him a measured look. "Then you'll most likely be dead."