Mars-Bound Hokie

Yeah, baby!

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: SECOND LOVE “Ugh,” groaned Jeb Senior as his eyelids fluttered open, “w… what happened?” He tried to recall what had transpired before he had lost consciousness. One minute, he was in a mini-bus to the Aphrodite command center; the next, he was strapped to what seemed to be a seat in a Mk. 1-3 Command Pod. He tried to move his arms, but his limbs were taped to the rests. “Where am I? What’s going on?” He looked out the window and saw purple sky, so he was still on Eve’s surface. “Those vitamin supplements… oh no.” Next to him, he heard a door opened and saw a kerbalnaut in a flight suit enter the cockpit. “You gotta help me. Misty Kerman tied me up and has taken me hostage.” “Taken you hostage?” a female voice said on the suit’s external speaker. “Please, just cut me loose and get me out of here,” begged Jeb Senior. “Not just yet, honey,” she replied, then she put a helmet on Jeb Senior. “Strap in; this is going to be a bumpy ride.” “Aphrodite Command, this is Jebediah Kerman…!” shouted Jeb Senior, but the kerbalnaut put her right thumb down before flipping some of the switches. Suddenly, he felt the ground vibrate underneath him; he guessed that his abductor was activating the ignition sequence. “Don’t even think about using radio communications,” she told him, “for I disabled that feature on your suit. You can only hear me through the data feed I plugged into the suit.” “I know how the cockpit suit data cord works,” sighed Jeb Senior. “What are you doing?” “Why… getting us off here,” said the kerbalnaut as she removed her own helmet. “Misty!” gasped Jeb Senior. “Now, it’s okay to be afraid at this stage,” she assured him. “Since Eve is larger than Kerbin, it may fail, and we could end up here forever. And we don’t want that, now do we?” She put her helmet back on. “Misty Two to Mission Control, all systems are ‘go’ for launch.” “Do you even know how to work this thing?” sighed Jeb Senior. “Quiet, you,” said Misty. “T-minus ten seconds and counting.” “You don’t want to do this,” argued Jeb Senior. “I’ve read that a million things can go wrong...” “Five, four, three, two, one,” interrupted Misty, before uncovering the red rectangular staging button. “IGNITION!” After she pressed it, the cockpit started to shake as the EAV blasted off. Nobody said anything as the rocket flew through Eve’s thick clouds; Misty tried to talk, but she was sure Jeb Senior couldn’t hear her over the sound of the rocket engines – and the staging decouplers going off. Several minutes of flying later, the main component of the EAV was in a stable 150-kilometer orbit above Eve. Jeb Senior looked down at the planet, hoping that someone noticed and would come to his rescue. However, Misty seemed to read his mind and took off her helmet and seatbelt as she started to float. “Now, I’m going to take off your helmet now,” she told him. “Screaming won’t do any good, since sound doesn’t carry through space.” She then removed Jeb Senior’s helmet and smiled at him. “You… kidnapped… me,” groaned Jeb Senior. “You ran away from me,” said Misty. “Why?” “Because you’re a psychopath who kills people for fun,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Fun?” gasped Misty. “Why, I should be insulted. You think I just target people for the sheer thrill of it?” “Yes,” said Jeb Senior, then Misty laughed. “Am I your next victim?” “If I wanted you dead, I’d have kicked you out of that bus without a suit,” said Misty. “Did you get dizzy on your way up?” “Yeah,” answered Jeb Senior, “did you?” “Getting you dizzy wasn’t part of the plan,” complained Misty. “Had things gone as planned, we would have made it into orbit earlier.” “What went wrong?” questioned Jeb Senior. “Someone drained the batteries and cut off the power flow,” complained Misty. “The saboteur also scrambled the staging sequence and removed the alternators. It took me a long time to fix the ship before taking off.” “I… honestly have no idea how that happened,” sighed Jeb Senior. “I do,” said Misty. “It is spelled B-I-L-L, and he is crazy obsessed with me.” “Like you’re one to talk,” complained Jeb Senior, then Misty slapped him – sending her to the wall. “Oops, I almost forgot Newton’s Third Law,” she said. “At least I don’t threaten your child or smear you all over the solar system. In fact, last I heard, your son hates you.” “You got the part about Jeb right,” sighed Jeb Senior. “If he wasn’t ordered to ask for proof that I’m alive, he wouldn’t bother contacting me at all.” “MJ, get me to Kerbin ASAP,” Misty demanded. “Let’s see what he said, shall we?” She took out Jeb Senior’s kPad – along with its battery – and activated it as soon as she re-inserted the battery. “Wow, that’s a lot of unread messages.” “Maneuver node plotted,” said MJ. “Warning: you are planning to fly to your target 193 Kerbin days before your transfer window.” “Can I make it to Kerbin?” sighed Misty. “Yes,” replied MJ. “While you have enough delta-V to make the ejection burn, you may not be able to fine-tune your approach to your target – or slow down your approach before re-entry” “Do it,” said Misty. “Acknowledged. Ignition in T-minus 27 minutes and counting.” Misty then deactivated the voice command system and kissed Jeb Senior. “Unlock this kPad,” Misty demanded, and then it received another message. “Oh, I wonder who that could be.” “Probably Jeb, asking for proof I’m all right,” sighed Jeb Senior, surprising Misty. “Jeb?” inquired Misty. “Whoa, all these unread messages are from Jeb. What happened, did you two finally make up?” “No chance,” answered Jeb Senior. “Then give me the combination and let’s find out,” said Misty. “It doesn’t have a combination lock,” said Jeb Senior, then Misty took off Jeb’s left glove and forced his index finger on the scanner. “Thanks a lot,” said Misty, then she looked at the messages. “All of them say ‘ping,’ and are 15 minutes apart. Hmm… I wonder why. Anyway, let’s see… WHAAAAAT?!” “Could you keep it down, please?” Jeb Senior requested. “The ascent rockets are bad enough.” “No… impossible,” continued Misty. “Is it true?” “Is what true?” wondered Jeb Senior. “Jeb told you that Irpond’s dead,” said Misty, showing him the texts. “Is it true?” “I dunno,” said Jeb Senior, “but why would he lie about it?” “She killed her,” stammered Misty. “SHE KILLED HER!” “WHO killed her?” asked Jeb Senior. “Val, that’s who,” answered Misty. “SHE… murdered… my daughter.” “How can you be so sure?” wondered Jeb Senior. “I mean, for all you know, it could have been a legally sanctioned execution.” “All she wanted was Bob’s love, and Val took that from her – even though she liked Bill,” argued Misty, then Jeb Senior’s kPad received another message. “Speaking of which.” She opened it and saw that it was from Val this time.” “Who’s it from? What did it say?” questioned Jeb Senior. “It’s from Val,” said Misty. “It says, ‘I don’t know if Jeb told you this, but Amelia was Dilford Kerman’s flight instructor a year before she died.’” “Amelia was a contract instructor for the early space program,” explained Jeb Senior. “She COULD have crossed paths… hang on.” “What?” “Did you KILL Amelia and Vanessa?” gasped Jeb Senior. “No,” said Misty. “If Amelia WAS a threat to me, I would have tracked you down and told you that she was cheating on you. And if that didn’t work, I would have sat down and WAITED for her to kill herself.” She smiled as she embraced a taped-up Jeb Senior. “Now, we have each other – and you’d better get comfortable, because we’re going to be stuck in this capsule for a LONG time.” “Until we reach Kerbin, but even then, that’s suicidal on your part,” reminded Jeb Senior. “Everyone on the planet will be looking for you, and you heard what MJ said; you could miss the target since we’re making our exit burn too early.” “Ha ha, I thought of that,” smirked Misty. “You may ask ‘What is your plan?’ Well… I can’t spoil it now, can I?” “How did you find me?” asked Jeb Senior. “When the nearest EAV hadn’t blasted off yet, I figured that you would go somewhere else to run – and where better than Aphrodite Colony,” started Misty. “I also figured that the medical center would alert Eve command of my departure in the Comet, so I made a bomb using some of the chemicals found in the base and set it to go off after I was airborne.” “Well, it didn’t work,” said Jeb Senior. “Jeb and his friends knew you were coming.” “Oh, really?” smiled Misty. “Well… in my defense, I was pretty rushed, and I had morphine in me from treating my gunshot wound. Though I accounted for a slow departure, perhaps I set the timer a little TOO long.” “I hope it didn’t go off at all.” “No matter,” sighed Misty. “I was lucky that the Comet had access to military transponders. I wonder why they did, though; did… the manufacturers not believe that they would be a threat due to their very short burn time? Either way, I saw an unusually large concentration at the Increased Gravity Inn and figured that was where you were. After all, driving for days would wear you out.” “How did you get past them?” questioned Jeb Senior. “I distracted them by crashing the plane at the central communications outpost,” continued Misty. “They HAD to move quickly to address the issue; not only that, the entire city was in a virtual blackout. Amid the chaos, I snuck through the city and got to the hotel.” “How’d you even know which room I was in?” “I lured the on-base engineer outside and forced her to tell me where you were,” answered Misty. “Quite clever that you had her register your room under HER name; I almost thought you were cheating. After I punctured her suit open, I went inside and dressed up as a male employee. I then took a syringe from the medical supply closet and poked a small hole in the bottom of the vitamin container before tainting them. After I took you to the car, I drove to the nearest EAV, put you in a flight suit, and taped you to the chair. “However, I couldn’t just start the ship; someone had sabotaged it.” “And you blame Bill for that?” inquired Jeb Senior, and Misty nodded in agreement. “That’s impossible, he’s on Dres.” “He must have told one of his friends on Eve to do it,” Misty told him. “He’s good, but I’m better.” “You sure about that?” asked Jeb Senior. “I’ve known Bill since he and Jeb were in elementary school; he’s not one to give up easy. Even when he learned that the Woomerang rocket contract was a sham to get locker room pictures, he still worked on dropping a probe on their football team.” “Oh, you still think that he’s going to come to the rescue?” said Misty as she tampered with Jeb Senior’s kPad lock settings. “Well, looks like I’d better tell him that he finally met his match.” While night fell on Calculus Base, Val was fast asleep in her bunk. She had previously told Jeb to text his father every 15 minutes after the second time he lost contact – which was after Jeb Senior had woken up at the Increased Gravity Inn. Bill, in the meantime, called a colleague on Eve and asked him to tamper with the EAVs so Misty couldn’t use them. Bob contacted Internal Investigations while Val alerted Eve Command about Misty’s escape. She was horrified when she heard that they lost contact with the medical center near the Jeb’s Junkyard construction site, knowing full-well that Misty had something to do with it. After she was done requesting that Eve Command put all military forces on full alert, she got a call from Roger – who, at the time, was on an SSTO to the Mun. He had been notified of the shooting in Dresden Base, and Kerbin’s central government had already decided on the details of Hadgan’s upcoming court-martial. Commander Oswald would be the presiding judge while twelve kerbals who had nothing to do with Irpond’s killing spree would be part of the jury. While Hadgan and his counsel had the right to call forth witnesses, Val would be called as a prosecution witness since Hadgan talked to her during the arrest. She told her friends about it, and the four of them agreed that Hadgan would most likely beat the murder charge due to the severity of Irpond’s actions. Later that night, Val was off-duty and asked Bill to spend the night with her – while in separate bags, of course. However, Bill had other plans for the night; he was assigned to work at the Bielefeld Interplanetary Observatory, located 20 kilometers from Calculus Base. While Bill slept, Val flew him in a moonjet to Calculus Base and waited for the surface transport to pick him up. The rover was specifically designed to limit – if not eliminate – the chance of radio and electronic signals interfering with the observatory data. As the observatory was in a “quiet zone,” transmissions could not go in or out of the outpost unless they were carried by “messenger robots” – which were somewhat designed to look like Wally. Since Bill’s kPad would be useless – if not an obstruction – in the quiet zone, Val decided to hold on to it until Bill returned. She found a bunk to sleep in and kept Bill’s kPad next to her while she looked at some pictures on her own. “I hope Jeb Senior’s okay,” she told herself, then she accessed one of the folders in her photo album. She started to look at a picture of what seemed to be a younger version of herself standing next to a boy in a hospital bed. “Aw, you looked so cute.” It was Bill while he was in his fifth-grade coma, which took place after Jeb crashed Bill’s prototype plane. “Kinda nice that Mom scanned the photo album and sent me these pictures,” said Val before swiping to the left. “Very impressive for a sixth-grade science project; drawing a design concept for an air-breathing 30-kilometer altitude plane. Too bad that some engineer in Woomerang beat you to it.” She moved through a few more photos before stopping at a picture of her and Victor at a football game. “Dang it, Mom. You always were a shutterbug.” Suddenly, Val noticed Bill’s kPad buzzing, indicating that someone was calling him. She checked the caller ID and read Jeb Senior’s name on it. “Finally,” sighed Val as she accepted the call. “Jeb Senior, you okay?” “Who is this?” a woman responded, surprising Val. “Admiral Valentina Kerman of the Kerbal Space Program,” answered Val. “Hello, Val,” the woman told her. “Can I talk to Bill, please?” “You can’t,” said Val, “he’s in a quiet zone now. He won’t be available for a while. Now, who are you?” “MMM MMPH!” she heard a man grunt on the other end, then Val’s eyes widened in shock as the man was slapped into silence. “MISTY KERMAN!” “You guessed it,” acknowledged Misty. “Is it true that Irpond’s dead?” “Yes,” said Val, “and no, it wasn’t me. The shooter is going to trial.” “It… must have been Bill,” sobbed Misty. “For years, he’s wanted my family wiped out.” “I can’t imagine why,” said Val sarcastically. “And no, it wasn’t BILL either. It was some other guy Irpond tricked into killing one of her rivals.” “I trust that you’ll prosecute the shooter to the fullest extent of the law… and go for the death penalty,” said Misty. “I’m just a witness,” sighed Val, “and personally, I don’t think he’s going to do any time. After all, everybody knows what she did – both in Woomerang and in space.” “Gah,” groaned Misty. “Where is Bill now?” “He’s working at an observatory several kilometers from here right now,” answered Val. “You can’t reach him at this moment because he’s in a designated radio quiet zone.” “Get him back here,” demanded Misty, “and have him call me back, or else I will slit Jeb Senior’s throat right now.” “Can’t I just leave a message for when he comes back?” sighed Val. “NOW!” shouted Misty angrily. “He has 15 minutes to call me back, or Jeb’s father dies.” Before Val could respond, Misty hung up. Val then stormed out of her quarters with Bill’s kPad and got a suit from the dispenser (and a space container for the kPad) before exiting the nerest airlock. “Come on,” she said nervously as she turned on her helmet lights. Once she saw a fuel-and-oxidizer lander nearby, she climed aboard and switched standby mode off. “Come on, navicomputer. Help me out here.” She hastily for the observatory’s coordinates and programmed MJ to plot a suborbital trajectory that would allow it to land within 100 meters of the outpost. “Course plotted,” said MJ. “Warning: you are attempting to fly below the 1.5-kilometer surface altitude ceiling at night in a quiet zone. Increased risks include…” “Shut up and get me there,” ordered Val. “Acknowledged.” Almost a minute later, the lander had touched down near the observatory and Val jumped out and entered with her suit on. “What’s going on here?” asked Emanuel Kerman, an astronomer who saw Val coming out the window. “Get Bill over here, NOW!” ordered Val. “Hey, Bill! It’s for you!” shouted Emanuel, then Bill showed up thirty seconds later. “Who are you?” wondered Bill, then Val took off her helmet. “No time to explain,” said Val. “Get a suit on, we gotta go.” “Wait, now?” “Yes, now!” “EVA me,” said Bill as he approached the spare suit dispenser, then he and Val quickly left the observatory. “You got a lander here?” “Just get in there!” said Val, and the two of them were soon in the lander. “MJ, ascend to a 30-kilometer parking orbit.” “Roger that,” replied MJ. “WHAT?!” gasped Bill, then the spacecraft blasted off while he wasn’t strapped to a seat. A few seconds later, he was spread-eagled flat on his chest while Val was buckled up. “A little more time to buckle my seatbelt would be nice.” “She’s got Jeb Senior,” explained Val. “OH, NO!” said Bill. “If you don’t call her back NOW, he dies,” she told him. “THOSE was her demands.” “You got my kPad?” asked Bill, and Val showed it to him. “Just let me strap in first.” “Make it quick,” said Val, then Bill called Jeb Senior’s kPad after he was finished buckling up. “Hey, Bill.” Misty responded. “It’s over, Misty,” said Bill. “Is it, Bill?” said Misty. “You may have bested my daughter, and I will admit you almost had me.” “I still do,” bragged Bill. “There’s nowhere to hide now.” “You really think so?” said Misty. “You may also have damaged my love, but rest assured I will repair that damage?” “How could I have damaged your love if YOU killed him?” sighed Bill, then he and Val high-fived each other. “Not Dill, I meant JEB,” corrected Misty. “Fun fact: Dilford’s flight instructor was Jeb Senior’s late wife,” said