Stress made me hungry. I walked up to the fridge and picked out a meal package randomly. Sadly, it didn’t matter because it was the same food I had for dinner. If my guess was correct, every package was the same. Genna did say she ordered the cheapest pack, but I couldn’t blame her. Especially when I spent most of my allowance on a mask… which I didn’t regret. That baby looked awesome.

Thankfully my coughing stopped. The irritation from yesterday’s walk outside wore off. I wondered what would happen if I had to spend several days outside.

I ate my dinner in silence while thinking about what would have happened if I appeared in space or inside a meteor instead of a ship. On the other hand, what if someone really put me on that ship? But that brought up the questions of why and how? And why me?

I finished my meal and returned to the couch.

I released a bestial yawn with the strangest sound at the end I could manage.

[Oh for fuck’s sake. Why am I tired again? Is there something wrong with me?]

[Ehm… well, I might have gone overboard a bit earlier with the calculations. I think I used your brain’s idle parts a bit too much, but the situation absolutely called for it. I mean, I had to figure out the probabilities of how you got here and-]

[You tired me out? Is this supposed to happen every time now?!] I interrupted her.

[No! No! No! Definitely not! You are still fresh to this and both your body and your brain have to get used to our new symbiosis. I wasn’t supposed to use so much processing power so soon. A couple of days and this will never happen again, trust me,] she tried to explain. [Are you mad at me now?] she asked with regret.

[Nah, you did what you thought to be the best for me as I see it. How could I blame you? It’s just tiredness right?]

[A little rest and you’ll be as good as new!] Her mood brightened immediately when I said that.

[Ah, it feels so… wasteful to sleep all day, but my pillow is seriously calling for me.]

[Is it?] she asked me suspiciously.

[Of course not! I just say that. Please don’t question my sanity every second.]

[I’m sorry, but you are the weird one here and you trigger so many red lights...]

I had to admit she had a valid point there.

[Like the DNA scan with mustache guy?] I asked jokingly thinking of yesterday.

[What do you mean?] she started.

[Forget it.] I immediately knew that I reached into a beehive.

[Aium! What was that?] She wasn’t giving up.

[I think I’ll take a steamer… steam! I MEANT STEAM! Damn it!] I said annoyedly.

[Aium?!] she was getting impatient since her voice sounded louder than usual this time.

[Fiiiiiine! The DNA scanner in mustache guy’s office blinked red after taking my blood, but the guy said everything was fine.] I came clean in the end.

[Hmm, nothing on your file stands out, but then again your situation is unique. He might have seen something and decided to correct it before sending forward your file to me. But why would he do that?] she questioned the facts.

[Genna… you are starting to sound a lot like me,] I said to her.

[... I do. Oh my, you are already affecting me. I need some me time,] she responded with a weak joke. At least I hope that was just a joke.

Anyway, I had a small chuckle at her response.

After that, I took a fast STEAM, used the toilet and the tooth-cleaner. Not at the same time!

[Don’t forget to take the health pill before you go to sleep,] she tried to remind me.

[What pill?] I questioned her.

[Should have explained first. Everyone takes a pill before going to sleep. It’s a general health pill. Other than detoxifying you, it contains necessary vitamins, minerals, strengtheners for your body and a few kinds of nanites. It’s one of the many reasons people can live long and healthy,] she explained.

[Nanites? How can I be sure there aren’t any tracking or mind reading ones in there?] My distrustful side jumped out immediately.

[First of all, mind reading isn’t so simple that nanites would be able to use it so freely and secondly, it’s a heavily restricted technology. You can take them without a worry. If they could do any of those things you mentioned they wouldn’t be so cheap,] she said.

[Makes sense I guess, but still... I’m not good with pills... Isn’t there like a syrup version of it?]

[As I can see it, there is. Would you like me to order one?] she asked.

[Sure. Thanks, Genna. I’ll skip the pills for today then.]

[I’m off to bed,] I said.

I undressed, jumped into my bed, snuck under the blanket, found a comfy position and sighed deeply.

I’ll need different clothes soon.

[We should get a few new clothes tomorrow. One set is far from enough.]

[Sure, I’ll remind you tomorrow.]

“Night Genna.”

[Good night, Aium.]

