Mars-Bound Hokie

JEB KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y31D177 - 1H00M COMEBACK I CREW ROSTER NAME LEVEL (AS OF Y31D177) ASSIGNMENT JEBEDIAH KERMAN 5 - MISSION COMMANDER - PILOT BOB KERMAN 5 - LIEUTENANT - CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER ERILER KERMAN 2 - CHIEF (AND ONLY) ENGINEER ARBUS KERMAN 2 - PILOT SIEBALD KERMAN 4 - SCIENTIST MATT KERMAN 4 - SCIENTIST JEDEMONE KERMAN 0 - SCIENCE CADET Well, it happened. Kerbalkind is finally making a comeback to Eeloo. Mission Control has decided to start crewed operations on that snowball since "everything should be all set by the time we arrive." I hope they actually mean it, since I don't want to end up like Bill and Val when they first went there. Anyway, this is Captain Jebediah Kerman here. I am now in command of the Comeback I en route to Eeloo to begin science and surface operations. Unlike that trash can lid they called a "lander," this craft is not designed to land; even though my engineer says that it has the trust-to-weight ratio (or whatever the heck it's spelled). We had a pretty awkward ejection burn getting out of Kerbin's sphere of influence, leaving us with: 2455 m/s of delta-V It may not be enough for both the capture burn and the trip back, but Mission Control thought of that. Hades Station, while still under construction, already has A LOT of fuel there. And an ore tank and converter. There's another pod of the same design as Comeback I already docked. About 6 years before we reach Eeloo. The general plan is to rendezvous with a completed Hades Station once we reach Eeloo, then we level ourselves up as soon as we start analyzing scientific data from Eeloo's orbit. I'll then dispatch Jedemone and Matt - and either go myself or send Arbus - to the new mobile base to start surface ops. Though there are no permanent outposts landed on or on their way to Eeloo (yet), the mobile base can hold all seven of us if need be; it also has the potential to get more science opportunities since it's mobile. We're going to be on that snowball for a while, but at least we'll be able to leave on our own terms this time instead of wait for someone to come rescue us. Bill and Val, if you're reading this, I'll bet you my car that you're jealous I have everything in place already while you had to go there by yourselves with almost no preparation (compared to what I have). My crew and I are now in charge of this journal, and I bet it will turn up A LOT of readers.

@Geschosskopf and @KerikBalm, you both present compelling arguments. I'll start with @Geschosskopf (since s/he replied first). Though surface relays may not be as effective as orbital relays, they still have some purpose. Not necessarily. The ship in question may not be able to reach Kerbin on its own due to its antenna being too weak (assuming it has one), and/or the orbital relays may be on the other side of the planet (or too weak, depending on the design/orbital position/planet). Maybe, maybe not. Due to this particular relay's immense power, it's bound to hit another relay - either orbiting its host planet or positioned millions of kilometers away. Even if they're unable to reach Kerbin, they still have solar panels and RTGs to supply it with enough power to last forever. They should be able to reconnect to Kerbin any minute (or hour or day, depending on the planet's/moon's rotational period). That's what I thought when I started playing a "Practice" sandbox. One or two orbital relays orbiting the planet - even the Ultimates - weren't good enough. My probes/remote-controlled ships kept getting cut off due to the relays being on the other side of the planet; when I sent a surface relay, they got cut off less frequently. Besides, there's no such thing as too strong a network coverage in KSP. And not all moons have geostationary orbits. Even if they did, like you said earlier, they can be rendered useless when they're pointed away from Kerbin. Apart from that, surface relays can be especially helpful for surface ops (e.g. rovers, unmanned mobile bases, remote-controlled outpost deliveries, etc). That's why I wanted a list of high points in the Kerbol system in the first place, to maximize coverage. Now, on to @KerikBalm. While that is an impressive mobile surface relay you have there (and at 2,500G), how are you going to get it to other planets/moons? Besides, I don't think you need that much power just to provide a link back to Kerbin from anywhere in the Kerbol system. The satellite seems like a more realistic option for larger/far-away places like Jool and Eeloo. I really liked your example on positioning a surface relay on Ike (since it's pretty much in geostationary orbit around Duna) to provide coverage for surface ops on Duna - provided they have a powerful enough antenna to reach the relay. For all my Wally rovers, I equip the drop capsule with an RA-15 relay and solar panels so that the robot can connect with Kerbin if the antenna's not working (e.g. it's destroyed or I forget to turn it on). Besides, it can provide network coverage for any other surface vehicles close by to the drop zone. All pro/anti surface relays arguments aside, I need a list of the high points of all the planets/moons in the Kerbol system. If not to position surface relays there, at least I can get some nice views/science gains from there.

