The Venturer Program: Dres Expedition

[RogueMason]

The Venturer Program: Dres Expedition

------------------------------

With now renewed resources and funding, it was decided that the Venturer Program should take the opportunity to deviate from the main goal of Duna exploration, but only while improvements are looked into for the next time the Red planet is to be visited. Many voted for the construction of a ship even larger than Venturer to potentially explore the entire system in one mission, and while this project would go ahead, the Venturer itself was assigned a new mission; one that would see it undertake considerable risk to reach the largest celestial body in the asteroid belt…

------------------------------

Prologue

Chapter 1: Taking wing

Chapter 2: Descent to Scarfield

Chapter 3: Operations

Chapter 4: Rendezvous

Chapter 5: The return -- Part 1

Chapter 6: The return -- Part 2

Epilogue

------------------------------

Previously:

The Venturer Program: Mission One

Edited December 7, 2013 by RogueMason

[Itsdavyjones]

alright, cant wait for it to be started.

[Needles_10]

YES PLEASE!

Is there a bunch of debris from the Kerbal-Kraken War in the area?

[team.leit]

alright, cant wait for it to be started.

Neither can I, it has been a great series in the past and I am looking forward to more great writing:D

[RocketPilot573]

Can't wait!

[Guest links123]

I was a great series in the past, can't wait.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Finally! A story about dres!

[EnhancedCookie]

Sweeeet! Always great writing on these forums!

[Danish_Savage]

And here wo go again.

[RogueMason]

Finally! A story about dres!

Heh, I thought somebody would say something like this. Poor old Dres is finally getting some attention.

I'm actually considering Moho as part of a later story, too, and that is a nasty place to attempt to reach.

[Needles_10]

Indeed, Dres needs more attention. Planets playing hard-to-get, yes.

[RogueMason]

Alright, I'm giving some fair warning now that this story is probably going to be something like 6 or 7 chapters at most. It really is quite short, but I suppose that's Dres for you; not much stuff to do there. I'll do what I can, but this will be a short story.

[Needles_10]

M'kay. I can live with that.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Alright, I'm giving some fair warning now that this story is probably going to be something like 6 or 7 chapters at most. It really is quite short, but I suppose that's Dres for you; not much stuff to do there. I'll do what I can, but this will be a short story.

You could hyperedit a extraplanety mod moon around dres and say you just discovered a new moon

[RogueMason]

You could hyperedit a extraplanety mod moon around dres and say you just discovered a new moon

I've considered sticking a few asteroids in orbit of Dres, but I'd probably have just edited the persistence file to get them there, though; I'm not going to touch Hyperedit. Not that I have anything against the mod, it's just not something that I want.

Besides, what's done is done; the Dres mission has long since been finished in-game, and I'm currently debating how to end the third mission after experiencing a bit of a disaster (all will become clear in story 3)...

[RogueMason]

PROLOGUE

------------------------------

Six months after the instatement of the new government, things are looking more positive for the space program now than for the past decade. Several of the senior members of the KSC, the kerbonaut class, and MSI are meeting to discuss future plans.

Gene: “Are you positive that these upgrades can be installed before the next transfer window?â€Â

Mason: “Without doubt. The only reason they weren’t initially installed was because of the restrictions imposed by the last government, and for that reason, we weren’t even sure if we could expect further missions for the Venturer, so we held off on the development process. It would have been a bit of a waste to see some of the most high-tech equipment yet developed being put to use only once. However, your little uprising half a year ago seems to have opened a few doors up.â€Â

Gene: “Indeed. Alright, I’ll get your men sent up into orbit the next chance I can. Buzz needs to go back up there anyway, so he can oversee the modifications.â€Â

Mason: “Great. I guess I’d best be off then.â€Â

Gene: “Hold on a moment, there’s one more thing. It’s about this next cruiser you’re planning on building.â€Â

Mason: “Project Nebula? What about it?â€Â

Gene: “It seems rather, umm, bold. Are you sure you can actually build a ship that big and complex?â€Â

Mason: “We built Lonestar, didn’t we? That ship was big, and it had a fusion engine; this new cruiser is only going to have nuclear thermal rockets. It isn’t quite as advanced, which I will admit is considerably backwards, but while we’re working on developing other technologies, the ship should perform adequately. We’ll be starting assembly while Venturer is out on its next mission.â€Â

Gene: “Alright then, I won’t keep you any longer, I just wanted the sceptic engineers over there to hear it from you.â€Â

Mason: “Fair enough. I’ll be off then, Gene.â€Â

Gene: “Yeah, see you around.â€Â

As the door slips shut behind Mason, Gene turns to face the rest of the room. Several astronauts are sat to his right while a few engineers and flight planners are on the opposite end of the table.

