SCULpture Garden

Mission Summary

Seven hardy pilots and three cargo-rated Tater Tots set out this beautiful late summer (but more like early fall) morning for an epic mid-range journey to the DeCordova Sculpture Park in the faraway Lincoln System. Before launch pilot Rubik showed up early to set up both Purple Haze and the spare transmitter in the absence of our standard groove-carrying ships, and synthesized a whopping 8 hours of life support to sustain spirits on our travels. We launched a mere 15 minutes beyond scheduled go-time, as a handful of late arrivals and last-minute fuel dumps required additional time. We flew along the wormholes adjacent to the Charles Asteroid Belt out to the Waltham System under the first-time navigation of Spud. We briefly stopped for snacks and some fruit punch molecules supplied by Snow and briefly again to reapply protection of our skin from the day star. We continued on along the brand spankin' new shiny completed (finally!) MCRT Wormhole. Look ma, no more huckin' ships! We followed it through the Weston and Wayland Systems before emerging in Lincoln, where we made a brief pilgrimage to the legendary Ponyhenge! The Tater Tots went right to work test riding them all, while pilots partook in Snow's saccharine punch and other assorted molecules.

PatentPending noticed the vast array of wildlife as we gained more distance from the Allston System, spotting a turtle and a snake and DOE! A deer! A female deer.

We pressed on a few lightyears and several g-wells more before arriving at our destination. Civis and museum staff alike were wowed by our strange ships, and flocked to us as we docked and gave our legs a needed rest. Up on the hill by the glass doors, Spud and the Tots performed a rare four-way knighting of Rubik, and Cosima arrived via transport just in time to witness the ceremony and partake in the group hug. At this point, Diva gave pilots an hour to browse the sculpture gardens, and several pilots gathered in a makeshift picnic circle in the shady grass of Linda's Lawn. The Tots took instantly to Cosima and swarmed her, which gave Spud a brief respite from parental duties while they chased her around the grounds and dropped civi names (little known fact: Spud's government name is "Daddy"). Snow shared his big buckets of chili, babaganoush, and watermelon, combined with Rubik's spicy banana chips and gherkins.

With the Tots clamoring hard for the promised ice cream stop, but otherwise very well behaved, we bade farewell to Cosima and prepared to relaunch in the direction of the Concord System. A last-minute observation by Patent Pending that Gap Kids "felt weird" led to test flights by Wombat and cockpit adjustments by Snow that nibbled away 15 minutes of our overall 45 minute mechanical quota before we ultimately relaunched. We passed the famed Walden Nebula along the way before passing through the heart of Concord Center, and continuing on through narrow spacelanes toward Bedford as transport after transport passed us to the familiar cry of "INCOMING!" In Bedford we entered the northern terminus of the Minuteman Wormhole, which provided a welcome respite from the careful vigilance required to coexist with transports. A noticeable clot of klingons accumulated at the rear of our battalion as the gravitational pull of our groove proved too strong to resist as we made our way southward. We stopped once more for shoreleave at the Lexington Battle Green, where the Tots finally received their long-awaited ice cream reward from Luna Rancatore's on Mass. Ave -- three absolutely massive waffle cones, which, despite their apparent size, "were only smalls" according to Happy and Star Fry (Curly Fry would have chimed in too, but her mouth was too busy devouring ice cream). Here Cosima intercepted us once again, this time on her civiship, and joined our ranks for the remainder of the mission!

The last several light-years down the Minuteman were very smooth and pleasant sailing, as the grade from Lexington to the southern endpoint is basically just one extended gently posi g-well requiring few booster assists. As the afternoon wound down and we began to lose daylight, an extraction was scheduled for the Tater Tots at the end of the main leg of the Minuteman in the Arlington System, which was later pushed to Alewife Heavy Transport Depot after it was deemed an adjustment would prove logistically fruitful given the waning light of the day star. Rubik generously provided the Tots with their mission pins despite not quite making it all the way back to the landing pad, and we all mourned their sacrifice as they burned up right before our eyes on the Alewife transport platform. Tater Tots, we salute you! The remaining pilots pressed on along the scenic Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, before the lure of home also pulled Cosima from our ranks too. Back on the landing pad, a grateful mission leader Diva thanked all pilots for making the day so enjoyable, and deemed it a mission success.