Mars-Bound Hokie

It doesn't, I just wanted to show you a fanwork of mine that involved contact with Native Laythans. In AMBS, the first explorers were unarmed (just like Johnfrid in the Neptune Files). Though the kerbals tried to explain that they came in peace, the Clivar kidnapped them and murdered them. When the picture of the Clivar attack was received, the kerbals (understandably) wanted revenge and deployed the Strike Force to wipe out the tribe behind the explorers' deaths. Once they defeated the Clivar, they found kerbal skeletons in a mass Laythan grave. About a quarter of the way into the novel, you'll find out what really happened to the Clivar tribe after their defeat. In the meantime, the kerbals set up a base several kilometers away from the Ryagii village and forged a friendly relationship with them. Until Bob left Jool for Dres, he was working on how to grow Laythan crops on Kerbin and make them usable for space travel. Kerbals are photosynthetic, but Laythans aren't. When a kerbalnaut when Sheri Kerman was murdered, Major Victor Kerman (Val's older brother) suspects it's the Laythans. However, a Laythan eyewitness told the base personnel that he saw a "bright-eyed metal monster" drive away from where she was killed. Scott and Matt Kerman are working on designing a submarine to transport to Laythe, and Matt consults the designs for Laythan "boots." Laythe's waters don't freeze due to its high mineral concentration; its average temperature is way below zero Celsius. Though it is implied that there are other Laythan tribes out there, they're smaller and more spread out due to: Most of the planet being covered in water. Limited resources on the islands due to the cold temperatures. You try fishing where the water's mineral concentration is high AND where it can get to around -35 degrees Celsius (on average) Yeah, Johnfrid shouldn't take any chances and run. At least the Neptune III can get away and return later or land at a different spot.

To answer @fulgur's question, AMBS and the Neptune Mission Files are completely different timelines. As for @Geschosskopf, in AMBS, the first two waves Laythe explorers were killed by a native Laythan tribe known as the Clivar. When the pictures of the Clivar attacking the second wave were received on Kerbin, most of the population wanted revenge and sent a large SSTO full of armed soldiers to Laythe. They teamed up with the Ryagii tribe and were victorious against the Clivar. The leader of the Kerbal Strike Force was Val's older brother, Victor Kerman. However, near the beginning of the story (except the prologue, where Bill and Jeb were ~9 (Val was 10 and Bob was ~6)), nobody knows what really happened to the Clivar after the battle. Though the military claims that the Clivar were simply driven away and starved to death, there were rumors that the Kerbal Strike Force exterminated the entire tribe - men, women, and children alike. If you read the novel, you'll find out EXACTLY what happened. It's still a work in progress, but at least by now you should know what became of the Clivar (and the Ryagii).

Kerbin's central government had already performed a full-scale investigation: nobody else but Johnfrid has stepped foot on Laythe. The only way a bunch of cosplayers could get to Laythe unnoticed is if they had stealth space-travel technology. But even then, why doesn't the KSP have it? KSP also checked and determined nobody got on the aerial probe, which only has room for ONE possible stowaway. And the probe is currently on a different island. Unfortunately, Johnfrid has no weapons - and neither does the Neptune II (or anyone on board the Neptune III, which is now in-transit from Duna to Jool). At least he could run away and his car has some decent protection, but if he uses the Neptune II to evacuate there's no going back down. Maybe the Neptune III crew could shred hostiles in the air intakes or burn them alive with a NERV. If you start with Ch. 3 of my fanwork (link below), you can learn about what Kerbin did with the Native Laythans. There is also a conspiracy to be uncovered concerning a Laythan tribe that Bob wants to uncover; unfortunately, there is a good chance that Val was involved.

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y42D76 - 4H30M First of all, NEVER buy KSP cars. Sure, the rovers may be top-notch for their purpose, but the delivery sequence isn't really that assuring. Image of my new car being taken seconds before touchdown. Coming in rear-end first through the atmosphere and trusting that the heat shield and exterior casing won't destroy your car is basically ASKING for trouble. Good thing we got lucky during the landing sequence. Despite the incredibly risky landing design and sequence, the car managed to work as well as expected. It landed almost 5 kilometers away from the Neptune II and I remotely controlled it back to my position. My car parked in front of Neptune II. It can hold up to four people and has all the scientific instruments (including ore-scanning mode on Kerbnet) available. Sure, the power gain may be weak all the way out here, but I'm sure that I (and whoever else uses it) will be stopping rather frequently - or at least going slowly. Me in front of the car. I need to wait a Laythe day (almost two Kerbin days) for the batteries to charge before driving off to the beach. I told Mission Control I wanted to check out a possible Laythan village when my new rover arrived, but they decided against it. There was a chance I would be greeted with fear or hostility since, to them, my car would like a metal monster. Sure, they saw the Neptune II (I found tracks near the capsule that WEREN'T my own), but at least it was stationary and didn't pose a threat. I contacted Kerbin again and asked if I could at least investigate the Laythan presence after my beach mission, and they have yet to respond. What do you think I should do? In the meantime, I hear we're stepping up our game in the SSTO department. Wernher started with ordering an old Mun Hopper prototype we left on the Mun to get back. From what I've heard about the old designs, I have no idea how it even got there without exploding or crashing first. Picture of the old Mun Hopper (1 solar panel, only 1,070 units of charge, and 4 radiators) getting off the Mun. To be honest, we didn't care what happened to it. Fortunately, we managed to land it back on Kerbin safely and save a lot of money. While we were dumping an old plane, we were hard at work making a new one specifically for Duna. Yes, the cockpit, cabin, and ISRU units are the same as the Mun Hopper - and yes, we still need to land on Minmus to refuel - but it was designed for more thrust on Duna. More specifically, it would have TWO nuclear engines to propel the craft as soon as the rapiers flamed out. Duna SSTO with all its deployable components out. The engineers traded parachutes for aerobrakes, and they increased the total electric charge to 5,000 units - and doubled the solar panels from 2 to 4. If we keep up the good work in the SSTO department, we could send people DIRECTLY to Laythe without needing to refuel first. I hope the Neptune III makes it here all right. Although I think I'll be okay for the return trip, I'm glad the plane has another empty seat for me in case I get stranded. Good luck, Lodock and Enmal.

While that is true, getting into orbit in a rocket plane AND landing safely is an incredibly risky move. Aside from the fact that air-breathing engines are against the rules (if you use rapiers, use closed-cycle only), the engines with decent thrust forces aren't known for their burn times - not to mention the nerv engines TWR inside Kerbin's atmosphere. You don't have to go into orbit if you can't or don't want to; I'm fine with suborbital trajectories. To compensate for that, I'll add a little more emphasis on the price. Does that sound reasonable? Alternatively, I could set a size/mass limit. After all, I wouldn't exactly call an extra-large 350-grand rocket a plane, would I? Both.

