CHAPTER 2: PROBES ON A SPACEPLANE
January 22nd 2025
Wednesday
Wheels Up + 01:06:23
SIMULATION ENGINE RUNNING
TIMEFLOW INTERRUPTED
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 ROBOTIC PROBE in the CABIN. It is not HOMICIDAL for the TIME BEING. The SYSTEMS COOLANT is again GETTING HOTTER. The AIR is no longer VENTING from the CABIN. There is much PEE and VOMIT in the AIR. It STINKS a LOT.
ZIXINUS has CALMED DOWN. He is now again GETTING things ORGANIZED by first REMOVING the ANAL PROBE ATTACHMENT from the ROBOTIC PROBE. The ROBOTIC PROBE is making BEEPS. There is a PROGRESS BAR on the BACK of its BODY. It is FILLING slowly. PHANT seems CATATONIC.
ZIXINUS Says: Well... That ended a bit better than I hoped. Though remind me of this next time I suggest overriding the safeguards. I have only two questions. Eternal Freedom, do you think you can use the RCS to catch our Playboy over there? I'd rather not leave him behind if I have a choice. That, and I would like to know what's going on with our radiators.
ETERNAL FREEDOM AGREES. He SEEMS quite CONFIDENT he can CATCH the SUAVE PLAYBOY with the MAGNIFICENT SPACEPLANE, but would like to WAIT a few MINUTES before DOING it.
It soon becomes APPARENT you do not HAVE a few minutes
***
Wheels Up + 01:06:28
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 has now COMPLETELY DEPRESSURIZED. RI'ANN SHAPP is STRAPPED into his SEAT. FILIPINO JANITOR has MUTATED into INSANE FILIPINO and is FIGHITNG SUAVE PLAYBOY in the PAYLOAD BAY. The CONTROLS are IRREPAIRABLY DAMAGED. There are no SMELLS. The is a LOT of VOMIT and POOP in the CABIN. It is SPLASHING all OVER the INSTRUMENTS and HELMETS.
SUAVE PLAYBOY is WOUNDED. He is BLEEDING. It is VERY PAINFUL.
He is VENTING AIR. He is TUMBLING away from the UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE. INSANE FILIPINO is LATCHED onto SUAVE PLAYBOY and is STABBING him with a TURD KNIFE. He is RUINING the LIFE SUPPORT COMPUTER on the CHEST of SUAVE PLAYBOY. He keeps FLOATING BACKWARDS thank to THAT FUCKER NEWTON, but still HOLDS ON with his OTHER HAND.
SUAVE PLAYBOY Says: WITTYNESS!
SUAVE PLAYBOY FIRES his SHOTGUN, but the FIRING PIN got SMEARED with FROZEN POO and is JAMMED. INSANE FILIPINO SHRIEKS like a HARPY in UNADULTERED JOY.
In a FIT of RAGE SUAVE PLAYBOY STABS his MULTITOOL into the LIFE SUPPORT COMPUTER on INSANE FILIPINO'S CHEST. THAT FUCKER NEWTON IMPAIRS them BOTH with extra ROTATIONAL VELOCITY.
INSANE FILIPINO THROWS one last TURD at SUAVE PLAYBOY, bit MISSED TERRIBLY. He is now TUMBLING head over HEELS and is ALMOST out of OXYGEN.
SUAVE PLAYBOY goes LIMP and slowly TUMBLES AWAY from the UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE.
The UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE'S PAYLOAD BAY suddenly EXPLODES. The UNAPPROVED SPACEPLANE begins DRIFTING AWAY from the SCENE as it VENTS various GASSES. FUCKER NEWTON is SITTING on the FUSELAGE.
What do you do? _
***
Wheels Up + 01:06:53
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 ROBOTIC PROBE in the CABIN. It is not HOMICIDAL for the TIME BEING. The SYSTEMS COOLANT is again GETTING HOTTER. The AIR is no longer VENTING from the CABIN. There is much PEE and VOMIT in the AIR. It STINKS a LOT.
You are OBSERVING your FRIEND'S DEMISE at the HANDS of an INSANE SPACEMAN. ETERNAL FREEDOM ACTIVATES the RCS and begins an ATTEMPT at INTERCEPTION. You cannot SEE very WELL because of IVAN IVANOV'S many MATHS covering the WINDSHIELD.
Suddenly, there is PANIC. IVAN IVANOV SHRIEKS that you have TRAVELLED back in TIME. There is SHOCKED SILENCE, but people seem not TOO WORRIED as nobody really BELIEVES it. IVAN IVANOV continues to SHRIEK, though, while ZIXINUS twirls his GRAND MOUSTACHE and LOOKS for a LANDING SITE.
BITCHING BETTY Says: Warning! Coolant temperature!
Oh, CRAP.
There is a loud THUMP as you seem to have HIT SOMETHING. There is ANOTHER just a few SECONDS later. Both THUMPS sound VERY PAINFUL.
ETERNAL SILENCE decides to TAKE the CHANCE and BEGINS to CLOSE the OUTER DOOR to the AIRLOCK and PRESSURIZE it, while ZIXINUS announces there is a SPACEPORT ROUGHLY on your PATH. He BEGINS to CALL OUT on the RESCUE FREQUENCY and gets a RESPONSE from the RAAF.
They TELL him to DIVERT to RAAF AMBERLEY as WOOMERA does not have a RUNWAY of sufficient LENGTH and GIRTH to take your MAGNIFICENT and RIGID SPACEPLANE.
WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY attempts to make a CALL on his CELL PHONE but there is no SIGNAL.
The AIRLOCK completes its CYCLE. A VILE STENCH of POOP and BLOOD bursts OUT of it. There is a MAN HEAP inside. The MAN HEAP is COMPOSED of SUAVE PLAYBOY and INSANE FILIPINO. Their SPACE SUITS are RUINED. They are both UNCONSCIOUS. They are BRUISED from the IMPACTS.
BITCHING BETTY Says: Warning! Coolant temperature!
If you are to RE-ENTER on TIME you will have to do the first BURN in three MINUTES, or risk COMING IN a bit TOO STEEP getting FRIED alive.
WHITE CHINESE DELIVERY GUY points OUT that your RADIATOR still DOESN'T WORK.
What do you do? _