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

[CalculusWarrior]

When will there be any more on this? I love it!

Thanks for the kind words! I've been working on the next chapter, but it's taking a while. Fortunately for you guys (but unfortunately for me), it's going to be even longer than the last one; I want to wrap up Chapter 3 with the next three updates. Don't worry, this story's still got a long ways to go!

[ZoidPool]

thank you! It's an amazing story, and I have used some of its history in my series, if that's alright.

[CalculusWarrior]

Hi everyone! It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? Well do not worry, brave readers, as the latest chapter is very close!

It's not quite ready yet, sorry. Soon^TM!

Part of the reason that it's been taking so long is that I've been very busy in real life, as well as this is the longest segment yet in the story. Its the equivalent of three missions, and is currently registering over 6300 words and takes up 18 pages, all before adding pictures. It's going to be a long one, guys.

As for the bigger picture, the story is finally nearing the end of Chapter 3. After this segment is published, there's only one episode to go before Chapter 3's explosive finale! The kerbals will be on their way to the Mun at last!

Suggestions and feedback are most welcome, so feel free to post your thoughts of the story so far, as well as the new episode when it drops!

[DuoDex]

explosive finale!

I have a gif in reaction to that!

But seriously. This is great.

[Tw1]

As for the bigger picture, the story is finally nearing the end of Chapter 3. After this segment is published, there's only one episode to go before Chapter 3's explosive finale! The kerbals will be on their way to the Mun at last!

Suggestions and feedback are most welcome, so feel free to post your thoughts of the story so far, as well as the new episode when it drops!

Do you plan to continue past the Mun, taking inspiration from something post Mun race/alternate history? Or coming to that decision when it's time?

Also, I may have made a parody version of your awesome banner for my OoE/CoM....

Hope that's alright...

[CalculusWarrior]

Do you plan to continue past the Mun, taking inspiration from something post Mun race/alternate history? Or coming to that decision when it's time?

Also, I may have made a parody version of your awesome banner for my OoE/CoM....

http://i.imgur.com/bJVha2J.png?2

Hope that's alright...

Hehehe, that's an excellent parody, I don't mind in the slightest! I'm a big fan of your stories.

As for the future of Kold War, you'll just have to wait and see, but I can tell you that the story will definitely not stop at the Mun. Of course, we actually have to get to the Mun first, which won't happen until Chapter 6, if my outline holds.

In short, there's still a lot of Kold War to come, KSP 1.0 might come out before I post the final chapter!

[ZoidPool]

will there be destructible buildings in any way involved? That, I think is the best thing since cockpit view, but we're all on the edge of our seats, bossible ready to eject at a moments notice, so don't make us jump!

[DuoDex]

When dis come out

[CalculusWarrior]

Whoops...

Hit a small snag while taking pictures; the new chapter is nearly here!

[CalculusWarrior]

At last! 7200 words later, the latest chapter is complete! Enjoy!

---

USKK

Six Months Later

UNN News Van

---

Erdan Kerman, the finest newscaster in the USKK (at least in his studio's mind, but that's really all that matters), eyed a small, unkempt house.

“Are you sure this is the right place?“ his camerakerbal, who was doubling as his driver, asked.

“This is it,“ Erdan looked at the piece of paper upon which the address of that tiny abode was scrawled. “Get the gear, we’re going in."

---

“First of all, I’d like to thank you for this interview, Desdin.“ Erdan said, as he settled into the chair he’d been provided. Most of his interviews were conducted in the comfort of Erdan’s own studio, but Desdin Kerman had insisted on holding this one in his personal home. By the looks of the drawn blinds, clutter, and general dustiness, the former kerbonaut didn't look like he got many visitors. “With the upcoming launch of Uranus X, it will be excellent to get your perspective on the space program. Not many kerbals have seen the inside of the program like yourself!“

“Yes,“ Desdin replied, staring downwards at his hands. “I think it’s finally time to get this off my chest.“

Erdan pressed on. “You've certainly been through a lot in the past few months, haven't you? What with being selected as one of the USKK's newest kerbonauts, launching on the ill-fated Uranus VIII mission, and that daring feat of courage you pulled off! I guess my first question is, why aren't you still with the space program?“

Desdin laughed ruefully, a faraway look in his eyes. Erdan was not exactly sure how to respond, so he took advantage of this awkward moment to make sure the camerakerbal had the two framed correctly. Eventually, Desdin did speak.

“‘Feat of courage’. Really? Is that what they're calling it?â€Â

Now Erdan was doubly confused. “Are you implying that actual events went differently?â€Â

“I'm sure you are aware of the space program’s… ‘kerbal’ policy.†Desdin positively spat the word.

“Policy? That’s just a word the public uses to describe missions which undergo minor mishaps. I don’t see howâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Â

Still avoiding direct eye contact, Desdin cut him off. “It may not be official, but what if I told you that the failures are deliberately encouraged, just to make missions more exciting?â€Â

“I’d have to say I’d have trouble believing you. Does this really happen in the program?â€Â

“Oh, Mr. Erdon, it doesn’t just happen, but is encouraged by the highest levels of the program themselves.â€Â

“It’s Erdan,†the reporter corrected, “and really? Jebediah himself signed off on deliberately sabotaging the missions?â€Â

“Sabotage? Oh no. The rockets are never deliberately tampered with, but checks for mistakes made during construction are lacklustre, leading to the errors we’re accustomed to seeing during the missions.â€Â

Erdan sat back. This certainly didn’t sound like the space program he’d been reporting on for the past couple of years. He was tempted to dismiss Desdin’s claims as mere fear mongering. But could the kerbal really be telling the truth? He was a former kerbonaut after all. Besides, this sounded like the beginnings of a fantastic story.

“Okay,†he said. “So how does this ‘policy’ work? Is this connected to your departure from the space program?â€Â

“In time, Erdin, in time. First, let me share with you its very beginning. I’m sure you’re familiar with Uranus III...â€Â

---

Five months ago

Uranus III, 400 km above Kerbin

---

“Approaching MECO, all systems nominal.â€Â

“Roger that Control, shutting down engine.†Donnand Kerman spoke, as he pressed a button on the lower left side of his control panel.

Uranus III’s orbital operations motor slowly throttled down, leaving the spacecraft in a comfortable medium Kerbin orbit. While certainly not approaching the height the CKFN had achieved with their unkerballed Caelus I, it still was impressive. You could definitely see a lot more of Kerbin from up here.

“Oooh, we’re passing over the USKK! Let me get the camera out!†Rondred's voice floated up from below Don. The Uranus program had improved upon its first iteration, and now both kerbals were pointed ‘up’, to avoid injuries like poor Jorfred. Uranus II had been the first flight to fly with the updated design, and based on feedback from that mission, the engineers had placed a hole in between the capsules to allow the pilots to talk to each other without requiring an intercom.

Another new feature of this mission was a television camera, which Ron was currently trying to focus on Kerbin. The news stations back on the ground wanted live footage from orbit, so they lobbied to get a camera onto the spacecraft. The space program, eager to increase its public image in the wake of the Uranus I incident, happily complied.

“Hey, get some shots of me too!†Don called down to the other kerbal, though he didn't really mind if all the footage taken during the flight were just of Kerbin. The kerbals back on the ground absolutely loved getting shots of the planet, and being this far up, one could very easily see the curvature of the planet. It was just so pretty…

The harsh crackle of the radio awoke Don from his reverie. “Uranus III, this is Mission Control. Do you copy?â€Â

“Roger that, Control. What are things looking like from down there, Gene?â€Â

“Just fine, Don. All systems are looking nominal. Speaking of which, it's time to activate the reason you're up there. Prepare to deploy the solar panels!â€Â

This was the moment Donnand had been waiting for. Previous missions had been limited by the amount of power they could carry into orbit, bringing them back too quickly to do extended scientific studies or detailed analyses of how the spacecraft responded to being in orbit. These new solar panels would mean that the life support and heaters could stay on for longer, extending their time in space to many hours, and theoretically many days. Though Don would prefer to perhaps get a larger capsule, if they were planning to stay up here for that long.

