CatastrophicFailure

Glad you enjoyed it. It has only just begun.

Do you want the Borg? Cuz I’m pretty sure that’s how you get the Borg.

They probably don’t want to draw attention to all those spent boosters falling on hapless peasants...

We’ve been trying to avoid it up til now, but cold crummy weather usually makes for cranky bees even with smoking.

We have a date for the second Block 5 launch... but it’ll be a while.

Which ones would those be?

This is entirely too long to wait between launches!

Aww man, I had the gif all set up, too.

Heh, I love that. “you’re coming along whether you want to or not, tail!” *gets a rope*

If you don’t use that somewhere I will. Besides, nothing but italicized she was gonna get really confusing with more she’s around... All I can say is, you ain’t seen nothing yet...

It’s getting away! Quick, after it!

Wow. And here I thought it was a long way down the road to the chemist’s...

In those days, winter shall lay unbroken upon the land, And the sun shall hide its face. One shall return to you as from the dead, And you shall know the end is come. Chapter 23: Kermangrad Coming up to street level a gasp escaped her lips, pulled from her lungs by an icy blast of wind that went up her hood, around her head, and right down her spine. She pulled the sweatshirt a little tighter. She and Edgas were now on an incredibly broad boulevard, lined at the edges with trees bespeckled in stunted leaves despite the old-looking piles of snow in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. Down the center median were towering, larger-than-life bronze statues caked with the opinions of generations of local pigeons, who had never been very impressed. They were important people, she knew she was supposed to know that, yet she had no idea who any of them— She froze. Here at the end of the boulevard, one last statue towered. An imposing figure with a triumphant smile, clad in a space suit, a hand raised and one massive finger pointing off towards... something. She stared at it for a long time, only dimly award that Edgas had paused too, and was now looking at her with concern. The darkness and the light flashed back and forth inside in her mind, an image trying desperately to come forward, and with it a torrent of feelings she somehow knew would scour her away. Yet, just as it looked about to resolve into clarity, it faded, leaving only a lingering name on her lips. “S... Sergei...” “Are you... Ok?” Edgas put a nervous hand on her shoulder. “I am— I do not know,” she dropped her eyes and shook her head, “for just an instant, something...” she shrugged. And then, as she was looking down, an odd noise seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, followed by a cheerful voice. “Caution: vehicle exiting. Caution: vehicle exiting.” Before her eyes, flashing lights on long poles appeared to rise out of the street just beyond the sidewalk. A moment later the roadway itself split open, two sections rotating out and down. From the abyss they revealed, a kar now appeared, rising from the depths like some mythical hero. Her jaw fell open as it drove away silently, as quickly as it had appeared. Now she pointed, her mouth and brain each trying so hard to overrule the other that nothing came out but a series of random, disjointed syllables. Edgas, of course, was unvexed, “came up from the Loop underground. It’s, um, sort of like a subway, but for kars too.” She spun to him, one eyelid twitching. She grabbed his collar and pulled his face down, “but there was no one driving!” That same unphased look from him nearly sent her apoplectic, “yeah, it’s autonomous. They’re pretty common these days, even around here. Probably an Ünter off to pick up someone’s dry cleaning.” He offered a bright smile. Her mouth flopped open and closed as she gawked at him, then sighed, “we should keep moving.” And so they did, heading down the boulevard into a vast city square. She glanced back at the statue, followed its finger to the skyline on the far side. She couldn’t say why, but something seemed to be... missing. Then her vision dropped, and she saw where they were heading. A cold fear devoid of memory or reason suddenly gripped her. “Wait, where are we going?” she spun Edgas around, “we cannot go in there!” “Sure, that’s where my contact is,” again with that infuriating smile. Her mouth did the fish thing once more, “that is... that is the Fortress!” she pleaded, “you-you-you cannot just... walk up to the front gate and ask to be let in! Even I know that!” And so... they just walked up to the front gate and asked to be let in. And found a couple of rifles pointed in their faces for their trouble. “Hey, this is the Fortress! You can’t just walk up to the front gate and ask to be let in, y’know?” said one guard. “Yeah, what’s the big idea? Everyone knows that,” said the other, “you better show us some papers!” “Yeah, show us your papers!” the two brandished their rifles. She... wasn’t quite sure if she could have said anything at that moment. She actually found herself trying to hide behind Edgas, and a frustrated flush on her cheeks because of it despite the chill in the air and in her blood. And yet, Edgas... had no fear at all. She felt nothing of the sort from him, not even a precursor of fear. In that moment she thought he must be the bravest kerb in all the world. Or perhaps the stupidest. No, all she felt was more of that odd sense of... resignation. Then Edgas spoke, slowly and deliberately, “all right. I am going to reach into my left coat pocket, here, and get out my documents, okay?” The guards blinked. “Hey... Grigory...” hissed the one. “Yeah, Sasha?” breathed the other. “Why’s he talkin’ like that? Like he’s got a mouthful of marbles?” “I dunno, maybe he’s one of those, y’know, types,” he tapped at the side of his head with a finger, “whadda they call ‘em these days?” Sasha thought for a moment, “a moron?” “No, no, no,” Grigory chided, “the sensitive word.” “Oh,” Sasha beamed, “an idiot!” “Yeah, maybe he’s an idiot!” he poked his rifle at Edgas, “show us your papers, idiot!” “Yeah, idiot, show us your papers!” Then Sasha frowned, “wait... do I know you, idiot?” Gregory eyed him, “You know this idiot?” “I think I’ve seen this idiot somewhere before!” “You better make with the papers, idiot!” “Yeah, we better see some idiot papers right now!” Edgas stared back with a look that could cut glass. Then he rolled his eyes, stripped off the truly awesome but fake mustache, and pulled his hood back before producing what looked like a passport and handing it over to one of the guards. Sasha stared at it, his brow crinkling. He looked at Edgas, looked at the page. Looked at Edgas, looked at the page. Looked at Edgas, looked at the page. Then his eyes snapped open wide and he nearly shot one of the statue pigeons scrambling to put his rifle away, “sorry! Sorrysorrysorrysorry!” Gregory gaped at him, and he smacked the other guard’s rifle down, “put that thing away, you idiot! You wanna get us both killed, or worse?” “What?” “It’s him!” “Who him?” “Him him!” Sasha