Starship Traveller: 1, 256: Synonym for Voyager

     Can do!

      Buy toilet paper! Sell stocks! Dump ballast! Throw the first mate overboard overboard! Hand me the emergency Kermit!

     That is the most cluttered eye scan I've ever seen.

     This is one of those images where I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at. I'm guessing the sketchy black and white is space, the round circle a distant star, the black circle the black hole, and the stuff in front a spaceship. I... think the space ship is breaking apart as it whirls by? Whole thing is weird to me. Not helped by me being unsure what the gray oval at the front of the ship. A window?

Virtual Delusion Unifier, presumably

     "I keep telling you bennies," Manstein's raspy voice booms over the communicator. "You can't expect a vehicle put together by the galaxy's lowest bidders to go at the listed maximum safe speed."

      "Thank you, Yankee," I chitter back through the communicator. "But  I did not ask your opinion of the test run. I just need to know how long it's going to take you to fix it."

     "And even then, I doubt it'll tell us anything worthwhile. Whole thing is held together by nothing more than political ambitions and misplaced hopes."

      I switch the communicator on to rub my teeth together. The rest of the bridge turns at the high pitched noise. I force a smile, and open the communicator again. "Thank you, Yankee, keep me informed."

     "Run me through this again, Officer Melink." I try, and fail, to keep the exasperation out of my voice.

     Ranka Melink bristles with pride. A both figurative and literal phrase in this case. "It's perfectly straightforward," she begins. A statement that never bodes well. "Just a basic use of the slingshot technique, the exact equations put through the computer here... and, presto!" She touches her buttons and looks at the readings with forced calm.

     The shift in acceleration greatly relieves me. The ventricles along my back begin to close again, no longer guzzling the bridge's air supply in preparation for a fight/flight incident. 

      "See!" Ranka says proudly. The word triggers my top ventricles to gape open again.

      Ah. There it is. Despite the mild popping of the rest of my ventricles opening and oxygen filling my system, I feel oddly calm. I consult the AstroNavy Emergency Codex, and the cross-reference with Traveller's user manual for our brand new spaceship for appropriate response measures.

      Let's see...

      In case of Sober Reflection Induced Mass Depression... in case of Societal Contact with a Technologically Inferior Species... in case of Subjugation by Nigh-Omnipotent Energy Beings... ah, here it is, in case of Sucked into a Black Hole!

"But I don't wanna be a ship!"

     Every ventricle sucks in at once, even as I force my tracheal airways to breathe slow. I close my eyes and except, as serenely as I can, the death that this doomed mission was always destined for.

       Ranka, no doubt seized by a similar revelation, says only, "Bugger me."

Don't worry. We only lose consciousness after jumping around from the blast.

      Ah, the sweet blackness of...

Choice: None: 256

      "Gods populate our prey," Melink declares as she rubs her enormous head. She blinks blearily at her surroundings, and only after a moment do I fully register that I am looking at her from below.

      I get up from the ground, feel my head for– yep, there it is, the brood queen of all lumps. I slump back in the chair and try to regain my faculties.

      "I think I cracked my chitin and my assistant lost her arm," Manstein reports, "Nothing that won't grow back."

      "I'm glad to hear it officer," I say wearily, "But I rather meant a damage report for the ship."

       "Well, then, hang on wile I test it instead of interrupting me with all your calls!"

     "Splendid," I mutter, "Guess we'll have a little break at least."

      Even as I speak, Pyriba drifts dreamily into the room wearing a garish display of silks augmented and overlaid with holograms. It reaches out to help some bridge staff off the ground, and proceeds to check us all for concussions and brain damage.

      "I'm sure there are people hurt worse than us," I insist as it takes my chin in a tentacle and shines a burst of bioluminescence in my eye.

      "Hush, dear," it responds, "Got to check all the bridge crew in an emergency like this. I've got staff to see to everyone else for the moment."

       Thankfully, Pyriba understands efficiency and is out again before Engineering gets back to me. Unfortunately, Pyriba takes one of my technicians with it. Something about a concussion and bleeding ears.

     I have one of those? Let's call him Tobial. 

Ah, yes, the spaghetti dimension.

      I cock my eyebrow frills at Ranka. "Parallel universe?"

     She nods excitedly. "It's quite a wondrous thing. There are so many theories that this confirms, and decries. It could make my car– that is, it's a tremendous discovery for science." She smiles that broad predator smile that makes all my ventricles clench.

     It sounds like science fiction nonsense to me, but we don't exactly have anyone more qualified than Ranka, so I let it pass.

        At this point, I don't even trust the ship to turn. "Straight ahead," I order, "Let's see who's out there."

Choice: Press Onwards: 86

    Manifique! A tremendous start. Full of action, stakes, nonsense, and set up. It really does feel like the start of an off brand Star Trek adventure, like Voyager. A lot like Voyager, really.

       In game terms I'm excited for new mechanics and exploring planets and the whole exotic deal. Way better than generic fantasy world of the day! From a writing perspective, I think having multiple characters to yell at each other is going to be a real joy.

       I have such high hopes for this one!