“Stow the camera, Ron. It's time for the big show!†The other kerbal knew just as well how big of a moment this was, and forgot to put away the camera in his excitement, leaving it floating around the capsule, still broadcasting. “Yep, the panels are ready to go!â€Â

“Control, keep an eye on those power readings, we are ready to deploy the panels.“

“Roger that, you are clear to begin.â€Â

“You hear that, Ron? Activate!â€Â

Ron pushed the deployment button (which sadly was neither Big nor Red), and Don watched the readings. Ten seconds went by, then thirty, and then a full minute, while the battery banks were still showing the same passive draw in energy that was characteristic of the default power setup of Uranus. After two minutes had passed, Don radioed Control.

“Gene, I'm not seeing an increase in power. Are you guys receiving any data?â€Â

“Strange, we registered the ‘deploy panels’ command, but the batteries aren't charging. Can you get visual confirmation?â€Â

Don peeked out the window, and spotted nothing but stars.

“That's a negative, Control. The panels are not deployed. Repeat, we have a negative on that deployment.â€Â

“Okay. This is a problem. You only have enough power for one more orbit at that altitude; we'll have to bring you back down soon if we don’t get those panels fixed.â€Â

Before Don could reply, he noticed a screw floating past his face. Maneuvering in the tight confines of his capsule, he looked downward. Rondred had disassembled his control panel, and was busily inspecting various bits of wiring.

“Uh, roger that Control, let me just...ah...get back to you in a second,“ he said, turning off the radio. “Ron, uh…what are you doing?â€Â

“I'm trying to fix these blasted panels! There's got to be a reason they won't deploy!â€Â

“Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Danbro wouldn't even let you look at that panel when you visited the VAB last week.â€Â

“Hey, I've been looking at it for the last two hours, and nothing bad has happened!†The navball came loose, and began orbiting Ron like a small moon. Don made a mental note to pocket it at some point. Ron continued.

“Besides, what's the worst that can happen? You've got all the controls in your pod, and Ground Control has access to all the data on this panel anyways.â€Â

“Ah well, you've already taken it apart. What's your plan to fix these panels?â€Â

“Well, I was thinking that maybe a wire came loose or something, but the button feeds into the computer just fine… Hm, do you think it's a computer problem?â€Â

“Why?â€Â

“Well, where else could it be located?â€Â

“I don't know, Don. There’s a lot of wire between the computer and the panels, the panels could have got stuck, or maybe the motors are burnt out? There's a bunch of places where something could go wrong!â€Â

“But there are two solar panels, and it's gotta be said, the chances of them both failing in the exact same way are pretty low.â€Â

“Hmm. You know what, there are two copies of allcomponents after the computer, from motors to wiring. Unless the engineers somehow installed two defective panels, the computer has to be it!â€Â

“Can you debug the thing?†Ron looked at his controls. “My panel is not…uh…set up for that right now.†Indeed, the console now looked like some sort of wild animal had taken large bites out of it.

“Sure, just don't break anything--,†Don replied, watching the throttle control float past him. “--else.â€Â

He quickly brought up the debug commands by pressing a pair of keys simultaneously on the top and bottom on his panel, and looked for anything strange in the output. He found it immediately.

“Hey Ron, it looks like we've got a bunch of Null Reference Exceptions. They're filling the output log, and stopping the computer from responding to the solar panel subroutine!â€Â

“Log? Subroutine? Dammit Don, I'm a kerbonaut, not a computer scientist!â€Â

“Basically, the computer's clogged up because it's receiving a lot of errors from another system, so it can't execute our command to deploy the solar panels.â€Â

“I knew it wasn't the panels!â€Â

“Alright, how to do this… Hm, it looks like our atmospheric trajectory computation module is outputting the errors. I think it has something to do with the atmospheric sensors reading zero, but it's trying to calculate our trajectory anyway. I’m going to try and rewire the system, but it could take a while.â€Â

Donnand was no technical whiz, but after his and Ron’s misadventure in Mission Control a year ago, he had been more interested in the technical aspects of the capsules. He was able to navigate the system without too much difficulty, and found the trajectories module, a small black box sitting underneath his control panel.

“Ron, I’ve found the module! Can you pass me the needle nose pliers? I should be able to rewire it from here.â€Â

At this moment, the lights in the capsule flickered, punctuated by a yell from below.

“Ron? Are you alright?â€Â

“Ugh…yep, just touched a couple of wires I shouldn't have.â€Â

“What the--! Our power levels just dropped three hundred percent! Romfarer's eye, what happened?â€Â

“I er, may have shorted one of the batteries… Well, former battery; it's more of a battery-shaped piece of plastic now.â€Â

“We don’t even have enough power to deorbit ourselves now; we need to get those panels fixed fast! Tell you what, I'll just take the module out entirely. It'll mean we're a few kilometres off with our landing, but that's no problem. We'd better hope that the panels aren't damaged…â€Â

Don gritted his teeth and cut the wires from the trajectories box leading into the main flight computer. Suddenly, a couple of red lights on his console turned green, signifying the computer was no longer overloaded. Don’s worried face broke into a wide grin. It worked!

“Okay Ron, press the button, we’re running out of power fast here!â€Â

“Here goes!â€Â

Two simultaneous clunk-whirrs reverberated through the hull, and a few seconds later, the power levels began rapidly rising.

“Yes! We did it! Power's back online!â€Â

The two kerbals shared a zero-gravity high-four through the small hole between the capsules.

---

“You didn’t have to recap the entire mission.†Erdan told Desdin. “I did report on it after all.“

“So you know how popular the footage from Rondred’s camera feed was with audiences back on Kerbin.â€Â

“Of course,†Erdan replied. “Audiences love that sort of dramatic tension. Two kerbals stranded in a dying spacecraft with time running out. It’s like a movie! The fact that it was actually happening in real time only heightened the drama.â€Â

“So you understand why the space program wouldn’t be opposed to having that sort of thing happen more often.â€Â

“So you’re saying they just cut out safety entirely?â€Â

“No, not quite. But it became common practice to skip final checks, and cut corners during manufacturing.â€Â

“Wait a minute. Wasn’t that new engineer Jebediah brought into the program supposed to fix those problems? Are you saying that this didn’t happen?â€Â

“Are you kidding? If anything the rockets are getting worse now that Doodbro is part of the program. Having another manager didn’t fix anything, it just kept the program mired in bureaucracy and red tape. Different departments don’t talk to

each other, parts don’t work together, it’s chaos.â€Â

Erdan didn’t know what to say.

“Of course,†Desdin continued. “This all came to a head during Uranus V.â€Â

---

Three months later

Uranus V, Low Kerbin Orbit

---

Uranus V floated in the dark. Its pilot, Sean Kerman, lay back and let out a sigh of relief. The rocket booster had just decoupled, and he was safely in orbit. Despite intensive training, nothing could have prepared himself for the ferocity of a rocket launch. He looked out the window nervously. Not only was he the only kerbal on this mission, this was his very first time in space. He couldn’t get over how big everything was, as well as that instant death lay literally seventeen millimetres away.

To avoid dwelling on such unpleasant images, he turned his thoughts towards the mission. As a former reactor technician, he was the most qualified of all USKK kerbonauts for the task at hand. Wernher Von Kerman's prototype Radioisotope Thermal Generator was supposed to provide a steady trickle of power through harnessing the heat a sample of radioactive material gave off. Naturally, the technology had been thoroughly tested on the ground, but this was its first demonstration test in orbit.

Sean was merely there to monitor the RTG and make sure nothing went wrong. So simple, even a probe could do it! He suspected that the only reason he was along for the ride was to boost the prestige of the space program, in ways an unkerballed spacecraft could not.

Click

Click

The radiation counter mounted above his head made a bit of noise, then was silent. While there was more radiation up here than on the ground, the shielding of the capsule eliminated most of the nastier particles. Some still got through, but Sean had seen much worse.

