CHAPTER 6: THE FIRST CASUALTIES
Time is: Fall 1962
MURCA
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THE CAPE
"I am simply tired, Director. There's no longer any glamor in spaceflight. These constant delays, scrubbing missions, safety problems...no, I am not going to change my mind. I think I'll go into politics now."
Johnny von Braun had been attempting to stop Biff McCain, the (so far only) Murcan space hero, from resigning, but the man seemed intent on carrying his plans through. The Director sighed inwardly, back in Thanasia he'd just use the gestapo and...no, that wouldn't be good. Imprisoning and beating up a space hero would be horrible for PR, and it was von Evilstein's method. But first Hardbeef, now McCain...murca was losing astronauts fast...
No. McCain would go. It was nice of the man to give his notice a year in advance, though.
The Director shook hands with the man and returned to his copious amounts of administrative work. Part of him felt glee at the fact the Zenobians had also failed in their orbital attempt, but he shoved such horrible thoughts aside, remembering it wasn't long ago that Murca lost its son, too.
In a way, the two countries were united today. OhJesus's last transmissions could still be heard on the facility's PA system, bouncing off the electrosphere and coming back to haunt his colleagues...
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Current funds: 64 megabucks
Current astronaut roster:
MODEMJR - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 1, END 2 (Mercury/I) ; MOOD: 52
FLASHHEART - CAP 1, LM 0, EVA 4, DOCK 1, END 1 (Mercury/II) ; MOOD: 61
CUNTSER - CAP 3, LM 3, EVA 1, DOCK 0, END 1 (Mercury/III) ; MOOD: 61
MCCAIN - CAP 4, LM 1, EVA 2, DOCK 0, END 1 (Mercury/IV) ; MOOD: 84 - will retire fall 1963
KELLY - CAP 3, LM 1, EVA 0, DOCK 2, END 2 (Mercury/V) ; MOOD: 59
HARDBEEF - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 1, END 2 (Mercury/VI) ; MOOD: 39 - will retire spring 1963
OHJESUS - DECEASED, MERCURY IX
Programs running: Explorer, Atlas, Mercury, EVA Suits
Launch pads: 3
Scheduled missions: Launch Pad A, unmanned Earth orbital, Mercury/Atlas
Launch Pad B, unmanned Earth orbital,Mercury/Atlas
Launch Pad C, none
ZENOBIA
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BAIKONUREK
The line of naked young men moved ahead from station to station. It was the yearly medical checkup! Usually a time to joke and jab at each other, but not now. Everyone was sullen.
The burial ceremony had just been completed. Nobody could think or speak of anything else, the damn Vostoks and their constant technical problems.
Well, that and the recent x-ray heat shield analysis of the Voshkhod prototype, which showed the
exact same problems as the Vostok defect which lead to Ivanov's death. Nothing was going according to plan, the comissar was going apeshit, stress and depression lurked everywhere.
For Ivanovich, though, things were just about to get even worse.
"Comrade...blow harder! Harder!", the old and cranky doctor yelled at him during the lung capacity test. But try as he might, cosmonaut Ivanovich could not hold the ball up long enough.
"You need more tests, comrade. Stand aside, we'll send you for proper testing, something is up..."
A month later, Ivanovich learned he had the first stages of lung cancer. As he was packing his bag, the man reflected solemnly on his time in the space program, and watched the new group of cosmonaut disembark from a truck.
He could swear a familiar face was amongst them...
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Current funds: 46 megabucks
Current astronaut roster:
FAAABIO - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 0, END 3 (NO PROGRAM) ; MOOD: 78
TITOV - CAP 3, LM 1, EVA 1, DOCK 0, END 1 (VOSTOK/II) ; MOOD: 30
DOSTAROVASKI - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 1, DOCK 1, END 3 (VOSTOK/III) ; MOOD: 42
NIKOV - CAP 4, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 0, END 2 (VOSTOK/VII) ; MOOD: 49
IVANOVICH - GROUNDED BY MEDICAL PROBLEMS, WILL NEVER FLY AGAIN
IVANOV - DECEASED, VOSTOK VII
GROUP II, currently in training:
VLADIMIRENSKY - CAP 2, LM 2, EVA 1, DOCK 2, END 3
BRZECZYSZCZ - CAP 2, LM 1, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 3
YEBANOV - CAP 1, LM 2, EVA 4, DOCK 0, END 1
KARZANOVSKI - CAP 4, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 0, END 1
DZHANIBEKOV - CAP 4, LM 0, EVA 1, DOCK 2, END 3
GLAZKOV - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 2, END 2
VOLYNOV - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 1
BELYAYEV - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 1, DOCK 0, END 1
BEREGOVOY - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 0
Programs running: Sputnik, A-Series, Vostok, Booster stage, Cosmos satellite, Voshkhod
Launch pads: 2
Scheduled missions: Launch pad A, Unmanned satellite, A-Series/Sputnik
Launch pad B, Unmanned satellite, A-Series/Sputnik
Notes:
Well, that was a lousy season.
Both programs are bleeding astronauts, and now both nations have their first dead heroes. Zenobia is now down to 9 prestige, was hit by another reliability random event, and it looks like comrade Pavylyvych's station could indeed be politically threatened.
It is now 1962, and no human had yet been to orbit and survived to speak about it.