Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 4


Nick notices Terra isn't polluted after CHOICE #5, but he fails to notice any life.  We're on a "bare rock plain", and the sky is a bit more orange than Earth's.  Terra also has 20% less gravity, so we think any trees would grow taller if they existed.  The temperature is like a "pleasant summer day".  A robot confirms there is life on Terra, but it all seems to be microscopic.  The robot has an illustration that looks the top half on an android with the insides exposed, with a solar panel for a waist, and four wheels at the bottom.


The computer says Terra is like Earth 500 million years ago, i.e. the end of the Cambrian or the beginning of the Ordovician.  If that's so, why are the animals "probably not much bigger than ants"?  Weren't the aquatic animals in those times larger than that?  According to the computer, we can't make it back to Earth with conventional methods, and only the antigravity generator will do.  CHOICE #6 is whether to use antigravity on Page 24, or live on Terra on Page 25.


"Too late, you remember that you were never to use the antigravity generator except to escape a black hole.  THE END".


The traffic death in Return to the Cave of Time was funny because it was both merciless and pithy.  Here, we don't get to witness any quantum carnage when we do exactly what Dr. Bartok forbids.  What a disappointment!



Results So Far


0 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 5


The final ending in the Terra arc is also a letdown, but that's because it's optimistically Inconclusive.  If Through the Black Hole is more consistent than a CYOA written by a Montgomery, then around 20 years later we should hear the horrible crunching sounds of a planet being compacted in a black hole.


"You remember Dr. Bartok's warning not to use the antigravity generator except to escape from a black hole.  You'll just have to make the best of life on Terra and not mope over it.  With Nick's help you set up a laser-directed radio transmitter to send information to scientists on Earth.  Even traveling at the speed of light, it won't get there for years, but when it arrives, it will be one of the biggest news stories ever.  Once the transmitter is up and operating, you secure the Athena so it won't be damaged in a storm, pack up your tools and supplies, and set out to explore this new world.  Who knows what you'll find!  THE END".


NASA hasn't invented the ansible yet.  And when we do get a call back, they'll probably be too busy insulting us rather than enjoying the serendipity of finding another living planet.


Results So Far


0 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 6


Now that there are no options left to avoid it, let's try to go Through the Black Hole in CHOICE #4.  Nick is disappointed since he wanted to land on Terra, but now we're occupied by an emergency:  Gravitational field anomaly.  My character is hopeful about a "gravity wave", but I'm not sure whether that's real theology theoretical physics.  CHOICE #7 is whether to take a chance with the gravity wave on Page 29, or "try to think of something else" on Page 30.  Given the one page difference between the two, and the blatant hint for the second decision, the gravity wave will probably get me killed in an exciting way!


It doesn't.  Instead we get CHOICE #8:  accept the weak gravity wave on Page 86, or hold out for a better on Page 33.  The weak gravity wave generates this line:  "You're passing. . .passing. . .through. . .sned. . .jbumbld. . .t"


ACHHCH!  Quantum divergence.  CHOICE #9 is simply "Continue to page 87 or turn to page 88".  This is the outcome of Page 87.


"All is calm.  The sky in all directions is green, not black.  No stars or galaxies are in sight.  'Nick!'  'Yes, I'm still here.  We. . .we must be in another universe.'  As he is speaking, a white cloud, seeming to come from nowhere, appears in front of you.  It's approaching, filling up an even larger portion of the sky.  In seconds, white fog surrounds you.


'Weird, what is happening, and the way it came after us', says Nick.  'I think it's a life form.'  'It may be', you say.  'I'm getting sensations from it.  It seems to be speaking softly, though not in words.  Its mind is spread out.  Its mind is in my mind, or my mind is in it!'


'I sense that too', says Nick.  'It seems to be thinking for me, and with me', you say.  'I'm becoming part of it.'  'Nick'-you're calling him by name for the last time-'we are no longer who we were.  We're part of a larger mind.'  THE END".


If that were a purple cloud, this ending would have been Death.  Instead we return to Brahman, maybe.  I'll rule it as a Good Ending (with a ? in the CHOICE map).  For all we know the player character practices the Jnana Yoga school of Hinduism, and this has been their goal for their whole life.  And there's no hint that the cloud is evil.  Feel free to think of it as Inconclusive if you like.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 7


The Page 88 conclusion for CHOICE #9 doesn't inspire metaphysical meditation.  It almost reads like a Death in a Space Quest game.


"Trillions upon trillions upon trillions of microscopic particles are spewing out of a white hole into a universe other than your own, the particles that once made up you among them.  THE END".