The radio crackled. “How’s the RTG looking, Sean?“

“Current is nominal, Control. All systems are green.“

“Roger that. Wernher will be happy.“ The ground controller stopped talking, but failed to sign off, presumably speaking to other members of Mission Control in the background. Sean waited for him to continue. “The ballistics guys want you to

fire your engine for a few seconds at periapsis; this will adjust your orbit to pass through Kerbin’s radiation belts. They want to get a reading of the number of ionizing particles you can pick up, for a better idea of how the capsule shielding is holding up.“

“Roger that Control, let me know when and where to burn.†As he turned off the radio, Sean grumbled to himself, “For Nova’s sake, I am just a probe.â€Â

Still, it was a damn sight better than being stuck in an office down on Kerbin, the view was fantastic up here.

As the time came to make the burn, Sean gripped the controls, and began to turn the spacecraft, hearing the gentle thrummmmof the reaction wheels spinning up. Just like the simulations, he thought to himself.

Click click click

The counter started making more noise. Sean looked up in confusion. He hadn’t even made the burn; there’s no way he could be in the radiation belts yet. Perhaps this was simply a more energetic region of space? He put the counter’s increased activity out of his mind.

He gingerly throttled up the main engine, feeling the ship vibrate around him, and the gentle roar of propellant leaving the spacecraft. The burn went off without a hitch, and he shut down the engine.

ClickclickcliCkClickClickclickcLIckclickClicKclickclickclick

With the roar of the engine gone, the radiation counter’s frantic complaining could be plainly heard. Eyes wide, Sean looked around the capsule in panic. The counter was registering more and more radiation by the second, and he had no idea what was causing it.

This hazard was accompanied by another, more insidious problem. The lights in the capsule began to flicker, signifying a drop in power generation.

In a flash, Sean realized the cause of these problems: the RTG. He quickly radioed the ground.

“Control, I have an emergency here. The RTG is leaking material, repeat, the RTG is breached. Please advise.â€Â

“Roger that Sean, we’re reading a power decrease in your ship, as well as increased radiation levels. Hang on, I need to advise with the Power team.â€Â

A yellow light began pulsing, signifying a ‘High Radiation’ alert.

“Control, I know what the problems are! I’m asking you, what should I do?â€Â

No response. Fuming, Sean thanked Nova that he’d trained well for this mission, then slid out a tray which contained a red button marked ‘Abort’. Slamming his fist down on the button produced a small jolt which ran through the spacecraft.

Clickclickclick click click...click....click...............click...

Sean sighed in relief as the RTG floated away from him, its linkages to the spacecraft severed. Then his radio crackled again.

“Yes, Control?â€Â

“Uranus V, this is Gene. We want you to...wait. What’s your status? Our radiation sensors are back to normal.â€Â

“Affirmative, Gene. I jettisoned the RTG module.â€Â

“What? V, that means we’ve now got a piece of radioactive space debris floating around! Why did you do that?â€Â

“I stand by my actions; the radiation would have reached critical levels in less than a minute had I not decoupled the module.â€Â

For a long moment, Gene did not reply. Then he sighed heavily. “Fine. Well, we got some good data, so begin your deorbit burn and return home.â€Â

“Roger that Control.†Sean said stiffly.

“And Sean? I’m glad you’re alright.â€Â

The kerbonaut’s icy mood abated somewhat. “Thanks, Gene.†At least one member of Mission Control cared.

---

“That damaged RTG is still floating around Kerbin,“ Desdin explained. “It was later found that the vibrations from launch had shook apart the containment unit, and allowed the radioactive material to escape. Sean’s maneuvers had The RTG was then considered too dangerous for rocketry, and shelved for the time being.â€Â

Erdan paused before responding. “I’m not sure how this mission relates. Sure, audiences enjoyed Sean’s reactions, but the entire incident was over in less than two minutes. Most kerbals missed it entirely.â€Â

“That’s not why I told you about it. My point was that Mission Control was increasingly distant and unconcerned by the kerbals’ sacrifices and problems.â€Â

“From what you told me about the lax safety standards, I imagine the increased number of incidents would wear on them after a while.â€Â

“Exactly, Erdin. Eventually, the little problems became part of the mission, just like any old maneuver or systems check. Because it’s not as if any error ever caused a mission failure now, did it?â€ÂAside from the mispronunciation of his name

(which he was starting to think was intentional by now), Erdan noticed that Desdin’s right hand clenched into a fist as he spoke this last sentence.

“But one did, didn’t it?†he said carefully, knowing this would be a sensitive area for the former kerbonaut. “Uranus VIII.â€Â

Desdin said nothing. Erdan wondered if he’d pushed the kerbal too far. In fact, the entire reason he’d decided to do this interview was in order to get more details about that mysterious mission.

After a full two minutes, Desdin finally looked into Erdan’s eyes for the first time. Despite himself, the reporter shivered. Those eyes were like cold steel, hard and intense.

Desdin spoke. “Uranus VIII. Yes. This is where my tale has been leading.â€Â

“What happened?â€Â

“Hell. Erdun, it was hell.â€Â

---

Two months later

Uranus VIII, 200 km above Kerbin

---

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

Hand on the control stick, Desdin Kerman deftly guided his spacecraft towards his target.

“Beginning final approach now,†he spoke into his headset.

Beep...beep...beep...

The tracking monitor started to make more noise as his spacecraft got closer to the other. Desdin’s mission was to rendezvous with a sister craft, the Uranus VII. This contained a functional Reaction Control System, which would be used to dock with Desdin’s vessel. Concerned about weight, Uranus VIII contained no such system, but rather had more fuel and enhanced reaction wheels, to assist with the approach maneuver.

At the moment, he was following the directions of his tracking monitor and rangefinder. Each spacecraft had a small beacon constantly outputting a tiny radio signal, and by judging the strength of the other signal, a spacecraft could determine its distance to the other ship.

This was conveyed to the pilot via an audio system, which beeped faster the closer you were to the other spacecraft. Right now, Desdin estimated Uranus VII was about 300 metres away and rapidly closing.

BeepBeepBeepBeepâ€â€

Flicking off the rangefinder, he began firing the engine, killing his ship’s relative velocity with respect to Uranus VII. He expertly adjusted the throttle to bring the two spacecraft motionless relative to one another.

“This is Uranus VIII reporting successful approach maneuver. My velocity with respect to Uranus VII is now trivial,†he spoke proudly into the radio. Let's see Doodbert try to beat that!

“Uranus VII here, impressive maneuver, I'll admit. Though just watch as my docking breaks your speed record back on Kerbin!“

Desdin and Doodbert had arrived from different branches of the USKK military, and as such had a natural rivalry from the start. Each tried to outdo the other in performance and speed during training and in the simulators. The competition certainly did not stop once they were put in charge of actual spacecraft. As it stood, Desdin held the record for fastest docking from the close approach position the two craft were presently in. Unfortunately, it looked like Doodbert was about to challenge that record now.

“VII, this is Control. We advise you to take caution while approaching, this is the first real docking procedure we've tried in orbit.â€Â

“Relax, Control. I've done this hundreds of times in the simulator. Zero-gee just adds a bit of an extra challenge, that's all!â€Â

The hourglass-shaped Uranus VII spun itself to be perpendicular with VIII, and began moving in.

“Bert, don't you think you're forgetting something?â€Â

"What? I followed procedure to the…oh. Opening docking cover now.â€Â

Unfortunately, as Uranus VII continued to grow larger in Desdin's window, he could see that the docking port was still firmly covered.

“Doodbert, open your port now!â€Â

“I just did!â€Â

“Well, it's definitely not opened, so you need toâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Â

THUNK

“Dammit!â€Â

The two spacecraft spun around, Desdin bringing VIII swiftly under control.

“Control, we've got a problem.â€Â

It was a sign of how often these sorts of things happened when Control responded with annoyance, rather than concern.

“*sigh* Copy that, VIII. Just fix it as quick as you can, everyone here is tired and wants to go home.â€Â

“Roger, Control.â€Â

As he unbuckled from his chair, Desdin imagined millions of kerbals eagerly watching their television screens at this mention of a problem. Ever since the illustrious fix of Uranus III, all USKK spacecraft carried TV cameras to broadcast the

kerbonauts’ exploits to the entire country. The failures and subsequent solutions always boosted the public appeal of the space program, to the point where many vendors sold 'highlight reels' of the mishaps. Those kerbals who fixed the problems were always lauded as great heroes, so he looked forward to getting his hands on the problem.

