Panther Space Program

[Chel]

The Kerbals were once a master race, ruling the Kerbol system. They built large spaceships to carry them to far off worlds such as Eve, Eeloo, Dres, and Jool, but eventually, the urge of space travel subsided. The space program gradually lost funding, and was shut down. Only after fifty years did the new government, the United Panthera Alliance, take notice. They hired a new director, director of the newly formed Panther Space Program, Gene Kerman, to lead them, and, giving him 250K, told him to "do some spacy stuff and not blow up". The Panther Space Program was born!

[Chel]

The Beginning...ish

As the old Kerbal Space Center had been demolished over fifty years ago, the land had been kept in it's form where the buildings were, so it was pretty easy to hire some Constructokerbs to rebuild the buildings again. A new flag was placed, and the site was renamed to the 'Panther Space Center', or 'PSC' for short. Next up was hiring the staff for the space center. Allegedly, Gene Kerman found Wernher Von Kerman hiding out in the barn at the back of the space center, hoarding whatever supplies he could get, living like a mouse, but this was disproved as lies. With some more hiring of staff, the space program was ready to go again.

 

[Chel]

The Beginning, For Real

With the hiring of the staff, the rebuilding of the VAB, SPH, Tracking Station, and all the rest, the Panther Space Program was ready to get started. All we needed now was ideas for vessels and Kerbonauts to fly them. We had enough money left over from the rebuilding fee to purchase some parts from the MRS Toys & Hobbies Shop, and got to work. Eventually, after several days, Wernher came up with an idea for the 'Aero-0'. The Aero-0 was an unmanned rocket, taking a science package with it, all sticky taped onto an explosive tin can, which we later found out that it was called a 'Solid Rocket Booster'. The launch went well, and it exceeded 10,000 meters into the air before the parachute deployed, and we got some valuable scientific data back from it. Next up in line was the 'Aero-1'.

Edited May 23, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

'Aero-1'

The 'Aero-1' was an improvement over the 'Aero-0' as it had a Kerbonaut piloting it, and a second stage. It lifted off with Asanna Kerman onboard, and the plan was to use the velocity of the SRB to reach a higher altitude, before the second stage fired. Once the craft started falling back through the sky we activated the second stage. We had a Kerbal in space! The re-entry though, was a bit dangerous, as we were only learning about heat shields, let alone developing them. The trip went well and Asanna came down just short of 5km's from the PSC. We later used the money rewarded to us to get heat shields and more parachutes. Next up was orbit!

[Chel]

'Aero-2'

After Asanna Kerman made a quick ten-minute suborbital trip over Kerbin, we were now ready to try to reach orbit. For this task we chose Jebediah Kerman, as he was fine with becoming a Kerbonaut for free, and because he's an all-round badass. For the trip, we had to develop better engines and more fuel tanks, and a heat shield for him, so his spacesuit doesn't turn even more orange during re-entry.

Two Weeks Later...

After Jeb's space-training was done, we had to actually develop the rocket. For two weeks Wernher spent his time in his barn, which had now been retrofitted into a rather nice house, with a custom-built bunker if a rocket launch should ever go wrong. The 'Aero-2' was given an extra stage than the 'Aero-1', and was launched on the LR-1 'Panda' Launch Vehicle. Powered by six SRB's, it was more than capable of sending Jeb into orbit.

"Oh Jeb, Where Are You?"

Once Jeb was in orbit, he went outside of the 'Aero-2' capsule, but did not return. His air supply only lasting for 10 hours, the workers at Mission Control were getting anxious for his return. By now, his green and orange blip on the radar/map screen was getting fainter and fainter, and then disappeared completely.

[Chel]

Visions

5 hours of oxygen left...4 hours...3 hours. Then suddenly, a faint crackling on the intercom was heard. "Hi Mission Control, did ya miss me?" Silence, only broken by one of the Mission Control staff drinking her Jool-Aid, then a massive cheer erupted around the room. "Gene Kerman here, don't scare us like that Jeb..." Jeb had been floating around in orbit, and had found something interesting. "If you're asking why I lost contact, it's because I found something cool around here. A couple of big rocks floating around, and in the middle of them, linking them together is some kind of space station or large craft" With a quick burst of his EVA jetpack, Jeb was floating towards the strange craft. Taking a closer look, he found out that the three asteroids were linked together by a Klaw each to the middle, which Jeb was thinking as being a space station or drilling/refuelling depot, using the asteroids for infinite ore, and processing it for fuel. "I'm right beside the craft, permission to enter, PSC?" "PSC here, you have permission".