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y40D210 - 2H45M Finally, the Moment of Truth - at least Part 1. Part 2 is the return home. When I reached Jool's SOI, I plotted a node for a direct Laythe approach. However, since I would run out of delta-V before I circularized my Laythe orbit, Gus hopped the Tylo gravity assist bandwagon and I changed targets. That was also a nice opportunity for me to get some science points from above that moon. Cockpit shot of Tylo during the fly-by. The gravioli detector shows that it has a gravitational pull similar to Kerbin's. Could life have existed on that moon - and if it did, what happened to it? Was there some kind of apocalyptic event that changed the climate dramatically to the point of its atmosphere becoming nonexistent When I passed Tylo, I learned that I had a ~5 Mm periapsis above Jool. I then established a parking orbit with my apoapsis reaching Laythe's orbit and circled Jool many times until my navicomputer showed that I would get caught in Laythe's SOI. After fine-tuning my closest approach to 200-km, I circularized my orbit around the moon and programmed the landing guidance system to land on one of the larger islands near the equator. After losing the booster, I inflated the heat shield and spun around the craft's vertical axis to dissipate the heat. As the Neptune I crew and the aerial probe photos reported, the moon was mostly water. If it wasn't so darn cold out here, I would recommend setting up some beach front property here. So glad the craft didn't land in water, otherwise I would be in big trouble. At least the Neptune III SSTO came prepared and left an empty seat in case I needed a pickup. After the chutes opened fully, I lost the heat shield and deployed the landing gear - coming down at 9 m/s. To slow myself down, I activated the jets and came down at a much slower speed to ease the impact. My craft's current wherabouts. Before disembarking the capsule, I gathered all the necessary scientific data (temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition, mystery goo readings, seismic readings, crew report) and deployed the ladders. Good thing we tested it back at the VAB before launching it, or else I could be stuck on the surface - and then I would definitely need the pickup. I then wrote a quick EVA report and took a surface sample; it looked like the island was underwater a long time ago. Either that, or the gravitational influence of Jool/other moons caused some tides to wash over this area and leave salty mineral deposits on the ground. If the second scenario is true, then I have orders to cut the surface exploration mission short and leave before the waters drown my ascent vehicle. Yes, I could just wait for the SSTO, but the scientific data stored in the probe core will be lost if it doesn't take off. I want to go out and see the beaches, but the nearest coastline is kilometers away and I don't even have a car. As such - unless I need to leave early - I will wait for the Laythe car to get here and it will land near my craft's location. On a somewhat related note, while I was outside, I heard what I thought was the sound of drums pounding - and my ship's music player was turned off at the time. However, from my current location, I can't see any other evidence indicating intelligent life on this moon. If there is, I wonder what they thought about the Elegail rover or the aerial probe.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: DAMAGED FAMILY “WHAT?!” yelled Bill and Jeb. “That’s right, Jeb,” said Jeb Senior on Jeb’s kPad. “Vanessa was your older sister.” “And you didn’t even TELL ME!” spat Jeb. “You wouldn’t have remembered her anyway,” sighed Jeb Senior. “That’s the same thing you said when I exposed the lie you kept telling about Mom,” argued Jeb. “But you’ve always asked about your mother, didn’t you?” reminded Jeb Senior. “You wanted to tell the other kids what your mom was doing… or where she was.” “As if lying about Mom wasn’t bad enough,” said Jeb, “but now I know that you’ve also hid the fact that I had a sister.” “Back up,” said Jeb Senior, “who told you about Vanessa?” “Irpond,” said Jeb, then Bill figured out what she told him. “Wait a minute, are you talking about Misty Kerman’s daughter?” wondered Jeb Senior. “Yes,” answered Jeb. “We just locked her up about an hour ago.” “I know,” said Jeb Senior. “I saw the picture you sent Misty.” “Wait, how did you get it?” asked Bill. “Misty received your email and then threw her kPad across the sick bay.” “Sick bay?” gasped Bill. “What happened to her?” “She was shot and assaulted at the construction site,” said Jeb Senior. “DON’T change the subject,” barked Jeb. “You don’t tell ME what to do, boy!” countered Jeb Senior. “I am YOUR FATHER, young man!” “Are you really?” argued Jeb. “Are you?” “What do you think, crazyhead?” “I don’t know what to believe anymore, you liar!” “Jeb, you need to…,” spoke Bill. “Get some straight answers, yes,” finished Jeb, then he heard Jeb Senior breathing heavily on the phone. “It was bad enough for me to lose Amelia,” he started, “but it was worse when the police told me it was her own fault. To top it off… my daughter was on board the plane.” “Tell me everything that happened that night,” Jeb demanded. “EVERYTHING!” “All right,” sighed Jeb Senior, “if you’re alone.” “Okay, sir,” acknowledged Bill, then he left Jeb alone in his quarters. “After Amelia gave birth to Vanessa, I quit my previous job at the warehouse to raise her,” started Jeb Senior. “Your mom brought in more money than I did, whether it be from her aerial acrobatics or her transport pilot job. Heck, she also took a job as a flight instructor… until her boss fired her for making her students perform stunts they weren’t supposed to. Either way, she was the major breadwinner while I took care of Vanessa; same case for you.” “Then… how did you start Jeb’s Junkyard when you…,” “Shut it,” said Jeb Senior, and Jeb was quiet. “By the time Amelia was pregnant with you, we decided to buy an airfield outside of town. Before you ask, yes, it’s the abandoned airfield you frequently visited. Anyway, that was when I saw an opportunity for profit – and profit we did. Though Amelia was pregnant at the time, she… well… you know where you get your impulsiveness from.” “What happened?” wondered Jeb. “I’m getting there,” said Jeb Senior. “One day, your mom was invited to an air show in Woomerang. Your sister wanted desperately to see her in action, so Amelia agreed to take her with her. I wanted all four of us to go, but I then heard a report of a MASSIVE thunderstorm in her intended flight path. I asked to wait until the storm cleared the next morning to fly, but she insisted on going that night. I even offered to book a last-minute ticket to Woomerang from the regular airport, but all the flights were cancelled due to the storm. “‘But I want to see Mom fly,’ Vanessa begged me, but I promised her that her mom would fly the next day. I don’t know if you remember, but Amelia was furious when I told her flying to Woomerang that night was a no-go. “‘I can’t wait until tomorrow morning!’ she yelled at me. “‘You could either wait a day or kill us all tonight,’ I replied. She then went on to remind me what she was capable of, but I told her that such tomfoolery would put not only herself in danger, but me and the kids. After twenty minutes of arguing – and trying to get you to sleep – she conceded. “However, little did I know at the time that she had a backup plan.” “What kind of backup plan?” wondered Jeb. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Jeb Senior. “Amelia told me that you and Vanessa were asleep and decided to get intimate with me for a few minutes. For some reason, she was wearing her pilot’s jacket and cargo pants. I thought it was just to look sexy, but then she told me she was going to change into something more comfortable. I waited for her to come out of the bathroom for a few minutes, then I heard an engine start. I rushed outside to see a plane getting on the runway, then I knew that Amelia had left the house to take off. I tried to chase it, but it was too fast. I then fired up the radio and called her. “As I guessed, Amelia had replied. I asked her what she was doing, then she told me she was going to Woomerang – no matter what. I was about to tell her to come back until I heard…,” “Heard what?” “Vanessa,” sighed Jeb Senior. “‘Dad’s trapped in the plane wheel,’ were the last words I heard her say. I warned your mom to turn back, but she told me that I couldn’t stop her. “‘If anything happens to Vanessa, I’ll kill you,’ was my last response before she cut me off.” Jeb then heard his dad sobbing on the phone. “Fortunately, she didn’t take you with her. I then realized that she was only distracting me while Vanessa escaped and got in the plane. “The next morning, I called Woomerang to ask if Amelia and Vanessa made it. When they said that they never did, I began to worry.” “As much as you worried about me when I got into Basic?” interrupted Jeb. “Worse. I hired a babysitter to watch you while I went to Town Hall and called every air traffic and radar tower in Amelia’s flight path, then one of them told me about a small plane crash that took place the night before. I thought Amelia had bailed out – as usual – but the woman who replied told me that two people were found dead and yet to be identified. Two hours after I got back home, the cops showed up to tell me your mom and sister died.” “That’s the same thing you told me when I dug up Mom’s crash report,” said Jeb, “only you said that Vanessa was A RANDOM STRANGER!” “Since you and Bill had already found the finalized KAA report, you would have already read the part that proved that it was ALL Amelia’s fault,” explained Jeb Senior. “She caused not only her own death, but that of your sister.” “Why didn’t you at least tell me Vanessa was my sister?” asked Jeb. “You would not have remembered her anyway,” said Jeb Senior. “At your age, if I told you the truth about Vanessa, you would see your mother as a careless psycho.” “I don’t believe it, Dad. It’s not like Mom MURDERED Vanessa.” “She might as well have,” argued Jeb Senior. “Your mom KNEW the risks of flying straight into a thunderstorm, and what’s worse… she put HER OWN DAUGHTER in danger.” Jeb heard his father sniffle on the other end. “That’s why I never remarried after Amelia died… if my wife was careless with our daughter, who could I trust with MY SON? Now, you didn’t make it any easier to keep you alive.” “But… she was my sister,” cried Jeb. “You lied to me.” “I had to,” said Jeb Senior. “I had already failed as a father with Vanessa; I couldn’t bear to fail again with you. Unfortunately, that meant keeping the truth of your mother away from you.” “You said the EXACT same thing that one night in high school.” “No, I didn’t,” countered Jeb Senior. “Even if I did, it was better that you remembered Amelia as an unfortunate daredevil than the worst mother on Kerbin… your own.” Jeb said nothing for about a minute. “Who else knew?” “Who else knew what?” “That Vanessa Kerman was my sister instead of some passer-by.” “You mean besides whoever manned the citizen records room in Town Hall?” asked Jeb Senior. “I’m surprised you never went THERE to read about Vanessa.” “Who else knew?” demanded Jeb. “Hmm… let me think,” said Jeb Senior. “Bill.” “Wait, BILL knew?” gasped Jeb. “Wait, no, that’s not it,” corrected Jeb Senior. “I meant Bill’s PARENTS.” “His PARENTS?!” “I was Edith’s last boyfriend before she met William,” explained Jeb Senior. “She comforted me during Vanessa’s funeral. I don’t know if William knew at the time or if he figured it out on his own later, but I confessed to him about Vanessa right after Edith died.” “They must have told Bill,” Jeb realized. “Not necessarily,” objected Jeb Senior. “Just because Bill’s parents knew about Vanessa doesn’t mean that any of them told Bill. After all, Edith never told Bill about your mom dying in a plane crash.” “Actually, she did,” said Jeb. “Edith told him the night she died.” “Oh, yeah,” said Jeb Senior. “I was wondering why the two of you found Amelia’s accident report after.” “One last question,” said Jeb, “if you owned that airfield, why did we need to pay rent whenever I used it?” “Simple, I sold the deed to the house, the airfield, and then sold the planes for scrap,” answered Jeb Senior. “Not only did I get us a new house closer to town, but I used the remaining money from the sales – and Amelia’s life insurance policy – to start Jeb’s Junkyard.” “Well, congratulations,” sighed Jeb. “You’re now one of the richest men in the world.” “Am I, son?” argued Jeb Senior. “Am I?” “Okay, so there are maybe… I can think of TWO people off the top of my head with more money than you have,” said Jeb. “No, no, nothing like that,” countered Jeb Senior. “Despite all I have gained from my company’s success, Amelia’s and Vanessa’s deaths created a void not even money could fill up. If I lost you… I don’t know what I’d do.” “That’s also why you’re a big workplace safety buff,” Jeb figured out, “to keep anyone else from ending up like Amelia