totm aug 2016 Kerny Kerman's Journal (mission reports from a Kerbal's point of view) [Chapter 87: "Among the growing shadows."]

[Pretorian28715]

15 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Bad things are going to happen....

But who for....

 

dun dun duuuuuunnnnnnnn....

[RealKerbal3x]

17 minutes ago, Pretorian28715 said:

But who for....

 

dun dun duuuuuunnnnnnnn....

You need more u's....

dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.

That's enough

[TeslaPenguin1]

Hey @adsii1970, could you put the chapter links for 60, 61, and 62 in the OP? (and change the title to chapter 62) 

Just so people like me don't get confused (I had no idea ch.62 was written already!)

Edited July 16, 2018 by TeslaPenguin1

[adsii1970]

1 hour ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

Hey @adsii1970, could you put the chapter links for 60, 61, and 62 in the OP? (and change the title to chapter 62) 

Just so people like me don't get confused (I had no idea ch.62 was written already!)

Ahhh, yes, sure will. In fact, there is a lot of maintenance I need to do on some of the older chapters as well. Once this week is done (last week of courses for the summer), I will fix those problems AND post another chapter.

@TeslaPenguin1: It's been done...  

Edited July 16, 2018 by adsii1970

[adsii1970]

Moho 20, Y003 
"A long day's journey ahead"
Chapter 63

In another hour, we - Senior Consul Maxbas, myself, and Lieutenant Agay - will begin the journey back to the KSC. Commodore Valentina was very clear in her instructions for me to wait until the Moyal Otoch was at least a hundred kilometers away before we begin our return trip to the KSC. We sat for nearly a half-hour before the audio signal came in. 

"Captain Kerny," the voice said, "I am Commander Alddred. Commodore Valentina wanted me to signal you once the package was about to be delivered."

"Understood, Commander Alddred." I replied. "This is Sea Goose 3, out."

"One thing about Valentina," Maxbas responded. "She certainly is punctual."

And that she was. We had only been on the shore for half an hour before we received the message. "Ok, Maxbas, it's our turn. Let's go."

After gently nudging our sleeping crew mate, Agay, we left the sea goose and walked towards the Moyal Otoch as its crew deployed the ground explorer. Within minutes, the cargo ramp was retreating into the dirigible's superstructure as the ground explorer took its position. As we were about a hundred meters from our rendezvous spot, we could see there were two Kermen waiting for us. Once we were closer, we recognized they were Commodore Valentina and Lieutenant Colonel Ralph.

 

"Ah, Captain," Valentina began. "You're right on time. Colonel Ralph, are you and Doodemone ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, almost out of reflex. "As you know, he was recruited for Section 31 about a week before the -- "

"Yes," Valentina interrupted. "I am aware of that. Can we trust him?"

"Commodore," Ralph answered. "If I couldn't, I would have never recommended him to Gene or Dr. Edmund -- "

"Good," Valentina interrupting Ralph again. "Then let's get underway."

We boarded the ground explorer. The night before, Ralph's message had said we were going to go to some coordinates further inland on this continent. But once the ground explorer started on its journey, I knew we weren't heading in the right direction.

"Commodore," Ralph began. "Doodemone, myself, and the rest of my engineering team have made the -- uh, modifications Dr. Angelo, Gene, and you recommended -- "

"Is this the vehicle?" she asked. It was easy to tell she was caught off guard.

"The -- modifications?" Maxbas asked.

"Yes," both Valentina and Ralph answered.

But it was Ralph who asked the next question. "How did you find out about the modifications, Senior Consul -- "

"That's an easy question to answer," Valentina interrupted. "She is the Second Chair of the Triune Committee. Before the death of Dr. Edmund, she was the second-highest ranking of the two. Everything Dr. Edmund had access to, with the exception of some of the Section 31 stuff, she had access to -- "

Now it was Ralph's turn to interrupt the commodore. "But I thought you said that only Section 31 members would be at this meeting -- "

"I am Section 31, just as you." Now it was Maxbas who was asserting herself. "I'm Ah Cuxtal, the same as everyone else here. I have access to everything you have access to as a member of the Ah Cuxtal. Dr. Edmund is -- I mean, was -- "

"Ohoroxtotil." Valentine said, with her voice almost a whisper. "He had access to everything. He had access to the ancient sealed records, every government document -- and I'm sure things I cannot even imagine. From what I know of the Ohoroxtotil, at most there is only ever three members of this level at a time. And they must meet certain high standards. If you study any of the history of Section 31, there's only ever been about sixty Ohoroxtotil throughout the republic's history - and as you know, that's over a few thousand years. Once they are a member of the Ohoroxtotil, they are a member for life -- "

"You actually believe that?" Ralph asked. "On the Kerbin I'm from before the anomaly here, I never heard of such an organization."