Nebula 1

Jeb, trying to get into the mysterious vessel, found that the airlock had been frozen solid. He opened his space-satchel on his EVA suit and pulled out a small power cutter, and defrosted the ice around the door, rather than blow it open by cutting off the hinges. In a quick tug, the door opened, and he was inside. He looked around, and took off his helmet. Jeb was surprised that oxygen was still on the craft, but he was still cautious as the air supply could go out at any moment. Flicking a switch, he turned on the lights. Then he set to work, flicking random buttons and dials, knobs and levers, until he found the right combination to get it running again. "PSC, the vessel seems to be called 'Nebula 1'. Magnetic boots aren't needed, as artificial gravity works. I'm going to explore" "Roger Jeb, we'll monitor you from here".

A metallic bang, whisperings, something rustling, a snack cupboard being opened...

[Chel]

Pegasus Dreams

Jeb was looking around the Nebula 1 when he heard the noises. "PSC, am I the only one here?" "PSC here, according to the map, yes you are. Why, what's going on up there" Jeb looked around again, making sure that nobody else was there. "Well, I can hear noises around me, and they're definitely not the spacecraft". Jeb shut off his transmitter and looked around again. He decided to check all the rooms, doors, cupboards, filing cabinets, and everything else that may be hiding something. Then he heard a crunching noise, followed by a plastic wrapper of some sort. Jeb found a door with a sign that read 'Pegasus Dreams', and opened it.

EP Alpha

The lights were bright, dazzling bright, and the noise too. Once he had gotten used to the light, Jeb's eyes adjusting, he looked around, finding, instead of the Kraken, three young-looking Kerbonauts sitting around the large room, eating snacks and playing games. "Hi, I'm Jebediah Kerman, who are you?" The three Kerbonauts stopped and looked at him, and began cheering loudly. "We're saved, we're saved! It's not a dream! We're saved!" one of the Kerbals kept saying. "Saved?" Jeb was perplexed at the meaning of all of this. "Allow me to explain. I'm Ceriel Kerman, or CK for short. Me and my friends Lizicca and Mitten Kerman were sent up here to fulfil a contract for Kerbodyne, which was to have a refuelling base in orbit around Kerbin. One day, all the radio chatter from the KSC stopped, and we've been here in this room ever since." "So if you've been in this room ever since, then how come you haven't starved already?" Jeb said. "We were cryogenically frozen, and only woken up by the heat of something" Jeb looked a bit more relaxed now, and was thinking. "So do you know why everything stopped? Why the radio stopped with the chatter?" Lizicca Kerman, the oldest of the three, was asking him. "Maybe because the KSC is gone? I'm part of the Panther Space Program, and was sent into orbit to come down again. I found this large station and went inside, and-" Jeb was cut off by Mitten Kerman. "It's gone? The KSC is gone?" "Don't worry, we rebuilt it and renamed it the Panther Space Center, or PSC for short". "Anyway, this room is called EP Alpha, or Emergency Pod Alpha. It's filled with snacks and supplies, so if we ever need to escape the station, we can undock this and float freely away", Ceriel explained. "So how are we going to get back?" Mitten Kerman was asking again. "I have a capsule, except there's only room for me", Jeb said. "Why don't we use the Eagle?" Lizicca said softly.

Eagle A

The 'Eagle' was in fact three craft, named 'Eagle A', 'Eagle B', and 'Eagle C'. They were, to Jebediah's amazement, not small capsules, but fully fledged SSTOs. The command cockpit had room for three, and contained a crew area behind that for four Kerbals. The crew area could be jettisoned from the main craft to act as an escape pod if something went wrong, which hopefully wouldn't happen anytime soon. Booting up his transmitter, Jeb radioed Mission Control. "Jeb here, I've found three Kerbonauts who've been stranded here for quite a long time. Permission to bring them back?". A short wait, then a reply by Gene. "Jeb, your capsule only has room for you, not three other Kerbals". "Well, Gene, they have the Eagles, three SSTOs capable of carrying 7 Kerbals to and from the station". "Ok Jeb, except you will need to transfer your experiments to one of them so we can get the science back". With that, they entered the 'Eagle A', and undocked.

