Ad Astral Science Fiction Podcast · DJ Burnham

Astral Science Fiction Podcast Episode 32: ICS Indulgence Part Two

·36 min·2 clips

The Protos-Electros conjunction produces beautiful random patterns that violate the ship’s known laws of physics.

1. Ad Astral Science Fiction Podcast Episode 32, "ICS Indulgence Part Two," follows the cruise ship Indulgence during the Protos-Electros conjunction. 2. DJ Burnham wrote and narrated the story, while Kate Daisy Grant voices Science Officer Gisshery and Simon Taylor voices Captain Francis Swan. 3. The episode asks what happens when a luxury cruise ship approaches an astronomical phenomenon that behaves unlike known physics. 4. A 21st-century musician tries to photograph the Indulgence for bandmates in 2018. 5. The crew explains that temporal conservation prevents a future diagnostic scanner from existing in the musician’s restored timeline. 6. Captain Francis Swan orders the Indulgence closer to the Radiant despite Safety Officer Skrog’s concern about gravitational and electrical forces. 7. Science Officer Gisshery records colourful masses whose random patterns do not match known physical laws. 8. A power fluctuation triggers the autopilot, forcing the ship to pull back while Taxidia receives extensive promotional footage. 9. Equipment failures begin on C Deck and spread through D, E, F, and G Deck in timed intervals. 10. Chief Engineer Zegty suspects sabotage and links the musicians’ arrival through the Psychagogia time portal to the failures. 11. The crew notices that the sparks produce photon emissions and vague electrical readings but no expected energy discharges. 12. The Indulgence’s systems suggest that the phenomenon is moving toward Engineering rather than simply surrounding the ship. 13. Captain Swan loses control of the ship as the engines turn toward an asteroid and the emergency abort becomes unresponsive. 14. Security finds the musicians missing from their quarters, while their instruments vanish from Stage One. 15. The Captain sees sparks inside the engine room and considers whether the phenomenon is attracted to energy. 16. Gisshery senses fear from the spark and uses mental imagery while the crew tries to restore control. 17. The production shifts between bridge commands, passenger complaints about hairdryers, and comic dialogue about captain’s-table appointments. 18. DJ Burnham presents the second half as a fully cast audio drama with ship announcements, sound effects, and an ensemble performance. 19. Listeners who enjoy time travel and alien-contact audio fiction. 20. Listeners seeking factual science reporting may skip this scripted story.

As heard by us

A hairdryer failure sends a space voyage into deadpan chaos, broken systems, and overdue beauty appointments.

Ad Astral's second part of ICS Indulgence plays its space voyage as a comic systems failure. A hairdryer mishap uncovers broken comms, trouble with the vid screen, and a beauty therapist swamped by appointments.

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Why you'd press play

You may enjoy a space voyage where a hairdryer malfunction sends John off into a very domestic shipboard emergency.

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