CHAPTER 2: PROBES ON A SPACEPLANE
January 22nd 2025
Wednesday
Wheels Up + 01:03:20
SIMULATION STOPPED
You are now: ZIXINUS, ETERNAL FREEDOM, IVAN IVANOV, WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY, BITCHING BETTY, ROBOTIC PROBE, PHANT and FUCKER NEWTON.
You are on a SPACEPLANE. The SPACEPLANE is FLYING really FAST. It is PILOTED by ETERNAL FREEDOM and ZIXINUS. It is rather CRAMPED. The CONTROLS are CONFIGURED in METRIC UNITS. There is no SCRAM FUEL. There is 40% of MAIN ENGINE FUEL. There is plenty of HYDRAZINE for the APU. There is a HOMICIDAL ROBOTIC PROBE in the ARILOCK. The SYSTEMS COOLANT is no longer GETTING any HOTTER. The AIR inside the CABIN is.
There is a SCENARIO EDITOR. It is FLOATING in the AIR. The TIME seems to have STOPPED FLOWING.
IVAN IVANOV is FURIOUSLY CALCULATING using a SLIDERULE and a GREASE PENCIL. WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY HELPS by FINDING OUT the COORDINATES of the GAGARIN ASTRONAUT TRAINING CENTER. The COORDINATES are 30.11 degrees EAST and 55.99 degrees NORTH.
IVAN IVANOV goes AHA and MAKES the ADJUSTMENTS. He SAYS that unless he MADE a MISTAKE, you SHOULD APPEAR in POSITION to do the REENTRY BURN to STAR CITY.He PRESSES the DONE BUTTON.
SIMULATION ENGINE RUNNING
APPLYING UPDATES
...well, CRAP.
***
Wheels Up + 01:03:20
SIMULATION ENGINE RUNNING
TIMEFLOW INTERRUPTED
You are now: RI'ANN SHAPP, INSANE FILIPINO, SUAVE PLAYBOY, LARGE IRRITABLE DOG and FUCKER NEWTON.
You are on an UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE. The UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE is FREE of its ROCKET BOOSTER. The UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE is VERY CRAMPED. It is DEPRESSURIZING. You are STRAPPED into your SEATS. The CONTROLS are in DANGER of being IRREPAIRABLY DAMAGED. There is a SMELL of POOP. It is no longer FAINT. The is a LOT of VOMIT and POOP in the AIR. It is SPLASHING all OVER the INSTRUMENTS and HELMETS. There are two PEOPLE in the PAYLOAD BAY. They are FIGHTING.
RI'ANN SHAPP has a CUNNING PLAN to KNOCK the FIGHTING PEOPLE off his UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE. The PLAN is INTERRUPTED when the UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE'S COMPUTER REFUSES to EXTEND the RADIATOR with the PAYLOAD BAY DOORS still OPEN. It would not have WORKED anyway, as the RADIATOR is well OUTSIDE the PAYLOAD BAY.
RI'ANN SHAPP curses LOUDLY and LOOKS UP at the SITUATION. He is SHOCKED to FIND OUT that the MAGNIFICENT SPACEPLANE has apparently DISAPPEARED into THIN AIR.
He has no IDEA what the FUCK is GOING ON.
***
SIMULATION ENGINE RUNNING
TIMEFLOW INTERRUPTED
Wheels Up + 01:03:30
You are now: ZIXINUS, ETERNAL FREEDOM, IVAN IVANOV, WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY, BITCHING BETTY, ROBOTIC PROBE, PHANT and FUCKER NEWTON.
You are on a SPACEPLANE. The SPACEPLANE is FLYING really FAST. It is PILOTED by ETERNAL FREEDOM and ZIXINUS. It is rather CRAMPED. The CONTROLS are CONFIGURED in METRIC UNITS. There is no SCRAM FUEL. There is 40% of MAIN ENGINE FUEL. There is plenty of HYDRAZINE for the APU. There is a HOMICIDAL ROBOTIC PROBE in the ARILOCK. The SYSTEMS COOLANT is no longer GETTING any HOTTER. The AIR inside the CABIN is.