“Control, I am going EVA for a closer look at the problem.â€Â

“Hey! I can fix it from in here, there's no need to get outside!â€Â

Doodbert knew this fact as well, and evidently hoped that he could be the hero this mission, rather than Doodbert Kerman, idiot kerbonaut who jammed his docking port doors shut. But Desdin had the spacesuit, so Desdin would fix the problem.

The spacesuits were a relatively old idea, but a new invention, brought on by necessity. The increasing rate of failures brought home the necessity of allowing a kerbal to inspect the exterior of his spacecraft and potentially make repairs.

The first-generation suits flew aboard Uranus VI, and that vessel’s crew had tested them during that mission.

Based on their feedback, tweaks had been made to its design, and this suit was fully reinforced, provided an excellent amount of breathable air, and best of all, included a jetpack. Wernher Von Kerman was rather vague about the specifics, but he had mentioned that the suit ionized a small portion of the air inside and forced it out into space to provide propulsion. This provided exceptional exhaust velocities, though it did slowly use up the kerbal’s supply of air over time. Also, the battery in the backpack could hold only so much charge to run the thing, so he would have to return to the spacecraft and recharge periodically. The power would definitely last long enough to take him the short distance to Uranus VII, though.

“Sorry Doodbert. You got the RCS, I got the spacesuit. See you outside!â€Â

Opening the hatch door, Desdin floated out into space. Activating the jetpack (officially it was known as the Kerballed Maneuvering Unit, or KMU, but everyone referred to it as a jetpack), he sped towards Uranus VII. While this technology was certainly fantastic, it didn't scale up very well, keeping spacecraft with extraordinary amounts of delta-v still out of reach. The thrust given by the thrusters was far too small to move much more than a kerbal around.

As Uranus VII fell away behind him, Desdin suddenly felt very small. The entire planet of Kerbin sat right below him, its clouds and cities merely two hundred kilometres away. Elsewhere, there was only darkness. The light from Kerbin and the sun completely washed out the faint stars, leaving Desdin alone in the cosmic darkness. Still, he had a jetpack. Touching the controls, he zipped towards Uranus VIII.

“Hey Bert,†Desdin knocked on the capsule's window. Visibly startled, Doodbert looked towards him in annoyance (and most likely jealousy).

“Just let me know what's wrong.â€Â

Desdin flew up to the front of the spacecraft, and took a close look at the docking adaptor. It didn't take long before he located the source of the problem.

“It looks like you've got a blown actuator.â€Â

“That's not so bad, just open the port manually, and I'll finish the docking.â€Â

“Not the 'blown' I meant. Something actually exploded, totally trashing the docking mechanisms.†With a cold chill, Desdin noticed that had the explosion been a little larger, the hatch seal would have been compromised, killing Doodbart

instantly. He elected not to tell the other kerbal this.

“Blast. Control, what's your take on this?â€Â

“It looks like docking is certainly possible and accurate in zero-gee, given by your attempt.â€Â

Indeed, the dent from Doodbart’s unsuccessful maneuver was perfectly centred on Uranus VIII's docking port.

“However, we don't want to risk any more damage to the spacecraft by docking with a non-functional port. You're coming back home early, boys.“

“Aww…â€Â

Desdin was saddened too. He had wanted to be able to fix the capsule and save the mission. Ah well, at least he had a jetpack. To console himself, he did a couple of loop-de-loops around Uranus VII (much to the annoyance of Doodbert). Upon returning to his spacecraft and repressurizing the cockpit, he opened up communications to the ground again.

“It looks like we're coming up on the deorbit burn now, Control. Am I clear to begin the maneuver?â€Â

“That's a negative, Uranus VIII. We need you on station in the event anything else goes wrong with VII.â€Â

“Roger. Though we've already had our failure this mission, what could possibly go wrong?â€Â

---

“Wait, wait, wait. You said that? For real?†Erdan interrupted.

The other kerbal was staring at the floor. It was a few seconds before he responded. Evidently, talking about the mission he was involved with took more effort to retell.

“In hindsight, it does look like I tempted fate. You must understand, it certainly didn’t feel that way at the time.â€Â

---

Desdin glanced out the window. Uranus VII’s retroburn completed successfully, and the other spacecraft flew away from his own. The radio crackled with Bert’s voice.

“Maneuver completed, I'm on target for splashdown east of the space centre. See you planetside!â€Â

“Bye, Bert. Control, I'm in position for my burn.â€Â

“Roger that, you may fire your engine when ready.â€Â

Confidently, Desdin shoved the throttle forward.

CHOOM

The capsule began spinning as if kicked by an invisible giant. The stars outside his window formed blurs as they spun by.

“Uh...Control, I've...ugh...had a problem.â€Â

The centrifugal force from the spinning capsule made it difficult to speak into his headset.

“What now? We're less than fifteen minutes until the end of the mission, for Harv's sake.â€Â

“I…I don't know. I’m currently...ugh...spinning very rapidly.â€Â

“Roger that, can your SAS not take care of the spin?â€Â

“That’s a negative, it’s telling me it’s...†Desdin struggled to read his panel clearly. “...Kp overloaded?â€Â

“Not good. We’re going to have to boost your horizontal torque to compensate. Can you reroute power to the reaction wheels?â€Â

Desdin hadn’t paid as much attention as he probably should have to the spacecraft orientation briefing, but he did remember how to do that.

“Affirmative. Rerouting...now.â€Â

After flicking the safety switch off, and dialing up the amount of power available to the reaction wheels, his spacecraft slowed its spin, and eventually stopped. Grateful for the relief, Desdin sat back for a second. Then he grabbed his control stick. Now he could figure out what had gone wrong.

A cursory scan of the sky showed a strange piece of debris approximately 100 metres away from his ship. Upon closer inspection, Desdin opened a channel back to the ground.

“Control, it appears that the decoupler triggered prematurely; the capsule is now the only remaining piece of the ship.â€Â

“What? By Nova, how did that happen?â€Â

“I don't know. I’m trying to figure that out now.â€Â

“Okay VIII, we're going to help you out but for now we need to coordinate Doodbert's recovery. We'll re-establish contact in about twenty minutes. Until then, try to figure out exactly what went wrong.â€Â

“…Roger.“

The radio went quiet, leaving Desdin in silence, save the tiny hiss of the life-support systems. All that remained between him and an icy death just centimetres beyond the capsule walls. In spite of himself, he shivered. He was utterly alone.

After several minutes of fruitlessly checking gauges and readouts, Desdin faced the inevitable: he'd have to go outside. While functionally it was exactly identical to the EVA he had performed half an hour ago, this one felt much riskier. While he'd still be forever lost in space if his pack failed, having contact with Control and Uranus VII had given him more of a sense of comfort. Now there was no one.

As he exited his capsule, he nervously looked around for the second part of the spacecraft. He eventually found it, floating some 200 metres away from his capsule and getting further away. Pushing off from Uranus VIII, he felt like he was leaving it behind forever. The arcjets ignited, and he sped towards the debris.

All of a sudden, everything went black. Panicking, Desdin looked around, fearing that he'd suddenly gone blind, until he saw Kerbin's night side. The many cities down on the planet shone their lights into space, confirming that he had in fact not lost his sight, the sun had simply set, as evidenced by the rapidly fading glow on the horizon. Grimacing, Desdin fumbled around for the button to toggle his helmet lights on.

Upon reaching the debris, Desdin grabbed hold and investigated it more closely. Everything appeared intact, with no obvious shorted cabling or exploded propellant tanks. Then, he noticed the decoupler. Several explosive bolts had triggered, decoupling the capsule from the rest of the spacecraft, exactly as it was designed to do. There must have been some sort of fault which had prematurely triggered them. Searching the wiring for problems proved fruitless, as most of the control systems were contained within the capsule.

The capsule! Desdin had lost track of it against the darkness of the night sky. He frantically searched for a dark patch among the stars, anything to tell him where it was. His light was too diffuse to illuminate anything at more than 100 metres or so.