I made this high-power surface relay craft (~500G of coverage) that I can land on any moon/planet (picture below). While it may be useful for providing relay coverage to spacecraft that are blocked from the orbiting relays, I think it can be just as useful for surface vehicles as well. DISCLAIMER: The current design is only meant for non-atmospheric planets. I'll need to change it for places such as Eve, Laythe, and Duna. Does anyone have a list of coordinates for the highest elevation points on all the celestial bodies in the Kerbol system - as well as their elevation above sea level? I want to be able to provide maximum surface coverage from the high ground, just like a cell tower. Craft file available upon request for just 331,552 a launch. It may look expensive, but it's worth the money considering the immense relay power and delta-V capacity. It's already made it to Eeloo so far. Thank you.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: TAKEN As the sun rose over Eve’s horizon, Misty was walking along the shoreline in an EVA suit enjoying the view. Due to Eve’s gravity being almost twice as much as Kerbin’s, she could feel her body expending more energy than usual just to walk the same distance. After her walk, she would hit the showers and either socialize with other tourists at Firebird Base or take the sightseeing bus that docked and left on a regular basis. The base was built low to the ground to increase stability, but it was long and spread out because it was sent to Eve in pieces. The delivery crafts were all designed to not only survive the harsh re-entry temperatures during Eve descent, they had to land less than 3 kilometers from the designated landing spot. That way, the transport rovers wouldn’t have to travel as far during the assembly stage. The four-person sightseeing bus was a mini-bus that was designed differently from the standard mini-bus. Though it was capable of docking with bases and ascent and descent vehicles, they did not have refueling capabilities. Rather than have two adjustable airlocks on both ends, it had a fixed-height clamp-o-tron jr. docking port in the rear end; besides that, the sightseeing bus had two exits rather than one. It also had goo and materials for scientific study on the go, as it was the original intent of the vehicle’s design; it also had a drill and ore container for geological analysis, though they were dismantled on the rovers designated for tourist transport. “Where to, mam?” asked the MechJeb rover autopilot. “The Jeb’s Junkyard site,” answered Misty. “Plotting course… done,” said MJ, then it undocked from the base and headed off. A few minutes later, Misty heard a man address her on the radio. “Jeb’s Junkyard security to Tourist bus Six, state your business.” “This is Misty Kerman,” she responded. “I’m here to visit Jeb Senior.” “Hang on,” the guard replied, then there was radio silence for ten seconds. “Ah, yes, there you are. You are clear to enter the perimeter; we’ll take your rover from here.” “Copy that, sir,” acknowledged Misty. A minute later, the rover had docked with the complex and the airlock opened. Much to her surprise, when she disembarked from the rover, there were three armed guards waiting for her. “Uh… sir?” “Get down on the ground, now!” ordered one of them as his friends took aim at her. “What in this world is…?” asked Misty, but the muzzle of the third guard’s gun was then two centimeters from her head. “I WILL shoot you.” Before Misty could react, he knee-jabbed her in the groin and pistol-whipped her in the face. “Can we do it now, Sarge?” asked one of the other guards. “Sid, remember what we planned?” “GUN!” shouted one of the subordinate guards. “She’s got a gun!” yelled the other as Sid fired his pistol at the side wall. “Wha…?” gasped Misty as Sid threw it to her. “AAGH!” The sergeant in charge then aimed at her kneecap and shot her, causing her to bleed and collapse in pain. “THAT’S for blowing up Bill’s Revenge, you monster!” he told her before kicking her head as hard as he could. “Ralph, have her fire again.” The second subordinate then approached Misty and placed her hand on Sid’s gun. “Now you’re gonna pay for all you did, Misty.” “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” asked Jeb Senior when he arrived at the airlock. “Misty?!” “Boss, this crazy lady stole my gun and opened fire,” Sid told him as he reclaimed it – making sure to take it from Misty’s hands in front of Jeb Senior. “He’s… lying!” groaned Misty. “So what, she des…,” argued Ralph, but his sergeant placed his hand over his mouth. “She what?” asked Jeb Senior. “She tried to kill us,” lied the sergeant. “If we don’t stop her, someone else could be next.” “I want full reports from all of you,” ordered Jeb Senior as an emergency response crew rushed to the scene. “Medics, she has been accused of shooting at security personnel. Can you test her to verify those claims?” “Didn’t…,” sighed Misty as the paramedics checked her knee. After she was loaded on a stretcher, a random employee then charged toward it and knocked it over. “You killed my mother!” he yelled. “PREPARE TO DIE!” He then raised a ballpoint pen at her, ready to stab her throat. “Hold it!” objected Jeb Senior as he tackled the employee. “What the hell are you doing?” “What are YOU doing, boss? SHE’S the bad guy.” “What are you talking about? What makes you say THAT?” “This.” DECODED COMMUNICATION EDITED FOR GRAMMATICAL PURPOSES FROM Misty Kerman TO Irpond Kerman (IN-TRANSIT) Jool à Dres Pod 5B15 I DON’T KNOW HOW BILL AND VAL FIGURED US OUT, BUT THEY SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROVE IT IN COURT. THEY HAVE NO EVIDENCE I WAS ANYWHERE NEAR WOOMERANG AIRPORT BETWEEN WHEN FLIGHT LA8202 LANDED AND WHEN IT TOOK OFF. DESPITE YOUR SKILL SET, MATT IS THE ONLY ONE IN POSEIDON’S PALACE CAPABLE OF DESIGNING (AND PROGRAMMING) THE FOXY BOX. FURTHERMORE, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THE SPECIFICS ABOUT SALLY’S FLIGHT PLAN. - OR WHEN SHE WOULD LAND AT KSC. VAL’S CREDIBILITY IS SHOT NOW THAT HER BROTHER IS A CONVICTED MASS MURDERER – AND SHE DEFENDED HIM. DON’T LOSE BOB TO ANYONE, INCLUDING HER. LOVE YOU, MOM - Matt the Second “H… how did you get Misty’s emails?” wondered Jeb Senior. “They were leaked on Kerbnet a few hours ago, boss,” explained the employee. “That particular message is just one of many.” “Why did you say that Misty killed your mother?” “She was on Flight LA8202 when it crashed.” Jeb Senior then glared at the employee. “Tell me you didn’t plan this with the guards.” “No, sir.” “Under normal circumstances, I would have the guards arrest you on the spot for assault and battery,” said Jeb Senior. “However, I will expect a report to HR from you by sundown. Now, where exactly can I find these leaked messages?” “Everywhere; news outlets, social media, emails,” said the employee as Jeb Senior dismissed him. “Boss,” said Jeb Senior’s secretary, “you have an email from Admiral Valentina Kerman.” “Val?” gasped Jeb Senior. “What’s it about?” “Subject line: Undeniable Proof that Misty’s a Psycho.” “Gah,” sighed Jeb Senior as he turned to a security guard. “I want a protective detail around Misty in the sick bay. Don’t let anyone besides me and designated medical personnel in.” “Yes, sir.” Jeb Senior quietly returned to his office and opened his email. “As much as I preach workplace safety, I’d rather have to deal with a fatal accident than a murder.” Meanwhile, Calculus Base operations were running smoothly. Jeb and Bill had been fully cleared to resume active duty, but all they had to do was perform routine maintenance checks on the spacecraft parked within the designated base perimeter. While Bob was inside the base supervising the laboratory personnel, Val was outside in an EVA suit talking to her friends. “So, dude, how’d it go last night?” asked Jeb. “It was nothing like I expected,” answered Bill. “For starters, the probability of having our date in the fuel truck stationed next to the canyon was next to negligible.” “I heard that,” said Val, “and why was that?” “Because the refueling truck was not meant to be a sightseeing vehicle, whereas there’s a mini-bus already stationed there just for that purpose,” explained Bill. “Well, then, you’re welcome,” said Jeb. “What do you mean ‘you’re welcome?’” wondered Bill. “I’m the one who dared those to guys to fly the canyon length in their suits,” explained Jeb. “WHAT?!” gasped Val. “Really, not even a ‘thank you?’” sighed Jeb. “Just… why?” stammered Val. “You put kerbalnauts’ lives in jeopardy, not to mention you forced Dres Command to relocate a tourism vehicle just to rescue those guys.” “Hey, relax, Val. Everybody knows that given the choice between a fuel truck and a mini-bus, most people will take the truck; same capacity, but more stable and better refueling capabilities. Plus, it’s got a buttload of power.” “The mini-bus was sufficient for the canyon tour route,” said Bill. “And as a math-happy engineer, you should know that there are far more tipping instances involving mini-buses than there are with fuel trucks,” argued Jeb. “Besides, it’s not like I FORCED those guys to jump. I put the dare out on Chirper, and those two wanted in.” “Well, then, why didn’t you go yourself?” asked Bill. “I wanted to, but I had to stay on-base before I was fully cleared,” said Jeb. “Plus, the psychiatrist said I should… call… my dad.” “I checked the call logs and confirmed that,” said Val, “but you were on there for only two minutes. Why?” “He was asleep,” recalled Jeb. “Yeah, he was really drowsy.” “Nice try,” said Bill, “but it was midday where he was when you called him.” All was silent for five seconds. “All right, fine, BIG WHOOP! He wasn’t asleep. You told me I had to talk to him, but you didn’t say for how long. Bill, how long did you talk to YOUR dad?” “About 45 minutes,” said Bill. “I had to cut it short when it was time for my psych eval.” “Big deal,” sighed Jeb. “You and William were ALREADY close, whereas MY dad and I are farther apart than Eeloo and Moho. “Jeb, he’s the only real family you have left,” Val told him. “Why do you insist on shutting him out from your life?” “Number One: he’s held me back all my life. Number Two: he’s always treated me like I’m some fragile piece of equipment. Number Three: he lied to me about what happened to my mom.” “And I suppose you’re gonna say ‘Number Four: he’s now in love with a sadist,’” chimed in Bill. “Oh, and by the way, if you’re going to compare distances, a better analogy would be Eeloo and JOOL when they’re on opposing ends of their relative orbits.” “Eh… I don’t get it,” said Jeb, shrugging his shoulders. Bill then extended his right index finger and drew on the surface. “Oh, I get it now,” said Val. “Speaking of that sadist, did your dad mention her?” “Only that he went on a date with her after they landed,” sighed Jeb. “You might wanna call him tonight to check that he’s still alive,” suggested Bill. “Why, you think his private blimp will blow up?” said Jeb. “As a matter of fact, yes,” answered Bill. “I thought they abandoned hydrogen dirigibles long before we were born,” said Val. “I meant if Misty planted a bomb,” clarified Bill. “Oh…,” realized Val. “I hope that, with all the intel we leaked, he’ll know better now.” “PERFECT!” shouted Jeb. “Please, Jeb, that’s a bit too loud,” complained Val. “Oh, sorry,” apologized Jeb. “If he’s still dating Misty, I can rub it in his face that he’s a hypocrite.” “How so?” asked Bill. “He keeps drilling safety into everyone’s heads – especially my own – yet he’s dating a murderer,” explained Jeb. “Well, at least you’ll have a reason to call your dad,” said Bill. “You could also warn him.” “Why bother? Val ALREADY warned him, and he’ll never listen to ME.” “He may THIS time,” remarked Val, “since he’s hearing it from both you and your rational-minded friends.” “Hey, I haven’t caused any accidents in years,” said Jeb, sounding offended. “That’s because you’ve been stuck in a pod for years,” finished Bill. “Not even before that,” argued Jeb, “and the moonjet crash doesn’t count since it was sabotaged and Agaden was poisoned BEFORE the flight.” “Nice try, Jeb, but I know what you did to Elsa before I got anywhere near Eeloo’s sphere of influence.” Jeb frowned under his helmet. “Who told?” “Who’s Elsa?” asked Val. “Some robot I crashed on Eeloo,” sighed Jeb. “It’s not just a robot,” said Bill. “It’s a third-generation Wally-class surface exploration probe.” “So, it’s just Wally’s granddaughter,” Jeb summed up. “Speaking of which, where is he?” asked Bill. “He last pinged in one of the southeastern craters,” answered Val, “but that was a week ago.” “You LOST HIM?!” gasped Bill. “No, no, we didn’t lose him,” said Val. “He’s been in autonomous exploration mode since he landed here.” Bill then pressed some buttons on his helmet. “Bob, can you please find Wally for me?” To his surprise, there was no answer. “Bob, it’s Bill. can you hear me?” “What’s wrong? He won’t respond?” asked Val. “He’s probably busy or something,” Jeb guessed. “I’ll go inside and talk to him myself,” said Val as she headed for the airlock. “Now that it’s just us guys here, let’s talk more about your date,” Jeb told Bill. “Besides discussing ways to deal with Misty,” started Bill, “we talked about our latest missions and stuff we’ve been tasked to do. For instance, I told her about the electric plane I’m supposed to design for the fallout zone on Laythe.” “I bet you did MORE than just that, dude,” said Jeb. “What makes you say that?” “Uh, the fact that I found you IN VAL’S ROOM this morning,” replied Jeb. “I thought the rules said that you had to…,” Suddenly, he was cut off. “Jeb, what was that?” asked Bill, but no answer – even though Jeb was gesturing with his hands. Bill then kneeled and wrote on the surface. To Bill’s shock, Jeb shrugged his shoulders and began writing. Bill and Jeb tried to contact the base and change their communication channels, but nobody replied. To make matters worse, the lights went off on the base. Bill then pointed at the nearest airlock and he and Jeb ran toward it before entering. “Exterior conditions sustainable,” the suit’s computer announced when the airlock re-pressurized, but Bill warned Jeb not to remove his helmet. “Why not?” he could hear a muffled Jeb ask. “Something’s wrong here, and I don’t want to risk it being bad suits,” said Bill, though Jeb had a hard time understanding him. When they left the airlock and saw a scientist walk around with a flashlight, Bill and Jeb knew it was safe to take off their helmets. “What’s going on here?” the scientist asked. “That’s what I want to know,” said Bill. “Where’s the admiral?” “I don’t know; it’s dark in here.” “No lights or communications…” stammered Bill, then his eyes widened. “Irpond’s back.” “Who’s Irpond?” “Some girl who died last year,” sighed Jeb. “She was ASSUMED dead, but her body was NEVER found,” corrected Bill. “I’d better get Val.” “No,” argued Jeb. “You restore lights and communications, I’LL get Val.” Before Bill could respond, Jeb put his helmet back on and switched on his headlights. “Hello! Anyone?!” he shouted, but his voice was muffled through his helmet. “Eek!” a woman shrieked as he rounded the corner. “Whoa, whoa, take it easy,” said Jeb as the woman backed away. “W… who are you?” “It’s me, Jeb,” answered Jeb as he put his hands underneath his helmet. “Uh… you don’t have a flashlight on you, do you?” “Well, I have one on my kPad.” The woman shined her light on Jeb as he revealed his face. “Oh… sorry, Captain. You scared me.” “Kinda hard to see my face with that helmet on, isn’t it?” said Jeb as they shook hands. “Cassie Kerman, ISRU engineering.” “Help me find Admiral Val,” ordered Jeb. “Have you seen her?” “I saw her heading towards the science bay before the lights went out,” answered Cassie. “Great, thanks,” said Jeb. “Take me there.” “Why do you need ME?” questioned Cassie. “I just got here and was confined to sick bay until I was cleared to resume duty,” explained Jeb, then Cassie led Jeb to the science bay. “Captain,” said Dilsby, “our power’s out. We have no lights, communications… and life support has stopped. We sent engineers to the control room to see what’s wrong.” “Get it up and running before this base becomes a deathtrap,” Jeb emphasized. “Where’s Bob?” “He said that Admiral Val told him to meet her at the eastern airlock five minutes ago,” answered Dilsby. “That’s not true,” said Jeb, confusing Dilsby and Cassie. “She was outside with Bill and I chatting on the suit radios.” “Back up,” gasped Cassie, “what are you saying?” “Oh no, Bill was right,” said Jeb. “Someone get me a flashlight.” “Yes, sir!” One of the scientists gave Jeb a flashlight from the tool shelf and Jeb took off running. “Val! Bob! Can you hear me?!” “Jeb,” replied Val’s voice, “is that you?” Jeb rounded the corner and almost blinded Val with the flashlight. “Aagh!” “Easy, Val. It’s me.” “What’s going on? Where’s Bill?” inquired Val. “I sent him to restore power,” explained Jeb. “Irpond’s back, Val.” “BACK?!” questioned Val. “How do you know?” “She’s knocked out our commlinks, she’s shut off the lights – as well as life support – and she lured Bob out of the lab pretending to be you.” “Oh no,” said Val. “Where is he…” Before Val could finish, Jeb saw something hit her in the head from behind. He was then blinded by helmet lights before getting punched in the face. “Who are…” started Jeb, but the assailant kicked Jeb through the hallway; Dres’ reduced gravity forced Jeb to fly to the other end. “What was that?” asked Dilsby after he noticed the sound of the flashlight dropping. “Intruder,” responded Jeb as he propped himself back up. “Get security!” “Uh… we don’t have that here,” said Dilsby, then Jeb put his helmet back on. “Okay,” he said. “Who are you?” Nobody answered, then the intruder grabbed Val’s hair and punched her in the face before running away. “Oh, really? You’re just gonna punch Val and run?” “TCHH… SHHH… j… you hear me?” a man’s voice said with static in the background. “Who is this?” “This is Bill Kerman,” he replied as the voice became clearer. “Can anyone hear me?” “Yeah, I can hear you,” said Jeb. “Someone just whack-a-moled Val.” “I’d better help her,” said Bill. “Negative,” argued Jeb, “life support is out. Fix that first.” “But, Jeb!” “That’s an order! I’ll get her a medic!” Jeb made sure to align himself with the hallway and turned on his jetpack to fly forward. “I got you NOW!” However, he bumped his head on the ceiling and started to slide on the floor. The intruder then put his thumb down and continued running. “Bill, close the airlocks!” “But I need to…” “NOW!” The attacker then approached an airlock and tried to open it, but the doors wouldn’t budge. “HA! What now, dude?” “Still working on life support,” replied Bill. “Wasn’t talking to you,” said Jeb, but then the assailant spun around and punched Jeb in the gut. He then took a flash drive from his suit pocket and plugged it into the control panel. “Caution: eastern airlock opening,” the suit’s internal computer spoke. As the doors opened, the intruder entered the airlock and closed the doors behind him. “The eastern airlock’s been opened,” Bill reported. “I KNOW, BILL!” said Jeb angrily. “It’s docked to a mini-bus,” added Bill. “Uh oh, it’s undocking.” “Warning: multiple leaks detected at eastern airlock.” As soon as the suit computer gave him the alarming news, the lights came back on. “Life support’s fixed,” said Bill, “but there’s a leak problem at the eastern airlock.” “Have a repair team fix it,” ordered Jeb. “Bill, track that mini-bus. Val also needs a medic. As for me… if anyone asks for me, tell them I’m in pursuit.” “Copy that.” Jeb then ran toward the nearest airlock and ejected himself out of the base. “Up, up, and away!” He flew upwards at full throttle and started looking down at the surface. “Target has just turned northbound; its current acceleration is one-half meters per second squared,” said Bill. “What does that mean?” sighed Jeb as he saw a mini-bus leaving the base perimeter. He then checked his helmet’s heads-up display to see his heading; sure enough, he was heading north. “It’s gaining speed,” clarified Bill. “I’m locking it as your target.” “Thanks,” said Jeb. “Distance: 250 meters and decreasing. Relative speed: 10 meters per second and accelerating.” “Okay, this is it.” Jeb pushed forward on his jetpack and headed straight toward the getaway vehicle. “Jeb, you’re coming in hot,” warned Bill. “Chillax, dude, I got this,” assured Jeb. “At your current trajectory, you’re gonna miss it,” added Bill. “Aim further in front of it.” “Got it.” Jeb fired his lower thrusters to get higher, hoping to land directly on the mini-bus. “Jeb, he’s turning left.” He put his jetpack at full throttle to adjust his trajectory, but he was still flying north very fast. “Man, jetpack flying’s harder than it looks,” commented Jeb. He started to smile when he was directly above the mini-bus, but it quickly became a frown when he passed over it. “Oh, COME ON!” “He stopped turning,” said Bill. “Great, where would he go?!” sighed Jeb. “His heading indicator says that he’s heading for… oh no, Lander 24.” “I’ll intercept him there,” said Jeb. “Target change: Lander 24.” “Acknowledged. Target locked,” the suit’s computer responded, then Jeb quickly changed his trajectory to fly toward the lander. “The bus is decelerating, but it’s moving to the left of the lander,” said Bill. “Jeb, time for you to slow down before you fly over it.” “Oh, yeah, thanks.” Jeb instantly applied the reverse thrusters and moved to land on top of the lander. When he was ten meters from the surface, he saw someone in an EVA suit disembark from the mini-bus. And he was carrying someone else in a suit with him. “I have visual on the intruder,” reported Jeb. “He’s got someone else with him.” “Accessing lander camera,” said Bill. “Jeb, are you sure you saw only ONE intruder?” “Yes,” said Jeb, “but then who’s that?” “He looks unconscious,” Bill told him. “Tell me something I DON’T know.” “And… the wearer’s still alive,” said Bill. “I got his bio monitor… BOB!” “Easy, dude, we’re on commlink here,” reminded Jeb. “Sorry. Bob’s in that suit,” explained Bill. “Bob’s the intruder? That’s a stretch.” “No, Jeb. Bob’s in the second suit,” clarified Bill. “Irpond must have come back to kidnap Bob, then knocked out the base’s power to buy herself some time.” “Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” The intruder then pulled a lever on the lander and extended the ladder. However, as he was carrying the unconscious kerbalnaut up to the hatch, Jeb jumped off the shielded docking port and tackled him. “HA!” “Hi-yah!” The bad guy kicked Jeb between the legs, forcing him upward by at least five meters. “Jeb, why’d you bounce?” asked Bill. “I was… kicked,” groaned Jeb. “Good thing the man-diaper protected me from the worst of it.” “She’s getting in with Bob,” warned Bill as Jeb accelerated downwards. “QUICK, she’s starting the engines.” The second Jeb touched the lander, he felt it lurch upward. He then grabbed the ladder with his right hand as it blasted off from Dres’ surface. “HURRY, she’s taking off!” “I know,” said Jeb as he held on for dear life. “Uh, Jeb, your transponder says that you’re… right next to the lander,” said Bill, sounding confused. “Is everything okay?” “What do you think?!” shouted Jeb. “I’m holding on to a lander ladder while a killer and a hostage are in it!” “So… is that a y…,” started Bill, but Jeb interrupted him. “YAAAAHHHHOOOO!” he screamed on the commlink. “She covered her ears,” said Bill. “Uh oh, she’s listening to us.” “Then that must mean…” stammered Jeb before he noticed the ladder was starting to retract. “Uh oh.” With all his might, he scrambled to hold on to the capsule railing before the ladder was fully retracted. “No,” a woman said on the radio. “Who are…,” inquired Jeb, but he noticed the monopropellant thrusters spinning the craft counterclockwise. He was forced to let go as the lander continued making its ascent burn. “Jeb, are you okay?” asked Bill. “I’m fine,” sighed Jeb, “but they got away.” “You’re currently on a suborbital trajectory with an apoapsis of 12,547 meters,” said Bill. “I’ll send a craft to pick you up, but you should buy yourself some more time before you hit the ground.” “How do I do that?” “Fire prograde at heading 90 degrees with a 15-degree ascension angle,” suggested Bill. “Got it.” “Oh, and please stop when I tell you to. I don’t want the MJ rendezvous autopilot to constantly change its rendezvous trajectory if you keep accelerating.” “Ugh, FINE!” Four minutes later, a moonjet flew toward Jeb and slowed down to match his velocity when it was twenty meters from him. “Get in,” said Bill, then Jeb entered through the airlock and strapped himself in as he removed his helmet; Bill was sitting next to him in the copilot’s seat. “Aw, YEAH!” smirked Jeb as he circularized his parking orbit. “Now, where did you go?” “Lander 24 is currently on a suborbital trajectory with an apoapsis of 35 kilometers, but it’s going to make its circularization burn in 30 seconds,” said Bill. “Dude, why are you in here? I thought you were at the control room?” “The base engineers have that covered, and you said that Irpond was monitoring our channel – so I got in the jet and accessed the object tracker while programming MJ to rendezvous with you,” explained Bill. “Anyway, the only reason I can think of for her to use the lander and kidnap Bob is to dock with something capable of getting her out of Dres’ sphere of influence.” “Why not just use the lander AS the getaway ship?” asked Jeb. “Lander 24 is a fuel-and-oxidizer craft that doesn’t have the delta-V for safe interplanetary flight,” said Bill. “Now, if she took one of the new nuclear-powered landers, THEN we may have a problem.” “Like we don’t already,” remarked Jeb. “Irpond’s got Bob locked in a lander and we don’t even know where it’s going? I mean, what transfer windows are even open now?” Bill accessed Transfer Window Alarm Clock on the jet’s control panel and gasped. “Eve.” “What was that?” “The transfer window from here to Eve is open,” said Bill. “However, while the lander can barely make its ejection burn – and whatever fine-tuning burns are necessary – it cannot make the insertion burn when it reaches Eve’s sphere of influence. Even if the plan is a straight-up splashdown on Eve’s surface, the craft will get destroyed upon entering the atmosphere as it has no suitable heat shields; it also has no capsule decouplers, for that matter.” “You said it yourself, Bill, she took that lander to dock with something,” Jeb reminded him. “The question is WHAT.” “Moonjet 19 to Calculus Base, do you copy?” asked Bill. “Affirmative, we read you loud and clear,” a man responded. “How much delta-V would it take to reach Eve from Dres?” he continued. “Include the capture burn.” “Approximately 4 kilometers worth.” “Thanks.” “Really, you couldn’t just use your kPad?” sighed Jeb. “I didn’t have time to get it,” said Bill. “Bob was taken prisoner, Irpond was getting away, Val was clobbered in the head, and you were on a suborbital trajectory in just an EVA suit. I wasn’t going to waste time getting it and putting it in a space-safe container while your life was on the line.” “Appreciate it, man. Thanks.” “So, let’s narrow down the rendezvous targets by selecting the ones that currently have 4,200 or more meters per second of delta-V,” started Bill. “I thought the guy said you only needed 4,000,” Jeb told him. “I’m adding a bit in case she plans to make a rendezvous with a descent vehicle,” explained Bill. “I mean, I’d include a ‘safety net’ for further maneuvers in case something goes wrong or something like that – evil getaway pilot or not.” “Yeah, I suppose… that makes sense,” agreed Jeb. “If I was Irpond, I’d splash down on Eve’s surface.” “Really? What makes you think she won’t end up on Gilly?” “In case Bob tries to escape, it will be much harder for him to do so on Eve than on Gilly,” said Jeb. “On Gilly, he could just bounce and make an escape trajectory off that moon.” “And the fact that Eve offers various romantic views makes it the perfect spot to make a getaway,” added Bill. “Even so, I don’t know if she wants to rendezvous with a descent vehicle or make the splash herself.” “Well, if I was her, I’d do it myself,” said Jeb. “It’ll be a while before she reaches Eve, so there should be guards by the time she gets there. If she tried to dock with a station, she’ll end up arrested before she even got to the drop pod. However, if she made the drop herself, the guards will have a harder time catching her before she splashes down.” “Hey, you’re right,” Bill responded. “There’s only one vehicle type in Dres orbit capable of such a mission, and that’s the Mark Vb pod.” “But which one?” asked Jeb. “Calculus Base, come in. Do you copy?” “We read you, over.” “Any Mark Vb pods in Dres orbit that currently have 4,200 kilometers or more worth of delta-V?” “Just one: Pod 5B31.” “What?” gasped Bill. “Where is it?” “Standing by at 350 kilometers, inclination 24 degrees.” “Any occupants?” “No, sir. It’s empty.” “Thanks. Over and out.” “How do you know Irpond will take THAT pod?” asked Jeb, then Bill pointed at the ship’s computer screen. “Look, she’s changing her orbital inclination now,” said Bill. “MJ, rendezvous with Pod 5B31.” “Okay, adjusting planes in T-minus 53 seconds,” acknowledged MJ. “Since we’re at a lower orbit than Irpond,” commented Bill, “we have a shorter orbital period. Therefore, we have a good chance of reaching the pod before SHE does.” “Really? I thought fuel-and-oxidizer landers were faster than moonjets,” said Jeb. “Because they have a higher-thrust engine. However, in the case of orbital mechanics, chances are we don’t have to wait as long to make our Hohmann transfer burn due to the greater difference between our orbital radius and the target’s than that of Irpond’s and the target’s.” “Eh… I hope you’re right… whatever you said,” said Jeb, still confused. “Even if that’s not the case, I hope she’s on the dark side of the planet when she does,” added Bill. “What difference would that make?” “Uh, A BIG ONE. If she burns prograde relative to the planet while on the sunny side, she’ll technically be burning retrograde relative to THE SUN. Since Eve is closer to the sun, she’ll need to burn that relative retrograde to decrease her solar orbit periapsis to match that of Eve’s orbit at the time she gets captured in the planet’s sphere of influence.” “I…uh… I give up,” sighed Jeb. “Remember when you were flying back home from Minmus?” said Bill. “You were ordered to wait until your craft was on the side facing Kerbin before you could make your escape burn. If you were on the shady side, you would have increased your Kerbin periapsis to larger than that of Minmus’ and probably ended up lost in solar orbit.” Jeb still didn’t understand. “Now, imagine Dres as the U.S.S. Werner, which is… 100 kilometers above Eeloo, then imagine Eve as Hades Station 40 kilometers above the planet. If you were to detach from the Werner, you would need to burn retrograde to rendezvous with Hades Station. Same concept for when Irpond needs to make her retrograde burn relative to the sun to get to Eve.” “Hmm…,” mumbled Jeb as he scratched his chin. “Oh… I think I get it now… but why not just make your escape burn on the dark side?” “Since the pod is on a prograde standby orbit, she’ll end up wasting fuel just to make a retrograde orbit if all she wants is to make her escape burn on the dark side,” explained Bill. “After that, there’s no guarantee she’ll have enough fuel to make an accurate landing on Eve – or a successful ejection burn, for that matter.” “Hohmann transfer burn in T-minus five minutes,” said MJ. “We’ll be there in no time,” cheered Jeb. “Irpond Kerman, here we come!” Almost an hour later, Jeb and Bill had successfully rendezvoused with Pod 5B31 with no sign of Lander 24 or its occupants. While Jeb (manually) docked with the pod’s front port, Bill had laid out the action plan for when Lander 24 arrived. The first step involved draining the pod’s fuel tanks into the moonjet’s and loading the pod’s monopropellant tank so that, should Irpond manage to overpower the two men and undock the jet, her delta-V capacity would be lower. Since the moonjet was already taking the pod’s front port – which was the primary docking port – the secondary side port would be harder to reach for the lander. Though Jeb suggested to simply “keep the doors pulled shut,” Bill insisted on a contingency plan in case Irpond had a virus to remotely override the pod’s control panel commands. “Why not just change the pod’s orbit and make it even harder for her to reach it?” suggested Jeb. “Isn’t that why you asked me to stop when I jetpacked myself into Dres orbit?” “I can’t risk an airlock compromise if I fire up the pod’s engines while it’s docked to the moonjet,” explained Bill. “Besides, this is our chance to catch Irpond once and for all.” “And save her prisoner,” said Jeb. “So, to recap, we drain the pod’s fuel, load it with monopropellant, and keep the side door locked while occupying the front one.” “Eventually, she WILL dock with the pod – and bring herself and Bob right to us,” added Bill. “That port is the only way she can get out of Dres’ sphere of influence at this point.” “Wait, so… if we’re setting her up,” said Jeb, “shouldn’t we send the moonjet BACK so she won’t notice that we’re here until it’s too late?” “I thought about that, and no,” objected Bill. “The lander can only hold three people, and there will be FOUR to send down when we’re done.” “So? You or I can stay in the pod and wait for a pickup,” Jeb pointed out. “Negative. Bob will need medical attention, and it will take BOTH you and I to contain Irpond.” “Hmm… oh, I know. After we catch Irpond, you send Bob back down ALONE in the lander to get medical help,” said Jeb. “In the meantime, we contain Irpond in the pod. We’ll either wait for a pickup or land the pod on Dres ourselves.” Bill scratched his chin as the moonjet’s docking port touched the pod’s. “Excellent plan; let’s do it. By the way, who told you about the pod’s thrust-to-weight ratio?” “Some Photogram daredevil,” answered Jeb. “He and his buddy landed one of them on Dres and then took selfies before sending it back up.” Bill facepalmed himself in disappointment. “Seriously? Just because it has a thrust-to-weight ratio of over one doesn’t make it a landing craft.” “Moonjet 19, this is Admiral Valentina,” Val said on the jet’s radio. “Do you copy?” “This is Captain Jeb,” he replied. “My tracker says that you’re…,” she continued. “Tchhh,” said Bill. “What’s that… tchhh? You’re breaking… tchhh… up.” “What’s goin…?” asked Val, but Bill shut off the radio. “What’s the big idea?” questioned Jeb as he opened the airlock to the pod. “Irpond’s monitoring the comms,” reminded Bill. “At the same time, we need to get the moonjet away before Irpond gets here.” “Why not use the MJ landing autopilot?” sighed Jeb. “If Irpond detects the jet flying away from the pod without accompanying reason, she’ll suspect a trap,” said Bill. “However, I got a plan.” “Speaking of, why don’t you start with draining the pod’s fuel?” “Oh, yeah.” Bill entered the pod and activated the control panel. “Ugh, dang it.” “What’s the problem?” “Even if I fill the jet’s liquid fuel tanks completely, the pod will still have plenty of delta-V to make the flight to Eve,” said Bill, “and that also includes the insertion burn.” “What about monopropellant?” “Not good enough. Besides the fact that it will make no significant difference in the pod’s delta-V capacity, we still need some in the jet for it to undock.” “Jeb, your radio’s off,” said Val. “What’s wrong?” “Pretend to be sick,” whispered Bill. “But why?” “Just do it.” “Cough… everything’s okay… cough,” lied Jeb. “Really? THAT’S pretending to be sick?” “What? If I oversell it, Val would get suspicious.” “At least TRY to make it sound like you need medical attention.” “Wait, did Bill just say you needed medical attention?” gasped Val. “No, he didn’t,” said Jeb. “YES, I DID!” argued Bill. “You’ve been like that since we got in the jet.” “Bill, look at me, I’m fine,” said Jeb, then Bill coughed. “You’re OBVIOUSLY… NOT,” sighed Bill before leaning in. “Take off your suit.” “But, dude…” “Shhh… the pod already has seven more ready.” He grabbed a pen and a sticky note and wrote on it before placing it on the control panel. “EVA me,” said Jeb, then the pod’s dispenser placed him in a new EVA suit. “What now, genius?” “Strap the suits we previously wore to our seats so Val would think they’re occupied,” said Bill, then Jeb did so quietly as Bill put on a new suit himself. “Is everything okay in there?” asked Val. “No, everything’s not okay,” said Bill. “Ugh… I think I’m gonna… BLEH!” added Jeb. “We got ourselves a biological fluids situation here,” responded Bill. “Nah… I’m good,” said Jeb. “You’re blowing it again,” argued Bill as he covered the microphone. “No, I’m not. That’s how I always talk, faking or not.” “Ugh, fine.” “I can fly just fine,” said Jeb. “Ugh… I’m feeling… kinda…” “Jeb, if you can hear me, you’re in no condition to fly,” Val told him. “Bill, what about you?” “Physically, I’m fine,” said Bill. “However, I don’t know if I will be for much longer. There’s a good chance that Jeb’s contagious.” “I’m transmitting you the coordinates to a designated landing spot,” said Val. “I’ll send medics there to pick you boys up.” “Roger,” acknowledged Bill as he received Val’s coordinates. “Inputting them into the MechJeb landing autopilot now. Jeb, get some rest.” “Uuuhhh… you’re probably right, dude,” Jeb spoke, then he floated into the pod as Bill entered the landing coordinates. “Now what?” he whispered. “Beginning landing trajectory now. Over and out.” Bill then closed his airlock, separating himself from Jeb, and used the RCS controls to separate the moonjet from the pod. After inputting a thirty-second command delay, he quickly got outside and used his jetpack to get back to the pod. “What was THAT for?” asked Jeb. “I needed to get the jet to land at a specific spot,” explained Bill. “Why not just do it yourself and drop the sick act?” wondered Jeb. “Aside from the fact that it’s protocol to announce your landing as well as the intended coordinates, if Irpond detected the moonjet heading back down and the radio was silent she’ll suspect a trap. However, if she thinks we’re landing suddenly because you’re SICK, she’ll think we’ve given up and will be free to come here – right into our hands.” “Ooh, I get it now,” smirked Jeb. “So, what now?” “Stay out of sight of the on-board cameras and wait until Irpond gets here,” answered Bill. “Could you hand me that helmet there?” “Sure,” said Jeb as he threw Bill an extra helmet. “Say, how long until she gets here?” “Give me a minute,” answered Bill as he covered the cockpit cameras with the spare helmets and suits. He then checked the pod’s navicomputer and noticed Lander 24 was on an intercept trajectory. “She’ll need to match her velocity approximately four minutes.” “What do we do in the meantime?” sighed Jeb. “We’ll wait in here and hide until she docks with the pod,” started Bill. “Once she’s inside – and not a moment before – we’ll surprise her and save Bob.” “Hide, she gets here, surprise her, save Bob,” Jeb recalled as he counted on his fingers. “Sounds easy enough.” “Once we defeat Irpond, we’ll radio it in and send Bob down in the lander alone while we keep her contained in here,” continued Bill. “Val will then send in a ship to pick us up.” “Okay, two questions,” interrupted Jeb. “First off, if your plan is to get Bob during the fight, why bother sending him back down in a lander?” “We may need to give him first aid then and there,” explained Bill, “depending on what Irpond did to him. Alternatively, depending on how bad he is, Val may have to send in a higher-occupancy vehicle to pick all four of us up at once.” “Seems to make sense,” agreed Jeb. “Another thing, if Irpond needs to be on the sunny side to fly to Eve, then what side of the planet will she match our speed at?” Bill widened his eyes. “Shoot, I’d better check the navicomputer.” He was shocked when he saw where the lander’s intercept trajectory met the pod’s. “On the western edge of the sunny side.” “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” “BAD!” explained Bill. “At this point in the pod’s orbit, it won’t be long between when Irpond sets up her maneuver node and fires up the engines. If we’re going to stop her, we’d better move fast.” “Why not just stall her?” asked Jeb. “And how do we do that?” “Simple, just stand in heroic poses outside of the docking port and force Irpond to wait until she’s on the dark side to make to move.” “Jeb, she’s a serial murderer. She’s not gonna care if her lander’s shield doors crush us.” “Well… ooh, I know, we could keep the pod spinning around and drive her crazy trying to align her lander’s port with ours.” “First off, she’s taken Bob hostage,” reminded Bill. “While that idea would definitely force her to spend more time aligning herself, she could threaten to kill Bob unless we comply with her demands. As much as I hate Irpond, I’m not going to sacrifice Bob in the process.” “Eesh… you’re right,” said Jeb. “Second off, you remember that she disappeared once a year and a half ago. She could just do it again if she knew we were on board. I can’t let that happen, and I also can’t let her take Bob with her.” “Whoa, dude. I thought MISTY was your arch-nemesis; Irpond was VAL’S.” “Third of all, this could be our last chance to get rid of Misty once and for all,” finished Bill as he lowered his eyebrows. “She butchered our people, so I need to butcher her… I HATE HER!” “Dude, I think you’re the lucky one; she’s not dating YOUR dad,” assured Jeb. “Would you even have brought that up if he fell for some OTHER lady?” wondered Bill. “As a matter of fact, yes,” replied Jeb. “He said that my mom was just a busy airline pilot, but she actually died right after I was born. He said that he never remarried because he loved Mom, but he’s dating someone else now. Since it’s been established that he’s a world-class liar and hinderance to awesomeness, now for all I know he’s been dating LOTS of women after he died.” “That seems like a hasty accusation to make, doesn’t it?” “Bill, you remember how I knew Dad was a ladies’ man, right?” “You mean those gossip magazines with the articles featuring him?” asked Bill. “No. Back in seventh grade, Mrs. Jane Kerman called my place to tell Dad about my history grades. Since I picked up first, I pretended to be him – but what came next was not just class stuff. Turns out, Jane actually dated Dad before he met Mom.” “Pretty much a lot of women in Baikerbanur dated Jeb Senior before he married,” summed up Bill, “one of them MY mom.” “Really? No wonder you and I are like brothers?” “I get what you’re saying, but no,” sighed Bill. “I had you and I tested; we’re not related.” “And I didn’t figure your mom was the kind to cheat,” added Jeb. “Anyway,” chimed in Bill, “here’s how I think we should proceed. Once she docks with the pod, we’ll tackle her while she’s distracted programming the transfer node.” “I got a better idea,” said Jeb. “Right when she opens the docking port, we’ll be like ‘Surprise, jerk,’ and THEN we’ll jump her. That would keep her further away from the pod’s control panel, now. Wouldn’t it?” “But that would also put her closer to Bob,” reminded Bill. “Us too.” “Warning: Lander 24 within 1 kilometer of the pod,” the pod’s navicomputer warned. “It’ll be a while before she docks,” said Bill, “but by then she should be able to fire up the pod’s engines within a minute of docking.” “Exactly why we need to keep her as far away from the pod’s control panel,” reminded Jeb. “Pretend we’re in a football game; Irpond’s the Wolverines, we’re the Badgers, and the controls are our endzone.” “I get the concept,” sighed Bill. “Oh, crap, what if Irpond doesn’t plan to dock with us?” asked Jeb. “She could just eject from her lander and fly herself to the hatch.” “Possible, but too risky for her considering that she has a hostage in the capsule,” Bill disagreed. “Without her to stop him, Bob could regain consciousness and break away – leaving her without any bargaining chips or fallback methods should her exit go awry. If she’s in the pod with him, he’ll be less likely to perform an escape attempt.” “Why not just drag him in a suit?” “Lander 24 within 500 meters,” reported the navicomputer. “Because the chances of Irpond losing her grip on Bob – whether it be due to him escaping, our open-space engagement, or microgravity-related complications – are very high. See where I’m getting at?” “Yeah… I suppose you’re right,” agreed Jeb. “250 meters.” “Come to papa,” smiled Bill. “Speaking of, you might wanna test Val when we’re done,” commented Jeb. “I don’t think your mission on Dres needs to get complicated by any pregnancies.” “Don’t worry, we didn’t do… THAT,” assured Bill, reluctant to discuss any further details. “Oh, look, she’s matching velocities with us.” “She’s now pointing the lander at us,” said Jeb. “Don’t you think we should move it?” “Not now, Jeb. She’s now moving her lander into the ‘closest approach’ position. She’ll then activate the docking autopilot and dock with one of the ports.” “Which one?” “Most likely the front one, but it will be obvious which one she plans on using,” said Bill. “Now, we wait here.” “Lander 24 is 150 meters from the pod.” “Any minute now,” sneered Jeb. “Oh, yeah. Just match your velocity at your closest approach,” smirked Bill, “and align your docking port with ours. And then… you’re mine.” “So… one question,” said Jeb. “After we beat Irpond and rescue Bob, what are we gonna do with her?” “100 meters,” the computer interrupted. “I told you, send her back down with us,” sighed Bill. “Dead or alive?” asked Jeb. “Even if the answer is ‘alive,’ are you going to kill her when we land?” “To be quite honest, I don’t know,” said Bill. “I’m seriously considering tossing her out the airlock and telling everyone her suit was punctured during a fight outside the ship.” “If that happens, I’ll back you up,” assured Jeb. “50 meters.” “Really? You’d do that?” asked Bill, surprised. “Well-past the end, buddy,” said Jeb. “She killed hundreds of people, turned the best vacation spot on Laythe into a radioactive wasteland, and caused all kinds of mayhem on both Dres and Eeloo. You think I’d let you get in trouble for something which HAS to be done?” “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Jeb.” “Relative velocities matching at 34.7 meters.” “I see it,” said Jeb, pointing out the cockpit window. “Time to get to the starting point,” smiled Bill. “Uh, Bill, we got a problem,” said Jeb. “She’s exiting the lander.” “What?” gasped Bill, then he witnessed what he assumed to be Irpond in an EVA suit leaving the lander cockpit and flying towards the pod. “She must be getting the pod ready for action so that it can blast off to Eve when the lander docks.” “What do we do?” inquired Jeb. “You watch her,” said Bill, “I’ll stall her.” Bill jumped toward the pod’s control panel and started inputting random maneuver nodes in the pod’s orbit. “She’s heading for the cabin airlock,” whispered Jeb. “Get out of sight,” warned Bill. “Caution: passenger cabin airlock is opening.” Jeb then hid in the suit dispenser. “On my signal, we attack,” reminded Bill as he behind a cockpit seat. A minute later, he saw Irpond’s face enter the pod and look around. “Huh… neat,” she said, seemingly oblivious to Jeb’s and Bill’s presence. “Engines, check. Power, check. Life support… and check.” She grabbed on the railing and moved herself to the cockpit. “Oh, Bob…” “SURPRISE!” shouted Bill as he leapt toward Irpond and tackled her; the force of the collision pushed them toward the cockpit window. “WHAT?!” gasped Irpond. “Sorry, was that the signal?” asked Jeb. “YES, JEB!” “Oh, okay,” said Jeb. “BADGEEERRRRS!” “WHAAAA…!” stammered Irpond, but Jeb then hit her in the back of the head with a spare helmet. “HIT THE BEACON!” shouted Bill as he threw a punch. While his fist landed square on Irpond’s nose, his center of mass was thrown off-balance and he started to slowly float uncontrollably. “Red alert protocol activated,” said the computer as the pod’s lights started to flash red. At the same time, a siren was going off. “Ha!” smirked Jeb. “What now, Irpond?” “Pod 5B31, this is the U.S.S. Defiant,” a woman spoke on the pod’s radio. “We’ve received your emergency beacon. What’s your situation, over?” “Irpond’s here!” exclaimed Bill. “IRPOND’S HERE!” “Uh… you might want to tell Admiral Valentina about this,” said Jeb. “Roger. Patching you through to the admiral.” “UGH!” Irpond used her hands to propel herself feet-first towards Bill, who then slammed against the wall. “TAKE THAT!” After the force of Irpond’s kick pushed her back, Jeb then collided with Irpond and crashed on the pilot’s seat. “Is THAT all you got?” spat Irpond. She then knee-jabbed Jeb between the legs and moved him off her, but then Bill knocked her back toward the control panel. “Now aiming at the anti-normal,” said the navicomputer as Irpond’s body hit a button. “NO!” shrieked Irpond, but then Bill put his right hand on her throat. “Misty!” he demanded, then he raised his left fist. “NOW!” “Boys,” said Val, “what’s going on?” “Nowhere to run, Irpond,” reminded Bill. “Except Eve,” chimed Jeb, and Bill glared at him in disappointment. “Really? Don’t give her any ideas.” “W… which is where you’re clearly NOT going,” said Jeb. “AGH!” Irpond first punched Bill under his right arm before using her own to spin around and elbow-strike Bill in the face. While Bill was forced let go of her, she kept spinning about her vertical axis. “You two are pretty smart for a couple of knuckleheads,” said Irpond after she grabbed a seat to steady herself. “And you sound pretty alive for a dead woman,” Val responded. “W… what?” gasped Irpond. “Keep her talking,” mouthed Bill, and Jeb nodded in agreement. “You snuck back into Calculus Base,” started Jeb, “pretended to be Val, then knocked out Bob after you lured him to you. You then shut off all power – including lights, communications, and life support – to buy you time to escape.” “That was also your chance to kill the REAL Val,” continued Bill, “but something went wrong.” “Me,” smiled Jeb, “I’M what went wrong. At that point, it was either escape with Bob in a mini-bus and leave Val, or fight me and kill her.” “You then chose the only logical option and retreated,” said Bill, “but something else went wrong.” “Me,” said Jeb. “Well… not necessarily,” corrected Bill. “You still needed to get to a lander with Bob as your prisoner, but you needed to hurry since Jeb was chasing you. You then stuffed him in a suit and dragged his unconscious body to Lander 24 to blast off.” “But something else went wrong,” interrupted Jeb. “You again,” sighed Irpond. “You tried to toss Jeb off an accelerating lander after he caught your ladder,” said Bill, “but his apoapsis was high enough for me to catch him and establish a parking orbit. You knew what transfer windows were open at this time, and what pods had the delta-V for it – so you picked THIS pod for Eve.” “But SOMETHING ELSE went…,” said Jeb. “Please, stop,” sighed Val. “I was going to say that Bill leaked all your secret emails on Kerbnet,” explained Jeb, “then I was gonna say ‘Bill was too awesome,’ or something like that.” “W… WHAT?!” gasped Irpond in surprise, “you… decoded mine and Mom’s emails?” “Yep,” said Bill, “all of them.” “H… how… how did you get the key matrices?” “I’m not telling you anything, you worthless piece of garbage,” replied Bill. “Ooh,” gasped Jeb. “Oh no, he didn’t.” “Tell me where Misty is, or I’ll kill you right here and now,” threatened Bill. “Really, dude? Are you kidding me?” groaned Jeb. “She’s on Eve canoodling with Dad.” “Canoodling?” asked Irpond. “Your… DAD?!” “What, your mom never told you?” questioned Jeb. “No, she didn’t,” said Irpond. “She’s right; they stopped emailing each other since Irpond went AWOL,” added Bill. “I checked the timestamps already.” “Well… I never thought Mom would find someone else.” “I get what you’re feeling,” agreed Jeb. “Since you already figured out that I’m going to Eve,” said Irpond, “I must tell you that… I originally planned to fly there just with Bob.” “Duh,” sighed Bill. “However, now that you told me about my mother dating Jeb’s father – who is also the CEO of Jeb’s Junkyard – on that same planet, I actually won’t mind Jeb as a third wheel. Who knows, we may even become step-siblings.” “I’m sorry, but the ‘sister figure’ position is already taken,” smirked Jeb. “Ooh, beat me by one second,” commented Val. “And now that you’ve learned that I cracked your code and exposed yours and Misty’s crimes,” Bill told Irpond, “as a fellow engineer, I urge you to think this through logically. Since Jeb Senior is a fanatic for safety, he won’t want to marry your mother when he knows that you and her are a pair of murderers. And don’t think she’ll murder him THIS time; assuming some vengeance-obsessed kerbalnaut…” “Like you?” interrupted Irpond. “Oh, snap,” remarked Jeb. “As I was saying,” grumbled Bill, “assuming some vengeance-obsessed kerbalnaut hasn’t killed Misty already, he’ll be in a tighter-security area on a planet full of soldiers that’s extremely difficult to leave.” “But not impossible, right?” “ZIP IT!” barked Bill. “As for you, everyone now knows that not only are you a murderer, but you’re also still alive. Even if you managed to overpower us both and make your escape burn, they’ll track you all the way to Eve.” “You know what I’m capable of, right?” reminded Irpond. “I could disable the transponder and become invisible to Mission Control.” “Okay,” said Bill, “let’s say that you disable the pod’s transponder to try and become invisible. They STILL can see you through the infrared asteroid scanners.” “Ha ha, I thought of that,” smirked Irpond, “which is why I wrote a virus that will disable the scanner network so nobody can see me. Oh, and I also anticipated you trying to track me through the pod’s communication network.” “Bad idea,” said Bill. “You need the navicomputer’s connection to Kerbin to make an accurate fine-tuning burn AND give you an ETA to your Eve encounter. If you DO manage to knock out our solar orbit telescopes, Mission Control will have plenty of time to fix the problem before you get anywhere near Eve.” “And even if they don’t, they could just launch another telescope and track you then,” added Jeb. “Did you think about THAT?” “Notice: Lander 24 has docked with the front port,” said the pod’s computer. “Perfect,” smiled Irpond. “Something else you should consider is our ability to intercept you,” Bill told Irpond. “Once you arrive at Eve’s sphere of influence, you’ll have soldiers everywhere – no matter where you go or what your orbital characteristics may be. They WILL catch you, save Bob, and have you and Misty executed.” “Alternatively, Bill could just BLOW UP Eve with you on it,” remarked Jeb. “Nice try, but it’s theoretically unlikely,” Irpond retorted. “She’s right,” sighed Bill, “I checked with Bob yesterday.” “Speaking of Bob,” asked Jeb, “what exactly did you do to him?” “I drugged him to sleep,” said Irpond. “Even without your interference, it was going to be a bumpy ride.” Jeb then noticed that Irpond’s hands were at the controls, but Bill raised his hand to tell him to stop. “Tell me you didn’t overdose him,” said Bill. “Come on, do you really think I would be as clumsy as to do THAT… especially to Bob?” asked Irpond. “I wouldn’t put it past you to,” commented Bill. “I also wouldn’t put it past you to murder Bob, like you murdered Gregrigh Kerman.” “And like your mom murdered your dad,” said Jeb. “How’d she do that, by the way?” “Jeb, she shot him,” reminded Bill. “No, I mean how did she get away with it,” clarified Jeb. “Something seems off here,” said Irpond. “I’m sitting right in front of the controls, and you know where I plan to escape. And yet… you two would rather float there and chat than try and take me out.” “What are you getting at?” wondered Jeb. “You’re STALLING,” Irpond figured out. “You’re hoping that I would be on the dark side when this conversation is over to buy Val’s rescue craft more time to rendezvous with us, reclaim Bob, and bring me down to the surface.” “Well, what did you expect was going to happen?” sighed Bill. “You didn’t think we were going to let you get away with Bob, did you?” “We’ll see about that,” smirked Irpond. “MJ, plot a course to Eve and execute the next node.” “Roger,” said MJ. “Plotting escape burn to Eve.” “Really?” questioned Irpond as Bill still hung on to the window railing. “You’re just going to float there?” “Wait for it.” “Executing next node in T-plus two minutes,” said MJ. “WHAT?!” gasped Irpond. “Impossible.” “Jeb, grab onto something,” warned Bill as the pod oriented itself for its next plotted maneuver node. To everyone’s surprise, the pod fired up its engines and threw everyone back. “You added maneuver nodes while I was out,” said Irpond. “Executing next maneuver node in T-minus four minutes, seven seconds,” announced MJ. “NO!” shouted Irpond when she noticed that the pod was now in a suborbital trajectory. Right when she erased all the maneuver nodes that Bill had previously plotted, Bill lunged at her. “GET… BOB!” he yelled as he unlatched Irpond’s restraining harness. “Got it!” acknowledged Jeb, then he jumped to the nearest seat before opening the docking port door to the lander. “Hey, Bob. You alright?” “GO!” shouted Bill, then he used Irpond’s body to push himself to the controls. To Jeb’s shock, he hastily pulled the lever to shut the port door. “Caution: front docking port decoupling.” “NO!” yelled Irpond as she floated to the controls – and got punched in the face by Bill. “You’re not going anywhere,” he told her. “Dude, what are you doing?” asked Jeb on the radio. “She’s not getting away THIS time,” replied Bill, then he ducked as Irpond tried to hit him. He quickly reached for the RCS controls and backed the pod further away from the lander. “BILL!” shouted Jeb. “Get Bob to a medic,” ordered Bill. “I ain’t leaving without you,” argued Jeb. “Just GO, I’ll catch up,” assured Bill, then he kicked an incoming Irpond. However, Irpond grabbed his leg and threw him across the cockpit. “MJ, circularize our… OOF!” started Irpond, but Bill bounced off the ceiling and landed on Irpond, interrupting her. “MJ, land the pod,” ordered Bill. “At what coordinates?” MJ asked. “Anywhere,” said Bill. “HURRY!” “M…” started Irpond, but Bill covered her mouth and pushed her away; though he himself was pushed back, he quickly reached for the “Mute Microphone” switch. “Acknowledged, plotting landing trajectory.” “HA,” bragged Bill. “It’s game over, Irpond.” “Jeb, Bill, I want explanations NOW!” said Val. “Bill and Irpond are in the pod,” answered Jeb, “and I’m in the lander with Bob. I’m going in to help Bill.” “Negative,” said Val while Bill and Irpond kept fighting. “How much delta-V do you have?” “Let me see… about 1,704 meters per second,” replied Jeb. “Circularize your orbit and land at the nearest base,” ordered Val. “I’ll have a medic on standby.” “But our friend’s in that pod,” argued Jeb. “Just go, I got this,” replied Bill. He then grabbed onto his seat as the pod’s engines activated to slow down its downward velocity; Irpond was thrown all the way to the back of the passenger cabin. “If I didn’t know any better,” said Val, “I’d say you’re trying to LAND the pod.” “Have someone pick us up, over,” Bill responded. “Roger. Dispatching nearest ground transport to your estimated position.” “If I’m going,” said Irpond as she disabled the MechJeb landing autopilot, “YOU’RE coming WITH me.” “Are you crazy?! DON’T crash the pod!” argued Bill. “And why would I listen to YOU?” “I’m your only chance of getting out of this alive. If you don’t re-activate the landing autopilot, WE’LL BOTH die.” “So what if I do?” sighed Irpond. “You’ve already exposed me to front of everyone. Not only that,” Irpond then started to cry, “you took away the one man I really loved.” “Oh, so Gregrigh was just practice for Bob?” smirked Bill as he slipped his hand toward the MechJeb controls. “Landing autopilot enabled.” “Everything I worked for… taken away by YOU TWO,” sobbed Irpond; Bill kept typing some commands on the control panel. “I needed Bob to feel whole.” “Did you feel that way when you killed Gregrigh and his folks?” asked Bill, then he slammed his right palm on the seat armrest. “DID YOU SHED ONE TEAR?!” “Why do YOU care so much?” said Irpond. “DID YOU CRY FOR GREGRIGH?” “Yes, I cried,” said Irpond. “I loved him, but not as much as I loved Bob!” “Then WHY’D you kill him and his parents?” questioned Bill. “We found all three of their bodies in your yard.” “I DIDN’T kill them,” Irpond denied, “MOM did!” “You’re lying,” said Bill angrily. “Why would SHE kill a boy YOU loved… and killed for?” “Because he was going to destroy us,” answered Irpond. “Though I managed to catch him, I could not bring myself to do it.” “Yeah, right,” sighed Bill. “Even if MISTY pulled the trigger, you’re just as guilty of his murder as she is.” “Trigger… what? She didn’t SHOOT him, she STABBED him,” corrected Irpond. “When the parents came looking for him, she poisoned them and buried all three bodies in our old house yard.” “You mean the house she set on fire the night I launched my spy probe?” asked Bill, and Irpond was shocked. “You just couldn’t let that go, could you?” she groaned. “MJ, circularize our orbit NOW.” “I’m sorry, Irpond,” said Bill, smiling. “I can’t let you do that.” “Mom was right about you,” sighed Irpond, realizing that Bill had disabled the voice command function. “You don’t know when to quit.” “Takes one to know one, then,” commented Bill. “Too bad for you both, your luck has run out.” “You really think so?” “Yes. Even if you killed me now and disabled the emergency beacon, they’ll STILL figure out where we’re landing and catch you. Even if you somehow manage to elude the search parties again, it will still be a long time interval between when you land and when you make a stealthy reappearance within Bob’s… let’s face it, you’re not seeing Bob again if you run.” “And why is that?” “He’ll most likely be off the planet by the time you’re able to make a reappearance,” explained Bill. “On the other hand, there is a way you can be within five meters of him again without having to sneak around.” “And I guess it involves surrendering to you and Val,” sighed Irpond. “It’s the only logical approach,” confirmed Bill. “You have the right to be confronted with the witnesses against you when you’re court-martialled, not to mention you can call witnesses in your favor.” “How do I know you won’t just kill me before the search party picks you up?” asked Irpond. “How do I know YOU won’t kill me and fake self-defense?” replied Bill. “I’m seriously considering doing that to you right now.” “See? Let’s face it, you’ll do anything to get me and my mother killed.” “I don’t give a rat’s ass about YOU,” said Bill. “It’s MISTY I want dead.” “Brace yourselves,” MJ notified the pod’s occupants. “Besides,” Bill continued, “this is your last chance to see Bob while you’re still alive. I’d take it if I were you.” “Why do you care so much?” sighed Irpond. “I’m just telling you to think this through logically,” explained Bill. “If having Bob is your endgame, well… you had seven years cooped in a pod to enjoy it. After this incident, you could either cooperate and have guaranteed time to be near him again, or escape and have little to no chance of getting near him without being apprehended or killed first.” “UGH!” Though Irpond was holding onto the engineer’s seat, she was slammed against the floor as the pod slowed down its descent. “If I surrender, will you give me ten minutes alone with Bob?” “Try to fight or escape, deal’s off,” reminded Bill. “I’ll have you killed, then I’ll transmit the video to Misty. Did you get it, Val?” “Got it,” confirmed Val, then Irpond sat down on the seat next to Bill. “DEAL!

