“We are all kings and queens of our own dementia. The only question is how we rule.”
Ship Mind Gregorovich, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Audio read by Jennifer Hale
A ship mind or a madman? Or perhaps something more? From his harrowing backstory to his augmented intelligence, Gregorovich was nothing short of complex. But, while we can contemplate, and even empathize with this obscure character, it’s difficult to picture an overgrown mass of brain matter living in a fluid-filled sarcophagus on a spaceship. Now, thanks to artist Jorge Norgaard, we can put a “face” on ship mind Gregorovich.
“Minds were human (barely), but they were so much bigger than ordinary brains, they needed stimulation in order to keep from going completely insane. For a mind to be trapped by itself for five years . . . She wondered how safe she really was on the Wallfish.”
Kira, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Audio read by Jennifer Hale
To some in the Fractalverse, it was considered prestigious to surrender human form to become an anatomical oddity, physically integrated with a space ship. Gregorovich’s path, however, led to a loss greater than any mind should experience. After his first ship crashed into an asteroid and he watched helplessly while his crew died, loneliness and despair drove him to the brink of madness. Five years later, by a stroke of luck, the ship mind was spotted by the rag-tag crew of the Wallfish and brought aboard.
Several years after Gregorovich joined the Wallfish, chaos erupted in the galaxy. Not long after, a mysterious new passenger, Kira Navárez, boarded the ship. Unsure and on guard, Kira and Gregorovich slowly began to understand one another. So when Gregorovich was damaged and slipped back into madness, Kira longed to help him.
Gregorovich’s pleas were clouded by manic rants that made little or no sense, yet he was able—in a lucid moment—to reach out to Kira and convey his plight. And it was that moment that inspired the song “To Hell and Back – Gregorovich” by Jennifer Hale and Todd Herfindal.
Brains!
Be sure to visit Gregorovich’s page to see more concept art and details about this complicated ship mind. Would you like to become a gigantic brain controlling a space ship? Let us know on social media!