Flaming Wings, Part 1

The 'Eagle A', nicknamed 'Aerosol Can' booted up it's flight computer and proceeded to perform the undocking procedure. With a slight 'clank' the craft was undocked, and ready to return to Kerbin after almost 50 years. Waiting for the re-entry insertion to land at the space center, which would occur in roughly 7 hours, the four Kerbals began to chat. Lizicca had been an engineer, and was the one responsible for the drilling. She told stories about Kraken attacks on Dres, and Bop, before Mitten told her to stop scaring him. Mitten had been brought up in a poor family on Kerbin, and had got into space by winning a lottery which helped his family survive the economical hardships and become nice, hard-working people, who later became rich after his father started up a business that made and sold Kraken plushies. Ceriel, on the other hand, was like Jeb, Quick thinking and half-crazy, she was a stowaway on board. Now for the re-entry procedure...

Edited May 24, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

Flaming Wings, Part 2

After the chatting and consumption of snacks was done, only roughly ten minutes remained until the re-entry procedure began. Mitten started tearing up as the clock counted down the minutes till re-entry burn, and at 30 seconds was wailing "I want to go home! I want to go home!" Only Ceriel Kerman could stop him from moaning on, as she gave him a Kraken plushie that she had brought onboard for no apparent reason. Then suddenly, the 50 year old engines came to life again.

Meadow Ridge

50 years worth of ice, ice covering the viewports and cockpit glass, ice covering the insides of the spacecraft, ice around the engines, landing gear, heat shield, and more, all wiped away in seconds. With a slight jerk the six engines propelled the craft through space, four at the back and one on each wing. Then, just as it started, it stopped. The in-flight computer was making final preparations before the 'Eagle A' re-entered the atmosphere, gliding to a landing at the PSC, after fifty years of service. Mitten was playing with the Kraken plushie. Ceriel was watching him, assuring that everything would be fine. Jebediah was informing Mission Control of the situation, telling them to get ready for a landing. Lizicca started talking about different ores, and drill rates, and what to do if the drill overheats, and what not to do, and so on. Speaking of overheating, they were just about to re-enter Kerbin's atmosphere. The lights inside the craft dimmed, and then turned off, but there was no darkness, as the flames started to hit the underside of the 'Eagle A'. 50 seconds. 50 seconds to go before they were through. Jeb was sure that he could hear rattling noises, of bolts shaking loose, but nothing happened. The in-flight computer, now nicknamed 'OSNAP' (Orbital and Surface Navigation and Alignment Protocol), fired the engines once again, to align the craft for a runway landing. They were gliding over Meadow Ridge, the mountains that surrounded the PSC, and were descending rapidly. The airbrakes activated, and, with a final screech of the 50 year old landing gear, they came to a stop. Mitten let out a joyful "Yeeeee!!!!", Lizicca started grinning, and Ceriel was deactivating the flight systems. They were home.

Spoiler

If you're wondering about the fate of Jeb's 'Aero-2' capsule, it was destroyed after transmitting the science data back to the PSC.

 

[Chel]

Back To Business...

With the crew of the Nebula 1 now safely back on Kerbin, the space program could resume it's normal activities of accepting contracts, building a spacecraft to accomplish it, launch it, and hope it didn't explode as soon as the engines ignited because of bad planning explode for unknown reasons which nobody could've seen coming. This time, the World First Record-Keeping Society had ordered us to orbit the Mun and get back to Kerbin again. Funds weren't a problem this time, as we had plenty, and lots of science brought back from Jeb and the crew of the Nebula 1. We even had a free ship, the Eagle A, which Jeb piloted back to Kerbin. We had three options:

A) Strap SRBs on like mad, and hope it gets up in the air and to the Mun.

B) Build a truly massive rocket, requiring an upgrade of the VAB and Launch Pad.

