[Updated September 27th] A Planet Divided: The Story of the Kold War

[NQMT]

I like it! I'm looking forward to the next instalment

[KSK]

Operation Stapler...

Nice one.

[Tw1]

A new dimension.. very clever.

[Felsmak]

"The Kold War".

[CalculusWarrior]

The next part of Chapter 1 is complete! Thank you for your feedback everyone, it really motivates me to write knowing that people want more!

I updated the original post with the new part, as well as attached it below. Also, I developed flags and crests for both the nations; I updated the map in the Prologue with them (I may have had a little too much fun with the effects ).

---

USKK: Six Months Later

---

Welcome back to the United News Network! Merely half a year after the discovery of the direction known as 'up', we have come to understand our place in the universe. Now it is our turn to explore what lies above. Kerbals from around our great nation have gathered together to begin launching rockets up to learn what it is that comprises this 'outer space'. To learn more about the USKK's space program, we interview its founder, Jebediah Kerman.

---

Jebediah followed Erdan Kerman onto the set. He had never really liked the media's aggressive nationalism, but felt it was a necessary evil one had to put up in order to inform the public. The only reason he was even here was because of Bob. While normally the timid kerbal never spoke up or forced his opinion on anyone without prompting, he was quite vocal on matters of national security and passing knowledge onto the people. It was Bob's idea to schedule this interview, and explain the goals and intent of the USKK's space program, to raise awareness of the imminent launch. It's not as if it needs much explaining, Jeb thought to himself, the population is ecstatic about the program. Ah well, it should make this interview easier then.

"Alright, we're on in twenty seconds. Are you ready, Jeb (may I call you Jeb)?" Erdan asked, settling into his seat.

"Absolutely, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Jebediah responded, taking a deep breath and attempting to project an air of excitement and good cheer. While it had only been six months since he'd begun this crazy venture, it felt more like six years.

"We're live in five! Four! Three! Two! One!" The cameraman's countdown reminded Jeb of the ground-breaking launch tomorrow, and this served to cheer him up more than any number of breathing exercises.

"Good evening, and welcome to the United News Network! My name is Erdan Kerman, and today I have a very special guest on the show, Jebediah Kerman, founder and director of the USKK's space program!"

Jeb looked towards the camera, and gave a little wave, only to stop when he saw the cameraman shaking his head at him. It appeared that there was a specific etiquette to follow when appearing on camera. Another reason to dislike this interview, he thought, making a mental note to get Bob back for this somehow.

"So Jeb, what prompted you to found the space program? Why divert our resources into space travel, when so much more economic opportunities exist in conventional air traffic?"

Jeb had prepared for this question, but he didn't expect it to be the first off the bat. This was going to be a long interview.

"Well Erdan, it's not that the economic opportunities don't exist, but we simply haven't discovered them yet. No machine nor kerbal has ever even been to outer space, let alone explored it for any meaningful amount of time. We've looked outwards with telescopes, sure, but we still know very little about what lies beyond our atmosphere."

"Very well-reasoned, I for one am sure that there are plentiful ways we can learn new things from the great beyond. Now, can you give us any more details on how you founded the space program? Where is the launch site located?"

"There's an interesting story. You see, originally the space program was going to be a military project. You know what that means, everything classified, nobody would be allowed to see the launches, that sort of thing. However, a very generous grant from the private sector allowed us to buy an old research and development base off the government and set up shop there. We've built rocket construction facilities, crew training grounds, and even an aircraft hangar on the premises! I've some pictures here, actually!"

---

"Here I am, this was taken by Bob when we first drove out to the space centre"

"Bob took this as I walked towards the main building. We were both so excited to be touring the premises, I swear he went through at least three rolls of film!"

Ah, and here's an image of one of the Tracking Station dishes. I believe I was getting acquainted with the facilities and crew around this time, so Bob was free to wander around and take pictures."

"Here's a shot from the Launchpad. Right now it's getting all set up for the launch tomorrow."

"Bob was really proud of this one; he managed to get a shot of the Mun next to the USKK flag flying at the space centre."

---

"My my, you have quite the nice place there! And an ocean view too! This sure beats my apartment, ha ha!"

Knowing full well that the newscaster possessed a seaside mansion a couple of kilometres from the studio, Jeb neglected to comment. Erdan continued:

"So you mentioned that the launches will be public, and I hear that the launch site already has plenty of kerbals camping out, ready for tomorrow's launch! What has got the public so interested in your vision?"

"Well, I have learned that if you mention going to the Mun, suddenly you've got half the nation wanting to tag along!"

"Speaking of 'tagging along'. Which kerbals has the space program selected? I certainly hope you aren't just going to grab any old kerbal off the street!"

"Definitely not. Since we still know so little about the effects of the zone beyond our atmosphere, we have elected to send unmanned probes before kerbals. They will allow us to gather valuable data about the effects of outer space so that we can plan subsequent missions accordingly."

"So you aren't going to be launching a kerbal tomorrow?" Erdan seemed disappointed, and Jeb suspected that many of the kerbals watching would be as well. He decided to divert their attention, quickly.

"Unfortunately, no. But kerbals are being trained as we speak for the eventual manned mission. It shouldn't take long before we are ready to launch kerballed craft, we just need to analyse the probe data first."

"As for these kerbals in training, are you one of them? Actually, are you even allowed to share that information with our audience?"

At this, Jebediah chuckled. Erdan had evidently covered highly-classified stories in the past. "Yes, I am allowed to share who these kerbals will be. In fact, I even have pictures of them here! Now first of all, as the director of the program, there's no chance I'll ever get to fly a mission; I simply have too much to do! Fortunately, the kerbals we've chosen are excellent candidates. Here we have Rondred, Erdrin, Jorfred, and Donnand Kerman," Jeb said, revealing his photos to the camera.

---

---

"My, my, Jeb, these look like excellent candidates to go to space! I was told that you also brought along two colleagues to help run the program. Are they not training to become astronauts too?"

"Oh, Bill and Bob? Are you kidding? Bill's pushing about 60 now, and Bob is too much of a scaredy-cat to even approach a rocket, let alone fly one into orbit! As you see in this picture, while they're wearing USKK-certified flight suits, it's simply for safety, as they're inspecting a fuel storage tank out on the grounds."

---

---

"So to answer your question, Erdan, no, they're simply good friends of mine who share my passion for space, and want to see the USKK become a great, space-faring nation."

"Speaking of our great country, what are your thoughts on the rumours that the CFKN has stolen our technology and begun a space program of their very own?"

Damn. Jeb had hoped to avoid the topic of nation vs. nation entirely, but it appeared that Erdan was more persistent than he first had assumed. Jeb had managed to sidestep the topic when he answered the first question, but it seemed Erdan really wanted to get an opinion out of him.

"Well, Erdan, I would be cautious when saying that the CFKN stole our technology. The rocket engines and fuel tanks are surprisingly simple in design. In fact, we found our first set of prototypes lying by the side of the road!"

Erdan's eyes widened and he looked like he was going to say something.

"Though of course, we have manufactured completely new parts for the launch tomorrow," Jeb added quickly, and not entirely truthfully. "But as I was saying, while the base technology for space exploration is simple, our plans are anything but. I am confident that tomorrow's launch will be completely successful, and not even the sky is the limit after that!"