and Vanessa.” “Not quite,” Jeb Senior disagreed. “Though their deaths were a huge motivating factor, workplace safety in my warehouse job was almost nonexistent. Did you really think I would have been as successful as I was if employees and/or customers kept dying due to negligence?” “I… suppose… that makes sense,” said Jeb. “Then again, I doubt you were concerned about business success when you kept telling me not to do some cool things when YOU KNEW I would turn out okay.” “The last person who said that to me before you died in a thunderstorm,” reminded Jeb Senior, “and had the nerve to take her own daughter with her. That’s why I forbade you from flying after you put Bill in that coma; though you came out okay, the next time you may not be so lucky.” “Yet you were perfectly fine with VAL flying Bill after he got out of his coma.” “Because she knew what she was doing and the consequences of messing around,” said Jeb Senior. “After all, Bill DID warn you that the plane was not designed for aerial stunts.” “Come up with as many excuses as you want, Dad,” sighed Jeb, “but the fact still remains; you’re a no-good fraud.” “Excuse me? I built my company from the ground up, AND I raised you right?” “You raised me to tell the truth, yet you KEPT LYING to me. ME, your OWN SON, about my mother and sister,” continued Jeb. “Come back to me when you have kids and your wife kills one of them,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Oh, I will, all right,” replied Jeb. “Better yet, now that you no longer have any kids to worry about, you can go back to being the ladies’ man.” “Well, I think I might,” spat Jeb Senior. “I think I know the perfect woman for you,” said Jeb. “MISTY KERMAN.” “Misty Kerman?” gasped Jeb Senior. “The woman who you said was a murderer?” “Yeah, Dad. I’m sure you’ll have the PERFECT life together – however short she makes it.” Before Jeb’s dad said anything else, Jeb hung up and left the quarters. “Hey, where’s Bill?” “I don’t know, Captain,” a medical officer replied. “I don’t even know what he looks like.” “Great,” sighed Jeb, then he had an idea. “Hey, where’s Admiral Val?” “Control room, that way,” the medical officer replied, pointing down a hallway. “Thanks.” Jeb then marched to the control room and saw Val talking on the phone. “What do you mean medical consequences?” said Val. “Reduced gravity affecting his recovery? Bull, he’s been on Dres for the last year and a half. I’m sure he’s fine.” “What’s she doing?” asked Jeb. “Talking to Internal Investigations,” said one of the engineers. “One of the nurses reported her for breaking a patient out of sick bay.” “Like I said, nothing seemed wrong when he was talking to Irpond,” continued Val. “YES, it was necessary. Bill said that if Irpond surrendered, she would talk to Bob; THAT was the deal.” “Speaking of Bill, where is he?” wondered Jeb. “One minute,” said Val. “No, Roger, that was Jeb. He just wanted to know where Bill was.” Jeb leaned against the wall as Val continued. “Oh, so now you want to stick it to ME for getting a patient out of sick bay prematurely. Just be glad I got a full UNCOERCED confession out of Irpond. She won’t get away this time, like her mom did.” “How long is this going to take?” Jeb asked himself. “She was shot?” gasped Val. “Good… wait, still alive? What happened to the shooter… arrested for attempted murder?” “Wait, someone shot Misty?” interrupted Jeb. “Not now, Jeb,” said Val. “I implemented a full lockdown of Dres just an hour ago and put a full security detail around Irpond. She’s not so much as blowing her nose without my knowledge.” Jeb started to scratch his chin in boredom. “I understand there will need to be a trial. Why don’t we use telecommunications? I can’t just turn Dres into a prison planet for as long as it takes for a new spaceplane to get here.” Val kept talking for another minute before she finally hung up. “That nurse snitched on me.” “She should have snitched on ME,” said Jeb. “I mean, that was MY plan.” “Doesn’t matter, Jeb; you just flirted with the nurse while I, the kerbalnaut in charge, helped a recovering patient escape,” reminded Val. “I’m not the only one who pulled off that stunt,” said Jeb. “Oh, I’m sure that prank has been used LOTS of times before that,” commented Val. “Anyway, where’s Bill?” asked Jeb. “I dunno, I thought he was with you,” said Val. “What were YOU doing?” “Permanently ending all relations with my dad,” answered Jeb. “What do you mean PERMANENTLY?” wondered Val. “I’ll tell you everything when we find Bill.” As soon as he said that, they saw Bill around the corner. “Jeb, Val, I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “That’s funny, I’ve been looking for you,” said Jeb. “Where’s Bob, by the way?” “Still in sick bay,” said Bill. “How’d your talk with your dad go?” “Your dad? What happened with your dad?” asked Val. “Not here,” requested Jeb, then they locked themselves in a vacant sleeping quarters before Jeb told his friends about Vanessa. “WHAT?!” shouted Val. “Vanessa was your sister?” “Yes,” said Jeb. “What’s worse, Bill’s parents knew.” “What do you mean they knew?” asked Bill. “Your mom and dad BOTH knew about Vanessa being my sister instead of some random passer-by,” explained Jeb. “Now, did YOU know?” “No.” “Don’t lie, Bill,” demanded Jeb. “I’ve had far too many liars in MY life.” “I swear, I had no idea Vanessa was your sister… until just now,” answered Bill. “Wait a second, if YOU called YOUR DAD, then someone else told you about Vanessa,” Val deduced. “Who was it?” “Irpond,” said Jeb. “What were her EXACT words?” questioned Val. “Yeah, Jeb. What did she tell you before you stormed away?” added Bill. “Vanessa was your older sister,” Jeb recalled. “As soon as she said that, I left to call Dad.” “Speaking of your dad, where’s Misty?” asked Bill. “A medical base on Eve, being treated for a gunshot wound,” answered Val. “Gunshot wound?” gasped Bill. “What happened?” “A couple of guards tried to kill her and make it look like justified homicide,” explained Val. “Yeah, AS IF.” “Personally, I don’t care if some guards DID plan to murder her,” commented Bill. “They also said a Jeb’s Junkyard employee assaulted her as she was being transported out,” added Val. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say SHE assaulted HIM, and he FOUGHT BACK.” “And SO WHAT if he attacked her. She deserves it,” said Bill, surprising Val and Jeb. “I… guess you don’t need to implement that moonjet deathtrap virus after all,” commented Val. “Wait, what?” wondered Jeb, then Val told him about Bill’s idea to modify the moonjet virus to trap Misty (and anyone else who happened to be inside) while the craft would crash to its doom. “Man, you’re really out for blood.” “You can work out your daddy issues later,” said Bill. “If we don’t stop Misty now, you won’t even HAVE a daddy anymore.” “Hmm… oh, I know,” gasped Jeb. “Bill, you could implement your ‘Kill Misty’ program.” “Uh… specifics, please?” requested Bill. “I talk Dad into taking Misty on a moonjet tour, you plug in your virus, and then KA-BOOM!” suggested Jeb, surprising Bill and Val. “You DO realize your father will die, right?” sighed Val. “That’s THE IDEA,” explained Jeb. “Kill TWO psychos with one virus.” “W… WHAT?!” gasped Val. “Dad’s been nothing but a thorn on my side my whole life,” Jeb ranted. “It was bad enough when he wouldn’t let me fly… or when he lied about my mother, but that fraud had NO right to keep my sister in the dark.” “Jeb, your dad is NOT a fraud,” replied Bill. “He started his company from the ground up since when you were a baby.” “Yeah, after he PROFITED off Mom’s and Vanessa’s deaths,” argued Jeb. “Profited? What do you mean profited?” asked Val. “After they died, he sold the airfield and used Mom’s life insurance money to start the company,” explained Jeb. “You all know how Dad made his claim to fame; getting rich from the company he started from… BLOOD money.” “Blood money?” gasped Bill. “He wouldn’t have gotten that much money had Mom and Vanessa died,” sighed Jeb. “Now for all I know, he PLANNED it just to make a quick buck.” “Really, Jeb?” Bill disagreed. “HOW could your dad plan to have his wife and daughter die in a plane crash – in A THUNDERSTORM?! Sure, he may have seen the crash coming, but so would I if I knew a plane was going to go right through a storm like that.” “There WAS no storm!” shouted Jeb. “Uh, I’m pretty sure THERE WAS,” said Bill. “Remember, we checked the weather reports for the crash site for that night.” “Then I bet HE sabotaged the plane,” theorized Jeb. “Really?” interrupted Val. “First of all, sabotaging vehicles is NOT Jeb Senior’s style; it’s MISTY’S.” “Besides, there was a general no-fly order issued in the area that night,” added Bill. “Even if your dad DID plan to murder your mom and sister that way, he didn’t have to do anything to the plane in order for it to crash in the middle of that storm.” “To sum up, there’s NO WAY your dad could…,” started Val. “SHUT UP!” yelled Jeb before he stormed away. “Come on, Jeb,” said Bill. “You dad must have…” “Not now, Bill,” interrupted Val. “Just like with Bob, Jeb needs some time to process all this.” Val hung her head in shame as she put her hand on Bill’s shoulder. “I should know… I felt just like that when I learned that Vic was a murderer.” “That’s different, Val,” argued Bill. “Vic shot Laythan civilians and covered it up, while Irpond killed hundreds of kerbals just to have Bob to herself. JEB SENIOR, however, just lied to Jeb about two of his family members that died in a thunderstorm. Regardless of whether Vanessa was Jeb’s older sister, I should also add that AMELIA was blamed for the crash.” “Jeb’s had daddy issues his whole life, so whatever plans you got to help him likely WON’T work,” said Val. “They can at least TRY to patch things together,” countered Bill. “I don’t see that happening… ever,” said Val. “What do you mean?” asked Bill. “First of all, now Jeb has a semi-valid excuse never to talk to his father again,” started Val. “Second of all, there’s a good chance Misty could recover from her attack – and later kidnap and/or murder Jeb Senior. Third of all, Jeb actually WANTS him dead – either from Misty’s hand or from yours.” “Hmm… that makes sense,” agreed Bill, “which brings up this question: how do we kill Misty now?” “Unfortunately, not by releasing the guys who shot her,” sighed Val. “I have too low a rank for that, and I’m in enough hot water from Internal Investigations for stealing Bob from sick bay.” “Then I guess asking her doctor to kill her is out of the question,” remarked Bill, and Val nodded. “I wonder if Jeb Senior took our warnings seriously.” “Why don’t we ask him?” asked Val, then she walked toward the nearest phone and asked to connect to Jeb Senior. “This could take a while.” “Where is he?” questioned Bill. “Dresden Base, this is Venus Airport Construction Site,” a man replied on the phone. “How can I help you?” “This is Admiral Valentina Kerman,” said Val. “I need to speak with Jeb Senior NOW.” “Hang on, let me find him,” replied the man, then all was silent for 20 seconds. “Sorry, mam. He’s not here.” “What?” gasped Val. “Where is he?” “He said he was going to a nearby medical center.” “Oh no,” said Val. “What is it?” wondered Bill. “Jeb’s dad is at a medical center – where MISTY is,” said Val. “You mean the woman who was attacked earlier today?” asked the employee on the phone. “Just patch me through,” ordered Val. “The fate of the kerbal race depends on it.” “A moment, please.” “Um… Val,” interrupted Bill, “how does helping to resolve Jeb’s issues affect the fate of the kerbal race?” “If Misty gets her dirty little hands on Jeb Senior, she could use him as a bargaining chip,” warned Val. “With all the resources Jeb Senior has at his command, who knows what Misty could do… like rendering a construction project unsafe… or bribing the cops again.” After Jeb Senior finished his phone call with his son, he ran toward the closest EVA suit dispenser and boarded the first open-cockpit rover available. He then programmed the suit’s navicomputer to direct him to the nearest operational airport and departed the medical center perimeter at full throttle. His plan was to fly to an Eve Ascent Vehicle launch site and get off the planet as soon as possible – preferably before Misty had the chance to escape. Though he was confident that security would keep her contained, he did not plan on being complacent – especially not with her. Before deciding to drive down to the medical center to confront Misty, Jeb Senior spent most of his waking shift – called that due to Eve’s day being over three times as long as Kerbin’s – reading the decoded emails between Misty and Irpond. He was so shocked by the contents of the messages that his secretary found him passed out in his office once. Though it was against company policy (and the law) to commit assault and attempted murder, Jeb Senior understood perfectly why the guards and the employee attacked Misty and tried to kill her. He then told his accountant to pay the attackers’ legal fees and left his signature on the order before heading off to the