Desdin floated alone in the dark, resigned to wait until the sun came up.

Then, in a flash of insight, he remembered the transponder tracking system. The signal which his ship gave off could be heard by his suit’s radio! Hardly daring to breathe, he pointed his antenna at various spots in the sky while listening carefully for the signal.

At first, he heard nothing but the faint hiss of static. Heart hammering in his ears, he twisted around, trying to hear something.

All of a sudden, a faint beeeeeeeeeeeeep came from his upper left. Back on Kerbin, he found that sound exceptionally annoying, but at the moment it was more welcome than being told about free snacks. Excitedly, he fired his thrusters and shot off in that direction, the signal growing stronger by the second. Finally, he got close enough for his light to illuminate the dark outline of his ship.

Wrenching open the capsule door, cramming himself in, and repressurizing in record time, Desdin yanked off his helmet. The air levels hadn't fully normalized yet, so he felt light-headed for a few seconds. After strapping himself into his seat, he leaned back. He was a wreck. His heart was hammering, and his breaths came in short, rapid bursts. His hands were shaking so much that he had trouble grasping the controls. For now, he just rested them in his lap.

Then he noticed a red light on his control panel. It had stayed dark through most of the mission, but now it had activated, it signified the capsule had less than ten percent of its power remaining. Desdin smacked himself on the forehead. Of course, the solar panels were back on the jettisoned part of his spacecraft, and the high power levels he had been drawing to run the reaction wheels were draining the batteries dry.

Acting quickly, Desdin switched off all systems, reaction wheels, the radio, even the flight computer. With no engines or any sort of maneuvering system, it was uselessly drawing power. The only thing he left on were the life support system, and even then he dialed back the heaters to their lowest setting. It would keep him from freezing to death, but the capsule would get cold.

Desdin leaned back. He realized that he couldn't contact Mission Control without draining the battery further. With the comm on, he'd only have about an hour of life support left. Besides, he doubted that Control would have much to contribute; they'd probably just tell him to deorbit himself with his jetpack, and catch him with a helicopter or something if he survived reentry, based on their ‘solutions’ they’d come up with for the past few missions.

---

“So what did you do?“ Erdan asked, with bated breath. Desdin had stopped talking. The kerbal was now staring down into his hands, studying them intently.

“Desdin? We've got to continue theâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“

“I know.“ This short response was enough to make Erdan stop. He glanced at the camerakerbal, who was likely feeling much like how Erdan was; intrigued about Desdin's story, but put off by his mannerisms.

After about thirty seconds, Desdin continued, still without looking up.

“I…mentioned how terrifying it is to…exit your spacecraft on the night side. That darkness, the cities of Kerbin your only light, it's…it's horrible.“

“But why did you go outside? What was your plan?“

“Thinking about how Control would have reacted gave me the solution: I had my jetpack. I could use it to deorbit the entire capsule, heatshield, parachute and all.“

“But you mentioned that the jetpack didn't produce much thrust. Deorbiting an entire capsule must have taken hours.“

“Six. It took…six. Six hours of utter silence, six hours of pushing that capsule. At the end I wasn't sure if I'd…if I'd even make it to the ground alive."

---

Mission Control

---

“This is RC-107 calling Control, we have a visual on the capsule.â€Â

“Roger that, RC. What's its status?“ Gene jumped to his feet.

“Currently floating in the ocean, off the coast of Espinias. Are we clear to enter their territory? Don't want to spark another international incident.â€Â

“They're currently CKFN-leaning, it might not be the best idea to provoke them. They've been known to shoot at any unfriendly aircraft they see, including large birds.â€Â

“Copy, this large bird is staying well away. Do you know if the kerbal's still alive in there?â€Â

“We lost all contact with the spacecraft about a day ago. He must have turned off his radio to save power. Unfortunately, it never came back online, so we have no idea. However, his life support couldn't have lasted this long, even with all

nonessential systems shut down.†Gene paused, then continued in a hoarse voice. “He's…he's probably gone.â€Â

The comm was silent for a moment.

“Roger that.â€Â

“I'll work on getting official clearance to retrieve the capsule. It shouldn't take more than a day or so, divert to the nearest friendly runway and remain on standby.â€Â

“Affirmative, we’ll stay in touch.â€Â

Gene sat down heavily, head in hands. How did this mission go so wrong?

---

“So how did you get back to the USKK?â€Â

Desdin was staring sideways, not really paying attention to Erdan. Before the newscaster could repeat his question though, the former kerbonaut responded.

“Does it matter?â€Â

Erdan stopped short. “You describe the whole mission vividly, except your rescue?“

“You call that a rescue?†All of a sudden, Desdin was filled with rage, again staring at Erdan with those terribly intense eyes. “They abandoned me. I was floating in that capsule for longer than I was in space, and they were shocked to

realize that I was still alive when they pulled it out of the sea!â€Â

“I…ah,â€Â

“Why didn't they save me? Why didn't they bring me back from space sooner? Why didn't they pull me out of my capsule as soon as I landed? I could see the rescue plane! I could see it!â€Â

At this, Desdin began sobbing, taking Erdan by surprise. He moved over, and patted the former kerbonaut's shoulder awkwardly.

“There, there. I'm sure they did everything they could. From what I heard, they saved you from being captured by the CKFN.â€Â

Desdin looked up. “Saved me? I wasn't saved. They opened my eyes to the true nature of the space program. Corruption, lies, and incompetence, it goes all the way to the core, same as the whole USKK!â€Â

Shocked, Erdan had no response for this. Desdin looked directly into his eyes.

“Mark my words, Erdan. You'll get plenty more of these stories in the future. The space program is heading towards doom.â€Â

---

For the first fifteen minutes after they left Desdin’s house, neither reporter nor camerakerbal spoke.

Finally Erdan broke the silence. “So... What did you think of the interview?â€Â

“Honestly sir? I don’t think he’s really all there. The poor guy went through a lot, I’m pretty sure he’s not remembering everything correctly. And that rant at the end... I mean, come on!â€Â

“Really? I thought he had a couple of valid points.â€Â

“I don’t know. I think he’s just steamed at the program for not rescuing him right away. The guy’s got a point about being left floating off of some city-state’s borders for well over a day, but seriously? He was completely making things up about those lax safety checks. By Harv, you just had an interview with Jeb where he reassured you that they’re doing all they can, safety-wise.â€Â

“That’s true. You can’t excuse me from being skeptical of the official story though. I’ve got to show the story from all sides.â€Â

“So be skeptical of this kerbal! Didn’t you see his house? He’s a recluse, hiding away from society. He’s spouting off conspiracy theories and more. I don’t think ‘his side’ even deserves to be aired.â€Â

“You may have a point,†Erdan responded, looking off into the distance as the van drove along.

---

His camerakerbal’s words haunted Erdan for the next few days. As he looked over the footage, he debated with himself whether or not he should publish it. Sure, it was an example of free speech, but it was true, a lot of the kerbal's accusations seemed unfounded at best, and occasionally, conspiratorial and downright paranoid. As he went to bed, he placed the tapes on his bedside table, resolving to decide what to do with them in time for work tomorrow.

He was still was in turmoil after waking up. As he went through his morning routine, no answer came easily. Then, as he was about to leave for the studio, his eyes fell on his very first journalism award, lovingly maintained in a display case by the front door. He had won that back in high school, for his excellent reporting on the final hours and ceasefire of the Great War. He had a duty to the citizens of this nation, to keep them informed on worldwide events and uphold the truth. If that meant he'd have to show the other side of the story now and again, so be it. He grabbed the tapes, and put them in his bag.

When he arrived at the studio, he gave the lead tech the tapes and told him to work them into the afternoon broadcast. His conscience satisfied, he began working through his interview schedule for the day. Shortly after lunch, however, he received a phone call from the tech.

“I'm terribly sorry sir, we can’t find the tapes. One of the interns must have misplaced them. I’m so sorry!â€Â

“Don’t worry about it. Keep looking for it, but it's not the end of the world if you can't find them. Just air a rerun of 'Story Time with Xactar' if they don't turn up.“

“Will do.â€Â

Erdan paused for a minute. How curious. Ah well, he had more important things to do today, the tapes would probably turn up eventually.

