A faint chirping sound flooded the spacious compartment, the soft sound growing incrementally louder as the one it intended to rouse lay motionless under the covers of the bed. When the sound went from soft to insistent, the occupant of the bed reached over, eyes still firmly shut, fumbling to find the small control panel on the attached bedside table to silence the noise that had pulled him from his sleep. When silence once again reigned, a new sound echoed in the room, the sharp inhale of breath as the room’s sole occupant grudgingly began to wake.

Ensign Corwin Adler slowly opened his eyes, the track lighting underneath the bed providing just enough illumination to make out the vague shape of objects in the room but nothing more. Even so, he knew within moments that he hadn’t simply dreamed up yesterday’s events, because had that been the case, he’d have found himself either back in his dormitory at the Academy or some shared berthing on a ship somewhere. Waking up in the spacious cabin reserved for the ship’s Captain was all the proof he needed to accept that yesterday had been real, and wouldn’t be changing any time soon.

“I don’t want to get up…” Adler whined to no one in particular. His resistance to leaving the comfort of his bed was hardly something new, his roommates at the Academy often took turns dragging him out of bed, both figuratively and sometimes literally. The young man stared up at the dimly lit ceiling of the room for several dozen heartbeats before finally groaning and rolling to the left side of the large bed, his feet dangling over it momentarily before he summoned the will to push himself up off of it.

Corwin plodded barefoot to the small bathroom that adjoined the sleeping area, taking care of all of his morning necessities before returning to the bedroom portion of his quarters. He pulled out one of the uniforms he’d made sure to replicate the night before, pulling the various articles on methodically and a bit slower than he used to at the Academy before finally slipping his boots on and approaching the mirror. Staring back at him was the face of a still half-asleep Ensign still wearing the mustard yellow of an engineer, his little act of defiance to the fate that had befallen him. The growling of his empty stomach pulled him out of his thoughts, reminding him that one last requirement of the body still remained unsatisfied.

Adler made his way out of his quarters, opting to take the turbolift rather than the stairs out of sheer apathy for having to move around too much before eating. The gentle hum of the car moving gracefully to his destination was the only thing that accompanied the young man, and it seemed to stop just as quickly as it had started. Corwin stepped out of the lift and traversed the short distant it took to see him enter the mess hall, the first stop on his tour of the ship just the day before. And there to greet him was the man… hologram… that had been his first acquaintance on the Pulsar.

“Ah, there he is, my favorite customer,” the Emergency Hospitality Hologram said with a wide smile.

“You mean your only customer,” Corwin grumbled, still too groggy to realize that he’d made his internal thought an external statement.

The hologram chuckled at the comment in good humor, “Very true, but that hardly diminishes your standing.”

The Ensign looked up at the EHH, a bewildered expression contorting his features, “How did you know what I was thinking?”

“I’m a hologram, not a telepath. Obviously you said it out loud,” the hologram snorted.

“Oh…” Adler murmured, “Sorry about that… I must still be sleepy…”

The EHH examined the Ensign for a moment, “Yes, I can still see a bit of sleep left in your eyes. How about a hearty breakfast and a nice warm cup of coffee to shake the last remnants of slumber from your body.”

“Yes… please,” Adler said as he sank down into the nearest chair, “But no coffee… I don’t like the taste…”

“A nice tea, then,” the hologram said, unperturbed.

“Sure… that sounds nice…”

The EHH glided over to the replicator, punching in a few choices into the device before waiting as the hum of the matter stream constructing his selected meal momentary flooded the room. When the buzz subsided, the hologram removed the tray and expertly weaved through the empty tables to set the plentiful bounty before his customer.

“I took the liberty of preparing for you a selection of eggs, some sausages, a side of toast, and a nice fragrant tea that should marry beautifully with the savoriness of the course. Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” Corwin said with a sleepy smile, fumbling with the fork just a bit before finally remembering how to use it. Several bites and more than one sip of tea elapsed silently, giving Adler just enough time to both enjoy the meal and feel his mind finally leaving the fog behind. And with that newfound clarity of mind, a question formed that begged being asked.

“Did you already know there was no one else on the ship when you sent me to the bridge yesterday?” the Ensign inquired.

A playful smirk appeared on the hologram’s face, “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Well, you seemed awfully confident that I should go there instead of engineering, for one.”

“A ship this small does lend itself to things being a bit more intimate in terms of crew relations,” the EHH remarked, “It’s not so out of the ordinary that even the newest of crew would get the opportunity to meet their Captain on the bridge on their first day.”

“Except there wasn’t a Captain… just the ECH up there,” Corwin pointed out.

“True…” the EHH conceded, “But if you would like to nitpick about the details, the ECH was in command until you arrived aboard. So it was the most appropriate place for you to be, was it not?”

Ensign Adler let out a small huff, his face drawing into a slight pout, “I just wish you’d warned me…”

“And how was I supposed to do that? Do you honestly think you’d have taken me seriously if I had just come out and said ‘Ensign, just so you know, we don’t have a crew aboard, so you’ll be playing Captain until they show up’?”

“I… well… maybe… no…” Corwin struggled to admit that the hologram had a point.

“Of course you wouldn’t have. Neither would you have taken the news any better coming from me than you did when the ECH broke it to you,” the EHH said with a knowing smirk.

Another sigh escaped the Ensign’s lips, “Probably not…”

“Now let us put this matter aside for a moment, your food is starting to cool, and it would not be nearly as satisfying if left to get much colder.”

“Right… sorry,” Corwin said, his fork starting to move once more. The remainder of his meal was spent silently, accentuated periodically with the clink of a glass or some other item behind the small bar that the EHH had retreated to in an effort to stay occupied while the Ensign tackled his culinary adversary. By the time he had finally finished, the hologram had seemed to intuit it and was already clearing his place for him.

“I assume everything was satisfactory,” the EHH said smugly.

“Yes, it was,” Adler nodded.

“Do feel free to stay a little while longer if you’d like to finish your tea and gather yourself before heading up to the bridge,” the hologram said as he returned the tray to the replicator to be broken back down into its constituent atoms once more.

“Shouldn’t I hurry up before I’m late?” Corwin asked sheepishly.

“My dear boy, you’re the Captain. You are never late to anything aboard your ship,” the EHH said with a playful grin.

“I just… don’t want to get used to it…” Adler admitted softly.

“I say enjoy it while you can,” the hologram offered, “It may be years… or even decades before you get the chance again. I mean honestly… how many Ensigns do you know who got to be the Captain their very first time out on a starship? I’d say you’re entitled to a little indulgence.”

“I’ve never heard of it before… ever,” Corwin responded, “That’s partly why I’m so worried…”

“Caution is fine, Mister Adler, but too much of it will see you missing an opportunity that you might regret for the rest of your life. Just as a breakfast should be balanced, so too should your approach to new and challenging situations. A pinch of curiosity, a dash of courage, and a healthy dose of cautious optimism is the perfect recipe for success in these strange times, dear boy.”

“Thanks for the advice,” the Ensign said after giving it a bit of thought, “I’ll give it a try…”

“Good, you do that,” the hologram said with a grin as he watched the young man rise from the table and make his way out of the mess hall.