C) Go back up to the Nebula 1 and use it as a refuelling station for the craft to get to the Mun and back.

 

Eventually, after much snack-eating, Jool-Aid drinking, and spinning around mindlessly in the office chairs for half an hour, we chose option C.

 

Planning Time (sort of)

With the flight plan done, we now had to build the craft, pick the Kerbals to fly it, and hope it all goes well. For the mission, we would launch the Eagle A on top of a rocket, using the rocket to get up to altitude, and using the Eagle A's engines to dock with Nebula 1. From there, we would use the main purpose of the station (an infinite ore/refuelling depot), to transfer converted fuel into the Eagle A, replenishing it's tanks for (hopefully) enough fuel to reach the Mun, get into orbit, do some experiments, and return back to Kerbin.

 

Andromeda

For this complicated mission we had chosen Lizicca, as she's the only one smart enough to operate drills and process fuel, Jeb, Asanna, and a new recruit, Phonica Kerman. From the outside, the 'Andromeda 1' looks like just another invention of Wernher Von Kerman, but on the inside, things were going crazy. Jeb and Lizicca were fighting over who was to be at the controls of the ship, Phonica was looking a bit scared as the launch countdown began, and Asanna was laughing disturbingly loud. But all that was quickly cut out by the engines of the launch vehicle, and the SRBs, as it propelled the crew upwards into the atmosphere. All went well, and the 'Andromeda 1' separated from it's booster rocket. With a few quick bursts of the thrusters, controlled by 'OSNAP', the craft had an encounter with the asteroid station in an hour. Phonica, once safely in orbit, unbuckled himself from his seat, and floated around the craft, for at least half an hour, as Jeb notified them all that they were approaching the Nebula 1. With some bursts of RCS, again also controlled by 'OSNAP', they were docked with the station, next to the 'Eagle B'.

Now for the refuelling process and Mun encounter...

 

 

Edited May 25, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

SolarFlare

With the 'Andromeda 1' safely docked to 'Nebula 1', the crew, all except Jeb, went into the station. The Andromeda 1's fuel tanks were nearly empty, and were clearly needing to be refuelled to reach the Mun. Lizicca went to the top of the station, where she operated inside a high-visibility capsule that housed the three drills for the three asteroids attached to the station. Down at the bottom of the station was the fuel tanks, which could separate in an emergency to stop them from blowing up and engulfing the whole area. Attached to the asteroids were the ISRUs, had easy-access maintenance hatches extending from the station to the asteroids. Lizicca began operating the drills, storing the ore, processing the ore into fuel, and putting the fuel in the tanks, to then be transferred to their spacecraft. Everything was going smoothly until suddenly, there was complete darkness.

HCT 'Zoner'

'Must be an eclipse by the Mun or Minmus', Asanna said to Phonica, who was looking down at Kerbin from the viewports around the station. 'Should be over in at least 2 minutes'. 2 minutes passed, and Phonica noticed that he could clearly see the Mun and Minmus, and both weren't eclipsing the sun. There definitely was something doing it, but it wasn't either of the moons. 'Asanna, can you see if there's like a space telescope onboard or something?'. Asanna didn't know if there was, as this was her first time on the station. She contacted Lizicca, since the drilling viewpoint wasn't connected by the intercom. 'According to Lizicca, there is. It's at the left side of the station. Why?' 'Because I want to check out what's blocking the sun'. Phonica activated the telescope by fiddling around with some knobs and levers, as the station's computer was offline because of the solar panels not receiving light. He looked through the telescope, and saw a truly massive vessel, so large that it was indeed eclipsing the sun. He could make out two words, which were very large, just like the strange craft. They read 'HCT 'Zoner'

[Chel]

