Typical Warsaw Tactics . . .NOT!

Elrondir

As it turns out, more than the U.S. Calvary arrives. The Russians also make the scene...

They arrive in a very familiar looking vehicle, which draws more than a few barks of indignation from some of the Americans present.

"They stole the designs for our Space Shuttle!" one leathernecked astronaut shouts, pointing. "That's. . . "

"Her name is the Buran ('Snowstorm' in Russian)," Bond puts in, interrupting. "It's . . . not supposed to be at this stage . . . yet."

(Note: go here for more details - http://liftoff. msfc.nasa .gov/rsa/buran. html)

Dare say that Super Spy is right! See, in my timeline that Soviet project (an answer to the US Space Shuttle program) was given the green light in 1976. The building of the thing began in 1980, with the first full-scale Aero-Buran rolling out in 1984. And then, the one (and ONLY) launch of the full sized Buran happened back in 1988 (November 15, 1988). It was an UNMANNED flight. Fully automated.

This is 1979 (local calander) and this shuttle is MANNED. It had been done, I'm sure, as yet another tweaking of American (and other Western) noses. Something that would basically say that you Yanks (and friends) aren't as ahead of us as you think.

Point in fact I'd bet you that they'll say that they're ahead! Wouldn't surprise me... and maybe they are, if a "copy" of the US shuttle is up and going. Would suggest that not only is it NOT a copy but maybe (just maybe) it's the other way around?

Maybe, in this world...

Whatever. Whatver the reason for the shuttle instead of another, more traditional spacepod. Up here for that rather UNEXPECTED suggestion that my sister made! MAYBE a third party (Drax) nearly having come out of left field and wiping both nations (as well as the entire human population except Drax's chosen few) clean off the map will set them right.

....

Maybe donkeys will fly... The mindsets shown on BOTH sides in the movie don't lend me much hope, really.

Frankly, I'm too out of it to really care much about it right now. Do hope that this doesn't fall through and they squander yet another chance . . . but I'm not going to lay money on it.

Too many times in MY own timeline similar chances had been squandered. Oh, we finally did catch the ring and drove ahead, but . . .

Whatever.

"Okay, we've left you that little packet of evidence for your boss M," I say to Bond. "Enough there to show you're not insane, but not enough to get your planet into deep shit due to technology it's not ready for yet."

We'd been thorough about that.

"Now bye," I say in departure, turning on my heel and marching off into the TARDIS before Bond says something. A thanks, question, anything...

We'll do hope that they buy the cockamamie excuse we'd given Bond about styling our "appearance generators" to mimic certain characters from TV and other media (some science fiction and some fantasy). Whatever the case, we are done and through here, now!

We retrieve Crichton in flight and the TARDIS soon is back in the in between realm, approaching the realm of Bladerunner.

By Creator, that feels good. At least there (as polluted and messed up as that place is) there is magic.

Felt like shit...

1. But right now we need to finish up with Miranda DeSilk, right? Owe here a few explanations...

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree