Hey there. This was the summer of 1985. I was twelve years old, just finished sixth grade. My parents had finally agreed to let me ride my bike to the Galaxy Games arcade on Mill Avenue by myself, which felt like this huge freedom, you know?. I went there almost every day that summer. Had my favorite games, Galaga, Defender, Dig Dug. I knew every machine in that place. Which ones ate your quarters, which ones gave you extra lives if you knew the trick. I'd saved up lawn mowing money all spring, so I had a coffee can full of quarters in my backpack. One afternoon in late July, I walked in and there was a new game in the back corner. Right where the Ms. Pac-Man machine used to be. This new cabinet was black, completely black, with silver lettering that said STARFIELD COMMAND. No company logo, no copyright information, none of the usual stuff you'd see on an arcade game. The screen was off when I first saw it, but as I got closer, it powered on. Just by itself. Bright white text appeared, INSERT COIN TO BEGIN EVALUATION.
I put in a quarter. The game started immediately, no demo mode, no attract screen. Just straight into the game. It showed a cockpit view, like you were sitting in the pilot's seat of something. The controls were different from any arcade game I'd played, there was a joystick, but also these three buttons arranged in a triangle. No fire button labeled, no start button, nothing. The view through the windscreen showed stars. But they weren't moving like in other space games. They were completely still, and the cockpit instruments had readings I couldn't understand. Numbers and symbols that didn't look like English or any language I recognized. The joystick controlled the ship though, I figured that out quick. Smooth movement, responsive. Better than any flight sim I'd played. Then targets appeared. Not enemy ships or asteroids. Just these geometric shapes, cubes, pyramids, spheres, appearing at different distances. A voice came through the cabinet speakers, crystal clear. It said, 'Intercept targets in sequence. Demonstrate spatial reasoning.' Not a computer voice. A real person's voice, calm and professional. I started hitting targets. The three buttons did different things, one fired, one marked targets, one did something with the engine that I couldn't quite figure out. But I was good at it. Really good. The score kept climbing, and after maybe ten minutes, I had the high score. The only score, actually. The cabinet's high score list was completely empty before I played.
When I finished the sequence, the screen went white. Then text appeared, still in that same white on black, EVALUATION COMPLETE. COGNITIVE SPATIAL APTITUDE, EXCEPTIONAL. And then, I swear this happened, it gave me an address. An actual street address in Phoenix, about forty miles from Tempe. It said to come alone, tell no one, and bring proof of identity. The screen showed an image then. A craft, cigar-shaped, silver, hovering above desert terrain. It rotated slowly on the screen, showing every angle. The voice came back, 'You have been selected for training program. Report to coordinates provided within seven days. This message will not repeat.' The screen went black. The machine powered down completely. I tried putting in another quarter, but nothing happened. Dead. I ran to find the arcade manager, guy named Rick. I asked him about the new game, who brought it in, when it arrived. He looked at me like I was crazy. Said there was no new game. Said the Ms. Pac-Man machine had been there all summer. I went back to show him. The STARFIELD COMMAND cabinet was gone. The Ms. Pac-Man machine was back in that corner. Same corner, same spot. Like nothing had changed. I never went back to that arcade after that night. to arcades every day in summer was the best - Teagan' The experience scared me enough that I just stayed away. But I wrote down that address. Kept it in my desk drawer for two years.
[ Story continues in the full game... ]