"Simply fantastic, Jeb! I can tell you that I will definitely tune in for the launch tomorrow! Our glorious USKK is about to enter a glorious new age of exploration and development, all under your capable guidance! I do have one last question before you go, though. Do you ever feel pressured, with this enormous amount of responsibility hanging over your head?"

"I have to say, Erdan, I've dealt with a lot of responsibility over the years, and I feel like this is just another small step for me. Besides, I have the excellent Bill and Bob to help me along; they take over the tasks I can't manage."

"I see. Well, it has been an honour talking to you, Jeb, and I wish you the best of luck for tomorrow's launch! I've been Erdan Kerman interviewing the great Director of our space program, Jebediah Kerman, and this is the United News Network!"

"And we're clear!" shouted the cameraman. A low buzz began to envelop the newsroom as kerbals began to go about their various tasks. Jebediah shook Erdan's and many of the crew's hands, then took his leave of the newsroom.

---

Bob was waiting for Jeb outside in his car. "How did the interview go? I wasn't able to catch it on the radio. Thanks again for doing this, I know you don't like to associate much with the media."

Jeb sighed. "To tell the truth, it wasn't that bad. I'm just anxious to get back to the Space Center, there are still so many things to be done before the launch."

"Don't you worry, Bill has it all under control. I drove by on my way here, and it looked like they were already erecting Aether 7 on the Launchpad."

"Already? Wow, I suppose he really is on top of things! You guys have been great, thanks for agreeing to this."

"You know it's no problem, we would have joined the program regardless of your involvement. Pushing the limits of what's possible, that's the USKK way!"

Jeb chuckled. "Sure it is." and the two drove off towards the Space Centre.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[KSK]

Nicely written! I like the way you've brought in Jeb, Bill and Bob as the old-timers in charge rather than the first kerbonauts (or have you... ). Plus, I love the pictures! Amazing what a different haircut or just a different colour of hair will do to turn a stock kerbal into a real character. I'm voting Commander Jorfred for first kerbal in space.

[CalculusWarrior]

The final part of Chapter 1 is complete! This should finish setting up the two nation's stories, so expect to finally see launches in Chapter 2!

Unfortunately, I am going to be away from my computer for the next week or so, thus I might not be able to post the next part for a while.

---

CKFN: Three months ago

---

"Is this it?"

"What do you mean, 'is this it'?"

Matdun and Gusbin Kerman, two newly-selected kerbonauts, were standing on the grounds of the CKFN Facility for Space Research.

"I mean exactly what I said, Matt. Is this the result of all our time and money? Two old buildings and a launch pad?"

"Hey hey hey Gus, watch what you're calling old! While these buildings aren't technically newly-built, they are fully outfitted with rocket construction facilities and tracking hardware. What more can you ask for?"

"I don't know, maybe something like the USKK's entire Space Centre? A research and development building? They've even got a runway, for devs sake!"

"Who needs a runway, anyhow? We're going to space, not fly planes! Besides, this should be all we need."

"You're right. If it lets us get into space, I wouldn't even mind working out of somebody's garage. I guess this will have to do."

"Well, then you'll pleased to hear where our R&D centre is located; Jenfry was kind enough to donate his house for the cause!"

"Oh good grief…"

---

CKFN: Present Day

---

Danford Kerman, Flight Director for the CKFN's space program walked up to the front door and knocked. Jenfry Kerman was quick to open it.

"Why good morning, Mr. Danford, sir! How's the rocket coming along? Have you picked a name yet?"

"Hi, Jenfry. The rocket is actually mostly complete, we're just lacking a payload for it. That's why I'm here, I need to talk to Bilfrod."

"Ah, he's right this way, down in the garage."

Jenfry's garage had been converted into a small, but surprisingly well-equipped research lab. Harried techs rushed around, analyzing spreadsheets and testing prototypes. In the centre of it all stood Bilfrod Kerman, who as Chief Scientific Advisor of the CKFN had been tasked with overseeing the space program's research.

"Bilfrod, you've got to give me something, the boys at the VAB are getting impatient. Where's our payload?"

"Well, we hammered out a working prototype, but unfortunately we're not going to be able to launch it," responded Bilfrod,

"What? I thought the probe core performed admirably when we tested it on the ground! What's wrong?"

"It's quite frustrating, actually. We launched a sounding rocket the other day with a test platform, just to check that the systems will work when we launch for real. However, we found that when the electronics reach the upper atmosphere, the increased radiation cooks their systems.¹ Right now we've been focused on hardening our electronic systems, but it is taking a while."

"Radiation, you say? Can't you just stick a some shielding onto the probe and call it at that?""It's not as simple as that; with all the countermeasures we have to put in, we'll either have to totally redesign all our hardware, or end up with a box that has so much shielding it would be kerbal-rated."

"Huh. …Which of these two approaches would take less time?"

"Normally I would recommend the new tech, but it just so happens that one of my interns built a mock-up of a manned rocket, and with minimal effort we could modify it so that a kerbal could survive the trip. However, it would be far heavier than the probe core we were planning to send up."

"Don't worry about the weight, the boys at the VAB are itching for something to do. Building a rocket which can take this capsule into orbit will be just the project they need. How long will it take to rad-proof this capsule?"

"I'd say maybe a week or two. We still need to vacuum-test it, make sure it can survive long-term exposure to outer space."

"Damn, the USKK is launching tomorrow. And this is compared to how long for the redesigned tech?"

"Oh, that would take months. I'll get one of the drones, err interns on it though, we'll eventually want to send probes up there, won't we?""Definitely. Okay, thanks Bilfrod. I'll get back to you soon."

Danford exited the garage, dodging a kerbal with his hands full of batteries. I guess we're not going to launch before the USKK after all, he thought to himself. The President won't be happy.

---

Three hours later, CKFN capital

---

"The President is doing WHAT?" Danford couldn't believe his ears.

"As I said, administrative duties of the space program will be taken over his advisors," General Geofnard repeated, somewhat annoyed. "He said your methods just aren't getting results. Managing an entire space program's policy as well as check up on individual teams is far too much for one kerbal to handle."

Danford sighed heavily. "He is right about that; I've been a nervous wreck ever since we started. But let me promote some members of my own staff at the space facility; I know some great people who would be perfect for managing the program."

"I'm sorry, Dan. I can't let you do that," said the General, "The President said you're brilliant at managing the space centre, and commends you for the performance of the teams so far. However, even the best-run program will fall apart without a clear goal in mind. And besides getting a rocket to space, you don't seem to have one."

"Well, uh, I…"

"Precisely. He's not happy that the engineers are scrapping the ship they just built and are constructing another rocket, and says you need someone to keep a watch over your spending. Bilcas Kerman, the Economics Advisor, is just the kerbal for the job. You've already got Bilfrod working on research and development, and I," The General thumped his chest proudly. "I will keep an eye on the USKK and shape our program's goals to match and exceed theirs."

The President had evidently given this plan a lot of thought, and try as he might, Danford couldn't disagree with the General. The last few months had taken their toll on him; having expert kerbals take care of administrative tasks and cut through red tape would simplify his life immensely.

"Fine. I can see the his logic behind this decision, and I can't really think of a better solution,"

"Don't you worry, this is for the best. You'll be able to spend more time doing the things you are good at, and we'll be able to get a leg up on the USKK at last! Speaking of which, their launch is tomorrow. The President wants to know when our rocket can be launched?"