Scott: “So, we’re really the next bunch to fly out, Gene?â€Â

Gene: “Yes, Scott, you are, though I’m not sure where your other crewman is at the moment…â€Â

Buzz: “As far as I’m aware, he was familiarising himself with some of the tech that’s going to be installed.â€Â

Scott: “Well, if he can’t turn up for a meeting, how’s he going to work on a mission?â€Â

Buzz: “Now, now, you can’t go running your mouth off like that, Scott. I know you’re the mission commander this time round, but saying things against Lengas is like insulting Jeb.â€Â

Scott: “And why should I care about this Lengas?â€Â

Buzz: “You mean to say you’ve never heard of him?â€Â

Sigler: “And I thought I was out of it, being the newest guy here and all…â€Â

Scott: “Should I have?â€Â

Gene: “Lengas Kerman took out the first Mechani-Kraken, then went on to explore the Jool system aboard Odysseus, followed up with a mission out to Eeloo aboard Lonestar. He served alongside Jeb, Bill, and Bob on both missions, plus Handorf and Malrick throughout the unexpectedly extended latter mission.â€Â

Scott: “Unexpectedly extended?â€Â

Buzz: “If you want more detail, I suggest you look into the specifics of the ships involved in the Kraken War.â€Â

Scott: “If I can spare the time, I will. Training is certainly taking up a lot of my waking hours.â€Â

Gene: “Well, the training is only this intensive because of the destination we’re sending you to. Dres is not a place we’re all that familiar with.â€Â

Buzz: “Wait a second, Dres?â€Â

Gene: “…Yes...â€Â

Buzz: “Not Duna? I thought the Venturer Program was all about Duna.â€Â

Gene: “We’ve got more leeway now than we did when the program started. We reckon the Venturer itself is capable of reaching the asteroid belt, so we’ve decided to see it through.â€Â

Kirfrid: “Venturer d-doesn’t have that kind of fuel, Gene.â€Â

Gene: “No, but a refuelling ship does. Don’t worry, we wouldn’t leave you floating around that rock.â€Â

Kirfrid: “I hope so. I’m an e-engineer, not a magician.â€Â

Scott: “I’m fairly certain that we’ll be fine, Kirfrid.â€Â

Kirfrid: “I’ve no doubt about it, S-S-Scott, but even so, we’ll be running dangerously l-low, and if we slip up even a little bit, we c-could end upâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“

Buzz: “Alright, I think that’s enough doom and gloom. We don’t launch for a year or so anyway, when the optimum transfer window opens. For now, just get in the training.â€Â

With that, Kirfrid and Sigler head out of the room, followed by the remaining ground engineers. Buzz, Scott, and Gene remain behind.

Buzz: “Damn it, where the hell is he?!â€Â

Scott: “I don’t think this bodes well for him.â€Â

Gene: “Eh, it’s Lengas, he has a habit of turning upâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“

With impeccable timing, the door bursts open, revealing a rather fatigued-looking person standing in the frame. A sudden look of self-disgust shoots across his face.

Lengas: “I missed the meeting, didn’t I?â€Â

Buzz: “Not by much, though. In fact, we were just talking about you.â€Â

Lengas: “I hope no mean words were spoken.â€Â

Scott: “Lengas? I’m Scott, I’ll be your pilot.â€Â

Lengas: “Pleasure. Don’t worry, I’m not like this when in flight.â€Â

Scott: “I hope not…â€Â

Gene: “Don’t worry about it, Lengas. This meeting was more of a familiarisation with what we plan to do. Nothing concrete just yet.â€Â