thrust the page in Grigory’s face, whose eyes also went wide. “Sorry!” they both bleated, “sorrysorrysorry!” Grigory slapped his hand on a clipboard he’d produced from somewhere, “you’re-you’re-you’re-you’re-you’re not on the list!” “Yeah, the list!” “No one told us you were coming!” “Some idiot forgot to put you on the list!” “You were supposed to be on the list!” Edgas sighed, “can we just go in now?” “Yessir! Of course, sir! Go right in, this idiot will call ahead and have someone meet you!” “Sorry! Sorrysorrysorry!” And so, they finally did walk right in, she feeling more and more like this was all some dream. One of the really strange ones from back when she was on the painkillers. They walked past stately old buildings and bustling people, and everywhere were construction flags and towering cranes. It all had a stinging sense of familiarity, yet as she glanced up at the rapidly disappearing skyline, she couldn’t help but think that something was missing. Edgas led her to and fro on a zigzagging path, with all the purpose of someone who’d made the trek many times. They eventually came to an old and distinguished, yet unassuming-looking building off in a corner, and this time went right in the front door without challenge. “Edgas!” came a high, musical voice, like an angel, “oh, my, I’m so terribly sorry! Some lines must’ve gotten crossed, no one knew you were coming. We would’ve sent a kar...” The dream-like feel shifted yet again, as the most beautiful kerbelle she had ever seen, whether she could remember or not, strode towards them. This vision came on airy heels that clicked softly on the tile floor. Her suit skirt was perfectly tailored, fit just so, her ruffly blouse white as alabaster. Her makeup was so subtle she couldn’t even tell if she wore any, her lashes long and whispy, her long golden hair somehow done up and down at the same time. She moved with a sublime grace, the abject picture of poise and professionalism, and her bright, smiling face was a beacon that could launch a thousand thousand ships. She hated her at once. “Hi, Katya,” Edgas grinned, taking the offered hand. Wait, Katya?! And then... and then... she leaned in and kissed Edgas on both cheeks, peck, peck! She held his hand just a moment longer as he continued, “I didn’t tell anyone I was coming, trying to keep a low profile...” “Oh, it that how it is?” Katya said with a knowing smirk, “and who is this?” She smiled a flawless smile at her. “Um... er...” Edgas stammered, “she’s my, uh, friend.” “I see,” that same smirk, then she offered a hand, “zdravstvuyte, I’m Yekaterina Kermanov, the Executive Administrative Assistant, ever so pleased to meet you!” and now she beamed with closed eyes in a smile every bit as guileless as Edgas’s own. Hunching over just a bit as she did so. It was only through a great force of will that she avoided squeezing the hand until bone crunched and tendons popped. The silky, baby-soft hand with perfectly trimmed nails of just the right length, that of course precisely matched the oh-so-subtle lipstick... and had an impressive grip of its own. “Charmed,” she croaked. But before she could contemplate proper violence, a much more mousy-looking kerbelle approached, carrying a file folder, “excuse me, Mizz. Kermanov? There’s a small discrepancy in the final disbursement report...” The barest hint of a frown crossed the beauteous face, “I’m terribly sorry, excuse me, please, Edgas, for just one moment.” He nodded, “of course,” and she glared after her as she stepped some distance away to speak with the other kerbelle. She hissed at Edgas, “you know this person?!” “Katya? Oh, sure, we’ve been friends since... well, ever since she’s been here, I guess.” Now he made with the blameless, innocent smile. She scowled at him, “she is... far too young!” Edgas blinked in confusion, “huh? Oh, no, we’re actually about the same age, she’s just got one of those baby-faces, it’s always getting her into trouble.” Again with that smile! She found she suddenly had the most peculiar urge to choke him within an inch of his life. And Katya, too. Who promptly returned, clutching the folder to her chest with both hands with an air of fetching vulnerability, “terribly sorry about that, it’s been a bit chaotic around here lately, with everything. Shall we?” She gestured towards the elevators. Edgas glanced around at the piles of boxes as they walked, “yeah, looks that way. Has the transition been difficult?” “Well, much easier than the last time, of course,” she giggled, “changing offices is quite an ordeal for the staff who are staying on, but the new building will be an amazing improvement. This place gets so hot and stuffy in the summer with all the windows painted shut,” she fluffed at her blouse for emphasis. “I can imagine,” Edgas grinned, “though it doesn’t seem like that’s been a problem lately. Is that snow outside still from last winter?” Katya nodded, “and from just a few weeks ago. Again.” “This early?” Edgas raised an eye... bulge, “that’s strange, even this far north.” “It’s been that way for months,” she shrugged, showing a flash of neck, “some people are calling it the ‘year without a summer.’ This next winter will be just frightful, they say...” She followed a little way behind as the other two chatted about the weather. Every so often, Katya would brush up against Edgas, then lean and touch him lightly on the arm, giggling at something. She felt her left eye begin to twitch again. A completely irrational anger seemed to be bubbling in the back of her throat. No, perfectly rational! Just... just... look at that! Kerbals wobbled as they walked, that was normal, but this one..! She just sort of... swayed, looking for all the world as if she walked on her toes. It... it wasn’t proper! The group stepped onto the elevator, which was quite cramped and musty-smelling. Katya hit the button for the top floor, and then the elevator dropped. Edgas deftly caught her as she stumbled, squealing “oh!” as she fell against him. She had to steady herself against the wall. The wooden railing creaked and crackled in her grip. “This old thing still doing that?” Edgas said as the elevator finally started heading up. Katya scowled up at the roof, “sometimes,” she replaced an errant lock of hair like sunshine... which actually stayed put, “it would be nice to have an elevator that’s not older than I am.” She continued to glower at the other two. Whenever Edgas glanced at her, Katya would hold his eyes with an attentive smile, then as soon as he looked away, that brimming confidence would seem to flag and her own gaze drop, cheeks flushing. She kept watching his eyes too, searching for any untoward move, any lingering, any hint of... But... Edgas mostly stared straight ahead, looking the other kerbelle’s way when polite, always with his trademark simple, slightly awkward smile. Somehow, that made her more angry. Next to this flawless beauty with her perfect this and perfect that—! No, not perfect! Her heels were entirely too high, her skirt entirely too short, and... and... and..! She took in a