"Who recruited you for Section 31?" Maxbas asked.

"I was recruited by Gene and Dr. Haywood." Ralph replied. "No one has ever mentioned to me about the Ohoroxtotil. I assumed we were all the same level. Who recruited you, Captain Kerny?"

"I was recruited by Dr. Edmund --"

"Wow, he recruited me, too!" Commodore Valentina exclaimed. It was right after the third anomaly. He said he had evaluated all of the flight crews and thought I would be a 'good fit for what the Republic needed. I asked him about Jebediah. Dr. Edmund told me that Jebediah was too unreliable and too unstable to be considered --"

At this point I was feeling a little left out. What modifications were they discussing earlier? But I found out soon enough as Doodemone was driving us right into the lagoon!

Soon, the sounds of popping and a slight whir of some kind of pump could be heard within the cabin of the ground explorer. The original design was capable of what Gene called swimming on the surface of the water. It was outfitted with two small electric motor driven propellers to help it move across the water's surface. But this ground explorer was sinking! We were going under water.

"Uh, Ralph -- " Apparently I wasn't heard.

"Do we know who the other two Ohoroxtotil members are?" Valentine continued. "I know that Dr. Edmund was more or less the head of Section 31. But do we have any idea of who the other two are?"

"Hey, I think Kerny's asking a question." Maxbas said. "I'm sorry Kerny. This ground explorer was modified by Ralph and his crew to be submersible. I didn't know that it had actually been done. All I knew about was that it was a 'work in progress' as Dr. Angelo had put it."

"Before the --" Ralph began, with a slight quiver in his voice, "accident, Dr. Edmund wanted to have this meeting with us using this ground explorer. He was insistent that this meeting be held in a location were any transmission equipment which relied on satellite or radio waves could not detect what was being discussed. Not knowing what our new agenda is, I figured it was best to follow his original plan."

"The popping you're hearing is the airtight seals actually sealing in place." Ralph continued. "This is why the ground explorers are perfect for exploring the surface of Kerbin or any other planetary body within the Kerbol system. This one has the ability to submerge. But already, the Mark II series will have the ability to use the rear passenger compartment as an airlock once it is put into service."

"How far down do we need to go?" I asked. Although I do like new experiences, it would have been nice to be told about this one in advance.

"Once we are around 20 meters under the surface, this craft loses the ability to communicate with the satellites. Heck at 17 meters, we lose the ability to contact any vessel within a 500 meter radius. Once we reach the coordinates, we will literally be cut off from every other Kerman anywhere. The only communications we'll have is with Doodemone in the operator's compartment - and that's only through the intercom system."

Within a few more minutes of driving, we arrived at our coordinates - at the edge of the continental shelf. A new whirring sound could be heard in our compartment, followed by a slight bounce.

"Ah, we've arrived." Ralph informed us. "The sound you are hearing are the stabilizers deploying. I forgot to mention the pumping you heard earlier is ocean water being pumped into a ballast tank. This ballast tank is what keeps us on the sea floor. When we are ready to leave, we can either drive back up the way we came or we can force air into the ballast tank and use the electric motors to swim back to the shore -- "

"All very fascinating and impressive," Valentine said, in almost a scolding tone. "But demonstrating this craft's possibilities is not why we are here -- "

"With Dr. Edmund gone, do we really know what the meeting was for?" Ralph interrupted. It was clear from the expression on the commodore's face she was not amused.

"On the morning of the -- " she began, this time it was her voice which was full of emotion. "Dr. Edmund sent me a secured audio file. The accompanying text flash message told me to play it when we were all together. You better patch Doodemone in on this."

"Doodemone, can you hear us?" Ralph asked after hitting a small switch on the side of his table.

"Yes, boss," his thick and heavy accent clearly heard over the intercom. "What do you need?"

"The Commodore wants you to hear this," Maxbas replied.

And with that, Valentina pressed a button on her K-Pad. Within a fraction of a second, we all recognized the voice on the recording.

"My friends," Dr. Edmund began. "It was never my intention not to be at this meeting. If you are listening to this recording, it means there have been things put into motion which has made it impossible for me to be there. Each one of you were recruited to be members of Section 31. You are the guardians of the Republic -- "

"How'd he know about the -- " Ralph began to ask. His question was immediately met with a group effort to get him to be quiet.