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 8


Patience in CHOICE #8 is not rewarded.  Take the weak gravity wave when you can get it, or Death ensues. . .


"You keep trying, directing and redirecting the computer, but have no success detecting a stronger gravity wave.  Meanwhile, the Athena has been drifting closer to the center.  The weak gravity wave passes.  You and Nick look at each other.  Neither of you knows what to do.  Buzzers sound.  Flashing lights come on.  The Athena is accelerating, spiraling downward.  Seconds later it's destroyed by tidal forces near the center of the black hole. . .THE END".


Wouldn't be a proper space-wreck without all the Star Trek buzzers and flashing lights turning on!


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

5 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 9


"Thinking of something else" is a deus ex machina that comes from waiting a few extra seconds or minutes.  "Gravitational field anomaly stabilized".  My character thinks "Stop feeling pathetic!" as a more worrying message appears:  "Thruster sensor failure!"  CHOICE #10 is to push through the black hole on Page 79, or wimp out and try to go back to Earth on Page 80.  Even as the rest of the book implied there wasn't enough fuel or power to return.


Pages 80-81 are a long ending which I won't quote in full, but it may be the origin of the polluted Earth in Return to the Cave of Time.  The Athena travels at 2,000,000 miles per hour, which will take 116 years to reach Earth.  Nick and I are unsure how long hibernation can last.


"Hibernation goes exactly as you hoped.  The computer doesn't awaken you and Nick until you're within a few hundred thousand miles of Earth.  You check your position and radio NASA, requesting permission to land.  No response comes back.  That's troubling, but even more troubling is that the Earth is almost completely covered with clouds.


'What's wrong?' you practically scream at the computer.  The whole planet couldn't have clouded over in only 116 years.  The explanation comes back.  Far more than 116 years have passed in Earth time.  Because you were traveling in the vicinity of a black hole, time slowed for you, but it didn't for Earth and everyone on it.  It's now 2360.  NASA no longer exists.


Ever since Earth clouded over and no one could see stars or planets anymore, humans lost interest in space.  You may find a place to land and people to talk to about your trip.  But will you find someone who understands what you're talking about?  THE END".


Another Inconclusive Ending where we land on a planet, but don't know what happens next.  Quick, look for the Cave of Time!  One difference between Through the Black Hole and Return to the Cave of Time is that humanity does NOT have interstellar colonies in the former:  that's why Terra was so important in earlier routes.


EDIT:  This ending proves that the book begins well before 2244, if 2360 is much later than 116 years after Nick and I left Earth.  Not even Dr. Bartok's speeches at the beginning hint at the date.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

5 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

3 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 10


CHOICE #11 has Nick propose riding a gravity wave on Page 82, or my character's suicidal approach of going full speed ahead into the black hole on Page 84.   Whose instincts are right?


Charging forward does NOT kill us, unless CHOICE #12 is one of those "dead player walking" scenarios like the mountain in Lost Jewels of Nabooti.  The black hole itself is "a coal-black disk", while the stars around it have iether an "unearthly pale orange glow" or a "deep purplish hue".  Maybe one of them is Terra's sun?  The computer tells us:


Exterior hull crack, position A-7:  Condition progressive; apply sealant XK42.  Time to irreversibility:  48 seconds.


Wouldn't it take longer than that just to get out of the ship?  Anyway, I can either repair the crack myself on Page 43, or force Nick to do it on Page 37.  Let's make someone else assume the risk!


Nick actually does it:  "Mission accomplished".  There's no clue in any of the CHOICEs that implies he's better at repairs.  But the hatch won't open, and only 600 pounds of pressure will force it!  The computer's suggestion is laconic:  "Inertial force".  CHOICE #13 is whether to point the Athena to starboard on Page 52, or port on Page 59.  According to the illustration on Page 39, the black hole is on port side. . .


"Adjusting course to port, you command the computer to fire a minimal burst from the starboard thruster.  This causes the ship to turn slightly to the left.  At this speed even a very slight course change produces an inertial force of more than three g's!  You're thrown hard against your restraints.  It hurts.  But what hurts more is realizing that the hatch has not only opened; it has flown off into space and taken Nick with it!


You instruct the computer to compensate for this variation, but you can already feel the opening in the hull, then nothing, as the Athena is ripped apart.  THE END".


Nick dies, and our "hero" follows shortly after.  That's what I get for making my companion do the dangerous work!