long, rasping breath as the realization finally caught her, her eyes bulging wide. Then immediately launched into a fit of coughing. “Oh, my! Are you all right?” Katya asked, concern plain on her angelic face. “I fine,” she croaked, “swallowed wrong.” “That won’t do,” Katya frowned, “well, there’s fresh, hot tea in the kettle upstairs and I’ll see if I can find you a bottle of water, too.” She did that beaming closed-eye thing again. No, strangling just would not do, here, this would require bludgeonry! Just in time, the elevator shuddered again as it reached the top, the doors groaning open. They walked out into a large, mostly empty office, a few boxes and chairs still about. An anteroom just off of it towards one corner still held some unpacked items, and a large desk scattered with papers. Katya strutted up to a wide door on the far side, and to her continued chagrin, grew even taller as she straightened and clasped her hands just so before her. She spoke with the calm, perfectly metered voice of a diplomat, “Madamé Speaker will see you now,” then gave the slightest amused roll of her eyes as she sung the door open, and gestured the other two in. “Edgas, dear!” came a new voice, “I am so terribly sorry, we didn’t know you were in town, or I would have sent a k—“ A cup of tea shattered on the floor... ...and Valentina and Dibella ran into each other’s arms. *** Edgas leaned back against an empty bookshelf, arms crossed, a little lopsided, slightly satisfied smile on his face. Just the right jolt... Katya poked her head in, the question on her face. He quickly waved her off with a little motion of his hand. He stood there a while, letting the sheer, unrivaled joy radiating from the two hugging, crying kerbelles wash away his anxiety, if only for the moment. There were no words. There was no need. Eventually, he noticed Dibella looking at him over Valentina’s shoulder, her face split in a wide smile so bright that even the gloom beyond the window withdrew in shame. She beckoned to him, but he gave that same little wave of his hand. Then she frowned, snapped her fingers, and pointed at the floor next to them. Edgas, too, realized a battle he couldn’t win, and so reluctantly approached. Dibella quickly wrapped her arm around his neck... and, with a loud popping of vertebrae, instantly undid several years worth of chiropractic therapy. But for the moment, Edgas didn’t much care. “I remember,” Valentina breathed between sobs, “I remember everything now.” Dibella freed her other hand for a moment, seizing Edgas by the cheeks and practically lifting him off the ground despite her smaller stature. She kissed each one so hard a pair of little divots remained for some time afterward, mwah! Mwah! “How have you done this?” she said through tears, then went right back to hugging them both, “first you return the lost to us, and now you raise the dead!” Edgas struggled focus his own eyes, “it’s a long story, but I really didn’t—“ He felt the stab an instant before Valentina’s sobs shifted their tone, “oh, no...” Her eyes were a million kilometers away, tremors working their way up her face, “I remember... everything...” “Oh, no...” Edgas brushed Dibella aside as gently as he could, now taking Valentina’s cheeks in his own hands, “look at me—“ Her eyes rolled in great circles, shrieks and sobs racking her entire body. He half led, half carried her over to a couple of chairs by the wall. “Look at me...” “Edgas? What... what’s going on?” Dibella sat next to them, her face as confused and terrified. “Look at me,” Edgas pulled Valentina’s face to his, “don’t fight, just let it come. I’m right here, I’ve got you.” She collapsed into him, her tears soaking his shirt in an instant as her her face pressed against his chest. Yet she reached back to clasp Dibella’s outstretched hand as uncontrollable wails took her. “What’s wrong?” Dibella nearly shrieked herself, “we... we need a doctor...” “It’s a long story,” Edgas cursed himself for the trite response, “she lost her memory but I think it’s back, now. She’s remembering everything, all at once...” he dropped his eyes so she couldn’t see the horror in them, “everything I told her... it’s all hitting her at once...” “Edmund...” Valentina twisted a trembling fist into his coat, “Ch... Chadvey...” He held her for a long time, suffering along with her, feeling every twist and cut of the knife as if it were in his own heart. Yet he did not shy from the pain. Veins stood out on his forehead as he reached out for it, embraced it, fed on it, tried with all his might to draw it to himself. All of it. To himself, and away from her. After an eternity, her grip on his coat loosened, and her shoulders slowed. She looked up at him, her face puffy and wet with tears. Dibella put a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing, her own face plain with the confusion of trying to understand, “Tia, I am so sorry. Edmund’s murder was a blow to us all, the entire community, but no one was prepared for Chadvey’s tragic loss in that capsule.” Valentina looked at her, brow wrinkling, then back to Edgas. He nodded, then took a long, slow breath and let it out between clenched teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. He opened them again, and held Dibella’s gaze with a great force of will, “Chadvey didn’t die in orbit on a tourist flight, Dibella. He was killed on the surface of Bop, by Jerdous Kerman.” Dibella’s brows pinched together. The edges of her mouth flicked up, then turned down, then seemed unaware of what else to do with themselves while a dozen different emotions flowed across her face. Finally, she managed, “w... what?” “And Edmund wasn’t murdered by a vagrant,” Edgas bit back bile in his throat, “I killed him.” Then... Edgas felt a gentle hand on his cheek. “No,” Valentina lifted her face to his again, “no, listen to me, now... you could not have saved him,” she closed her eyes, shaking her head for a moment, “only I could have. Whatever was left of Edmund in there, believe me, you did him a mercy.” Dibella’s eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them, her mouth hanging open. Edgas managed a weak smile, and Valentina returned it, before her eyes began darting around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. “Wait... wait, where are all the banners, anyway?” she stood, looking over the door, “where... where are the compulsory pictures of the Imperium? Even if you are moving, or something, they must be displayed! And... and...” she stalked to the window, throwing the curtains open wide, “where on STДLIЙS PIMPLҰ, ШЯIЙKLЄD PФSTЄЯIФЯ is that big stupid Dome?!” She clapped both hands to her mouth, her eyes wide and bulging. Dibella composed herself as she stood, taking on the calm, collected air of a senior diplomat. She led Valentina back to a chair, and took a seat across from her. “Katya?” she called out, the face instantly appearing in the doorway, “more tea, please. And... yes, something to eat, I think— you must be famished—“ she leaned back in her chair. “I think, perhaps, we have... much to discuss.”