"I'm afraid not for another three weeks, but we will launch a kerbal when we do"

At this, the General gave a double-take. "You're sending someone up there? My people tell me the USKK hasn't even considered a kerballed launch yet! Are you sure it's safe?"

"Absolutely. My engineers have been able to get nearly 100% reliability out of their engines, and their designs keep getting better and better. We might not beat the USKK into space, but the first kerbal up there will be from the CKFN."

"I see... I congratulate you on your ingenuity, but in the future, you should keep the President or myself in the loop when deciding on our payloads. That reminds me. You'll need to attend our next staff meeting, Thursday at noon. Now that the Advisory Committee is part of the Space Program, we need to be brought up to speed, and properly informed about…

Danford tuned the General out as he began listing protocol and meeting times. Having increased government control over the space program wasn't ideal, but it certainly wasn't the end of the world. Maybe now that he had more of the President's ear, he could push for an increased budget, and maybe expand the Space Program's facilities. Who knows, maybe this could be a good thing after all…

¹ This may be somewhat scientifically inaccurate, but hey, I needed a reason for them to launch kerbals.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[CalculusWarrior]

I apologize for the delay, life interfered somewhat and I wasn't able to get the post out on time. Also, I lied in the last post; there are no pictures in this one, though the action is definitely heating up!

---

USKK: One day later

---

"Fuel lines, check. Mooring cables, check. Engine ignitors, check."

The sun had not yet risen at the USKK's space centre, but the work of the ground control team had already been going on for hours. Aether 7 was nearly ready for liftoff though, and the crowd gathered outside the Space Centre was bustling with excitement, despite the early hour.

Gene Kerman, Flight Director, stood at the centre of the chaos that was Mission Control, yelling into his radio headset.

"No, tell the ground crew not to load the fuel yet. If the welding team drops a torch again, there'll be a fireball large enough to toast our audience. We load half an hour before the launch, no sooner. What do you mean, the payload isn't in the rocket yet? Tell the R&D team to quit poking at it and shove it in there! I don't care if it's only showing an 86% reliability with receiving signals, it isn't going to have to do anything fancy. The main goal of this operation is to launch something into space and please the crowd out there. Speaking of which, how many are there? Three thousand? That's more than the turnout to most kerbowling matches! If we screw this one up…"

"Don't worry, Gene. You're not going to screw up," a calm voice reassured the frantic kerbal.

"Thank the devs you're here, Bill! Things are insane over here. Half the Mission Control techs aren't even here yet, the rocket is still under construction, and this crowd is driving us all crazy! I thought we weren't supposed to launch until Tuesday!"

"That was the plan. Unfortunately, Jeb let slip our most optimistic launch schedule estimate on live television, so we've got an audience earlier than we anticipated. It's not as if we can just tell them to go home, can we?"

"I suppose not…That doesn't mean we can't try, right?" Gene flipped on the exterior PA systems and prepared to speak.

Bill quickly turned it off. "Not so fast. Don't give up before you've even tried! Give the crews some credit. They may not be the best in the world, but they definitely won't screw up anything major, yesterday's incident taught them quite the explosive lesson."

"I guess you're right. Why couldn't you have taken my position? I'm lousy at it; my nerves are shot and we haven't even launched yet!"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it quickly. I've had enough of management for a lifetime; I'm here just to support Jebediah, and give you a hand. Besides, you're doing better than I did on my first time. At least nothing's on fire!"

"The day's not over yet, Bill. But it looks like you're right, I've got confirmation that the rocket is just about ready for payload installation."

"What did I tell you? How's the payload coming along?"

"One second…" Gene's expression widened into one of amazement as he consulted with the labs via his headset. "I can't believe it. R&D actually managed to get the payload to quit acting funny! It's on its way to Aether now!"

"In that case, restart the countdown, Gene."

"Right-o, Bill!"

---

"You know Donnand, why couldn't this have been a kerballed launch?" Rondred Kerman said to the kerbal sitting next to him. With their daily training suspended due to the impending launch, the two kerbonauts found themselves without much to do. At the moment, they were wandering around the Space Centre, speculating about the future of the space program.

"You know very well why not, the rocket isn't big enough to lift your fat butt into orbit!"

"Hey now," said Rondred, giving the kerbonauts' vending machine several practised knocks, dispensing a free snack. "The flight controller said I was within acceptable weight limits. Besides, couldn't they have just built a bigger rocket than that tiny thing?"

"The construction team had enough difficulties with that one; it's going to take them a while before they feel confident enough to build anything bigger. I say let them practice on small rockets. Besides, the bigwigs who lead this space program are concerned about safety, they say that having a kerbal go up on untested hardware is dangerous."

"Danger? Who cares about danger? We've all risked our lives before, and we can do it again, if it means getting to go into space!"

"Don't you worry, Ron. You'll get to go to space eventually, we just need to find out what's up there first."

"Good, I joined this space program for one reason only: I want to see Kerbin from above! I wonder what it looks like?"

"If the launch goes well, the probe will take pictures of the view. I wonder how we'd get to take a look? Say, the guys down in Mission Control will probably get to see them first, won't they?"

"That's right! Instead of waiting for the pictures to be posted publicly, why don't we just see them ourselves?"

"You mean break into the Mission Control room? Not even our passes will get us in there!"

"Hmm, you're right. Security is pretty tight." At this, Donnand sat back, clearly thinking hard. "I've got it! We just need to get ourselves a pair of blue polo shirts!"

"Polos? How would that--ahh, I see what you're getting at!"

"All we have to do is sneak into the control room with all the other techs, then just stand at the back of the room when the rocket is launched! I heard from one of the techs that there are always extras just standing around; we won't have to do a thing but watch!"

"Don, I don't know why you became a kerbonaut. I think you're smarter than Werhner Von Kerman himself!"

"Aw shucks, you're making me blush! Now let's get moving. The laundry room's over this way…"

---

Thirty minutes later, in the control room

"Countdown restarting at T minus five minutes. Repeat, five minutes until liftoff."

Rondred and Donnand were standing at the back of Mission Control, clad in the characteristic light blue polo shirts that its technicians wore.

"This is seriously the best idea you've ever had, Don. Just look at those giant monitors, I can't believe we're really here!"

"Something's not right though. The room doesn't look like it's as packed as I've heard it normally is."

Suddenly, a very harried Gene Kerman stopped before them. Ron and Don exchanged worried looks.

"Oh, thank the devs you're here! There's been a pileup on the highway, and the last few members of the team aren't going to make it! You're the backup control techs, right?"

Not knowing what the punishment for sneaking into the Mission Control room immediately before launch was, but knowing it was nothing good, the two kerbonauts nodded carefully.

"Yessir, that is definitely us. Uh, where do you want us to go?" asked Donnand.

"Alright, you go here, next to Barfnal. He's the Lead Telemetry Controller. He'll let you know what to do. You, on the other hand, are going to be Range Safety Officer. Activate the sequence if (SQUAD forbid) the command is given."

Donnand shuffled over and queried Barfnal as to what his job would be.

"Great, another newbie. You know, I've got a job to do here, I can't be telling all these guys how to watch their consoles! What you're going to be doing is monitoring the temperature and pressure of the payload. You see gauge X7-42b here? If it goes critical, make sure to notify me, so I can pass the information onto Gene. However, it may be just a fault in the system, so you have to consult the manual here and make sure that the fuses haven't blown. If they have, then you need to…"

Head spinning, Don prayed that the payload would be fine so that he would not have to run through the increasingly-complicated procedure Barfnal was going over.