A Fast Kind Of Ship

Asanna and Phonica were looking out at the strange vessel when Jeb suddenly came through the access hatch, and told them all to get back in. The refuelling was done, so they didn't need to stay on the Nebula 1 anyway, but Lizicca still asked why. "I want to take a look at the thing blocking the sun, that's why". They all got in the Andromeda 1, undocked, and Lizicca plotted a course to the mysterious craft, assisted by OSNAP. They could afford the detour to the Mun, so there was nothing to worry about. "Coming up to node now, prepare for a 5m/s burn". In 5 seconds, it was over. 30 minutes later, they caught their first glimpse of the mighty ship. "That's what 'HCT' stands for! 'Heavy Cargo Transporter 'Zoner '!" Asanna said to the crew, apparently interested in the ship. "Aren't HCT's like the biggest ships ever constructed?" Phonica asked her, "Yep, able to carry whole entire space stations into orbit, or a giant ring station to Eeloo (reference to video, go find out what it is!) "They could carry mobile rover bases, space stations, even small ships! In fact, our ship could easily fit inside one of them". Phonica looked horrified, thinking to himself 'Jeb's thinking 'challenge accepted' to fit this thing in the craft, great...' "What did you say, Asanna? Want to explore it?" Jeb said, just as Phonica had predicted. "To get in the cargo bay though, we'll need to be fast. If the bay even opens, though!" And with that, Captain Jeb of the Andromeda 1 powered up the engines, and took them inside to the 'mouth' of the 'beast'. Since it was so dark inside, they had to use their powerful spotlights. Docking at the mighty vessel was easy, and they were in.

In The Mouth Of The Enemy

They all scrambled out of their craft to be met by a truly glorious sight: Mountains of snacks, Jool-Aid, and other things. "Must've been transporting these", Lizicca whispered to Jeb. "If it was carrying snacks, then why did everyone apparently abandon it?" Phonica said. He had gained the reputation of always asking questions at the most stupidest of times. "We don't know, but we should be able to look at the ship's log to find out" Jeb answered quickly. Asanna, who apparently knew all about this type of ship, led them to the bridge quickly. "Hey Asanna, how'd you know all about these ships?" Lizicca asked. "Because I made a model of one back on Kerbin, and it was a 3D-cutaway one. Took a long time to make, but eventually finished it."  Jeb opened the door to the bridge, and got to work trying to find the ship's log. "Found it!" It reads as follows:

 

Day 1, Time: 9:05

Left KSC this morning, got up into LKO, transferred snacks to Nebula 1.

Day 19, Time: 4:52

Set course for Jool to transfer MR 'Unity' to Laythe. Took the Hawk out on a test run, all went well.

Day 21, Time: 00:06

Hearing strange noises at night, checked in main cargo hold for source of noises

Day 34, Time: 6:35

Docked with Moonhenge Station for snack transfer, set course for Kerbin.

Day 34, Time: 6:38

Set course, slow but steady orbit reaching Kerbin.

Day 37, Time: 5:23

Something is playing up with the NavKerb, put us in a very slow orbit around the sun, going to Kerbin in approximately 5 years. Note to self: Do burn to get in orbit of Kerbin in about 5 years time.

Day 44, Time: 6:27

Some of the crew are getting scared, and the medical officer has put one in Psychiatric Ward A for observation.

Day 53, Time: 11:25

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! KRAKEN ATTACK! KRAKEN ATTACK! CARGO BAY TORN OPEN, LOST POWER GENERATORS! ESCAPE PODS JETTISONED, PREPARING TO JETTISON BRIDGE SECTION AND BLOW UP SHIP, EMERGENCY CODE: AAA-234 AAA 235 AAA 23-

<end of log>

"Well, now we know why they abandoned the ship, because of a Kraken attack". Silence fell over the crew, a look of terror on all of them, all except Jeb, and someone else. "Hey Jeb, who's that behind you?" "There's nobody behind me, Lizicca". "Yeah, yeah there is"

Edited May 25, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

Guess Who? Kerbal Edition!