medical center. “Boss,” a man spoke on his radio. “What?” sighed Jeb Senior. “Now’s not really a good time now.” “Sorry, sir, but Admiral Valentina Kerman is DEMANDING to speak to you.” “Hmm… now?” “Yes, now.” “Patch me through,” said Jeb Senior gloomily. “What is…?” “Jeb Senior,” said Val nervously, “where are you?” “On my way to the nearest working airport,” answered Jeb Senior. “Why?” “Are you alone?” “OF COURSE, I’m alone. These rovers can only carry one person at a time,” said Jeb Senior. “Phew, that’s good,” sighed Val. “Are you okay?” “Actually… no,” said Jeb Senior. “All right, Misty,” interrupted Bill, “wherever you are, the jig is up.” “Not that,” clarified Jeb Senior. “I meant that I have now really lost the only family I have left.” “Yeah, I can imagine,” agreed Bill. “The worst part is that Jeb wants me to execute a plan to kill Misty that would also result in YOUR death.” “You’re planning to KILL Misty?” gasped Jeb Senior. “There is no other way,” argued Bill. “Aren’t you the least bit concerned that Jeb wants YOU dead TOO?” “Perhaps I deserve it,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Then why are you running?” questioned Val. “Your transponder shows you going at 25 meters per second AWAY from the medical center.” “Wait, how did you get my suit signal? I thought you were on Dres.” “I am; I’m just connected to the Eve GPS network,” explained Val. “An EVA suit’s transponder signal is too weak to reach Kerbin directly – let alone Dres,” added Bill. “Val’s high-level clearance grants her access to all individual GPS networks for their respective celestial bodies.” “Ah, that makes sense,” said Jeb Senior. “I don’t know what she has planned now, but I’m pretty sure it involves ME.” “Better pay for good lawyers for those guys who tried to kill her,” suggested Bill. “There’s a good chance they saved your life when they threw a wrench into her next move.” “Uh, how is that?” wondered Val. “Whatever her plan is, it was delayed by a trip to the medical center and/or her own death,” explained Bill. “Enough,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Even if she escapes sick bay, I’m gonna catch the first rocket outta here.” “Great idea,” said Bill. “Run, run while you can.” “Hey, those single-use EAVs cost money,” Val disagreed. “I don’t think they’ll let you take one of those things just to run away.” “Are you saying that I SHOULDN’T run?” wondered Jeb Senior. “No, I’m saying that you CAN’T… at least not outside of Eve,” clarified Val. “Besides, where would you even go?” “That rock… Gilbert, was it?” suggested Jeb Senior. “Gilly isn’t exactly a good hiding spot,” countered Val. “It’s really small AND really bouncy. Heck, you could seriously drift into Eve orbit with your suit alone. All Gilly-related factors aside, I still doubt Eve Command will let you blast off the planet just to run from Misty.” “Then how am I supposed to keep myself as far away from her as possible?” argued Jeb Senior. “It shouldn’t be too hard. Since she was shot earlier today, she should still require medical treatment. Even during the recovery phase, she would still feel weak and… personally, if I was her, I’d try not to re-injure myself.” “You could still fly to the other side of the planet,” suggested Bill. “If, for some reason, Misty escapes sick bay, there would be guards everywhere.” “Yeah, they track the heck out of everything on Eve due to its hostile climate and explosive oceans – despite the fact that it’s larger than Kerbin,” reminded Val. “To sum up… I’d say just be careful as always.” “O… okay,” stammered Jeb Senior. “How’d Jeb take the news about Vanessa?” “Boy, was he mad,” sighed Bill. “Any other day, I’d agree with him and support him cutting you off forever.” “What changed?” wondered Jeb Senior. “I’d much rather not let Misty have you as her next captive husband,” explained Bill. “If you and Jeb were to make up before then, you would turn her down and break her heart for good.” “You’re lying,” said Jeb Senior. “You’ve been trying to talk Jeb into patching things up between us since high school.” “So, what? How do you know I didn’t just change my mind after learning about Vanessa?” “Because I’ve known you to be persistent in your goals,” answered Jeb Senior. “Even when you found out that rocket contract for the football team was only a prank just to get locker room shots, you still worked on that probe bound for Woomerang. You also didn’t quit planning revenge against those who irradiated your mom – at least until your dad told you to stop – or on Guscan when he was stranded… or when you found out who killed Jeb’s student. I know for sure you’re not quitting now on helping Jeb with his trouble.” “But you kept a secret so crucial to his life away from him,” argued Bill. “So did your mom,” said Jeb Senior. “Wait, what are you talking about?” asked Val. “Edith KNEW she was dying, yet she waited until the cancer reached the final phase to tell you,” explained Jeb Senior. “Why do you think she did that?” “She didn’t tell me until AFTER I confronted her about the medications she was on,” said Bill. “She said that she wanted to ‘live her life to the fullest’ rather than spend her final days rotting in a hospital bed.” “That’s not true,” countered Jeb Senior. “She told your dad, who later told me, that she didn’t want you to worry too much. More specifically, she didn’t want your last memories of her to be a weak cancer patient who gave up on life.” “What does Edith’s death have to do with Amelia and Vanessa?” asked Val. “Like I said earlier, Jeb would almost NEVER remember his mother and sister,” said Jeb Senior. “It’s bad enough when your final memories of your mother are in a hospital, but it’s worse when your ONLY memories are from an accident report. And to top it all off…” Jeb Senior then started to sob, “Amelia was responsible for our daughter’s death. No child should remember their mother like that, and that’s why I told Jeb he was an only child.” “Tell MISTY that,” sighed Bill. “Bill,” spat Val. “Jeb was a daredevil long before he knew what happened to Amelia,” said Jeb Senior. “Misty, on the other hand, bred Irpond to kill.” “Not to mention she TWISTED Irpond’s memory of her dad after she SHOT him,” added Val. “Sure, you twisted Jeb’s memory of his mom, but at least it was from a painful negative to a small false positive; Misty did the OPPOSITE.” “Still, you should have told him when he was a little older,” said Bill. “Don’t think I didn’t plan to,” countered Jeb Senior. “Unfortunately, when Jeb learned about his mother… I could sense he wanted nothing to do with me.” “Probably because you lied to him,” guessed Bill. “Because I was a protective father… while he wanted to spread his wings,” argued Jeb Senior. “If only he knew about what his mother was really like, he… will cut off all connections to his family. Nobody should have to lose their family.” “Except M…,” stammered Bill. “Shut up, Bill,” interrupted Val. “Anyway, Jeb Senior, I agree with you that you should run away. While you’re at it, get some protection; and don’t get near ANY women.” “Uhh… why not?” asked Jeb Senior. “Misty could impersonate one of them and snatch and/or kill you,” explained Val. “Just like I did with Irpond back on Dres, DON’T take any chances with Misty.” “I don’t think the ‘no women,’ part is necessary,” Jeb Senior countered. “Kinda hard to impersonate someone when you just took a bullet to the knee at point-blank range.” “Don’t count on it,” argued Bill. “She’s crazy, so there’s a good chance she’ll disregard medical advice and pursue you.” “And risk killing herself by worsening her injuries?” Jeb Senior pointed out. “She risked getting caught and/or killed when she infiltrated the Woomerang Airport,” reminded Bill. “What’s to say she wouldn’t try leaving the hospital prematurely?” “As much as I preach workplace safety, I also know when there’s an excess in precautions,” said Jeb Senior. “With Misty, there is NO excess in preventative measures,” said Val. “Don’t worry, Val. I’ll be careful,” assured Jeb Senior. “If I was careless, I’d STAY at the medical center – or go back to my construction site. If she were to break out, that would be the FIRST place she’d look for me.” “Oh… great plan,” remarked Bill. “I’d have tried the construction site, where a bunch of angry armed-to-the-teeth interns are waiting for her.” “I’d rather not put anyone else at risk and try the NEXT airport, where the PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS are,” Jeb Senior told Bill. “Good luck, sir,” said Val, then Jeb Senior hung up. Back at the medical center that Jeb Senior had left, a few rovers were docking with the building to deliver the next shift’s crew. A small portion of the personnel bunked in the outpost itself, while others took open-cockpit rovers to their quarters. As for the patients that needed to leave the outpost, most of them were transported out in a large high-occupancy vehicle destined for either nearby bases or an operational airport to be transported back to their assigned locations. “Man, I’m getting exhausted,” said Nathan Kerman, the medical center’s acting director. “You might wanna hop one of the carpool rovers,” suggested Matster, the chief of security. “Can’t have you driving drowsy.” “Of course,” Nathan concurred. “Why are there so many soldiers here, anyway?” “Didn’t they already tell you?” asked Matster. “They just got word that one of the patients is a murderer.” “They most certainly did not,” said Nathan. “Also, a MURDERER? Who is it?” “Misty Kerman,” replied Matster, then Nathan started to scratch his chin. “Misty… Misty… isn’t she the woman who came in here for dehydration-related issues?” “No, that’s someone else,” said Matster. “Last I heard, she was attacked by an angry mob at the Jeb’s Junkyard site.” “Oh... you mean that woman who was shot in the knee?” realized Nathan, and Matster nodded. “Well, I hope the soldiers contain her without incident.” “Better get going before the carpool rover leaves,” said Matster, then Nathan displayed his ID card before heading to an exit docking port. He spent the next couple of hours checking everyone going in and out of his section of the building before clocking out. His replacement, a cadet fresh out of Basic named Oraldo Kerman, had promised to not let “that dirty scumbag escape,” while he was on-duty. “Good… evening, I guess,” greeted a nurse that approached him. “HALT!” barked Oraldo, aiming a gun at her. “Identify yourself!” “Whoa,” gasped the nurse, “no need to point that at me.” “Identification, now!” “Geez. No need to get so paranoid.” The nurse then produced her ID card from her pocket. “My name is… OW!” “What’s wrong?” asked Oraldo as the nurse grabbed her left leg, dropping her card. “Ugh… eesh… cart accident,” said the nurse as Oraldo checked the card. “Emma Kerman,” Oraldo read, then he tapped her name on his kPad. “Huh, you’re a little early to be clocking out now, aren’t you?” “I’m needed OUCH… at… af… AGH!” started Emma. “You need what?” “Geez… Aphrodite Colon… eesh,” sighed Emma. “Aphrodite Colony?” gasped Oraldo. “What for?” “Personnel transfer,” answered Emma, still in pain from what was going on in her leg. “Looks like you could use some medical help yourself,” said Oraldo. “Nah, I’m good,” remarked Emma as she injected her leg with morphine. “That’s weird,” commented Oraldo, “there’s no mention of a pending transfer to Aphrodite Colony. In fact, you have no pending transfers at all.” “Short-notice,” explained Emma. “Someone must have forgotten to send the paperwork.” Oraldo raised an eyebrow at Emma. “We don’t use papers.” “Paperwork, electr-eesh,” stammered Emma, “… documents, what’s the difference?” “Do I need to call in a medic?” wondered Oraldo. “No… no medics, I can handle it,” said Emma. “I need to get to Aphrodite Colony as fast as I can.” “Well, you could try the rocket plane,” suggested Oraldo. “However, I hear that thing doesn’t have much fuel in it, and Aphrodite Colony is pretty darn far away. Besides, you don’t have a pilot’s license?” “Who says I need one?” smirked Emma, trying to balance herself. “I hear everything’s automated or remote-controlled these days, and my husband was a pilot.” “I don’t remember you mentioning you were married,” remembered Oraldo. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” said Emma. “Besides, my marriage… isn’t something I really want to talk about.” “You divorced?” “He’s dead,” answered Emma. “Now, can you please take me to the rocket plane?” “I don’t think I should, mam,” objected Oraldo. “Those things are tricky to fly – even with computerized pilots – and I can’t risk anyone with morphine in their system getting in one.” “Fine,” sighed Emma. “I’ll get to that place sooner or later.” She then approached the EVA suit closet before stopping short of the door. “Oh, and by the way, that woman you’re paranoid about… is still in sick bay.” “Okay.” Emma had put a suit on before leaving the building, then Oraldo went to sick bay – where several doctors and guards were standing over a bed with a blanket over its occupant. “What’s going on?” he asked. “She’s dead,” said one of the guards.