VAL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y30D154 - 5H30M It's Val Kerman - for real, this time. I made sure to change my password to something Jeb wouldn't suspect after the incident where he stole it to log on. Though I'm somewhat impressed he managed to fool KSP's IT department - at least until the part where he admitted it in a public journal - I'm still mad he didn't at least talk to me about it. Had I known that Mission Control was sending Pluto 1 back home, I would have been glad to have posted it myself. Anyway, we just got word that the craft in question has left Eeloo's sphere of influence and is now en route to Kerbin with 1,433 m/s of delta-V left. We expect it to encounter Kerbin's gravitational pull in approximately 4 years and 343 days. While that old piece of junk* is coming back home, several crafts are already en route to Eeloo to expand operations. These crafts include: Parts 6 and 7 of Hades Station A powerful surface relay craft Has 5 x 100G relays 16,020 worth of electric charge A Mk. Vb Interplanetary Travel Pod Crew capacity: 7 Docking-capable Immense delta-V capacity Thanks to those huge-ass fuel tanks and nuclear engines. Has inflatable heat shield. Have it dock with a station and stand by for orders Powered by: 4: 1x6 Solar Panels 2: RTGs An (UNOCCUPIED) mobile base Crew capacity: 7 Has science lab And all scientific equipment in a cargo bay Has Gigantor panels and RTGs 4G Relay capability With 100G direct A three-man self-mining tourist lander Same design as our rescue craft Needs to make a refueling stop at Jool first Someone has "Orbit Jool" on their contract. Here's a list I found of what Mission Control plans to send to Eeloo in the future (launch dates unspecified) Parts 7.5** and 8 of Hades Station Ore transport craft So Hades Station can convert its own ore. Something with people in it. We need to start Eeloo ops sometime, and we already have two landers ready to go. One self-mining One needing a fuel truck An Ultimate Relay Antenna To set at 45-degree inclination. To whoever's reading this, are we missing anything important? Also, how do you propose we land Pluto 1 on Kerbin safely? I remember that, even with the inflatable heat shield, I thought we were going to burn to a crisp upon re-entry. How do you expect a simple ablative heat shield to survive? * To whoever manufactured it, you heard me loud and clear. Yes, that thing is a piece of junk - since we needed a rescue mission to get off. Plus, without the inflatable heat shield, there's no guarantee the capsule will even survive Kerbin re-entry. ** Part 7.5 is just a bunch of batteries that would go between the center piece and Part 8. It was called 7.5 because it was a last-minute design change made by Mission Control when they picked how they were going to design Hades Station.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: THE GANG REUNITED (1.5 KERBIN YEARS LATER) At last, the Famous Four – Bill, Jeb, Val, and Bob – were reunited on the surface of Dres. After Pod 5B21 established its parking orbit around the planetoid, Hadgan adjusted the pod’s orbital inclination and rendezvoused with the U.S.S. Defiant before docking. A three-man fuel-and-oxidizer lander was already docked with the station, ready to pick up the first surface crew. Jeb, Bill, and Dilsby – a geologist who was assigned to study rock sediments deep in the planet’s crust – would descend on the surface and take a fuel truck to Calculus Base for medical and psychological assessments. Where Bob and Val were waiting for them. While Bill and Jeb were waiting for their psychological examinations, which would be performed one at a time via telecommunications to a psychiatrist on Kerbin, Bob and Val caught them up on what happened on Dres. Though it had been over a year since Irpond disappeared, there have still been no reported sightings or traces of her. After there had been no suspicious activity detected, and since Dres operations were functioning as planned, Mission Control assumed that Irpond had died during her escape and could not be found. Bob was heartbroken when he agreed that it was the most logical conclusion, but Val was still suspicious. “When was the last time the four of us were on the same planet?” asked Bob. “Eh… actually, I can’t remember,” sighed Jeb. “Sorry.” “Too bad Guscan left for Kerbin a few months ago,” commented Bill, “and it was in a Mark IVb pod, too.” “What’s the difference?” asked Jeb. “The Mark IVb was the model that rescued him from Kerbol orbit, and it has less delta-V than the current model,” explained Bill, turning his head to Val. “So… Val, I know it’s been… forever since we talked face to face.” “Bill, I know what you’re trying to do,” said Val. “You can ask me out AFTER your psych evaluation.” “Dibs on going after Dilsby,” interrupted Jeb. “Hey,” cursed Bill. “You can get more time to practice with Bob,” said Jeb. “Or you can ask Val out when Jeb starts, since it’ll be a while before Dilsby’s finished,” suggested Bob. “Screw it,” sighed Val. “You two, get.” “But I need to wait here for my psych eval,” Jeb argued as Bob left them alone. “Belay that,” Val told Bob. “Bill, come with me to my quarters.” “Yes, Admiral,” said Bill, then he followed Val away. “So, Bill, you want to ask me out?” sighed Val after she closed the door behind her. “Now’s your chance to finally impress me.” “Well… we’ve… been friends since fifth grade,” started Bill, “and not only that, we’ve been communicating with each other a lot more frequently since… well… approximately ten years ago.” “Go on,” said Val. “I… heard that Dres has a mini-bus sightseeing route next to Dres Canyon,” said Bill, “and I was thinking that, after my psych eval, we could fly there and go sightseeing.” “Sounds great,” said Val, and Bill started to smile, “but I’m not taking a moonjet.” “I was going to suggest one of the self-mining landers,” Bill told her. “Besides the fact that we won’t need to move a fuel truck to our landing spot just for our date, I want to be able to feel the difference between riding in one of those new landers and a conventional fuel-and-oxidizer craft.” “Of course you would,” sighed Val. “However, for a suborbital flight from here to the Canyon, a fuel-and-oxidizer landing would suffice.” “I know it would,” said Bill, “but to minimize the risk of running out of fuel for the return trip, we’ll need to allocate a fuel truck and I don’t know how long that could take.” “Only five minutes; there’s a truck already stationed in the canyon zone,” explained Val. “We also haven’t been getting many tourists on Dres lately, so the chances of having to wait long for a mini-bus ride are low.” “I’ll call you when I’m out,” smirked Bill. “I’ll fly.” “Nuh-uh. I’m a licensed pilot with lander experienced, so I’M flying,” objected Val. “You’re going to need to calculate the orbital inclination to reach Dres Canyon from a prograde launch, since retrograde will screw up the landing guidance system,” argued Bill. “Except for planets with atmospheres, it has proven incredibly accurate and precise in terms of landing at the designated coordinates.” “Yeah, but I know the coordinates,” said Val. “You won’t have to worry about losing fuel; it should be filled up by now.” “Sounds great,” agreed Bill. “Perhaps we can chat for a bit while waiting for Jeb’s psych eval to finish.” “Yeah, knowing Jeb’s daddy issues, it will take forever,” sighed Val. “Speaking of his dad, I can’t believe he would date again after that long.” “I can’t believe he’s dating that psychotic murderer,” said Bill. “The worst part is that they’re both now on Eve.” “WHAT? They’re on Eve?” gasped Val. “I thought the decoded messages alone were enough to put her away for good.” “Logically speaking, it would be a slam-dunk conviction,” said Bill. “However, she conned the police into thinking that you and I PLANTED all that just to frame her.” “How is that even REMOTELY possible? Besides the fact that I STINK at matrix multiplication, you were NOWHERE NEAR Kerbin whenever Misty made HER transmissions.” “But she argued that our close family and friends ARE, and that we’re more than capable of planning an elaborate evidence forgery campaign against Misty and her daughter.” Val facepalmed herself in disappointment. “Just… why? Assuming she and Irpond are BOTH innocent, WHY would WE waste so much time framing her and her daughter?” Bill sighed in agreement. “One of the possible motives involved you covering for your brother by punishing the one who uncovered the genocide. My personal favorite was the one where you and I were plotting to have Wolverines removed from the space program.” “How is that even possible? One of our best friends is a Wolverine.” “I know, but that’s not the worst part,” said Bill. “Let me guess, she could turn Eve into a planet-sized time bomb.” Bill scratched his chin for ten seconds. “I’ll have to dig through the archives and see if that’s possible, but that’s not what I was getting at,” he responded. “I meant that she got pretty much every vocal progressive on Kerbin sided with her. Since it was an election year, everyone thought that she was a victim of a political witch-hunt and didn’t charge her… at least not in time to stop her from blasting off to Eve.” Val quickly typed on her kPad as Bill watched the screen. “Not only that, Mission Control allowed her to bring A GUN for the trip.” “Tell me Jeb’s dad is armed, too,” said Bill. “Actually, he is,” replied Val, “but I doubt he’ll say yes to being your hitman.” “If Eve’s military forces won’t do anything about her, I will,” Bill told Val, turning on his own kPad. “For the last year and a half, I’ve analyzed the moonjet virus that Hadgan received and uploaded to 314. My endgame is to modify the virus so that, if a moonjet detects Misty as an occupant, it will try to kill her.” “One, you might not want to mention that in your psych eval,” suggested Val. “Second, it’s not going to work since Agaden was POISONED and Harriet was HIT IN THE HEAD; everyone else bailed out.” “That won’t happen THIS time,” said Bill, “since the new virus should disable both the EVA suit dispenser and the airlock.” Val widened her eyes in surprise. “So, you plan on trapping Misty inside with no chance of escape while she crashes to her death.” “Y… yes, that’s how I want it to work.” Val lowered her eyebrows. “I want her to die a slow death as much as you do, but there’s no guarantee it will work. First of all, how and where are you going to test it?” “I planned to upload it to one of our moonjets here and start with you and I,” started Bill. “Since I would have programmed the virus to ‘kill’ Bob, it should function as normal.” “You’re going to KILL Bob?” gasped Val. “No, I’m not,” said Bill. “As soon as you and I are done, I’ll put Bob in there and we’ll test it.” “How do you plan on getting out?” “Simple: we bring spare EVA suits with us for when the dispenser jams,” explained Bill. “As for the airlock, Bob and I will blow it open from the inside and bail out.” “Oh, you mean plant a bomb?” “Exactly,” smirked Bill. “If all goes well, the virus will get triggered ONLY when Bob’s on board and will try to kill him; I also have emergency plans to stay alive in an experiment designed to kill us.” “Not only is that wasteful and extremely dangerous, it could open you up to murder charges,” warned Val. “Hey, sabotaging a moonjet to kill one woman is nothing compared to what the woman in question did,” Bill countered. “If I don’t do something now, she’s going to kill again.” “Which brings me to the second thing: what if SOMEONE ELSE is on board that jet with her, or if there’s a surface outpost where the jet would crash? Do you really want to kill innocent people just to end one scumbag’s life?” “I… eh…,” stammered Bill. “Come on, Bill, be honest,” ordered Val. “Why are you objecting, Val?” said Bill. “Misty is a dangerous criminal who won’t stop. How many more must die before YOU accept that some sacrifices need to be made?” “Oh, so you’re perfectly fine with killing… schoolchildren just to get revenge on Misty.” “I thought you HATED her.” “Yes, but I won’t let you endanger more civilians with YOUR lame plan,” argued Val, “which brings me to Point Number Three. HOW do you expect that plan to work when Misty’s ON EVE?” “I could get her to ascend to Gilly and ride one of them,” answered Bill. “Yeah, along with WHO-KNOWS-WHO-ELSE – like other tourists and the designated kerbalnaut,” Val mentioned as she checked her kPad. “Besides that, there’s only one moonjet stationed on Gilly and there’s NO guarantee that your weapon will work there.” “That’s what TESTING RUNS are for,” argued Bill. “Even if it worked perfectly here, how are you going to plug it into Gilly’s only moonjet?” countered Val. “Are you also going to tell them to poison Misty for good measure, too?” “Val, you and I both agree that Misty must die; why are you saying no to my plan?” “Because it’s far too risky, and you’re FAR too likely to kill innocent bystanders in the process. I can’t let that happen.” “Well, do you have another idea?” asked Bill. “Yeah; order the Eve forces to arrest Misty.” “DON’T COUNT ON IT!” yelled Bill. “Why not?” “Kerbin’s government had its chance, now it’s MY turn.” “Whoa, YOUR turn?” said Val. “What you’re planning is not only incredibly risky in the testing phase alone; I figure the chances of it working for real are SLIM. Furthermore, your plan has HIGH chances of you killing someone you’re not supposed to. Our mission is to eliminate Misty without endangering anyone else in the process.” “Open your eyes, Val. Misty needs to be stopped at all costs.” “AT ALL COSTS? What happened to the Bill that I knew, the one that had ethical boundaries?” “That Bill failed to save hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives.” “And killing more is NOT the answer.” “Val, you’re no stranger to desiring revenge – even for me,” reminded Bill. “You remember the nights we spent planning how we were going to get back at the scumbags that irradiated Mom.” “Yeah, as in ONLY those scumbags,” added Val. “Even when your dad decided to use lawsuits instead of battle suits, he only targeted the ones directly involved.” “But the legal methods didn’t work for Misty, so now we need to get just as dirty as she is if we’re going to stop her.” “By needlessly putting more lives on the line?” questioned Val. “PLEASE tell me you have a FEASIBLE idea,” sighed Bill. “I do,” interrupted Jeb. “Get a doctor on Eve to poison Misty, whoop-bam-done.” Bill and Val then frowned at Jeb. “Really, dude? Even if you nailed Linus’ credentials, a medical officer should be able to detect a lethal poison within seconds of reading your recipe,” Bill told him. “That’s… actually not a bad idea,” said Val, surprising Bill and Jeb. “However, you should tell YOUR DAD to do it.” “Eh… yeah… and you could tell him that you learned of a new beverage someone made,” added Bill. “If you pose as Linus and say that it’s a medicine, Jeb Senior will check with an actual doctor and then learn that it’s actually toxic.” “Well, now that you mention it,” started Val, “Jeb Senior will also check your drink recipe and see if it’s even safe for kerbals.” “So… yeah, that’s not gonna work,” sighed Bill. “Sorry.” “Oh, I know,” chimed in Jeb, “we pose as Misty’s doctor and trick her into killing herself.” “Lame,” said Bill. “Besides the fact that you don’t know who her doctor is, she’s a scientist; she’ll figure out that you’re trying to kill her.” “Yeah,” agreed Val. “Why not just launch a missile at her?” suggested Jeb. “From where, my house in Baikerbanur?” asked Bill sarcastically. “Actually, from one of the military installations on Eve,” said Val. “They have long-range missiles ready in case of a terrorist attack. However, aside from the fact that Bill doesn’t trust them anymore, their launch controls have military-grade encryption and Misty’s location is bound to have civilians in the blast radius.” “No sweat, just ORDER them to kill Misty,” said Jeb. “It’s not that easy,” said Val. “Unless I’ve been selected for a joint interplanetary operation, they don’t have to take orders from me.” “Prime Minister Ryan is coming down hard on progressives nowadays, so it shouldn’t be hard to convince him to tell those guys to blow her up,” Jeb pointed out. “Technically, he’s being tougher on criminals in general; the reason you believe he’s cracking down on progressives specifically is because some of the crooks in question just happen to ally themselves with that political party,” corrected Bill. “In Misty’s case, however, I hope Prime Minister Ryan has the guts to do what’s right.” “Don’t be surprised if they don’t kill Misty,” warned Val. “Unless she actively resists arrest or is an imminent threat to life and limb, the best they could do is capture her and put her on trial.” “Not good enough,” sighed Bill. “They had the chance BEFORE she blasted off; she needs to die NOW before someone else does.” “Says the guy who was willing to kill up to five more people just to get her locked in a doomed moonjet,” teased Val. “Too bad Dad hasn’t come to his senses yet,” said Jeb. “Then again, when has he ever?” “You’re getting your psych eval done first, Jeb,” ordered Val. “But Bill has homicidal schemes,” countered Jeb. “Only because of a criminal who keeps slipping away from justice, whereas you had issues with your father… pretty much all your life,” explained Val. “Don’t even think about avoiding it, for I will ask Mission Control if you addressed the subject. If you have not, I will order you back in there until you do.” “Uh, since when do YOU give ME orders?” said Jeb. “You’re a captain and I’m an admiral, so I technically outrank you,” reminded Val. “Besides, for a badass who loves to needlessly face dangerous challenges, you sure love to run away from family problems – and those are the ones you HAVE to face.” Val sat down and hung her head in shame. “I should know; I felt like I couldn’t face Victor after realizing all the rumors about him were true.” “Okay,” said the doctor, “which one of you is going next?” “He is,” said Bill and Val simultaneously as they pointed at Jeb. “Captain Jeb?” asked the doctor. “Fine,” sighed Jeb, “let’s get this over with.” “Well, that went well,” said Bill as Jeb left with the doctor. “Word of advice: DON’T mention your murder fantasies,” suggested Val. “In fact, let’s save the Misty-killing plans for tomorrow – after our date at Dres Canyon.” “I’ll call you when I’m done with my psych evaluation,” said Bill. “You may not need to; I’ll be on-base the whole time,” Val responded. “What are you going to do between now and when Jeb’s done?” “Talk to my dad with the new phone,” answered Bill. “I’ve been itching to try one of them.” “They work like a charm,” Val commented. Two and a half hours later, Bill’s psych evaluation was complete, and he and Val were on their way to Dres Canyon. To save time and fuel (and oxidizer), they ascended to a low Dres orbit of 15 kilometers before landing near the fuel truck parked at Dres Canyon. Unfortunately, the mini-bus that was previously stationed there was summoned to pick up a couple of daredevils who flew the canyon length in their EVA suits. As a result, and since nobody else needed it, Bill and Val decided to take the fuel truck instead. “Sorry we couldn’t take the mini-bus,” apologized Bill. “Meh, I kinda like the fuel truck better,” said Val. “Easier to control, more stable, and can refuel spacecraft faster.” “Yeah, but you gotta admit the mini-bus didn’t do so bad for its intended purpose,” countered Bill. “Why’d you make it in the first place?” asked Val. “Were you in some kind of… low-cost refueling rover challenge or something?” “No. Mission Control made the mistake of putting a couple of double-moon tourists on board a mobile base; to make matters worse, it crashed almost an hour after it landed. Though all the occupants survived, we had to get the tourists out before their contracts expired.” “Why didn’t we just put them in EVA suits and call in a lander?” wondered Val. “The last time we tried that with a non-EVA-certified tourist, he died and Mission Control faced a massive lawsuit from his widow,” reminded Bill. “I built a vehicle that could carry the stranded tourists out of the wreckage and put them in a rescue lander. BOB then suggested I put an ISRU unit to refuel the lander… hence the design everyone knows and loves today.” “Neat,” said Val. “I remember reading about the tourist rescue, but I didn’t think that was you. Heck, you didn’t even tell Jeb or I.” “I didn’t tell Jeb since I figured he was very likely to crash it,” explained Bill. “As for you… I was just doing my job as a space program engineer, so I didn’t bother.” “I had no idea you had this heroic side,” gasped Val. “Really?” said Bill. “I mean… not that I tried to impress you or anything… oh, shoot, that came out wrong, didn’t it?” “Totally,” smirked Val, then she started the truck. “MJ, run the Canyon Sightseeing Route.” “Plotting course… done,” said MJ, then the truck drove itself alongside the canyon edge from 100 meters away. “I thought you would at least be A BIT experienced with asking out girls,” said Val. “Remember Melissa, that engineer you dated on Duna before you got sent to Eeloo.” “Yeah, about that… um…,” stammered Bill. “Let me guess, it was just a ploy to get me jealous,” blurted Val, and Bill’s jaw dropped. “WHERE did you get that?” “Jeb,” admitted Val. “While I was in-transit here, Jeb gave me this theory that you dated Melissa just to make me jealous and force my hand.” Bill lowered his eyebrows. “And you believed that wild theory?” “Well… you gotta admit that DOES seem credible,” countered Val. “People do that all the time.” “I assure you, that was no ploy,” said Bill. “However, while I dated Melissa during my Duna assignment, I never really felt… complete. I got the strange sense that something was missing; you know… like that feeling you get when you suspect mid-mission that you didn’t pack enough electric charge for a probe.” “You seemed pretty happy in the pictures you sent us,” recalled Val. “I thought you were no longer available for me, so I tried my best to make it work with Melissa,” confessed Bill. “However, we never really… oh, come on, how do I put it… connected fully. I mean, we ‘clicked,’ but the passion between us never lasted as long as I thought.” “So, after you broke up, why didn’t you try to date again,” said Val. “Better yet, why didn’t you try and take your shot at me?” “Who said I didn’t?” replied Bill. “I had requested that I go to Laythe to test my skis.” “You did?” gasped Val. “You KNEW I was there, right?” “Yes, but that was denied and I had to hop the first pod to Eeloo,” explained Bill. “That sucked.” “Well… I understand why Mission Control would want you on Eeloo,” said Val. “Laythe is more of a water-focused tourist attraction than a snow-focused, so they threw you to that snowball.” “Too bad the best surface outpost is still in a fallout zone,” commented Bill. “Mission Control is debating over whether they should start another outpost or clean it up.” “I’ll have to ask you and Bob, but I’d go with the cleanup option,” said Val. “That base is sitting on one of the richest ore deposits on Laythe; we can’t just abandon it just because some psycho loves playing with blutonium rods.” “I’m actually on the fence for that one,” said Bill. “On one hand, the cleanup option is cheaper and we could reclaim the base. On the other hand, we’re bound to have better technology for a new base… probably one that would detect a fallout leak and keep everyone safe.” “Honestly, if an evil genius with Irpond’s skill set were to get his hands on the base plans, he’d find a way to cause mayhem,” remarked Val. “Too bad we haven’t found Irpond’s body yet.” “I definitely want to see MISTY’S body soon,” sighed Bill. “I hate her with a burning passion.” “So do I, but you don’t see me endangering civilians in the process,” agreed Val. “Meanwhile, Jeb suggested that we blow up Eve or… set off the staging decouplers early when she ascends.” “Besides getting the prime minister to issue a kill order for her,” said Bill, “maybe you could… uh… trigger an explosion… or cause a rover crash.” “How are you gonna do that?” sighed Val. “It’s not like you could light-speed to Eve and mess up her car before flying back here.” “Maybe I could remote-control her car and have it run off a cliff or into a rock or something,” suggested Bill. “I could also cause it to self-destruct with her in it.” “How are you gonna do that without Irpond… who I’m sure will refuse if you had her?” reminded Val. “More importantly, how are you gonna do that and make sure nobody else gets hurt?” Bill facepalmed himself in disappointment. “All the good non-bureaucratic ideas either need Irpond’s skill set or have a high risk of endangering civilians… or BOTH.” “Well, you might want to isolate Misty in the hacked vehicle in a way that’s not suspicious until it’s too late,” said Val. “Besides that, we’ll have to cover our tracks after Misty dies.” “You know, for someone who wanted to save the Misty-murdering plans for tomorrow, you sure are having quite a lot of fun discussing them,” Bill pointed out, and Val’s eyes widened. “I really loved the times we had when we just… talked,” said Val. “Sometimes, I would even draw weird invention ideas just so I could get you to review them.” “Oh, yeah? Like what?” “The only thing I DO remember was the sketch of a light-up promposal poster,” answered Val. “I bet it was just a string of parallel-circuit Christmas lights arranged in a pattern that would form the desired words,” guessed Bill. “As a matter of fact, it was… whatever ‘parallel circuit’ means,” confirmed Val. “That was how I was going to prompose to you.” “But you didn’t. Why not?” “By the time I found a suitable battery for the lights, Vic had already hidden them,” explained Val. “He said that if I wanted you, I needed to march straight up to you and ask you. Boy, we were in SO much trouble when our fight woke up our parents.” “Bet Victor almost tore your head off,” commented Bill. “The next part made me feel like tearing YOURS off,” replied Val. “By the time I found my lights and put my card together, Jeb told me that you had already asked out Gretchen… it was too late.” “Sorry if I ruined your special night,” sighed Bill. “No, I ruined it for both of us,” Val disagreed. “Vic was right; I should have straight-up asked you instead of tried to be fancy.” “Well,” said Bill, pointing at the stars, “now we got a second chance.” “Lame; we’ve been stuck seeing that every day for years,” remarked Val. “What?” asked Bill, then Val pointed at the setting sun over the canyon. “Now THAT’S a view worth remembering,” she explained as Bill looked at the breathtaking view. “No wonder you wanted to come here an hour before lights-out in this op zone,” Bill figured out. “It’s not every Dres day you get to see that,” said Val. “Tell that to the guys working in the Dres Canyon region.” “They get a different view from the foot of the canyon, where their base is located.” “You think Dres sunsets are beautiful?” challenged Bill. “You should fly to Duna and see those.” “Try LAYTHE sunsets; you get both the sun AND Jool in the sky,” said Val. “Poseidon’s Palace used to have the best views from the upper antennae levels.” “Hey, remember when we flew a robot plane all the way to Woomerang to drop our spy probe?” asked Bill. “How could I not?” said Val, then she noticed that she and Bill were holding hands. “It was one of our… best moments… together.” “It sure was,” agreed Bill. “Well, Mission Control has tasked me with designing a rechargeable robotic aircraft that can transmit scientific and photographic data from the fallout zone.” “Can’t the guys at the military base send one of their recon jets to do it?” “No, Val. This one must be equipped with the new interplanetary comm system, run on pure electricity, and rest in the fallout zone between missions without taking damage,” explained Bill. “This is simple,” scoffed Val, “just slap your old plane design on a fighter jet transport rocket and BA-BAM!” “No, Val, Mission Control explicitly stated it had to be electric.” “Really? Didn’t you use an electric plane?” “No, it was a simple air-breathing fuel-powered jet engine plane,” clarified Bill. “I needed that much thrust to haul the spy probe to Woomerang and fly the plane back home.” “Oh, my bad,” apologized Val. “I don’t think you’ll need that kind of thrust if you’re going to keep your plane near Poseidon’s Palace.” “My point exactly, but I will need the power supply to last long if it’s going to get valuable data and return to the ‘charging pad’ safely,” said Bill. “If you’re that worried about saving power, why not just use a blimp?” suggested Val, then Bill’s eyes widened. “You know, I was thinking the same thing,” Bill told her. “However, if I take the blimp route, I must consider how the surrounding air temperature, pressure, and fallout will affect it – starting with the balloon alone. For all I know, the blutonium-238 could cause the exterior to decay… or the low temperatures will cause the balloon to not inflate with helium sufficiently enough to take off.” Val then smiled at Bill. “Oh, you. You should… hey, why DID Mission Control task you with it in the first place?” “Because they know about our mission to drop the spy probe on Woomerang all those years ago,” explained Bill. “Oh, you did?” asked Val, and Bill nodded. “I didn’t think you told them about that; only the part where your rocket actually missed Woomerang the night Misty set her house on fire.” “Not like that; I meant I told them about the plane mission when I enlisted.” “WHAT?” gasped Val. “You told them about that?” “Yes; they wanted to know a big moment in my life that I accomplished something as a team,” explained Bill. “After the Mun mission, Werner told me that my mission report – and my logs – for that mission were a major factor in our acceptance into KSC. Once I showed them the football team’s stats and recon files, they knew I was legit.” “Whoa…,” said Val. “That’s amazing?” “Is it just me,” stated Bill, “or are our noses two centimeters from each other?” “Just turn your head 30 degrees clockwise about its nose axis and move forward one centimeter,” whispered Val. “Don’t forget to open your… docking port.” “But I don’t have mono…,” said Bill, but he then noticed Val’s lips were locked with his own. Ten seconds later, they had stopped kissing. “Oh… I get it now.” “You are such a nerd,” laughed Val. “I gotta ask… was that your first kiss since your Duna assignment?” “Yes,” answered Bill. “Man, you had no idea how long I wanted to do that.” “Probably as long as I did,” said Val. “And now… that moment… has finally come.” “We came really close once – when we had returned from the Ike mission,” said Bill. “I remember when we were on the roof of the vehicle assembly building… then Gus told us to get down.” “Speaking of Gus, where is he?” wondered Val. “Last I heard, he’s still in prison for his role in covering up the Clivar Genocide,” answered Bill. “He was our best ops planner until those documents surfaced,” added Val. “Even before they were… leaked… WAIT A SECOND!” gasped Bill. “You got that ‘I have a crazy idea,’ look,” commented Val. “There’s a look?” wondered Bill, then he smiled. “Since no arrest warrants were issued until AFTER the genocide-related documents were leaked, why don’t we wait and see what happens when we leak the decrypted emails?” “What decrypted emails? I thought they were already made public years ago.” “We’re talking about the ones between Irpond and Misty,” clarified Bill. “Oh… yeah… those,” realized Val. “We can at least show the entire kerbal race exactly the kind of monster Misty is and who those political hacks are protecting. Pretty soon, they’ll HAVE to arrest her and put her on trial.” “The families of the Bill’s Revenge victims are BOUND to want her head when they find out that Irpond and Misty had the most to gain from that ship getting blown up,” agreed Bill as he took out his kPad – but then Val put it down. “What?” “Not now, Bill,” she told him as she kissed him in the neck. “I’ve been waiting too long for this.” “But… we need to stop Misty,” said Bill. “That can wait until morning,” argued Val while she held Bill close. “Don’t tell me you don’t want this, too.” “Wait, are you talking about kissing and hugging you or defeating Misty?” Val lowered her eyebrows. “What do you think?” “Oh… I get it,” said Bill. “I’ve been too scared to even try it then; I won’t be now.”