Check out FlyByFinder. Tho I’m not sure if it works with upscaled systems. Dang, son! Is that stock scale or like 6.4?

Today, well, yesterday, we found out just how grumpy our beehive can get. Horrible weather to be opening the hive, cold, cloudy, damp. That means nearly all of the bees were inside instead of out foraging, with nothing better to do than get all up in my business. As soon as we took the cover off the bees started poking their butts up and buzzing. When I reached in with the frame holder, a half dozen bees just shot to it like BB’s to a magnet, it was trippy as heck. Then they started charging at our faces. Only managed to get one frame out: We just added a second (empty) brood box last week, so that’s really good comb drawing they’ve done, but the fact that it’s empty means they haven’t been able to get out foraging cuz of the weather. So we decided to just top off the feeder and leave them alone for now.

Well, for that guy's sake I sure hope it was polished until shiny... They borrowed that grand tradition of the pragmatic dwellers just to the soth of, “because it’s what they had.” Borrowing another grand tradition of said people, copious amounts of rocket fuel may have been involved in the decision... Can’t comment except to say, the author does his homework... This was the first 4000 or so words of the beast, still hate that I had to split it, but the rest should hopefully be up within the week.

Aaaaand here we see the birth of a scientist. Now if they’d just put it on the other end of the booster, like a certain up-and-coming Bond villain, they could recover it and save even more launches. Another great read and a wonderful cap to the weekend, too.

My friend, I'm given to wonder if that's because it's what you choose to read. Respectfully, every time you comment on this thread it's always something negative. Where I live, I see a dozen or more Tesla S's every day, that's saying something about a 500hp $100k electric supercar. Popular Mechanics just named the Model 3 Car of the Year, and it's already the best-selling midsized premium sedan in the US. I'll never own either one, I have no vested interest in the brand, but I can recognize something extraordinary even when it doesn't actually interest me that much. It seems to me most of Tesla's troubles are due to Musk's usual foible of promising a bit too much too soon. That, and a good solid helping of media bias. If Tesla's issues really were that serious, they simply would not be selling like they are. Profitability for the company is expected later this year.

