Roleplay > Vignettes
Tytorian Vignettes
Tytor:
And here I go, reanimating my vignette thread. As with the thread in the old forum, this post will serve as an index and will be updated with each new post. I'll be starting off with two vignettes reposted from that thread (one of them slightly edited to move it forward a couple years), as they make up the beginning of a series I intend to finish. They will be posted momentarily. For my first three vignettes (An Appointment with the Ages, Heavens Above, and Fire in the Sky), see the old forum. They're still there.
Index:
Far Above the World - Part 1
Far Above the World - Part 2
Far Above the World - Part 3
Far Above the World - Part 4
Far Above the World - Part 5
Far Above the World - Part 6
Far Above the World - Part 7
Far Above the World - Part 8
Common Sense
Remembrance Day
We Built This City
Joy
Scrabble Night
Ecumenism
Ante Up
Stuck in the Middle with You
All Fall Down - Part 1
All Fall Down - Part 2
Tytor:
Far Above the World - Part 1
Tsargrad, East Crownlands
March 26th, 2017
2:00 pm
Mackenzie Collins, Executive Administrator of the Tytorian Aerospace Ministry, sat in the reception area outside the office of Prime Minister Madeline Thatcher. He had an appointment, and he was hoping to make a good impression. Collins had never actually met with the new prime minister for any length of time, and the fact that he had maintained a good working relationship with her two conservative predecessors might put a damper on things. In short, he was worried, and he took several deep calming breaths as the receptionist told him he could enter the office.
As Collins opened the heavy wooden door, he reflected on the fact that he felt like a disobedient schoolboy sent to see the principal. Prime Minister Thatcher sat behind her desk, regarding him somewhat imperiously.
"Good, you're here," she said, gesturing at the chair opposite her, "Please, have a seat."
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Madam Prime Minister," Collins replied, taking the indicated seat.
"My pleasure," Thatcher said, smiling slightly, "Cornwallis and Goodfellow have told me that you are as competent an administrator as the Aerospace Ministry could hope for."
The compliment took Collins somewhat by surprise, though less so than the smile. He'd half believed Thatcher couldn't smile, and it was nice to be proved wrong. "Er, thank you," he said.
"I believe you had a proposition, Mr. Collins?" Thatcher prompted.
"Uh, yes. Yes, ma'am, I did," Collins answered, still mildly wrong-footed, "How familiar are you with the Atlas Program?"
"Vaguely. Wasn't it cancelled a while ago?"
"Yes, ma'am. After the near-catastrophe that was Atlas 8 in 1974. One of the oxygen tanks exploded in lunar orbit, if I remember correctly. The three remaining Atlas spacecraft were subsequently placed in long-term storage at Highmark Cosmodrome."
"And? Go on. What bearing does this have on modern Tytor?"
"Project Atlas was a moon program. Well, is a moon program, if I can get the funds I need."
"Let me get this straight. You want to restart Atlas?"
"Yes, ma'am," Collins said, taking a deep breath before launching into his sales pitch, "We have kept three Atlas spacecraft and their lunar-capable rockets in long-term storage for the past forty-three years. I want to make use of them, to put a Tytorian on the moon using Tytorian technology and manpower. To do that, I need funds. I need to train cosmonauts, engineers, and ground control personnel. I need to refurbish rockets and space capsules that are nearly half a century old. In short, I need the support of your administration."
"If I give it to you, do you believe that you will be able to complete your proposed goals and bring everyone involved home safely?" Thatcher asked.
"Yes ma'am, I do," Collins said confidently, "We have the technology, and we know it works. We just need the motivation to make use of it."
Thatcher looked Collins straight in the eyes. She held his gaze for for almost thirty seconds before speaking. "That's good enough for me," she said finally, "I'll arrange a press conference immediately."
She stood up, and Collins followed suit. "Well, Mr. Collins," Thatcher said with another smile, "Get ready. We're going back to space."
(OOC: This vignette was originally posted on the old forum on March 26th, 2017.)
Tytor:
Far Above the World - Part 2
Highmark, West Crownlands
May 9th, 2019
12:10 pm
Mackenzie Collins, Executive Administrator of the Tytorian Aerospace Ministry, stood quietly in the observation area some distance from Highmark Cosmodrome's Launch Pad Four. It really wasn't all that long ago that he had watched Challenger lift off from this very cosmodrome, at a launch pad very like this one, and he couldn't help but feel some apprehension as a nearby loudspeaker announced that there were only a few minutes to go. It really was a lovely day, all things considered; despite a light rainfall that morning, the sky was now quite clear. Collins shook himself mentally. The Aerospace Ministry had come a long way in the last two years, and the Atlas spacecraft was known to be reliable. Yes, there had been the near-catastrophic Atlas 8 mission in 1974 that scuttled the program in the first place, but they'd managed to get the cosmonauts involved home safely in the end.
"So? How are you getting on?" The voice of Prince Charles cut across Collins' reverie, and he started slightly. He'd quite forgotten that the royal family had turned out to watch the launch.
"I'm fine, I guess," Collins said, "A little nervous, but I suppose that's normal."
"Yeah," Charles said, "There's, what, ten minutes left?"
"Don't remind me," Collins answered with a grimace, "The last time I was at a launch like this, there was a huge explosion. I can't shake the feeling that something's going to go wrong this time, too."