Bill. “I know that,” said Misty. “I wish I had met her before she died; she was one common thread between Dill and Jeb.” “What do you want, Misty?” asked Bill. “To let you know that you’ve been defeated,” boasted Misty. “You were a worthy match, but I won in the end. Jebby-poo and I are going to live out the rest of our days in happiness… probably even make a child to replace the one he lost.” “And the one YOU lost too, apparently,” sighed Bill. “Was THAT what you thought of Irpond? Some kind of… love trophy?” “Bill, don’t tease her when she’s got a hostage,” Val advised him. “At least SHE AND I were close, as mother and daughter should be,” argued Misty. “Jeb’s daughter is dead, and his son HATES him.” “Really, since he sends out pings every 15 minutes just to check on him,” Val argued. “Nice try, but the timing is TOO perfect for Jeb to have done that manually,” said Misty. “Besides, Jeb JUNIOR was bound to have been asleep when some of those messages were sent.” “Ooh, she’s got you there,” whispered Bill. “I think you’re missing the main point here,” Misty told Bill. “That you’ve replaced the love of your life with Jeb’s dad?” asked Bill. “That the game’s over. You lose, I win,” bragged Misty. “You really think so?” sighed Bill. “You just kidnapped the CEO OF Jeb’s Junkyard, which is BOUND to raise flags and start investigations. Besides that, you’re now a fugitive of the law. Where are you gonna go?” “Ha, like I’m telling you,” responded Misty. “But… if you want to keep chasing me, do so. I’m just saying… you’re just wasting your time. You might want to save us all the trouble and give up now.” “You know I can’t do that, Misty. And if not me, somebody else will capture you.” “Good luck with that, BOY.” Misty then disconnected her call, and Bill started to act like he was preparing for war. “We gotta intercept her,” he told Val. “Which would require knowing where she’s going at what times,” she reminded him. “And fast,” added Bill. “Now, there’s a small chance that she’s still on Eve’s surface and has yet to blast off, but I’m not counting on it.” “I thought you said you talked someone into sabotaging the EAVs,” said Val. “I had to compromise and settle for minimal modifications,” clarified Bill. “The guy I talked to only agreed to drain the batteries, remove the alternators, and alter the staging sequence.” “Uh, wouldn’t the last part increase the chance of blowing up the EAV?” asked Val. “Assuming Misty restored the power flow, no,” answered Bill. “The new EAVs have a safety feature that don’t allow engines still encased in their decoupler fairings to ignite. However, if Misty DIDN’T restore power yet, the staging sequence still won’t work even if it was correct.” “Yes, that would be an important feature,” commented Val. “A large chunk of Eve’s record death rate is because of EAV failure rate alone.” “I thought Laythe had the highest death rate outside of Kerbin.” “If we excluded murders, then EVE wins,” explained Val. “I’ll check Eve’s object tracker on… oh, crud. I left my kPad at Calculus Base.” “I’ll do it,” said Bill. “Okay, let’s see… hang on. Where did this EAV come from?” “Wait, what EAV?” asked Val, then Bill zoomed in toward’s a ship’s orbit. “I don’t remember giving clearance for that one.” “What do you mean?” “I told Eve Command to notify me when Jeb Senior was cleared to leave,” said Val. “They needed verbal confirmation from me before he blasted off.” “Misty’s in there,” gasped Bill as he facepalmed himself. “I TOLD them to remove the spark plugs so that the engines wouldn’t work, but NO. I was lucky they even agreed to alternators.” “Now, where would she go?” sighed Val. “The farthest EAVs can go are a direct burn to Kerbin,” said Bill as he looked up the specifications for the Eve Ascent Vehicle. “However, it makes no sense for Misty to go there.” “Why, because Kerbin is crawling with cops and soldiers?” “No,” disagreed Bill as he showed Val Transfer Window Alarm Clock. “The next window from Eve to Kerbin opens in approximately 193 days, which would give Eve’s forces plenty of time to rendezvous with her capsule.” He then switched to the object tracker and pointed at a space station. “Sure, she escaped the ground forces, but the U.S.S. Sulfuric Acid should dispatch a jet and catch her within a day.” “Now, why would she wait that long to make an exit burn?” questioned Val, then her eyes widened when she realized something. “Unless…” “Unless what?” asked Bill. “Unless she made her exit burn NOW,” Val figured out. “What makes you think that?” “The first time she tried to call you, she told me I had 15 MINUTES to have you call her back or she would kill Jeb Senior,” recalled Val. “Now, why would she have such a short time limit? Why not wait until you got out of the quiet zone to try again, or at least ask me to leave a message?” “Hmm… give me a minute,” said Bill as he began running numbers and drawing on his kPad. “It IS possible to reach Kerbin if she made her burn NOW, but it’s also RISKY.” “How so?” “Assuming she had enough delta-V to fine-tune her closest Kerbin approach, she could STILL re-enter Kerbin at too high a velocity since she won’t have enough fuel to adequately slow herself down,” “Bill, I love you, but my nerd speak is still rusty.” Bill smirked at Val. “Misty has a HIGH chance of running out of fuel. If not, then she could BURN TO DEATH during re-entry.” “And Jeb Senior, too,” said Val. “Can’t the Sulfuric Acid send a rescue team?” “Hmm… sorry, Val. No-can-do,” answered Bill. “By the time they’re in position to make their transfer burn, Misty would have already made escape velocity. You know how hard it is to rendezvous with objects with that kind of trajectory?” “Hard, but not impossible,” countered Val. “We do that all the time with asteroid catchers.” “Yeah, but in the approach part of the trajectory to allow more time to redirect,” reminded Bill. “Protocol mandates that we set up catcher craft to match a flagged asteroid’s orbital inclination well in advance to save time and fuel while the asteroid is still inside the sphere of influence.” “Inclination… UH OH!” said Val. “What?” “Look at Misty’s capsule,” she said, pointing at the icon. “It’s going RETROGRADE.” “SHOOT!” cursed Bill. “She KNEW we would consider an asteroid catcher.” “Wait,” said Val, “do WE have any in retrograde orbit?” “Let me check,” said Bill as he filtered out the ships that were not in retrograde orbit; the only one that was displayed was the one EAV capsule. “Sorry, but no.” “I KNEW blowing our budget on that luxury ring station hotel was a bad idea,” spat Val. “Tell Mortimer and Gene that,” said Bill. “Why is Eve such a popular tourist spot, anyway?” “The demand for Laythe plummeted after the Clivar scandal and the fallout leak,” answered Val. “Looks like Misty won this round.” “Even if she made her exit burn on the sunny… wait, she’s going retrograde… I meant the DARK side of the planet, she’ll burn out of fuel before making a successful retrograde solar orbit,” said Bill. “In other words, she has one of two options: fly to Kerbin, or float in a prograde solar orbit. Either way, it shouldn’t be too hard to rendezvous with her and rescue Jeb Senior.” “I know that, but… my gut tells me that she has a plan for that, too,” sighed Val. “What? Planting a virus in the rendezvous vehicles? She just lost Irpond, and they haven’t spoken since BEFORE Misty blasted off for Eve. What are the odds that Irpond gave Misty the correct operation codes to Misty before she went off the grid on Dres?” argued Bill. “More like threatening to kill Jeb Senior unless her demands were met,” clarified Val. “One thing’s for sure, we need to warn Kerbin that Misty took Jeb Senior,” said Bill. “As soon as they reach the planet’s sphere of influence, we’ll be all over them.” “But what if they CAN’T make it to the planet?” asked Val. “What if Misty either runs out of fuel… or INTENTIONALLY detaches the capsule from the engine after achieving solar orbit?” “Um, excuse me? Have you forgotten what I did for Guscan?” said Bill. “I could just send an interplanetary travel pod to her capsule, rescue Jeb Senior, kill Misty, and return to Kerbin.” “You contact Jeb, I’ll notify Kerbin,” said Val. “Not yet, Val,” objected Bill. “They still need me at the observatory right now, and Jeb’s snoozing on board the Defiant.” “Oh, yeah,” said Val. “Boy, I’m going to get so much crap from Roger for violating the quiet zone boundaries and extracting an active crewmember while he’s working in the observatory.” “As if you weren’t in enough for pulling Bob out of sick bay prematurely,” remarked Bill. “Now you know how Jeb feels.” “Not really,” Val disagrees. “At least I didn’t try to FIGURE SKATE on the surface with a lander – and play hopscotch with flips, too.” “Wait, when did he do this?” asked Bill. “THIS MORNING,” said Val, “at least where I was.” “PLEASE tell me it was a fuel-and-oxidizer lander,” sighed Bill. “The nuclear-powered landers have their engine nozzles hanging so close to the ground and right next to the landing legs.” “And I thought he matured,” said Val. “I’ll drop you off at the observatory, get out of the quiet zone, then radio it in.”