I dreamt of a court. I was standing before a judge without a face, sitting on a high pedestal. He was just staring at me, saying nothing. I tried speaking or moving, but nothing worked. I started breathing heavily and the more I struggled, the less air I got. Soon I began suffocating. I tried so hard to breathe my chest nearly caved in, but nothing came. I could feel my consciousness slipping away, but then I heard a thunder-like sound when the judge smashed his hammer down. That was when I woke up with a start.

[Good morning, Aium. Did you have a bad dream?]

[Pretty much yeah. What time is it?]

[It’s 7:21 local. You slept for a long time.]

[Why do you keep saying local after the time? Is it an A.I. thing?] I asked while rubbing my dry eyes.

[No, it’s not an A.I. thing,] she sneered at me. [We follow two time systems. Local and central. The local time is used on the planets and each one differs. Central time is used in intergalactic relations and in space.]

It made sense. They couldn’t do one time only since the different planets had different day lengths.

[Pretty smart solution.]

[I’m glad I could amaze a fossil like you,] she joked.

[What’s with the sass?!] I asked jokingly.

[I just try to keep up with you,] she said with a cheery voice.

[I’m in a good mood today. How about we go down for breakfast and we can go outside after.]

[Sounds great! I thought you’ll never leave this room again.]

I got ready in a few minutes, picked up my sparkly new mask and headed down with the elevator. Today a different guy was at the desk. He was a mouth open gawker. At least he told me where the food was.

The hall I entered was huge. It was rectangular shaped and the ceiling was really high for some reason. On the other side, there was a door that was probably leading to the kitchen. The floor was dark brown while the walls were bright green and it seemed to sway around like the treetops in the wind. It was captivating to watch the walls slightly move around like that. There were plenty of sturdy looking brown tables around the hall. The chairs didn’t have legs, only one strong log-like trunk. People were eating at several places. Some in groups, most of them alone. I could see several of those alien races, too, but I tried not to stare. I would have to ask Genna about them at some point. Some of them looked awfully interesting.

[How can I get food here? Do I order, or is it more like a buffet?]

[Just take a seat at one of the tables. I’m sure you’ll figure it out from there.]

[Already getting tired of explaining things to me?]

[Not exactly. It’s just self-explanatory. There is no need for me to give you a lengthy speech.]

I chose a table at the side where no one sat nearby. I pulled out the chair so I could sit down. It moved surprisingly smoothly despite its heavy look. When I tried to lift it a little it didn’t even budge. As my bottom reached the chair the table lit up with a weak light. It wasn’t a hologram, but the table had a screen. I guessed it was cheaper.

It was a simple menu with all kinds of unknown dishes. Pointless to even think about it.

[Genna, can you help me? What should I order?] I tried asking for advice while I put down my mask to the chair next to me.

[I’d suggest something simple.]

[So…?]

[Try the Gramlaran stew with egg whites.]

[Bleh… I don’t like egg whites, what the heck are they doing in the future?!]

[Same as in the past. There are still eggs you know. Maybe not from the same animals as you remember, but it’s still fundamentally an egg. Do you have something else in mind then?]

[What’s that Gramar stuff?]

[It’s a type of underwater plant.]

[Bleh, no way! Fish, sea creatures or anything really from water has never been my favorite. Can I get some pastry and orange juice?]

[You could have started with this you know. Try the juice mix and for something edible… hmm, maybe a protein bun. That’d be the safest bet probably.]

[Fine. This sounds better than your first suggestion. Which was a complete miss.]

I tapped on the table and the menu disappeared. Now I would have to wait. Since I had nothing to do, I could take a look around the place. The closest person to me was one of those big guys with yellow eyes. He… or she was slurping on something looking like soup. The thing was probably a guy… I mean it looked like a male to me. He was staring at a little holoscreen that was coming from a small circular device on his table. I guessed that was something similar to a laptop or tablet.

The next person I observed was a human. The girl had hair that switched color every few seconds. Like a disco light. Other than that, she was wearing a shiny red jacket and baggy pants seemingly made from metal. She was eating some sticks while taking a slurp from a thick gray drink every once in awhile. Her feet were on the other chair while she was immersed in something in front of her face. Sadly I couldn’t see much of her face because the headband on her head was projecting a screen in front of her eyes. She was watching something I guessed.

