The Kuiper Abnormality: Or Humanity, we are all doomed.

Chapter 3: Roscosmos

        Deep within Moscow, sat the headquarters of Roscosmos or the RKA/FKA, the Federal Space Agency of the Federation of Russia. Roscosmos was founded not long after the Soviet Union dissolved on Christmas 1991, on February the 25th, 1992 by the degree of the then President Boris Yeltsin. Yuri Koptev was appointed as Roscosmos' first director by President Yeltsin. Roscosmos then got most of its revenue from Space Tourism, a lesson that their American counterparts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,  would take several years to learn. Roscosmos then participated in the Mir Space Station, just as the Soviet space program had done before them. Roscosmos' main human launching point was the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan which was one connection back to the era when Kazakhstan was known as the Kazakh SSR, a state of the once mighty Soviet Union. Roscosmos also launched the first ever node of the International Space Station aboard one of their Proton-Ks, a rocket that at the moment was proving to be very highly unstable and unsafe. To the ISS, they donated the node that would have become the core module for the proposed Mir-2, something that never ended up existing.  Roscosmos and NASA cooperated with several other nations and republics to provide the funding to complete the construction of the ISS. NASA and Roscosmos would ultimately work on several joint projects over the years, the Soyuz spacecraft at one point becoming the only way NASA launched people into space. Roscosmos grew into a huge agency with monopoly of an iron grip over Low Earth Orbit in the years leading up to 2010 and 2011 with NASA ending its revolutionary Space Shuttle program on July 21st of the latter. With the Americans having no spacecraft for countries to pay NASA to put their astronauts aboard, the world turned towards Russia for space launches. One of the joint projects between NASA and Roscosmos was the Korna V mission.

"THEY lost contact!" Shouted RKA director Nikolai Ostapenko at one of his lesser employees, Lieutenant Colonel Vasili Baryshnachev. "You see Lieutenant Colonel, this is what happens when you entrust a job for some Russians to a bunch of Americans. God damn those idiotic Sukas."

"Now now director, there is no reason to use that kind of language. For one, no matter how bad they might do their jobs, absolutely none of them are female dogs or whatever definition you chose for that word. And besides, the United States Strategic Command and NASA have some of the best men and supercomputers the world has ever seen working for them."

"I suppose that is true Vasili, but they do not have the best supercomputers in the world. I mean seriously, some British bloke sitting at home on his laptop was able to hack into Space Command Computer Number Eight and find out about the Solar Warden program."

"Nikolai, I suppose you will now go on to say that we have the best computers, am I right about this? And Solar Warden is a conspiracy theory."

"No, the Chinese have the best supercomputers with their Tianhe-2 computer, and Solar Warden is real and I don't see why you are trying to deny it."

"Look director, dozens upon dozens of things could be the reason they lost track of it." Later that day, Roscosmos received notification that NASA briefly made contact with spacecraft and determined that its reentry point would be somewhere above North America. Director Ostapenko realized that he would have to send a man to the US to aid in its recovery. He realized that that man was Colonel Baryshnachev. He promptly called him later that night.

Vasili Baryshnachev was sleeping happily when he heard his phone ringing rather loudly. He groggily woke up and answered it. "Hello, who is this?"

"Director Ostapenko."

"Oh, yo what up Nikolai?"

"Nothing much, just called to tell you to pack your bags because you are scheduled on Aeroflot fight A113 from Moscow to Washington D.C.!"

"When's the flight Nikolai, can I sleep a little more?" "No, flight A113 leaves Sheremetyevo International Airport in approximately three hours but, trans-Atlantic flights usually take several hours so, you'll have time to sleep on the plane. Upon arrival in America you will be met by representatives from NASA, USSTRATCOM, the US Air Force, the CIA, and the Russian Embassy. Your  fate is then up to them."

"But, why exactly am I going to America, Director?"

"To aid in retrieving and studying the Korna V from wherever it is the thing will land."

"Director, it's an American spacecraft, why do we have to help in its studying?"

"Because we gave them 40,0000,0000 dollars, so it's partially ours funding wise, that is. Have a nice trip and say hi for me. Don't ruin the Russian name because of you being a goofball. Oh, and your airline confirmation number is 9710531. Goodbye now."

"But-" stated Baryshnachev but it was too late now. Ostapenko had already hung up. He sighed very loudly and got out his suitcase, filled it, and changed into his travel clothes that still looked somewhat like a military uniform. He then shouted: "Sometimes, I really, really hate that man."  He then left for the airport, and smiled knowing he was headed for the land of the free, and the home of the brave.