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y42D254 - 0H30M To all you haters who said that the Neptune II couldn't get me off Laythe. I say... WATCH ME! The engines right after ignition. It took a few seconds to warm up and achieve the desired thrust (blowing the flag away in the process), but I got going. The Neptune II finally flying after the engines were fully warmed up. It managed to get at the desired ascent angle with minimal to zero wobbling. And the wings don't even have control surfaces. Reaching 1,100 m/s during the ascent. Finally, I got rid of the ice that formed on the spacecraft. Though the internal heating systems managed to keep ice from forming on the important components, it was really annoying to deal with - like when it got on the ladder. After losing the jet engines and entered a suborbital trajectory, I deployed the panels and antenna while the craft waited to make its circularization burn at 95 km orbit. Orbiting Jool at 27 Mm while getting a shot of Laythe and Tylo. In about 319 days, I will make my exit burn to Kerbin. Though I won't have enough fuel for the capture burn (let alone descent), I can at least do an aerobrake and parachute down on the surface. If I'm lucky, I can do a direct approach without any harm to the craft itself. Good thing that the main capsule has two RTGs for power, since I will need to lose the solar panels when the Poodle engine burns out. As for the issue with the Native Laythans, I have been ordered to stay as far away from them as possible while on the surface. Whatever pictures I took of them, I have also been instructed by the central government to keep them in the capsule to eliminate the risk of possible data corruption. Though I disagree with the fact that I got that from a bunch of politicians and not my immediate superiors, I will agree that the chance of my data being corrupted - and, therefore, leaving doubt among the scientific community and the general public - is medium to high due to my craft having a weak antenna (only 2 G in the main capsule) and no on-board engineer to fix it. The central government messenger who talked to KSP also wanted to hold back on the "we have confirmed intelligent life on Laythe" announcement until the Neptune III crew has made contact. Honestly, I don't know why I need to keep my "alien stalker pics" to myself since we'll get confirmation from the Neptune III before I make it back to Kerbin. They're expected to reach Jool's SOI in 1 year and 303 days. However long it takes them to find the Laythans would definitely be shorter than how long it takes for me to reach Kerbin. Wish us luck, everyone.

I tried to land an SSTO on Eve. Unfortunately, during re-entry, the cockpit and probe core exploded. Good thing it was only a test SSTO, so nobody else was in it. It probably wouldn't have made it past a suborbital trajectory after takeoff, anyway.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO “Where’s Jeb Senior going?” Val asked Bill as she showed him Jeb Senior’s EVA transponder signal on her kPad. “He’s been zig-zagging for hours.” “Let’s see.” Val then sent him a screenshot and he started to draw on it. “Hmm… just as I thought, there’s a central line in the zig-zags.” “Central line?” asked Val, then Bill showed him his picture. “Given that the suits have heading indicators and that Jeb Senior seems to always have a plan,” started Bill, “it’s reasonable to say that he’s heading for… Aphrodite Colony.” “Aphrodite? The planet’s central colony?” gasped Val. “Why the zig-zags?” “My guess: to throw off anyone who’s following him,” said Bill. “However, even if he took the straight-line approach, it would be days before he reached the colony at his current speed.” “Well, he did stop at the construction site for half an hour before heading off,” pointed out Val. “However, he could have just used an aircraft to get there faster.” “What aircraft would he use? The airport’s not operational yet, and they probably need whatever blimps they have for the construction,” said Bill. “Then why bother go to the site at all?” argued Val. “He must have told his second-in-command – whoever it is – to keep the project running and that he would be leaving,” suggested Bill. “How’s Bob?” “He hasn’t left the base chapel in a day,” said Val. “Two hours ago, someone reported him saying the words ‘Please forgive me, Sheri,’ over and over again. Where’s Jeb?” “I dunno,” sighed Bill, then he approached a woman standing near one of the airlocks. “Hey, miss.” “Yes,” the woman acknowledged, then she saluted Val. “Admiral Valentina.” “At ease, mam,” said Val. “Where’s Captain Jeb?” “He took a rover out yesterday and hasn’t returned since,” answered the woman, then Val grabbed her shirt collar. “Hey!” “The base was on lockdown,” reminded Val angrily. “Why did you let him leave?” “Technically, the planet was on GENERAL lockdown at the time – which means that rovers are okay,” said the woman. “Besides, I heard the bad guy was a woman.” “Oh, great,” sighed Val. “You two, go find him.” “Yes, Val,” said Bill, then the woman elbowed him in the ribs. “Ow.” “You do not refer to your superior officer like…” “That’s okay, mam. He’s a friend,” said Val, then Bill and the other woman left. She then stopped in front of the men guarding Irpond’s quarters and handed over her gun before entering. “Where’s your boyfriend?” wondered Irpond. “I just sent him to look for Jeb,” answered Val. “Boy, was he mad when you told him about Vanessa.” “To be honest, I was surprised he didn’t already know by then,” confessed Irpond. “I mean, COME ON, didn’t he at least check the town records – or even read on the papers that the second body was that of Amelia’s daughter?” “How did you get that information?” asked Val, then Irpond waved her finger side-to-side. “Seriously? You already know the answer to that.” “Okay, better question. WHY BOTHER reading about Amelia and Vanessa’s crash? Since you cut off contact with your mom before she met Jeb Senior, if he told Misty about it, she COULDN’T have told you.” “I did the research before leaving Laythe,” answered Irpond. “I figured that, if I kept Bob’s friends busy, they wouldn’t pay attention to him and I would move in. You would end up in jail, Jeb would have daddy issues, and Bill… well, he would at least be distracted by either you, Jeb, or both.” “Why didn’t you tell Jeb EARLIER about Vanessa?” “I didn’t need to; Bob was already mine. Even better, he was not heeding your warnings. That’s also why I didn’t kill you back in the pod; not only would it raise flags with Bob, I figured you had a contingency plan in mind.” Irpond paused as she straightened her hair. “Besides, I… assumed that Jeb had already known. After all, I was only a teenager when I learned of what Mom did to that poor Debra all those years ago.” “If you weren’t a psychopath – and if Jeb was within the designated base perimeter – I’d have you try to help him work out his parental issues,” sighed Val. “You and your mom were very tight, but Jeb and his dad… let’s just say that they haven’t been on good terms for decades.” “Hey, don’t blame me for what’s going on with Jeb now. It was BOUND to have come out,” smirked Irpond, then she saw Val typing on her kPad. “What are you doing?” “Speaking of your mom,” she said, “she’s just been hospitalized.” “Hospitalized?” gasped Irpond. “What happened?” “She was attacked by an angry mob at… that’s funny.” “What’s funny?” wondered Irpond, and Val gave Irpond her kPad. “She’s dead,” said Val. “No… NO!” shouted Irpond, throwing her kPad at Val. “You KILLED…” “Guards!” Two men then burst into the room and separated Val and Irpond. “Take THAT!” One of them slugged Irpond before slamming her down and stepping on her head. “Enough!” ordered Val, then she left the room with her kPad intact and Irpond locked inside. “That’s weird,” she told herself. “Jeb Senior said that she was shot in the kneecap and then tipped over as she was being carried on a stretcher. What happened?” “You okay, Admiral?” asked the medical officer. “I’m fine,” said Val, then she walked towards the base’s chapel – where Bob was sitting alone with a picture of Sheri showing from his kPad. “I’m sorry for betraying you,” he told the picture. “I fell in love with the woman who killed you… and I was warned about it. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to my friends, and that I tried to replace you.” “You’re right about one thing,” said Val, then Bob turned his head. “You should have listened to us when you had the chance.” “Then hundreds of people would still be alive now, won’t they,” said Bob, “but that’s not the worst part.” “Uh… then what is?” wondered Val. “I tried to replace Sheri,” said Bob, “with the woman who killed her in the first place. I should have realized that, no matter how hard you try, you CAN’T replace her.” “Did… you talk to someone else about this?” asked Val. “Parents… friends… Rob?” “Rob just gave me the ‘I told you so,’ act,” answered Bob, “Dad has Alzheimer’s, Mom didn’t pick up, and… after the way I turned my back on you, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to you three. Where are Bill and Jeb?” “Jeb’s having more daddy issues,” said Val, “and I sent Bill to find him.” “I just keep thinking… should I have dumped Sheri for Irpond, or go hard on Irpond when you told me to?” “That’s an odd question, considering that you said that she couldn’t be replaced,” commented Val. “If I dumped Sheri, then Irpond probably wouldn’t have killed her and everyone else in Poseidon’s Palace,” snapped Bob. “She was a sick freak, even before Basic,” said Val. “Who knows what she had planned for you if you broke up with Sheri? For all you know, she was going to kill every girl who so much as looked at you… or frame me for covering for Vic. Heck, she could have just kidnapped you if she made a move at you and you didn’t notice.” “Why would I not notice Irpond trying to make a romantic move on me?” questioned Bob, and Val sighed in boredom. “Why don’t you ask Bill?” she joked. “I tried that with him many times before, but he didn’t even so much as complement me. The only times he even asked me out was for team projects.” “Eh… yeah, you’re probably right,” sighed Bob. “Besides, her mom killed her crush’s girlfriend – and… that was how Irpond’s parents met,” reminded Val. “Misty and Irpond are masters at this sort of thing… or at least Misty WAS.” “I’ve noticed you put some emphasis on ‘was,’” said Bob. “Why is that?” “She was just declared dead half an hour ago,” explained Val. “However, what I find odd was that she was shot in the kneecap and someone tipped her stretcher on its side before she got to the medical center.” “Back up,” Bob requested, “where was she?” “Eve,” said Val. “Fun fact: she was dating Jeb’s dad at the time – and now he’s trying to get away.” “What did you say Misty sustained again?” asked Bob, then Val repeated herself. “Yeah, I do find that odd. What type of medical station was she sent to?” “A Surface Class C,” read Val. “Assuming that she didn’t have to wait too long due to limited patient capacity,” stated Bob, “that means that the doctors should have been able to properly disinfect the wound and remove the bullet – and take care of wounds sustained from the stretcher tipping – in accordance to the Kerbal Medical Board’s designated procedures.” “Could you dial it back a bit, please?” “Misty should have been fine,” Bob summed up. “Now, it would be a lot more helpful if there was a cause of death.” “Let me see,” said Val. “Preliminary cause of death… asphyxiation.” “Yeah, very odd indeed,” agreed Bob. “Since when do gunshot wound patients, especially those who took one to the LEG – die from oxygen deprivation? Was she smothered?” “This report says there were marks on her neck, which means she was strangled,” answered Val, “but that’s impossible. Security was tight around that place, not to mention the military was involved.” “Maybe someone went rogue and did it,” said Bob, “or maybe the guy who attacked her came back to finish the job.” “It was more like an angry mob,” corrected Val. “Three guards and an intern attacked her at the Jeb’s Junkyard construction site.” “Wait, if Misty was shot, then how come the shooter didn’t just go for her head?” questioned Bob. “The guards probably wanted her to make it hurt,” said Val. BLAM! BLAM! Suddenly, two shots were fired somewhere in the base. Both Val and Bob ducked, then Val drew her weapon and turned the safety off. “What’s going on?” gasped Bob. “Stay down,” said Val, then she stormed out of the chapel and rushed toward where the noise was. “Drop your weapon!” she heard several men shout in front of Irpond’s holding cell, then there was the sound of a gun hitting the floor. “Status report, now!” demanded Val. “Someone stuck his gun down the prisoner’s mouth and fired twice,” said one of the guards. “We managed to capture the guy without incident.” She saw Hadgan getting dragged out of the holding cell with blood on his clothes and his hands behind his back. “Wait,” said Val, then Hadgan and the guards stopped. “Why’d you do it?” “She was the one who tricked me,” answered Hadgan calmly. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have Agaden’s blood on me.” “Why kill Irpond now?” asked Val. “Because you WON’T,” spat Hadgan. “You knew what had to be done, yet you didn’t have the nerve to do it. You should be praising me.” “Get him out of here,” said Val, then the guards dragged Hadgan away. “I’ll see you in court martial, Admiral,” he told Val as she approached Irpond’s holding cell. She almost puked at the sight of Irpond’s corpse on a pool of blood – her head showing two outward bullet holes. “She’s dead,” said a medical officer. “Irpond’s gone.” “Good riddance,” sighed Val. “Val,” Bill spoke on her kPad, “I found Jeb.” “Where is he?” “He parked a science rover about five kilometers from here,” said Bill, “but his EVA transponder’s active. I’m going in.” “Get his green ass back here,” ordered Val. “Roger,” replied Bill. “Oh, and one more thing,” added Val. “Irpond’s dead.” “Wait, for real?” gasped Bill. “Hadgan shot her twice just now,” explained Val. “Don’t come back to celebrate without Jeb.” “Copy that.” “What is it, Val?” asked Bob, then he saw Irpond’s corpse. “Oh my God… how did this happen?” “The guy who she manipulated into killing Agaden,” said Val, “took his revenge.” “Oh,” gasped Bob. “Where is he now?” “In custody, awaiting court martial proceedings,” said Val. “Though he did not deny killing Irpond, he said he would see me again in court martial.” “That doesn’t make sense. Why bother having a court martial if you’ve already confessed to the deed – and in front of everyone, too?” “It’s his right, after all,” reminded Val. “Had he not killed Irpond, she would be the one on trial before getting her sentence. I’m guessing… he wants the attention.” “Wait a second,” said Bob as his eyes widened, “Bill had it out for both Irpond AND Misty for years, right?” “So?” wondered Val. “Maybe Bill HIRED that guy as a hitman,” conjectured Bob, “and some OTHER GUY to kill Misty.” “Huh, you may not be that far off,” agreed Val before dialing a number on her kPad. “Internal Investigations, this is Admiral Valentina Kerman. Do you copy?” “Affirmative, this is Roger Kerman of Internal Investigations,” said Roger. “What’s the problem?” “First of all, aside from the psychological damage sustained from learning that his girlfriend was a killer, Bob seems fine to me,” started Val. “Why should I trust the woman who broke the patient out of sick bay?” sighed Roger. “Because THAT WOMAN is also a close friend of THE PATIENT,” spat Val. “I’d rather hear it from the patient himself AND the medical professional,” argued Roger. “Unfortunately, our attempts to contact Bob have failed and the medical officers couldn’t find him for assessment.” “What are you talking about? He’s standing right next to me,” retorted Val. “Hi, Roger,” said Bob. “I’m okay.” “Get yourself checked before you can say that with certainty,” recommended Roger. “As for your mental issue, I’d see a psychiatrist if I were you.” “That… would have to wait,” said Val. “I’d much rather save the shrink for Captain Jeb and his daddy issues.” “I don’t even need to access his file to know that it’s been a problem of his for a long time,” Roger commented. “What I DID read was that it was addressed in his psych evaluation when he landed a few days back.” “There’s been a new development,” explained Val, “but that’s NOT why I called. I just learned that Misty Kerman’s dead.” “Hold on,” said Roger, then Val heard typing on the other end of the line. “Ah, yes, Misty Kerman. She was strangled from behind and found dead in a sick bay on Eve.” “Did they get the guy?” asked Val. “So far, no reports of that,” said Roger. “You might want to talk to them.” “Can you patch me through?” requested Val. “One minute.” “What do you mean ‘new development?’” Bob asked Val. “What happened?” “You remember what happened to Jeb’s mom, right?” Val inquired. “Hmm… didn’t she die in a plane crash when Jeb was a baby?” asked Bob, sounding confused. “Yes, but do you remember WHO ELSE was in that plane?” “Hmm… sorry, Val. I don’t know if she was with anyone else.” “She was with a little girl named Vanessa,” said Val. “Jeb Senior told Jeb that she was some random stranger, but Jeb found out JUST NOW that Vanessa was actually his older sister.” “That’s terrible,” gasped Bob. “But that’s not the worst part,” said Val. “Jeb ACTUALLY WANTS his dad to die, either by Misty’s hand or in the crossfire of whatever plan Bill has to kill Misty.” “Admiral Valentina Kerman,” a second man spoke, “this is Doctor Eugene Kerman.” “You’re the acting director, correct?” asked Val. “Yes. What is it about?” “I heard that one of your patients, Misty Kerman, was killed not too long ago.” “If you ask me, she had it coming,” remarked Eugene. “The only reason I’m even helping the guards is because I want to pin a medal on the guy who did it.” “You got any suspects?” wondered Val. “Are you kidding me? A LOT of people – both in AND out of the base – have good reasons to kill her,” said Eugene. “Anyone who stuck out?” clarified Val. “One of the guards reported a nurse named Emma Kerman clocking out early,” said Eugene. “She took our rocket plane to Aphrodite Colony.” “Wait, how do you know that?” “She told the guard that she needed to go there for a crew rotation, then insisted on allowing her to take the rocket plane,” explained Eugene. “The guard, however, refused to let her use it since she was experiencing A LOT of pain in her leg and he saw her inject herself with morphine.” “Then how do you know SHE took it?” questioned Val. “Security heard the engine ignite five minutes after Emma left the building with a suit on,” answered Eugene. “We tried to track it, but the transponder is off.” “Is that thing even capable of reaching Aphrodite Colony?” “If you know what you’re doing, yes,” said Eugene. “That is exactly why we only allow licensed pilots to control it – either from the cockpit or via remote-control. In this case, Emma is neither a licensed pilot nor is anyone else who IS controlling