“If one were to look back at the history of these small green humanoids on planet Kerbol III, they'd see a people seemingly hell-bent on suicidal destruction. In fact, thinking about it now, the Galactic Planetary Protection Pact was probably created specifically for this reason.†The speaker on the floor was Terran Fleet Admiral Brass Williams; His face, twisted into a scowl as it was, held none of the familiar traits of the humanitarian leader of the fifth fleet. His address was being heard by a council of assembled military personnel and a group of politicians from the GP3. “If we interfere with the developmental cycle of this planet any further there will be hell to pay, delegates. Mark my words, hell to pay.†A chubby young female scooted forward in her seat at the delegate's table in the mahogany meeting hall, “Are you threatening us, General? I'll have you know the GP3 Committee controls Terran milit-†“It's Terran Fleet Admiral, Delegate..†Brass' features showed no signs of softening in the face of the disrespectful shrew before him, “and I meant you no threat. This is merely caution. We go out of our way to not destroy worlds by bringing tech too soon.†“Your opinion is noted in the records, Terran Fleet Admiral Williams. I will remind you that it is the mission of the GP3 to protect underprivileged worlds. We have seen fit to administer a treatment plan to the dieing world of Kerbol III as merely a test of a new treatment for unstable civilizations. If there is a unifying factor, even a war-driven people such as the Kerboldians could be tamed.†Brass had continued when he'd first been interrupted... Supreme Delegate Reynolds' voice had refused his testimony to the ears of the assembly. A powerful and tall gentleman, Reynolds clearly had a firm grasp on the Admiral's leash. It showed on his flushing cheeks. “So will that be all, Admiral?†“You'd arm our enemies...†“We'd instill in them an eagerness to become more than barbarians.†“You're feeding them technology.†“Antiquated technology.†“They'll turn it on us...†“Admiral, has it escaped your knowledge that even your humanitarian fleet has been equipped with phase-grade planetary bombardment weapons capable of converting an entire population to a malleable goop in a matter of minutes?†“It has not.†“We do not fear the Kerboldian, for it is a simple creature. We hope to help it grow.†“I refuse to deliver the satellites...†“You refuse your officer's commission as Terran Fleet Admiral? Noble of you to sacrifice so much for your cause, old friend. Guards, take this man away and have him stripped of rank and vessel. Re-purpose the Williams' Pride for immediate dispatch – humanitarian cargo deployment, geostationary orbit.†Brass' eyes shot wide, and he glanced back at his men as they approached him to detain and destroy him... The eighty-four year old warrior wept. Not for his pride, his vessel, nor the betrayal... but for his nation. The history of Kerbin in case you're not local and don't have access to the satellite feeds from ages past begins – as much of its history continues - with a great war. The kingdom names are not known to the Terrans, and have been long since forgotten by the Kerbols. For ease of reference, we'll name them. Kerbinia was waging valiant war against its closest neighbor, Bul. Apparently the aggressor, but a very capable one, Kerbinia was making great land grabs as the satellite passed. Life being life, and the tech level of the locals seemingly being insufficient to detect its presence, a probe was deployed. This probe would be the window into a sordid history. In the seventh year, the probe arrived, to find Kerbinia at war with Ze, Na, and Rygg. These other neighbors were reclaiming the lands of Bul whom they were also still at war with. A great statue had been erected in Kerbinia that was easily visible from space. The Kerbol people were clearly both great and quick craftsmen. In the year 8, Vid entered the battle to create peace, and despite Kerbinia crushing them soundly in the one battle they participated in, their diplomats managed to instill peace between the kingdoms, just before Vid fell into disarray and was absolved into the other kingdoms. By year 11, Kerbol science had become the new craze. Scientists were hard at work mapping the planet above and below to the best of their rudimentary ability, and seemed to be asking for the first time, 'How does this whole existing thing work?' Fast-forward to the year 22, and you'd see the Kerbol nations being shaken up by a great quake, implying a degree of tectonics not previously observed on their planet. Much loss of life required many technological breakthroughs to understand. By 25 the kerbols developed the ability to look to the stars – at least rudimentarily. Telescopes of low power got the first glimpses of the sky-structure they'd name Jebediah. In 29 a great prophet dictated that before the end of the Kerbinia's existence, it would walk through the stars. Mass immigration threatens to overtax Kerbinia... War is declared by each of the nine kingdoms adjacent against their Kerbinian neighbors. This conflict ends horribly in 37 when Kerbinia pushes them back on the night of a warp-burn flashing too close to the planet – a sign from above. Kerbols reach for the stars. The first challenge is putting a Kerbol in the sky. By year 42, a Kerbol has created the first Glider. War once again breaks out over this technology and sweeps through the land. Despite this, the first pedal-driven propeller craft is created in 46. In 50, the rulers of Kerbinia are dethroned, and civilization enters a dark age. All of the science of creation, dreams, and the stars is abandoned, and Kerbol begins to work on the science of destruction and death dealing. At the end of 57, an