"It'll be fine, you'll see," Charles said consolingly, "Anyway, I should get back to my family. Father will be wondering where I've gone off to."
Collins nodded, and the prince walked off, somewhat aimlessly. Collins took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and the loudspeaker announced that there were now only five minutes to go. He heard his phone go off, but didn't really register it. His mind was elsewhere, more than four decades in the past. He'd been only four years old when Atlas 8 suffered an oxygen tank explosion mid-flight. Really, he should have been too young to remember anything, but he did. One of the cosmonauts aboard Atlas 8 had been his father. Though distant and vague, the memories of those few days and nights came back to him at times all these years later, and his unease grew.
The loudspeaker started counting down, and Collins was snapped back to the present. He watched with baited breath as the huge rocket ignited and slowly, gracefully, began to rise into the air, aimed straight at the stars. This was it, this was the defining moment. Collins expected any moment to see a flash of fire, a repeat of the explosion that claimed the Challenger, but no such disaster occurred.
An hour later, after almost everyone else had gone home, Collins still stood there, staring skyward, silently willing Atlas 9 to succeed, to prove that Tytor was, in fact, capable of reaching the moon. He felt that he needed to know that more than anyone else in the world. He didn't notice when Prince Charles returned. He didn't resist when he was guided back to the office complex that served as the Aerospace Ministry's beating heart. He didn't hear as dozens of jubilant Tytorians congratulated him for a successful launch.
For Collins, the next week was looking very long indeed.
(OOC: This vignette was originally posted on the old forum on April 12th, 2017.)
Tytor:
Far Above the World - Part 3
Atlas 9 Command/Service Module
May 9th, 2019
12:15 PM
The rocket carrying Atlas 9 lifted gradually off the launchpad. All systems were working fine; despite the age of the spacecraft, it was in perfect working order. Captain C. Evan Anderson, mission commander, felt himself being pressed against the seat behind him as the command module was launched in the general direction of the moon.
"Highmark, this is Albion," he said into his radio receiver, making use of the mission callsign for the first time, "Everything seems to be in good shape here. How're things looking on your end, over?"
"Albion, Highmark," Ground Control replied through some static, "You've got green across the board. Enjoy your trip, over."
"Roger that, Highmark," Anderson said, "That sounds like something we can do. Over and out."
Anderson sighed contentedly and laid back for the rest of the trip's first two phases. After a while, Lieutenant Peter Travers, the lunar module pilot, tapped him on the shoulder.
"I was thinking, sir," he said, "This mission could very well make history. Do we need to make some sort of speech?"
Anderson thought for a moment before responding. "Well," he said finally, "I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I mean, I've got a pretty good idea of the things I'll say to Highmark when we reach the moon, and they'll probably be broadcasting it all live to TBS, or something like that. But, again, it probably doesn't matter much what we say. We're not on a script here, after all."
"Good point, sir," Travers said, looking relieved.
"And cut it out with that 'sir' nonsense," Anderson said, leaning back again, "We're three guys in a small metal box strapped to a rocket. I don't figure ranks matter much right now."
"Sir, yes, sir," Travers said with a grin.
Anderson took a playful swipe at Travers, who ducked. The three cosmonauts sat in silence for a while longer before the radio crackled to life again.
"Albion, this is Highmark," Ground Control said, "Just checking in on you. Everything still going good up there, over?"
"Affirmative, Highmark," Anderson replied, "All systems are showing green. We'll make good time, over."
"Good to hear, Albion," Ground Control said, "You know all of Tytor's praying for you. Highmark out."
With that, the radio clicked off once more, and the three cosmonauts settled in for the rest of the journey.
Tytor:
Far Above the World - Part 4
Atlas 9 Lunar Module
May 13th, 2019
4:37 PM (Highmark Time)
The moon loomed large in the spacecraft's small windows. Anderson and Travers prepped the lunar module for descent as Lieutenant Daniel Foster sat back and watched from the command/service module, of which he was the pilot.
"You space jocks about ready?" Foster asked half-jokingly, "We'll be reaching our designated detach point in not very long, and I'd rather not miss it."
"Yeah, we'll miss you too," Travers said, grinning, "Just help me get this hatch closed and you won't have to listen to our voices any more."
"Albion, this is Highmark," a voice said over the radio, "You're approaching your descent point, over."
"Roger that, Highmark," Anderson said into his transmitter, "We're just about ready, over."
"Wonderful," Highmark said through a little static, "Just keep us posted. Over and out."
"See you on the other side, folks," Foster said. With a sharp clang, the hatch slammed shut, and Travers pressed a few more buttons.
"All right," he said, "Looks like it's time. Let's get this show on the road!"
The lunar module detached from the rest of the spacecraft with ease. Very gradually, the two parts separated, and the lunar module began to feel the effects of the moon's lessened gravitational pull.
"Highmark, this is Trinity," Anderson said into his headset, "We're away. Repeat, Trinity is away."
"Congratulations, Trinity," Highmark replied, "We'll keep an open line here so you can give us updates on the fly. Godspeed."
"Roger that, Highmark," Anderson said as Travers continued to make slight adjustments to their course.
The lunar module started descending faster, and it seemed that all was well.
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