Previous CSP Livewriting results (Patreon)

I'm about to begin livewriting (every Tuesday night, usually 8 PM):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Skxg6E0Y7XkDiHs3rdAzQeXlJHVmyExGLnSLcZmLWi4/edit

In the meantime, here's the last couple of bits, if you missed 'em.

First, some little scenes of Cherry Berry preparing for her mission:

“What do you mean, my menu is all wrong?” Heavy Frosting asked, a very dangerous tone to his voice.

“I mean, look,” Cherry said, pointing at item after item. “This doesn’t have any cherries in it. And neither does this, or this, or this!”

“That’s right,” Heavy Frosting said. “That’s because of a mysterious little thing I like to call ‘variety’. I’m putting together meals for twenty days. You’re going to be shut up in that capsule for at least fifteen. You’re going to need variety in your meals or you’re going to snap.”

“I need cherries in my meals or I’m going to snap,” Cherry insisted. “And don’t tell me you can’t get them. Cherries are in season in every orchard that grows them across Equestria!”

“But you’re going to get tired of eating nothing but cherries after two straight weeks!” Heavy Frosting insisted. 

“I’m willing to risk that,” Cherry said. “Hasn’t happened yet, though.”

“I confess,” Rarity said, looking every bit as uncomfortable as Cherry Berry felt, “that I wish I could find some more... er... dignified way of doing this.”

The two of them stared at the newest edition of the spacesuit undergarment, which... well... left one critical thing to be desired. (387)

“And as inelegant as the solution is,” the white unicorn continued, “please bear in mind it is the best I can do while juggling the requirements involved. After all, the suit has to be chafe-proof, easily donned and removed in a tiny space, has to assist in temperature regulation-”

“Yes, I know all that,” Cherry said. “But it’s still a full-body diaper, isn’t it?”

“Well... there are inserts...” Rarity’s face curled up in a truly epic combination of disgust and regret. “Although the smell in the capsule will be... unfortunate... unless you find some way to discard-”

“Diapers.”

“And, of course, there is the toilet in your capsule seat,” Rarity continued.

“You mean the plastic resealable bag with germicide held under the seat?” Cherry asked. “Yes, I’m aware of it. I’m very aware of it. You could even say I’m outright fascinated by it, and wondering how the buck I’m going to-”

“Language, dear.”

“Sorry, Rarity.” Cherry pointed to the undergarment again. “But still. Diapers.”

“And sanitary wipes,” Rarity pointed out. “The lining of the undergarment is very easily wiped clean for-”

“Diapers!!”

Rarity gave up. “Yes, diapers,” she admitted. “I’m very sorry.”

“We shall endeavor to achieve an encounter which carries the craft over one of the poles,” von Brawn said, pointing to the design drawn on the whiteboard. “A polar orbit gives us the best chance for completing the temperature scan contract on this mission. The danger lies in this massif here.” He pointed at one of the images taken by Mission R4. “This rises almost seven thousand meters above the level of the ice plains. A low orbital pass as might be required for the temperature scans risks an impact. You’ll have to be aware of that at all times.”

Cherry gripped her pencil tighter in her teeth and made a note. “Uh-huh,” she grunted.

“Of course, if the burn goes poorly and a polar orbital insertian becomes unworkable,” von Brawn continued, “we shall simply launch into a polar orbit after landing. We would prefer not to do that, however, because it would complicate the return to Equus, requiring multiple burns to achieve atmospheric interface.”

Translated: it’d be a lot harder to come back down. Cherry made another note.

“You’ll be provided with surface sample kits,” von Brawn went on. “Ideally you’ll land on one of the ice plains near the coastline, so we want surface samples from at least those points. More samples would be better, if it’s not too dangerous. We may even consider hopping the ship for this purpose, if you feel up to the challenge.”

Cherry let the pencil drop out of her teeth. “Sounds like my kind of fun,” she said. 

Translated: it sounds absolutely suicidal, but it’s a kind of flying absolutely nopony else has done before. Therefore I am SO there.

“Wow, it really doesn’t take much thrust to stay up,” Cherry said from inside the simulator.

“I know, right?” Dragonfly commented from outside. “There’s next to no gravity there, apparently. I wouldn’t like to try to hover forever up there, but there’s a lot of leeway if things go wrong.”

“Like with Mission R4?” Cherry asked. “Two thousand and descending at forty meters per second.”

“I could have fixed that if it wasn’t for the time lag,” Dragonfly said. “Are you sure you’re gonna clear that ridge?”

“Hm? Oh, hang on...” Cherry tweaked the controls, and in the circuits of the simulation computer a phantom spacecraft tipped a bit more vertically for a few moments. “That should be enough.”

“Hm, yeah,” Dragonfly said, looking at the readouts. “But it pushed you beyond your landing zone. You’ll need to brake a bit more.”

“I’ll make it work,” Cherry said. 

Outside the capsule, Dragonfly looked at Occupant, who shook his head and pushed a switch on the simulator’s master console.

Inside the capsule, the simulation began the interesting part.

Footnote:

(387) Technically two things: Number One and Number Two.

......

Second, while in flight, Cherry listens to somebody else's launch...