Flight of the Melinoë – Internal Memo

March 31st, 1940
White Sands, New Mexico
From the office of Commander Elias Mattox

 

To the esteemed members of the board,

Its hard to believe we’ve come this far!

Each and every one of you should feel immense pride at the hurdles we’ve overcome to get to this point, now less than 24 hours away from launch. I’d like to personally thank you for the exciting opportunity to command the fine men aboard this vessel.

To commemorate the struggles and celebrate this historic achievement I thought I’d give a brief summary of how this company and the forward thinking members of the board managed to beat the odds and crystallize dreams of one man and millions more into reality.

I can still remember how seeing the presentation at the 1933 World’s Fair made my eyes sparkle with wonder and stirred a deep desire that I didn’t know existed. Thoughtfully billed as a joint venture between science and religion all the pamphlets exclaimed that this mission, this craft, would be the key to unlocking a brilliant new future for humanity. “A bridge to a new world, your chance to come closer to the lord since Adam and Eve and unlock the mysteries of the universe.”

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month One

Less than a month after launch its clear this won’t be the uplifting grand adventure to the stars I’d hoped it might be. The mood around the ship is somber, the talkative open-mindedness that punctured the first part of our departure has been replaced with more of a funeral atmosphere. Appropriate perhaps, but no less unfortunate. I’ll describe that more later but right now you’ll be wanting an update on our historic launch, your historic launch.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Two

After all the action and distress of last month this one has been no less stressful.

I never realized how much we depend on the day/night cycles to maintain a sense of order and personal consistency. Theres been times when I’ve questioned the point of waking up at the arbitrarily appointed “morning” hours, but I know losing a sense of time are the first steps on the downward slope to malcontent.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Three

Checking in again with another update on life aboard the Melinoë.

This month we bid a final farewell to the priest and held a brief ceremony for his passing.

At first I worried that the two men whom I had to inter would be upset at the sight of his wrapped body and considered leaving them in the hold.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Four

I had hoped to never have to type these words yet here I am.

It wasn’t until last week that I caught the discrepancy. Purely out of chance I happened to do a random inventory check despite one not being scheduled until the end of the month. What I found was alarming.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Five

A few days ago I convened an emergency meeting with the flight crew to develop a consensus on how to resolve the situation with the rogue engineers.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Six

We thought we’d catch them with their pants down, that we’d burst through the doors and crush any resistance with sheer numbers. But they were waiting for us.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Seven

You rotten bastards. You loggerheaded buffoons!

How stupid did you think we were to not discover the missing receiver antenna? It was obvious had we known to be looking, the equipment and the wires all there but leading to nothing.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Eight

The crew’s turned their backs on me. Just as you distant earth men did so long ago.

They’ve violated the pledge with which we were bonded on launch day and defected to the enemy. I’ve been taken as their hostage and turned over to the very scourge that have ravaged us for so long.

Dispatch from the Melinoë – Month Nine

You’re insane!

Are our lives nothing more than twigs to be cast in the belly of some ravenous wood chipper? Just another way for your crooked scientists to see what shapes they can churn the mulch into? We are men god damn you! Not ants to torture and burn with a magnifying glass!