BITCHING BETTY Says: Warning! Coolant temperature!
BITCHING BETTY Says: Warning! Atmosphere leak!
BITCHING BETTY Says: Airlock pressurizing
The TIME is FLOWING again. EVERYONE LEAPS to their TASKS as if they had DEVELOPED some CRAZY PLANS along the WAY.
WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY attempts to FIX the PROBLEMS with your SPACEPLANE. He CANNOT fix the LEAKING AIR from a PANEL because it is HAPPENING due to a HOLE in the BULKHEAD. He CANNOT fix the PROBLEM with the COOLANT because your RADIATOR is not EXTENDED thanks to SABOTAGE in the PAYLOAD BAY. ZIXINUS PULLS WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY away from the CONTROL PANELS.
He DISABLES the SAFETIES on the AIRLOCK and BLOWS it OPEN the MOMENT it is PRESSURIZED. There is a BLAST of AIR. The MAGNIFICENT SPACEPLANE SHUDDERS MIGHTILY.
To his HORROR, the INNER DOOR starts to OPEN as WELL. ZIXINUS SHRIEKS a MIGHTY HUNGARIAN BATTLE CRY and PREPARES for another CRAB BATTLE.
BITCHING BETTY Says: Warning! Coolant temperature!
BITCHING BETTY Says: Warning! Atmosphere leak!
BITCHING BETTY Says: Inner airlock door opening.
The ROBOTIC PROBE APPEARS. It LEAPS from the AIRLOCK. It was SECURED to the HULL with a MAGNETIC CLAMP and was thusly not BLOWN out with the AIR. The AIR begins to RUSH out of the MAGNIFICENT SPACEPLANE, PULLING everyone TOWARDS the AIRLOCK. Except ETERAL FREEDOM, as he is STRAPPED IN.
It is another CRAB BATTLE. The PROBE goes STRAIGHT for ZIXINUS. It is HISSING.
What do you do? _
***
Wheels Up + 01:03:30
SIMULATION ENGINE RUNNING
TIMEFLOW INTERRUPTED
You are now: RI'ANN SHAPP, INSANE FILIPINO, SUAVE PLAYBOY, LARGE IRRITABLE DOG and FUCKER NEWTON.
You are on an UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE. The UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE is FREE of its ROCKET BOOSTER. The UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE is VERY CRAMPED. It is DEPRESSURIZING. You are STRAPPED into your SEATS. The CONTROLS are in DANGER of being IRREPAIRABLY DAMAGED. There is a SMELL of POOP. It is no longer FAINT. The is a LOT of VOMIT and POOP in the AIR. It is SPLASHING all OVER the INSTRUMENTS and HELMETS. There are two PEOPLE in the PAYLOAD BAY. They are FIGHTING. There is one more SPACEWINDER MISSILE. It is LEAKING PROPELLANT.
The INSANE FILIPINO is FISHING inside a ZIPLOCK BAG. The ZIPLOCK BAG is full of POOP. He is SUCKING in a piece of TURD that is BLOCKING his VISION. It is VERY DISGUSTING.
He does not MANAGE to PULL OUT his CLEVERLY CONCEALED weapons. The SUAVE PLAYBOY INTERRUPTS him by SHOVING a SPACEWINDER into his SPACESUIT. He DROPS the ZIPLOCK BAG due to the SHOCK. It is SNATCHED by FUCKER NEWTON and FLOATS away.
By now, the PAYLOAD BAY is full of HYPERGOLIC PROPELLANT from the MISSILE. It begins to CORRODE the SPACE SUITS of INSANE FILIPINO and SUAVE PLAYBOY. They start to receive WARNINGS that their LIFE SUPPORT might FAIL very SOON. They are both LEAKING precious OXYGENS.
What do you do? _