Dr. Edmund's recorded message continued. "You are all at this meeting by my personal invitation and by the trust which has been placed to me by the remaining Ohoroxtotil member. Since the death of Piper, which we believe was an assassination, we have successfully recruited the third Ohoroxtotil. I am not prepared to reveal that Kerman's identity yet, but believe he will be an asset to Section 31. Once he has been vested, he and the other Ohoroxtotil will continue the work of defending the Republic.

There are forces at work within the Grand Committee which has many of its members concerned; their concern has become the concern of Section 31. Grand Consul Katrine  - we must watch her. We know she's worked behind the scenes to get her daughter, Rayven, elected to the Grand Committee. We also know that she appointed her son, Kuzzter, to the space center for the sole purpose of spying on Gene. Kuzzter told Gene this directly and refuses to obey his mother's command.

She's unaware that Kuzzter confided in Dr. Haywood and Gene about her plans he has knowledge of. We've conducted our own background check on him and have discovered he has a long adversarial relationship with Katrine. While Rayven embraces her mother's position and power, Kuzzter hasn't. When she tried to pull favors to get him into the Kerbalnaut training program, he resigned from the Kerbin Defense Forces Academy rather than to allow his mother to intervene. He's worked his way from the position she appointed him to by his own merit. And we've been monitoring all communications he's had with her. He is a reliable source of information and we can trust him.

What we do know is Katrine has begun a process which could destabilize the Grand Committee. Each time a new settlement is founded, the size of the Grand Committee is increased by 1 initially. As the population of the settlement grows, the representation increases, too. Right now, the makeup of the committee has been loyal to our Republic's traditions. But since Katrine is now using her own means to appoint the governors of the new settlements, we know they will make sure that any consul they send to the committee will repay Katrine's favors by supporting her policies. There are those in the Grand Committee who believe she will try to outmaneuver the Grand Committee and appoint a permanent Delegates of Five to replace the Grand Committee. And of course, that Delegates of Five would be her loyal supporters.

Work closely with Dr. Zarkov. Do not leave him out. Encourage Dr. Angelo and Dr. Wernher to continue development of space exploration technology. Although he isn't a member of Section 31, remember Major Thompberry. Work closely with him. His loyalty is to Gene - which is beyond question. Originally Gene was going to be at this meeting but when we discovered the planned assassination, we thought it better he remain at the KSC - where he's safe.

What I am willing to share with you now is to simply keep your eyes and ears open. Do nothing else. Watch what you say and do around her and report all you see and hear about her or any actions she takes to Commodore Valentina. Do not take any action which will lead to direct confrontation between the Grand Consul or Section 31. Do not isolate her nor give her opportunity to view the Grand Committee, KASA, or even the KDF as adversarial. I have reason to believe my life is in danger so there are things I have already set in motion. I was made aware of a plot to assassinate me and Senior Consul Maxbas sometime between the conclusion of the last Delegates of Five meeting and my arrival at the KSC.

If Senior Consul Maxbas is alive and at this meeting, I charge Captain Kerny with an assignment directly from the Ohoroxtotil to keep her safe. This is your priority. When the opportunity unveils itself, return to space and remember.

Senior Consul Maxbas, there are too many variables in play right now. The only advice I can give you is to take counsel from Gene and Valentina. Whatever they recommend, do it, but remember that your safety and your position within the Grand Committee and the Triune Committee are paramount to the Republic. Do not fight Captain Kerny - he will be your strongest ally.

Commodore Valentina will be the liason between the Ah Cuxtal and the Ohoroxtotil, whom at the appointed time, will contact her. Use all resources to alert the other Section 31 members of this order. When the time is right, Commodore Valentina will be contacted by the Ohoroxtotil and at that time, new instructions will be given to you. Until then, it is up to every member of Section 31 to assure the section isn't compromised by agents working for Valentina.

Best of hopes and may the gods of our ancestors smile upon us."

And with that, the audio recording ended. The awkward silence lasted for a while. It was Maxbas who broke the silence.

"So, I guess this means I'm going to be shot into space," Maxbas said. From the time I've spent with her, I think I understood the tone to be one filled with excitement and fear at the same time.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Valentina encouraged. "It's the landing back on Kerbin which really gets you -- "

For the next few minutes, our conversation focused on space travel. I wasn't the only one who really didn't want to discuss what we had just heard. Knowing that there was an assassination attempt possible, Dr. Edmund continued to perform his duties knowing they cold lead to his death.