Lengas: “Alright, sounds like I’m ok then.â€Â

Scott: “If that will be all, Gene…?â€Â

Gene: “Yeah, yeah, you can go if you want.â€Â

Scott: “Thanks. I’ll see you guys later.â€Â

Buzz: “Later, Scott.â€Â

Lengas: “Bye. So, Gene, anything on those upgrades for Venturer?â€Â

Gene: “Yeah, but it was basically just me talking with Mason about what he actually wants to do. The ship was constructed by MSI, of course. You might be interested to know that one of these upgrades is an AI package.â€Â

Lengas: “An AI?â€Â

Buzz: “Holy...â€Â

Gene: “Yes, an AI. Nothing to worry about. Remember AODI?â€Â

Lengas: “Yes, I remember AODI. In fact, I was talking to it the other day. It seems quite happy to be serving on the military ships that MSI produces, not that there are many of those around at the moment. He hasn’t gone mad, even after the decade he’s been running for…â€Â

Gene: “Yeah, so provided it’s as pampered as AODI, this new AI should be fine.â€Â

Lengas: “Alright then. Any chance I can go up with Buzz to oversee the installation?â€Â

Gene: “You can go up, but it’ll have to be another flight. I’ve got Buzz and two engineers going up on the next ship.â€Â

Lengas: “No problem. Anything else I should know about right now?â€Â

Gene: “Nope.â€Â

Lengas: “Alright then. Buzz, you coming?â€Â

Buzz: “Yeah, let’s go. Catch you later, boss.â€Â

Gene: “Heh, you too, Buzz. Have a good night.â€Â

------------------------------

Crew:

Scott: Pilot and trajectory planner. Enlisted out of the air force.

Buzz: Commander, captain of Venturer VNT-050. Pilot. Enlisted out of air force.

Lengas: Mission commander, engineer and geologist. Initial background in seismic studies of Kerbin. Most veteran crew member of Venturer.

Kirfrid: Engineer and astronomer. Enlisted from Navy.

Sigler: Ship doctor. Enlisted from med school.

[team.leit]

Great now I can not wait until the chapter! Still better then I was expecting great work keep it up

[Danish_Savage]

Sheet. Now we are having another Rogue AI

[Itsdavyjones]

lets hope nothing happens to that AI....

[RogueMason]

I don't know what's giving you guys that idea. A rogue AI? That's just crazy talk; AI's only go mad in those stories that people tell to scare us. Nothing to worry about here.

[Danish_Savage]

I don't know what's giving you guys that idea. A rogue AI? That's just crazy talk; AI's only go mad in those stories that people tell to scare us. Nothing to worry about here.

One does not simply have an non-rogue AI

[Specialist290]

Always nice to see a new story from you, RogueMason. As I longtime follower, I'll be expecting great things as usual

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 1: TAKING WING

Over one year later…

Buzz: “And that is that, we’re on our way to Dres.â€Â

Lengas: “About time that we’re getting back out there. Not including our own, there have been justâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“

Scott: “2 missions. Yes, we have been told, Lengas; one manned about 27 years ago, and one probe about 2 years ago.â€Â

Lengas: “I was only saying…â€Â

Scott: “I know, but we already know this. I’m a bit on edge today, so I’m sorry if I’m coming across as temperamental.â€Â

Lengas: “Don’t worry about it, it was a bit of a stressful transfer burn. Dres is just one of those pain-in-the-ass targets, much like Moho.â€Â

Buzz: “I’d say Moho is worse. A Jool transfer is nothing in comparison, and that’s pretty extreme in itself.â€Â

Lengas: “I know; I’ve been there.â€Â

ANSI: “A truly inspirational mission that was, I must say. Odysseus was a fine ship, I believe.â€Â

Lengas: “Indeed it was.â€Â

Kirfrid: “F-Forgive me, ANSI, but what do your initials s-stand for again?â€Â

ANSI: “Advanced Navigational and Systems Intelligence, but please call me ANSI. Or better yet, Stanley.â€Â

Kirfrid: “Stanley?â€Â

ANSI: “I like that name.â€Â

Kirfrid: “Ok then…â€Â

Sigler: “Pretty awesome that the AI can decide it likes something.â€Â

Scott: “Yes, yes, I guess. Anyway, we’ve got a lot of time to kill, so I guess you’d best get comfy.â€Â

ANSI: “Time cannot be killed. In fact, does time even exist?â€Â

Buzz: “I’m going to stop you right there before you confuse yourself. That would be unfortunate. Besides, what Scott said was just an expression, nothing more.â€Â

