Malinovyĭ - The Red Planet
From Create Your Own Story
Prolog
Launch initiated, countdown commencing in three... two... one... takeoff.
The vast, black, emptiness of space immediately explodes into a thunder of bright, all-consuming light. The spacecraft shakes violently - but in total silence. The sheer force of it numbs your senses, drowsiness overwhelms your body, and your vision vanishes in the white brightness. Sitting in the cockpit seat, your body is rocked with the terrifying, but harmless reactions that the human organism experiences when folding space. A space-leap it´s called.
...
102,200,000,000,000 kilometers away from home.
"Report Volga 3 to base, over," An old voice with a Georgian accent speaks over the communicator.
You reach for the handheld transceiver, but still incredibly drowsy from the space-leap you miss the equipment twice before finally getting your hands on it.
"This is Volga 3´s pilot Mikhail Oleinik reporting," you say into the communicator. "We´ve arrived at planet Malinovyĭ-T361 and are ready to land. The telescopes observations seems to be accurate. It is a red planet, signs of water but no plant life, and about the same size as earth, over"
As you finish giving the report you feel the last of the space-drowsiness exit your body. You are fully awake and facing the red, mars-like planet through the stainless glass of the cockpit windows.
"Understood comrade Mikhail. Proceed with the mission as planned. Over and out."
No sooner has the slightly-distorted voice on the communicator ended that anther voice emerges from behind you.
"So this is the red planet - Malinovyĭ."
You quickly spin your head to the side to see whose talking to you. "Professor Sergey!? You aren't experiencing any drowsiness from the space-leap?" you tell the identifyed figure.
"Yes I did comrade, but it passed quickly." The revelation genuinely surprises you. Having flown through space for over 10 years you´ve never seen a non-pilot recover as fast as Sergey. The professor stares at the red planet with fixed, focus eyes, almost as if in trance.
"Hrm," you grunt, "you should have become a pilot then."
Sergey chuckles a bit at your response, "science needs me more than the fleet does comrade Mikhail. Take us down, the sooner we land the better."
"Yes professor." Sergey is in command. You fly the ship. As you´re position dictates, Sergey returns to the rest of the crew while you guide the ship down to the planets red surface.