It was then I noticed the chill in the cabin air. Since the audio file and our conversation, Kerbol had set. The sea began to cool as the heat from Kerbol was no longer there to heat the sea's surface. We sat there in the cabin, the pale blue light of the ground surveyor's night markers reflecting through the windows.

"Doodemone," the commodore ordered, "take us back up. I think we're done here -- "

Within a few minutes, we heard the sounds of the ground stabilizers retracting. After making a series of turns, we could tell we were heading back along the bottom of the sea as the cabin air pressure in the ground explorer adjusted to the pressure outside.

"Ma'am," Ralph asked. "What's our orders. Gene said you'd give us new orders -- "

"Yes," she interrupted. "Kerny, Senior Consul Maxbas, and Lieutenant Agay will return to the KSC once we've departed -- "

"But that doesn't --" Ralph said, in protest.

"I will be riding with you," she added. "We've been requested to New Kerbin City by Dr. Haywood. Commander Alddred has assumed command of the Sinaan and was ordered to return to the KSC for decommissioning. It seems that he will be assuming command of the refitted Tekto. The Sinaan won't be refitted. By the end of the month, there's a new and reclassed Sinaan. And once she's ready for sea trials, I'll assume command."

"Did Dr. Edmund have anything to do with this new class of ship?" I asked. Although I haven't met Dr. Loring, there was a lot of discussion in the weekly command staff briefings on the progress he has made in maritime technology.

"Yes, he did." Valentina continued. "Once it was discovered the newer designs from the older company were compromised - sending copies of everything transmitted to the Prime Consul, Dr. Edmund stepped in -- "

"And while we are sure that the military remains loyal to the United Republic," Maxbas added, "The Triune Committee decided the military communications needed to be kept classified and not circulated among the members of the Grand Committee. Especially with the unidentified alien craft threat we can't seem to neutralize -- "

"Which could be bad for all of us if the general population ever understood how unprepared we really are." Valentina added.

"Doodemone," Ralph said into the intercom speaker, "let's float this thing."

"Yes, sir!" And with his response, a new round of noises began. Now, along with the popping, the familiar sound of the ballast pump started. Within a minute, the ground explorer was swimming on the surface of the sea.

Within a few minutes, we were floating on the surface of Kerbin's sea. Our speed now was significantly slower than what we were able to travel on the sea floor but I welcomed the view. I could, after all, see the stars and planets in the night time sky. Off in the distance I could make out the lights of the Sinaan and the Moyal Otoch. The dim light of Nohochacyum made the smoke from the liquid fuel engines of the Sinaan easy to see. She was already underway on her journey to the space center.

"Ah, good!" Valentina began.

Commodore Valentina explained to us that she had ordered her executive officer, Alddred, to keep an eye out for a sign. Knowing that we would be gone for several hours, she told him that when he saw the Moyal Otoch prepare for night operations by turning on her running lights, he was to get the Sinaan underway. By the time the ground explorer would be recovered and the Moyal Otoch would be ready to leave, the Sinaan would be a few kilometers away.

When we arrived at the cargo elevator, Maxbas and I stepped out of the ground explorer and began our walk back to the sea goose. For the first few minutes, neither said anything as we walked through the dark Kerbin night with only the pale light of Nohochacyum to guide us back. With only seventy meters to go, she grabbed my hand, and we continued to walk towards our craft.

"Kerny," she asked. "How could he, Dr. Edmund, had known?"

"I don't think he really did," I began. "I think he knew about the plot but -- "

"You don't understand," she interrupted. "He encouraged me to come see you and leave the day before he and I were to fly out. I could have been on -- "

"Yeah," it was hard to consider what she was saying. "You would have died in that crash as well. It's actually a miracle there were any survivors -- "

"But how did he know?" she pressed on.

"I don't think he did," I reinforced. "I think it was a coincidence. I think he had a feeling that we... you know -- " and before I could finish my sentence, Maxbas stopped and turned towards me, grabbing both my hands in hers.

"You're saying he was trying to mate-match?" she asked, half in unbelief and half jokingly.

"Maybe," I really didn't know, but that didn't stop me. "It explains a great deal of things."

After a quick kiss on the cheek, she and I continued to the sea goose.

"When do you think we'll leave?" she asked, not sure of what to expect.

"Well, Ralph's dirigible relies on electric motors," I began. "I suspect he will wait to closer to Kerbolrise before he takes off. We'll follow after him a little later after that. One thing's for certain, there's no stopping midway in the flight. We have a long day's journey ahead."

