Second Mission: The Delivery (Part 1.3) - "The Crossing" #Amalgaverse The jumper leaves the shuttlebay and swings toward the cruiser.  The black hole’s pull keeps dragging it off its line, and O’Neill has to keep correcting to hold course. Data informs Jack: “Colonel, I am detecting fourteen fragments of debris from the cruiser’s damaged thrusters on an intercept course.” “Shields gonna hold?” asks Jack. “Without a doubt,” responds Data.  “Provided we do not hit anything.” Jack considers this, then shoots Data a look: “Was that a joke?” “More of a wry observation,” answers Data.  A beat.  “Colonel Carter says my timing is improving.” “Here’s a tip for you,”says Jack.  "Never take comedy advice from someone who tells physics jokes.” Data, deadpan: “I am reading a book about anti-gravity.  It is impossible to put down.” Jack sighs. “Gonna have a talk with Carter when we get back." How to proceed? A) Punch through.  Ride the shields and take the hits to save time, but at the risk of damaging the jumper. B) Thread it slow.  Plot a course around the debris while the cruiser drifts ever closer to the event horizon. C) Clear a path. Launch drones to blast the wreckage, but every drone you spend now is one fewer you’ll have later. Choose! Check below for our Previously On recap - or click through the quote tweets for every stage of our adventure to date. And TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS so that you don't miss a step on this mission!

Ready for your next mission? Our second #Amalagaverse adventure kicks off tomorrow at 12:01 ET! Make sure to follow and turn on notifications so you don't miss out. FAQ below...

The Ghost Ship - Mission Debrief Thoughts?  I have a few. This adventure turned out to be a lot more fun, and a lot more work, than I’d originally envisioned. I figured I’d done all the heavy lifting in prep, writing ten missions, loosely structuring them like the sci-fi shows of old: five solid acts of action, adventure, humor, twists, and turns.  Two to three days on each and I assumed the actual adventure would be comparatively easy to navigate, maybe requiring some minimal massaging here and there. How wrong I was. As the mission unfolded, the writing of each installment would take me about an hour a day, depending on how the previous vote had fallen.  The accompanying visuals, on the other hand, would take anywhere from one to three hours, again depending on what I elected to visualize, and, every so often, I ended up biting off more than I could chew. Up front, I am not one of those creatives who avoid A.I.  I think that, realistically, it’s something that will grow to become a part of our every day lives, so harnessing it now, especially as a creator, is the way to go.  That said, I limited my A.I. visualizations to mostly original elements, drawing the line at animating actual actors. As for the adventure itself, early on someone mentioned the fact that all paths would ultimately lead to the same story destination.  This was incorrect, outside of the fact that the away team’s ultimate destination was the bridge where they could establish control, seal, and repressurize sections.  The door in - beaming, EVA, or jumper-to-the-bay - would ultimately present its own challenges in the retreat back to the Enterprise. The first big decision point in the mission was the choice between investigating the life sign or investigating the depleting containment chamber.  You chose the latter, which introduced Maia the android and directed the narrative one way.  Had you chosen the life sign, the away team would have encountered Rhea, the “surviving crew member”, and the story would have unfolded very differently.  Hell, it was more than likely that Rhea would have convinced you not to awaken Maia who would have been  non-factor in that version. Similarly, another big decision point was choosing what to do with the wounded Rhea.  Had she been beamed aboard the Enterprise, then the adventure’s fifth act would have unfolded in a very different manner as well. A smaller but no less crucial decision point was the sealed compartment beyond the hull breech.  Originally, there were two choices: take a walk on the ship’s hull or find another way around.  The C4 was a last-minute addition I figured the majority wouldn’t choose, but this was one of maybe a half dozen times my prediction proved inaccurate.  Had you chosen to EVA around the impasse, Daniel would have had to contend with a micrometeoroid that would have compromised his suit and almost killed him, if not for Jack’s timely intervention.  This would have presented a challenge in accessing the jumper, in a scenario where you were unable to seal and repressurize the bay. A couple of pleasant surprises.  The spider drones were envisioned as nothing more than background, but given the way the action unfolded with Maia, they presented a wonderful payoff at the top of our fifth act, saving Jack and Daniel from the scavengers and confirming Maia’s loyalty in a cool twist.  It’s always incredibly satisfying when an unexpected narrative element clicks into place that late in the game. The other surprise was Maia.  As I said, there was a version of this adventure where she remained in her containment field.  But in this version, she grew into her character and allowed for a very different ending.  Originally, she was supposed to go down with the ship in a bittersweet close but, as the away team retreated to the bay, an opportunity presented itself in good old Rodney using her own base programming and logic against her.  Echoes of Kirk’s confrontation with Nomad in The Changeling. Overall, a creatively fulfilling experiment.  The high point was, of course, writing dialogue for all of these wonderful characters.  It’s been far too long. So, what were your thoughts on this first mission?  Let me know in the comments. Meanwhile, don’t forget to turn on notifications.  Our next mission beings Monday, October 19th at 12:01 p.m.! #Amalgaverse

Next mission kicks off Monday, October 19th!