Gene: "Well, Wernher, I guess I should be..." (sees lights coming from Mission Control) "GOOD KRAKEN, what is happening in there?" Wernher: "Aurora Kerbalalis." Gene: "Uh... Aurora Kerbalalis. At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the planet, localized entirely within Mission Control." Wernher: "Yes." Gene: "You said that last week when a booster went loose and started a fire." Random employee: "Sir, our polar satellite is transmitting pictures of Aurora Kerbalalis right now. We're getting them 1080p HD, too." Wernher: "See." ------- (MY REPLIES GOT MERGED SINCE THEY WERE POSTED TOO CLOSE TOGETHER) ------- If you think you can do better, then I dare you to prove it. My challenge is ready.

Earlier today, I messed around in the SPH and built a rocket plane. As a dare to myself, I blasted off and decided to land it as far away from the KSC as I could - despite the fact that my Dart engine could only burn for 1 minute and 38 seconds at full throttle. That also meant a lot of gliding time, which paid off a lot since I managed to land 342.5 km away from the KSC (at a 45-degree flight heading after taking off from 0-9 KSC). I used MJ to check the distance by programming the KSC's coordinates as a rover waypoint. Do you think you can go farther than that? Here are the rules for the challenge. As the name implies, it should be a rocket plane. Which means rocket tanks and engines ONLY. No intakes or air-breathing engines allowed. If you use a RAPIER, keep it on rocket mode. (UPDATE) SRBs okay, but I wouldn't recommend it since you can't shut them off. All stock parts. May use certain mods ONLY for navigation (like MJ), including: Determining pitch and speed (surface and vertical) Finding distance from KSC Getting orbital aspects. No cheats (duh). Need 1-person crew capacity and probe core (for remote control) Be sure to have a battery and/or a power source. Since you'll be doing a lot of gliding, you won't have the engine's alternator. The RAPIERS also don't have alternators, either. Solar panels inadvisable since they get snapped off easily at high speeds. Must land and take off like a plane. Can only take off from Runway 0-9 KSC The runway you always take off from. May change heading after taking off. Land in one piece. Failure to do so may result in a disqualification. You don't need to make a complete orbit around Kerbin (or even leave the atmosphere). If you do achieve orbit, just be sure to get it back down safely. And be sure to include pictures of the orbit as proof to receive extra points. Scoring system to come later (and yes, it will include the price). Have fun.

