Continued from Thread I; https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/stupid-luck-and-happenstance.405746/ and Thread II; https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...-happenstance-thread-ii.452138/#post-17613039
Chapter One Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty-Four
31st July 1966
Cam Ranh, Vietnam
After the success of Taxidiotis I and II over the previous months, everyone was expecting Taxidiotis III to continue that trend. Unfortunately, a spanner had been thrown into the works.
While Albrecht wasn’t prone to fits of anger, there were moments when he felt like shoving his fist through the nearest wall. He was also aware that in most cases, the wall usually won when you played that game.
“This is a goddamned disaster” Wernher von Braun said as reports continued to come in regarding what had happened just hours earlier. For once, Albrecht wasn’t inclined to disagree. Everyone involved with the Space Program expected that when on the cutting edge, sometimes you got cut. There were acceptable losses that they planned for and a certain percentage of those who went into orbit wouldn’t make it back to earth. The dangers were legion; launch accidents, mechanical failure, or any one of dozens of other things were factored in. The Engineers had tried to anticipate every eventuality and plan accordingly.
What had happened though was just a freak accident that had occurred outside of everyone’s thinking. A training flight where a modified military transport was used to simulate a few moments of weightlessness had collided with another airplane while in the pattern to land back in Cam Ranh according to witnesses with the apparent loss of all on board. That include three of those who were scheduled to be aboard Taxidiotis III which was to launch in only a few days and an equal number of alternates. Of the original primary crew, only the Mission Commander and the Science Officer were still alive. They needed to find new First Officer/Pilot, Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer among the surviving alternates. Then they would need to get that crew up to scratch before launch. Captain Brown, the Mission Commander, was optimistic about his ability that regard, but all Albrecht could see was the almost certain hysterical reaction he was expecting when he told the Chancellor that. He also anticipated was a similar reaction if he scrubbed the launch because any delays at this point could push operations into the rainy season, which would effectively pause the entire program for several months at ruinous expense.
“He’s a good sort” Was what Winkle Brown had said about the new First Officer, who was considered a bit young for that role and had been an alternate for a different position until just a few hours earlier. “And I’ve not met a crate that I cannot fly.”
What Brown had left out of that was that in the past he had also discussed his ability to survive crashes at length having survived several of those as a test pilot.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
“I am disappointed” That was all Manfred’s father had said to him when they had spoken about what had happened. He wouldn’t say anything more than that. Aunt Marcella had been a lot more direct about it and had told him that she loved him, but he could be a completely moronic at times. Aunt Kat was silent, something that Manfred found rather ominous.
When Manfred had visited Berlin, he had given a flip answer to Suse about the letter that she had sent and that had triggered a huge row. Something that he had forgotten about Suse was that while she was that her being physically small didn’t mean that she was the least bit afraid to impose herself against Manfred, who was easily twice as big as she was. She had gotten right up in his face and was yelling at him. Now, a few months later they were still not on speaking terms and Manfred was coming to the realization just how much he missed the regular letters that Suse had sent him. His mother had said that he needed to offer a sincere apology, but he had realized that he didn’t have the first clue as how to do that in a way that wouldn’t result in Suse giving him a swift kick to the balls.
Then while things had had been at a low ebb for Manfred personally, it had gotten worse. Just the day before, he had watched on television as the National Side had gotten trounced in the World Cup Final in what many were already referring to as the Wembley Massacre. Manfred had been unable to believe his eyes as what was supposed to be the best team in the world devolved into what looked like a bunch of Primary School students chasing after the ball. The conclusion of the game hadn’t even been close.
It certainly felt as if the whole world was caving in.
Today, he was stewing in the passenger seat of one of the Iltis Utility Vehicles as they concluded the final exercise before a “Special Assignment” that Officialdom had cooked up. Everyone had learned to dread it when those at the top of the heap’s brains farted out something like that, it seldom ended well for those out on the sharp end.
Word had gotten around that Manfred was in a foul mood and that anyone in the Squad who didn’t want to get their ass kicked had best be mindful. The fact that Jost was happy with him for once didn’t make him feel any better about matters. As he banefully watched the landscape roll by, he knew that wasn’t him. He didn’t take anger out on those around him. Still, they had been conditioned to except that shit rolls down hill and were expecting it. Manfred was just having a rotten summer so far.