it FOR her.” “You think SHE killed Misty?” wondered Val. “Good chance of it,” agreed Eugene. “Besides clocking out early, she told the guard that she was needed at Aphrodite for a personnel transfer. However, she has no pending transfers on her file – nor was she scheduled to get any for at least six months. Also, why didn’t she report a workplace accident when she hurt her leg?” “Workplace accident?” “She said that she injured her leg when a cart hit it,” said Eugene. “The problem is that, from what Oraldo told me about her pain and the morphine, that would constitute a workplace injury that was required by regulations to be reported – of which, there are none.” “Hmm… that’s funny,” said Val, scratching her chin. “Emma first gets injured – and doesn’t bother reporting it – finds Misty when she’s alone, then she strangles her… WAIT.” “Something wrong?” asked Eugene. “Yeah. If Misty was lying on her back, how could Emma strangle her FROM BEHIND?” explained Val. “Also, why not smother her or poison her – or just stab her in the heart? That would do the job fine, wouldn’t it?” “W… WHAT?!” gasped Eugene. “What are you saying?” “Either Emma turned Misty around and strangled her, or she d…,” “Hang on,” interrupted Eugene, then Val heard him talking to someone else. “She’s what… that’s not Misty? Then who… Emma? Then why did you guys think it was Misty?” “Uh oh,” said Val, then Eugene returned to Val. “We goofed up,” Eugene admitted. “Misty’s not the dead body in sick bay… EMMA is.” “EMMA?” Val asked in surprise. “How could you mistake Emma for Misty?” “Well, in our defense, the body looked just like Misty. Apparently, the body has no bullet hole in the left leg… and it has a scar on the right hand.” “What does the hand scar have to do with anything?” wondered Val. “Emma’s file says that she sustained it during medical school,” answered Eugene. “As for the bullet hole, if that was Misty then it would still be there.” “That explains everything,” Val figured out. “Misty must have escaped, strangled Emma and swapped places, then tricked the guard into letting her get away. That also explains why she needed the morphine; she was still recovering from that gunshot wound.” “I doubt she would get far,” said Eugene. “Misty’s not a licensed pilot, and she’s very likely to worsen her condition if she does not get medical attention. Besides, those rocket planes have a REALLY short burn time.” “Yet they’re capable of reaching Aphrodite Colony,” pointed out Val. “I hear it’s mostly gliding, so I doubt a psycho on morphine will do it right,” commented Eugene. “Don’t underestimate her,” warned Val. “Besides, her husband was a pilot.” “Jeb Kerman? I didn’t know he was a pilot.” “Not Jeb SENIOR, I meant Dilford Kerman,” corrected Val. “He must have shown her a few tricks before she killed him.” “I’ve already alerted the authorities at Aphrodite to look for the plane,” said Eugene, “but one thing doesn’t add up. If Misty’s on the run, why fly to a heavily populated area? Besides that, the bad leg will make you stick out like a sore thumb, so why leave NOW?” “Eve ascent vehicle,” guessed Val. “I doubt it,” Eugene disagreed. “There’s another EAV parked about 150 kilometers from here, which is WAY closer than Aphrodite.” “I should have asked how you knew she was even going there,” sighed Val. “The radar guys tracked the plane’s heading before it went out of range,” answered Eugene. “It was pointed toward Aphrodite.” “Huh… if I were Misty, I’d try to get the heck out of Eve with as little attention as possible,” stated Val. “Instead of flying towards an isolated EAV, I chose a crowded colony. Why?” “Could be the morphine messing up her thinking,” suggested Eugene. “Why don’t you ask someone who knows her, like her family or something.” “Her daughter’s dead,” said Val, “but I know a guy who’s had Misty on his mind for years.” “And… who might that…” Suddenly, there was a loud BANG coming from the other end of the line. The next thing Val knew, there was static on her kPad. “Eugene Kerman, do you copy?” gasped Val, but no answer. “Eugene, it’s Val. Please respond.” Again, nobody replied. “What’s going on over there?” “Val, this is Bill,” he spoke on her kPad. “We got Jeb. On our way back to base, over.” “Acknowledged, now make it quick. We need to talk NOW, over.” “Hi, Val,” said Jeb. “Bill just told me that someone shot Irpond.” “That’s right,” confirmed Val, “but we got another problem.” “What, was she infected?” wondered Jeb. “No. Why would you think she was infected?” sighed Val. “I saw this episode of KMCIS last night where the bad guy infected himself with a virus and infected everyone in a ring station after he was shot,” explained Jeb. “I saw that episode too, but that took place over KERBIN,” said Val. “The chances of that happening here are a million to one.” “Yeah, Jeb,” agreed Bill. “If Irpond DID infect herself with a deadly virus – and assuming we didn’t catch her and Bob – odds are she would have died before she left Dres’ sphere of influence.” “Hmm… I suppose that could be it,” said Jeb. “So, what’s the problem?” “Misty has escaped, and she took a rocket plane to Aphrodite Colony,” answered Val. “Aphrodite Colony?” gasped Bill. “JEB SENIOR’S heading there.” “Chillax, Bill,” assured Jeb. “First of all, why should I care if some psychopath grabs Dad?” “Because he’s the only family you have left,” answered Bill. “WHO CARES?” said Jeb. “I do,” said Val. “Besides, if Misty grabs Jeb Senior, who knows how many other people she’ll kill.” “She won’t get him anyway,” argued Jeb. “Rocket planes may have kick-ass speed, but they come with a TERRIBLE range.” “Actually, the guy I talked to said that the plane she stole WAS capable of reaching Aphrodite Colony from the medical base,” said Val. “I’m gonna need the coordinates for the medical base and Aphrodite Colony,” Bill requested. “I also need the model of the rocket plane she took.” As soon as Bill and Jeb (and the third kerbalnaut) returned to base, they were decontaminated and searched by the guards before rejoining Val. Kerbal Space Program regulations mandated that, whenever there was an on-base death (regardless of cause), all returning personnel would be thoroughly decontaminated in order to prevent the spread of harmful biological agents. Not only would they reduce the chances of interfering with the investigation, but there was a concern in the medical community that foreign contaminants combined with anything found on the corpse (like decaying flesh or bodily fluids, for instance) could cause a serious health problem in the outpost. “This is stupid,” complained Jeb. “We were nowhere near Irpond when Hadgan shot her.” “I agree,” said Bill. “If anything, Val and Hadgan should have been decontaminated.” “I get Hadgan, since he got her blood on him,” agreed Val, “but why ME?” “You were the last one to get in touching range of Irpond before the shooting,” explained Bill. “No, I wasn’t,” said Val. “After Irpond attacked me, the guards stormed in and subdued her; that was MINUTES before the shooting.” “As much as I appreciate this measure,” said Bob, “I think it is excessive in this case. I mean, if Irpond was SICK or POISONED, then it makes sense to be extra careful on what loose microorganisms you bring in – or out, for that matter. However, there’s no real reason to decontaminate INCOMING kerbalanuts after she died from TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD.” “Okay,” Bill told Val, “what kind of rocket plane did she use?” “Let’s see,” said Val as she checked her kPad, “a Kerlington Ke-402 Comet.” “Thanks,” replied Bill. “Let me see… yep. Pretty decent thrust for Eve.” “Whatcha doing now, dude?” asked Jeb. “I need to do some math to calculate if the director’s claims about the Comet being able to reach Aphrodite Colony from the medical center is true,” explained Bill. “Bill, I don’t think he was lying,” countered Val. “He could have been mistaken,” reminded Bill. “Also, these calculations will help me determine HOW Misty can get to Aphrodite. That’s also why I needed the coordinates of the medical station.” “You do that,” said Val, “and make it snappy. If we hurry, we can catch her.” “Wait,” blurted Bill. “What now?” sighed Val. “What runway did the Comet take off from?” he asked. “Bill, the medical center only has one runway,” said Bob, showing Bill the satellite view. “Which heading?” clarified Bill. “Let me see…,” said Val as she checked the incident report, “she used Runway 3-1.” “Thanks, that should be it,” said Bill, then his three friends left him alone to his math. “Jeb, you have to warn your dad about Misty,” ordered Val. “NO WAY,” spat Jeb. “That is an ORDER, Captain,” replied Val. “Uh, Val,” said Bob, “he’s your friend.” “Lives are in jeopardy, Bob,” reminded Val. “And Jeb, this is no time to argue.” “This is the PERFECT time to argue,” countered Jeb. “As far as I’m concerned, that man is dead to me.” “I’m not asking you to patch things up with your father,” said Val. “I’m ORDERING you to WARN him about an ESCAPED CRIMINAL.” “And if she wants him, she can have him,” sighed Jeb. “They can live together forever; Misty can spend her life keeping Dad out of my hair instead of killing people. That’s two birds with one stone, Val.” “Um, YES, she WILL murder again,” said Val, “starting with the soldiers guarding the EAVs. Just tell your dad to go somewhere safe.” “Uuuuuuuugggggghhhhhhh… FINE,” groaned Jeb, “but it’s not my problem if…” “Shut up,” ordered Val. “What are you and I gonna do?” asked Bob. “If Jeb still refused to call his dad, I could have done