Rondred, on the other hand, had a very simple control panel in front of him. A single Big Red Button, covered by a plastic safety case, lay in front of him. Now, most other kerbals would be able to handle this position. They would await the launch and enjoy the show, only pressing the button if they were told. Not Rondred. For his entire life, he had been pushing buttons, whether the metaphorical buttons of his parents and teachers, or physical buttons in vehicle cockpits. He loved pushing buttons. As such, when confronted with such a Big Red Button that was just begging to be pressed, Rondred faced a very difficult decision. Should he press the Button, feel the satisfaction, and deal with whatever consequences resulted? Or should he leave the Button be, and forever wonder what it did? A difficult choice even at the calmest of moments, and this moment was anything but calm. Rondred struggled to recall exactly what the job of the Range Safety Officer was, but was unable to remember specifics. Did it have something to do with large explosions? Then again, given by how many explosions came from the Vehicle Assembly Building these days, it seemed like explosions and rockets went hand-in-hand. Still, the Button awaited, in all its infinitely pressible glory.

The launch was just too long to squeeze into one post, so I decided to post this prelude first. Fortunately, the rest of it is nearly complete, and should be along very soon!

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[KSK]

Noooo - don't do it Ron. For the love of the devs don't do it!

Great chapter. I could feel the atmosphere of barely contained chaos and I like your depiction of Gene!

[CalculusWarrior]

The next chapter is out! Finally, a rocket launch!

---

USKK: Mission Control

---

"Alright people, this is it!" Gene Kerman's voice rang out throughout the room. "We are ready to launch Kerbin's first satellite! All stations, report in."

"Attitude, go!"

"Power, go"

"Telemetry, go," Barfnal stated. Donnand Kerman, worriedly staring at his massive control board, certainly did not feel like all systems were go, as he peered at gauge X6-48c (or was that X8-49a?).

"Communications, go"

And so the list went on, subsystem after subsystem reporting readiness, when suddenly, a pause came. Gene spoke up.

"Range Safety? Range Safety, are you ready?"

Enamoured by the Button, Rondred Kerman snapped out of his daze when he realized Gene was speaking directly to him.

"Uh, yes! Yes, yes, most certainly, everything's ready here! Um, go?"

"Excellent. Well, gentlemen, all stations are online and we are go for launch. Commencing the final countdown."

"Ten"

"Nine"

Donnand tried to recall exactly which gauge Barfnal had told him to watch.

"Eight"

"Seven"

The Button remained, stoic as ever. Ron couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Six"

"Five"

Surely it was gauge XF-47b. Or was that X4-F7b?

"Four"

"Three"

The Button suddenly began to blink. Eyes widening, Rondred began to sweat.

"Two"

"One"

"Liftoff, we have liftoff of the Aether 7 orbital probe!"

---

Overlooking the launch site.

---

"Say Jorfred, why was the ship called Aether 7?" Erdrin Kerman said to the final member of the USKK kerbonaut team.

"Well, who knows why they chose the name Aether, but I believe that the '7' moniker came from the fact that this is the seventh rocket we've launched. The first six were just sounding rockets built to test the technology." replied Jorfred.

"Huh, isn't that funny," she mused, watching the rocket streak skywards on a column of flame and smoke.

"Why?"

"Well, in my favourite game, Human Space Program, the United States' story mode's manned rocket launch was called the Freedom 7. I forget why it was called that though."

"One of these days, Erdrin, you're going to have to realize that life isn't a video game. I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

"Yeah, sure,"

Aether 7 did not care as to what it was named after. It merely rose towards the heavens bearing the collection of electronics which would ultimately orbit the planet. The probe was nothing fancy, it would simply receive radio signals transmitted to it and emit a response, but as no other object had ever been to orbit before it, this probe was very special.

Transmissions originating from the Mission Control station, relayed through the three massive dishes of the Tracking Station, found the little rocket and commanded it to pitch itself over forty-five degrees relative to the horizon. A few moments later, the first stage engine used up the last few drops of fuel and promptly flamed out. In response, carefully-placed pyrotechnics (the engineering team found out first-hand what happens if one fails to use caution when placing them the preceding day) detonated and the second stage engine was exposed to the thin air of Kerbin's upper atmosphere. With only a second's delay, it fired up, and Aether 7 continued on its journey skyward.

---

Donnand Kerman was not having a good day. Not only had the X8-67 gauge gone red, but the X3-DF8 gauge too, and the X7-56a gauge as well! In fact, his entire control panel was flashing red. Donnand was on the verge of telling Barfnal this, but realized that no one else in the control room seemed to be reacting to alerts on their control panels. In fact, the catastrophic failure seemed to be localized to only his panel. Recalling something Barfnal had said, he ducked underneath the console, where the acrid smell of burnt plastic met him. The main fuse had burnt out, and by the looks (and smell) of it, some of the insulation along the wire had been scarred as it did so. Donnand yanked out the burnt fuse, grabbed a replacement from its box, then shoved it into place. With great relief, he noted that all the gauges had returned to normal. He certainly hoped Rondred was having a less stressful time at his console.

Try as he might, Rondred could not ignore the button. Besides it being his job (or what Gene thought was his job), the Button was the most pressable button he had ever encountered in his life. Big, flashing, and smack-dab in the middle of the console, this Button needed to be pressed. Who would ever find out? he thought to himself. Gene's not looking this way, just go ahead and give it a push! And so push it he did, carefully easing back the cover and depressing the large, round Button. He was not disappointed; the Button emitted a massively satisfying ka-thunk as he pushed it, activating the delicate electronics hidden inside his console.

Radio waves propagate at the speed of light, a speed far greater than any human or kerbal mind can comprehend. As such, the following series of events took place in much less than the blink of an eye. As Rondred pushed the Button, a signal was sent through his console, off to the tracking station, and off in the general direction of the rocket, via one of the radio dishes. Upon arrival, the signal was quickly decoded, the rocket understanding its message: SELF DESTRUCT. This information prompted the very rudimentary computer on board to send an electronic pulse through a very specific wire, on its way to another carefully-placed series of explosives. Unlike the decoupler, these would precisely tear the ship apart, leaving nothing but dust in their wake. And as the electrons vibrated their way through the wire towards this deadly payload, let's consider what was happening to this particular portion of the rocket the preceding day:

---

17.4 hours ago

---

"…so then I said to him: 'How hard can rocket science be, anyway?" said Gregbro Kerman, one of the Vehicle Assembly Building's rocket construction workers, as he was working on the fuselage of Aether 7.

"Ha ha ha, you're hilarious, Greg!" howled his partner, who was holding Gregbro's welding gear. "You ought to quit your day job and become a professional comedian!"

"You know, I considered that for a couple of years. That actually reminds me of a story…" Greg responded, turning away from the rocket to look at the other kerbal, inadvertently letting the welding torch stray towards a sensitive portion of the rocket.

"Good SQUAD, Greg! Look out!" yelled his partner.

Gregbro quickly turned back to the job at hand, and he yanked his torch back from a portion of the hull which was endowed with more warning labels than any other. "Well…that was close," he said, quickly turning off the torch.

"Thank the devs, three centimetres to the right and you might have set off the Range Safety explosives!"

"You don't need to tell me--the explosion would have been huge! Well, it doesn't look like anything was damaged, so let's patch up the hull, and go do something else for a while! Say, wanna see me juggle decouplers?"