LASEL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y30D69 - 1H00M This is Dr. Lasel Kerman, speaking from the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in orbit above Duna. Not many people speak of this, but I was on board the rescue craft that saved Bill and Val from Eeloo's surface. Though the vessel was remote-controlled - and Val was a qualified pilot while I wasn't - I brought back a lot of sweet science from that snowball. In fact, I brought back more science than the original craft could carry. Speaking of which, when I saw the entry from Y29D398, I knew that Mission Control would try to resume the old mission from decades ago. I asked Jeb to send me pictures from Mission Control so I can post them on this thread - since Val had changed her password to ensure nobody else could get on here. A few hours ago, Jeb sent me these pictures. The failed lander making its initial ascent into Eeloo orbit. Originally, though it had enough delta-V to make it, it would not be able to either fly to Kerbin or even return to the surface. The Failed Lander (more formally known as the Pluto 1) in orbit above Jool Why is its ladder out? There's nobody within Eeloo's SOI (yet). Thanks to the refueling truck, it now has 2,735 m/s of delta-V left. Though Mission Control could land it anywhere on Eeloo and send the truck there to refuel it, Jeb heard that they planned to send it straight back to Kerbin to return the capsule. I don't know why they would do that, though; we now have way better crafts ready (nuclear-powered, higher crew capacity, better heat shield), and they don't even need fuel trucks. Additionally, I don't even know if the detached capsule's heat shield (or parachutes, for that matter) could even take the heat from Kerbin re-entry. Any ideas? I calculate the craft will have about 1,435 m/s of delta-V when it makes its ejection burn to Kerbin, which will not be enough to make a safe capture burn when it reaches the planet's sphere of influence. Ideas range from a low-periapsis aerobrake to straight-up slowing it down before it reaches the atmosphere.

