Yeah, I dunno how it's supposed to work. I never did the 'seeking luxuries' bit. Are you supposed to just happen to have what they want? I mean, how would you find them again? Why in the world would you drop into a USS with cargo?
Anyway, it's odd. I've also come across some lone ships that seem to just mimic how I maneuver. I pop in and stop, they come up to me and stop. I thrust or roll a little, and so do they. No comms, no nothing. Some are also labelled as "no faction".