enterprising young Kerbol invents the kinetic engine. At the start of 58, it has been weaponized into a city-breaching ram. At the end of 60, an invention from earlier that year of a way to harness static electricity from the air, is turned into a terrifying electric gun. War becomes the way of life. By 63, the Kerbol people have learned to used Electricity to power engines, and immediately the first automobiles are horrifying 'death race' esque machines. Nations begin to drop off from loss of life and loss of land. Kerbinia establishes a library in 71 to store all of these fallen nations' intellectual secrets. Not so that they can be read, but so they can be ignored. In 74 A kerbal by the name of Bill builds the first military aircraft, using the new electric engine, and the old schematics... He uses it to fly closer to Jebediah than anyone has ever been. He is never seen again, but his schematics prove useful... In 81, combustion is 'invented'. Four thousand kerbals are burned to death in celebration. In 82, the combustion engine is created. It is immediately laughed out, and Kerbals everywhere are once more reminded that science for any purpose but destruction is a waste of energy. In 84, another warp flash incites all out war. Every kerbal on the planet is now a soldier or support for the war effort. In both 93 and 94 huge strides are made in the fields of modern aviation. Planes can now drop fuel bombs on targets as far away as the other side of the planet! They can not make a return trip. After 100 years of observation, the Kerbals' light burns out. Kerbinia goes too far, and sets fire to every city on the planet. All technology is lost in the furious blaze, and the Kerbals are all but savage in a 'mad max' doomsday scenario. By 150, the kerbol population has dwindled to mere hundreds. Those who have decided to try civilization once more turn to the underground as the only possible place to avoid the gangs. They wait it out... With surface kerbals entirely gone in a few more short years, Terran naval officials stop watching the probe. It begins to decay from neglect. The planet, on the other hand, flourishes naturally. The Kerbinians made up the lion's share of those who sought shelter underground, and as such, the otherwise frightened masses below ground were driven to return to the surface... When they did, they found that their guardian angel, Jebediah, had only gotten closer as time went on. Drawing from this that their deitic entity would only come to them when they alone stood vigilante over Kerbol's landscape, they eradicated the last of their kin... This order was given by the first Kerbol president: Bob Kermin. It is then that the cult of Kermin decided to wait for their god, while rebuilding civilization. In the year 250, Jebediah's orbit finally decayed. Its landing created a tsunami which washed away the Kerbal's burgeoning society, but gave them something greater. Now so deeply buried in myth and legend, Jebediah, Bill, and Bob were popular names for the ridiculously short-lived Kerbol race. For this reason, the three leaders who stepped forward to meet their god for the first time were thus named. When they arrived, after a year's trek (A tenth of their lifetimes, don't you know?), their disappointment was palpable. The enormous construct before them held no god. Just a constant beep... The Terran, however, took great notice... The probe kept transmitting on the four year long trek back to the civilization project, and for another year still as the Kerbals reverse-engineered each instrument in turn. The Terrans watched these tiny green men devour this technology a piece at a time. Their curiosity spurred a kindred bond with the researchers that made it easy to forget that the probe had just violated this planet's GP3, and thus, the planet would have to be culled... So much so, that a crazy plan was hatched. They'd give these kerbals more technology. They'd watch them grow out into the stars, and they'd track their progress... Nudge them in the right directions. Their history showed they were good at intuitive interpretation of new concepts. Perhaps with a little work, they could be the perfect ship artisans... Perhaps... If only they'd develop: A Kerbal Space Program. wtf mate?Okay, so, just wrote that... I kind of shot myself in the foot trying to make Kerbol be the system/planet from a Terran perspective, Kerbal mean the little greenbros, and still keep the kingdom in order... So, that's confusing and doesn't conform to any unified standard. Bear with it. Hello boys and girls. I was thinking about doing a custom campaign mode in KSP. The basic premise being that I'll be running pretty open-book about what mods are in use, and I'd be writing a story alongside. I'd actually love to do it in video form but I don't really have sufficient hardware to make anything watchable at the moment - this could change. I'll present goals set forth by the groups on the planet, as well as outline Terran involvement. For the most-part, direct Terran intervention will be extremely limited. It will explain new mods, or updates changing things, when something else can't explain it better. It may also be used as a way to explain when I draw influence from another person's ships... I can just crash one of their ship make into mun or something and go from there... This is just kind of a 'I have no capable of sleep, but I must rest' interest nudge. I'm going to do it anyway to keep myself amused, it's just a question of whether people think it's worth broadcasting to the public. Think it works? Consequently, Zephyr being my usual handle, I'll be calling the inevitable corporate-like entity controlling space The Zephyr Initiative. That's the name. God I'm all over the place. Whee.