VAL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y29D398 - 0H00M Listen - or at least read, in case I never make an audio recording about this. This is Jebediah "Jeb" Kerman. You may ask "Why is Jeb using Val's name in this log entry?" For the record, this was not my first choice - or my second. I wanted to log my own entries in this journal, but the higher-ups said that only two people had clearance to edit it: Val Bill had primary clearance once, but he gave it up after he signed off. He felt no need to change anything on here. Lasel Lasel is currently in orbit of Duna in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. I tried to get her to cough up her KSP password to access this log, but she refused. She was my second choice. Unfortunately, I had to steal the password from Val so I can write in this report file. Here's how I got it: Bought two tickets to the old island airfield. Convinced Val to let me babysit Tom - that's her and Bill's son - while they go on their free date. She was reluctant at first, but Tom seems to take a liking to me. Guessed her password from Tom's name and birthday I remembered her complaining about having to change her password shortly after Tom was born, so I took a guess I'm not going to tell if it worked or else I'd be in serious trouble for leaking my friend's private information Since I was in Val's and Bill's house, the IT guys didn't suspect anything. Anyway, now on to why I'm here. Two days ago, Mission Control had confirmation that their fuel truck prototype had landed on Eeloo. By itself, it's a medium-sized deal now that the only craft that will use it is the one-man mini-lander; everything else is self-mining these days. However, once I noticed that it landed 5 kilometers from where Bill and Val first landed 13 years ago, my freaky-sense started tingling. The craft had enough delta-V to land anywhere on the planet - probably somewhere with a better ore concentration - so I saw no reason that Mission Control would dump that small truck there. Until I saw this: I knew it was no coincidence that Mission Control landed the truck so close to the lander. They're planning to refuel it and send it back home - but I don't know why. That thing is basically a piece of junk now compared to the new three-man self-mining landers we have; I actually voted that we leave it as a historical marker for future kerbalnauts. I'm definitely getting to the bottom of this. The reason I'm using this thread is because it's already so popular that word is bound to spread. Plus, this story is relevant to the main topic of the journal since the truck is refueling the original Pluto 1 landing craft.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: MATT THE SECOND “What are you doing, man?” Rob asked as he paced around Misty’s bedroom. “What’s it look like I’m doing?” Bob responded. “I’m trying to call Irpond’s mom. What are you doing in her house?” “Duh, looking for clues,” answered Rob. “How’d you get in without her noticing?” questioned Bob. “I found her spare key in her birdfeeder,” said Rob. “Rob, get out of there before Misty sees you,” warned Bob. “Relax, Bob, she’s not coming back for a while,” assured Rob, holding a folder in his left hand. “You KILLED her?” “What? No, I didn’t kill anyone; can’t say the same for her.” “Then where is she?” “Krakopolis.” “KRAKOPOLIS?!” gasped Bob. “How do you know?” “She left behind a copy of her travel plans for Eve,” explained Rob. “Eve? She’s taking a vacation there?” “I don’t see any job offers in here, so that must be it,” said Rob. “Now that she’s gone, I can finally snoop around and get her executed before her rocket takes off.” “Why did you answer my call? You knew that wasn’t meant for you,” inquired Bob. “As soon as I saw that it was one of the new space center phone operators, I got curious and picked up. If it was the daughter, I would have asked her to leave a message and I would tell Bill. However, as soon as I heard you were calling… I couldn’t resist. We’re brothers, after all.” “Apparently, the operators can’t tell the difference between a man and a woman on the phone,” sighed Bob. “I told her I was a hired housecleaner,” said Rob. “In a way, I am.” “How so?” “As soon as I’m done, this house will no longer have a piece of garbage as the owner,” explained Rob as he went to the living room. “Why’d YOU try to call her?” “Irpond’s AWOL,” answered Bob, “and maybe her mom knows where she’s hiding.” “On Dres?” questioned Rob, raising his pitch. “Oh, hi, Mom. Yeah, I’m on the run now and I’m hiding in some old warehouse in a crater.” He then resumed talking in his normal voice. “Come on, everybody knows that whenever a person goes missing, you talk to the closest friends and family first. I wouldn’t put it past… HELLO, what do we have here?” “What is it?” asked Bob as Rob took out a book from the shelf. “Who keeps an outdated middle-school math textbook when their daughter is a fully-grown woman who travels in space?” Rob responded. “Uh… nobody?” said Bob. “Right, dude, so why would Misty have it?” “Maybe… she tutors middle schoolers in math,” Bob guessed. “Private math tutoring, really? I’m trying to solve a murder spree here.” “Maybe it’s a relic of her daughter’s school days,” countered Bob. “How do you know it has anything to do with the murders?” Rob then checked the last owner of the textbook. “You may be right; Irpond was the last student who logged this book,” said Rob. “Maybe her mom decided to keep it when this version was declared obsolete.” He flipped through the pages carefully. “Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that it’s nowhere near as dusty as the other books. It was used soon before she headed to Krakopolis.” “Which can be evidence of her being a math tutor,” said Bob. “Or something else,” said Rob. “Good condition, by the way. I wish my HIGH school textbook was… huh. One of the pages is dog-eared.” “Wouldn’t that happen in a lot of old textbooks?” asked Bob. “Only this one,” said Rob, “and it looks like it’s… been dog-eared REPEATEDLY.” “Yeah, that does sound kinda strange,” agreed Bob. “If I was a private math tutor, I’d use a bookmark. Heck, I’d use several and place them in commonly-asked subjects.” “Speaking of subjects, you’re not gonna believe which one this is: Hill Substitution… cipher problems,” stammered Rob. “WAIT A SECOND!” “Sheesh, bro, not so loud,” Bob responded. “When Val first tapped your evil girlfriend’s kPad, Irpond and Misty then started to send each other secret messages,” started Rob. “Bill and Val tried to decode them, but no luck.” “My girlfriend’s not evil,” argued Bob. “Someone’s setting her up.” “Then why did YOU call Misty and not Val? Better yet, why didn’t the cops show up here?” “So I can find Irpond and we can clear this up.” “What’s there to ‘clear up?’ She and her mom murdered hundreds – if not thousands – of kerbals for years. And by the way, even if Misty knew where Irpond was, you really think she would tell YOU?” “It’s either me or VAL,” retorted Bob. “Frankly, if I was her, I’d pick my daughter’s long-time boyfriend over someone who has it out for her.” “Good luck with that,” scoffed Rob, examining the math problems. “Why would Misty be so interested in encrypting a message with different ‘key matrices,’ or something?” “Why don’t you send a picture to Bill and he can tell you,” suggested Bob. “Hey, great idea,” said Rob as he took a picture with his own cell phone. “Now I gotta look for more evidence that your mother-in-law is a murderer.” “She’s not my mother-in-law!” spat Bob. “Besides, how can I propose to Irpond if she’s AWOL?” “Don’t do it,” Rob replied. “Do you even know what happened to her LAST boyfriend?” “His body was found near the house that BURNED DOWN,” Bob recalled, “but that doesn’t mean SHE did it. For all you know, it was some random psychopath that saw an opportunity to bury a body in condemned property.” “Yeah, but don’t you know what ELSE happened when she was in school?” countered Rob. “Hint: it was PRACTICE for what went down on Laythe.” He then opened the door to Irpond’s old bedroom, which looked like it hadn’t been used in days. “This is exactly why I wanted to dial Misty,” sighed Bob. “I can confront Irpond and we can prove that she’s being set up.” “Who’d want to set her up?” “Val.” “Why would Val frame Misty and Irpond for a string of murders that happened in Woomerang years ago?” said Rob. “FYI, at the time Irpond’s high school crime spree occurred, Val was either in space, Krakopolis, Baikerbanur for leave, or Squaddon for political appearances.” “Okay, somebody else is setting them up,” Bob conceded. “Once I find Irpond, I can get her side of the story and we can finally get the truth.” “That’s weird,” said Rob. “Irpond’s closet’s not as dusty as everything else; it’s been opened RECENTLY.” “Let me guess, some old girls’ clothes and a Wolverine Jersey or something?” “Whoa,” gasped Rob as a man-sized stuffed doll fell out. It had smelly men’s clothes on it and the face was obviously made to look like someone. There was also an 8-centimeter hole where the mouth was, which had a rubber tongue inside. “What is it?” “Disgusting,” answered Rob, “ugh, and when was the last time this stuffed doll was cleaned?” “So, what? Girls like to play with stuffed dolls.” “MAN-SIZED ones?” Rob mentioned. “And no, she didn’t get the clothes at the toy store.” “It… must have been a hobby of Irpond’s when she was younger,” guessed Bob. “Oh, yeah?” argued Rob as he found a plastic bag in the closet full of dirty laundry. “What about this: a bag… AW, KRAKEN!” After he coughed for a minute, he told Bob what was in the bag. “Men’s clothes?” “Yeah… dude,” wheezed Rob. “For a person who keeps her house clean, she doesn’t know what to do with the dirty laun… uh oh.” “What’s the uh oh?” wondered Bob, then Rob dragged the doll to Misty’s bedroom and placed it next to the photograph of her and Dilford. He was even more surprised when he noticed the clothes Dilford was wearing in another photograph. “This doll isn’t Irpond’s, it’s Misty’s,” he figured out. “It’s made to look like her husband.” “That’s weird, because Misty SHOT him.” Bob recalled. “But was it REALLY self-defense or was it MURDER?” questioned Rob. “My money’s on murder.” “Then why would she keep his clothes after decades?” retorted Bob. “Maybe she feels guilty for having to kill her husband?” “Because he was beating Irpond, or because he threatened to report Misty to the cops for murder and arson?” Rob told him. “Also, ask yourself why she would keep a bag of his obviously dirty laundry? Hint: it’s the same reason Irpond stole YOUR clothes on Laythe.” “Val said that the only reason anyone would do that is to get high off their loved one’s scent.” “EXACTLY, bro. Misty’s still obsessed with Dilford, so she makes a doll in his likeness – and probably sleeps with it – and keeps the dirty laundry he generated right before he died so that she could get high on him.” “If that’s the case, why didn’t she just bring it with her to Krakopolis?” inquired Bob. “The same reason she hid it in IRPOND’S closet rather than her own,” Rob figured out. “She knew we were closing in on her and her daughter, so she needed to ditch the evidence. However, at the same time, she’s crazy enough to want to access it when the heat died down.” Suddenly, he noticed that Misty’s phone was beeping. “Call from: Maude Kerman,” it spoke. “What’s going on?” asked Bob. “One of her neighbors is trying to call me… her,” explained Rob. “I’m hanging up now; call me back on my cell.” “Why not just answer the phone and pretend to be her?” suggested Bob, but Rob didn’t listen as he hung up. He didn’t want to answer the call – or even impersonate Misty – or else the real Misty would get suspicious if Maude told her that she talked to her over the house phone. “Hey, Misty,” Maude said on the voicemail. “Everything’s going great here… just got a job at the school board.” “Good for you,” sighed Rob. “I’m glad to hold on to your ‘Misty and Dilford’ diary for you, but I was wondering when you would want to pick it up. Don’t worry, nobody peeked; you picked a good lock, by the way. If you get this, please call me back. Have a nice day.” As Maude hung up, Rob scratched his chin. “A marriage diary, eh,” he said as his cell phone rang. “Hey, dude.” He then told Bob about what he heard on the voicemail. “What are you going to do now?” questioned Bob. “Get it,” said Rob, “but how?” “Why not just wait until she’s gone to steal it?” teased Bob. “I think I’d rather tell Bill and Val about it,” said Rob, “along with everything else I found here.” “I’m gonna try to call Misty’s cell phone,” sighed Bob. “You mean the one I have in my left hand?” asked Rob as he held a smartphone. “What… how’d you get it?” “Found it lying next to some magnets in the kitchen cabinet,” he explained. “She must have decided to ditch it when she went to Krakopolis.” “Okay… you said she was going to Eve, right?” Rob then confirmed that. “Why don’t I call the space center and ask for her?” “Don’t even think about telling her I was here,” said Rob. “We never had this conversation, and you know nothing about Misty’s doll.” “Who’s doll?” Bob jokingly agreed before hanging up. Rob then photographed the rest of his clues before sending them in an email to Bill and Val. Meanwhile, at the Kerbal Space Center, a squadron of cadets was running laps around the perimeter. A few tourists and active-duty members were among them, but some of tourists quit before the first lap was even complete. After they would complete three laps – and a swim to the abandoned airfield – they would return to the astronaut complex and hit the showers before starting their pre-flight classes. The tourists often intermingled with the cadets and standby kerbalnauts whenever they weren’t exercising or going through the pre-flight screening processes; though their spacecraft would be equipped with the new telecommunication systems, they would be stuck with the same crew for a long time when they finally took off. Among the interplanetary tourists waiting for their ride was Misty Kerman, who was now playing pool with a male tourist at the rec room. “Phone call for Heywood U. Kismi,” shouted Ned Kerman. “Heywood U. Kismi! Hey, sir, hey would you kiss me?” “No way,” the man replied, and everyone laughed – except for Misty. “I don’t get it, what’s the joke?” she asked. “It’s just some old prank,” the man next to her replied. “You call someone, ask to talk to someone whose name sounds like something ridiculous. In this case, Ned thinks someone named ‘Hey, would you kiss me,’ is in here.” “Sound kind of ridiculous,” said Misty. “Now it does since we have caller ID.” The phone rang again. “What now?” sighed Ned as he picked up. “Uh… Misty Kerman!” He then looked at the oldest woman in the lounge. “Are you Misty Kerman?” “That’s me,” she replied. “Phone call from Dres,” Ned told her, then he left as Misty took the phone. “Hello?” “Misty Kerman?” a man’s voice responded. “Who is this?” she asked. “Bob Kerman,” he answered. “I’m a friend of your daughter, Irpond.” “I know who you are,” said Misty. “Irpond talks about you all the time. How’d you know I was here?” “Uh… a friend of mine who works here told me,” lied Bob. Though he knew it was regulation for the tourists to reside in the astronaut complex before their launch, he didn’t want her to know that he knew she was going to Eve after Rob broke into her house and told him. “Why did you try to call me?” questioned Misty. “Something bad is going on here,” started Bob. “As a result, your daughter has disappeared without a trace. We tried to look for her but nothing.” “Disappeared?” gasped Misty. “Even worse, my commanding officer wants her dead,” added Bob. “Now, if I can locate Irpond before Val does, I can help her clear everything up.” “And why would I help you?” sighed Misty. “Because you and I are Irpond’s only hope of getting out of this alive,” said Bob. “You’re her mother and I’m her long-time boyfriend; right now, we’re the only people she has a logical reason to trust.” “I’m not sure I should trust YOU,” said Misty. “I would never hurt Irpond,” assured Bob. “She comforted me when I hurt the most. Rob getting sent to prison didn’t come anywhere near how bad I felt when Sheri died, as I knew he was tough and there was a way out for him; nothing can undo what happened to Sheri. I didn’t ask for Irpond, yet she was there to help me heal.” “Well, what do you expect from MY daughter?” sighed Misty. “Now everyone thinks she’s a crazy mass murderer,” said Bob. “If there’s a chance I can prove she’s innocent, I’ll take it.” “You’ll… really do that?” “Yes, mam, but I can’t do that until I get Irpond’s side – which I can’t do until I find her. And believe me, you’d rather I find her than Val. If SHE finds your daughter first, you can kiss Irpond good-bye.” “That’s not going to happen,” said Misty. “I swear, I only want to help Irpond,” Bob told her. “You can’t talk to her because I don’t know WHERE she is,” clarified Misty. “We lost contact weeks ago, right after her pod made its parking orbit around Dres.” “What did she say?” asked Bob. “She said that the two of you made it to Dres safe and happy,” said Misty. “That was the last thing she sent me.” “Any idea where she would go?” questioned Bob. “Not in the slightest,” answered Misty. “If I knew anything, I’d tell you right now – and I’m not going to spill it to Internal Investigation. You know Val has them in her pocket.” “Not even a little hint?” sighed Bob. “Nope, sorry,” apologized Misty. “Hope you find her before that redheaded liar does.” “I promise you, once I find her, I’ll uncover the truth,” said Bob, “then Val will have no reason to keep persecuting her… and you.” “Be careful who you trust,” warned Misty. “Bill already made threats against me years ago, and you know how close JEB is to the two lovey-dovey Badgers.” “That’s gonna be hard,” Bob replied. “Kerbalnauts are supposed to trust each other when we go interplanetary; that’s a basic survival rule out here.” “If you’re that paranoid, you can find her yourself,” said Misty. “Solo missions to other planets have been done many times before – as have tourist flights with no official KSP members on board. I’m sure that, if it comes down to it, you can accomplish that. Can you?” “I’m sure I can, but I’d rather not,” sighed Bob. “If I’m going to find one kerbalnaut on a whole planetoid, I’ll need all the help I can get.” “Then make sure your help in no way reports back to Val, or else she will kill my daughter when given the chance,” warned Misty. “And one more thing: when you find Irpond, protect her at all costs.” “I will, Misty,” said Bob. “Could you please tell me if she calls back?” “Unless there’s a high risk of Val finding out, yes,” said Misty. “Even then, I’ll contact you some other way so that you can find Irpond before Val.” “Thanks. Wish me luck,” replied Bob as he hung up. “Good luck.” Misty then finished her pool game – and won – before sitting at the chess board. Almost a minute later, a man sat across from her and told her it was her move. “Okay.” “I… don’t believe we’ve met,” he told her as he shook her hand. “I’m Jebediah Kerman.” “Jeb?” gasped Misty. “I thought he was in space.” “Wrong Jeb; I’m his dad,” explained Jeb Senior. “Oh, that makes much more sense,” sighed Misty. “I’m Misty Kerman.” “Hi, Misty,” he replied. “Everybody just calls me Jeb Senior to avoid confusion.” “Hey, aren’t you the man who owns Jeb’s Junkyard?” asked Misty. “Yes,” answered Jeb Senior. “Wow… what brings you to the astronaut complex?” inquired Misty. “I’m overseeing the construction of a new dirigible airport on Eve,” he told her. “Eve? No way,” said Misty. “I’m going there too.” “You’re… a tourist?” guessed Jeb Senior. “That’s right,” she confirmed. “I’ve only been to space once, and that was to the Mun.” “I’ve been to... Moho, Minmus, and Duna,” said Jeb Senior. “All of which were for business.” “Heh, I bet your son rubs it in your face a lot that he’s been to more planets than you,” chuckled Misty. “We… barely talk,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Ever since he found out what happened to his mother, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms… for… decades.” “His mother, what happened to his mother?” “She died in a plane crash when Jeb was only a baby,” he said. “Even though the accident investigation says it was her fault, there’s always this part of me that says I should have seen it coming?” “How come?” questioned Misty. “Amelia always had a wild streak,” explained Jeb Senior, “as hinted by her criminal record.” “Criminal record?” “She wasn’t violent or anything like that; it was mostly flight violations. As a teenager, she once stole a jet on a dare and did stunts with it.” Jeb Senior paused as he moved his pawn. “My son got his bravery from her, but it also came with her knack for tomfoolery; he used to rack up tickets for road violations before he moved out… and that was before I told him about his mother.” “Hmm… I wonder why the space program hired him then,” said Misty. “Did you have something to do with it?” “Well… there’s… actually some secrets I kept from my son for his own good,” confessed Jeb Senior. “For one thing… I had no hand in Jeb’s acceptance to KSP.” “Oh, you wanted him to do it himself.” “No, I was AGAINST it until I realized that they wanted him that badly,” Jeb Senior contradicted, surprising Misty. “That’s right, I didn’t want Jeb in the program.” “WHAT? No way,” gasped Misty. “Why not?” “Jeb was all I had left; I wasn’t going to let him die if I could help it,” said Jeb Senior. “Hey, wait a minute… don’t you have a daughter named Irpond?” “Why, yes I do,” smiled Misty. “How do you know?” “One of Jeb’s friends is dating her,” explained Jeb Senior. “To be honest, I get called and emailed more often by them more than I do MY OWN SON.” They were silent as he captured Misty’s pawn with his own. “Your move.” “You ever feel like… Jeb’s getting in over his head?” “All the time.” “Well… my pawn just cost you one of yours,” remarked Misty as she captured his pawn. “You afraid that Jeb would die out there?” “More like cause his own death,” clarified Jeb Senior, “or someone else’s.” “Has he?” wondered Misty. “So far… actually… only two died while he was piloting,” said Jeb Senior. “However, none of them were his fault.” “How come?” “The first death was a guy who had a heart attack,” he started. “Wouldn’t Jeb be liable for scaring him?” “In this case, no,” explained Jeb Senior. “He was a chainsmoker, so he was dangerously unhealthy… and it was unclear as to whether or not Jeb could have caused it.” “Okay, that makes sense,” said Misty. “What about the second death?” “It was one of his students who died in a moonjet crash,” answered Jeb Senior. “However, further investigation proved that the student was poisoned, and his jet was sabotaged before it took off.” “Poisoned?” gasped Misty. “Who’d put in that much effort to kill a cadet?” “Funny, Bill said that he has a suspect in mind,” said Jeb Senior, “but she ran away.” “Ran away?” replied Misty. “I hope they catch her.” “Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean she did it,” reminded Jeb Senior. “She’s innocent UNTIL proven guilty.” “That’s what I said, but I keep getting harassed for something I didn’t do,” added Misty. “For all we know… Bill and Val set her up.” “Whoa, mam, I’ve known Bill and Val since they were kids,” said Jeb Senior, sounding offended. “They would never frame anyone… and Jeb certainly doesn’t have the brains to pull off a setup THAT elaborate.” “Sorry,” apologized Misty, looking at the chessboard. “Are you paying attention to your pieces?” “Of course I am,” said Jeb Senior, capturing Misty’s knight. “Check.” “Ooh, ambitious,” noticed Misty, then attacking Jeb Senior’s bishop, “but you didn’t see that coming.” “D’oh,” sighed Jeb Senior, realizing his mistake too late. “For a businessman who kept his company alive for over four decades,” smirked Misty, “you sure are easily distractable.” “Distractable?” asked Jeb Senior. “Oh, you should see me when I’m focused.” “I’d love to,” said Misty. “I dare you to… run around the space center perimeter.” “If you win, fine,” said Jeb Senior. “If I win, you have to swim to the abandoned airfield.” “You’re on… Jeb Senior.” “Go, go, go!” shouted the crew as Bill and Jeb arm-wrestled with their left hands. Hadgan kept the pod spinning about its axis in order to generate gravity so that the arm-wrestling matches would be easier to hold. He had to lower the shields on all the windows so that nobody would get dizzy from seeing the stars during the spin. So far, Jeb and Bill have defeated everyone else in the pod except for each other; now they were watching the championship match. “Come on, you’ve been working out for this for years now,” Jeb said encouragingly. “If you were training that hard, you’d have pinned my arm already.” “When I’m done with you, I’ll send a picture to Val,” Bill told him. “Oh, we’ll see about that,” replied Jeb, then the two contestants didn’t say anything for almost a minute as they kept pressing on. “Giving up yet?” “If I could just… redirect… the force,” stammered Bill, trying to keep his elbow on the floor. However, his knowledge of physics was no use as Jeb managed to overpower him in half a minute. “Nice job, dude,” said Jeb when the match was over. “Okay, you can stop spinning now!” “Yes, Captain,” acknowledged Hadgan. “Man, I was starting to get dizzy.” “I thought you’d be less dizzy since we’re getting a bit of gravity here,” commented Jeb. “Not really; if Hadgan’s been looking at the stars while the pod is spinning about its major axis, he’ll get dizzy due to the optical illusion of his body spinning,” said Bill. “Remember when Bob and I got dizzy after the flight simulator during Basic?” “Oh, yeah,” said Jeb, then Bill’s kPad beeped. “Yo, Bill, you got mail.” “Who from?” asked Bill. “Rob,” said Jeb. “Subject line: Matt the Second.” “Matt the Second,” sighed Bill. “Why does that ring a bell?” “I dunno,” answered Jeb. “Maybe you lost a bet against him.” Bill then opened the email and showed it to Jeb. From: robkerman@oomail.com To: bill@ksp.org Subject: Matt the Second Bill, Earlier today, I broke into Misty’s house to search for clues. She was unaware of my presence, as I learned that she’s now in Krakopolis getting ready for a spaceflight to Eve. Hopefully, she remains unaware of my activity there. - However, Bob called her house an hour ago and asked for her – but I picked up. I hope he doesn’t blab to Misty and gives her another way out of justice’s grasp. If I remember correctly, Val intercepted several messages between Irpond and Misty that ended with the phrase “Matt the Second.” While I was searching Misty’s house, I found an old elementary school math textbook that had apparently been used far more recently than all the other books in the shelf; I could tell by the dust. One of the sections was dog-eared – and rather frequently, by the looks of it – and it was for Hill Substitution. Before I talk about the other clues I found, I should mention that I read online that Hill Substitution is a method to encrypt (and decrypt) secret messages via matrix multiplication. I decided to let you know about it since I think it is the key to decrypting Irpond’s and Misty’s transmissions. Not only that, I think I found “Matt the Second.” More specifically, the second designated key matrix the bad guys used. I hope that works out, and I hope Bob doesn’t let it slip that I entered Misty’s house. If you’re lucky, it can give away Irpond’s location and/or Misty’s next move. At least, it should provide incriminating evidence that would put Misty on death row before the rocket to Eve launches. However, if it doesn’t, I have some clues that at least prove she’s not psychologically fit. - She has a man-sized doll looking like Dilford (her husband) that she hid in Irpond’s room. - She has Dilford’s dirty laundry (and I know men’s dirty laundry when I smell it – I worked laundry detail in prison). - She asked a neighbor to keep a “Dilford and Me” diary. Which reminds me, should I try and get it? If so, how? - I found her cell phone next to some magnets on the upper kitchen shelf, rendering the data chips useless. There’s only one reason she would do that, and that’s to erase something in it. Attached to this email should be a zip file with the pictures I took. Awaiting further instructions. Rob Kerman Evidence.zip “What? Rob broke into Misty’s house?” gasped Jeb. “Yes, but why did Bob call her?” asked Bill. “It’s not like he knew Rob would be in there at the time.” “Wait, how can Bob call Misty if he’s on Dres?” asked Jeb. “Dres has the new communication systems, remember,” sighed Bill. “Yeah, but how did Bob get Misty’s house number? It’s not like he had a phone book with it.” “Maybe Irpond gave it to him,” suggested Bill, “or… someone redirected him.” “You mean like a phone operator, like our grandmothers when they were young?” guessed Jeb. “Something like that,” said Bill, “but I’m more concerned about WHY Bob tried to call Misty.” “Now, if I was Bob, why would I call Misty,” stammered Jeb, scratching his chin. “Wait a sec,” interrupted Hadgan, “you said Irpond was AWOL, right?” “Yeah, but what does that have to do with Bob trying to call Misty on her home phone?” asked Bill. “Well, if my girlfriend went off the grid, I’d ask her family where she went in case she told them,” suggested Hadgan, and Bill’s and Jeb’s jaws dropped. “Holy shoot, you’re right,” gasped Jeb. “Bob must have tried to call Misty to ask her where Irpond was, but ROB picked up since he was already there.” “And if Rob found Misty’s travel plans to Eve, then that must mean she’s either in Krakopolis or already off Kerbin,” said Bill. “Can’t you check the launch schedule or something?” asked Hadgan. “I can try, but without knowing Misty’s flight number I can’t tell if she has already blasted off or not,” said Bill. “However, VAL can tell us exactly where Misty is right now – down to her quarters and bunkmate assignment.” “Neat,” said Hadgan. “You might wanna ask Val to find Misty for you.” In the meantime, Bill was unzipping the folder that Rob attached to his email. “Man, Misty’s crazier than I gave her credit for,” Bill commented, showing Jeb and Hadgan the pictures of Misty’s doll and Dilford’s old dirty clothes. “Eh, whose clothes are those?” asked Hadgan. “Her husband’s,” said Bill, “who she SHOT DEAD decades ago.” “Whoa, she SHOT him? Why wasn’t she prosecuted?” “She claimed self-defense, but I don’t buy that for one nanosecond,” explained Bill. “If it WAS self-defense, then why does she have all THIS?” “What are you gonna do now?” asked Jeb, then one of the crewmembers approached Jeb with his kPad. “Sweet, I got mail.” “From who?” wondered Bill, then Jeb frowned when he saw the sender. “Another advertiser?” “Worse,” sighed Jeb, “it’s Dad.” “Jeb, how is that worse?” asked Bill. “I’d be glad to hear from my dad every once in a while.” “But YOUR dad never lied to you, did he?” responded Jeb. “Come on, man, what’s he gotta say?” sighed Bill. “Let’s open it.” “Ugh, fine,” said Jeb. From: jebsenior@jebsjunkyard.org To: jeb@ksp.org Subject: Matt the Second Jeb, It’s been almost a year since we last emailed each other. To be honest, I expected you to at least brag that you were out in space catching bad guys. If not that, at least a simple call for fatherly advice would have been fine. - Why do you always shut me out? I’m getting more communications from Val and Bill than you, and they talk to their own families frequently too. Hell, Bob used to email his little brother frequently while he was in prison. I’m preparing to go to space again. Jeb’s Junkyard is building a large dirigible airport on Eve; which will hold the blimps that are capable of traveling across the hot planet. While I was relaxing in the astronaut complex, I met this woman and I could tell we really connected. Attached to this email is a picture of the two of us after she defeated me in chess. I know that one of the major reasons we haven’t been on speaking terms for decades – aside from me being a somewhat overprotective father – is that I never told you the truth about your mother. The truth is that I was afraid to lose you like I lost Amelia, which was also the same reason I didn’t even try to remarry after she died. I thought I found the perfect woman in Amelia, but then she flew straight into a thunderstorm and got herself killed. I wasn’t going to take the risk that my second wife would endanger herself like that – or worse, get you killed. However, you’re a grown man now and I shouldn’t have to worry about you anymore. I’m finally back in the dating scene, and I plan to have dinner with her later. As it turns out, she’s going to Eve on the same rocket as me. Maybe we can continue dating after we land – and when I’m on break, of course. - Who knows, you may even return to Kerbin in time for me to marry this woman. If you get this email, please reply as soon as possible. Love, Dad IMG17231.jpg “A little late for that,” Jeb remarked as Bill opened the attached photograph. “UH OH!” shouted Bill. “Duh, I’m a grown man now,” sighed Jeb. “I don’t need a mommy at this point.” “Not that, Jeb,” said Bill. “Look at WHO he’s with.” “Hmm… I have no idea who she is,” answered Jeb. “HELLO, that’s MISTY!” reminded Bill, holding his own kPad next to Jeb’s; it displayed an image of Misty “I aged her most recent publicly available photograph from years ago to get a general idea of what she would look like now – assuming no facially-damaging accidents or health problems. THAT’S HER.” “Wait, WHAT?!” gasped Jeb. “Dad’s dating your arch-enemy now?” “First of all, Misty is NOT my arch-enemy,” corrected Bill. “Second of all, if they just met today, it seems a bit early to say they’re dating. Third of all, since when did you care so much about what your dad’s doing?” “I’ll leave you two alone,” said Hadgan. “Since I just learned that he’s going to make a murderer my stepmom,” answered Jeb. “You mean just now?” sighed Bill. “If you hate your dad so much to the point of ignoring him, why did you change your mind now?” “Bill, what are you getting at?” asked Jeb. “You’re finally reconnecting with your father after years of discontent towards him,” insinuated Bill. “Now you have a reason to do so.” “Why, because he’s dating a psychopath, or because he’s overdue in getting me the mother I never had?” responded Jeb. “Jeb, why is getting you a stepmom a big deal? Misty already has her own kid… or at least she will until Val tracks her down.” “And I’m not going to be Irpond’s stepbrother just because of my dad’s big mistake,” said Jeb, pounding his fist on the floor. “I would much rather live the rest of my life not knowing about my real mom than have THAT PSYCHO as my dad’s wife.” “So, what are you gonna do about it?” asked Bill. “Answer: talk to your dad.” “Eh… why don’t you do it FOR me,” sighed Jeb. “He’s more likely to listen to you than me.” “Not gonna happen,” disagreed Bill. “If your dad’s dating Misty, there’s a good chance that she’s convinced him that I have a personal vendetta against her. In other words, he’ll think I’m just needlessly slandering her even if I give him the facts. However, Misty will not expect YOU to warn him since you’re just a low-intellect sidekick who hates his dad.” “Hey, I don’t have a low intellect… middle-level AT LEAST,” countered Jeb. “Jeb, listen to me,” said Bill. “This is your chance to patch things up with your dad AND stop a murderer from taking him hostage.” “No,” objected Jeb, “You go ahead, you do it so much better than I do.” “Jeb, Val said that you should call him when you reach Dres,” argued Bill. “It won’t feel anywhere near as hard if you re-establish communications with him early. Besides,” he took out the stylus from his kPad, “I got a personal project to do.” “Oh… you mean decoding Misty’s secret messages?” asked Jeb. “I got that covered,” said Bill as he activated the ship’s internal speaker system. “If anyone here can do Hill Substitution ciphers, come forward immediately.” “I can,” said a female scientist who approached Jeb and Bill. “Captain, what is this about?” “Dr. Entop, Bill wants you to decode secret messages,” answered Jeb. “You up for it?” “Secret messages? Cool,” said Entop. “I’m in.” “Great, I’ll send you the messages and the key matrices,” said Bill. “As for me, I’m going to kill Kerbin’s most dangerous criminal.”

Hello, everyone. I've already got a surface robot on Laythe exploring one of the islands. However, if I really want to cover some ground, I need to be able to travel by sea too. Does anyone have any ideas for an unmanned boat I can send to Laythe and cruise around with? If you had something that could travel on both land and water, that would be awesome. Thank you. (PICTURE OF ELEGAIL ON LAYTHE'S SURFACE, NEXT TO THE DELIVERY CAPSULE/RELAY)

Hello. I built this new probe core-equipped jet that could carry up to six kerbals at a time and land anywhere. It's equipped with two J-X4 "Whiplash" Turbo Ramjet Engines for maximum speed and a couple of batteries to keep it running when the engines are out; a single XM-G50 Radial Air Intake on the top gives air to both engines. Below is a picture of the B-5 Badger on the runway. Check out the final entry in "The Eelootians," to see a report of its performance. However, during flight, I notice that Engine Two (the engine on the right side) frequently flames out. I know it may have something to do with the air intake not delivering enough oxygen to mix with the fuel, but I'm confused as to why that engine specifically. When Engine Two gets back online, it still has a significantly lower thrust than Engine One. Why does Engine Two flame out and not Engine One? Better yet, why not both at the same time? How can I set the intake to distribute air equally to both engines? I don't know if it's been asked already, but if it has could someone please send me the link to a reliable answer? Thank you.

BILL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y28D110 - 0H45M While Bob was out at Gilly rescuing some girl from orbit, Jeb, Val, and I spent our leave in Baikerbanur. What Mission Control neglected to tell us was that people were donating like crazy to the space program just to get Val and I back. Indeed, they put that extra money to good use to get us back - and designed some more craft for other missions in the process. Since we're expected to take some tourists to Eeloo after both the S.S. Remembrance and Trainwreck return from their planet-hopping trips to Jool and back (yes, they have to go one planet at a time), we at least know what craft to put them in - the same type used to get Val and I back. KSP still has some of that donation money left; though the higher-ups decided to use it to rent Val and I an apartment until we find our own residence, Jeb insisted that we "crash" in his house. Apparently, renting it out while being out on space missions was very profitable for him. Val wanted privacy for her and I, but I reminded her that we spent the last several years stuck in a can together before getting rescued. However, right when Val and I were about to say 'yes,' to Jeb's offer, my dad called me. He had wanted to spend more time with me - and his daughter-in-law - now that we're back home. So, Val and I politely declined Jeb's offer and decided to live in my dad's house for a while. As much as I wanted to do this on my own, I understand Dad's point; if that were my son that was stranded for over a decade, I'd want to stay close to them too. Yesterday, Bob had returned with the missing girl - and a tourist bound for Gilly, as well as a missing fuel tank - and had officially joined the Level Five club. However, right before he could be medically cleared for action, KSC received an assignment to check some temperature fluctuations in the northwestern hemisphere. Rather than wait for the okay from the higher-ups - or at least sending someone else to do it - the four of us agreed to sneak Bob out of his quarters and bring him with us. Mission Control had originally planned to send a one-man supersonic jet, but I had already designed one that could carry six kerbals and go unmanned. It may not have the range to circumnavigate the planet, but at least it can land on the grass and wait for the recovery crews to pick it up. They had agreed to let us use the new B-5 Badger jet, but little did they know that Bob "stowed away." Off-the-record, Val convinced two rookies with a record for troublemaking to distract the guards while Jeb snuck Bill out through the window. I warned Jeb about the risks of getting him out of post-landing quarantine prematurely, but he assured me that Bob was fine. "We've been to Gilly loads of times and never had an incident. Besides, if either that chick or the tourist were sick, Bob would be dead already." Man, the Badger was fast. Not only that, it can fly really high and take some serious heat. Engine 2 may have flamed out a couple of times, but no major issues to report. After the four of us collected the last data necessary, Jeb made a perfect landing on the grass - FOR ONCE. Of course, it could have been due to the fact that I had aerobrakes to slow us down. Anyway, after we landed, the four of disembarked to take a team picture. (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) Val, Bill, Jeb, and Bob. Rather than risk running out of fuel on the way back, we signaled Mission Control and requested the recovery crews. We played outside with each other while waiting for them, then they noticed Bob was out of quarantine. Boy, I'm gonna get so much crap from Mission Control for being an accessory to Bob's escape. This is officially my final entry in the "Eelootians" thread. After 15 Kerbin years of waiting, the gang is back together at last. If Mission Control and/or curious readers want to read my reports, they know where to find me. Bill Kerman, signing off.

BILL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y26D265 - 0H45M (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) Bill, Lasel, Val Taken at Y26D265 - almost an hour before the vessel and scientific data was recovered. Finally, it was all over. Lasel got promoted to Level 4, though we recommended that she get bumped up to 5. Val and I were granted extended leave after we were sent back to the KSC, and Jeb was there to greet us. Bob, however, was on a triple-mission to Gilly at the time. Tourism Rescue Module Recovery He also went to the U.S.S. Norfolk and got promoted to Level 5 I had to admit I thought we were done for during re-entry. We were coming in well over 4 km/s, and for a while I thought our inflatable heat shield was going to give in. However, thanks to Val's steel-trapped stomach, she kept the craft spinning on its axis to prevent it from blowing up and endangering the capsule. As you can see from the picture, we landed safely in the grasslands - and we brought a piece of Eeloo with us. Val and I will spend our leave in Baikerbanur, where we'll be a regular married couple for once. As soon as Bob gets back from Eve, he and Jeb will spend some time with us - just like we used to in KSP's early days. Jeb has been itching to be a team with us again after 13 years, so it's about damn time. We radioed Bob when we arrived, and he told us congratulations. Val asked when we had to resume active duty, but Gene said not to worry about it for another few years. Subtracting us four, there were 48 more active kerbalnauts (about half already deployed) in the space program - and most of them are already over Level Three. We thank everyone who put in their efforts to save Val and I. I also received word that, while we were in-transit, at least two space stations were sent into Eeloo orbit (one single-stage, one under construction). Mission Control also sent a small fuel truck on its way to Eeloo and a self-mining ascent vehicle to dock with the stations so that more solid operations can happen. We hope that, one day, we can refuel the original lander and send it back home with the scientific data still inside it; on the other hand, many are arguing that we should leave it as a historical site. If operations go as planned, nobody will need a rescue mission to return home anymore. Most of all, we thank everyone who wished us luck. Val knew you wouldn't give up on us, and I'm glad she was right. Now the big question remains: WHAT NOW?

BILL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y26D263 - 5H30M Can you believe it? 13 years and 210 days since Val and I blasted off of the surface of Kerbin. I think we broke a record on the longest time spent outside of Kerbin's sphere of influence. Now, thanks to everyone's efforts on and off the planet, Val and I (and Lasel, too) are almost home. Map of where we are in relation to Kerbin in the sphere of influence. We've barely breached the outer perimeter of the Hamsterwheel - a network of relays designed to cover the entire SOI for Mun and Minmus missions. Almost a day until we reach the atmosphere. You can barely see Kerbin in this photograph. It's been a long time since Val and I saw warm water that was not heated by RTGs. Since we fine-tuned our periapsis to be 32 kilometers, we plan to aerobrake as soon as we hit the atmosphere. Hopefully, nothing gets damaged from the re-entry heat - but that's what inflatable heat shields are for. Wish us luck, everyone.

@Matt Lowne made it possible when he was filming the Expedition Eve movies - By the way, Matt Kerman in this story is basically like @Matt Lowne in real-life; they both designed very awesome things, like an Eeloo ring station and some kick-ass SSTOs for instance. Besides, are you really that surprised about an Eve base when there are already at least two Laythe outposts? Poseidon's Palace (now in a fallout zone thanks to an (intentional) RTG leak) The military base. A lot has changed throughout the story. Earlier, everyone could only communicate across planets via texting and email if their planets had strong coverage. Now, they can practically make phone calls to anyone who has the new interplanetary phone system. Not only that, the space program now has self-mining interplanetary-capable moon landers; some of them can hold up to 19 people at the time. The S.S. Evolution is based of Marcus House's "Super Trainer" craft.

Yes, @Kerballing (Got Dunked On). You'll see it later. Why ask, by the way?

