Jump to content

Kethane, a must have!

7499275

By 7499275
in KSP Fan Works

 Share

Recommended Posts

7499275

7499275

Posted
Posted (edited)

This is a story based off Kethane mining on other planets as from the perspective of Jeb wrote in first person format.

Chapter one: The start

"I cannot sleep! That drill running all night making such a racket!" I rant talking to myself, "Plus there is no one to talk to! Mission control is boring as a SRB with a seat on it!" I look around and realize just how small and cramped this MK1 pod really is!

"Jeb to mission control over."

"Mission control here go ahead Jeb."

"The tanks are 75 percent full, the battery is running low and I've went 2 days without sleep can we just shut the drills off and call this mission complete? Over."

"Negative Jeb, this is the last Kethane pocket on Minmus you fill those tanks up you get a year long vacation in Southern Kerbin! Over."

I cut the radio as I sit and debate on what to do. If I pack up now I tick off Mission Control and have to come back. If I tough it out, and wait for the tanks to top off I get a year long vacation and I can be done with this dreaded planet. Seems like an obvious logical decision, to stay problem is if hose batteries run dry then the heater goes out and I freeze to death in this tin can!

If only it was the bright side of Minmus and I didn't have to rely on these blasted batteries. I reach over to a storage compartment to grab a snack bar, as I take my first bight it has a sweet taste with a little bit of salt. I quickly finish it to suit up for an EVA and go check on the drills. The drills occasionally jam up if a pocket of hard rock is hit, if this happens a Kerbanaught must go and free the drill. As I open the hatch and climb down the ladder I switch on my head lamp and begin to descend to the green ground. I suddenly feel the vibrations of the drill stop, I look down only to see the drill no longer working. I continue to climb down the ladder and walk beside the drill, only to find that it is not jammed, everything is in working order.

"Mission Control to Jeb, we have a red light saying the drills have stopped, everything alright? Over."

"I am not sure, I am outside and checking on them, they seem to be fine, they should still be working. Over."

Chapter Two: The strange

I look down in the hole where the drill was and see a glowing light, I quickly climb back up the ladder to the capsule to get out a remote controlled probe to go down in the hole.

"Mission control, a strange glowing light is coming from the drill hole, preparing to send a probe down to investigate. Over"

I drop the probe down the hole and start feeding cable down with it as it slowly descends into the extremely radiant hole. I turn the camera on and begin watching threw the live feed from the probe, as it gets closer to the source I see a ball, a shimmering orange ball of fire. I lower it father and check the depth meter on the probe.

"Uh..." I pause as I look again at the screen trying to figure out what I see, "Mission control, it appears we have drilled into the center of Minmus. over"

"What? Jeb are you sure? That is impossible, the core is molten rock and it would be spraying up like a volcano visible from Kerbin with the naked eye. Over"

"Yes I'm sure but something strange is going on, there is a massive gap between the crust and the core. I am not sure how the planet is being held together with this empty void between the two. Over"

"Roger, pull the probe out and old tight, we are preparing a resupply mission and a special team of geologists to come to your location. Over"

I cut the mic off and sigh, and begin complaining to myself as I pull the probe out, and pack it back up. Luckily though the electricity should last longer now that the drills are off, hopefully long enough until the resupply ship gets here. I climb up the ladder and open the heavy air tight hatch, and heave the heavy case of the probe inside and back under the seat where it belongs. Quickly I proceed to climb back into my seat and get this bulky suit off and get into so more comfortable clothing and try to finally get some sleep with those drills quiet!

I awake to the sound of my radio, "Jeb get up! The geologists are about 15 minutes away from landing at your location! Over."

"Yeah yeah I hear ya!"

I rub the sand out of my eyes and yawn as I try to stretch in the cramped cockpit.

"Hmm, wonder what the egg head geologists will think of that mess down below..." I wonder to myself as I begin putting my EVA suit back on.

End of Chapter two, questions or comments? Look down below! Stay tuned for chapter three! :D

Chapter Three: The strange...er

I open that hatch and step foot onto the ladder when I look beside my lander and see the geologists touching down. I stand still as I watch the lander's engines shutting off, suddenly the hatch flies open and a Kerbal steps out onto the ladder, quickly sending me a wave I hear, "Hey Jeb! Long time no see huh?" I become frozen, not able to wave back or say a word as I realize it was Bill, "Jeb, you alright over there?" He asks while walking towards my lander, the sunlight gleaming off of his helmet visor.

"Bill? I thought you died back when we were still using the Buran?" I ask him.