ANSI: “I understand.â€Â

8 months later…

ANSI: “Alert; Venturer has entered Dres sphere of influence. Course correction required for optimal trajectory.â€Â

Scott: “Thank you, ANSI.â€Â

ANSI: “Stanley.â€Â

Scott: “…Stanley. Buzz, you coming over to help out?â€Â

Buzz: “Yeah, one moment.â€Â

Scott: “At least we’re finally here. Didn't the first Venturer mission take just 10 months?â€Â

Buzz: “Yes, and this one is already at 8 months. We’re going to be out here for quite a while, especially when one considers that we’re also gonna have to wait on a fuel tanker to show up.â€Â

Scott: “Have they ever managed to send fuel out this far on the normal nuclear rockets?â€Â

Buzz: “No, but it won’t stop them from trying. You ready for this burn?â€Â

Scott: “Yep. Kirfrid, how are things looking back there?â€Â

Kirfrid: “G-good, Scott. Engines are at peak efficiency, and fuel levels l-l-look to be enough to reach Dres orbit.â€Â

ANSI: “I concur. Manoeuvre plotted, execute when ready.â€Â

Scott: “Here we go.â€Â

ANSI: “Optimal fly-by trajectory achieved. Warning, there is potential for our fuel to run out.â€Â

Buzz: “Indeed it would be. Kirfrid, make sure that doesn’t happen, alright?â€Â

Kirfrid: “Y-yes, captain.â€Â

Lengas: “I’ll lend a hand.â€Â

Kirfrid: “Th-thanks.â€Â

A few hours later…

Scott: “Right, let’s make orbit, shall we?â€Â

Buzz: “Firing the engines up.â€Â

ANSI: “Warning, predicted fuel levels critical at the end of orbital circularisation.â€Â

Buzz: “We’ll be fine...â€Â

Buzz: “… I hope.â€Â

Scott: “Very reassuring.â€Â

Buzz: “I try to be.â€Â

Lengas: “Well you’ve got it down to a fine art, then.â€Â

Buzz: “Heh.â€Â

Several alarms start to blare out over the next few minutes.

Scott: “Come on, we just need an…â€Â

Scott: “…Apoapsis. Well, ok then, we have an apoapsis. What’s the damage, ANSI?â€Â

ANSI: “Hull integrity remains at 100%, Scott. I don’t see why that would have changed.â€Â

Scott: “No, I didn’t mean…â€Â

Buzz: “He’s using another expression from our language, ANSI. He meant to ask how much fuel we expended during the burn.â€Â

ANSI: “Oh. If that is the case, then we are down to just the fuel in the tanks to which the engines are directly connected, which means we are now at less than 10% of our total fuel supply. And it’s Stanley.â€Â

Buzz: “…â€Â

Sigler: “I hope that doesn’t mean we’re stuck here. The fuel tanker is going to have to go through that, too.â€Â

Kirfrid: “We should be fine to m-make a decent orbit, but I must s-say that I share similar concerns to Sigler.â€Â

Buzz: “We’ll report this to control, let them know to add a few more fuel tanks to the design. Maybe they could also stick a boost stage on as well.â€Â

Scott: “I’ll get on the comms.â€Â

Buzz: “Alright then.â€Â

A few hours later…

ANSI: “Dres orbit achieved. Fuel supply critical.â€Â

Buzz: “I guess all that is left to do now is circularise.â€Â

Lengas: “Kirfrid and I have been scouting out some landing sites in the time we’ve been here. I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised by what we decided on.â€Â

Scott: “Let me guess; I have to pilot the lander down to those ravines?â€Â

Lengas: “To the side of the big one. It would be crazy to try and land inside it.â€Â

Buzz: “It might be difficult for me to get the rover to you if that’s where you’re going.â€Â

Lengas: “I’m sure it will manage the terrain. If not, then it’s no disaster, we’ll just use our thruster packs to hop around.

Buzz: “I guess that’s also an option.â€Â

Edited November 21, 2013 by RogueMason

[Itsdavyjones]

ohh, that seems like its going to be a good one.

[Danish_Savage]

Very well written:D I'm predicting someone makes a frak all, and takes a stroll in the ravine. Stanley is also definitely gonna turn, I mean, just reading that name brings parables up in my mind.