Phonica took out his flashlight and pointed it behind Jeb. There, they were met by an old Kerbal. "Uhh...hi? Who are you?" Phonica asked, trying to resist the urge to run back to the ship, undock, and return to Kerbin. "Who am I? Why, I'm Kirsky Kerman!" the old-looking Kerbal said to the startled crew. "Aren't you the Kirsky Kerman?" Jeb asked him. Jeb knew all about Kirsky Kerman. He was the first Kerbal ever in the space program. Jeb played with action figures of him as a child, hoping to be like him, drawing him in numerous books, copying his orange jumpsuit and all. "Yes, I'm Kirsky Kerman. First Kerbal ever in space" "I read something in the ship's log about a Kerbal being put in the Psychiatric Ward. Was that you?" "Yep. I could recognise the scent of the Kraken. All the noises, everything". "So how did you survive?" Phonica asked yet another question. "I was asleep. The Kraken targets it's victims by noise. I don't snore, so I was considered invisible to it. Everyone else was running around and screaming as they boarded the escape pods. Poor things, don't think that they survived even in their escape pods. Think that the Kraken ate them all." A tear formed down his face. "Now that we know what happened, what do we do?" Phonica asked, yet again. "Destroy the ship, taking me with you". Jeb's face turned into a kind of psychotic smile. In a flash, he had planted the bombs, and transferred the snacks to their craft.

Fireworks

They all ran back into the Andromeda 1, and undocked quickly. Kirsky was very happy to be off the ship, and was enjoying his time in the 'new fangled fancy electronic ship' as he called it. Jeb ignited the engines once again, and they had a clearing distance of 5km before it exploded. "Setting course for the Mun now". The trajectory set out by OSNAP would give them time to relax for roughly 45 minutes before they made the burn. 45 minutes later, and Jeb activated the engines. The burn done, they were heading to the Mun in as little 4 hours. Kirsky Kerman, completed a space walk with his almost 50 year old EVA pack. "I haven't had this much fun in years!" He then got back inside, and they passed the Mun. OSNAP organised another engine burn to put them in orbit. "Not bad for a computer, although NavKerb was the best until it turned". "TURNED????" Phonica was looking very worried now.

[Alpha 360]

Pretty good, just try to write in active voice more often. Usually helps. You can edit your topic title to include the chapter you are on, just to clarify you posted something related to the story. By the way, how do you create the little bar underneath each post with a personal motto? I would love if I could make one like that.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Alpha 360
"Kouston, we have several problems, but that doesn't matter so we want to continue on with the mission."

[Chel]

11 hours ago, Alpha 360 said:

By the way, how do you create the little bar underneath each post with a personal motto? I would love if I could make one like that.

Click on the down arrow at the end of your profile name up the top, it brings down a little list menu. Choose account settings. Then go to signature, and then type whatever you want in there, and it'll appear down the bottom of every one of your posts.

11 hours ago, Alpha 360 said:

"Kouston, we have several problems, but that doesn't matter so we want to continue on with the mission."

That, right there, is a signature. That's what I mean

[Alpha 360]

Thanks!

[Chel]

Munar Mines

For the rest of their trip to the Mun, the crew were enjoying the time away from Kerbin, all except Phonica. He was looking very worried once Kirsky said that NavKerb had 'turned', and was doing his best to not start wailing. "First it seemed a bit slow to respond, taking up to a minute to plot a course, when it usually takes 5 seconds or fewer. Then, one day, it just put a message on the interface 'I am alive. You are not. Prepare for your saviour'. And it then put us in a very slow orbit around the Sun, only going to Kerbin every 5 years or so".

Now that Kirsky had explained, they had just enough time to check that everything was working properly, and prepare for their de-orbit burn from the Mun to land on the surface. "Jeb, ya see that down there?" Kirsky was pointing to something on the grey and white surface. "What?" "The mines." "Mines? What mines? What are you talking about, Kirsky?" Kirsky pointed at it again "We set up a mining colony in a crater. Rovers to collect the ore from the probe mining rigs and store it in the ISRUs, and then ships could land and refuel".

OSNAP engaged the de-orbit protocol, and they were soon heading down to the surface at a rate of 10m/s. "Welcome to the Mun, kids!" Asanna said, jokingly. And then, they were down.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

On ‎28‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 0:52 PM, Alpha 360 said:

Thanks!

NP (No Problem). Do you like the story so far? If so, you could become a co-writer if you want to, just a suggestion!