This one's tight! You've found a survivor. A) Send her back to sickbay. B) Bring her along and confront the android. C) Keep her hidden for now. #Amalgaverse

First Mission: The Ghost Ship (Part 4) - "Countdown" #Amalgaverse McKay stares in horror at the mechanical spiders swarming the core.  He is torn between drawing his sidearm and bolting.  He considers, then throws a look to Maia, deferring to the android, who calmly asks: “Are you alright?  I’m detecting a sudden spike in your heart rate and blood pressure.” “What the hell are those?”he asks, swinging his gaze from a surprisingly calm Maia back to the spiders. “The repair drones?”asks Maia.  “Do they make you uncomfortable? “Yes,”replies McKay without hesitation.  “Very.” Maia turns towards the drones and sends a neural command.  They scatter at once, skittering away like cockroaches in the light, clearing the room and disappearing into the vents. Maia proceeds into the room.  An uncertain McKay follows.  He watches as Maia manually vents the drive, then redirects focus to the readings. Not good news.   The venting worked, he reports, but it was only a stopgap.  Containment and regulation have been too badly compromised.  This thing is going to breach no matter what they do. Maia double-checks the readings and confirms as much: “We have less than seventy-five minutes before catastrophic containment failure and total structural loss.” “Oh God!”says McKay.  And then: “Wait.  Is that seventy-five Earth minutes? “No,”replies Maia.  “My default clock runs on Traugott Standard Time.” McKay is palpably relieved.  “So in Earth minutes that’s…?” “Roughly forty-two.” “Oh God!” Maia exits engineering, McKay on her heels.  The Waldorf Astoria is doomed.   And so are they if they remain onboard.  McKay tells her they must abandon ship.  She agrees, but not before she returns to the bridge, tags the cargo with recovery transponders, and jettisons it into space so that Traugott can reclaim their property once the ship is gone. What does McKay do? A – Head straight for the hangar.  Contact the team, regroup, and evacuate now. B – Accompany Maia to the bridge.  Back her up first, then evacuate together. CHOOSE! [Check below for our Previously On recap - or click through the quote tweets for every stage of our adventure to date. And TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS so that you don't miss a step on this mission!]

First Mission: The Ghost Ship (Part 4) #Amalgaverse [An away team made up of Colonel Jack O’Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, the android/AI Rommie, and Dr. Rodney McKay has been dispatched to investigate a seemingly derelict freighter.   The ship’s service android, Maia, helps them gain access to the bridge where they are presented with three crucial tasks: A) Acquiring crucial data from the ship’s computer, B) Investigating a fast-fading life sign, and C) Going to engineering and venting the drive before the core goes critical.] Jack makes the call.  They’ll split up.  Maia and McKay will head to engineering to vent the drive.  He and Daniel will investigate the life sign.  And Rommie will remain on the bridge to decipher the corrupted data. Maia leads the way to engineering, McKay trotting alongside her to keep pace.  He tries to make conversation as they go, asking her how long she’s served aboard the Waldorf Astoria.  She tells him she was commissioned for the freighter’s nine hundred and fifty-sixth voyage, a little over eight years ago after the previous service android was decommissioned and retired. “What’s android retirement like?”asks McKay. “Custodial work at a museum?” “Component donation of functional subsystems, followed by industrial recycling,”replies Maia matter-of-factly. McKay is aghast.  “Are you serious?  That’s horrible!” Maia doesn’t understand the reaction.  “I will have served my purpose.  I am the property of Traugott Corporation after all.  They may do with me as they wish, and my salvageable parts contribute to the betterment of the company.” McKay is winding up to argue the point when they reach engineering.  The doors slide open, and the sight inside stops him cold.  Crawling across the floor, up the walls, and over the core itself are a half-dozen small, metallic spider-like machines. What does McKay do? A) Draw his weapon and fire.  Drive them away from the core. B) Run.  Get clear and warn the others. C) Trust in Maia. Let her handle them. CHOOSE! [Check below for our Previously On recap - or click through the quote tweets for every stage of our adventure to date. And TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS so that you don't miss a step on this mission!]

We're partway through our first #Amalgaverse mission: The Ghost Ship Come join Stargate's Colonel Jack O'Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Dr. Rodney McKay, and Andromeda's Rommie as they investigate a seemingly derelict freighter. A new installment in our adventure drops at 12:01 p.m. ET every day. Get caught up and weigh in. Your choices drive our story. Follow and turn on notifications so you don't miss out! Check below for today's update and Previously On recap - or click through the quote tweets for every stage of our adventure to date.