"You don't have to ask me twice! Bet you can't get more than five up at once this time!"

"Oh, just watch me…"

Little did Gregbro nor his partner know, as they headed towards an explosive incident which would live on in infamy, but the unsupervised welding torch had done more than give both kerbals a scare and leave a blackened streak across the hull. The insulation of wire upon which the self-destruct signal would travel had been completely melted off, exposing the inner wire. This bare copper now touched the outer hull of the rocket, which had been connected to the negative terminal of the onboard battery. Much like how a lightning strike travels through the charged air to get to ground, so would any current meant to trigger the self-destruct, bypassing its intended destination.

---

Present Day

---

To Rondred, however, it simply appeared that the Button did nothing. No change that he could see occurred, whether on the monitors or on any surrounding consoles. Slightly annoyed at the Button's lack of function, he pressed it again. And again. And once more, for good measure.

Ka-thunk

Ka-thunk

Ka-thunk

Three more times, the signal made its route from the console below Rondred's fingers, to the Tracking Station, and finally to the rocket. And three more times it was redirected from the wire to the hull to the ground terminal of the battery, ending its journey prematurely.

Profoundly disappointed, Rondred quickly replaced the plastic cover as Gene walked by, then for the first time since noticing the button, glanced up at the large monitor at the front of the room. Wow! The rocket sure got high up quickly! he thought.

Time flies when one is preoccupied with a Button.

---

Rondred was indeed accurate, the rocket was setting new altitude records, flying farther than any kerbal-made object had before.

The previous sounding rockets had only made it to the outer layers of Kerbin's atmosphere; this ship would be the first kerbal-made object to enter outer space. Before it reached that boundary though, the fuel reserves in the upper stage's fuel tank depleted, causing the engine to flame out. At this point, the rocket had an apoapsis of roughly 200 km, which the flight planners had deemed as an excellent target altitude. As such, fairings were jettisoned, and the satellite was revealed.

This satellite was nothing special, as mentioned before, the probe was simply designed to confirm that it had made orbit and take a few pictures. It didn't even have its own energy generation on board, meaning that once the power ran out of the onboard batteries, the probe would simply be a silent piece of metal travelling around Kerbin.

The probe did possess a sunshield though, as the scientists on the ground were worried of whether the unfiltered light from the Sun would be enough to melt parts of the probe. Fortunately, no temperature alarms blared, but Donnand was more concerned about the acrid smell emanating from his console.

Despite being neither aerodynamic nor possessing wings, the satellite flew silently towards apoapsis. It possessed a tiny orbital operations motor, which would used to circularize when it reached the highest point in its orbit.

Unceremoniously, the rocket's motor activated and circularized its orbit, catapulting the planet Kerbin into a new era: the Space Age. Despite such a monumental achievement, most of the kerbals involved were distracted with other things. Donnand was still trying to get his instrument panel to work; he had inserted the wrong fuse and now thick black smoke was emerging from all the gauges. Rondred had let his attention slip back to the Button; he gave it one last ka-thunk before sadly giving up. Gene was vicously chewing on his nails as he stalked around the room, inspecting everyone's consoles. The kerbals out on the lawn of the Space Centre were packing up their things, the show was over, and most had already left, minds consumed with more mundane things than the flight of Kerbin's first orbital probe.

That probe would function perfectly for the remainder of its life though, regardless of whether the thoughts of its creators were upon it. Its engine restarted smoothly to place the payload in the desired orbit, and all transmissions came through loud and clear, eliciting a loud cheer from the Control Room. Ron and Don took the opportunity to slip away amidst the chaos, forgetting the reason they had snuck in the first place. Upon returning to the other two kerbonauts, they had nothing much to say about the launch except 'it was nice'.

Indeed, while the media switched into overdrive speculating about the next launch, what the CKFN would do in response, and even the question of putting a kerbal up there eventually, no one paid attention to the fact that Kerbin's skies had gained a single new star. It was the evening after the launch, when a little kerbal was walking home with her mother.

"Look, ma! That star's moving!"

This was before the advent of air travel, remember (the kerbals were still figuring out exactly how wings worked, they preferred to stick with rocket-propelled vehicles for now), so the constant movement of lights across the sky modern day humans have come to know did not exist yet. Besides, this star was no plane. Moving across the sky at a rate no aircraft could ever hope to match, it indeed looked like one of the stars above had come loose and was moving in a perfectly straight line, from west to east.

The kerbal's mother, arms full of groceries, didn't even bother to look up.

"Don't be silly, dear. Stars can't move! Now can you give me a hand with this door?"

The little kerbal rushed forward to help her mother, but not before glancing back at the mysterious star, now nearly at the horizon, chasing the recently-set sun. She made a silent promise to herself, to find out what could make a star move like that, and one day chase down the tiny point of light in the sky.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[KSK]

Nice signature.

I like the 'reverse shout-out' you did with the Big Red Button too - well played!

[FishInferno]

Lol "human space program"

[Tw1]

Nice signature.

I like the 'reverse shout-out' you did with the Big Red Button too - well played!

Agreed, the Big Red Button was played well.

[CalculusWarrior]

And we're back! Apologies for the long wait in between some of these segments, they can take a while to write and I am fairly busy IRL...

---

CKFN: Advisory Council Meeting

One Day Later

---

Danford shifted uneasily in his seat. This meeting had dragged on for hours, yet Bilcas still hadn't reached the topic that was on everyone's minds: yesterday's rocket launch from the USKK.

Looking around the table, he saw that his fellow council members were nowhere near as agitated as he. Bilfrod was idly doodling on a pad of paper, the President was twirling a pen in his fingers, and it even looked like General Geofnard had nodded off.

Danford rubbed his eyes, wishing he'd had more than one cup of coffee this morning, then leaned back in his seat. Bilcas' next words made him sit right back up, however.

"Now that the cabbage legislation is taken care of, it's time to move on. Danford, I believe this will concern you especially: yesterday's USKK rocket launch."

"What about the launch? Do you want details of the launch, specifications of their satellite, rocket designs?"

"I want to know why we were not able to launch before them."

Danford sighed before he began his response. Anything but this. "As I have stated before, our unmanned technology is severely underpowered in comparison to the USKK. As such, they were able to test, and launch their space probe on a much shorter timeframe than we were able to."

"I know about the probe issues, but earlier this week you were telling us the advantages of sending a kerbal into space. Why, may I ask, have you not accomplished that yet?"

"You are dramatically underestimating the timeframe in which our work is done in. It's not like simply jumping into a car and going on a road trip. Researching the technology, designing proper stages, fabricating the ship properly, training crew--these take weeks! We only really shifted focus towards a manned mission a few days ago."

Bilcas did not respond, his face unreadable. Danford continued.

"Looking at our most optimistic schedules, I'd say that we'll be ready to go within two weeks at the very most."

Upon hearing this, the President halted his twirling pen. "Two weeks? Is there no way we can launch sooner?"

"Not without cutting corners and putting our kerbal's life at risk. This isn't like a probe, where in a failed launch the only casualty is money. I will not allow a kerbal to be sent into a scenario where he or she may die," Danford responded, a hint of colour rising to his cheeks.

Without opening his eyes, the General spoke: "Well said. For once, I find myself agreeing with Danford. I say we let his team take their time, from what I hear, the USKK hasn't scheduled another launch for the next month."