CHAPTER THIRTY: INCONSISTENCIES It had been 12 Dres days – which was equal to almost 19 Kerbin days – since the partial lockdown was implemented, and there were still no signs of Irpond. Though the transponder of the mini-lander Irpond supposedly used wasn’t working, it was eventually spotted by a small surface exploration crew somewhere in the planet’s northwestern hemisphere. Once the on-board engineer left the rover to inspect the lander, he found small rover tracks leading away from the site. The crew leader then reported their findings to Commander Oswald – who forwarded the reports to Val – and they were then instructed to photograph the landing spot and follow the tracks. A few hours after that, the explorers reported a crashed open-cockpit mini-rover alongside the mountains. The on-board geologist almost threw up when she saw a dead kerbalnaut in a severely damaged EVA suit in one of the seats. Val then ordered the crew to photograph “every centimeter of the crash site” before flagging their position. She first thought Irpond had finally met her end, until the medical officer examined the body after arriving in a moonjet. “Sorry, Admiral,” he told her, “but it’s not her.” “Then who is it?” she asked. “Claire Kerman,” he answered. Val then looked at her personnel file and saw that she was on-board the U.S.S. Defiant at the time Val, Bob, and Matt went to chase Danlong. “And yes, she died from space exposure.” “Ugh, she duped us AGAIN!” groaned Val. “She must have killed Claire, slapped a suit on her body, and brought it with her down to Dres to fake her death.” To make matters worse, there were no footprints or other rover tracks leading away from the crash site. Val ordered all outposts on full alert in case Irpond showed up, but so far no sightings. Even now, she had no idea how Irpond disappeared without a trace or where she would go. Bob was worried about her, but then Val assured him that Irpond would be found. Dead or alive. “Just… how is it possible?” Bob told herself. “She must have used her jetpack,” answered Val. “No, I mean how is it possible to slow down bodily functions without increasing the risk of hypothermia,” he clarified. “Oh, right, you and Bill are talking cryo-chambers,” said Val. “Why don’t you ask Guscan? He practically lived in one for three years.” “Not really; he was conscious the whole time,” argued Bob. “He’s right, it was horrible,” agreed Guscan. “I wrote dated log entries on pencil and paper… until I ran out of paper.” “Really? I thought you were cold in that pod.” “Yes, I was cold. If it wasn’t for the solar panels charging my life support, I would have died from who-knows-what before I even left Kerbin’s sphere of influence,” said Guscan. “Oh, so… right, the chambers are supposed to keep your body from aging over an extended period of time,” summarized Val. “A few times, I wished I aged FASTER,” Guscan commented. “Then I could at least die from old age than letting space kill me.” “Have fun, you two,” sighed Val as she walked to her quarters. “Bill said something about Dres bugged him; the question is what.” She then heard a knock on her door. “Who is it?” she asked as she loaded her gun. “It’s Matt,” a man answered, then Val allowed him to enter. “Whoa, Admiral, why do you have the gun?” “Sorry, but you can’t be too careful around here,” apologized Val, then Matt closed the door behind him. “What is it?” “Well… where to begin,” stammered Matt. “Do you know about the Duster probe?” “I’ve… never heard of it,” said Val. “I thought not; those models were quite unpopular… at least until they got results,” said Matt. “It was an ion-propelled autonomous EXTREMELY low-polar-orbit surface scanner designed to get more accurate ore concentration readings than the regular scanner.” “Uh, aren’t all our ore scanners autonomous?” “Not like this one. You see, it had to get REALLY low to get those detailed readings… low enough for it to run into a mountain or crater wall or something,” emphasized Matt. “It was designed to detect that and alter its course as necessary to avoid collisions.” “Now I know why nobody talked about them,” remarked Val. “Why’d you bring it up, was it YOUR design?” “NOT ALL the cool stuff is mine,” sighed Matt. “I was talking to an old friend who helped launch the probe, then he told me about this one time the probe had a problem.” “No offense, Matt, but unless this story has something to do with finding Irpond, I suggest you save it for lunch break,” said Val. “You’ll freak out when you hear this, trust me,” countered Matt, then Val shrugged her shoulders. “Surprise me.” “He said that the probe’s computer was not plotting its avoidance trajectory when it was about to hit a mountain,” started Matt. “If they couldn’t fix it in time, the probe would hit the mountain and it would be game over. Luckily, Dresden Base had a moonjet with their best software engineer ready to rendezvous with the probe and fix it before it was too late.” “Tell me this guy knows where Irpond is,” sighed Val. “No, Admiral,” said Matt. “It was Irpond herself.” “WHAT?!” gasped Val. “Tell me you’re kidding.” “I wish I was,” said Matt. “I first thought he was messing around… or maybe got the names mixed up, but he insisted it was ‘a quiet Wolverine girl named Irpond.’ I then thought he was talking about SOMEONE ELSE named Irpond, until he pointed at the picture I sent him.” “Are you sure he was talking about OUR Irpond?” asked Val. “He SWEARS Irpond was here,” said Matt. “What? How long ago?” “Several years ago.” Val’s jaw then dropped. “YEARS ago? We only got to Dres here about a few days ago.” “Yet Irpond rescued a doomed probe in Dres orbit years ago,” Matt reminded her, “but that’s not the best part.” “What is?” asked Val. “I tried looking for the report in the KSP databse, but didn’t find it,” said Matt. “However, my friend insisted that he personally emailed it to Mission Control the day after that mission. Not only that, guess what else happened around the time of the Duster save?” “Hmm… no mission report, and it happened years ago… Moonjet 79?” “Exactly,” said Matt. “Irpond WAS on Dres!” gasped Val. “That explains everything; Irpond handed the virus over to Danlong before that jet took off. She must have… put it in a flash drive in case Internal Investigation searched her emails.” “You seem surprised, Admiral. Wouldn’t the fact that Irpond was on Dres show up on her service record?” Matt pointed out. “You’d think that, but it didn’t this time,” said Val. “Look.” She turned on her kPad and accessed Irpond’s service record. “Weird. It says that the only time Irpond was on Dres was JUST NOW,” Matt noticed. “Yet your friend SWEARS she was here EARLIER,” reminded Val. “Don’t let your friend out of your sight.” “No-can-do, boss; he’s in Aldrin City… on the Mun.” “Wait, so if he’s on the Mun, how did you show him a picture?” “I texted it to him… along with photos of five random women in case he’s mistaken,” answered Matt. “Right off the bat, he circled Irpond’s photo.” “You and your friend should document as much details of your conversation as possible,” ordered Val. “Also tell him to keep his eyes peeled for anything suspicious.” “Oh, in case Irpond tries to eliminate witnesses,” said Matt, and Val gave him a thumbs-up. “Just how is she gonna do that from here?” “Uh, hello, she caused someone’s death on Eeloo while she was on Laythe… and she destroyed a space station in Jool orbit while on Laythe’s surface,” Val responded. “Don’t get me started on how she got her mom to do her dirty work on Kerbin.” “Got it,” said Matt as he left Val’s quarters. “Okay,” started Val, “Irpond’s service record say that she took a long-ass trip to Laythe before coming here WITH US, but we know she was on Dres BEFORE Laythe. What else have you done before then?” Bill, you need to hear this. Yo, V! What’s shakin’, babe? Nice try, Jeb. Naw, girl. It’s me, your sexy boi, Bill da Boss. I know it’s you; I can tell by the way you text. - Bill does NOT text like that. Rats. Bill’s snoozing now. Should I wake him up? Not really; just catch him up when he does. Fine. What is it? One of Matt’s friends – who’s now on the Mun – said that Irpond was on Dres around the time of the Moonjet 79 crash. - Matt emailed him a photo array and his friend circled Irpond. - He recalled a mission in which Irpond saved a low-orbit probe from crashing itself. I thought Irpond never went to Dres. I checked the database; no probe save was logged. - FYI: It was called the Duster. You mean Crashey McLowflier How did you know that was what the probe was nicknamed? I coined it after Bill designed it. Pretty risky design for a cautious guy. Bill designed it? Wake him up. Wait, now? Yes. Gladly. WakingBillUp.mp4 I’m up, what is it? Do you remember designing an ion-powered ore scanner probe named Duster (aka Crashey McLowflier)? Yes. - I don’t remember the Duster specifically, but I definitely designed the model that later got known as “Crashey McLowflier.” Read my earlier texts (after the part where I unmask Jeb when he tried to impersonate you) I’m not surprised. 1. I wouldn’t put it past Irpond to erase that report from the database when we started poking around. - However, I have an ace up my sleeve. 2. I’ve gotten reports of those things crashing into mountains all the time due to software glitches. I would expect a software engineer such as her (or anyone else who’s NOT evil) to be called to fix such an error. What exactly is this ace up your sleeve? Log of the fates of all Exlo Scanners - That’s what the models were called. Awesome. What happened to the one on Dres? It mentioned a mid-orbit software update during Dres operation – but not by who. - It’s designated by serial number (EXL-41) and not given name, like Duster. The mission report was automatically sent to me the day after it was logged. By the way, it was sent not long before Moonjet 79. What do you mean automatically? Level-Three engineers are granted automatic notifications for accidents or missions concerning probes or vehicles of specific designs that they choose. It’s like getting a subscription to what happens to a type of rocket that you like. I take it you’re subscribed to Crashey McLowflier. It’s called the Exlo Scanner Whatever. What else are you subscribed to? - Interplanetary Travel Pod (all variants) - Wally --> several more models of him were made after Basic. - Ultimate Relay Antenna (all variants) - Mun Hopper SSTO - Matt’s Single-Launch Ring Station (e.g. the U.S.S. Werner) - Mini-Bus - Fuel Truck - Hypersonic fighter jet. - Single-launch moon outpost. Shall I go on. Man, you’re subscribed to a lot of your own designs. They’re not all my design; the ring station is Matt’s Anyway, besides the statement from Matt’s friend, I got my log to nail Irpond for document tampering – and Harriet’s murder. She’s gonna argue that you added that log entry YESTERDAY just to smear her. No. This is a .JRNL file, which means that it timestamps whenever edits are made (like the more commonly used Oogle Docs). - She can clearly see that I logged EXL-41’s mid-orbital software fix at the time it happened. Exlo Scanner Fates.jrnl I would have to be psychic to use a fake a journal entry years ago just smear her now. Ha ha, genius. EXL-41. That’s Duster, right? It’s the only EXL that’s ever been to Dres that has a mid-orbit repair logged near Harriet’s death. Unfortunately, this is not conisistent with her service record – that says that she was on Laythe before flying (with me) to Dres. Irpond’s Planet Log.jpg Why is your photo file named like that? I backed it up in case Irpond tries to erase her entire record. Right off the bat, I can tell you her flight log is a phony. I could have told you that. Yeah? How can you? Someone saw her on Dres years ago, but her log says she was never there. It took me 20 seconds of looking at this screenshot for me to know it’s been tampered with. 1. Take at look at her Kerbin departure time and Laythe arrival times. Notice anything? Seems a little long for a trip to Jool. FAR too long. - None of our probes took that long a time period to make it to Jool. 2. Who flies to Laythe from Kerbin in the interplanetary travel pod? Interplanetary Travel Pod? Check under “Vessel Used” in the “Kerbin --> Jool --> Laythe” line. Oh, Pod 5B9. Yes. I remember the first Laythe explorers using this, but we then started using SSTOs after Victor wiped out the Clivar tribe. And since none of the first Laythe explorers survived, it can only mean that Irpond should have gone to Laythe in an SSTO. Unless, of course, she came here from another planet – like Dres. Then it’s perfectly reasonable to assume she could go to Jool in a pod. - But even then, she needed an SSTO to descend from Laythe orbit to the surface. Wait, can you find out what actually happened to Pod 5B9? Mission Control’s documents say that Pod 5B9 is still docked with the U.S.S. Victor Kerman in orbit above Laythe. However, my log for Mark Vb variants says that Pod 5B9 splashed down on Kerbin’s oceans after a return from Eve. When did it splash? A year before Harriet died. - It went from Kerbin --> Duna --> Ike --> Eve --> Gilly --> Kerbin (SPLASH) - It was a tourist run. How can Irpond be on a pod to Laythe if the pod in question ended its journey on Kerbin at the same time? - It splashed down while she was supposedly in-transit. My babies – Mark Vb.jrnl Ha ha ha, you call the ivp your baby. Irpond knew we would check her, so she removed all (documented) evidence that she ever was on Dres. Except the evidence I have. Hate to disappoint, but it doesn’t exactly prove that Irpond was on Dres. It shows the inconsistencies in the archives, proving that they were tampered with. - And the timestamps on my journal files will also prove that the log entries are legitimate (and not added recently just to frame Irpond). Anything else you see wrong with that screenshot? Do you own a “Kerbol System Time Model” app? No, why? It’s a fun app a lot of people use to calculate when the transfer windows open for each planet. Doesn’t Transfer Window Alarm Clock already do that? Yes, but this one shows where all the planets are going to be at those times. It also shows the phasing angles, too - If you get the cheap version (rather than the free one), not only will you get no ads, but you can also “rewind.” Rewind? I rewound the solar system model to the time of Irpond’s takeoff – the transfer window to Jool had not opened. - But guess which window did. Dres. You got it. That explains why her log says it took over double the usual time for a flight to Jool. So, she flies to Dres, causes some mayhem, then goes to Jool. Can you tell if she did anything else between Dres and Jool (e.g. a stop at Duna, maybe)? Not really, the best timeline I got is: 1. Kerbin --> Dres = Irpond takeoff 2. Dres landing 3. Probe Save 4. Moonjet 79 5. Dres --> Jool 6. Laythe arrival = Irpond reaches Laythe. She wouldn’t have had time to go anywhere else between her Dres landing and Jool takeoff. You’re awesome. Screenshot your solar system model and back it up. Got it. You might want to order a protective detail for Matt’s friend. He’s a crucial witness in Irpond’s crimes --> and the facts corroborate him placing Irpond on Dres when Harriet died. That’s going to be hard since Matt says he’s on the Mun. - To give him military/police protection would require the okay from the prime minister. I’m sure you can convince him. Since his term’s almost over, now he’ll want to do as much as possible before he has to step down. - And who doesn’t want to be known as the prime minister who helped stop a pair of serial killers? Even if he does, there’s no guarantee that the cops will reach Matt’s friend before Misty (or Irpond) does. - Remember: she could crash the jet/cause his outpost to self-destruct from here. I think you should tell his commanding officer to keep his/her eyes peeled before you call the prime minister. The good news is that there’s already a military presence on the Mun, so they should be able to reach Matt’s friend quickly. Another win for the good guys. Now we gotta find her. How’s Wally? Still functioning – which I find odd for a robot his age. He’s getting scientific readings from inside the Dres Canyon Cool. Maybe he’ll get lucky and find Irpond for us. Possible, but where would she hide? More importantly, what are the odds that, at Wally’s current location, he’ll even find a trace. - The canyon’s near the N-S-Western hemispheric line, while you said Irpond’s lander and getaway rover were both spotted in the northwestern hemisphere. Dres is a small planet; he’ll find her. If you send him to look for Irpond, I advise you assign a manned rover escort in case Irpond tries to mess him up. - She stole his RTG one time, remember. Besides, he’s now designed for single-person surface transport (via his hidden skateboard) and scientific data gathering – not tracking fugitives. Still, he can be used to find Irpond and report back, right? Possible, but good luck finding out where to begin. Hey, maybe I can use that low-polar-orbit probe to locate Irpond and/ore new tracks * or. No-can-do: EXL-41 was landed and sent back to Kerbin after it was done. Mission Control wanted to preserve as much xenon as possible, so they ordered it be returned. Drat. Can’t you just search the area where she could have jetpacked from the rover crash? Tried that, nothing. At least there’s no chance of escaping a guilty verdict once we catch her. She knows it’s over, but what exactly are her plans with the pod? I don’t know, but I doubt it’s any good. I know she plans to use it some time, which brings me to this idea: Remove the spark plugs from the pods. If another crew needs to use it, they can re-install them. Bad idea. 1) Those things use fission reactors --> if handled improperly, they can be extremely dangerous. 2) Mission Control will not be happy with you removing radioactive material (let alone a reactor) from a safe storage containment unit. 3) I don’t think Dres has the resources to safely hide the reactors until they’re needed. Even then, how many engineers do you know (besides me) that are qualified to handle the nuclear reactors in the pods? For #2, then why does M.C. not object to splashing the pod’s main body on the surface? It has an automatic ejection and parachute system to safely remove the ejectors. - The pod also has an emergency reactor ejection button in case of a mid-flight malfunction. In case the parachutes don’t work, they’re encased in an extremely durable material. However, I doubt M.C. would approve of you having the reactors ejected only to be re-inserted later. Now that you mention it, the kerbalnauts here are demanding I end the lockdown completely. If Irpond doesn’t show up soon, I’ll have no choice but to do it – and increase the risk of her getting away. Perhaps that’s what she wants; wait until the Dres kerbalnauts get outraged to the point where you’re FORCED to lift all preventative restrictions. Then she can make her getaway. Actually, I don’t think it makes sense. Excuse me? I got the feeling that she has something planned for Bob. Good point, but a “what” and “when” would be nice. I assigned a 6-hour guard detail for Bob in case Irpond shows herself. I’m guessing her plan is: - Watch everyone on Dres get liquided at me. - Head to Bob’s location when the lockdown’s over. - Take him and bring him to a pod. - ESCAPE (but where). I’ll work on an algorithm that should determine which specific pods are available for interplanetary flight based on. - Delta-V (I can calculate based on fuel, thrust, and payload mass) - Transfer window timing. Oh, crap, I just realized something. What? Dres has new self-mining interplanetary-capable moon landers. Worse: one of the models we have here is capable of reaching Moho (from Kerbin) and back home. That is going to make things far more difficult. I’d better contact Marhouse and see what he can do. Then why would she tell you that she had plans for your pod? She could have lied to throw me off, or just now realized that there are other feasible escape alternatives Too bad we still can’t decrypt Irpond’s and Misty’s secret emails. Otherwise, there may be a clue as to where Irpond is. I ordered a complete search of all bases, rovers, and stations – no sign of her anywhere. Well, if I was a lovesick murderer trying to hide from you, I’d try to blend in with the regular populace. - I’d also be in favor of ending the lockdown so that I can escape. - I would even smear you (and/or your boyfriend) so no one will take you seriously if you have a good idea to catch me. You basically described every woman on Dres right now. - And every Progressive on Kerbin. One guess who associates herself with them Misty. Is it just me or do they deserve to get nuked? It’s you. I’d rather they get radiation poisoning so they’ll die slowly and painfully, just like the people of Poseidon’s Palace. I knew you hated them, but I didn’t think you wanted them dead that badly. Before Misty resurfaced, I first thought they should be re-educated to use common sense for once. Now anyone who supports Misty is a traitor to all kerbalkind. Now you’re starting to sound like your brother. 1. Says the guy who fantasizes about using a nuclear bomb on a political party he doesn’t like. Because they KNOWINGLY aided and abetted a serial killer. - And that’s just the most recent example I can think of. 2. EXACTLY. 3. It’s not like I’m targeting innocent women and children, too. 4. This isn’t some alien race they’re protecting; it’s another kerbal (one of their own). 5. Unlike the Clivar, they have the power to deal with Misty – but they do nothing; the Clivar had a tyrant chieftain with savage soldiers by his side, so the civilians had no choice. Not that it matters; it’s illegal to commit genocide. Tell them that. Ha ha. I hope they charge Misty soon. I’ll text you back when I’m done with Marhouse. Val then signed off on the chat and left her quarters. She headed to the laboratory to see Bob – and a rookie scientist – attempting to heat a rock that they obtained from the surface of Dres. “What are you doing?” “I’m trying to find the melting point of this substance,” answered Bob. “I… think you may need to do that outside with a rocket engine,” suggested Val. “We don’t know that yet,” explained Bob. “Since the surface temperature on Dres is so low, we hypothesized that it won’t take that much heat generated to cause the molecular structure to shift significantly.” “I thought you would be jotting down ideas for hypersleep pods.” “Yeah, but Bill signed off,” said Bob. “He was DM-ing me,” explained Val, “and guess what?” “What?” asked Bob, then Val told him about Irpond being on Dres at the time of the Moonjet 79 crash. “WHAT?! Impossible, she would have been flagged.” “She erased that from her service record,” reminded Val, “knowing full-well that we would catch her if it was found out that she was on Dres at the time of the Moonjet 79 crash.” “Besides this witness Matt knows, you got any other proof?” “Well, Bill’s journal entries corroborate the witness statement Matt obtained,” said Val. “The only… Crashey McLowflier that went to Dres had a reported mid-flight software change around the time of Harriet’s murder. Irpond erased that from the archives, but Bill has timestamped entries… so HA HA.” “Okay… but what’s this about the pod she took?” “The KSP database says that Irpond took it straight to Laythe and it’s still in orbit of the moon,” started Val, accessing her chat with Bill. “However, BILL says that it had never gotten anywhere further than the sun from Duna; it went there, then Eve, then splashed down at home.” “And that was timestamped too?” “Yes. In fact, let me ask you this. How can Irpond be flying to Laythe if her pod ended up in the ocean mid-flight?” Bob seemed confused at the question. “Okay, bad choice of words. While Irpond was SUPPOSEDLY in-transit to Laythe – which is too long for a trip from Kerbin, FYI – Pod 5B9 ended up in the ocean.” “What the…?” gasped Bob as he looked at the file Bill sent Val. “Oh and get this: Irpond took off from Kerbin when a DRES transfer window opened – NOT Jool. She also would have taken an SSTO to get to Laythe.” “It can’t be,” said Bob as he gave Val back her kPad. “Think about that while you melt your rocks,” suggested Val, then she left. A few minutes later, Bob’s assistant spoke to him. “What’s wrong? Is something off?” “You can say that,” sighed Bob. “Say… can you do this on your own?” “Depends on for how long.” “Uh… give me 20 minutes,” said Bob, then he departed the lab. While Val’s back was turned, he grabbed a phone and asked for KSC. “Interplanetary call operators, how can I help you today?” a woman spoke. “Yes, I’d like to make a call to a Misty Kerman, please,” Bob responded politely. “I believe she lives in Woomerang.” “One moment, sir,” said the operator, then Bob could hear the dial tone. “I hope she knows where Irpond is,” he sighed, but he was surprised at what he heard. “Bro?” He instantly recognized the voice on the phone. “Rob?

You got any oven ideas, @Flying dutchman? By the way, I'll have an order of Kentucky Fried Kerbal with a large xenon soda, extra charge. I'll also have the cup-ola-cake for dessert, please.

Kerbal Fried Chicken, anyone?

