As a vehicle to deliver a punch line, this story works well enough, but it certainly doesn’t ring as possible. How does a moron like Marcus ever get to be a captain?

I enjoyed this. I’ve decided not to personnally rate any entries as I want to give no ideas as to who is in pole position.

@ August, use your imagination, maybe he’s an amazing captain who’s only flaw is his button fettish.

@H.S., regarding your recent inquiry into the state of my imagination; it’s fine, thank you. ;-) If someone who presses buttons higgledy-piggledy and/or willy-nilly is able to make captain, there can only be some jiggery-pokery at play, okie-dokie? I suspect that Marcus may be simply another data point for the Peter Principle.

Nobody can resist a big red button! I’ve spent hours pressing those virtual buttons.
I think this is giving off a Blackadder vibe. The incompetent leader somehow manages to keep control.
(I love Blackadder)

@PJ Yes! That’s it exactly. The ‘Jen’ character is Edmund Blackadder, but ‘Marcus’ is a cross between Prince George and Baldrick.

Blackadder was still an idiot. Jen has commion sense! That was why i was hesitant to make a direct comparison.
Marcus isn’t Baldrick, i don’t think. Baldrick was always of low social status and that was important cos he really was an idiot.

puppeteer, captain! I mean, the captain is there in title and visage, the face of the operation, but the brains, ah the brains, they belong to the one who holds the strings. :)

Seriously, who can’t relate to the captain’s button fetish. Check out:
http://www.jonbro.com/games/buttongame.html

Excellent story, and good variation of the button trope (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BigRedButton), I couldn’t but want to yell “LEEROY JENKINS!” after I read this.

My my, I didn’t think Marcus would be the subject of so much discussion. Thanks for all your comments guys :)

Krull, are you a warcrafter? Or did you hear about it elsewhere?

This was great!

Marcus seems like a swashbuckler – everything he does would be ridiculous, but he manages to work it out… Reminds me of Mal (Firefly/Serenity) in attitude – sort of.

Love the ending too…

(yay for endorphins!)

Marcus is Malcom Reynolds from Firefly. 2nd best starship captain ever.

Love the ending! ‘Bugger me’ made me smile :)

I agreed with August until I realized that Rose and Atjagape are right… This could absolutely be in an episode of firefly and I would never question it. This made me smile, good story lostgirl.

The red button probably would have served lunch early.