We reached the sea goose and within minutes, Maxbas and I had taken our original seats in the cockpit. Off in the distance we watched as Ralph's crew continued pre-flight preparations which included storing the ground excursion vehicle within the cargo bay. We sat there in silence and it wasn't until about twenty minutes later that I noticed that Maxbas was now asleep. There are too many things to think about, especially after this most recent meeting with other members of Section 31. Within Dr. Edmund's message, he gave me the instructions to return to space and remember... But remember what, exactly? The data stick he gave me before all of this started? Was it to remember to keep Maxbas safe? Or was it to remember his and my conversation about the unidentified craft orbiting Minmus? And then there's the bigger question... how do I return to space soon without raising suspicions? It's not like I can just go sign out a space craft, launch, and claim I'm maintaining my flight status. Maybe Gene and Dr. Haywood have an idea.

Return to the OP (Index)

Previous Chapter

Related Supplemental Material

 

[Angelo Kerman]

Wow, great chapter! Lots of intriguing stuff going on. For Kerny to return to space, isn’t he supposed to take the Excursion out for a spin after its refit? Or is Katrine halting space flights?

Also, what is to stop, say, Ralph, from suddenly declaring himself Ohoroxtotil? (And singing Ohoroxtotil! —— yeah! Gonna save the mother —— day yeah!)

[adsii1970]

2 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Wow, great chapter! Lots of intriguing stuff going on. For Kerny to return to space, isn’t he supposed to take the Excursion out for a spin after its refit? Or is Katrine halting space flights?

There is a fear that Katrina will cancel all spaceflights beyond the Mun. Remember, she sees the space program as diverting resources from her prerogative - which is to rebuild the habitability of the surface of Kerbin. I suspect we will see her allowing space flight to the Mun as some sort of compromise with the supporters of KASA to keep them in line. So, he needs to get into space but the question is what will allow the Excursion out without Katrine blowing a head gasket.

2 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Also, what is to stop, say, Ralph, from suddenly declaring himself Ohoroxtotil? (And singing Ohoroxtotil! —— yeah! Gonna save the mother —— day yeah!)

I think if any Kerman were to do that -  to claim to be Ohoroxtotil and not be - the Ohoroxtotil would have some sort of protocol in place to fry the pretender... 

Edited July 21, 2018 by adsii1970

[obney kerman]

The plot fuses into a nuetron star...

[RealKerbal3x]

8 hours ago, obney kerman said:

The plot fuses into a nuetron star...

It's now so dense it could probably warp its local area of space like a black hole.

Gravitational lensing!

[Orion Kerman]

I'll admit I've not been reading this for a long time  So I've decided i'm going to catchup this summer. And continue reading! Can't wait because I remember how good it is.

[adsii1970]

4 hours ago, Orion Kerman said:

I'll admit I've not been reading this for a long time  So I've decided i'm going to catchup this summer. And continue reading! Can't wait because I remember how good it is.

Massive complement. Thank you!

A couple of random comments -

Monday and Tuesday (July 23 & 24, 2018), I will not be able to play KSP. I have a few final paper projects and exams left to grade. I will be on the forum, but won't have the time to do another chapter.

On Wednesday and Thursday I am planning to go back to the first chapter and work my way forward. I've got some proofing that needs to be done and add the navigation links on the bottom. There are also some image alignment and sizing issues I need to address in the older chapters, too. I want each chapter to have a more uniform appearance. I think it will, in the long run, make this an easier read.

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by adsii1970

[RealKerbal3x]

14 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

July 32

I assume you mean 31st? Unless you're some time altering demigod.

But of course, real life must always be the most important thing

[adsii1970]

Nope, the 23rd. I typed it backwards!

[adsii1970]

Moho 21, Y003 
"Your crew is preparing for an immediate launch..."
Chapter 64

We've been in the air for two hours and still have another three to go before we arrive at the space center. Earlier this morning, we watched as Colonel Ralph and his crew - with Commodore Valentina - began their journey to New Kerbin City. Her orders, which came from Senior Consul Rayven, were very clear. She was scheduled for a hearing in front of the Grand Committee by Kerboldown tonight. The Sinaan, her ship, would not be able to make such a quick trip from our present location. But the Moyal Otoch, not a fast craft by any stretch of the imagination, would be able to get her to the city in time for the late night meeting.

"Kerny," Maxbas cried out. "Look, it's on fire!"

"No," I began. "Maxbas, they are not on fire. Ralph has a couple of new protocols he put into place -- "

"What do you mean?" she interrupted. "I mean, can he do that?"