That’s what they said about Teslas in the first place. Im still not convinced it’s all just a joke, but if there was anyone who could pull it off and make it work...

Behold, I saw a dread portent in the sky, a great star falling from the heavens, blazing like a torch. It fell on a third of the rivers, and on the springs of water, and made them bitter, And many died from the water because it was bitter. And the name of the star was Wormwood. Chapter 22: Going South “We’ll only be gone a few days, when we get back, I’ll... I’ll explain everything.” “Got it. You’re the boss, Boss,” Doc pressed the surgical mask to his face with a hand as he gave another cough. Edgas peered at him, “you... sure you’ll be all right?” “It’s nothing to worry about,” Doc croaked, “told you, I was expecting this. We’ve got plenty of medication on hand if it’s more than just a cold.” “Yeah, but... your face is all blotchy...” “I’m fine, Boss,” Doc insisted, “maybe bring back a crate of cough drops if you can.” “I’ll do that,” Edgas smiled, then nodded to the quiet hatch next to them, “I... don’t quite feel right about not saying goodbye to him...” “He’s finally asleep, let him rest. Besides, you’ll be back in a few days. Whatever he’s got should have worked its way out of his system by then, and the last thing you need right now is come down with something yourself,” Doc eyed him, “you do feel ok, right?” Edgas sighed, “well, I don’t feel sick at all. At least not physically.” “We’ll be ok, Boss. You’ve seen to that,” Edgas saw the other kerb’s eyes brighten above the mask. “Still,” he looked back toward the hangar, “I’d like you to keep the LCC on rapid standby ‘til we get back. Doc seemed to hesitate just a moment before nodding, “will do.” An awkward moment stretched out as the two kerbs stared at each other. Finally, Edgas offered his hand, “so, I guess this is goodbye...” Doc just stared at it, his own behind his back, “no it’s not. You’ll be back in a few days,” he smiled behind his mask, “then I’m sure things will get back to normal. Probably best if I don’t shake, I’m past the incubation phase of whatever this is, so probably contagious.” “In a few days, then,” smiled Edgas. “In a few days, Doc nodded. Edgas held his smile, until he had turned toward the hatch, his coat somehow feeling much heavier upon his shoulders. He tried not to think about what he knew was to come, what had already been... and the doubt in his old friend’s eyes quashed down only by sheer force of will. He pushed open the hatch to the hangar, and disappeared into the darkness. *** She watched him emerge from the hangar into the light, such as it was. As ever, the sun hung fat and bloated and orange on the horizon. For a time, she had stood near the enormous just-open main door, watching him say goodbye to his crew, but the strange discomfort of the moment would have been permeable even without this... connection they shared, so she had moved a little ways away. Now she just stood, enjoying the light, icy breeze on her face, enjoying simply being outside. They said it was unusually mild weather for this time of year up here, with the clear red-fading-to-indigo sky and barest hint of wind. Of course it was still cold, but the cold never bothered her anyway. She wasn’t sure how she knew this, she just did. And so she stood, staring off at the low, never quite setting sun, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of gravity that had nothing to do with the downward pull of the world. Finally Edgas approached, and as their eyes met again, much was... exchanged without a word being said, so she spoke, if only to avoid the same awkwardness she’d just felt. “You really know how to find this Kommissar?” she raised an eye... bulge at him, smirking just a bit. “No,” Edgas replied, “but I’ve got a friend with government who will.” She raised another eye, “some middling bureaucrat, no?” He shrugged, “more or less.” Then she turned to their... transportation... “if we survive trip, that is...” Edgas approached, and rapped a bare knuckle against the sleek enclosure that seemed to be made of some sort of plastic, “may not look like much but it’s got it where it counts. Besides, Lemmy ’s made a lot of special modifications himself.” “If... that is what you call it...” her mind was still trying to wrap itself around the thing now before her. It really wasn’t much more than a pair of jet engines, stacked one over the other, mounted on a trio of skis. A pair of dinged and dented fuel tanks flanked the exposed structure, the only attempt at covering which was the long, bright-orange fairing. Or was that the cockpit? Or... “The cabin was Doyle’s idea,” Edgas said as he tilted the tandem bubble canopy open, “the Skeeters were originally open-air.” She tried once more to wrap her brain around the thing, gaping from pointed nose to tiny tail, “how do you even..?” “It’s a lot of surplus KI-24 parts, plus some other bits we found lying by the side of the road here and there. Not much for comfort I’m afraid, but bar-none the fastest way to get across the ice.” He beamed proudly beside disjointed monstrosity. She could only sigh, tug the hood of the old sweatshirt a bit tighter and let him help her into the back seat. Edgas was certainly right about comfort, there was none to be had. Small as she was, even she felt cramped inside, yet the flight stick and myriad of chipped and fading gauges brought swirling colors to the surface of her mind, only for them to once again disappear into the fog of memory just beyond her reach. In the seat ahead, Edgas began throwing switches. She pulled the hood down with an odd pang of regret, and pulled on a headset instead, drowning out everything but the occasional buzz of his voice in her ears. The sun sat as still as ever out on the ice, creeping along the horizon, never higher or lower. It had an eeriness that was beginning to bother her more and more, here in this place that was neither light nor dark