[Chel]

The Mystery Of Frostbite Outpost

They had reached the Mun. The PSC nearly exploded with cheers as they heard the news, of Jeb's voice. "PSC, Andromeda is landed. We're on the Mun!". "Wow! I'm on the Mun! I'm on the Mun!" Phonica was saying excitingly to the other bewildered and happy crew members. "So, let's take a look around!" Kirsky was saying, pointing to the airlock. When they stepped outside, they looked around for a while. "Ooh, look at that archway! Look at that rock over there!" Asanna said to Lizicca, who was looking irritated with her constant chatter. "What's that over there, Kirsky?" Jeb had spotted something interesting in the distance. "Why, that's Frostbite Outpost! I haven't seen that in years! It was the very first Munar outpost, used for mining and exploration!" It was indeed, the first. After five minutes of travelling, they gained their first proper look at the base. The place looked deserted. Upon inspection of the ore storage areas and the mining platform, Lizicca found that the mining drill was covered in a strange green substance. The windows inside the Hitchhiker containers looked very dusty, and someone had written a small message in one of them: 'Beware of K!'. "K either means two things. Kraken, or Kerman", Jeb said. Now once again, Phonica was looking scared.

 

Rory The Rover

They opened up the base, turned on the lights and the aged solar panels. The RTGs had long since run out of Blutonium-238, and were actually leaking the stuff, so they had to seal off that area to not contaminate their spacecraft. They entered the science lab, or what was left of it, after slicing a door open with their power-cutter. The door had been locked and sealed to contain something, possibly the same thing that was all over the drill. Shattered glass, fogged-up test tubes, labcoats long since worn lay tattered and ripped. "What in Kerbol went down in here?" Lizicca said, amidst the chaos of the lab. "Maybe we can use the rovers to explore?" Asanna suggested "What rovers? I haven't seen any" Phonica replied, as Asanna was apparently interested in rovers now. "I know what she's talking about! Every single 'A' and 'B' class base contains three rovers. Two LKTs (Light Kerbal Transports), and one HCR (Heavy Cargo Rover). We can use them to explore and find out what happened!" Kirsky exclaimed. After five minutes of searching around, they found a little rover, with the word 'Rory' scratched in it's left side.

Edited May 30, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

The Archway Of Light

The five Kerbals got in the rover, which was one of the LKTs (Light Kerbal Transports), and after playing a game of tik tak toe, Lizicca was the winner, who therefore got to drive. "Hey, what about fuel? What if this thing is empty?" Phonica asked, always seeming to ask questions right before they were going to do something big (Asanna had longed to tell Phonica to shut up for once, except Lizicca had warned her in case Mission Control found out) "The rovers are run on Electricity, so there's no fuel involved" Kirsky answered back. Strapping themselves in to the old seatbelts, which surprisingly didn't fall apart the second they touched them, they were off. The rover had a top speed of nearly 40m/s, and could stop completely within 5 seconds if need be. Asanna tapped Lizicca on the back to get her to stop for a moment, and was pointing at something in the distance. Within minutes, thanks to the rover's impressive 35m/s speed, they were there. It turned out to be an archway, just sitting in the middle of nowhere, for no apparent reason. "Hold on, I think I remember that there was a small science base near the arch", Asanna interrupted, amidst the silence. "Well, it doesn't seem to be here now!" Lizicca answered. "I can see a bit of something over here, possibly a Hitchhiker container or something", Phonica said to the group. He had indeed spotted something. Poking out of the grey and black surface was a quarter of a Hitchhiker container, with one of the windows turned upright. "So, they just sank into the ground? That doesn't make sense to me" Kirsky replied. "Or something came through here and attacked the base, burying it in the sand" Jeb said. Anyway, they were going to need help if they wanted to excavate the site.

 

[Alpha 360]

honestly, try to condense the chapters. I make it a necessity that one chapter is no shorter than one-thousand words, usually two to three pages on word. 

[Urses]

I see it more like a short storys conglomerate with a maim line. 

Looks great so far!

Funny Kabooms 

Urses 

[Chel]

35 minutes ago, Alpha 360 said:

honestly, try to condense the chapters. I make it a necessity that one chapter is no shorter than one-thousand words, usually two to three pages on word. 

This is the first chapter. I'll write one more 'episode' before I'll leave it on a cliffhanger till I finish my exams (3 more days to go!), and then I'll give you 3 'episodes' on the weekend. Also, thanks for taking an interest in the story, I enjoy the feedback!