"Good to have your opinion, Geofnard," the President responded. "What say you, Bilfrod?"

"Hmm? What? Uh…" the bespectacled kerbal said, blinking in confusion as he looked up from his doodling, which was starting to resemble a rocket engine. "The payload is mostly complete, we just need to finalize the lifter and attach the two. We need the time to make sure that all systems are working correctly."

"Good to know, thanks Bilfrod. Well Bilcas, looks like that's everyone. Do you have a rebuttal?"

"You know, it would look bad if we managed to get a kerbal killed on our first flight. Fine. I agree, give Danford his extra time."

Danford rocked back in his seat with surprise. It was truly a rare occasion when Bilcas changed his mind so quickly.

"Good to know everyone is in agreement, then," the President said. "That appears to be everything for today, I'll let you all go. Have a good night."

As the four other kerbals got up from the table, Bilcas moved over to Danford. "Remember that you need to choose a pilot for the rocket very soon."

"Right… And I thought this meeting was tough," Danford muttered.

---

CKFN: Facility for Space Research

Two hours later.

---

The four kerbonaut candidates (Matdun, Gusbin, Jenfry, and Bilvin) stood in a line on the grounds in front of Danford.

"Well you guys, I just got back from the capital. It looks like our orbital launch is a go," he said.

This was met with a great deal of cheering from the kerbonauts.

"So who's going to get to go, chief?" asked Jenfry brightly.

Here we go, thought Danford. Since the capsule only had room for one kerbal, he fully expected those who were not chosen for the assignment to react angrily towards the kerbal who had, as he imagined all wanted to be the first kerbal in space.

"Well, I was reviewing your simulator scores, and it looks like Bilvin scored slightly higher on capsule control, and has logged the most hours out of all of you. As such, I feel like she will be the best-suited to controlling the ship."

To his surprise, the kerbals did not act with anger or jealousy towards their comrade, but rather excitement.

"Wow! Congratulations, Bilvin!"

"This is so exciting! I'm so happy for you!"

"I knew those extra hours in the simulations would pay off!"

Pleasantly surprised, Danford left the kerbals to go celebrate among themselves, he had much to do. With a lot of hard work and a little luck, they could make history.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[KSK]

And we're back! Apologies for the long wait in between some of these segments, they can take a while to write and I am fairly busy IRL...

Don't worry about it - I know that feeling well and I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones.

After the drama of the first launch, I'm looking forward to the first crewed flight!

[Tw1]

Somehow, "CKFN" keeps getting mixed up in my head as "CERN". You know what they say about only needing the first and last letter.

[KSK]

Somehow, "CKFN" keeps getting mixed up in my head as "CERN". You know what they say about only needing the first and last letter.

Now there's a terrifying thought - kerbals in charge of a pair of 7 TeV proton beams.

"Jeb, Bill - don't cross the streams!!"

[Death Engineering]

Great story so far! Really like the extra production value with the "on-location" shots around KSC.

[CalculusWarrior]

At last, the CKFN is ready to respond to the launch of Aether 7!

---

CKFN: 4 weeks later

---

"Stand by, we're lowering the capsule into position now," the PA blared.

Danford Kerman was pleased. Almost a month after the USKK's launch, his crew was finally ready for a chance at making orbit themselves. Built from the finest materials across the CKFN, Latona 1 was nearly ready for liftoff. However, while Bilvin had agreed to let Danford go ahead with the launch, he had shrank the space program's budget in response, leading to delays in the manufacturing and testing process. To make a long story short, this extended Danford's original estimate of two weeks quite significantly. Still, the rocket was complete, even though it felt like he'd had to negotiate for every last nut and bolt on the thing.

"How are you doing, Bilvin?" he asked over the radio.

"About as fine as it can be expected, I've been sitting here in this tiny room for three hours now," she replied grumpily, speaking from her location in the rocket's launch tower.

"The capsule is being secured onto the rocket as we speak, you'll be out of there in no time,"

"And there's nothing in here," she continued, seemingly oblivious to his words. "I mean, you could have put a couple of magazines, or a TV, but it is completely empty. At least I've got a chair."

"Uh, Bilvin? Do you copy?"

"I read you. Just offering you some suggestions so that the next poor sap who has to wait here doesn't die of boredom,"

"Roger that. I'm getting the 'all clear' now, you're free to board the rocket. I'm sending someone to help you into the capsule; it may be a bit of a tight fit."

"I don't mind how cramped it is, if it's getting me to space, you can't keep me away! Besides, I'll take a tight fit over dying of boredom any day."

"Just remember, the room is necessary, we can't have you wandering around the launch site and encountering falling debris, you're a very important kerbal after all!"

"Oh come on, that was once! And it wasn't even my fault!"

---

Twenty Minutes Later

---

Danfrod stood inside the small Tracking Station, in front of his mission control team.

"Alright. All systems are go. We are ready to finalize the countdown. Bilvin, what's your status?"

"Hatch secure, boss"

"Control, how are we looking?"

"All systems are nominal, stand by for final countdown sequence," one of the kerbals in front of Dan said, eyes on his console readings.

"Roger. We're live in ten."

"Nine"

"Eight"

"Seven"

Despite his cool exterior, Danford was actually quite nervous. This launch needed to go perfectly, otherwise the CKFN risked looking like idiots who couldn't even get a spacecraft off the ground. Besides, a kerbal's life was in the balance. No. He had been preparing for this moment for months, it would go off as planned.

"Six"

"Five"

"Four"

"Three"

Palms sweating, Danford adjusted his radio's microphone and glanced over his clipboard. This was it.

"Two"

"One"

No turning back now.

---

"…so I was saying, 'What do you mean, that was 7 g? I didn't even feel half of that!' But before you go thinking I'm some sort of iron kerbal, it turns out the centrifuge was malfunctioning and giving strange readings. Apparently, the next time they tested it, the pod separated from the main body and smashed through the roof! It's a good thing I wasn't in it at the time!"

Jenfry Kerman was telling another of his stories from his experiences in basic training to the other CKFN kerbonauts. Suddenly, a bright glow lit up the window of the viewing room.

"Oh no, did we miss the countdown?" asked Gusbin.

"Looks like it," replied Matdun. "Anyway, we can catch the comm chatter of liftoff" She flicked on the communicator.

"And we have liftoff! Liftoff of the Latona 1 rocket, carrying Bilvin Kerman on its flight to orbit!" Danford's voice came over the speaker.

"Woohoo! Go Bilvin!" cheered Jenfry.

"You know, I always wondered why our rocket has a '1' at the end of its name, rather than the USKK's '7'," Matdun spoke up.

"I think it's because the USKK included their sounding rocket tests in their name," explained Gusbin. "Since we had so many failures with the probes we tried to send up, it was decided to just start at 1 for our orbital flights."

"Hey, that reminds me of when I nearly got hit by one of those sounding rockets, it's quite the story," began Jenfry.

Matdun cut him off. "Not now! I want to listen to the commentary!"

"Latona 1 has now reached seven thousand metres, beginning gravity turn now."

"Gravity turn successful. We have now reached fifteen thousand metres."

"Everything looks good so far, how's Bilvin doing?" Gusbin asked. As if in response, the communicator crackled to life.

"Control, this is Bilvin, gravity turn was nominal, the rocket handles very well. Fuel is draining as expected, preparing to drop first stage."