Results So Far


1 Good Endings

6 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

3 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 11


Moving the Athena more to starboard in CHOICE #14 sends the hatch flying away, but Nick and I catch it and tie it to the ship.  Going through the black hole will be impossible now, and survival is the only option.  The computer gives us CHOICE #14:  Reverse and call the Nimrod in around 13.6 hours on Page 76, or fly to planet Nicron in the Tau Gamma system on Page 95.  So that's where Nimrod has been the whole time when I wasn't flying it!  No clue about Nicron other than the name; it might be uninhabitable.


Turning to Page 95 reveals that Nicron is indeed Earth-like.  But there's a nasty twist from the computer:


"Nicron is a perfect planet.  It has every resource to be found on Earth, and no pollution.  However, all spaceships are advised to stay away from it.  Nicron's sun is likely to go supernova sometime in the next 50 years.'


You and Nick exchange glances.  You both know that a supernova is the explosion of a massive star at the end of its normal life.  No planet within a few light-years of such a cataclysm can survive.  'We could still hang out there for a while', Nick says.  You look at him skeptically, then nod.  'Better than floating around in space, I suppose.'  THE END".


Inconclusive Endings strike again.  Will Nicron's sun explode ahead of schedule?  Will Nick and Unnamed Protagonist die of some disease within the next 50 years first?  Or will the Nimrod come to the rescue?


The computer's description of "perfect planet" makes me suspicious:  Edward Packard wrote a CYOA called The Perfect Planet!  That one hasn't been reprinted as far as I can tell.


This ending has an illustration, unlike most of the others:  a person in a space suit is stuck up to their knees in dirt (?), and flowers that look like giant white tulips are taller than any human.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

6 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

4 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 12


The Athena looks like it's hovering after we start to turn back in CHOICE #13.  But we make it out of the black hole's gravity well, and our radar is working.  Never count on the Nimrod, as a "beamer" (i.e. a missile with a radio recording) tells us:


To Athena from Nimrod:  Mayday.  Mayday.  We lost power in our main thrusters.  We are being pulled into the black hole.  By the time you receive. . .we'll be gone.  Good luck, mates.  Farewell.


Is the replacement crew for the Nimrod British or Australian?  Either way, they didn't attract the wrath of the Comet of Retribution.  Nick tells us we don't have enough fuel for either our "home base" or Nicron.  The computer gives us another laconic message:  "No options".


CHOICE #15 is to try to return to Earth on Page 108, or reenter the black hole's gravity on Page 143.  Hibernation is impossible with the hatch's problems and a depressurized cabin.  We have only enough oxygen for 40 billion miles, perhaps enough to contact another ship.  The narration says there are thousands of them.  Wait:  if humanity has thousands of ships that far from Earth, why don't they have any colonies that we know of, even a mining outpost?


"You sense that you're coming back to consciousness.  You're alive. . .and you're on another spaceship!  A familiar figure is standing over your bunk.  It's Lian Lee-you knew her at the academy!  'Lian. . .am I dreaming?'  'You're not', she says, smiling down on you.  'You're on the Liberty.  Command decided we should follow you as an extra backup.  We were lucky to reach you in time.'


'How's Nick?'  'He's fine', Lian says.  'No sign of the Nimrod, though.'  'They're lost', you say.  'We picked up their beamer.  They had a power failure and were pulled into the black hole.'  Lian shakes her head.  'We were afraid that's what happened.'  After a while she says, 'I guess you'll be glad to get back to Earth.'  'Yeah', you say.  'But I'm not through trying.  Someday I'm going to go through the black hole.'  THE END".


A Neutral Ending is usually one that makes the adventure pointless, and here, our main character references the title and vows to try again.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

6 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

4 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

U-Ventures Through the Black Hole Alternate Endings Part 13


When we go back to the black hole, the narration thinks there's a small chance of reaching "the point where the rules of physics no longer apply".  Time hasn't stopped although it seems that way at first when the stars have a "ghostly purple glow".  CHOICE #16 may be the time I'm actually supposed to use the Pi Antigravity Generator, since that's an option on Page 110.  The other way is to continue through the black hole normally on Page 150.


"You are inside the event horizon, past the point of no return, even for light itself.  Somewhere ahead is the singularity.  The Athena falls deeper into the darkness.  Your name, along with Nick's, is engraved on a brass plaque next to the main entrance to Space Academy.  You will be remembered as one of the great space explorers, through [sic] you never made it through the black hole.  THE END".


Our memorial plaque doesn't even get an illustration with my character's name cut off at the top?


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

7 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

4 Inconclusive Endings