They never did.

I apologize for the long delay; this chapter took a lot of work. The amount of rewrites I did because Desdin felt too inconsistent to me are too numerous to count. He turned out alright in the end though.

As for the next chapter, it will be out much sooner than this one, it is a lot shorter!

Thanks for all the kind words and support!

Edited April 16, 2015 by CalculusWarrior

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Well, seems like the USKK has some things to explain...

Also, I don't recommend building space centers so close to cities.

[ZoidPool]

Turrah! Thank you CalculusWarrior! This is life.

[Tw1]

I almost missed this! Opps.

Poor Desdin. He got quite an unlucky run. He didn't seem inconsistent to me, so well done. Getting characters right is tricky. An interesting interpretation of the jetpack system. I thought for a moment that the solar panels had been forgotten, but then, the USKK wouldn't have become that sloppy.

Was that a new mod used for the engine fire, or image editing techniques?

[Rolanvorxariat]

poor Desdin.. oh, and i am writing a Kold war that is supposed to take place about 300 years after your story, and there will be some references to your story. i have linked your story to the page. Are you Kool with it, or... not?

Oh, and i havent posted it yet. still writing.

EDIT: Done writing

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/106722-The-Second-Kold-War-Kolonation-Duna-Dunnily-Programme

Edited January 12, 2015 by Rolanvorxariat

[CalculusWarrior]

poor Desdin.. oh, and i am writing a Kold war that is supposed to take place about 300 years after your story, and there will be some references to your story. i have linked your story to the page. Are you Kool with it, or... not?

Oh, and i havent posted it yet. still writing.

Hi there! Feel free to post away; I look forward to seeing what you write! I am totally kool, don't you worry.

[asmi]

I gotta thank you for amazing writing - can't wait for the next chapter!

[Kubaf16]

Amazing. 2.2 Is best as for me.

[Wabbit]

For devs sake!

[CalculusWarrior]

Kold War returns! I've discovered that I quite like writing really long stories, and so they take eons to edit up. My apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out! You can look forward to the CKFN's answer to Desdin's infamous docking in the following segment.

Additionally, if you have any suggestions for future chapters, general feedback on the story, or a really amusing anecdote, now is the time to post them! My plans for Chapter IV are coming together, so any extra ideas or pointers would be most appreciated.

Enjoy!

---

CKFN: Space Facility Meeting Room Delta

Four Months before Uranus VII & VIII docking attempt

---

“So it’s decided. We’ll use the RV-105 thruster ports for the docking maneuver.â€Â

“Hey, hold on a sec! We never came to a final decision on that! I still think the PA-7 linear thrusters offer more control over the spacecraft’s translation.â€Â

“But the 105s give more control directions, for a cheaper price to boot! Not to mention the increase of mass when you have to account for those extra PA-7s onboard.â€Â

“They’re RCS thrusters. Their mass is negligible! Besides, Reaction Systems Ltd. will sponsor us if we use their models. That offsets the increased cost!â€Â

“And how would STEADLER react? You think reaction wheels just grow on trees?â€Â

Danford sighed. He felt like this argument had been going on for weeks. In a way, it had. When the initial Munar design session proved to be utter chaos, he’d held many smaller meetings in the weeks since then. The hope was that they could be more productive and finalize all the details of the CFKN’s Munar mission without too many arguments.

He was half-successful, at least. While they did accomplish more, the meetings were anything but focused; the fewer kerbals meant more arguments between engineers. Even the timider ones had surprisingly strong opinions on certain mission components.

Dilbrett, a major voice in these meetings, addressed the entire room.

“Regardless of the make of thruster, we can’t just ignore the fact that the RCS and docking systems are completely unproven. A mission aiming for the Mun which depends on those components working perfectly is extraordinarily reckless, worthy of those fools in the USKK!â€Â

Heads nodded around the table, as the Uranus III solar panel mishap was fresh in the minds of all those present.

Scratching his chin, Danford addressed his Chief Engineer. “So Brett, what do you propose we do about it?â€Â

---

CKFN: Advisory Council Meeting Room

Three Weeks Later

---

Spirits high, Danford entered the room. As was custom, all Council members ignored him; they were debating some issue or another among themselves.

It appeared that today was a special day; the President himself was there too. The leader of the CKFN rarely bothered with these meetings (and the inevitable disagreements which resulted), instead preferring to read the summaries drawn up by each council member. However, with elections coming up, he evidently wanted to keep his ear close to the ground when it came to the various programs of the CKFN.

Clearing his throat, the Director of the Space Programme stood in front of the council members.

“Ah Danford, you’re here. You had mentioned you had some sort of presentation for us?†BIlcas commented, looking up from his papers.

“I do. Corely, if you’d please?â€Â

His companionâ€â€a young intern working at the Space Programmeâ€â€struggled through the door, arms full of slides. These detailed the various technical specifications of the entire Munar roadmap, from launchpad maintenance specifications to which brand of snacks the kerbals should carry with them on their journey.

“Set the projector up in the back,†Danford instructed, as the kerbal dragged a large suitcase full of audiovisual equipment into the room.

When he had managed to get everything set up and the Council members had turned toward the projection screen, Danford began.

“As you all know, in recent months the USKK has been exceeding our space program in nearly every conceivable manner, from number of launches to new technologies developed. Fortunately, we are ready to counter these accomplishments with one of our own, one which will exceed anything the USKK plans to put into space. Corely?â€Â

The intern turned on the projector, which displayed a full page of flux integrals, capable of instilling fear in anyone who had not undergone at least three years of vector calculus. This was decidedly not what Danford intended to show the Advisors, and he glanced at the intern in the back, clearing his throat pointedly.

The kerbal in the back fumbled with slides, inserting another into the projector. An image of Danford on his last vacation appeared on the screen. This was the one where he had ill-advisedly gone hula dancing and was as such dressed in a short grass skirt, promoting a fair number of chuckles from the audience.

Cheeks flushingâ€â€where had Corely even found that pictureâ€â€Danford cleared his throat once more.

Finally, the correct image appeared, that of the full Mun, as imaged through the CKFN’s finest telescope.

“Our goal is simple: the Mun,†Danford announced, hoping the previous two slide mixups did not detract from the gravity of this announcement. The four kerbals of his audience froze in shock, not sure how to respond to this ambitious announcement.

Bilcas was the first to react. “Land on the Mun? How much will that cost?â€Â

“I thought the space program was aiming for only near-Kerbin missions? Why are you shooting for the Mun?†General Geoffnard commented.

Even Bilfrod had something to say. “A Munar mission certainly is possible, but I have doubts about your hardware. If you’re currently taking months to build a rocket just to reach low orbit, how long will an entire Munar landing take to complete?â€Â

Danford sighed. He’d expected this criticism, certainly, but surely one of the council members could show a little support? Bilfrod was the Science Advisor, by Mu! Surely he’d appreciate a Munar mission.

“If you’ll turn to Page Seven of the reportâ€â€thank you Corelyâ€â€you’ll see our estimates for the missions’ cost, timescales, and feasibility.†The intern distributed thick booklets to each Council Member.

Danford’s eyes turned to the President. That important CKFN official’s expression was neutral as he parsed the words of Danford and the Council members.

Finally he spoke. “As you mentioned, the USKK has been launching a great deal of ships, achieving greater and greater feats every mission. Their launch capabilities obviously greatly exceed our own. It may be in our best interests to invest the time and resources that would be spent on such a Munar mission on improving our infrastructure and increasing the number of kerbals we put into orbit.â€Â

“With all due respect sir, if our eyes are turned anywhere but skyward, we will most definitely fall behind the USKK. All funds are currently put towards constructing and improving the rockets we have now; we have none to spare for upgrading our facilities. That being said, I believe our current facilities are good enough to allow a Munar Landing.â€Â

Apparently satisfied by this, the President sat back in his chair.

“So unless there are further questions, I will continue with our series of missions,†Danford addressed all members of the Council.