and— KER-BLAM! “Gah!” If the ear-splitting noise hadn’t jolted her from her daze, the horrible shuddering that followed would have, as the entire wreck seemed trying to shake itself apart. A thick cloud of inky black smoke wafted past from the engines behind. “Fire!” she screamed, “we are on fire! We have to get out!” Some heretofore unknown instinct seized ahold of her, and her unthinking hands began pulling at the canopy latches. “No, it’s ok!” Edgas called out in her ear, “that’s just the starter. It didn’t quite take.” “I... WOT?!” “Er... thought I’d mentioned it. We couldn’t spare the weight for the electric starters so the Skeeters use emergency pyro charges, sort of like a 6-gauge shotgun shell with no shot.” Slowly, she raised a hand to her face. “Guess I should’ve been a bit more clear on that,” Edgas gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Just get on with it,” she sighed. He began throwing switches again, and despite steeling herself for what was about to come, she still nearly jumped through the canopy. KER-BLAM! Again the horrible shuddering assaulted her, dragging along a distant low rumble. “Well, that’s number one out,” Edgas mumbled, “have to try engine two...” KER-BLAM! “Uh-oh...” “What now?” she huffed. “Only two cartridges per engine. If this next one doesn’t work we’ll have to call Lemcott over for a ground start.” She could sense far too easily how unpleasant that might be for him right now. Just as she was resigning herself to the fact, Edgas spoke up again. “Oops, heheh,” he buzzed in her ear, “had the main fuel valve off. I really should check out on these more often.” KER-BLAM! This time the shuddering rose until the instrument panel before her blurred into a haze, but the low rumble never ceased. It grew stronger, gradually at first, but rising in pitch and intensity; a slow, shrill spool from 'piercing' to 'obnoxious' to 'painful' to 'for the love of all that's decent please make it stop!' before finally settling in to a nearly ultrasonic whine. She pressed the earcups to her ears, vaguely aware that she was talking, yet even that did nothing to stem the aural assault that was, somehow, very familiar. Ahead of her, Edgas gestured at his own headset, and she fumbled around and eventually found the switch. In an instant, the unbearable din died away to a tortuous buzz. “Active noise cancelling,” Edgas crackled in her ear, “it’ll still leave you with a nasty headache tomorrow but it really cuts down on the permanent hearing loss. They don’t call ‘em Converters for nothing.” “Gah!” she screamed, “where did you even get such a thing?!” “Surplus market. They won’t sell complete hulks to foreigners but you can get parts for a song.” Given his proficiency with the Ussari language, she wondered if perhaps they’d simply given Edgas whatever he wanted just to get him to stop singing. Whoever... they were... Colors and shapes swirled in yet another memory just out of reach, and she shook her head. The ungainly craft, too, shuddered, as Edgas nudged the throttles ahead. It moved ponderously, swaying back and forth over unseen lumps in the snow and ice below, slowly turning around. He nudged them again, speed beginning to increase. Soon they were past the base perimeter, and Edgas poured the power on. Raw acceleration shoved her back in her seat, the swaying abating to a dreamy, floating smoothness. She noted with a frown that Edgas never looked back once they’d started moving. She tried craning her neck back to see herself, but everything behind was lost in a roostertail of swirling snow. And so they proceeded, heading south, since there was no other way to go. She tried watching the speed gauge for a while but quickly gave up, something in her mind kept trying to calculate what would happen if they hit a bump of any size at such speed, and her stomach reacted accordingly. There was not much point in conversation, either, not even the headsets could drown out the sound of the two engines at full power, so instead she watched the sun. She kept expecting it to rise or set, to do something, but it only sat there, fat and bloated on the horizon like a watchful eye. Some part of her mind was distantly aware that Edgas was riding the terminator, the edge between the darkness and the light, drawing out his world of endless twilight. Even if she closed her eyes and concentrated, listened, she couldn’t quite tell it was deliberate or not. The hours of unchanging scenery stretched on, lulling her into a dream-like trance. Sometimes she slept, sometimes she was awake, but never entirely aware of which as they rocketed away from the small, forgotten station at the north pole. At some point, clouds began to appear on the horizon ahead, first in ones and twos, then longer streaks. Soon she saw undulating cirrus clouds that appeared to stretch northward like skeletal fingers, and looked away, an uncomfortable feeling digging in between her shoulder blades. She thought of mentioning this to Edgas, but she could already tell without speaking to him that he was far too aware. The disturbing sight above eventually gave way to low, gray, scudding clouds, but at least they hid the glowering sun. The landscape, too, shifted, and Edgas had to slow as they loped over undulating tundra, leaving the land of eternal winter behind. Not that this place was much better. Here and there, rocks or brown grass poked out of the drifting snow, leading off to towering mountains in the distance while they threaded a wide pass. Passing over one rise, she just caught sight of a vast herd of great hairy beasts huddled against the cold. Once past the mountains, the first settlements began to appear. Clusters of sparse, squat hovels that bore an uncanny resemblance to the creatures she’d just seen, clad as they were in the animal’s hides. Here, withered shrubs poked up amongst the grass, looking dead as their absent leaves awaited the next fleeting summer. These slowly grew taller, heralding