"I read you, Bilvin, we've observed the first stage engine burn out. You may fire the second stage when ready."

"Decoupling now. Control, do you read a clean separation?"

"Affirmative, you are clear to fire your second stage engine."

"Activating engine now, fuel flow nominal."

"Stand by to jettison escape tower, Latonna 1."

"Roger, jettisoning tower."

---

"Control, I'm reading a second stage burnout. Can you give me visual confirmation?"

"That's a negative, you've just disappeared over the horizon. We're relaying comms through an eastern radio dish, so communications may be a little spotty."

"Roger, I'm using the rear camera to confirm the separation now. And…confirmed."

"Firing orbital operations motor."

"Latona 1, telemetry has confirmed that your trajectory is on target for a 100 km orbit. Throttle down and prepare to coast to apoapsis."

"Roger, Control. Engines cut."

"Bilvin's about to be the first kerbal in space! This is groundbreaking history right here!" cheered Jenfry.

"Don't celebrate prematurely. She still needs to restart the orbital engine. If it doesn't light, the rocket will reenter on the opposite side of Kerbin!" worried Gusbin.

"Relax, Gus. I personally know the lead kerbal who worked on the LV-909 engine, and he reassured me that his team has tweaked it so that it can restart essentially infinitely," reassured Matdun. "I trust his work."

"Yeah, the engineering boys are the best there are at what they do; it'll work," chimed in Jenfry.

Just then, the radio squawked into life once more: "This is the CKFN naval vessel Admiral Dunfry. We've received your telemetry, Mission Control, and have established communications with Latona 1. Patching you through now."

"Control? Do you read me? Repeat, Control?"

"Roger that, Latona, we read you loud and clear."

"Excellent. I'm reading about thirty seconds to apoapsis, and am preparing to fire the main engine for circularization burn."

"You are all clear, everything looks nominal from down here"

"Firing now"

"Burn complete!"

"Congratulations Bilvin, you are officially the first kerbal to orbit Kerbin!" The sound of cheering could be heard in the background as Danford spoke.

"Told you it would work!" said Matdun triumphantly.

"It never hurts to be cautious," Gusbin responded.

---

Back in the control room, Danford reopened communications. "How are you doing, Bilvin?"

"Fantastic, you should see the view! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Make sure to get pictures to share with us when you return! Now, your capsule only has enough supplies for one orbit, so we're on a tight schedule here. You will need to perform some experiments before reentering."

"Receiving you loud and clear, boss. Activating the experiments now. Bilfrod really wanted data, huh?"

"Apologies about making you do all the hard work, but as you know our probes don't exactly work well outside the atmosphere. Speaking of which, what's the radiation level?"

"I'm not reading much more than a standard background dose at sea level. The guys who built this capsule did good work!"

"I will pass your thanks onto them. Alright, we're getting the data back from the scientific packages now."

"So, what's next?"

"We now begin Phase One of the physiological testing. Heartbeat, blood pressure, brainwaves, Bilfrod wants it all!"

"Roger that…"

---

One orbit, thirty minutes, and numerous scientific experiments later, Bilvin finally clicked off the instruments. It's nice to finally have a chance to enjoy the view. For the sights to be seen outside the window of the tiny spacecraft were truly breathtaking.

The pensive moment did not last long, for Bilvin had to deorbit, jettison the orbital motor and orient herself properly before the heat from reentry overwhelmed the capsule.

"Control, this is Latona 1. I'm commencing the deorbit burn now."

The throaty roar which had suffused the ship at liftoff was gone now, all that was left to remind Bilvin that an engine was firing was a slight vibration and a small force pushing her back into the seat. The burn complete, she throttled down and informed Mission Control of this event. Latona would hold onto the deorbit engine until it hit the atmosphere, in case an emergency course correction was required. Fortunately, the super-efficient LV-909 engine meant that there was still plenty of fuel left in the tank.

"Latona, you've now entered the outer layer of Kerbin's atmosphere. Jettison your orbital stage and be sure to orient yourself tail-first."

"Roger that, Control. See you on the other side." Hitting the necessary button on the control panel, a smooth ka-thunk reverberated through the capsule as the trusty engine and attached fuel tank floated away. Firing up the reaction wheels, Bilvin rotated the final piece of Latona 1 into position for reentry.

She hated the pause between jettisoning the engine and feeling the reentry burn. Simulations had prepared her for this, but the feeling of falling towards Kerbin's surface at more than two kilometres per second unnerved her. Strangely enough, when the bright flames began enveloping the capsule and the g-forces pushed her back in her seat, she felt more at ease. Now at least she was slowing down.

---

"When do you think we'll be able to see it?" asked Matdun, waving her flashlight around. The sun had set during Bilvin's flight, and the grounded kerbonauts had moved outside shortly after Latona 1's orbital burn completed.

"Any minute now, she's just coming over the horizon," responded Gusbin, with a radio headset held up to his ear. "It sounds like the reentry burn has just begun."

"There she is now!" pointed Jenfry, as a bright star-like object rose slowly over the horizon. As it climbed higher in the sky, it quickly became apparent that this was no celestial body. A tail of fire reached out from the rear of the hypersonic projectile, and it was quite the sight for the trio as it streaked overhead.

"She's on target for a landing," Gusbin said, with palpable relief. "Wait a second; a crosswind is blowing the capsule into the mountains!"

"Why do you listen to that, Gus? It's just going to raise your blood pressure! She'll be fine, come watch the fireworks!" urged Jenfry.

Danford did not seem to share Jenfry's placid attitude. "Latona 1, do you copy? Stand by for emergency parachute deployment."

"**###**rad***##no***###tact****###"

"Blast! We're still getting too much interference! We'd better hope the auto-deployment mechanism works."

"Ground control, do you read me? I've passed through the radio blackout and--MOTHER OF HARV!"

"Bilvin? Bilvin? Are you alright?" Danford spoke, with more than a touch of worry.

"The parachute just deployed! I thought that was my job!"

"Apologies, the auto-deploy mechanism is a last resort, it registered that you were too close to the ground and fired."

"Too close? I thought I was still several kilometres up."

"Look out your window"

"The mountains? I must be really off course!"

"Just by a few kilometres, don't worry. The recovery vessels are on their way."

"Roger, hope you don't mind if I get out and stretch my legs while I wait; it was a tight fit."

"That's a negative, pressure levels are too low up there. You'd have to be wearing a full pressure suit to be able to breathe."

"We'll have to work on getting me one of those for next time, then."

"Ha ha, copy that Bilvin, see you shortly."

Oblivious to the drama unfolding via radio waves, Jenfry and Matdun both saw a tail of canvas and string grow to replace the one of fire and smoke and let out a cheer.

"Good chute! Bilvin's coming home safely!" said Matdun. Even Gusbin cracked a smile, as the recovery helicopters thundered overhead, chasing the gently falling capsule.

---

CKFN: Several hours later.

---

Danford Kerman swallowed. He was present at yet another Advisory Council meeting, but unfortunately the President was too busy to attend this time. Without his leadership, the various kerbals had a tendency to start squabbling and end up wasting hours of the meeting time. (It turned out that the sale of cabbage was a particularly sore subject with the General). Fortunately, the news he had to share was good, so this meeting ought to go smoothly.

"So as you can see from my report, we achieved the first kerballed flight in history, beating the USKK, and did quite a lot of science along the way!"