“Our initial proposal is a test of the Reaction Control and docking systems, which will occur in Low Kerbin Orbit. This hardware is the most crucial for our chosen Munar mission configuration, and we must be completely confident in its ability to keep our crew alive on a mission to the Mun.â€Â

“We will launch two ships, a modified Caelus capsule with integrated docking port, as well as an unkerballed refueling vessel based off of the Caelus design. These two vessels will rendezvous in orbit, then dock together. We will test several methods which will be critical for the Munar mission, including fuel transfer and a long-duration stay in orbit. Fortunately for us, the USKK has proven that long-term missions are indeed possible, so we will pack the refueling ship with supplies to maintain our crew on-orbit for at least a week, the longest a Munar mission could reasonably take to complete.â€Â

“Our next mission will then follow up on this framework, and send a Caelus and its refueler on a Munar flyby trajectory, the first of its kind. This will both gather information for further Munar testing as well as serve to boost our standing as a leader of space explorationâ€Â

“During all of this, the plan is to design and build a separate spacecraft which is capable of landing on the Mun. With the knowledge we will have gained, it will then be trivial to attach it to a final Caelus–refueler, and put kerbal boots on the ground!â€Â

Corely changed the slide to an artist’s impression of a spacesuited kerbal standing on the Mun, a flag flying bravely as he gazed towards Kerbin, depicted as a small blue marble on the horizon.

“Now if you’ll all follow along with me in the report, I go over exactly how these missions will be carried out…â€Â

---

After the meeting, Danford was supervising Corely’s efforts to put away the projector, making sure that he didn’t drop another expensive piece of equipment. Then he noticed that General Geoffnard remained in the room. “Something I can do for you, General?â€Â

“Why yes, Danford. By your estimate, would the refueling vessel exceed 5 tonnes?â€Â

“Uhh…We haven’t compiled a detailed mass budget yet, but it shouldn’t. Why do you ask?†answered Danford, somewhat confused by this request.

“I am overseeing a division of the Military which has been experimenting with our own rocket designs, and we’ve come up with a vehicle capable of launching approximately that weight to orbit. It promises to be much cheaper and faster to build than the ships you’re currently working on at your Facility.â€Â

“Interesting,†mused Danford.

“We should be able to lend a hand in your situation. Naturally, we don’t have the same calibre of engineering talent that you’ve acquired, so some…assistance from your staff would be most welcome.â€Â

Caught off-guard by this offer, Danford had to take a minute before replying. “This isâ€â€this is really generous of you, General!†Then the Director’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the catch?â€Â

“No catch, don’t you worry. It’s to both our advantages if we combine forces. We’re fighting on the same side, after all.†The General’s eyes twinkled, and he exited the meeting room.

---

CKFN: Danford’s Office

4 months later, Immediately prior to Uranus VII & VIII docking maneuver

---

“Director?â€Â

A timid kerbal peeked into Danford’s office.

Caelus III had run into yet more delays, mere weeks from launch. This left Danford in a particularly irritable mood as he tried to resolve them in a timely manner. “What is it?†he snapped, without even looking up from his desk.

“Y-you may want to see this. The USKK, well, they…they’ve launched another mission.â€Â

“Already?†Now he did glance up from his paperwork, snorting in annoyance. “They’re really pumping those rockets out. What does this make, the seventh?â€Â

“Actually, t-there are two rockets. We’re…not getting much, but it looks like they’re attempting some sort of…docking procedure.â€Â

Danford sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. “Let me see this.â€Â

He strode out to the main assembly chamber, where a small television sat, perched atop an engine bell. Sure enough, there was footage of a USKK spacecraft lining up for a docking maneuver with another ship, which was already in orbit.

Danford arrived just in time to see that spacecraft bump into the other one, shaking the camera mercilessly. The image had no sound accompanying it, but Danford could easily imagine the loud THUD such an impact would generate.

Several engineers winced.

“Well, it doesn’t look like they’ve quite managed to figure out docking yet,†Danford remarked to the assembled crowd, his dark mood lightening a touch.

“Nah, his approach was fine, it’s just that the port doors didn’t open, see?†replied Dilbrett. The lead engineer was present as always, his keen eyes picking out minute details on the two spacecraft.

“Hm, why so they didn’t. I wonder what the cause was?â€Â

“It looks like we’re about to find out, one of the kerbals is going EVA!†one of the gathered engineers remarked excitedly.

Danford hated to admit it, but the USKK certainly did advance its technology quickly. It was only a few months ago that the EVA suits were merely an idea. In fact, many academics had had doubts that it was even possible to sustain a kerbal outside of their spacecraft. But despite the naysayers, the USKK had built a functional suit and a jetpack system, which the onscreen kerbal was now using to fly towards the stricken vessel.

Several engineers chuckled as the kerbonaut on EVA tapped on Uranus VII’s window and waved to the kerbal inside. However, from his reaction to the damage, it appeared that the port had sustained irreparable damage, and so he began the trip back to his own spacecraft.

Now that the excitement had passed, the assemblage of kerbals dispersed back to their assigned jobs throughout the VAB, leaving Danford and Dilbrett watching the capsule commence its deorbit burn.

“You know Brett, what I’d like to know is how on Kerbin they always manage to beat us to whatever we’re planning. I know the media constantly reports on our mission plans, so they’re far from secret, but surely we have at least some sort of head start!â€Â

Dilbrett responded. “Simple. It’s their quantity over our quality.†Switching off the TV, he faced Danford. “Since our ships are so much more robust than theirs, we can head straight for the Mun, while the USKK are dealing with faulty RTGs and malfunctioning components in low orbit!â€Â

Danford sighed. “You have a point. Though I would have expected us to launch at least something during these last four months. The USKK’s just launched their eighth Uranus, for crying out loud! Surely we can launch a probe or something, just to stop grass from growing on the launchpad?â€Â

“Everyone’s working as hard as they can on Caelus, I can assure you, with little resources to spend on anything else. However, the fact that we have to build a refueling ship at the same time certainly didn’t speed matters up though. At the moment we’re spending most of our time there just integrating it with General Geoffnard’s launch vehicle. Now, if you’d give Project Jupiter another look, it would provide a common format of attachment andâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Â

“Dilbrett, if we don’t have enough workers and money to work on one little probe, we certainly don’t have enough to build a whole new lifter system. Just…†Danford massaged his temples. “Just keep working with the staff and resources you have on Caelus. I’ll see what I can do about getting some more.â€Â

Danford walked back to his office. This was all Bilcas’ fault: that cantankerous old kerbal kept on slashing his budget, despite the importance of his mission. He’d have to bring this up at the next Advisory Council meeting…

---

CKFN: Site 84B

Three Weeks Later

---

The icy wind nipped at Dilbrett’s face, prompting the engineer to wrap his scarf a little tighter. Why he of all kerbals was required to be present for this launch was far beyond him; it would have gone off just as well had he been back at the space facility, sitting in a nice, comfortable, climate-controlled room in the VAB, enjoying a nice hot beverage. Sure, Danford had told him to make sure the launch of the docking target went off perfectly, and he did catch that frozen O-ring on one of the SRBs, but the weather here was absolutely unbearable.

Even the rocket itself made him uncomfortable. General Geoffnard’s ‘engineering talent’ were basically model rocket jockeys who had never even heard of a liquid-fuelled engine. All they had on hand were SRBs, and had built their launcher entirely from those. He still got a nasty taste in his mouth whenever he looked at the thing. SRBs! With them on board, you might as well just not even bother with a guidance system at all.

Still, his team had done good work for this rocket. They had stripped a Caelus spacecraft down to its structural frame, attached a probe core, expanded fuel system, and a whole load of batteries, all along with an integrated docking port on top. It was some of their finest work, well worth the time it had taken to complete.

All except for the batteries, that is. Dilbrett was itching to get his hands on a proper solar panel, but the teams in the labs were having trouble making them work in vacuum. Thus, the giant array of batteries would have to do.

A shout from the launchpad distracted him from his musings.

