Previously on Universe Journey…

The Thrifty Years (Seasons 1-3)

Capt. Dick Kahkay took command of the A.S.S. Thrifty in 2424. The youngest captain in the fleet, bold and brash, the first sexist human being in a century.

Among his crew were: science officer M- (pronounced Meow-meow), a lizard-chicken like Surreptish, whose embrace of science and reason made him an outcast in his highly religious and superstitious people; communications officer Michelle Tokaladie, a soft-spoken but very technologically intelligent woman trying to make her mark outside of her admiral mother’s shadow; and Colm Foley, an engineering genius, happily married to his assistant, Fitzy, and who just wanted to be Kahkay’s buddy. Also, Michael Anders, an earnest and loyal ensign serving under Tokaladie, who no one noticed for quite a while.

During 3 years, this crew went through a lot together, bringing them very close. Tokaladie eventually found her voice and stood up to Kahkay, leading to a long, slow growth arc for the captain as he became her champion and gave up his sexism and ego. The crew also met Zee, a god-like being who took a shine to Kahkay. Kahkay outsmarted Zee multiple times, to her chagrin.

Kahkay even fell in love with a woman in the past named Jane. M- discovered Jane must die to protect the timeline or many others would perish. M- brutally murdered her, reinforcing Kahkay’s opinion that M- was evil.

Mid-way through, Foley and Tokaladie built android Neu. With M-s help, they figured out how to make her able to evolve like any living being. She was awarded personhood by the A.S.S., granting her full rights as an individual. She was both highly intelligent and compassionate. Seeking to be more like her parents (and adopting the last name Folkaladie), she purposely only learns info relevant to what she’s going through so she she experiences life naturally.

3 years after their launch, tragedy struck. Kahkay sacrificed the A.S.S. Thrifty to stave off war. Foley’s wife, Fitzy, was killed. He didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, and Kahkay refused to let Foley die with her. This led to Foley resigning from the A.S.S. and hating Kahkay.

The Eastwood Station Years (Seasons 4-7)

Unable to tell why or his sacrifice would be in vain, Kahkay accepted a demotion and was transferred to a dead-end job on a space station by M-‘s homeworld. Tokaladie went with him as his first officer, determined to repay him for all the support he’d given her and help him find his way back to being a heroic captain. Anders went, as well, and the rest of the crew scattered.

1 year later, they all came back together on Eastwood Station. Kahkay even let M-, reluctantly, though in a job M- didn’t want, as liaison to his people. And Zee sent Foley to a faraway planet where he lived an entire lifetime before being returned to the moment he left. Despite losing a second wife, it gave Foley enough perspective to forgive Kahkay and seek refuge among his friends in the A.S.S., though none of them ever really asked him about his experiences.

During the crew’s 4 years on the station, M- and Neu fell in love. Anders made mistakes and learned from them. Kahkay re-honed his leadership qualities. He finally realized he’d been unfair to M-, and Kahkay and M- became best friends. Foley resumed what he could of a life, and fell in love again with Captain Bobbi Luna, a scientist assigned to the station to study another dimension.

At one point, Neu sacrificed her life to save the rest of the crew. M- had a brief chance to say goodbye and honored her sacrifice. Thankfully, they had backed up Neu’s memories, so she was soon restored. But her new body lacked the emotional context of her memories, resetting her back quite a bit. M- saw her as a new being and they split up. But after more than a year apart, they realized they had never stopped loving one another and reconciled.

Tokaladie perhaps grew the most. Becoming a war hero, and left on her own for almost a year and a half, she found her own style of command. At the end of the experience, the A.S.S. recognized her abilities and promoted her to captain, giving her a vessel, the A.S.S. Turo. She took Anders as her first officer. Her new husband, Jay, and their infant daughter, also accompanied her. Foley, M-, and Neu chose to stay with Kahkay, who was re-promoted to captain and given the A.S.S. Thrifty 2 Fast 2 Furious (which Tokaladie named). Kahkay chose M- as his new first officer.

Two Crews Lost (Season 8)

6 months later, the two crews were summoned to Earth when it was threatened by an old foe, Nathan Chestnut. Nathan murdered a lot of the A.S.S. command structure and wreaked havoc.

Nathan was stopped, but in the process, M- gave his life to save Anders. This devastated Neu, who took a leave of absence from duty. She escaped to an entertainment suite, where she created a hologram version of M-. As he became more and more advanced, they resumed their romantic and sexual relationship. She moved into the suite and never came out. Kahkay allowed this, unsure how to help her otherwise, though no one in the crew knew what she was up to.

During M-‘s wake, Zee returned. She had, over the past year, appealed to each of the crew individually in her bid to join them. Each refused her. She made a last ask of Kahkay, who flatly turned her down. In retaliation, Zee tossed the Thrifty 2, Kahkay, his senior staff, and a skeleton crew of mostly security officers more than fifty years away from home. Tokaladie, her family, and some of her senior staff were also on board, trapping them on Kahkay’s ship. Luna, who Foley was about to transfer to Earth to marry, was not.

Refusing to become subservient again, Tokaladie convinced Kahkay to share his command, though they had trouble finding a balance of two captains on a single ship. A depressed Foley withdrew more and more. But as the only competent engineer on board, they needed him. Which meant when Zee offered the chance for Kahkay to send one crewperson home, he couldn’t choose Foley, much as he wanted to.

Now, Kahkay has one day to pick a crewperson. And the Thrifty 2 is falling apart after 6 months of fighting with the evil Veena and no ability to repair their vessel. They are desperate, the crew is snipping at one another, and they just may not make it home… or even through another day…