that.” “Between you and me,” Val whispered into Bob’s ear, “it’s time Jeb planted the seeds of healing.” “Neat,” said Bob. “Anyway, Eugene told me that she needed to glide a lot if she was to reach Aphrodite,” started Val. “However, according to Misty’s file, she is NOT a licensed pilot.” “Is that her current file or her old one?” wondered Bob, pointing at Misty’s picture on Val’s kPad. “Current,” answered Val, “and it’s just for a tourist. Why ask?” “A friend of mine in Records told me about a digital preservation effort for old files that started two years before you and I got to Dres,” explained Bob. “Surely, someone with high-level file access like yourself would know about it.” “Oh, yeah,” remembered Val. “What good will checking Misty’s OLD file do?” “She COULD have had some flight training back then,” said Bob, “but it didn’t show up NOW because her license expired.” “Okay… wouldn’t hurt to try.” Val then typed Misty’s name again and tapped the PDF of Misty’s old personnel file. “Let me see… and… sorry, Bob. No flight training here.” “Drat,” cursed Bob, “then how did she expect to fly… WAIT. Couldn’t she just use MJ?” “Negative,” said Val. “Aircraft not designed to go into orbit are to be equipped with the MJ Aircraft Bundle.” “What’s the difference?” wondered Bob. “MJ Aircraft Bundle costs less than the full package, and it’s ONLY the functions required for aircraft use and navigation,” said Val. “Even then, VERY few people – licensed pilots or not – use the MJ autopilot functions; in fact, Bill has read MANY reports about plane crashes when MJ was active.” “So much for that,” said Bob. “He’s not picking up,” interrupted Jeb. “No, we’re too late,” gasped Val. “Or there could be interference,” Bob disagreed. “How do you know Misty didn’t catch him yet?” Val asked him. “Well, so far, we haven’t seen ANY evidence that Misty would know how to get to Aphrodite,” Bob mentioned. “Even if we did, for all we know Misty got there TOO LATE to get Jeb Senior.” “Now that you mention it, he WAS going in a zig-zag path to Aphrodite,” said Val. “She could have also gotten there TOO EARLY… or the guards intercepted her.” “Now, if I was Misty, where would I go to learn how to fly and NOT get certified?” Jeb asked, scratching his chin. “Dilford,” said Val. “Her husband… who was a pilot, OF COURSE,” Bob added. “That she shot decades ago,” said Jeb. “How do you even know she remembers the gliding part?” “Well, do YOU?” asked Val. “I do.” “Easy for you to say, we’re both licensed pilots,” countered Jeb. “Besides, Dilford’s flight school could be WAY different from OURS.” “Wait a sec,” blurted Val, “hey, Jeb. Remember Flight Math from Basic?” “Not really,” said Jeb. “To be honest, I didn’t care for Flight Math.” “So THAT’S why you were a third wheel,” realized Val. “Wait, third wheel for what?” asked Bob. “I was struggling with Flight Math and tried to get Bill to help me with it,” said Val. “However, every time I met Bill for help, Jeb was there too.” “Sounds lame, if you ask me,” sighed Jeb. “Excuse me?” gasped Val. “If you liked Bill that much, why didn’t you say so?” he explained. “It’s not like he didn’t already have feelings for you.” “And at least you didn’t wipe out half the planet to get him,” added Bob. “Less dating Bill advice, more catching Misty advice,” said Val. “Question: did Dilford have the same Flight Math course as Val and Jeb?” asked Bob. “Better question: who cares?” sighed Jeb. “Uh… gliding was part of the curriculum,” reminded Val. “For US, maybe,” scoffed Jeb. “How do you know if DILFORD had it?” “Only one way to find out,” said Val as she accessed a PDF of Dilford Kerman’s personnel file. “Wow, they even got detailed course performance records in the OLD files too.” “Does it say how well he did in Flight Math… if he had it?” asked Jeb. “And… yep. It says here he did pretty well in Flight Math… and yes, it included ‘Gliding Triginometry.’ In fact, his pre-graduation team project was about using gliding to reduce overall fuel consumption.” “Uh oh,” gasped Bob. “If Misty got a hold of that, then odds are she would calculate how to get to Aphrodite from the medical center.” “Assuming she still remembers that,” reminded Jeb. “That’s strange,” muttered Val, staring at a part of Dilford’s file. “What is?” asked Jeb, then Val showed the screen to Jeb. “His practical instructor… WHAT?!” “His instructor what?” wondered Bob. “Dilford’s instructor was Jeb’s mother,” said Val. “Val, can you please look for Mom’s file?” requested Jeb. “Jeb, how is that gonna help us get Misty?” asked Val. “It’s not, but we’ve already established Misty should know what she’s doing,” argued Jeb. “I already tried to warn Dad, but nothing.” “Until we can establish communication with Jeb Senior,” remarked Bob, “all we can do now is sit here and wait for Bill to calculate Misty’s course of action.” “How do you even know your mom was even in KSP?” Val inquired. “How do you know she WASN’T?” smirked Jeb. “Any other day, I’d say you were being a smart-mouth again,” sighed Val. “However, given the recent episode between you and your dad, I’ll look.” “If your mom WAS in KSP,” said Bob, “how come nobody in Admin told you?” “Because she was REJECTED,” answered Val. “And yes, they kept the files for rejected applicants from that long ago.” “Wait a second, if Mom was rejected, how could she have taught Dilford?” asked Jeb. “Because she was hired on an instructor contract,” said Val, “which meant she was not officially a KSP employee. She was rejected from the kerbalnaut program due to her criminal and accident liability record.” “I thought instructors WERE official KSP employees,” countered Bob. “NOT when Dilford and Misty were just trainees,” explained Val. “The program couldn’t afford its own training academy then, so they hired a contractor.” “So… if Dilford was Mom’s student…,” stammered Jeb, “then that must mean that… Misty is my student… sister-in-law.” “Really, Jeb?” sighed Val. “Actually, now that he mentions it,” said Bob, “you now have ANOTHER reason to go out and help your dad.” “Please elaborate,” said Jeb. “Your mom, the love of Jeb Senior’s life, trained one of Misty’s victims,” elaborated Bob. “Don’t you think your dad has a right to know that?” “Nope, since he already violated MY right to know I had a sister,” countered Jeb. “Huh,” Val told herself, “Dilford graduated Pilot School almost a year before Amelia died.” “Wait… so,” stammered Bob before drawing a timeline on his own kPad. “What are you getting at?” wondered Val. “Do you think that Misty… KILLED Amelia and Vanessa?” asked Bob. “Why would she do that?” questioned Val. “Because Amelia was too close to her target,” guessed Bob. “I seriously doubt that,” Val disagreed. “If she did, she didn’t need to waste time going to Baikerbanur and wait for her to fly THROUGH a THUNDERSTORM – and when there was a NO-FLY ORDER in effect.” “Irpond managed to force Tami to shoot Dora – and Reid to shoot up the base,” reminded Bob. “What’s to say Misty didn’t force Amelia to fly into that storm with her daughter?” “Dad said that Mom wanted to take ALL of us to Woomerang, but Dad refused and asked Mom to stay for the night,” said Jeb. “After that, she distracted Dad while Vanessa snuck on the plane and ran for it.” “Doesn’t really sound like she was forced to do anything, especially given Amelia’s record,” agreed Val as she looked up Debra Kerman’s file. “Besides that, it was almost nine years between Amelia’s crash and Debra’s; why would she wait that long between making moves… or to confess her love to Dilford, for that matter? And furthermore, while Amelia’s crash was on a stormy night, DEBRA’S was on a clear, sunny day.” “What are you saying, Val?” inquired Bob. “If Misty WAS guilty of causing Amelia’s and Vanessa’s deaths, you’d think that she would know better and kill Debra in more HOSTILE weather conditions,” explained Val. “Sure, Debra’s car was a prototype, but the sabotage was more obvious.” “Hmm… you’re right,” murmured Bob. “At this point, the only way Misty COULD have been involved in Jeb’s mom’s death is if she DARED her to fly through bad weather.” “Seems reasonable,” concurred Val, “but even then, only AN IDIOT would try that.” “Even then, we know there’s a good chance Misty would know what she was doing,” said Bob. “Then why is Bill even doing math?” asked Jeb. “Her gliding math is bound to be rusty by now.” “That doesn’t necessarily mean she can’t do it,” warned Val. “Her old file says that she worked in propulsion, so she can definitely do the math.” “Assuming she knows what math TO do,” emphasized Bob, then Bill interrupted them. “Whatcha get?” asked Val. “She’ll need to accelerate to 100 meters per second at full throttle before pitching up,” started Bill. “After she’s airborne, she will have to change her ground track to 290 degrees and ascend at full throttle to an apoapsis of 60 kilometers meters at a pitch angle of 45 degrees. After she reaches…” “Save the math for bedtime,” sighed Jeb. “Can that rocket reach Aphrodite or what?” “Yes,” said Bill. “Assuming that she descended at…” “That’s enough,” said Bob. “Not yet,” Val responded. “Could she intercept Jeb Senior?” “Since she took off at 0024 Hours Krakopolis time, she should still be airborne right now.” “Uh oh,” gasped Val. “Jeb, try your dad again. Bill, you have to disable the ascent vehicles.” “How do I…?” questioned Bill. “I don’t care how, just do it so Misty CAN’T use them,” spat Val. “Bob, call Roger.” Inside the Aphrodite Colony perimeter, Jeb Senior was being extra careful to move unnoticed. After he had stopped at