“Rocket secured, we’re clear for launch!â€Â

The crews had completed their final inspection of the rocket and its payload. The ship had evidently passed all tests with flying colours. It didn’t even need fuelling; the propellants were storable and preloaded. Of course, it made for some tense construction scenarios, requiring strict procedures for booster handling to prevent accidents. How the imbeciles in the USKK’s program managed to attach SRBs to every rocket of theirs without blowing themselves up was beyond Dilbrett.

As the countdown reached zero, the docking target began its climb into the heavens. Officially, this ship had no name, as it was a singular event, this launch. Future refueling vessels would launch aboard Caelus lifters for increased payload capacity. However, this did not stop the engineers who built the vessel from christening her the Janus.

Janus streaked towards space, slowly arcing over in a rough approximation of a gravity turn. Rather than the easterly launch profile all ships from either USKK or CFKN had followed up to this point, Janus was launching nearly due south, in a trajectory specifically calculated to pass directly over the main Space Facility, where Caelus III sat ready on the launchpad.

As the rocket faded from view, Dilbrett went to an intercom, punched in his special code, then spoke into the microphone. “Payload launched as expected and is en route. We are go for Caelus III. Repeat, we are go.â€Â

---

CKFN: 24.7 km above sea level

Five minutes later

---

Matdun carefully guided Caelus III through the air. The liftoff had been smooth, but the most difficult part of this ascent still lay ahead. Danford had decided that they must rendezvous with Janus immediately, as even Dilbrett’s huge battery array was not guaranteed to last an entire orbit without a recharge. Once the spacecraft went dead, there was no way to find it in the sky, let alone give it commands. Thus, it was crucial that Matdun rendezvous with the target on her first try.

“Jenfry, get me a reading on our relative velocity,†she barked.

Her crewmate punched a few keys on his console, bringing up the necessary number. A cursory glance showed her uncomfortably large numbers. Their pitch over maneuver had come too late, the consequence of a thunderstorm occurring several hundred kilometres downrange. As a consequence, too much of their velocity was vertical, and Janus was blazing along at well over two kilometres per second towards them.

I wasn’t trained for this, dammit! She had seconds to figure out how to solve this, otherwise Janus would blow right by them, and would be dead by the time she could get Caelus III into a proper orbit.

“Jenfry, I’m pitching us down to five degrees above the horizontal. Please advise the ground of this.â€Â

“Roger thaâ€â€wait, five degrees? We shouldn’t pitch over to less than thirty until at least forty klicks!â€Â

“Jenfry, there’s a time for procedure, and there’s a time for flying by the seat of your pants. I learned that from Bilvin a long time ago.â€Â

Indeed, it was that other kerbonaut’s last-second maneuver on Caelus II which had prompted Matdun to try and learn some unconventional skills so that she could prepare would for any situations like this.

“Well, Roger that I guess. Control, we’re pitching down to a criminally low attitude at this altitude so we can catch Janus, please confirm.â€Â

Standard procedure dictated that a rocket should not pitch over too far in a dense airflow for good reason. Deviating more than ten degrees from one’s prograde marker would result in an drag distributing itself unevenly on the vessel, causing an improperly-controlled rocket to tumble out of control.

Fortunately, this spacecraft was in the best hands on Kerbin.

“How’s that relative speed looking like now, Jenfry?†she yelled over the engine noise.

“It’s decreasing quickly! Very quickly! Wait…now it’s stopped decreasing. Uh, is this a problem?

CHOOM

“Negative, the second stage ran out of fuel; I just decoupled it. What’s our velocity now?â€Â

A gentle vibration began as the four engines of Caelus throttled up as the ship continue to burn towards its target.

“Relative velocity has dropped below one hundred metres per second! You’ve circularized our orbit and we’re on a direct rendezvous course with Janus, five-point-three klicks away. You did it, Matt!â€Â

The pilot relaxed her tight grip on the controls. Despite the odds, she’d pulled this off. The sound of cheering came through her earpiece, and a smile spread across her face.

---

Matdun spoke into her headset. “We are sitting two hundred metres off Janus’ starboard side. Requesting permission for final approach, over.â€Â

“Permission granted, Caelus III, you are clear to begin the docking maneuver. Best of luck.â€Â

“Roger that, Danford!†Jenfry said brightly into the radio. “Activating RCS now.â€Â

Despite his goofy attitude and lack of professionalism, Jenfry certainly knew how to dock a spacecraft. It didn’t matter if it was spinning, reentering an atmosphere, or completely out of RCS fuel, he would hit that target. And he had done so, in the simulator, multiple times.

So it was to Matdun’s complete unsurprise that she felt the two spacecraft connect smoothly, with a faint clink. “Docking successful,†she reported. “Linking spacecraft subsystems now.â€Â

The interior lights dimmed for a second as the two spacecrafts’ electrical systems coupled, but quickly increased back to their normal levels.

Now that the two spacecraft had successfully connected, things could proceed at a more leisurely pace. Their task was now to confirm that fuel transfer was indeed possible between spacecraft. Flicking several overhead switches, Matdun configured the tanks onboard the Janus to begin pumping fuel into Caelus’ half-full ones.

With a low whine, fuel pumps began moving mass from the other spacecraft to Caelus III.

“This looks like it could take a while,†Jenfry commented, as he stared at the tank gauge levels, which were increasing at a snail’s pace.

“Then let’s take the chance to admire the view,†responded Matdun, looking out her window. The sun had just risen, illuminating the planet below. Despite being a relative veteran of the Space Programme, she never tired of the sights one saw from orbit.

---

CKFN: Advisory Council Meeting Room

Two days later

---

“I think I can speak for everyone when I congratulate you on achieving your objective, Danford!†General Geoffnard exclaimed. “At this pace, we will make it to the Mun years before the USKK even leaves Kerbin orbit.â€Â

Bilfrod, on the other hand, found value in the technical achievements attained. “Demonstrating that fuel pumps function as expected in orbit opens up so many new opportunities! Just think, we can have vast refuelling stations in Kerbin orbit, ready to top off and send vessels to the Mun and beyond at a moment’s notice! A true spaceport!â€Â

“Yes yes, well done Danford.†Bilcas, as always, remained unaffected by the report. “However, I couldn’t help but notice the reaction of our population. Public opinion of the Space Programme is flagging, the exact opposite of what appears to be occurring in the USKK. Their docking mission was far more exciting: the tension when those two spacecraft slammed together, the light-hearted EVA which followed, the heartbreak which gripped their nation at the presumed death of one of the kerbals, and then the sheer joy at his discovery days later. It was almost like something out of a movie!â€Â

“Butâ€â€but it shouldn’t be out of a movie; a properly-executed space mission should achieve all its objectives without incident. The USKK is dangerously flippant with their kerbals’ safety, and nearly all our engineers agree that it’s just a matter of time until something goes horribly wrong!â€Â

“Be that as it may, their space program certainly has captured their public’s admiration and support.†The Finance Minister leaned forward. “Perhaps it is time to emulate their ‘kerbal’ policy, and loosen safety regulations slightly. I am certain the public would greatly enjoy theâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Â

Danford interrupted, horrified. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. How can you just casually suggest we put our crew at risk like that? This meeting is over. Goodnight!â€Â

As he stormed out of the meeting room, it occurred to Danford that Bilcas would likely take this disagreement as reason to slash the Space Programme’s budget yet again. Dilbrett would not be pleased…

Edited March 26, 2015 by CalculusWarrior

[Tw1]

Welcome back! Nice chapter. Well done CkFN!

[DuoDex]

A new chapter! Yes!

[KSK]

Kold War returns! I've discovered that I quite like writing really long stories, and so they take eons to edit up. My apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out!

It's back! And yay for the comment about long stories - I'll read as much Kold War as you write!

[Rolanvorxariat]

This is probably my favorite ksp story yet. Nice to see another chapter out!

[Commissioner Tadpole]

I'm sorta rooting for the CKFN now. I really hope that they won't fall into the same pitfall as the USKK and incorporate needless danger into their flights. Why is their audience losing interest, though? A space program with parts that actually work is better than one with parts that risk not working or don't work at all. But ah well, they're Kerbals...

[SemiaCloud]

This is a really good story. I wonder what happened to the tapes for that interview with Desdin...