"Yes, he can do it," I explained. "You have to realize that the KDF gives a commander the ability to adopt their own protocols if they feel the standard operating guidelines don't meet mission requirements. It is exhaust you're seeing. Ralph is using the liquid fuel generators to make sure when he takes off, he has a full charge -- "

"You mean those liquid fuel turbines actually don't control -- " she asked, not fully understanding the way the dirigible works.

"No, it merely is there to provide an electric charge." I answered. "It's the large electric fans on the side which generates the thrust. Once Kerbol is over the horizon, the solar panels will provide the electricity -- "

"Who designed it?" I am really getting tired of her not letting me finish my answers.

"Maxbas," I said. "Dr. Angelo designed it." The frustration in my voice must have been obvious to Maxbas.

"Kerny," she said in a near whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like a -- "

"Senior consul again," I interrupted. "It's ok. I can't stay frustrated with you long." With that, I felt her put her hand on my hand resting on the sea goose's throttle. We sat and watched as the Moyal Otoch took to Kerbin's sky.

Once the Moyal Otoch was a speck on the eastern horizon, I reached over to the console and set the mission timer. Thirty minutes from now, we'd begin our journey back to the space center. Commodore Valentina's orders were very clear about that. As we sat and watched, I couldn't help but to remember what Ralph had mentioned in our meeting yesterday. Dr. Angelo and Dr. Wernher were already designing the next series of dirigibles - and these were going to have a flight deck and be nearly twice the size of the ones operating now.

There is a simple elegance to the design of the dirigibles. There's also a practical side to them. Yes, they are slower and less convenient than a Dart. Otherwise, they are a lot more practical. They don't need a kilometer or more of runway space. They don't use liquid fuel other than to recharge the batteries if there's no direct Kerbol light. Even then, they carry enough liquid fuel to circumnavigate the planet twice - on one full load.

Yesterday's meeting gave me a lot to think about. I'm not sure who the other Ohoroxtotil is. There's only ever three - and right now, whomever the other one is, I don't know. Thinking back to the day I was recruited for Section 31, Dr. Edmund told me I would have access to all the materials I needed for my unidentified alien craft research. He said that as a member of Section 31, to the Ohoroxtotil, I would also have access to the ancient archives and even the research from Kerbin's top minds. But until this week, I didn't understand about the two levels within the Section. And now I am faced with an even more important  - and unnerving - question: why was I chosen to be Ohoroxtotil? What does that even mean?

Commodore Valentina believes the "other" two members of the Ohoroxtotil will initiate contact with her, according to the instructions left by Dr. Edmund before the crash. But it was also clear she was worried about the many other developments of the last few decaKerbols - the last ten days. Rayven is now the acting Senior Consul of the Triune Committee - a position which gives her a lot of power over the Kerbin Defense Forces and KASA. She's been ordered to testify in front of the Grand Committee - and the summons didn't include any indication about what the hearings are about.

+++

Thirty minutes later, it was our turn to begin our journey back to the space center. The sea goose is certainly not the fastest craft assigned to the center but it is fairly reliable. It has the ability to use either a runway or the surface of any body of water for both take-offs and landings. After starting our turboprop engines, I taxied the sea goose to the shore and retracted the landing gear as the plane floated on the surface of the water.

"Agay, Maxbas," I called out, "here we go!" And with that, I pressed the throttle full forward. Almost instantly, the increased vibrations from the engines, the whine of the engines, and the sounds of the craft hitting the small waves announced what we all knew. It amazed me how quick the sea goose was ready to leave the surface of the ocean far below.

Once our altitude was around 1500 meters, I banked the sea goose hard to port to get us to the correct heading for our flight to the center. Once we returned, the next week would be filled with simulations, briefings, and meetings preparing us for our return to the Excursion. At this point, I am not sure what our next mission will be since Grand Consul Katrine, through her surrogate, Senior Consul Rayven, has announced all missions beyond the Mün were cancelled.

About an hour into our flight, the secure message indicator on the communications panel began to flash a blue light. Without thinking and mostly out of habit, I entered my code into the small keypad on the panel.

"Captain," the familiar voice came over the speaker, "please stand by for an urgent message from Gene -- "

Before I had a chance to answer, Gene's voice filled the cockpit of the sea goose. "Kerny, how far out are you?"

"Given our present speed and location, we're about three or so hours out -- " I began.

"Can't you give me a more precise estimate?" It was clear from the tone in his voice he wasn't impressed with my attitude.

"Gene, what's going on?" I asked. "Seriously, we are about three to three and a half hours out -- "

"Kerny, there's been an incident with Discovery IV," he began.