the first stunted trees as they drew ever southward. Edgas slowed more, and she began to sense an odd, unexpected apprehension from him. Stunted trees then became a towering, white-capped forest, their boughs drooping down under the weight of the snow. It became clear they were heading down some kind of cut path, as settlements became villages with proper stone buildings and smoke-trailing chimneys. Finally, she asked Edgas what was bothering him so, the piercing wail of the engines now down to a dull roar. “It’s early to see this much snow on the ground,” he explained, as he weaved around a yak-drawn cart that didn’t seem to notice the strange craft shrieking by at all, “we’re a solid three, four hundred kilometers further south than I thought we’d get with the Skeeter. It’s saving us tons of time, but still...” they both watched as a small farm slipped past, its crop crushed under the snow, “this doesn’t seem right.” They continued down snow-lined trails a while longer, but eventually even that thinned and waned. Edgas pulled into a nondescript hamlet, the Skeeter’s skis now grinding on wide patches of bare gravel. It looked the same as any of the others, though he seemed familiar with it. He unloaded their one bag, warned her to keep a careful eye on it, then had a very animated conversation with a kerb in a tall ushanka, speaking an incredibly mushy, slurred dialect she could barely understand. Money changed hands, in which direction she wasn’t entirely sure of, and the fellow gave them a ride to the train station in an ox-cart. And now... the ruse began. Edgas was shy on details, yet the apprehension she had sensed before was replaced with an odd sort of... alert boredom over the whole thing. They were now traveling under assumed names, she wore a traditional babushka under her sweatshirt hood, and he a very impressive but fake mustache, as someone named Buford T. Kerman (and sister). He booked them a private compartment on the wheezy old smoke-belching train, and as she settled onto the lumpy, threadbare bench just next to him, it finally occurred to her just how tired she was. The train pulled out of the station with agonizing slowness, banging and groaning as if it were ready to fall apart. The peeling paint, the cracked window, the... unusual smell of the small room... it all had a maddening familiarity she couldn’t quite place. They spoke little as the train chugged its way up to speed. The dark and gloomy landscape outside didn’t offer much to see, but she stared out into it anyway, for lack of anything else to stare at. This, too, pulled at memories that vanished like faint stars as soon as she looked at them. Click-clack. Click-clack. Her eyelids grew heavy as the room swayed back and forth in that odd way of old trains. Click-clack. Click-clack. She also began to realize how very hungry she was. How long had they been cooped up in that strange, noisy contraption? She had no idea. But the way her stomach was growling, it suddenly felt like days. A thought wandered through her mind that she should mention this to Edgas, this thing must have a dining car somewhere. Click-clack. Click-clack. Yes, a nice hot meal sounded quite... nice... about... now... Click-clack. Click-clack. Click-clack. -------------------- Her eyes popped open with a start, yet she remained frozen in the unfamiliar place, some long-forgotten instinct seizing hold of her. The feel of grit in her teeth and alkali in her throat goaded at her, yet she remained still, staring out the window at the darkness. Alarm eventually began to fade, and she cast her eyes around the small space; the peeling paint, the cracked glass, the gentle swaying and muted click-clack... The hidden sun must have set already, how long had she been asleep? Beyond the window, it was so dark she thought she might as well drifting in space again. She knew she had been, but couldn’t remember it. The fog of her memory swirled, blank as the darkness outside. Then her vision shifted, the soft light from beyond the compartment door just enough to cast the room in reflection on the window. Her cheeks flushed a bit as she realized she was propped up against Edgas, her head sort of leaning back on his shoulder. His own head was lolling back against the wall behind the bench, rocking just slightly with the gentle swaying of the car, the shadow of a smile on his face. For... just an instant, she considered moving, but realized it might rouse him, and even in sleep he looked as exhausted as she still felt. Instead she... reached out, feeling toward that little bundle of emotion in the back of her mind that somehow connected them... ...and snapped her mind back, feeling the color rise on her cheeks a bit more. No... no, his dreams were his own, she had no right to... well, peek. But the bare snippet she had felt— ...say dummy again... Rage... indignation... such crushing sadness... why would such a dream bring a smile to his face? Yet as her own fatigue swelled once again, she decided it all mysteries for another time. The gentle rocking of the train seemed to pull her eyelids lower once more, so she settled down against his shoulder, laid her head back, and let them close, the shadow of a smile on her own face as well. -------------------- Early the next morning, they pulled in to a town not unlike the last, where they changed trains and headed in a different direction. So it continued, for how long she wasn’t quite sure. They kept to themselves, and mostly their cabin, eating when they needed to and sleeping restless sleeps at night. Something about the whole arrangement concerned her, but why, she could not say. Occasionally, there would be... questions. This, at least, struck her as familiar, and very concerning, but each time, Edgas would say soft words and money would change hands, and the questions would be left unanswered. This, too, struck her as both familiar and concerning. They zig-zagged southward, the landscape slowly changing