Chapter One Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty-Four
31st July 1966
Cam Ranh, Vietnam
After the success of Taxidiotis I and II over the previous months, everyone was expecting Taxidiotis III to continue that trend. Unfortunately, a spanner had been thrown into the works.
While Albrecht wasn’t prone to fits of anger, there were moments when he felt like shoving his fist through the nearest wall. He was also aware that in most cases, the wall usually won when you played that game.
“This is a goddamned disaster” Wernher von Braun said as reports continued to come in regarding what had happened just hours earlier. For once, Albrecht wasn’t inclined to disagree. Everyone involved with the Space Program expected that when on the cutting edge, sometimes you got cut. There were acceptable losses that they planned for and a certain percentage of those who went into orbit wouldn’t make it back to earth. The dangers were legion; launch accidents, mechanical failure, or any one of dozens of other things were factored in. The Engineers had tried to anticipate every eventuality and plan accordingly.
What had happened though was just a freak accident that had occurred outside of everyone’s thinking. A training flight where a modified military transport was used to simulate a few moments of weightlessness had collided with another airplane while in the pattern to land back in Cam Ranh according to witnesses with the apparent loss of all on board. That include three of those who were scheduled to be aboard Taxidiotis III which was to launch in only a few days and an equal number of alternates. Of the original primary crew, only the Mission Commander and the Science Officer were still alive. They needed to find new First Officer/Pilot, Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer among the surviving alternates. Then they would need to get that crew up to scratch before launch. Captain Brown, the Mission Commander, was optimistic about his ability that regard, but all Albrecht could see was the almost certain hysterical reaction he was expecting when he told the Chancellor that. He also anticipated was a similar reaction if he scrubbed the launch because any delays at this point could push operations into the rainy season, which would effectively pause the entire program for several months at ruinous expense.
“He’s a good sort” Was what Winkle Brown had said about the new First Officer, who was considered a bit young for that role and had been an alternate for a different position until just a few hours earlier. “And I’ve not met a crate that I cannot fly.”
What Brown had left out of that was that in the past he had also discussed his ability to survive crashes at length having survived several of those as a test pilot.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
“I am disappointed” That was all Manfred’s father had said to him when they had spoken about what had happened. He wouldn’t say anything more than that. Aunt Marcella had been a lot more direct about it and had told him that she loved him, but he could be a completely moronic at times. Aunt Kat was silent, something that Manfred found rather ominous.
When Manfred had visited Berlin, he had given a flip answer to Suse about the letter that she had sent and that had triggered a huge row. Something that he had forgotten about Suse was that while she was that her being physically small didn’t mean that she was the least bit afraid to impose herself against Manfred, who was easily twice as big as she was. She had gotten right up in his face and was yelling at him. Now, a few months later they were still not on speaking terms and Manfred was coming to the realization just how much he missed the regular letters that Suse had sent him. His mother had said that he needed to offer a sincere apology, but he had realized that he didn’t have the first clue as how to do that in a way that wouldn’t result in Suse giving him a swift kick to the balls.
Then while things had had been at a low ebb for Manfred personally, it had gotten worse. Just the day before, he had watched on television as the National Side had gotten trounced in the World Cup Final in what many were already referring to as the Wembley Massacre. Manfred had been unable to believe his eyes as what was supposed to be the best team in the world devolved into what looked like a bunch of Primary School students chasing after the ball. The conclusion of the game hadn’t even been close.
It certainly felt as if the whole world was caving in.
Today, he was stewing in the passenger seat of one of the Iltis Utility Vehicles as they concluded the final exercise before a “Special Assignment” that Officialdom had cooked up. Everyone had learned to dread it when those at the top of the heap’s brains farted out something like that, it seldom ended well for those out on the sharp end.
Word had gotten around that Manfred was in a foul mood and that anyone in the Squad who didn’t want to get their ass kicked had best be mindful. The fact that Jost was happy with him for once didn’t make him feel any better about matters. As he banefully watched the landscape roll by, he knew that wasn’t him. He didn’t take anger out on those around him. Still, they had been conditioned to except that shit rolls down hill and were expecting it. Manfred was just having a rotten summer so far.
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