the Jeb’s Junkyard site, he told his lieutenant to take charge and recharged his rover before reloading his suit with water and power. Though his destination was Aphrodite Colony, he moved in a zig-zag pattern to throw off anyone in case anyone was tracking him. As an additional measure, he shut down his kPad and removed its battery so nobody could use its Kerbnet signal to track him. While that meant he wouldn’t be sending or receiving any calls, he guessed nobody would want to call him at this time – especially not his own son. When he arrived at the colony entrance, he parked his rover and presented his identification to the guards before walking the rest of the way. He spent nearly an hour walking to throw off anyone who might have been following him before entering a small hotel with a mini-bus parked next to it. He then walked into the main lobby – not removing his suit after getting through the airlock – and approached one of the kiosks. “Welcome to Increased Gravity Inn,” a female computer voice spoke. “How can I help you?” “I need to use the phone, now,” demanded Jeb Senior after he switched on his suit’s external speakers. “Okay. Who would you like to call?” Jeb Senior’s eyes widened when he saw one of the call options. “Emergency Services,” said Jeb Senior. “Are you sure you want to contact Emergency Services?” asked the computer. “Yes, I’m sure.” “One moment, please.” Five seconds later, a man replied. “Aphrodite Colony Emergency Services.” “Hello, sir. This is Jebediah Kerman Senior,” Jeb Senior whispered. “I’m at Increased Gravity Inn now.” “Copy that, sir,” said the responder. “What’s your situation?” “I’m running from a psychopathic murderer named Misty Kerman, and I require immediate protection,” explained Jeb Senior, panting nervously. “Can you send someone over?” “Calm down, Jeb Senior. Do you see Misty now?” “No, but I know she’s coming for me,” warned Jeb Senior. “Please hurry.” “Stay out of sight. We’ll send a military escort to your position.” “Thanks.” Jeb Senior remained in his suit while he went to the outpost’s rec room, where a base engineer approached him. “Hey,” she said, “why do you have a suit on?” “Show me your left knee,” demanded Jeb Senior. “Uh… sir?” gasped the engineer, then Jeb Senior brandished a screwdriver that he had in one of his suit pockets. “Left knee, NOW!” The engineer complied and lifted her lift pant leg up to her mid-thigh. “You happy?” “No gunshot, so yeah,” sighed Jeb Senior as he put away his weapon. “Sorry about that, miss.” “If you’re looking for gunshot wounds, I have one in my right shoulder from a teenage hunting accident,” the engineer told him. “Why check the left knee?” “Because the woman I’m running away from has one there,” explained Jeb Senior. “Ooh, is she like an ex or something?” wondered the engineer. “I’m Michaela, by the way.” “Name’s Jebediah,” said Jeb Senior as he shook hands. “Everyone just calls me Jeb Senior.” “I was wondering if you were Jeb’s dad,” said Michaela. “I am,” smiled Jeb Senior, “though I don’t know for how much longer.” “Why, is he in danger?” “More like he never wants anything to do with me,” said Jeb Senior. “Aw, that’s too bad,” said Michaela, “So, can I help you?” “Well… now that you mention it, can you get me a room for one under your name please?” Jeb Senior requested. “I’ll reimburse you for all expenses.” “Um, can’t you just do it yourself at the kiosk?” “No. I need YOU to do it FOR me,” clarified Jeb Senior. “Why me?” “I can’t risk Misty knowing I’m here,” said Jeb Senior. “If she sees my name in the tenant roster, I’m a dead man.” “Can’t you just call the colony guards?” questioned Michaela. “I did, but… to be honest with you, I’m not counting on them arresting her before she kills me,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Just send me the bill after I leave, and I’ll add a 20 percent tip.” “Okay,” said Michaela. “Could you remove your suit, please?” “Can-do,” answered Jeb Senior, then he left her to take off his EVA suit. “Oh, and you might need a biohazard crew to take care of the suit diaper.” A few minutes later, he was out of his suit and Michaela had arranged his room for him. “Thanks.” “KMCIS!” a soldier announced loudly as more entered the base. “Not necessary, corporal,” said another. “Jebediah Kerman Senior?” “Thank goodness you’re here, soldiers,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Secure the area, boys,” he ordered, then his men spread out with their guns raised. “Jeb Senior, we’ve received word that Misty is on her way to Aphrodite Colony right now,” “WHAT?!” gasped Jeb Senior. “The good news is that her plane is still airborne,” the commanding officer told him. “As I understand it, you knew Misty Kerman well?” “Yes, we… dated for a while before her emails were leaked,” answered Jeb Senior. “We’ve been sent here to protect you, but odds are that other soldiers will catch her before she gets anywhere near here.” “Good, because I need to rest now,” said Jeb Senior. “Michaela, what room did you reserve for me?” “Bunk Eight,” answered Michaela, then she gave Jeb Senior the keycard. As soon as he got into the room, three soldiers swiped the card through the lock and burst inside. “All clear, sir,” they told him, and Jeb Senior lay down on the sleeping bag with his kPad on his chest. “Finally, some well-deserved rest,” he said to himself. As tempted as he was to spend a few Eve days here and relax, he knew that it would make him a sitting duck. After a few hours of sleep and an Eve morning photosynthesis, he would leave the hotel and arrange to be flown off the planet. Though he was aware that it would take him a while to get the clearance to get in an EAV, he would at least be in a protected area while the flight arrangements were being arranged. When the sun rose over the horizon, Jeb Senior slowly woke up and stretched his body. After changing his clothes, he inserted the battery into his kPad and waited for it to reboot. A minute later, he saw that his Kerbtext inbox was full of unread messages; he didn’t think anything of it until he saw the sender for most of them. “Jeb?!” he gasped. I know you can read me. I called you three times, but nothing. In case your phone app’s broken, Misty’s on her way to Aphrodite Colony in a Comet. - A rocket plane she hijacked from the hospital she was at. Come on, Dad. Why are you ignoring me? Is this because you’ve been taken hostage, or are you just being a jerk? For the record, Val told me to contact you. Since you haven’t been responding, she told me to “ping” you every 30 minutes. Please respond when you get back online so we know you’re alive. Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping “Oh, dang it,” cursed Jeb Senior. “I should have turned the kPad back on when I was on the… wait, there’s no road.” He then noticed that the timestamps on the “pings” were on perfect 30-minute intervals. “Either Jeb used the auto-send feature, or he’s been paying more attention to the clock… just to warn me.” I’m all right, Jeb. What happened? You’ve been off the grid for days? My fault; I removed the battery from my kPad. Why would you do that? I couldn’t risk anyone tracking me from my kPad signal. Where are you? Somewhere in Aphrodite Colony. - Can’t give you specifics since there’s no word of Misty getting caught. Drat. At least Irpond’s dead. “Room service,” a man announced while knocking the door. Jeb Senior then looked through the peephole and saw his face before opening. “I didn’t order any room service,” said Jeb Senior. “All tenants receive vitamin supplements after their first night here,” the employee explained before giving him a small bottle full of pills. “Don’t worry, it’s safe.” “Wait a second,” said Jeb Senior as he walked toward the front desk and saw a kerbal receptionist. “Excuse me, but do you really offer vitamins to the guests?” “Yes,” said the receptionist. “It’s on our webpage, see.” Jeb Senior then examined the receptionist’s computer and carefully read the part about the complementary vitamins. “Okay, good to know,” said Jeb Senior. “I thought it was drugs.” “You don’t have to take them if you don’t want to,” the receptionist told him. “I’ll take them anyway.” Jeb Senior then opened the sealed can and swallowed a couple of the vitamin pills. “I’m going to need all the energy I can get.” “Then you might want to head to your room to get cleaned up,” said the employee, then Jeb Senior entered his room. After he took a quick shower, he started to feel a little bit relaxed. “Aphrodite Command has requested that we transport you to the military outpost in a closed-cockpit rover.” “Thanks,” said Jeb Senior, then he noticed that his eyelids were starting to drop. “Sir, I feel… drowsy.” “Bet you would be after driving for days,” sighed the attendant, then Jeb Senior slumped into a rover seat after walking through the airlock. Before Jeb Senior said anything else, the hotel employee got in the vehicle and sealed the door. “Uh… sir,” groaned Jeb Senior, “I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.” “Actually, I am,” the employee replied, but in a more feminine tone. “No…,” gasped Jeb Senior, then he saw the driver remove his had and wig – revealing long, brunette hair. “Cannot… be.” “MJ, take us to the nearest EAV.” “Target locked… plotting destination… moving now at 10 meters per second.” As the rover started to drive itself, Jeb Senior’s abductor revealed herself after she removed the voice changer under the collar. “Hey, my little Jebby-poo? Did you miss me?

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.