While drafting the next chapter of my KSP Fanwork, I thought about adding a rocket plane in the story - which led me to read more about the infamous Me 163 Komet. For those who don't know about the Komet, it was a German fuel-and-oxidizer rocket-propelled fighter that was also the fastest combat aircraft of WWII; and no, it was not supersonic. Though it was famous for speed, it only had around seven and a half minutes of powered flight. In other words, it had a crappy range. I knew that meant that, if I built a similar aircraft, I would need to glide A LOT to maximize my range while conserving fuel and oxidizer. I then built this simple design - which had approximately 1 minute and 38 seconds of powered flight at full throttle - and flew at a 45-degree heading after taking off. Though I got a 50-km orbital apoapsis when I burned out most of my fuel, as soon as I got back in the atmosphere I lowered my pitch angle to around three degrees and glided over the ocean. I kept the plane straight and stable until I finally got over some dry land, and then I slowed myself down to land the plane. Rocket plane - landed 342.5 km from the KSC I programmed the KSC's coordinates into the MJ rover autopilot and got the distance. What other rocket plane ideas do you have? You think you can go farther away than 342.5 km?

BILL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y39D322 - 0H30M Our aerial probe had managed to enter Laythe's atmosphere and fly over the Sagen Sea before landing on an island. Though the plane was pretty wobbly after the re-entry phase, it managed to fly as expected once we were able to straighten it out. I just hope getting the plane stable will be that easy for Neptune III. When the probe first reached Jool's sphere of influence, we fine-tuned its Laythe approach in order to save fuel. Though some of the scientists suggested trying a Tylo gravity assist to slow it down, Gene decided to go with the K.I.S.S. approach. Keep It Simple, Stupid --> and kept it simple, we did. The probe as soon as it reached Laythe's SOI. It only took 1440 m/s of delta-V to circularize a 133-km parking orbit (and an additional 100 total to get the orbit down to 60 km before re-entry) Depending on how much fuel we have left for the Neptune III, we could just go for a direct Laythe approach and a light aerobrake --> enough to secure the plane in Laythe's orbit before going around again. After we jettisoned the delivery rocket, the plane re-entered the atmosphere by itself and spent a considerable amount of time spinning around before we regained control. I just hope we do the same for Neptune III before it's too late. Out of context, you'll never guess where this plane is flying. Looks like Kerbin's shores, but it's not. It's flying subsonic to reduce the risk of the ore scanner flying off. Probe approaching a small island before landing. Though the plane has only 2 x 500K antennae, the moon still has strong coverage. Plane after it landed on the newly-renamed Island KH-T. Though it may be small on the orbital probes, at least it is flagged down now. We'll launch the probe again during the day, when it's easier to see. We also need to transmit our atmospheric GCMS data from above the Sagen Sea when it's daytime since those antennae use a lot of energy to send it. Judging by this data, that island seems like a good spot to land the Neptune III and do some refueling. The Neptune III launch is only a few weeks away, and the Neptune II is still inbound for Jool. I just hope that they manage to get the de-orbit trajectory right and land on the ground, or else it will be stuck in the water. Good thing that the Neptune II capsule has a life raft, but that is mainly for after Kerbin splashdown. However, that would also mean that Johnfrid Kerman (its scientist and only occupant) would be stranded on Laythe until someone picks him up. That is why the Neptune III will only have two occupants instead of three - in case he needs a pickup. Besides, it's not like an on-board scientist is necessary for the Neptune III, anyway.