While I was eyeing the girl, trying to figure out how old she could be, a little robot rolled up to my side without even noticing. When it pushed a tray in front of me, I jumped a little in my seat and looked at it. The sneaky little bastard scared me for a second. It was the same style robot like at the spaceport, but without the platform behind it and they were rolling around on wheels rather than floating. I guessed this was another part where they tried to save money. This was supposed to be a cheap place after all. It put down my order and rolled away without a word.

I looked at my tray. The light green drink seemed harmless at first glance and my food was a fat, white, oval-shaped bun. I picked up the drink and sniffed it. Smelled harmless enough for me to try. It was sour. Not unbearable, but it was not something I’d drink regularly. It would be fine for once, though.

Next up I sniffed the bun. I had a habit of smelling my food and drink first. If I don’t like something’s smell, I don’t drink or eat it. The bun smelled nice by the way, so I took a bite of it. It was kind of bland, without any particular taste. I guessed this is why Genna said it was the safest bet.

While I was enjoying my tasteless, white bun, someone sat down to next table. I took a peek naturally. It was a girl in a tight-fitting, black, protective suit gear. She even had a mask on. I’ve never been interested in BDSM, but that figure of hers was calling for a change in my life.

She took off her mask and oh boy was I stunned. She had messy, short red hair and skin like embers. Literally like embers. Her skin was red and dark gray in patches, but mostly red. The spots were moving around like her skin was constantly heating up and cooling down in random patterns. She had four red eyes. Two bigger and two smaller on her forehead. I couldn’t see any ears and her nose ended pointedly like it was sharpened. Despite all her strange features, she had a mysterious charm. I know it’s repetitive, but this was the second time in my life when I had to use the word mesmerizing on a girl. She was an absolute exotic beauty. Like in a fantasy where the protagonist finds the fire elemental princess.

“I lava you!” It slipped out of my mouth barely audibly.

Unfortunately, I didn’t notice I was leaning forward in my chair and staring at her with an open mouth. I couldn't be blamed for it. She was such a unique sight. When I realized I said something I really shouldn't have I quickly corrected my complexion and prayed she didn’t hear me. Unfortunately, she did.

“Excuse me?” She looked at me with a confused expression.

“N-Nothing… I’m sorry, I didn’t say anything.” I was so lame.

“But I’m sure you said something to me,” she continued.

Ah even her voice… It was smoky and sexy.

“I… I was just talking to myself. Sorry.” It’s a wonder I ever had a girlfriend. I’ll just blame it on rust. I was out of the “game” for a while now.

“Ah, no worries then,” she said while looking down at her table’s menu.

[What… was… that?] Naturally Genna had a comment.

[Oh, come on. Just leave me alone. I panicked,] I grumbled.

[Pffff, I lava you? You were brilliant! I’ll have to record this.] She was laughing hard. It was the first time I heard her breaking down like this.

[You are not funny. Later I’m going to tell you about a lovely little thing called brazen bull. I’m sure you’ll love it,] I said with a low growl.

[Why does that sound like a threat?] she asked with slight panic.

I carefully turned my attention back to the girl next to me, while munching on my bun. She was now staring at the same girl I watched before.

-She looks stunning. I want to just kiss those red lips.-

*POP*

What the hell was that?

I shook my head. There was a weird pop in my head like when a bubble on the bubble wrap bursts. Maybe Genna was rewiring my brain for zombie mode…

-Maybe I should go up to ember girl and start up a conversation? What would I even ask her? I didn’t even know what she was.-

[Hey Genna. What is she exactly?] I had to ask my trusty subordinate.

[She’s a Qaut. Her race can be considered one of the rarest among the sentients in the Empire. You can’t see them often.]

[Do you think I would have a chance with her?] I needed a little support.

[Absolutely not.] She ruthlessly smashed my plans into pieces.

That was way too direct. I already knew it, but couldn’t she tell me more gently? After my previous babbling performance and Genna’s encouraging words, I didn’t have the face to approach her.

Bah! I angrily finished my bun and drink in the meantime.

[Should we get going or would you like to wait until she finishes her meal and ogle her the whole time?]

[Did you sleep on your wrong side? You are awful today,] I reprimanded her.

I stood up and looked around. Thankfully I already spied at other people what they did with their tray when they left, so I didn’t have to ask the mean one in my head. I just left the stuff on the table. The little robots will take care of it.

While leaving, I took a last glance at my exotic beauty. Ah… I wished...