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: OBSESSION “HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!” Val yelled at Commander Oswald of Calculus Base. She had just learned that Oswald had authorized a one-man lander to ascend to the Defiant while the planet was on lockdown. “Admiral, what’s the problem?” questioned Oswald. “You allowed a lander to fly without my authorization WHILE Dres was on lockdown, that’s what,” said Val angrily. “Don’t you remember that protocol?” “Yes, but it’s also protocol to allow such flights when excepted by the highest-ranking active-duty kerbalnaut,” recalled Oswald. “Which I most certainly did NOT,” said Val. “Uh, I’m pretty sure you did,” argued Oswald. “At least you told Captain Ganz to relay it to me.” “Yeah, well, he can’t corroborate that,” said Val. “He’s dead.” “Dead? What happened?” “Irpond killed him – and everyone else on the Defiant,” argued Val. “Irpond… eesh…,” stammered Oswald, but Val punched the wall. “TALK! Why did you send a lander up to the ship?!” “Someone was really sick,” answered Oswald. “The medical officer said she needed medical supplies from the base immediately, so we packed it all in a one-man lander. I reminded Captain Ganz about the lockdown, but he said that you already approved it for medical reasons. I then suggested I call you myself, but he said you would rather not be bothered.” “Next time there’s a lockdown and someone asks you to send a spacecraft, BOTHER ME!” ordered Val. “Hey, someone’s life was at stake.” “Because there was a MURDERER aboard that ship!” said Val. “She’s now off the grid, and it’s ALL YOUR FAULT!” “Admiral, as soon as no response came from the Defiant, I got suspicious,” said Oswald. “I then ordered that lander tracked and alerted all active surface exploration crews to look for the craft when it landed.” “Tell me you found it,” sighed Val, and Oswald accessed the craft tracker on his kPad. “By the way, how did you know the lander came from my base?” Oswald inquired. “All craft that ascend or descend while on lockdown get flagged by radar and logged,” reminded Val. “So, Irpond forced Captain Ganz to ask for medical supplies for a sick man. She then forces Ganz to tell you that I gave an all-clear, then you load the lander and blast off. BUT, surprise surprise, it’s just used to get away.” “She won’t get far… without leaving a trail,” assured Oswald. “Since the planet has no wind, she’ll leave tracks if she either went on foot or rover.” “What about a jetpack?” said Val. “Can she get far with that?” “Besides our scanners tracking all active EVA suits, she’ll need to enter a rover, base, or spacecraft to recharge her jetpack. Flying long-distance with those things is extremely risky.” “UGH!” groaned Val. “If any of your men find that lander, tracks, or Irpond herself, YOU TELL ME!” “Understood, Admiral,” said Oswald, then Val started her phone application on her kPad. “Attention all Dres commanders,” she spoke, “effective immediately, a partial lockdown has been implemented. All surface and orbit operations will proceed as planned, but interplanetary-capable spacecraft will stay where they are. They shall not blast off without my direct and explicit permission first.” “Uh, about that,” stammered Oswald as Val signed off, “that is going to put a serious dent in our Dres operations.” “How big a dent are we talking?” asked Val. “Real big. Now that we have new self-mining nuclear-powered landers, you’re effectively grounding our primary crew transport.” “Well, how much delta-V does it have when fully loaded?” “About 4,200-something meters per second,” answered Oswald. “Man, I’m getting old,” sighed Val. “Tell them to use the old fuel-and-oxidizer landers, then.” “Mam, that would require a fuel truck present at every landing location,” objected Oswald. “At least with the nuclear-powered landers, they can not only mine themselves while the crew does surface operations, but they’ll have a lot more delta-V left in it than the fuel-and-oxidizer craft after landing and ascension.” “Too bad, you’re going to get delays,” said Val. “Sooner or later, the crews are gonna demand that you end the lockdown,” warned Oswald. “I’d rather keep a killer in one planet than risk her escaping,” argued Val. “Admiral, are you aware of the S.S. Evolution’s mission?” “Yes; they got the engineers that are installing the new communication systems.” “As soon as they’re done with surface installments, their next stop is the Jool system,” he told her. “You keep this lockdown up by the time that happens, Mission Control’s going to give you a lot of crap.” “Fine,” sighed Val. “Send some men to guard the ship.” “Negative, Admiral. We already have a maintenance detail on board the Evolution while the installment engineers are traveling the surface in their rover convoy.” “Then tell them to not let any women in that ship.” “Admiral, you can’t be serious. I counted at least three women in that maintenance crew.” “Ugh, check that, tell them not to let anyone OTHER THAN myself near that ship. As for the installment crew, when it comes time for them to leave, I’ll check them one-by-one to see if Irpond’s among them.” “Sounds fair. I’ll call you when they are ready to head back to their ship.” “Oh, and one more thing,” said Val, “if you think I’m going to get crap for extending a planetary lockdown, just wait until they hear that you breached protocol and allowed a murderer to escape.” “With all due respect, I don’t think so,” objected Oswald. “I had reason to believe someone needed immediate medical attention and that you had already given clearance.” “He was forced to lie,” reminded Val. “If it makes you feel any better, the bad guy could have taken the interplanetary travel pod anyway.” “Whoa, how do you know you can land one of those?” wondered Val. “I put two pilots on janitorial detail after they landed one of them inside a crater as a prank,” explained Oswald. “Good thing it didn’t take any permanent damage.” “Irpond said that she had plans for that pod – or at least one of them,” said Val. “I want at least two men per every pod that’s on standby. And YES, they have to be men; NO women.” “Why?” asked Oswald. “What’s wrong with women?” “Our serial murderer’s a woman, so she may pass off as someone who’s on guard detail if I allow females on that job,” started Val. “You do realize it will generate massive outrage, right?” said Oswald. “They can suck it, because I’m not risking that criminal escaping when we finally have her.” “I understand, but I’m not sure they will.” “If I need to amend anything, I’ll do so accordingly – but ONLY to a logical extent. I will not agree to anything that could mean a great chance of Irpond getting away.” “Yes, Admiral.” As Val left the control room, she knew that even the partial lockdown would only be temporary. Besides the inevitable demand to resume Dres operations as usual, the S.S. Evolution – a self-mining nuclear-powered lander with its own laboratory and a 19-person passenger capacity – needed to leave Dres for its Jool mission when it was done. She also knew a lockdown wasn’t going to be enough to keep Irpond from causing more trouble. Even though she lowered Irpond’s chances of escaping, she could still harm people on the surface. Not only that, she expected Irpond to use her hacking skills to kill someone by causing a major technical malfunction at any moment. “I know Bob was your goal,” Val said while gazing at the surface through the window. “What are you up to now?” Meanwhile, after a long shift of working out and double-checking the solar panels and the RTGs, Bill was fast asleep in the pod’s rack room. He started to envision himself in a brightly-lit ring station orbiting Duna. The sun was illuminating the red surface – and a part of the polar ice caps – as well as the interior of the passenger cabin. Though he would agree that the view of the planet was beautiful, he would say that it was nowhere near as the woman who was standing next to him. It was Val in her leave clothes. He had hoped that, after they were done with Irpond on Dres, the two of them would return to Duna for a second interplanetary date. Though Eve was arguably the most popular romantic place in the Kerbol system, Bill and Val knew Duna was far less hazardous; Ike was also more enjoyable than Gilly thanks to its reasonable gravitational pull – which was approximate to Dres’. Bill thought Duna would be the perfect place for a date after Irpond and Misty were exposed and punished, as he wanted to make up for all the years he never told Val how he felt about her. “Don’t you just love the ice caps… Fleet Admiral?” asked Bill. “No, I don’t love the ice caps,” said Val, putting her hand on Bill’s head. “I love YOU.” “I love you too,” replied Bill, then leaning in to kiss Val. “Uh… mam?” asked a male crewmember. “Oh, shoot!” sighed Val. “Uh… as you were.” “Yes, Admiral.” Val and Bill then walked to their quarters and resumed kissing. “Is this the second time we’ve been to this planet?” wondered Val. “Third time for me,” said Bill. “Huh, the first time was with you and Bob to Ike,” Val remembered, “and the second one was with all three of you in the U.S.S. Ironsoil. When was your third?” “To test my ski prototypes here,” answered Bill, “then I was going to fly to Eeloo, and then Laythe. Fun fact: I saw Bob here a few times with Sheri.” “Huh, why’d you plan to start with Eeloo first?” “Because the transfer window to Eeloo opened first, and I would get there sooner than I got to Laythe,” explained Bill. “You knew I was on Laythe,” Val reminded him. “Why didn’t you just wait and fly to me?” “I had a job to do, and I thought whatever feelings we had for each other were long-gone,” argued Bill. “Besides, I needed to make some progress in the testing phase and Mission Control wanted to know how well the skis would do on Eeloo.” He paused for a minute as Val looked at him in disappointment. “If it makes you feel any better, the ORIGINAL mission plan was to travel to Laythe after the Eeloo tests.” “Original? Why did you change it?” “Irpond,” answered Bill. “Mission Control knew about my analysis of the virus that crashed Moonjet 314, so they approved my request to go to Dres and investigate the 79 crash further.” “Then… if you changed your plans to catch Irpond, then who has the skis?” asked Val. “Wolfe Kerman,” said Bill, then Val looked at his service record. “You gave him to some fuel truck driver?!” “Hey, if he can endure both Moho AND Eeloo, he can endure Laythe’s cold temperatures – which, on average, make Kerbin’s winter months feel like heat waves. There were other factors involved, too, like him being able to ski well while on Kerbin. I also couldn’t entrust my skis to him without Mission Control’s approval, so there you go.” “Wait just a minute,” Val realized, “if you ran into Bob in his last Duna assignment, why didn’t you go to Laythe when he did?” “Duna testing was unfinished when Bob left,” said Bill. “By the time I was all done with my final reports, it was far too late to fly to Jool.” “Couldn’t you just give the skis to someone else?” asked Val. “Val, does it really matter at this point?” sighed Bill. “Yes. You had your chance to meet me face-to-face and tell me how you felt.” “Until your drunken confession, I thought we would only stay friends.” “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were TRYING to avoid me,” argued Val. “No, I had a job to do and I was going to do it.” Suddenly, Val pointed a gun at Bill’s chest. “Val, just take it easy.” To his surprise, Val smiled and started to laugh. “What is it?” “I ain’t Val, kid,” she replied, then she ripped a rubber mask off her face. Bill was shocked to see who it was underneath. “MISTY KERMAN?!” “That’s right, Bill,” she said, then Bill inched closer to the door. “Don’t even think about it. I disabled the panic button when I got here.” “No, it can’t be,” gasped Bill. “You’re dead.” “So, they think,” said Misty. “It was fairly easy to fake a heart attack while I was on death row. I am a scientist, after all.” “And then you snuck aboard a ship for Duna to make your escape,” Bill figured out. “Not just to escape, to meet you in person,” corrected Misty. “Where’s Val?” “Well… you can at least find her head at the first Ike landing spot,” she answered. “I haven’t harmed Jeb and Bob… yet.” “Why did you want to meet ME?” asked Bill. “Like Jeb said, you and I were… oh, what was the term… arch-enemies,” explained Misty. “Once I learned of my daughter’s death, I had to meet the ones that killed her.” “Your daughter was court-martialled for heinous crimes she ACTUALLY committed and sentenced to death after being convicted,” argued Bill. “That stunt you pulled about 40 years ago didn’t work for you this time.” “All she wanted was Bob’s love, but then YOU took that away from her.” “Because she murdered people long before I got in the picture.” “ZIP IT,” shouted Misty, “the adult is talking here.” “Uh, we’re all adults here.” “Compared to me, you’re a kid,” said Misty. “Once I get rid of you, I’ll get off this rock and start a new life.” “You do realize that’s gonna be GOOD KRAKEN, what’s going on with life support?” said Bill, then Misty turned around. Amid the distraction, Bill grabbed her gun and punched her in the face. “Is that all you got?” said Misty as she and Bill struggled for the gun. It then went off a couple of times, the bullets penetrating the walls. Bill then knee-jabbed Misty twice before the gun fired a third time. “Ha ha,” smirked Bill, then he took the gun and backed away to see Misty’s stomach covered in blood. “Time to die.” “Can you do it?” said Misty, striking a nerve. “You’ve wanted me dead for years; now’s your chance.” “If Kerbin won’t kill you, I will!” yelled Bill. “Then do it already,” taunted Misty. “Pull the trigger… I dare you.” For ten seconds, Bill just stood there frozen with the gun trained on her. “Just as I thought.” “No, I’ll do it,” said Bill. “I will kill you.” “If you wanted to finish me, you would have done it already,” smirked Misty. Bill then closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. However, as soon as he opened them, he saw that the bullet hit the bedframe. Misty then kicked Bill between the legs and punched him out of the room. As soon as he got back on his feet, she picked up the gun and fired. “Ha, you missed,” said Bill, but he then saw that the bullet had shattered the window open. Bill was then sucked out of the station and into the cold vacuum of space. Much to his surprise, he then felt himself landing on wet asphalt. He looked up and saw that he was in the middle of a street during a rainy evening. When he heard a siren in the background, he turned and recognized the large building behind him. It was Baikerbanur Medical Center. “I’m… home,” stammered Bill, “but how?” Though he knew he was just dreaming, he did not know how or why he ended up in Baikerbanur after being ejected out of a ring station in orbit of Duna. He then ran toward the hospital entrance and removed his jacket as soon as he was inside. “Your name, sir,” said the doorman, then Bill signed his name on a coat tag. “Please present your tag before reclaiming your coat.” “Thanks,” said Bill, then he approached the main desk. “What can I do for you, sir?” asked the receptionist as Bill noticed the computer she was using. “First of all, why are you using an ancient piece of junk?” he asked her. “Piece of junk?” she replied, sounding insulted. “In case you don’t know, the Portals Mark VI software is state-of-the-art.” “Mark VI, state of the art? Please,” sighed Bill. “Portals owners use Mark XIX nowadays, and your computer isn’t compatible with anything past IX.” The receptionist then took a deep breath to cool off. “Can I just take your name, sir?” “Bill Kerman,” answered Bill. “That’s weird. I’ve seen Bill Kerman here a few times and he was far younger and shorter.” “Oh, you must not recognize me from earlier,” realized Bill. “I’ve grown and changed significantly over the past… thirty-something years or so.” “Sir, I last saw Bill THIS MORNING,” the receptionist told him. “He was with his dad.” “Ugh, just look up the first Mun landing on Oogle,” sighed Bill. “What the heck’s Oogle?” asked the receptionist. “Oh, and FYI, nobody has ever been to the Mun.” “Are you blind?!” shouted Bill. “How can you NOT know about… wait a minute. Old computer, younger me seen this morning with Dad, and no Mun landings yet… oh, no.” “What’s the problem?” questioned the receptionist. “Oh… silly me,” stammered Bill, attempting to smile. “I… must have drank too much last night and it must have caused some strange dreams. But my name really is Bill Kerman.” He awkwardly left the receptionist alone, knowing that, somehow, he got transported to the past when Misty shot him out the station. “May I see the news, please?” “Remote’s to your left, sir.” “Thanks.” He then turned on the television and watched the news to find at what specific time period he managed to end up in. “In a stunning turn of events, the Badgers have gained the edge over the Wolverines after a years-long string of defeats,” the announcer said. Bill then saw someone in the Baikerbanur County High team dodge all the Woomerang players. “Michael Kerman has the ball, he runs… and the Badgers score again!” “Yes!” shouted a teenager in the lobby. “GO BADGERS!” “At this rate, the Badgers could grab the planetary championship title!” “Wait… if Michael Kerman was on the team and we started to get good against Woomerang,” started Bill, “then that means I’ve landed between the spy probe drop and Michael’s graduation.” When the game was interrupted for commercials, Bill switched to the science channel and immediately recognized the man on the screen. “Werner?” “You look up at Dres,” he started, “and you think ‘Hey, what’s the Mun doing there?’ Well, that’s what the Sultan III is for.” “What exactly is the objective of the Sultan III?” asked the reporter. “Basically… get a complete geographical layout of the planet from polar orbit,” answered Werner. “That’s… impossible,” said Bill. “The Sultan III satellite was never launched until after I went to Basic… and even that failed due to it running out of fuel before it could establish its parking orbit.” “Boo-ring!” sighed the teenager, then he changed the channel. “We interrupt this commercial break for some breaking news from Woomerang,” a man started. “An airline pilot has been shot dead by his wife in what appears to be a justifiable homicide.” Bill knew who the reporter was talking about before the alleged shooter was on the screen. “Misty,” he cursed. “It… was horrible,” sobbed Misty. “I loved him… but he was beating my daughter. I tried to stop him, but he just… kept going. I had no choice.” “LIAR!” yelled Bill. “Hey!” shouted the teenager. “That woman’s daughter was being abused for God’s sake.” “I know what happened,” spat Bill, “it was murder, kid. Misty shot her husband and beat up Irpond herself.” “That seems like a wild accusation at a defenseless victim, dude.” “Defenseless victim MY ASS,” cursed Bill. “She murdered her crush’s girlfriend, tried to frame me for arson, crashed a hypersonic airliner to cover up that arson – and then shot someone at the space center – and was involved in numerous killings all linking back to her and her daughter.” “Are you high or something?” asked the teenager. “We don’t even have planes that can go past Mach 2 now.” “Yet the science channel showed a press conference dating back to when we developed fighters that could get up to Mach… 3.5,” pointed out Bill, then he walked to the receptionist. “Mam, what’s going on here? The science channel just showed something from the future; I know because I was there. At this point in time, you could not have reached Dres.” The receptionist said nothing. “What’s going on here? Why am I here?” “Security!” she requested, then two guards approached him. “Oh no, you don’t.” Bill ducked under a guard’s arm and ran towards the inside. “The answer must be inside, but what and where?” “Freeze!” shouted hospital security, but Bob ignored them as he kept running. As soon as he turned a corner, he activated an elevator and hid in the janitorial closet. “He’s going up!” “He he, suckers.” He looked outside to check if the coast was clear, then he left the closet. “Now to find the answer before the guards see me.” He was astonished to find that he was in the cancer ward of the hospital. “How did I end up here? It’s not for another two floors up, and it’s on the other side of the building.” He then asked the first patient he saw for the date. “Oh no.” “Coming through,” he heard a man say in a somber tone. Bill poked his head out the window and saw four hospital employees wheeling a covered-up patient in a stretcher. “No,” gasped Bill. “Sir, is there a problem?” asked one of the nurses. “Tell me it’s not her,” said Bill. “It can’t be her!” “It’s definitely female,” she told him. “Who do you think it is?” “Edith Kerman,” answered Bill, then he removed the cover from the patient’s face. “NOOOO!” It was his mother’s body on that stretcher. “She died of cancer,” said the nurse. “Too bad you can’t say the same for these guys.” “Wait, what?” asked Bill. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The nurse took out a handgun and shot her coworkers on the spot. She then removed her hat and surgical mask. “MISTY!” “Hello, again,” she announced. “You just can’t let go of me, can you?” “What are you doing here?” asked Bill. “How’d you get here?” “You invited me,” explained Misty. “I would never invite you to anything other than your own execution,” said Bill. “Besides, just a minute ago, you were sobbing in Woomerang.” “Silly boy,” said Misty, then the guards caught up to them. “Guards, help me! Bill’s gonna kill me!” “We got you, nurse,” acknowledged one of the guards. “She’s not a nurse!” shouted Bill as two men grabbed him by the arms. “That’s it!” He elbow-struck one of the guards and slugged the other before dodging Misty’s bullet. Without thinking, he kicked Edith’s stretcher at Misty and it struck her in the waist. While Misty scrambled to reclaim the gun, Bill kicked her in the abdomen and punched her in the face. He then grabbed her by the shirt and raised his fist. “This is the part where you kill me, right?” she asked, but in a man’s voice. Her face then morphed into that of Edith’s employer before she was hospitalized. “Revenge is sweet, satisfying. You were denied it when your mother died; why hold back for hundreds more?” “NO!” screamed Bill, then he grabbed a nearby scalpel and stabbed him repeatedly in the chest. After he was tackled by the guards, his head broke through the floor and he fell through a hole. Before he knew it, he was right next to an elementary school playground in the middle of a clear day. “What is it now?” “Please, I can do the jungle gym with my eyes closed,” a fifth-grade boy bragged. “Are you sure, Jeb?” his friend asked. “Jeb?” gasped Bill, then he was astonished to see younger versions of Jeb and himself at the playground. “Come on, Bill. I’ve been on this thing a hundred times,” he heard Jeb say. “How hard can it be?” “Excuse me,” he spoke, then he saw what he recognized as a ten-year-old Val look at him. “Sorry, mister, but we don’t talk to strangers,” she said. “Smart choice,” said Bill, “but let me just ask you one thing and I’ll be out of your hair.” “Don’t make me tell a teacher,” said young Val. “Is… your teacher this tall,” started Bill, approximating Misty’s height, “has long brunette hair, and wears blood-red lipstick?” “Whoa,” said young Bill. “THAT is accurate.” “Uh oh,” stammered the real Bill. “Your real teacher is not that tall, has short red hair, and does NOT wear lipstick. You need to get out of here NOW!” “Finally, someone who understands us,” sighed young Jeb. “No, Jeb!” objected young Val. “First of all, you described the SUBSTITUTE teacher a minute ago. Second, why would we leave the school now?” “Because she’s a dangerous murderer,” sighed Bill, “and I can prove it.” “I’ll take care of him,” said a woman before she ordered the kids to get back in the building. “Mam, you gotta listen to me,” started Bill. “Misty Kerman is…” “In front of you,” she interrupted before showing her face. “Why are you torturing me?” questioned Bill. “First my possible future, then the day my mom died, then my elementary school days. What else are you going to ruin?” “Everything, if you don’t let me go,” answered Misty. “You know I can’t let you do that,” he replied. “Not until you die!” “You already tried to kill me, yet you still think about me,” sighed Misty. “You’ve given me more attention than Dilford ever did while he was mine… and you hate me.” “SHUT UP!” shouted Bill angrily before pinning Misty against the school wall. “Once I kill you, I won’t have to deal with you or your daughter ever again.” “Speaking of which,” smirked Misty, then Bill noticed a fully-grown Irpond standing next to him with a gun to the child Val’s head. “Put my mom down,” demanded Irpond, and Bill complied. “HELP!” screamed younger Val before Irpond muffled her. “Zip it, rodent!” spat Irpond. “I’m going to have Bob to myself, and there’s no way you’re going to stop me.” “Not you too,” said Bill. “End your crusade against us, or I will kill this girl like the little tramp that she is!” said Irpond. “If you think we’ll stop with Val, think again.” As Bill stood there in confusion, a car horn went off behind them and caused Irpond to drop Val. While Irpond and Misty covered their ears, Bill kicked Misty and elbow-struck Irpond before he and Val made their escape. He then stopped when the car door opened, and he saw the driver. It was Edith Kerman, alive and healthy. “Hurry! Get in!” she shouted, and Bill got in the car and closed the door behind us. “Hit ‘em, Mom,” requested Bill, but Misty put her car in reverse. “Uh, Mom, the bad guys are that way.” “Uh, Bill, that would mean killing them,” said Edith. “That’s the idea, Mom,” sighed Bill. “They just took younger Val hostage.” “And the older one can handle herself fine,” started Edith as they left the school grounds. “Here, you take the wheel now. I never actually saw you drive without a permit.” “Okay,” said Bill, then he and his mother switched seats. “What’s going on here?” “You’ve been obsessed with revenge against Irpond and Misty for so long,” started Edith, “that it is taking control of your life.” “But, Mom, the two of them are putting the entire Kerbol system in jeopardy,” he said. “Irpond is also on the run and possibly has Val in jeopardy.” “You mean the girl you were too scared to make a move on when you were in high school?” chuckled Edith. “If Val can endure her on Laythe and in Pod 5B15, she can take her on Dres.” “But Irpond got away,” argued Bill, “and she caused a reasonably-warranted panic on that planet. Do you even know what she’s capable of?” “Yes, and Val does too,” said Edith. “Why do you worry so much about her?” “I just want her safe,” sighed Bill. “I don’t want to lose her like Dad lost you… and like JEB SENIOR lost Amelia.” “Yes, the death of a loved one can be quite devastating,” reminded Edith. “But I ask you this: what does my death have in common with Amelia’s?” “I don’t really know, Mom,” sighed Bill. “You died of cancer caused by long-term radiation exposure which was easily preventable by company management; Amelia, on the other hand, crashed her plane ALL ON HER OWN. It took years for you to die, while Amelia’s was relatively instantaneous. Oh, and Amelia killed a little girl, too.” “There’s still a similarity between them,” hinted Edith. “It’s the same thing if Irpond kills Val before you reach Dres.” “Hmm… long-term cancer, pilot stupidity, and a murder,” thought Bill. “Though your boss knew of the safety violations, there was nothing… we could do.” Edith nodded as he continued. “I remember Dad repeatedly talking to doctors and asking… wait. He’s not a doctor.” “Go on,” said Edith. “You spent the last few months of your life in a hospital while Dad and I lived at home as usual… of course. Jeb Senior wasn’t on the plane with Amelia when she crashed, and I won’t be in Dres’ sphere of influence for at least another year.” “See where you’re going?” “Your death was outside of mine and Dad’s control,” concluded Bill, “just as Amelia’s was outside of Jeb Senior’s… and Val’s would be outside of mine.” “Exactly,” said Edith as Bill stopped at a stoplight. “Do you still remember how to drive to the fruit farm where we used to pick strawberries?” “I can try,” sighed Bill, “but it’s been a long time since I was in Baikerbanur – and a lot has changed between this time period and when I was last there.” “I got that covered,” smirked Edith as she took out a piece of paper from the glove compartment. “Oh, crud, I forgot about that list of directions you kept,” said Bill. “Of course, nowadays if I forget, I could always use GPS.” As the light turned green, he kept driving straight. “Anyway, I understand that I won’t be there to save Val for a while, but we’re still a team and we help each other out.” “Just don’t obsess about it, like you’re obsessing over Misty right now,” Edith told him. “Even when you finally reach Dres, she will still be the tough girl you knew since fifth grade.” “Unless she’s dead,” argued Bill. “If that is to happen, I trust you would take the right action,” said Edith. “For example, Jeb Senior kept his son out of harm’s way to ensure he didn’t end up like his mother.” “Well, it’s not like Jeb never TRIED to get in harm’s way,” reminded Bill, and Edith laughed. “When I died, you and William had different plans; while he wanted to prevent such deaths from happening again, you desired revenge. If you went through with your idea, you would be worse than those who knew of the radiation leaks that eventually killed me.” Bill then turned left after a kid in a tricycle crossed the road with his mother beside him. “Same case for Irpond and Misty; if I was alive now, I would have used your solid-fuel model rocket engines to blow her up. However, I’m not… and I know William most certainly did not raise a murderer after I died.” “Is it murder if they killed hundreds and got away with it?” debated Bill. “Is it?” “Absolutely,” answered Edith. “Misty evaded the law once,” said Bill. “I’m not letting her do it again on my watch.” “So, the courts failed the first time,” sighed Edith. “Just like with your fancy gadgets, you try again.” “But, Mom.” “Shut it,” ordered Edith. “I know about the double-jeopardy rule, but that only applies to Debra Kerman; of course, if the DNA on Bob’s underwear is a familial match to the blood on the engine, you can try asking Kerbin to charge her for perjury.” She paused as Bob stopped at a railroad crossing. “There’s always the murders she did after Debra… or even getting Irpond to confess. However, while you can offer ideas, you can’t do diddly squat about Irpond – and ONLY Irpond – until you get your boots on Dres’ surface.” “Understood, Mom,” said Bill as he sniffed the air. “Man, I forgot the trains used diesel fuel.” “When did Baikerbanur start getting all-electric trains?” asked Edith. “At least a decade after you died,” answered Bill. “I thought they were working on an electric system before then.” “They were having town hall discussions about it, but never went through until much later.” All was silent in the car until the train had passed and the gate lifted. “There’s something else.” “What?” Bill then told Edith about his dream in the hospital, emphasizing how he was confused about the Sultan III being announced years before it was designed. “The football game and Misty’s shooting couldn’t have been reruns because I saw you getting wheeled to the morgue a minute later,” he added. “I don’t know about the date of Misty shooting her husband, but I remember missing that specific game to be with you when you died.” “So that’s why Jeb wasn’t with you and Val,” sighed Edith. “I think that would have been a good time to tell you that Val was the perfect woman for you.” “So, why didn’t you?” “Meh, I thought the resulting high-school romance would fade soon anyway; you know how they get.” “After I wake up, I’m emailing Dad and asking him about it.” “Ha, we both agreed on that, but it was HIS idea to have you figure it out yourself,” explained Edith. “Well, now that I say that, I think waiting was the best option. You both matured quite a lot, yet you still have feelings for each other. If you started the romance too early, you were bound to make more mistakes.” “Anyway, any idea why the Sultan III was there the day you died?” “The same reason you saw Misty at the hospital in Baikerbanur – when you saw her live in Woomerang on TV; something about Dres is bothering you.” “What?” “I can tell you that it’s not the fact that Val is on the same planet as Irpond… or that Irpond got away,” said Edith. “I can tell you this; you were on to something when you mentioned timing.” “What is it, Mom?” Edith then shrugged her shoulders. “Why are you asking me? The only knowledge I have access to is in your head; you figure it out.” “Dres and tim…” “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” shouted Edith, but in a man’s voice. Bill instantly woke up to see Jeb right in front of Hadgan’s sleeping bag. “Ugh… Jeb,” sighed Bill. “Up and at ‘em, dude,” said Jeb. “It’s Hadgan’s birthday.” “Seriously?” groaned Bill. “You couldn’t at least give me a heads-up?” “Your alarm went off an hour ago, but you still didn’t wake up,” answered Jeb. “I thought you were dead until the medical scanner picked up your heartbeat.” “What? I slept through my alarm?” gasped Bill. “Yep,” said Jeb. “That’s what doubling your workout intensity will do to you.” “Thanks,” said Bill as he unzipped his bag. “Happy birthday, Hadgan.” “Thanks, guys,” said Hadgan. “I emailed a Congo gift code for you,” Jeb told him, “but it won’t do much good until you land.” “Hey, I’ll just save put it in my stash,” Hadgan replied. “Last I checked, Congo doesn’t deliver outside of Kerbin’s sphere of influence.” “Actually, yes it does,” said Dilsby, “but they only go as far as Duna and Ike.” “I can’t wait until we get warp drives,” said Hadgan, then the crew spent an hour celebrating his birthday. When they were done cleaning after themselves, Bill turned on his kPad. “Let me guess, more love texts to Val,” Jeb predicted. “Actually, I’m talking to Bob now,” corrected Bill. “I WILL talk to Val after that.” “Bill, if you’re still trying to warn him about Irpond, forget it,” suggested Jeb. “Take it from someone who has a history of not listening to his friends’ warnings.” “Yeah,” smirked Bill, “but that’s not it. I’d like to talk to him about possible hypersleep design concepts.” “Oh, you mean like those beds in the that original Trekkers episode that kept the bad guys alive for 500 years?” asked Jeb. “Exactly, like that,” confirmed Bill. “I’d rather you not; remember, they turned bad after being woken up.” “Not really, they were already bad to begin with,” clarified Bill. “Besides, in the Trekkers: Tier 2.0 series, the crew found a sleeper ship full of GOOD people one time.” “Oh, yeah. Could you invite Val and I to the convo, please?” “Why? Bob and I are more qualified to design this than you two.” “Yeah, but Val knows the regulations that could affect whether or not the hypersleep chambers get built. Besides, I’d like to hear more juicy news about Dres.” “Fine,” said Bill. “Just don’t suggest anything blatantly stupid.” “Hey, how exactly is a cupholder on a mini-rover a dumb idea?” sighed Jeb. “Because it was an OPEN-COCKPIT rover, AND the drink would FREEZE – maybe even implode,” explained Bill. “If it was CLOSED-cockpit, then that would be somewhat reasonable.” “Hmm… oh, yeah, you got a point there,” said Jeb, and Bill started typing in the group chat.

KSC has reported seeing small UFOs flying above the perimeter. They thought Jeb and Bill were pranking them again, but those two had alibis Jeb was in court appealing his driver's license getting revoked. Bill is currently in-transit back to Kerbin from Eeloo. They have searched their archives for crafts of similar design, but found none. Could we be getting probed by extraterrestrials?

If it was awful, you could say your project "went down the drain."