Bilfrod had a massive smile on his face. "The data you've provided is exemplary; I have plans for experiments for the next ten flights!"

General Geofnard spoke up. "So I see, Danford. I must say, I am impressed with what your team was able to accomplish. I admit that I was doubtful when I first saw the erm, facilities you were working out of, but the results are exemplary!" He leaned back, a gruff smile on his face.

"Indeed, Danford, this is quite the accomplishment. However, I noted that you submitted a request for an increase in your budget. We've been over this, the money you've been allotted is more than sufficient," Bilcas Kerman, Economics and Communications Minister stated, looking up from his papers.

Danford frowned. "We wouldn't have to work out of Jenfry's house, nor utilize a decades-old military base if we had some more funding for the program. Based upon this mission, is there room within the CKFN's budget for an expansion of--"

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again! The CKFN is undergoing far too many projects at the moment for something as trivial as this space program to be economically worthwhile!" Bilcas was generally fairly docile, but his temper tended to flare when the CKFN's budget was mentioned. "The money we've given you ought to be sufficient. Besides, you've accomplished this much on the budget so far, just keep doing what you have been doing."

Danford was momentarily struck dumb, searching madly for a reply that explained that they couldn't just keep sending one-kerbal pods into space forever, that expanding the space program was the only logical next step, but unfortunately, Bilcas took his silence for agreement. "Very well. That should be enough for today, meeting adjourned."

As the other council members filed out, Danford remained in his chair and let out a sigh. The launch went perfectly, it gathered important scientific data, as well as proved that they could match and exceed the USKK's achievements. So why was he not happy? It's because of Bilcas, he thought to himself. If we don't get more money, then the space program will stagnate. He resolved to talk to the kerbal and see if he could perhaps persuade him to be a little less stingy in the future. Still, now was not the time to brood, it was time to celebrate! He jumped out of his chair and left the building.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[wasmic]

Wow, this is nice. Can't wait for more.

[Phazon8058]

Awesome story! I am loving this so far.

[wasmic]

Wow, this is nice. Can't wait for more.

EDIT: One thing that bugs me: you got the meaning of "reentry burn" wrong. The reentry burn is the retroburn that you do before reentering. The thing you're calling "reentry burn" is simply "reentry."

EDIT: Dammit! For some reason I can't delete this post. Oh well.

[CalculusWarrior]

EDIT: One thing that bugs me: you got the meaning of "reentry burn" wrong. The reentry burn is the retroburn that you do before reentering. The thing you're calling "reentry burn" is simply "reentry."

EDIT: Dammit! For some reason I can't delete this post. Oh well.

Thanks for the feedback! I've fixed the offending typo in both posts. I realized something when I edited that chapter though; Laytona 1 doesn't contain an escape tower! Such a grievous oversight would never be allowed in the safety-concious CKFN! As such, I'll be pulling a George Lucas and replacing the pictures (and perhaps parts of the story) at some point in the future.

Anyway, the final part of Chapter II is ready! Get it while it's hot!

---

USKK: The next day

---

"A kerbal? In space?"

Jebediah was dumbfounded by the announcement. Bob was too, but over a different issue.

"The CKFN accomplished this before us? How is this possible? I thought they couldn't even get a probe past the upper atmosphere?"

Bill Kerman, the kerbal who had delivered the news, expanded on it.

"From what I read, the issues they had with their probes drove them to desperation, launching a capsule aboard a beefed-up rocket. They build very nice ships, so I'm not surprised it went off well."

"We've got to match their achievement. Do we have a rocket which could lift a kerbal?" responded Jeb, still half in shock.

"Theoretically, we have a heavy-lift vehicle designed for a large probe, but it would take some time to be ready to fly. Besides, we can't just throw away our plans for the probe exploration program. You and I spent weeks hammering out that schedule!" Bill responded.

"Jeb's right, Bill," Bob cut in. "We have to beat the CFKN at any cost. If they have the capacity to launch payloads as heavy as a kerbal, they can launch weapons and drop them on our defenseless nation!"

"Oh come on, Bob, you've been listening to too many 'Blue Threat' broadcasts again, the CKFN is not a threat!" exclaimed Bill, throwing his hands in the air.

"You can never be sure," Bob folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. Jeb, on the other hand, jumped out of his seat and began scribbling on a blackboard. "Maybe if we lengthen Aether's body, attach side boosters, we don't have to design a whole new craft…"

"You're missing the point, Jeb. We've got a warehouse of probe parts and scientific instruments designed for them. We had a schedule!" Bill said, annoyed.

"The schedule be damned! We have a race to win! If they get kerbals to the Mun while we're still messing around with probes in orbit, we might as well not even be trying," shot back Jeb. "It might be challenging, but we'll discover so much along the way!"

"I still don't like it,"

"Let Jeb decide, Bill, he's the Director of the Space Program, after all," Bob pointed out.

"I don't like to pull rank on you guys, but we have to do something. We have the technology, and the brains behind it. We can do this!" said Jeb, still excitedly scribbling away on the chalkboard.

"Fine. You're right, we won't develop much new tech in Low Kerbin Orbit. But I still don't feel right about this. Aether 7 was pushing the limits of the engineers' capabilities. How on Kerbin will they build a bigger version?"

"Don't worry about it, Bill. You're the one who keeps telling Gene how the crews are better than he gives them credit for."

"Maybe you're right. We'll have to keep an eye on them though; we can't have any more incidents like Danbro dropping those decouplers again. This includes during launch, too! I don't like the number of our sounding rockets that exploded mid-flight!"

"Oh relax, Bill. We'll sort it out. Besides, it was only the first couple of ships that exploded, we fixed that issue for the last batch. Alright, I'll inform the VAB, let's start building a rocket!"

---

Bill caught Bob's arm as he was leaving the room. Jeb had already rushed off to Werhner Von Kerman's lab, his arms full of rocket sketches.

"How did you find out about the CKFN's difficulty with probes? Last I heard, it was still classified, both by our government and theirs. They don't even release the full details of their launches to their citizens, for devs' sake!"

"Oh…I-I was told about it, because I'm uh…part of the space program," Outside of Jeb's presence, Bob became a much more timid kerbal.

"I don't think you understand exactly how secret this is. The number of hoops I had to jump through to discover it was staggering. The USKK government is keeping their knowledge of the CKFN space program very, very highly classified. Now, I don't know if you overheard this while Jeb and I were talking or something, but you've got to be careful. There's no telling what might happen to you if you're discovered with knowledge beyond your position. I think you're a good kerbal, and have been a real help to the space program so far, so don't go trying to hear things that aren't meant for you. Got it?

"Y-y-yes sir."

"Great. I'll talk to you later." Bill left, leaving Bob standing in the middle of the room.

However, as Bill turned away, Bob's expression changed from a look of fear to one of smug superiority. After the older kerbal walked out the door, Bob let out a low chuckle, a slow smile spreading over his face.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CalculusWarrior

[KSK]

That's just crying out for a...

Dun, Dun, Dunnnnn.

[CalculusWarrior]

That's just crying out for a...

Dun, Dun, Dunnnnn.

*cackles mischievously*

All will be revealed...eventually. I don't plan to reveal Bob's 'secret' for a little while.

In the meantime, it appears that I'm running out of bandwidth for Photobucket. Does anyone know a better photo hosting site? I'm experimenting with Flickr, but I wonder if there are any alternatives out there.