"That old thing? Haha no UKKR (USSR reference) wanted to stage all that, spies and stuff like that. Of course none of that is important right now, take me to that hole you were talking about."

I finally climb off the lander and step onto the surface of Minmus as my feet leave light foot print marks in the dirt behind me. I kneel down at the hole, "Bill, here it is, see that glow? I lowered the probe in and seen a massive empty space between the crust and the molten core, I don't know whats going on."

He walks over to his lander, I look towards it as the sun shimmers off the fuel tanks and blinds me temporarily. He returns very soon after I regain my sight with a small probe and begins to lower it into the hole. "Well this is unusual..." He pauses as Bill continues to look through the camera of the probe, "I've never heard of anything like this. In theory this planet should collapse on its self and possibly what ever is left would crash into Kerbin!".

"Whoa, what? Why hasn't it?" I reply while also looking at the camera.

"I'm not sure."

Bill changes the camera to night vision and its glowing bright because of the bright glow of the enormous core, but traces of a gas that glowed black would pass infront of the camera from time to time. Suddenly the ground starts shaking and a massive explosion rocks the ground as I look up and see dust flying a couple miles away on the north face of Mt. Minmisia.

"Bill go! Get to your lander and go!" I order Bill as he gets up and leaves the probe and runs as fast as his clunky suit will allow him. I take off but as soon as I stand up another enormous explosion rocks the ground and sends me back to my knees as rocks begin falling all around me I quickly get back up and run to my lander. I grab the metal ladder rungs and quickly feel a tremendous heat through my suit, almost unbearable. Once I'm through open the hatch and climb in I don't worry about taking off my EVA suit, I fire the engines up and jam throttle to full while I see a cloud coming over me and Bill's lander taking off into the distance.

Chapter Four: The Krackalac

I look out the hatch window once I am above the planet and I see a long brown tentacle shooting out of the hole where the massive explosion came from. "Bill, can you hear me?" I shout over the radio with adrenaline obvious in my voice.

"Yeah, what do you see?" He replies back in a much calmer tone then myself. "I see the Kracken!"

The tentacle reaches out and grabs onto the ground around the hole and begins pulling chunks of the ground into the molten core, brights flashes ensue every time another chunk goes in. "Jeb, I've contacted mission control. They want one of us to send our ship into it." I hear bill say over the radio, sounding a bit distressed over the order. "I'll do it. You got more to live for once you get back then I do." I hear his voice start to break as I reflect on all the things we've done together before, all the missions we've flown, all the times we almost died on reentry.

"Bill don't! You can climb into my craft and we can send yours in remotely!" I suggest.

"No Jeb, this is personal, don't you remember what happened to Bob? A routine mission and the Kracken got him. I will not let anymore of my brothers in flight die!" He replies in a overly dramatic tone.

I see a little shimmer in the distance infront of my craft as the sun reflects off of the metal. The little craft quickly becomes bigger and bigger as it speeds towards and eventually past me towards the planet. I watch out the hatch window as the exhaust from the engine becomes smaller and dimmer until all I see is a small explosion. The tentacle flies back deep inside the planet as I try to reach Bill on the radio but all I hear is static.

Chapter Five: Bill? Bill! Answer me!

"Mission control, Jeb here over." I say over the radio as I look back at Minmus. "Mission control, go ahead Jeb." I hear come back into my ear piece.

"We lost bill..." I pause as my eyes become watery. "We saw this thing coming out of the planet and Bill said he had to finish it once and for all."

"Jeb, what are you talking about?"

"The Kracken was inside the planet and we pissed it off! It came after us with its tentacles and Bill flew his ship into the heart of the best!" Anger takes the place of grief. I look back and see a massive hold in the side of the planet as the core shines out, my admiring of the planet is cut short by a transmission from Mission Control. "Jeb get back here! Get on a reentry path and get over here ASAP! Are we clear?" I hear mission control demand.

"Yeah you're clear." I burn progrode to escape Minmus's sphere of influence and quickly swing the craft around and begin the long boring burn to reenter Kerbin's atmosphere. I look out the hatch window and realize how lucky I am to be alive. My lander was sitting literally just meters away from the Kracken. It could have reached up and snatched me at any minute! I struggle to keep my eyes open and quickly there after fall asleep.

"JEB! Jeb can you hear me? Decouple the stage and activate the parachute!" I awaken to the sounds of mission control screaming. I look over at the hatch window and see red reentry trails, then to the altimeter reading 20km. My mind races as adrenaline starts pumping through my body like oil in an engine. I reach over the hit the parachute button, I feel a sudden jolt as the chute partially deploys as it should. I reach over and look for the red handle that drops the lander and leaves only the pod in case of an emergency. I look but I don't see it, altimeter says only 12km left! Finally I look up and see it and give it a pull, I hear the sound of sepatrons firing as they force the stage away from the pod and another jolt as the parachute slows the pod with less weight not pulling it down.