as they did. Sparse forests of pine and spruce, here and there laced with snow and lichen, gave way to denser woods of hemlock and cedar, where furry things with beady eyes stared down at them as they chugged past. Eventually, the conifer stands became groves of maples and birch and elms, resplendent in their verdant summer livery with no hint of fall color, yet still often heavy with snow. This, too... concerned her. The skies, at least, never changed, the same low, mournful clouds following them all along their journey. At last they came to something that could finally be called a city, if a dilapidated and crumbling one. Faded murals and posters called down from the sides of stark buildings, and an all too familiar brown haze added its own shade to the clouds overhead. They didn’t dally long, here, trading the private train compartment for a public subway. They rattled along inside, heads down, hoods up, saying nothing. The other passengers paid them no mind, regardless. These stared at the walls, or at the floor, or at more of those silly glass-like phones ever in their hands. After an hour or so, they started passing sidings and parallel tracks in a warren of tunnels. Occasionally, another train would roar past, pulling the air from her lungs as the dim overhead lights flickered. She could soon sense an entirely new kind of apprehension coming from Edgas. It wasn’t... fear, not exactly. More like... resignation, that he would soon have to endure something extremely unpleasant. Considering everything she knew he’d already been through, what could possibly— Her head snapped up. She stared off through the grubby window just opposite their seat. Had... had she really just seen that? She watched a while longer, then shook her head. No, that was just silly. She knew how subways worked, even if she couldn’t remember ever riding one before this. Nothing could possibly go that fast down— Whoosh. She saw it again. A bare flash off on a side track. She was just opening her mouth to ask Edgas about it, when a squeal of steel on steel and lurch announced that they had, at long last, arrived. She kept one eye on that far window, even as they deboarded the car... and entered a choking mass of bustling people. The acrid stink of rattail smoke hung thick in the air, along with that ubiquitous subway malaise of generations who couldn’t quite make it to the Little Kerb’s room in time... or perhaps hadn’t even bothered. Panic surged as she thought she might be swept away by the tide, until Edgas seized her hand and pulled her along behind him, drawing a flush to her cheeks. Surrounded as she was by babbling voices, it took her more than a moment to realize not a one of them was actually speaking to another. Everyone was either talking or tapping on one of those... those... those things, pressed to their ear or held before their mouth as if ready to take a nice big bite. But... some of them appeared to be just talking to... themselves. They forded through the stream of bodies for a long time before Edgas finally led her to an upper level mezzanine, still well below ground, where the flood ebbed to a relative trickle. Here, a wide thoroughfare was flanked on both sides by a dizzying array of shops and vendors hawking every kind of thing imaginable. This struck her as... extremely unusual, but why, she could not say. About this time, she realized she was still holding Edgas’s hand, and quickly pulled her own away, looking off the other direction as casually as she could. Hanging in the center of the cavernous space was an enormous screen. Some sort of news report was playing, but someone hadn’t bothered to turn on the volume. Behind a very sober-looking reporter played shaky footage of incredible destruction and angry crowds, but any further thought on the matter was cut off and she and Edgas had to dodge out of the way of another of those people having a very animated conversation with no one in particular. She scowled after the brute, then turned back, “er, Edgas... I understand these people are all talking on some sort of telephone, but some of them,” she leaned in close, “I swear they are talking to themselves. Have... have they all gone quite mad?” “More or less,” he mumbled. “What?” He shook his head, “no, they probably just have the new aiPhone️™.” She blinked, “iPhone️™?” “No, aiPhone️™.” “Eye-Phone?” “No, aiPhone️™.” “aiPhone️™?” she frowned, “why do they call it an aiPhone️™?” Without looking, Edgas pointed as they passed an open storefront. “Congratulations on the purchase of your new aiPhone️™!” “Thanks!” “Welcome to the aiFroot️® Family!” “Cool!” “Now if you’ll just try not to flinch, this will only hurt for a minute...” “Wait, whut—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII--!!!!!” She snapped her head away, eyes wide and haunted. Beside her, Edgas only sighed, “nobody ever reads the EULA...” “Just put a little ice on it, it’ll be fine...” “Ai, yai-yai!" She tried hard to forget what she’d just seen, the rest of this place calling out to her to remember as they made their way up long flights of stairs toward the surface. Cracked and missing tiles on the walls, stains on the concrete floors, the whole place seemed so familiar, bringing back that disquieting sense of being in a dream she knew she’d had before, that she should remember, but it always danced just out of reach at the edge of her vision. And then, like waking from a troubled sleep, they finally emerged back into the light.

Ok, we seriously need to get you to a rocket club, for their sake. Before you become a jaded, disillusioned Bond villain and start mumbling about making them all pay... Have you tried this? https://www.rocketreviews.com/rocketry-clubs.html or maybe this? https://www.nar.org/find-a-local-club/nar-club-locator/

Now attach the telescope to one of those rockets you want to build...

Life is cyclical. Just wait till you’re old like me and look forward to those naps.

Chlorine trifluoride FTW!