"This morning, about an hour ago, Discovery IV began its intercept burn to put it on a Münar trajectory -- " it was clear from the background noise Gene was still gathering data.

"Yes, Gene," this time it was Bobak's voice filling the sea goose's cabin. "The on-board computer is showing a navigational fault -- "

"Gene, what's going -- " I interrupted, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Captain," Gene shot back. "Stand by..."

In just the few minutes we were in communication with the space center it was obvious something was wrong. The background noise, the overlapping conversations, and even Gene's abruptness was an indication of how serious things were.

"Captain," this time it was Agay. "What's going on -- "

"Kerny," Gene's voice returned to the cabin. "Here's what we know. About an hour ago, Commander Orvin and his crew began the first of three burns to put them on a Münar trajectory. the first burn was normal, but the second burn -- Bobak, Kuzzter, what's the latest on the trajectory? Well, just don't stand there jabbering - send it to Kerny's K-pad NOW!"

Within a second, the chime on my K-pad indicated I had received a new data packet.

"Kerny," Maxbas whispered, "let Agay and myself fly for a while. Gene needs your attention -- "

"Captain, that's not a bad idea," Gene interjected. After a few awkward moments of sea goose cabin contortion, I was now in the passenger compartment of the craft.

Ok, Gene, I'm looking at the data packet now."

Looking at the telemetry from the Discovery it was clear the Discovery IV would not be able to enter into a Münar orbit. It would not be able to use the gravity of the Mün to pull itself into orbit. The normal procedures call for using Minmus's gravity as a way to adjust the trajectory to return to LKO, but with the positioning of Minmus, this was also not possible. Discovery IV was leaving the sphere of influence of Kerbin.

"Gene, what's their fuel status," I asked. "Is it enough to at least slow their speed?"

"Captain," Gene began. "We've ran a simulation. While they can slow their speed, it will not be enough to stop all forward momentum. We've decided to saive what fuel remains in the command module's tanks and use them for braking when the rescue mission vehicle is within range of docking approach maneuvers -- "

"Ok, but we don't have a lot of -- "

"Kerny, we're sorry, but there is no other way." This time it was Bobak's voice coming through the communications console speaker. "The Excursion is the only asset we have in position -- "

"He's right," Gene interrupted. "I've already talked to Dr. Angelo and Commander Karloff. Although most of the refit is finished, there will still be some things which may not be up to the new specifications --"

"Gene," I began. "From what I understand from the messages from Karloff and Angelo, it is a whole new ship! We don't even know -- "

"Kerny," Gene interrupted. "If there was another way, we'd do it. But here's the deal - the shuttles simply do not have the fuel resources to do that kind of mission. It would take us at least ten days before Dr. Wernher could get one of the Minmus Explorers onto the pad -- "

"And by then the Discovery would be out of our sphere of influence!" Bobak added. "Sure, we've sent probes out beyond that. But the Discovery IV only had enough supplies and resources for fifteen days. We can't just leave them -- "

"He's right, Kerny." Gene added. A tone of exasperation could be heard in his voice. "It would probably be all she'd need as a reason to shut down the space program -- "

After an uncomfortable pause, it was Maxbas who spoke next. "Gene, what do we do?"

"Senior Consul Maxbas," Gene replied, "it has to be Kerny's decision. The Excursion is his ship and the safety of the crew is his responsibility. This is a dangerous mission -- "

"Gene," I interrupted. "You heard the Senior Consul. What do we do?"

"I figured you'd say that!" This time it was Bobak's voice filling the sea goose's cabin. "Gene had to step away for a moment, but Dr. Wernher has already recalled your crew. As soon as they are all here, we are going to send them off in one of the shuttles and rendezvous with your ship. Even as we speak, Dr. Angelo and Commander Karloff are preparing the Excursion to disembark from the Orbital Platform Zebulan Kerman. By the time your crew is in space, the Excursion will be ready."

Kuzzter took his turn. "Captain, your crew is preparing for an immediate launch. According to the operational orders Gene issued a half-hour ago, as soon as the last member has returned to the space center, the launch will take place about thirty minutes later. Right now, we are waiting on Lieutenant Gilti and Lieutenant Obion -- and he is the farthest one out. His estimated time of return is in about an hour."

"Ok, so, if my crew is leaving fairly soon -- "

"You and the remaining crew members - your current contingent - will be launched into orbit by the second shuttle being prepared by Dr. Wernher now. Gene planned for you -- "

"How'd Gene know I'd -- " I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer to my own question.

