The lighting in the room was dimmer when I woke up next, likely signifying that the ship was on its night cycle, but I had no way to tell how much time had passed. There was no sign of Hailey, and I still felt far too weak to look for her. That also assumed I was allowed to access the rest of the ship.

I was left alone with my thoughts. There were still many things I didn't know about this situation, so much that didn't add up. Hailey didn't seem to have the answers either. She was just a passenger going somewhere when whatever happened that forced the ship to stop here. Five hundred years ago, this system wasn't even explored yet by the Itzli. The records I knew of indicated it had only been prospected and settled in the last hundred and fifty years.

Something happened half a millennia ago that forced this ship to wait in an unexplored system. That didn't tell me much, it could be anything from encountering a random stellar phenomenon, like a wormhole, to a complete societal collapse of their nation. This was getting me nowhere. I had no leads on where to go from here or even if I could go anywhere from here. If the last standing orders were to stand by here, it was likely I was stuck here as well.

I looked down from where I was staring at the ceiling as I heard the soft whoosh of air pressure equalizing. Hailey had returned, pushing a large floating tray in front of her loaded with what looked like food. Another casual demonstration of absurd technology. Who ever heard of putting anti-gravity on a meal tray? My stomach told me that it didn't care about miniaturized antigrav tech that would revolutionize the economy, because whatever was on that tray smelled delicious.

Taking a closer look at Hailey, I stared. She was a complete mess, her face was smudged, she had stains all over her dress, and some of her hair looked singed. Showing the first emotion I had seen from her she looked away from me, her cheeks lightly dusted with pink. Was there a malfunction with the food synthesizer? She couldn't have possibly cooked it for me herself.

"Did you... cook that for me?" A silent nod, still looking away from me, was the only reply.

Continuing towards me, refusing to look at me, she tripped, as the floor transitioned from a carpeted path around the room to tiling around the medical beds. The tray went sailing from her grasp.

"No~" her exclamation was so quiet I almost didn't hear it as she desperately reached towards the tray flying towards me. Thankfully, a failsafe kicked in as the tray slowed down and came to rest in front of me, undisturbed.

It was a feast the likes of which I had only seen in ads for restaurants back on the station. There was a dish of noodles in a red sauce with balls of fried meat on top, some green vegetable side dish, and another side of several pieces of toasted bread with a spread that smelled amazing. There was even a tall glass of some sweet and tangy-smelling yellow drink. Lastly, there was a lid on a dish in the corner that I was itching to uncover, but I refrained. If it was covered it was meant to be eaten last, probably.

"This looks amazing, thank you." Grabbing the utensils, I dove right in, barely noticing the returned flush to Hailey's cheeks as a disk rose out of the floor that she sat on beside my bed.

"Thish ish sho good." I had never tasted anything like this before. The noodles were firm, and the sauce was fresh, meaty, and spicy all at the same time. The fried meatballs were just as good, the heavy greasy meat lightened by some herb. I shoved half of a piece of toast in my mouth, and a mellow, pungent flavor exploded across my tongue. Even the vegetables were delicious. For someone who had grown up on seaweed, kelp, and fish on the good days, this was paradise.

Before I realized it, I had cleared the entire tray except for the covered dish. Pulling the lid off, I was greeted by the sight of layers of fluffy cream and long, rounded pastries topped with a layer of dark powder. Taking a careful bite of it, I was introduced to nirvana. Rich, sweet, creamy paradise danced over my tongue. I savored every bite, and when it was gone, I licked the plate clean for good measure.

"That was the best meal I've ever had, thank you, Hailey." A mumbled 'you're welcome' as she stared at her crossed legs was the only response I received. Was she weak to compliments? This was a much different Hailey from the one I talked to before. I thought she was completely emotionless.

"So, um, what now? Who commands this ship? I know you said the last orders received were to stay here, but is there any way around that? Is the Captain or someone who can fly me somewhere available?" I watched as the shy, flustered young woman before me disappeared, and the emotionless one took her place.

"The ship has no crew listed on the manifest."

"I-what- Hold on, you're saying you're the only person on board this ship besides me? and that you're not part of the crew?" It appeared every question I asked only led to more questions. An advanced ship from an unknown nation of humans with only a single girl aboard? I have no idea how to even begin finding the answer to that.

"Correct, you are the only person aboard. There is no crew." So she was a passenger then. Did the crew abandon the ship? No, she said there was no crew listed on the manifest, so it likely never had a crew in the first place. It could be that the ship was automated, that would explain a lot.

"Ok, so then what do we do? There's nobody who has the authority to control the ship, do we just stay here until something breaks we can't fix?" That was an unpleasant thought. Being stuck here for the rest of my life was better than the alternative I'd just escaped, but I'd go insane from boredom if there was nothing to do here.

"No, there is one who can. You."

"Me? How could I possibly be able to command this ship? I've never heard of the SUNS before today, never mind serving in their navy. I doubt the computer would accept a complete unknown like me with no ID, and no training." No nation in existence would be crazy enough to let anyone just walk in and take control of one of their ships.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Emergency Order thirty-one allows for the commissioning of any human in the execution of military orders. The length of time since the last contact with a S.U.N.S-affiliated organization has activated the Emergency Standing Orders. The only other requirement to command this ship is a Class One Neural Interface Lace." A hiss drew my attention as a pillar rose from the floor beside Hailey, emanating a cold mist. A clear cylinder sat on the pillar, containing an intricate lattice of gold threads and purple crystals.

Neural Interface Laces were a relatively common tech. Most Itzli citizens had at least a basic one installed. It was like having a compad in your head. You could do everything from paying your bills to writing a letter or even just opening a door with one. Military class NILs allowed for other benefits ranging from augmented reality overlays to controlling a fighter's systems with your mind. I'd never heard of one being required to control a ship before. Though if the ship was automated I can see how having one might be needed to monitor all the automatic systems. I'd also never seen a NIL that looked quite like this one did. I'd never been able to afford one, but I couldn't resist browsing and dreaming about what I could do with one.

