4th of July Mishap

As I just got back from my own vacation this morning, I heard news as to why the launch of the Ballistic Anomaly and Nihil-Gravitational Pyrotechnic Operations group's experimental showman's rocket, the "Alphanova," did not make its appearance as promised on Independence Day. It seems it was a miscommunication with the Western Air Defense Sector of NORAD.

We had planned the rocket to go off at 11:30 PM PST on the 4th of July. The communique that reached NORAD was simply stated as 11:30 PST, and not converted into military time as what should have been translated. As it hadn't been, when there was no launch just before noon, they gathered it was an error on our part and filed it away.

As such, when the rocket was launched at 11:30 PM PST, it was filed as an unknown and unscheduled launch. As such, it was destroyed shortly after launch, roughly 30km in the air, by their experimental missile defense laser system. This system, provided through our own research department directly to the WADS portion of the Air Defense branch, was a complete success. Let it be known that, while selfless in our search for knowledge and technology, the EBRL does not also keep its own interests close at heart.

So, in the end, it wasn't a complete disappointment. Our experimental laser system worked out wonderfully, garnering an extension on the contract with the USDoD. Our missile, while scrapped, will be improved upon for next year and we'll hopefully be sure to get all of our schedule and semantic terminology correct for our requests.