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN About 20 minutes ago, we have received word that the Neptune I capsule had splashed down on Kerbin's waters. All three of the men had arrived safe and sound with pictures and scientific data to send back to the KSC. The pod had about 2,500 m/s of delta-V left, but it wasn't enough to circularize its orbit around Kerbin - let alone descend on the surface from said orbit. During the Kerbin approach, Ludlong fired retrograde to slow the craft down before establishing a 41-kilometer periapsis. Though the plan was to aerobrake and go around again, the capsule ended up splashing down on the first pass. Fortunately, nothing exploded that wasn't supposed to. Though the science compartment was said to be "a bit of a mess," none of the instruments took any damage except from them bouncing side-to-side in the cargo bay. At least the probe core containing the scientific data was intact and uncorrupted upon recovery. The Neptune I capsule (and cargo bay) 500 m above Kerbin's water. Besides the Neptune II, an aerial probe, and another Ultimate Relay Antenna, a car is already on its way to Laythe. It can hold up to four people at a time and carry all kinds of scientific instruments around whatever island it's at. Though the engineers are working on an amphibious boat design, some are discussing scrapping the Laythe boat project altogether and rely on planes instead to hop islands. I'm not willing to give up just yet, but I do see their point; planes can get around faster. One craft prototype. Though it managed to get off the runway and into the water, I'm not sure how we're going to get it to Laythe. Gus has also informed me that we are behind in constructing Odin Station, and that we need to get Neptune III up and running. I am in no hurry to get the station competed, though, as we currently have no craft capable of getting up and down Laythe and docking with anything. More progress reports to come as we receive them. Wernher Von Kerman Year 39, Day 193 1H30M

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN A few weeks ago, we have received confirmation that the Eeloo ore transport has landed on the surface. Though the Eeloo colonists have yet to receive their new high-capacity lander, Gus and Mortimer have both concurred that we have sent enough spacecraft to that planet. When Mission Control convened to discuss the matter, Gene reminded Mortimer that we still have ongoing tourist contracts that include sending people to Eeloo - not to mention we are still contemplating a crew rotation. While tourist flights and crew rosters are stuff to be handled at later dates, one fact that we cannot ignore is that, with the way things are going now, Eeloo is more or less already colonized. After all, by the looks of this image obtained from the tracking station, it looks like we got pretty strong coverage. Besides having two stations already in orbit (yes, we "borrowed" someone else's design and sent a ring station to Eeloo - but it can't do its own ISRU conversions), the planet has relays everywhere. The colonists also have a nuclear-powered self-mining lander and a mobile science base to move around and transmit that cold, hard (pun intended) science. We also have an ore transport and an ISRU-capable station to refuel any docking-capable ships that pass by, not to mention a pod that can fly back to Kerbin if evacuation is necessary. After two hours of deliberation, Mission Control has unanimously agreed to terminate the Eelootian report thread. It originally started as an S.O.S. call from two explorers that ran out of fuel on the surface, then it became a rescue mission report. In the end, we're more or less getting the same things that we're getting on other places like Duna or Vall. If anyone wants to submit any questions/concerns/comments, feel free to post them and someone will address them in a timely manner. But for now, no new entries are being submitted. It has been quite an adventure on that snowball, but all the really interesting parts are over. As usual, scientific data will be sent to the archives and will be made available to the public when verified. Wernher Von Kerman Year 39, Day 180 0H50M

JEB KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y38D355 - 2H00M We spent about a year in Eeloo orbit conducting some research before three of us came down on the planet's surface. Jedemone (the rookie), my friend Bob, and I flew to Skylar Mobile Base - parked in the midlands. Unfortunately, there was no new science to gain in the midlands. Either Bill and Val already beat us to it years ago, or the lander had already collected the scientific data in the midlands before flying to the station. Whatever the case is, I'm driving us to another biome to conduct more tests on Eeloo. Like whether or not I could make an ice sculpture out of that snow angel Val made when she and Bill were stranded. In the meantime, we're so close to getting an ore transport. Eriler is so eager to get working on that on-board converter on Hades Station, and maybe we can go back home in the same pod we came here in. Not only that, we're also receiving a 19-person lander much later so that we can carry LOTS of kerbalnauts at once instead of having to take multiple trips to send a crew of four or more to the same spot (and refuel the monopropellant tanks after each landing). I can' t wait to move in to that flying outpost; I mean, who doesn't want to live in a flying house? Right? Gene has also informed us that some of us will be staying on Eeloo permanently. We don't know who or why, but at least we know two scientists, an engineer, and a pilot will be here. Even though Eriler is the only engineer here right now, Bill is hearing rumors that she may end up getting replaced in the next Eeloo launch. Judging by the amount of time, money, and attention put into this Eeloo project, I think it's safe to say that this planet is now becoming a full-blown colony. Personally, I hope that I'm part of the guys that return to Kerbin. I want to try out the new spaceplane they got - and maybe even go somewhere with my childhood friend, Bill.

AGAFORD KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y38D303 - 0H15M I'm the on-board engineer for the Duna I, the SSTO assigned to take a couple of tourists to Duna and Ike before returning. Just a few minutes ago, we circularized our Duna parking orbit at approximately 20,000,000 meters above the surface. 3,777 m/s of delta-V left. 3,926 m/s if you re-activate the RAPIER engines. Below are some pictures we took during the vacation. Window shot of Duna before we made our descent. Shot of the Duna I flying above the surface. Good thing there were no re-entry complications - not even the tourists complained of the craft getting hot (because the atmosphere is so damn thin) Despite the fact that the nuclear engine alone gave the craft a TWR of less than 1, it was still able to glide pretty well. Shot of me standing in front of the craft in the lowlands. We had to relocate when we realized that the canyon ore concentration was too low to activate the ore harvester. At least we got some new scientific data from the surface. Cockpit shot of Duna after we made our ascent. After refueling the plane completely, I turned on the RCS and got the plane going up to ~75 m/s before activating the rapiers. Once we were airborne, I oriented my craft to increase its apoapsis as quickly as possible while the plane still had oxidizer in it. After the rapiers flamed out, I pointed it at a 45-degree ascension angle and got my apoapsis up to 80 km before circularizing - despite the fact that my TWR was below 1 with only the nuclear engine. The MJ Orbit Info showed that, when I ascended at a 45-degree angle, the time to the apoapsis increased steadily. However, at the same time, my vertical speed was starting to gradually drop. That was why I had to begin my ascent at a high angle and get a suitable apoapsis before it was too late. Ike after we refueled. Taking off and landing was more or less like Minmus - or the Mun, from what I've heard. I told Wernher that I landed at the S.S. Remembrance landing flag, and I had a hill to the east act as a launch ramp during takeoff. It was almost too perfect. Why am I submitting a progress report about a vacation to Duna and Ike in a thread about Laythe, you ask? The answer is simple: this trip is also a test of the SSTO's interplanetary travel capabilities before one goes on its way to Laythe. Mission Control has decided that the Neptune III would stop at Ike before refueling on Minmus. However, they have yet to decide if they would go straight to Laythe after this or make another stop on Dres. After hearing about how much delta-V was left in the plane, more people are leaning towards the "Skip Dres" option. Personally, I think going to Laythe from here is possible with that much delta-V in reserve. However, I would be complacent if I didn't consider the possibility that aerobraking on our Laythe approach would increase the risk of parts getting blown up due to overheating. Another elephant in the room some of us brought up was the "Return to Kerbin" phase. If the Neptune III flies directly to Kerbin from Jool orbit - even if we stop to refuel at one of the other moons - there's still the chance that the plane could blow-up during an aerobrake. A feasible course of action to slow it down would be to stop at Ike and/or Dres (and refueling) before going back to Kerbin. I addressed my concern with Gene, and he said this: "We'll see after the plane refuels." What do you all think? Here's the Neptune III Mission Plan so far: Kerbin --> Minmus --> Ike --> (?) --> Laythe --> (One or more Jool moons (NOT Tylo) --> (?) --> Kerbin