"Because, Kerny," Gene was back. His voice was now audible over the speaker. "You've never turned down a mission yet -- "

"I guess I'm too predictable -- " But before I could finish my sentence...

"Gene, Commander Karloff requests permission to -- "

"Send him my approval, Kuzzter," Gene shot back. "Kerny, when you get back to the center, you and your - contingent, as Bobak called them - report to the briefing room immediately. Once you've transferred to the Excursion, you'll brief the rest of your crew."

"What do they know, Gene?" I asked.

"Their temporary duty and shore leave orders were cancelled, effective immediately." And after a brief pause, Gene added, "and you'd brief them about the mission when you're aboard. I also explained that because of launch operations and the hastiness of this mission, there was no time to conduct a joint briefing -- "

"That's understandable, Gene." And to a point it was. By the time we arrived at the space center and briefed about the mission, most of my crew would be in orbit awaiting rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the Excursion. The briefing would last probably no more than a couple of hours, then we'd launch about the time the Excursion's orbit was in optimum position for us to dock. Although the space center crew and I had been careful with what was transmitted, I understood that both Agay and Maxbas would be going on this mission.

But until our arrival at the space center, there's not much we can do beyond what we are doing now. Once Gene closed the channel, the only sounds in the crew cabin of the sea goose was the hum of the turboprops.

"Captain," Agay asked. "So I'm going into... I'm going into... space?"

"Lieutenant, yes, you're going into space." It was the only answer that mattered to her.

Yes, Lieutenant, I thought to myself. You are going into space. We are all going into space - my crew, me, you, and Senior Consul Maxbas. In three to four hours, we'll be on our way...

But until then, and while I'm not needed, I think I'll take a nap. There won't be time to rest until we are underway on the Excursion.

Return to the OP (Index)

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

 

Edited August 22, 2018 by adsii1970

[roboslacker]

Yay Content!

[adsii1970]

3 minutes ago, roboslacker said:

Yay Content!

I do my best.   Thanks for the encouragement!

[Chel]

This is really good

[Angelo Kerman]

Wow, Kerny better firewall those engines to get back to KSC soonest! Those shuttles look awesome! And the poor Discovery IV crew!

[adsii1970]

8 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Wow, Kerny better firewall those engines to get back to KSC soonest! Those shuttles look awesome! And the poor Discovery IV crew!

Thanks! It only took me nearly 2 years to get a working shuttle. And the other day I noticed it was there - sitting in the VAB craft files. I figured it was time for me to use it.

Oh, and there's no way to hurry along a sea goose. Even at maximum throttle, it gets up to 140 meters per second. If you want to get somewhere in a hurry - it ain't it. But it is extremely fuel efficient.

9 hours ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

This is really good

Thanks!

[obney kerman]

How is the Excursion going to get to Discovery IV in under 15 days?

[adsii1970]

Just now, obney kerman said:

How is the Excursion going to get to Discovery IV in under 15 days?

guess you'll have to wait for the next few chapters.

After all, you're not the type of person who'd fast forward a movie to watch the end first, are you?

[roboslacker]

10 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

After all, you're not the type of person who'd fast forward a movie to watch the end first, are you?

Uh, no?

[Thedrelle]

On 8/8/2018 at 10:47 AM, obney kerman said:

How is the Excursion going to get to Discovery IV in under 15 days?

TELEPORTATION!!

no, I Actually have no clue.  I almost expect this is an engineered excuse to get Kerny and Maxbas en route to their target destination. I could see the Discovery IV carrying fuel and supplies for their further mission, and the required trajectory needed to intercept would put them on track to their true destination..

[adsii1970]

On 8/8/2018 at 9:47 AM, obney kerman said:

How is the Excursion going to get to Discovery IV in under 15 days?

That's an easy one - and you'll see it unfold in the next three to four chapters. This is something I just cannot rush into one single chapter.

20 hours ago, Thedrelle said:

TELEPORTATION!!

no, I Actually have no clue.  I almost expect this is an engineered excuse to get Kerny and Maxbas en route to their target destination. I could see the Discovery IV carrying fuel and supplies for their further mission, and the required trajectory needed to intercept would put them on track to their true destination..

Hmmm, can't really say... Or won't say...

Teaser image:

Kerny's crew prepares to dock with the new Excursion:

 

[Thedrelle]

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

That's an easy one - and you'll see it unfold in the next three to four chapters. This is something I just cannot rush into one single chapter.

Hmmm, can't really say... Or won't say...

Teaser image:

Kerny's crew prepares to dock with the new Excursion:

*snip

 

Whoa, Beastly. I likey.