Dans strolled in with Mark behind her. She seemed fine, but I couldn’t read Mark’s expression. From my perspective, it just looked like he was being nonchalant.

“So, what happened?” I poured myself a third cup of juice.

Mark sat down on the other chair. “Well, you don’t have any infections.”

“That’s great!” I replied enthusiastically.

Dans walked over to the desk. She pulled over the desk chair and sat down next to us. Pouring another drink for herself she said, “I have to admit, I’m quite worried that you don’t take your own life seriously.”

“What? What do you mean?” I asked.

“That blood sample of yours can be an easy indicator of your ancestral lineage.” She pulled out a larger mug for Mark.

Mark took the mug with gratitude. “Thank you, Cap’n.”

Ah. I understood the situation. “So”—I whispered to Dans—“does he know?”

Dans rolled her eyes.

“Yes,” Mark answered. “As a matter of fact, I do know.” He grinned with satisfaction. “I honestly don’t know why Captain made it seem like such a big deal—”

“Shut it,” Dans cut in.

“Apologies.” He put down his mug and looked over at me. “And don’t worry. Dealing with all that non-sakonian thing… it bores me. And I’d never help such an ignorant Emperor—”

“Enough.” Dans stood from the chair. “I’m heading to the cafeteria.”

“What for? I thought—”

“Dinner.”

She left the room.

I turned back to Mark. “So why is she like that?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. She respects the Emperor. I personally believe in constructive criticism.”

“Is the Emperor that bad?”

“Well, not necessarily. I just had some history with him.”

“So, he’s not bad?”

“No, I think he is.”

“Uh, how… bad?”

“You’ll see for yourself.” He shooed me away. “Go get some food. I need to get back to the crematorium anyways.”

“Something to do with the dead bodies?”

He nodded. “Obviously.”

Seeing the conversation end, I headed on out. It didn’t seem like this was their first time talking about this so-called Emperor.

I walked into the open cafeteria. The aromatic scents of cooked fish and spices wafted through the air around me. I couldn’t tell what kind of food it was, but I wouldn’t expect anything subpar from the smell alone. In the distant corner of the large space, I saw Dans sitting on one of the cafeteria tables. There were a few stragglers, probably crew members, sitting around too.

I took some food from the kitchen and walked on over to Dans. I joined her quietly. She didn’t seem to care. She kept cutting through the grilled fish, sectioning small mouth-sized pieces off to the side, but she never took a bite.

She looked up for the first time since I arrived. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just here to eat.” I sliced into the fish with ease. My knife seemed to melt through the soft, yellow skin. Whatever this fish was, it made my mouth water on the spot. “Wow, what is this fish?”

“It’s Yellowrock Saka. It’s a rare delicacy.”

Yellowrock? Really? “Man, that really sucks.”

“Hmm?” She looked up again, confused.

“I already named this planet Yellowrock.”

“You… named this planet?” She smirked.

“Yep. Water’s yellow and there’s rocks everywhere up there,” I pointed up towards the surface.

Smiling, she took her first bite of the dish.

I decided to do the same. I popped the first piece into my mouth, and it quickly melted away, leaving only a rich, oily aftertaste. It was perfect. Seasoned with salt and a hint of what tasted like black peppers. The simple seasoning seemed to embellish the buttery, yet sweet taste of the fish. There was almost an artistic harmony within the dish that I didn’t believe was possible.

I couldn’t put it down. After the first bite, it felt like torture to stop there, so I kept eating, gobbling down the chunks in quick succession. I had never tasted anything this amazing before. Or maybe I was really hungry. I couldn’t tell, but it didn’t really matter.

After finishing everything on the dish, I felt a little sad that there was nothing left on my plate. It was gone in seconds.

“Man, I need a chef like that in my life,” I said.

“He’s all yours for now. At least until we arrive.”

“Really? And how long is that?”

“To Sakoria? Probably tomorrow morning.”

“So you’re saying I have him for not even a day.”

She laughed. “Why would I give you my best chef?”

“Yeah, whatever. Laugh all you want. I’m taking the mortician later.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything.”

We continued to chat for a little while, but the drowsiness almost hit me like a truck. I decided to call it a night and left the cafeteria early.

For the most part, I was satisfied. It didn’t seem like much, but it felt like I’ve made some friends today. This place was a lot nicer than I had first anticipated.