Down and Out at the Imperial Ramen Stand

If I have run even a single session of Galaxy Black for you then chances are right about 50% that the game started with all of you in line waiting for the single working Imperial Ramen kiosk.  Whether you were in a mid-block commercial area when some vampire got hangry, or a planetoid about to be attacked by pirates,  standing in queue at the ramen stand is a central pillar in the imperial voyager experience.

Sometimes it’s the only thing you know you’ll be able to digest, sometimes it’s the only thing you can understand, and sometimes you’re just hungry.   But everyone in the empire finds themselves standing in line at the ramen kiosk at some point, somewhen.

And Imperial Ramen is EVERYWHERE

Imperial Ramen

A chain of over 2 million automated ramen shop/kiosks; the closed box infomorph that runs each stand is part of a distributed intelligence (IMPERIAL RAMEN) - as all but two are franchise operations; and the programming in each automat is specific to determine local linguistic and culture drift, it’s not uncommon to find older ones taking on an identity of their own...and sometimes to break down (By sometimes we mean, it’s what they’re known for)

Imperial “Shoyo” Ramen             Soylent Ramen

Ramen with Aqua paste                Ramen Surprise

Ramen with Desert paste              Ramen Unlmited

Ramen with Ovipositor                 Ramen Surprise

Ramen with Reach Egg                 Lyche Ramen

Ramen with Oil Mist                     Bubble Ramen

Ramen with subarctic burrower   Star Fungus Ramen

Cock Bauble Ramen                      Myochortizoid Sporamen

Hulu Ramen                                  Filth “Brown Stuff” Ramen

Grox Ramen*

*Like anchovies of old, only the most daring, or lonely, sentients will order this.   And few will do so without some fear of reprisal.  Anyone casually dining in an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere will find the odor of raw Grox to be like unto that of a loaded diaper.   So making a soup out of it is pretty universally 'fighting words' indeed.  To a select few out of the imperial mainstream however, it is unique and delicious.

Sidereal specials

Ramen with maltransported animal fats and proteins  (Beamed while you Wait)

Ramen with Ovafats (recommended for hosting or pregnant life forms!)

Butter ramen or “Little Ramen”

Ramen with Intense aka Ramen No. 9

(Warning NOT for those fitted with calcium based food reduction systems)

Ramen Sidearm

(specify Curry, Red, Green, or Purple)

Beverages

Tea in a can (ubiquitous; could be ANYTHING)

• Squid ink tea (black or green;  green from Tanix is nasty but right now very very popular)

Now with SLURPS

SLURPS a small fizzy bubbly drinks that come in a variety of flavors and change color on contact with various atmospheres.

Id Algae Paste Slurp                                                   Blue Goo Whee Slurp

Pink Popppy Pop Slurp                                               Gohrm baddem Slurp

Fried Curry Green Slurp                                            

#galaxyblack

#imperialramen

“This article is reproduced in Apocrypha Obscura – Transmissions from the Dreaming Gynoid, available  (drive thru link)  

  and (itch.io link)