3 minutes ago, Urses said:

I see it more like a short storys conglomerate with a maim line. 

Looks great so far!

Funny Kabooms 

Urses 

----------------------------------SEPERATE POST, GOT MERGED ANYWAY---------------------------------

Thanks!

[Chel]

ARMADRILLO

Jeb contacted the PSC to tell them of his findings on the Mun. Gene told them to get back in their ship to preserve their snacks and oxygen, as EVA packs only had 15 hours of oxygen. While they were on the Mun, the RnD team had found some robotic parts out the back, and attached little screws to them, and created drills. This was what they would need to excavate the area to find the base, and a mission was put forth. 'Wernher, how do you feel about building a rover?' Gene asked him one day as he was drinking his koffee. 'It will be hard, ja, but not impossible'. Three weeks later, the 'Snowstorm-1' was created.

The VAB workers had nicknamed 'Snowstorm-1' ARMADRILLO, as it was a drilling rover. It was put on top of an LV-2 'Smokestack' launcher, and was rolled out to the Launchpad.

Smoke And Mirrors

The launch was held in the early morning, when the Mun was close to Kerbin. The rocket lifted off, carrying it's special cargo inside a 2.5m fairing. 'SRBs jettisoned', the Controllkerb told Mission Control through the intercom at his place in the room, overseeing the whole operation. Then, there was only smoke. 'What's happening, Wernher? Why is there smoke?' 'It's only the new engine, Gene. The new 'Mainsail' as we like to call it, is very powerful and generates a lot of thrust, therefore creating a large cloud behind it'. He quickly explained. 'Second stage jettisoned, Munar intercept achieved'.

Velocity

The crew of the Andromeda was informed by Gene that the rover was coming, and were asked to 'prepare'. The payload fairing was split, and the rover decoupled from it. Now it was relying on the skycrane for thrust. '50m/s, 48m/s, 44m/s-' 'Ronald, shut up', Gene told the Controllkerb, as he was relaying the speed back to the PSC. '5m/s, prepare for touchdown!' '4m/s, 3m/s...skycrane jettisoned, rover landed!' The PSC erupted in cheers, but a look of horror was forming on the Controllkerb's face. 'Sir, something's wrong. The rover isn't responding. It isn't appearing on radar, scans, or anything.' 'We don't have anything to scan the Mun, silly', Gene replied. 'PSC, something's happening here! The rover's disappeared! I'm going to check out the area and see if I can fi-' Jeb was cut short by something. Screams were heard. Yelling. Crying. Wailing. And then...no more. The intercom went silent. The PSC went silent. Kerbin went silent. Only silence to be heard, silence to be seen...

Edited May 31, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

Milestone Reached!

Thanks for 200 views! 200 people have viewed my story so far! Thanks!

[Chel]

Saving Private Kerman

'Jeb?', 'Phonica?', 'Kirsky?', Gene's voice pierced through the silence, the silence that was Kerbin. Millions of Kerbals had been watching on their TV's and other devices, and everyone was scared, fearful for the crew. After ten minutes of trying, Gene told one of the workers to monitor the communications, and alert him if they responded. He then headed into the meeting room at the Astronaut Complex, and called an emergency situation. Suddenly, Wernher, all the other Kerbonauts, and the highest RnD, Engineering, Construction, and Safety Kerbals, burst into the room. Gene guided them to their seats, and began the meeting. 'We know that Jeb was talking about seeing something on the surface, just before we lost contact. We know that they were at the base around one of the Mun's arches, and that Asanna reported that some of the Hitchhiker containers were on their sides, like something had come through here and destroyed the base.' 'So, what do we do?', the head Engineering Kerbal asked him. 'Hey Billy-Bobfel, you know how you guys have been developing advanced AI probes? Can we use one?', he asked the RnD head, Billy-Bobfel. 'Sure...just don't, don't break them!'. It was clear that the scientists weren't very courageous, at least from Gene's viewpoint. 'So, we're going to build a small satellite, to fly into orbit, and try to get an orbit the speed of the Mun's orbit. In other words, we'll be rotating with it, at the same speed'. Gene's proposal caused a look of fear on Billy-Bobfel's face, but Wernher was enthusiastic as always.