BILL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y37D286 - 5H30M Over ten years since Val and I were last in space; the only exception was when she and I went to test a Mun Hopper prototype, and that only managed a suborbital trajectory. Good thing we both survived that, though. Anyway, several months ago, a couple of rookies (I forgot their names) managed to complete the Mun Hopper's "Worthiness Test." More specifically, a pilot and an engineer landed on both Mun and Minmus before returning to Kerbin. The only damaged sustained to the plane was to the solar panels since someone mixed up the rotation controls with the panel deployment buttons. Now that we know the Mun Hopper works, Gene has given us the green-light to go interplanetary with it. And in the nick of time, too. Two men have paid top-dollar to fly to Duna and Ike, and Mortimer recommended that we use the Mun Hopper to save money. 100K reusable plane > ~350K disposable lander Sounds profitable, doesn't it? The two tourists - and an engineer (to maximize ore production efficiency) - have flown straight to Minmus to refuel and established a 52-megameter around Kerbin before they would blast off to Duna. Back in Mission Control, we're debating on our course of action about how to take the Mun Hopper to Laythe and back. So far, most of us say that, though it would take longer, the Mun Hopper should "hop" all the planets between here and Jool before landing on Laythe to decrease the risk of running out of fuel mid-flight. Though I agree that the Mun Hopper should make a stop on Ike before blasting off to Jool, I don't know if it's really that necessary to land on Dres before that. And no, we're not sending the Neptune III yet. Besides settling the course-of-action debate, Walt wants outsider confidence in the Mun Hopper's interplanetary capabilities before we send it any further than Duna. What do you all think?

Thanks, @Railgunner2160. Sorry I've been held back with the story chapters. I've been busy IRL (brother and I leaving for (separate) colleges, preparing to see my girlfriend again), and I just got finished with a summer statistics class. Besides that, I've been working on a couple of super-cool mission threads in Kerbal Space Program (and some ongoing tourism/construction projects) Details a series of missions set for Laythe. I think I got an SSTO ready, but I just need to figure out how I'm going to get it to Laythe. Talks about the colonization efforts being done on Eeloo. Originally started out as a rescue mission, but I decided to expand my presence on that snowball. I promise that the next chapter of this story will come soon. In the meantime, if you're interested, feel free to read these mission reports and leave your input. Have fun.

JEB KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y37D184 - 2H00M After six long years, we have finally made it to Eeloo. Though we may not have enough fuel for a return trip, good thing that we have another pod already docked with it that does have the fuel. Even better, now that we have a nuclear-powered lander (and an ore transport coming our way), we could dump some excess fuel into the station's reserve tanks. Though we're prepared to make a quick getaway, our mission plan currently doesn't involve us leaving Eeloo anytime soon. Picture of Eeloo from a 200-km orbit --> before we rendezvoused with Hades Station. What is with the straight lines there? Were they roadways for aliens or something, because Bob says that they seem too straight to be naturally occurring I am SOOOOOOOOOO glad Hades Station has a buttload of RTGs and a LARGE power capacity; everyone was freezing in the pod. I thought about turning on the station's ore converter just to generate some more heat, but Eriler told me that it may lead to "some trouble." Even though I'm the captain of this operation, I was just fine with the heat generated off the RTGs. Heck, I may just remove one and place it next to me while I sleep so I could stay extra-warm. We're going to use both on-board labs to conduct some orbital research before we start surface ops. I'll be going down with Bob (and a second scientist) when that time comes, and we'll be sure to send pictures to Bill and Val. Last I heard from them, Bill got drunk at a KSP celebration party after they built a plane that could fly to both the Mun and Minmus.

Tell @Matt Lowne that. His wingspan's shorter than mine, and it seemed to work out well for him. Not only does he have no ISRU capabilities, his canards are smaller than mine and he has no horizontal stabilizers. I also have: More oxidizer for the rapiers (and RCS) Higher charge capacity More solar panels (I have 2, he has 1) Science instruments Probe core for pilot-free operation 2G Antenna I think I'm okay flying through Duna. I just refueled on Minmus and made my interplanetary transfer node for Duna.

@fulgur I just finished with the next phase of my Mun Hopper field tests: taking it to the Mun and Minmus before returning. Though I was unsatisfied with having to take off in a RETROGRADE orbit when leaving the Mun, I could at least make a Hohmann transfer to Minmus and land on a nice ore-heavy spot in the flatlands. After refueling, I took off and made my exit burn to establish a 100-km periapsis above Kerbin. After I circularized my orbit, I landed somewhere near the badlands and waited for the pickup guys to come. Though it took multiple quicksaves, I only lost my solar panels during Kerbin re-entry --> and that was because I hit "1" when I meant to hit "Q" to dissipate the re-entry heat. I shall now do the next and final phase of Mun Hopper testing: flying two tourists to Duna and Ike. If I can do that, then I have Laythe in the bag.

I thought of that, but I decided against it since it would stick out and: Increase drag Hence reducing aerodynamic performance May explode during ascent/re-entry from overheating Cause the plane to bounce when deployed To increase efficiency while minimizing drag and my chances of in-flight explosions, I installed a second drill in the cargo bay and increased my charge capacity to ~3,000. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. I tried that already, but the drills could not reach the ground. I INTENTIONALLY missed the KSC so that I could land on various terrains and take off. After all, I'm not going to have a runway when I fly to other planets (especially Laythe). However, I should keep what you said in mind since I made my de-orbit burn too early for the second prototype test.

How do you like my Mun Hopper, @fulgur?

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN Well, I think we did it. We managed to make a working SSTO ready for Dres - or at least make a refueling stop on Minmus before leaving. As an added measure, we had the plane land on a random spot on Kerbin's surface at least once before taking off and landing again. That way, we can know for sure if this thing works on Laythe. We tested the redesigned Mun Hopper prototype THREE TIMES, and got increasing satisfaction with each one. The Mun Hopper making its orbital circularization burn Just reached a 90-km orbit with ~2,500 of delta-V left to spare However, it can only be used by the nuclear engine. Mun Hopper during re-entry. Gliding over the desert after re-entry. Shot of the shoreline from the cockpit. As part of the performance test, the drills and ore converters were activated after the prototype's first landing. A day would then pass before it took off again. Nice crater we flew over. I should have ordered the pilot to mark down its location when he flew over it. Perhaps we should do that next time we send an SSTO. Though some in Mission Control will claim that the parachutes were deployed prematurely, I actually planned it. The prototype in this photo was extremely low on fuel, and some of the engineers were concerned about the engines getting knocked off during landing and takeoff. So, I told the on-board pilot to deploy the chutes to test the "head-first" approach. The cockpit was able to withstand the impact, and the plane ended up upright. All the above photos are for the second prototype used. As for the third, we installed gear under the rapier engines just for landing and then our chances of losing engines during takeoff and landing dropped. It still performed as well as the second prototype, only we timed our de-orbit burn more accurately so that the plane would land closer to the KSC during the second landing. Overall, I think we can all agree that we are ready to use a plane to travel to other planets. However, I don't think we should send it to Jool yet. As a true test of its worth in the Neptune ops, we should send it to the Mun and Minmus - and maybe even Duna/Ike - before we send one to Laythe. What do you think? Wernher Von Kerman Year 36, Day 353 5H10M

@Matt Lowne: Hold my monopropellant