"Jeb, all systems are go, prepare for splashdown and recovery by USKS Red October." (((Side story note: USKS Stands for United Soviet Kerbal States.)))

"Copy that Mission Control!" I reply as I descend towards the ocean.

The pod shakes and I hear water rushing over hatch as I see water out the window, soon after I hear a Kerbal walking on the pod and then the hatch opens! Fresh air inters the pod and it smells amazing! I get out and stand on the rescue boat I look up and see the Mun, but I also see another planet that is only half the size of the Mun. I quickly realize its Minmus. (((Minmus being normaly barely visible from ground at Kebin.)))

Hey guys! Just wondering, would some of you please just at least make a comment sometimes after reading if you enjoy this story? I don't want to have to keep bumping it everytime I add a new chapter just because mods don't like bumping and double posting too much! thanks!

Edited by 7499275
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Brody_Peffley

Guest Brody_Peffley

Posted
Posted
This is a story based off Kethane mining on other planets as from the perspective of Jeb wrote in first person format.

Chapter one: The start

"I cannot sleep! That drill running all night making such a racket!" I rant talking to myself, "Plus there is no one to talk to! Mission control is boring as a SRB with a seat on it!" I look around and realize just how small and cramped this MK1 pod really is!

"Jeb to mission control over."

"Mission control here go ahead Jeb."

"The tanks are 75 percent full, the battery is running low and I've went 2 days without sleep can we just shut the drills off and call this mission complete? Over."

"Negative Jeb, this is the last Kethane pocket on Minmus you fill those tanks up you get a year long vacation in Southern Kerbin! Over."

I cut the radio as I sit and debate on what to do. If I pack up now I tick off Mission Control and have to come back. If I tough it out, and wait for the tanks to top off I get a year long vacation and I can be done with this dreaded planet. Seems like an obvious logical decision, to stay problem is if hose batteries run dry then the heater goes out and I freeze to death in this tin can!

If only it was the bright side of Minmus and I didn't have to rely on these blasted batteries. I reach over to a storage compartment to grab a snack bar, as I take my first bight it has a sweet taste with a little bit of salt. I quickly finish it to suit up for an EVA and go check on the drills. The drills occasionally jam up if a pocket of hard rock is hit, if this happens a Kerbanaught must go and free the drill. As I open the hatch and climb down the ladder I switch on my head lamp and begin to descend to the green ground. I suddenly feel the vibrations of the drill stop, I look down only to see the drill no longer working. I continue to climb down the ladder and walk beside the drill, only to find that it is not jammed, everything is in working order.

"Mission Control to Jeb, we have a red light saying the drills have stopped, everything alright? Over."

"I am not sure, I am outside and checking on them, they seem to be fine, they should still be working. Over."

That's it for this chapter, I know its small but I tend to write best in small parts at a time. Have a suggestion for the story? Or a question comment below!

When chapter two is out it will be posted in this spot right.... HERE!

How the heck do you remember that username??

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Marcuzzi

Marcuzzi

Posted
Posted

Nice story, I'm curious to see where this leads. Keep it coming!

Please for the sake of the reader put your story into a word editing program to check for spelling errors. Also, read it over once in full before posting. Word programs will skip over incorrect grammar if you spell words correctly.

Example: "Roger, pull the probe out and old tight, we...."

I'm not trying to be mean, but if you want to be a writer you should think of the reader ;)

How the heck do you remember that username??

749-9275... you can't remember a phone number?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
7499275

7499275

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Nice story, I'm curious to see where this leads. Keep it coming!

Please for the sake of the reader put your story into a word editing program to check for spelling errors. Also, read it over once in full before posting. Word programs will skip over incorrect grammar if you spell words correctly.

Example: "Roger, pull the probe out and old tight, we...."

I'm not trying to be mean, but if you want to be a writer you should think of the reader ;)

749-9275... you can't remember a phone number?

Whoops, yeah I should do it that way I just didn't think of it. Thanks for the idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Marcuzzi

Marcuzzi

Posted
Posted
Must. Have. CHAPTER 3!!

EDIT: Seriously...what's with me and my habit of bumping old threads?! Am I a necro magnet or something?

Maybe some quick fan art might inspire him. I've been looking into animation and here's just a rough sketch getting used to a tablet and the program. The lines need better smoothing.

jliX70P.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...