Unbirthday: A Mad Tea Party

Mission Summary

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Chapter 1: Down the Worm Hole
At Fort Tyler, pilots were sleepily bumbling about, tinkering with the various bits and bobs of their fantastical ships, when all of a sudden a Mad Rabbit appeared. This is nothing particularly remarkable, thought the pilots, but when the rabbit stopped to read the Misson Control display, and was heard to mutter “Oh Dear! Oh Dear! We shall be late for launch!” pilots began to burn with curiosity. In a flash they were off to the launch pad where mission leader Couscous briefed the fleet on their objectives for the evening. A motley bunch, there were rabbits, dormice, Queens of the Red and White variety, and appearances by Cheshire Shadowcat along with CatMax. All pilots wore their best funny hats, including Dr Claw in his guise as an Icelandic cheeseburger. It was high time to go, so the fleet made haste to depart, with much flapping and ringing and blinking.

At the front of this spectacle was the Pastry Queen of Hearts, who navigated on an unusual chariot bedecked with a cymbal, its periodic clashes serving to herald the fleet’s arrival as they made their way through the Cambridge system.

Chapter 2: A Mad Tea Party
Presently, the group came upon a glorious garden, filled with an extraordinary series of topiary bushes, and they set about arranging picnic blankets and tea sets in preparation for an Unbirthday party. A vast array of cakes, tarts, finger sandwiches, and comfits appeared, and Couscous busied himself preparing the hot water for tea while others capered about, stuffing their faces with treats. Cheshire ShadowCat climbed gracefully into a tree and grinned down at Framerate, who was absorbed in piling hats onto their head until there was a wobbly stack of at least 6.

When pilots were thoroughly sated, it was time for a recitation.

Twas funky, and the HARVy droves,
Did blink and blibble in the warp,
All plinky were the greeble ploves,
And the mooble floozle florp.

“Beware the Fuzzywock, my son!
Its shorts all eaten, shirt astray
Beware the shiny, pointy one
As it teeters o’er the fray
….

This went on somewhat further, though the subsequent verses are hazy.

Chapter 3: Do you play croquet?
Reaching her regal hand into one of the many cargo bays of JVH Trinity, the White Queen produced a colony of plump flamingoes, and a handy spherical hedgehog was scrounged up at the last minute. Pilots scrambled around to form wickets, with the more acrobatic among them forming a large super-wicket to the amusement of the onlookers. An errant duck decided to come investigate further, but decided against joining the game. At last it was time to depart.

Chapter 4: The Caucus-race
It was a rather odd-looking and slightly bedraggled party that alighted at the other end of the wormhole, where Couscous prepared for a caucus-race. What IS a caucus-race, thought many pilots, but soon everyone was flitting around this way and that, some on foot and some on ships. Antlers marked out some arrows on the course path, which racers joyfully followed and ignored in turns. Soon the prizegiving was announced and everyone received comfits.

Chapter 5: The end
Eventually the Pastry Queen of Hearts resumed navigational duties and shepherded the whole ragtag bunch back over the asteroid belt and home to base. A dreamy haze descended on the pilots as they put their ships away, with many left thinking to themselves Oh, I’ve had such a curious dream….