The Tardigrade drifted lonely through the infinite black, like a wallflower at a dance. The stars were utterly distant, uninviting, and there was no music in the void between them.

N-XS accessed drive systems and found they were offline. Inexplicably.

"That's not right. Online diagnostics would report malfunctioning or missing hardware."

It meant a physical search of the ship for signs of sabotage. Annoyance protocols sent a command to N-XS's visual stimulus receptors and caused them to turn 45° towards their apex briefly and in unison.

When she was done rolling her eyes, N-XS arose from the Captain's chair and left the Command Bridge to search the ship from soup to nuts.