Well, on to the next group of recreational drugs. Whilst alcohol technically falls under this category, it's not usually what people refer to. No, the main ones, as you see when Elizabeth puts them on the table, are less traditional

Elizabeth puts a large, brown cigar, a glass vial containing blue liquid, a small patch of green tablets and quite a few other drugs


"These are known collectively as the Eyes, due to all of them having a fairly noticeably effect on your eyes. It's really a catch all term commonly used on the ship, and in the sector. They're… for lack of a better word, light drugs. From the smokeable Sun Scales designed to get you in a trance or give you some hallucinations, the Blood Root that has the effect of making the user feel happier and more mellow, the Slug juice, absorbed through the skin, that helps relieve pain and puts the user into a deep, peaceful sleep, the Bright Gas that improves the user's mood, the Castins that when smoked increase confidence… I can go on forever. These drugs have some negative effects, but realistically, no serious ones when taking into account their expected lifespans and the sheer amount of risks they're already facing. Anything the drugs do is neglible. The only possible risk is that their productivity worsens because they're as high as a kite."


"So, do we ban or allow?" you ask. 


"Well, those aren't necessarily the only options, in this instance. Due to the nature of these drugs, we have five options. The first two, as you'll know, involve either blanket banning or fully allowing these and letting the winds of free market spread them out among the crew. The third involves allowing them, but to a limited degree. Everyone has a limited amount they're allowed to buy, only the least dangerous are brought in, that kind of thing."


"Go on," you say.


"The fourth possibility is that we become proactive with our usage of the drugs. We're forcing our men to face horrors beyond comprehension and risk their lives. We could, for a small amount, begin purchasing and producing these drugs on-ship, rationing them out to raise the morale of the crew. Plus, this would give us the ability to actually begin selling drugs on the open market if we find a better group of cooks and a supplier. Lastly, we could just go all out. Buy a huge quantity of the drugs and start manufacturing them on ship, and just start pumping them out to the crew. Pump the gaseous drugs into the air, put all the soluble drugs into the water supply and crush up everything else to put in the food. This would amplify morale tenfold, although could lead to a serious drop in productivity, seeing as you literally couldn't breath without getting insanely high."

You go all out

"Option five. If we're going to allow this, we go all out."


"Yes, sir," Elizabeth says, raising an eyebrow. "I… I guess I applaud your balls."

You continue

You sit in your chambers, taking a deep breath from the bright red… no, yellow… no purple… whatever color haze. You need some water to get rid of your headache. You lean over, grabbing your canteen, and downing your flask. You shake your head and groan as a wave of ecstasy overtakes you. A multicolored warrior dances in and out of reality in front of you, causing you to smile. This idea was fantastic. Morale is through the roof, and productivity has stayed high, as long as your productivity was… like, in regards to making more drugs. Your farms and food growing… places, or whatever, are still operational, due, thanks to automation and a few of the men still being smart enough to work. You've put your ship in orbit a small star, allowing the solar panels on the ship to increase the energy levels, or whatever keeps this place running. You smile, leaning back in bed. Yeah, this was a good idea…