"Alright, I'll do it. There's no reason not to, and you're giving me everything I've ever wanted. I'd be a fool to say no." A small smile broke out on Hailey's face. She must have been worried I'd still say no for some reason.

My bed began to recline, and Hailey grabbed the floating meal tray, pulling it away from me. I watched as above me, the ceiling folded open, and an automated operating theater descended around me. Even though I'd agreed to it, all those arms coming to cut my skull open and put a NIL in my brain were terrifying. There was a hiss as one of the arms injected me with something, and my eyes began to droop. I heard the faint 'fzap' of a sterile field snapping into place, and I remembered something.

"I never told you my name." Hailey cock her head.

"You didn't."

"Don't you want to know what it is?" I heard a hiss, and felt my body relax as I became drowsy.

"I felt that you would tell me when you were ready."

"Well, it's Rama, Rama Hardmod. It's nice to meet you, Hailey." I mumbled out, my mind succumbing to the anesthetic.

"I'll be here when you wake up, Captain Rama."

***

Ti'Zok stomped his feet in frustration on the opulent red and gold bridge of his cruiser. This entire ordeal with the Human had been one fiasco after another. He hadn't minded him avoiding the deal at first, half the fun of a hunt was the chase after all, and he'd proven to be a very elusive prey indeed. Every trap, every bait, and every complication he'd put in the Human's way had been avoided or overcome. Then, instead of rolling over like a good little prey, he'd run. He'd had to chase him to this barren group of rocks.

He'd watched the holotable as the fighters he'd sent after the Human had gone up one after another in balls of fire. The last one had limped back in defeat. He'd thrown the pilot in the brig, for now, he'd decide their punishment for failure later.

Now, he searched fruitlessly for where the human had disappeared to. A second group of fighters had found the wrecked mining craft of Rama, but there had been no trace of the Human himself. Further exploration also discovered a slagged salvage beacon.

"Keep searching! I'm not leaving until I have my prize! He's out there somewhere, and I want him found!" Ti'Zok shoveled a handful of M'noz into his maw, swallowing the still-living fish in a single gulp reveling in the way they wriggled all the down his throat.

"My lord, isn't it likely the Kab ate him? Surely there's no-" The technician's question went unfinished as the whine of a maser pistol firing echoed across the bridge.

"The thought of a mere Kab being the end of That Human is absurd. Or are you saying that someone who could give me so much trouble would fall prey to a mere insect?" The rest of the crew was conspicuously quiet.

"That's what I thought, now keep searching!"

"My lord, there's an incoming message for you." Ti'Zok turned the pistol coming back up again.

"What of it? Are you so incompetent that you do not understand that nothing could be as important as finishing the hunt?!"

"It's from the Guild-Father, my lord." The pistol stopped, and Ti'Zok's skin turned a pale green as the blood left his face.

"I- I'll take it in my office. See to it that I am not disturbed." Turning, he strode past the pair of Kekoan guards and through the ornate double doors of his office as they closed behind him.

The holo-projector in the middle of the large opulent room appointed in red and gold came to life, displaying the form of a truly massive Itzli. Not merely the weight of a gluttonous lifestyle, but also the product of a long life, as Itzli grow as they age until their body collapses under their weight. Ti'Zok prostrated himself before his progenitor.

"Father I am honored by your-"

"Spare me your sycophantic mumbling Ti'Zok, I have no use for it, or you for that matter. Your failure has continued long enough."

"What? No, Father, I can still find the Human just give me-"

"Human? I'm not talking about whatever games you've occupied yourself with, you brainless tadpole. I'm talking about your inability to take control of a single measly sector of Verge space. This conversation, short as it is, has already been most enlightening as to what has occupied your time since I sent you there. I had hoped you would outgrow your juvenile ways and gain a sense of hunger. Instead, I find you playing games and letting your competitors do as they wish, content with their scraps." Ti'Zok remained silent, there was nothing he could say to argue his case.

"I see now you have left me no choice. I have given you every chance I could, but I realize now that I have been too soft with you. Not even the success of your spawn siblings motivated you to improve, and sending you out on your own has only allowed you to fall farther into inadequacy. Your cruiser is being recalled, and one of your spawn siblings will take over your operations. I am sending you to The Monastery. You will be confined to your rooms until you arrive, I suggest you prepare yourself." The image of Ti'Zoks father disappeared, and the heavy steps of the two Kekoan guards echoed throughout the room.

Escorted off the command deck and back to his quarters Ti'Zok felt like he was walking to his execution. Already, all signs of his authority had been stripped from the ship. The holo-banners on the walls and the crew badges now displayed the house emblem instead of his personal crest. Even the color of the chromatic bulkheads had changed from his preferred red and gold to the black and silver of House Zann.

Being sent to The Monastery was the ultimate sign you had failed. A merchant house lord such as he was expected not just to wallow in luxury and decadence but to increase the value of his house, to expand their holdings. He had done neither of those. Ti'Zok had thought himself safe out here, below the notice of his father or the rest of his house.

It wasn't his fault that Human had ensnared him with his wiles. Anyone would have coveted such a rare delicacy. He was just following his instincts as an Itzli, how could they blame him? It was all that human's fault for teasing him, leading him on such a merry chase. If that human had just known his place he would have been able to get back to business and accomplish enough to appease his father. As the doors to Ti'Zok's quarters shut behind him leaving him alone to stew in his failures, his heart burned with vengeance against the one who he saw as to blame for all his problems.

"Rama Hardmod..."