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: DEFIANCE Val did her best to remain calm as Edwards Base was speeding closer to the edge of Dres Canyon. Behind her, the occupants were either panicking, screaming in terror, or bailing out in EVA suits. Val noticed an overall drop in air pressure from the rapid airlock use. After noticing that the brakes weren’t working, she went on the rover’s intercom and told everyone to exit calmly; but then someone told her that the suit dispenser jammed. “Matt, I need to stop this thing NOW!” she said. “Brakes aren’t working and evac’s not an option.” “Have you tried MJ?” asked Matt, and Val facepalmed her helmet. “MJ, stop the car!” “Do you wish to end your journey now?” MJ replied. “DO IT!” “First Bob, now you,” sighed Matt. “Rover autopilot disabled.” “Autopilot?” gasped Val, then she sat on the pilot’s seat – after removing the driver’s dead body – and applied the brakes. Though she noticed that her speed was dropping and the anti-lock system was active, she knew it was not enough to stop her before it plunged over the canyon wall. “Matt, I need help. I have control, but I’m going too fast.” “Turn right, you’ll get more space to brake.” Val turned the steering wheel to the right, then felt her weight shift to the left. “Everybody hold on!” she told the remaining occupants before she noticed that she was skidding. “Come on, Val, how do you counter skids?” “Hit the stability control and turn into the spin,” advised Matt, then Val activated the reaction wheel and turned her wheels to the left. “We’re gonna die!” shrieked a woman from the science lab. As soon as Val heard a loud snapping noise, an alarm went off next to the steering wheel. “Warning: rover deployment door has snapped off.” “I know!” yelled Val in frustration. “Come on, come on, come on!” A few seconds later, and Val’s rear wheels were barely touching the downhill slope of the canyon. “Everybody to the front, now!” All the occupants obeyed as Val applied full throttle to the rover, and soon they were safely 300 meters away from the canyon. “Admiral, you okay?” asked Matt. “I’ve felt worse,” sighed Val. “We’re all right.” “Three cheers for Val!” three men shouted, then they celebrated Val’s efforts to save the base. “I’m so telling Bill,” said Val before silencing the base crew. “Engineer, damage report.” “Two suit dispensers are jammed,” said a woman in an EVA suit who removed her helmet, “the joints connecting the mini-rover hatch are deformed, the suspension system has taken a toll… and we’re noticing cracks in the airlocks.” “Then don’t just stand there, start taping them shut,” ordered Val as she clapped her hands. “Life support, now.” “Temperature regulators are operational, mam,” a man responded, “and so are the atmospheric regulators. However, there’s been a 15 percent drop in habitat pressure.” “You’d better hope you didn’t lose the duct tape,” said Val. “Medical officer, status report.” “Counted four dead and seven injured,” the base’s doctor answered. “I need to pick up the guys that bailed for a full report.” “Can we drive now?” asked Val. “Yes, mam.” “Good. Start picking up survivors,” ordered Val, then she met with the doctor. “How did they die?” “Two were stabbed to death, one had his throat slit, and the fourth was trampled to death during the panic,” he answered. “Not exactly your average everyday crash injuries.” “The trampling I understand, since everyone was panicking,” said Val. “You think someone MURDERED the other three?” “No doubt about it.” “Danlong,” sighed Val. “Now that you mention it, she seemed to be in a hurry a few seconds before we noticed some scraping on the base,” the doctor told her. “I also noticed blood on her shirt, but she didn’t stop to talk.” “Aw, Kraken,” cursed Val. “She KNEW I would board the base, so she set the rover to plunge over the canyon and deployed the mini-rover for a quick escape.” “Wait, you were after her?” Val sighed. “Yes, Doc. She’s a suspect in a murder that happened years ago on this rock; one of my students was the victim.” “That must be why she hijacked the base. Our captain told us that you and your friend would board while we were stopped, so I knew we were hijacked when we started driving away – and at higher-than-regulation speed, too.” “I’ll take it from here, Doc,” the captain spoke, then he shook Val’s hand before saluting her. “Captain Touston.” “Admiral Valentina,” replied Val. “Thanks for saving my crew,” said Touston. “Well, where were you?” asked Val. “I was knocked out and shoved in a suit dispenser, see,” explained Touston, showing the bruise on the back of his head. “Don’t tell anyone I was knocked out by a girl, please.” “You know I have to include it in my report,” said Val. “If it makes you feel any better, she has a habit of hitting people over the head from behind.” “Well, this puts a dent in your plans to talk to her,” remarked Touston, “and… a few more… dents.” “I just hope Bob caught her,” said Val. “I… know I outrank you, but do you mind if I put on my helmet to talk to my friends?” “Why don’t you try the new phones? We got them installed two days ago,” suggested Touston. “New phones?” wondered Val. “Why’d you get new phones?” “We can now phone people across the solar system,” explained Touston. “Didn’t you hear?” “I… never got the chance to try them,” said Val. “Can it call anyone in an EVA suit?” “Yes, just give their name and confirm their location,” said Touston. “Fun fact: just yesterday, I called my son who was on EVA around Gilly at the time.” “GILLY?! EVA?!” gasped Val. “That’s some serious power you got there.” She then grabbed a wall-mounted phone and asked for Bob. “Hello?” “Val?” asked Bob. “No, it’s the ghost of girlfriends past,” said Val sarcastically. “YES, it’s Val.” “Is that a new commlink?” wondered Bob. “It’s the base’s,” answered Val. “Did you catch Danlong?” “Well, I got good news and bad news,” Bob answered. “Did you catch her?” Val repeated. “Yes, I caught her,” said Bob. “However, that was the good news.” “She’s DEAD?!” “She did it herself, Val. She removed HER OWN helmet.” Bob – and Matt – were now inside Edwards Base. While Bob was talking to Val in the rack room, Matt was helping with repairs. “Did she say anything, Bob?” asked Val, feeling frustrated. “What were her final words?” “’Then you are doomed, like those who came before you,’ was the last sentence she spoke,” remembered Bob. “Like those who came before you,” said Val. “At least tell me she named names.” “Not exactly. After I caught her, she told me ‘Haven’t you figured it out already?’ I knew she was talking about Irpond, but she was lying.” “Pardon the interruption,” said Touston, “but why would you think she was lying?” “First of all, what does ‘those who came before me,’ supposed to mean?” answered Bob. “Second, if Irpond created the moonjet virus, how did she convince Danlong to test it here if she’s never even been to Dres?” “Sir, I seriously doubt that one would lie before killing themselves,” Touston disagreed. “Yeah, Bob,” said Val. “Even her partner gave her up.” “No!” barked Bob. “Okay, that’s it,” said Val, extending her hand. “I’m gonna need your underwear.” “Admiral, do you really want a hazing charge on your record?” asked Touston. “I don’t mean the pair he’s wearing now,” clarified Val. “I mean the pair he has in his pocket.” “Fine,” said Bob as he gave Val the underwear. “Can your lab run DNA?” asked Val. “Yes, but I heard that was trashed during the chase,” said Touston. “I’ll let you know when it’s fixed.” “Thanks, Captain,” replied Val, then she and Bob moved to a private location in the mobile base. “Why won’t you listen to me OR Bill?” “I don’t know, why do you two hate Irpond and Misty?” “Because they’re criminals who must be stopped.” “Irpond would NEVER do such a thing,” argued Bob. “To you, maybe,” sighed Val. “Oh, wait, yes she would. Remember: those who came before you.” “Who exactly came before me?” “Dilford Kerman, husband of Misty Kerman, was shot to death,” started Val. “No charges were filed, even though the shooter was standing in front of them.” “So, what? That was self-defense,” reminded Bob. “So, she says,” countered Val. “Even if that was legit, then where’s Irpond’s FIRST boyfriend? The one from high school.” “She said that, the last they spoke, he was working at some auto shop in Baikerbanur,” answered Bob. “Right?” “WRONG! Just a few years ago, Gregrigh Kerman’s body was found buried in Misty Kerman’s backyard; his parents’ corpses were there too.” “Okay, now I know you’re making this up,” sighed Bob. “I’m NOT making this up,” argued Val. “You know who found them? YOUR OWN BROTHER!” “Oh, really? Well, then why didn’t Irpond bring up that someone dug up bodies in her mom’s yard? Better yet, why didn’t Rob?” “Who wants to admit that they found bodies in their own yard… besides Jeb?” sighed Val. “Second of all, Rob said you muted him after he tried to warn you about Irpond. Third of all, unless Misty frequently visits her old house, there’s no way she could have known.” “Val, what are you talking about?” “Gregrigh Kerman was buried in the same yard belonging to Misty’s OLD house – the one she BURNED DOWN and blamed on Bill,” answered Val. “Can’t you see the pattern? Those two women kill to get their crushes and cover their secrets, then kill their lovers before moving on to the next one.” “Oh, yeah? Then how come Misty never remarried?” sighed Bob. “That’s NOT the point,” spat Val. “She’ll FORCE you to be her lover, and then she’ll kill you.” “Really? Well, if she was a killer, why didn’t she try to kill me – or even you, or Guscan – in the pod?” “Because I had a contingency plan,” explained Val. “I told Irpond that if she harmed anyone on the pod, she was dead. If I turned up dead, then Guscan would avenge me and toss her out the airlock without a suit on.” She paused. “Secondly, I studied the recent string of homicides connected to you and Irpond over the past eight years.” “Then Irpond going love-crazy over me makes no sense, since most of the victims were MEN,” Bob pointed out. “FYI, all the gay ones were taken.” “Except for Scott… and the entire base population, the men were only collateral damage,” elaborated Val. “This serial killer only targeted WOMEN who seemed to be close to you – starting with Sheri and I. Agaden was chosen to be poisoned because she wrote to you and wanted to start a relationship, and those emails shouldn’t be hard to steal for a high-caliber hacker like Irpond. Those two tourists… a search of their stuff turned up digital notes detailing their crushes on you. One of them even had ‘Write love letter to Bob Kerman,’ on their day planner.” “I doubt that a woman-killer would be behind this,” said Bob. “Both the Zeus and the airfield tower were mostly men, and so was the base population. Why would she destroy those places, too? “The Zeus was an attempt on MY life; she didn’t care that other people were in it,” said Val. “As for the shootings and radiation poisoning, they were only to cover her tracks. You know the airfield was bombed to erase evidence of my INNOCENCE, and Scott was targeted first in the Team-Up Day shooting. Why? It’s because Irpond told Scott to lie about me leaving the Zeus, then she had to keep his mouth shut before he named names. As for the base, she knew that she had to keep them off her back. “Days before we left Laythe, she salvaged Daring and fixed him – after either killing him herself or falsifying him being permanently disabled – and then told it to crack open the RTGs when she was clear of the planet. With everyone in Poseidon’s Palace gone, then nobody could solve the crimes she committed there.” Val sighed as Bob stood there silent. “Do we have to go over this AGAIN?” “What proof do you have?” “Proof? Well, why else did I ask you to bring the underwear that you were making out with Irpond in? So we can match it to your sweaty exercise clothes?” “So, what? That was eight years ago.” “And it was planted in someone else’s room to frame them for murder,” finished Val. “Besides that, Irpond and Misty have been sending each other secret messages in the years we were in the pod.” “You tapped her kPad?” gasped Bob. “I HAD to,” said Val. “She was a high-risk software specialist – which meant a tapping was required under KSP regulations – and I had probable cause that she committed serious crimes.” “Well, if I knew my pad was tapped, I’d send my mom secret messages too,” argued Bob. “For casual family chats, or plotting capital crimes?” “Uncovering your brother’s dirty secret was considered a capital crime not long ago. Irpond and I had good reason to believe you would continue persecuting Misty until one or both of them died.” “Yeah, I want them dead. You know why, BECAUSE THEY MURDERED PEOPLE!” “Is everything okay?” asked a random bystander. “Yes,” answered Val. “No!” Bob shouted. “That’s it,” said Val, then she shoved Bob aside and headed to the nearest phone. “Eh… Matt Kerman, please?” “Matt Kerman… located on the surface of Dres in Lander 41,” a female computer voice said. “Connect now?” “Yes,” said Val. “One moment, please.” Ten seconds later, she could hear Matt’s voice. “Hello.” “Matt, this is Val.” “Oh, hey Admiral.” “How long until we’re refueled?” “Still another few hours.” Val groaned in disappointment. “I need to get up there as soon as possible. Can you tell him to pick up the pace a bit?” “Sure,” As Val hung up, she turned around and saw Bob on another phone. “… in danger,” shs heard him say. “Val’s gonna kill you.” In anger, she yanked the phone from his hand and hung up. “Who was that?” “Irpond,” answered Bob defiantly. “I had to do it; you were going to murder her.” “No. I was going to tell her Danlong talked, then get her to confess… and then I was going to toss her out the airlock without a suit,” Val admitted. “Why?” gasped Bob. “If that SSTO didn’t blow up on Kerbin orbit years ago, then she would have been… put… on… trial… wait a second. Did Irpond respond?” “Yes, she did,” answered Bob. “Did you ask for Irpond herself or to connect to the Defiant?” “Does it matter?” “Yes.” “Fine. I asked for Irpond, then it told me she was on board the Defiant,” answered Bob. “That’s… not supposed to happen,” said Val. “I gave the men specific instructions not to let her communicate with anyone outside the ship.” “Admiral,” interrupted Touston, “there’s a moonjet with more medical supplies waiting to take off from Dresden Base. Can you please give them the okay?” “What’s the issue?” asked Bob. “She ordered Dres on lockdown,” explained Touston. “LOCKDOWN?” gasped Bob. “Val, why’d you put Dres on lockdown?” “Doy, so Irpond can’t escape,” sighed Val. “I wanted her contained in the Defiant until I got back.” “Then what, were you going to kill her?” “No. I was going to tell her that Danlong talked, then she was going to confess while I recorded it,” said Val. “Yeah, then you were gonna kill her,” said Bob. “Okay, fine, she was gonna die – but not by MY hand.” “Like tossing her into space would absolve you of any responsibility.” “She killed Sheri, Bob. Once she confessed that, I would let YOU kill her.” “That’s not gonna happen since I know you COERCED her.” “By telling her that her partner blabbed and that we know everything. That doesn’t sound like a coerced confession, does it?” “And if she denies it?” “Then we show her the results of the DNA test,” said Val. “It will prove that Irpond broke into your quarters and stole your laundry before planting it in Wenpont’s room.” “What does that have to do with Sheri’s murder?” “EVERYTHING! It means Irpond had ample opportunity to steal Wenpont’s license and drive the mini-bus to intercept Sheri before killing her. It also means she planted your stuff in Wenpont’s room to frame her for murder.” “Wait a Kerbin minute, I’m a qualified scientist. I should run the DNA.” “Not gonna happen; you’re so in love with the suspect that there’s reason to believe that you would TAMPER with the results.” Bob was insulted at Val’s remark. “You know just as well as anyone else that I would never falsify scientific data.” “I do, but the friends and families of her victims don’t,” replied Val. “Then they could also believe you ORDERED the scientists here to say it’s Irpond,” argued Bob. “If I wanted to falsify results, I wouldn’t wait for the lab to get fixed.” “Pardon me, but I would like to speak to the admiral,” said Touston. “Is now a bad time.” “As a matter of fact, I just remembered that Bob needs a medical exam,” chimed in Val. “Off to sick bay with you.” “I feel fine,” said Bob. “You were in an open-cockpit high-speed chase on the surface of Dres, got in an altercation with a kerbalnaut, and I don’t know how badly the recoil of the gun messed up your wrist.” “But, Val…” “That’s an order, scientist.” Bob left Val and Touston in frustration. “Now, Captain, what is it?” “I notified Mission Control of our current situation and how you saved the base,” he told her. “I also told them about you and Bob pursuing Danlong Kerman, but they said they would rather hear it from you two.” “Wow, they replied that quickly?” gasped Val. “Yes. Didn’t I tell you that we can phone people across the solar system now?” said Touston. “Before I do that, I’d like to see what your new communication systems can REALLY do,” said Val. “Anything else?” “I also reported your desire to test the man’s underwear for DNA and run it against the stolen exercise clothes you mentioned earlier. However, they said that there was no digital file regarding stolen exercise clothes anywhere.” “WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE!” shouted Val. “How did this happen?” “I thought they were digging in the wrong place,” said Touston, “but they said that they couldn’t find ANY such cases. Any ideas why?” “Irpond,” muttered Val. “She must have erased the DNA file before leaving Laythe.” “I suggest we still run the DNA on the underwear and file it for future use,” said Touston, “just in case she strikes again.” Val’s eyes widened in excitement. “Good idea. Tell your engineers to fix the lab on the double.” “I respectfully object, Admiral. We repair life support and affecting structures FIRST, then it’s the sick bay, then communications. The rest of the repair priority depends on the situation.” “I understand; you need to keep your crew alive,” said Val. “When you start with secondary repairs, have your guys fix the lab.” “Yes, Admiral.” Val then left him and headed for a nearby control panel. “Whatcha doing?” “Making a personal call,” she answered. “You’re using the comm panel to make a personal call?” “Yes, to Kerbin. If I can call this guy, then I can definitely reach Kerbin.” Touston sighed. “Fine, just make it quick. Fair warning: I’ll have to cut your call short if one of my crewmembers needs to contact someone – and it’s relevant to our operation.” In the corporate headquarters of Jeb’s Junkyard, currently located in Krakopolis, Jeb Senior was looking out the window at the moonlit city. His office was very clean and well-organized, and so was his rather expensive desktop. Jeb Senior dimmed the lights and put the computer in sleep mode so he could enjoy the view before he returned to his penthouse. He looked down and saw the rows of streetlights and the cars moving smoothly. After checking out the tall buildings, he looked at the stars and sighed. “How did this happen?” he asked himself. “How?” Not only was he talking to his son less frequently now, he had learned from Bill and Val that Jeb was heading to the same planet as a mass murderer. For all his son’s life, he was afraid that Jeb would die from an accident caused by his own stupidity – like his fifth-grade plane crash, for instance. As much as he wanted his junkyard to succeed, he was even more concerned about Jeb’s well-being. He had already lost his wife to her own tomfoolery; he wasn’t going to lose his son. At the moment, he was not concerned about Jeb causing an accident that would kill him and other cremembers. Rather, he was scared that Jeb was heading straight to a planet where a mass murderer was lurking. “Sir, you have a patched call from Dres,” his secretary told him on his office phone. “Dres?” gasped Jeb Senior. “How is that even possible?” “They’re issuing new interplanetary phone systems,” explained the secretary. “Oh, yeah,” remembered Jeb Senior. “I’ll take it.” He took his phone and waited for the call to connect. “Hello.” “Jeb Senior, this is Val,” a woman replied. “Remember me?” “Wait just a minute,” said Jeb Senior, “how do I know it’s really you? How did Baikerbanur gain the edge over Woomerang in Jeb’s high school years?” “Bill built a recon drone that you could drop from a remote-controlled plane,” started Val, “and I flew it to a drop zone.” “Wow!” he said in shock. “You really ARE calling from Dres. How did you know I would be in the office?” “There’s this app that tells you the time anywhere on Kerbin,” said Val, “and my files show you haven’t left Kerbin since your return from Moho years ago.” “Sounds right,” confirmed Jeb Senior, “though my employees have been hearing rumors that KSP needs Jeb’s Junkyard for a construction project on Eve.” “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were true,” agreed Val. “I heard that KSP’s changing the vehicles they’re starting to send now. One such change involves allowing self-mining NINETEEN-MAN landers to go on and off Duna.” “I vaguely recall your boyfriend telling me about it a year ago,” remarked Jeb Senior. “Duna fuel trucks may be obsolete now, and yet they’re still using his baby today,” remarked Jeb Senior. “Boyfriend? What baby?” asked Val. “Don’t worry, I’m talking about his nuclear-powered pod,” explained Jeb Senior. “You know Bill’s a great engineer when they still haven’t found a replacement design that works.” “Did Bill tell you he was my boyfriend?” sighed Val. “I don’t know; he said that the two of you have been writing each other for years now,” said Jeb Senior. “The weird thing is that I’ve been getting more emails from Bill – and you – than I have from MY OWN SON.” “Sad,” commented Val. “His mom’s been dead for over 40 years already, and he’s STILL mad at you for lying to him.” “If I’m guilty of anything, it’s of being an overprotective father,” Jeb Senior told her. “Now that my son and your boyfriend are heading right for a serial killer… I don’t know how to tell him I love him when he won’t even listen.” “Maybe Bill can get talk Jeb into reconnecting with you,” said Val. “Just out of curiosity, who is this murderer you’re trying to nail?” “Irpond Kerman,” answered Val. “Oh, and FYI, her mother is eco-friendly car pioneer Misty Kerman.” “Misty Kerman…,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Now that’s a name I haven’t heard since… several years ago.” “Several years ago? You mean you knew her recently?” “What do you mean RECENTLY?” “I thought everybody knew her from a murder trial that was DECADES ago,” said Val. “Well, Admiral, allow me to elaborate,” started Jeb Senior as he accessed his company files on his computer. “At the time I was on Moho, one of my scrapyards found an old engine with blood on it. We first thought someone bled in a workplace incident, but nobody reported sustaining such injuries around that engine. After running the serial number on the engine, we learned that not only did it come from an old electric car prototype from KSP, but that specific car was used in an unsolved murder from over 30 years ago. “Since our old logs say that Krakopolis PD gave us the scrapped car, we called them and KSC and asked for further details. They said that the car was sabotaged, and it ended up killing someone named… Debbie, or was it Bonnie… Cobra.” “Debra Kerman?” finished Val. “Something like that,” said Jeb Senior. “The last I heard about that engine, the police ran the DNA but found no matches before they offered to give it back. I told them to keep it.” “Why’d you let them keep it?” “There’s almost ZERO demand for old engines like that – especially from failed prototypes – and I’d rather they have it so that they could find this killer.” “No matches?” questioned Val. “You mean it’s not Debra’s?” “Let’s see… it says here that the police dug up the victim for a DNA comparison, but it’s not hers. All they know is that it’s an unknown woman’s DNA that could be over 30 years old.” “Unknown woman? 30 years old?” gasped Val. “YES! Thank you, Jeb Senior.” “Eh… you’re welcome,” stammered Jeb Senior. “Oh, there’s something else.” “Misty’s dead?” guessed Val. “PLEASE, tell me she suffered.” “What? NO,” sighed Jeb Senior. “I knew you and Bill had feelings for each other since high school, but I didn’t tell him OR Jeb.” “Why not?” asked Val. “That was something he needed to face on his own,” explained Jeb Senior. “I didn’t tell Jeb since I knew he would blab.” “You’re not Bill’s dad, William is,” argued Val “William? He agreed with me that Bill needed to confess to you himself,” said Jeb Senior. “It’s not like you were bad news, like some of the other girls in Baikerbanur.” He sighed as a plane flew over the city. “You know, Bill worries about you.” “We all worry about each other,” remarked Val. “That’s what makes us a good team.” “No, I mean more than usual,” added Jeb Senior. “I could tell that he feels the same way to you as I did to Amelia… before she died. In a way, you reminded me a lot about her – and you still do.” “Bill mentioned that once,” commented Val. “In fact, it was because I reminded him of your wife that he was more afraid than ever to ask me out when we were younger.” “How come?” “He was afraid I would die prematurely,” sighed Val. “At first, I was mad at him for being chicken. I would have said ‘yes,’ if he asked me out.” “That’s what I told him,” said Jeb Senior. “On the other hand, since both you and Amelia had a knack for laughing in the face of danger, he was scared you would end up killing yourself.” “Amelia was an immature adrenaline junkie… no offense,” said Val, and Jeb Senior told her none was taken. “Rest assured that, though I may have her bravery, I still have the common sense to know when to NOT do stupid stuff.” “I kinda wish my son was like that, but he got both,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Can’t believe it took you getting drunk for him to admit his love to you.” “Wait, what?” “I asked Bill what made him decide to confess his feelings to you, then he said he saw an opportunity when you confessed to Bob.” “Why would I confess to Bob?” “Man, how drunk were you? Anyway, Bill said you thought Bob was him, then you told Bob that you had feelings for Bill since high school.” “Okay, I guess…,” stammered Val. “Well, now that I know this phone works, all I need to do now is run the DNA and then Irpond’s OURS.” “Talk to you later,” said Jeb Senior, then Val hung up. Like all Mark Vb interplanetary travel pods, Pod 5B21 had limited space for an exercise section. A mass-pulling machine – which pulled the weights down with as much force as would affect the weights on Kerbin – and a bolted-down bike machine were often used by the kerbalnauts since microgravity would cause the kerbalnauts’ bones and muscles to weaken, they used it as often as possible. Jeb and Bill were the most frequent users; Jeb wanted to maintain his “ripped beach bod,” as usual, while Bill strived to be physically ready for his confrontation with Irpond – and, possibly, Misty. When he learned of Bill’s Revenge blowing up, he anticipated both Mission Control and Kerbin’s government deciding to try again would be too costy – both in time, money, and manpower. He thought Misty Kerman would finally get punished for this, but he was disappointed when Gene told him about her release; not only was she nowhere near Krakopolis during the assembly and launch, but an accident investigation proved that it was caused by a design flaw in the craft’s ammunition magazine. Since he received the news, he doubled his exercise schedule and intensity so that, if he ever faced Irpond or Misty (or both), he could easily overpower them. Jeb assured him that such a vigorous routine was unnecessary for fighting one or two women, but Bill said he was “not taking any chances with murderers.” After Val texted him about entering Dres’ sphere of influence, she and Bill discussed a plan to keep Irpond contained while Val talked to Danlong. Since Val reported Bob still not heeding her warnings, Bill suggested that she brought Bob with her so that he could hear Danlong’s confession for himself. Val added that she would take Matt with her to check the base schematics in case something went wrong. Though Bill warned her that Matt did not design all the program’s mobile bases, Val told him he could at least access the blueprint database in case the base wasn’t his. The last time they spoke was when Val said that her pod was safely docked with the Defiant, then Bill wished her luck. “Dang, Bill, who are YOU trying to impress?” asked Jeb. “Impress? Why would I want to impress anyone at this time?” Bill denied. “Come on, Bill. I saw you try that in high school when you gave your engineering projects to your freshman assistants so you can spend more time in the gym,” reminded Jeb. “Why would I double my efforts to impress Val when we’re already in love with each other?” said Bill. “Besides, we all need to stay in shape or else microgravity will cause us serious health problems.” “Yet you’re doing double the regulation workout routine,” Jeb pointed out. “As are you.” “Hey, who’s captain here? ME, so I just hand over the jobs, giving ME more free time to look swole,” argued Jeb. “Besides that, HADGAN’S piloting the pod, NOT me.” “You still need to send captain’s logs to Mission Control.” “And it’s basically the same thing over and over again; everything’s okay, no arguments, no health issues, done.” Jeb scratched his chin. “Hey, I’m single while YOU got Val locked and loaded already.” “I’m not sure she wants to see her crush losing his health when he arrives on Dres – if she’s even alive when that happens.” “Alive? What makes you think she’s…,” Jeb stopped himself when Bill lowered his eyebrows, “oh, right. The bad guy. Wait… you’re still gearing up for a fight, aren’t you?” “Yes, Jeb. Why else are we going to Dres in the first place, so we can catch her.” “Relax, B,” sighed Jeb. “I’m pretty sure you can take both Irpond AND Misty just fine.” “I don’t take chances with killers, Jeb,” replied Bill. “By the way, would you be telling me to relax if Irpond was a 0.9-meter-tall MAN?” “Actually, yes,” answered Jeb. “If you keep getting buff now, you’re gonna wear yourself out by the time we actually arrive on Dres. Petite woman or large man, you can’t catch this killer if you’re tired – or worse, injured.” “Says the guy who spends a lot of his waking hours getting ripped.” “Hey, I gotta look good for the ladies,” said Jeb in a suave tone. “I also take the time to relax. Ladies LOVE well-balanced men.” “Excuse me, Bill,” said a male scientist named Dilsby, “but your kPad just pinged.” “Dilsby, can’t it wait for five more minutes?” asked Jeb. “I don’t think so; it’s Val,” answered Dilsby. “She mentioned you and Captain Jeb.” “Well, don’t just stand there,” said Bill, “give it to me.” “Uh, dude, how can he be standing there if he can’t even stand in space?” remarked Jeb as Dilsby handed Bill his kPad. Val @Bill, @Jeb, I got good news, bad news, and even worse news Bill @Val, is that really you? Val Why would it not be me? Jeb Yeah, @Bill, why would you ask if it’s not her? Bill You’re in the same planet as a serial killer who knows how to spoof your email. Oh, and @Jeb, why are you using your kPad if you and I are in the same pod? Jeb So I don’t forget who said what --> and so Val and Bob can tell if it was me or Bill Bill That makes sense. @Val, when’s my birthday? Val Big deal; that can easily be obtained by peeking at your personnel file. Ask me something I’m not likely to find there – or already texted you about? Bill Okay. Whose idea was it to use my spy probe to peek at the girls’ locker room?” No hints, @Jeb. Val Michael Kerman Jeb Sounds legit Bill I’ll buy that. What’s the news? Val Good news: I saved Edwards Mobile Base from plunging into Dres Canyon Jeb What? No way. Val Yes, way. Danlong hijacked the controls and tried to get away. When I boarded, she hard-wired the rover autopilot and made her escape in a mini-rover – leaving everyone inside to die. I managed to stop it and turn it around before it drove itself over the edge. Jeb @Val, that’s awesome Bill Wish I could have seen you in action. Val You can; the crew posted videos of it on Photogram and Chirper. - My base save is also all over the news. Bill Everyone okay? Val - 4 dead (3 murdered during hijacking, 1 trampled to death in panic) - 9 wounded Bill Not bad, considering that: - The casualties could have multiplied if you hadn’t intervened. - The one death that was NOT a murder was caused by a terrified crew (which wouldn’t happen if the killer didn’t mess up the controls). Val Which brings me to the bad news. Danlong (indirectly) confessed Irpond’s guilt before killing herself – by removing her helmet. Jeb What do you mean indirectly? Val She said that Bob should have figured it out already, and he is doomed “like those who came before him.” - Ring any bells? Jeb Misty’s husband and Irpond’s former boyfriend? Val Exactly --> and here comes the even worse news. Bill Let me guess, @Bob’s still not listening? Val Worse. - By the way, that’s not exactly news. Irpond’s AWOL – and so is everyone else on board the Defiant. Jeb Why, did they go to a party? Val No, @Jeb, they couldn’t have – Dres was on lockdown. Bob Then how could they have left the Defiant if there were no other landers docked to it? Bill The Mk. Vb interplanetary travel pod has a TWR of 2.04 on Dres when fully refueled. Jeb What’s that supposed to mean? Bill It means that the pod can safely land – and take off from – Dres’ surface (since the thrust-to-weight ratio is over 1) Val Only 5B15 was docked to the station when @Bob, Matt, and I left the station – and it’s STILL DOCKED. Jeb Wait a second, didn’t Dres get new self-mining landers a few years ago? Val Yes, but waiting for a loaded fuel truck doesn’t take nearly as long as it does for the new lander to refuel itself. Bill Why bother refilling it? Assuming it was fully refilled before it first reached the Defiant, it would still have plenty of delta-V left in it if you didn’t start refueling when you landed. Jeb There goes Bill rambling on about his latest creation again Bill @Jeb, that’s not mine. - Although I drew a concept plan for a self-mining lander, it was MARHOUSE KERMAN that made a feasible design – and with a high delta-V capacity, too. Val If no other landers rendezvoused with the Defiant, then how else did Irpond get away – and how come everyone else is gone? Jeb Maybe they got out with their jetpacks Val That is among the Top 10 dumbest theories I’ve ever heard. Bill Actually, it is very possible – but EXTREMELY risky. - 600 m/s in jetpack > ~500 m/s needed to make a safe Dres landing (cutting it close) - Even if they all left in jetpacks, there’s no guarantee they landed anywhere near their intended target (most likely a rover/outpost) - The suits are not equipped with MJ landing guidance. Bob Now that you mention it, I’ve heard rumors that KSP is considering implementing MJ autopilot in the 4.0 suits. Jeb 4.0. What happened to 3? I know 1 was the first prototype, and 2 was the one where you say, “EVA me” and it slaps itself on you. Val 3.0 has a grapnel and a better Kerbnet connection speed Bill Awesome. Val We’ll look into where the missing crew is and how Irpond managed to get away, but at least she left something behind. - Until we meet again.mp4 “Hmm, I wonder why she left it,” said Bill as he downloaded the video file and pressed the play button. “Hello, Bob,” said a woman’s voice Bill assumed was Irpond’s. “I was so happy to hear that you’re safe. Thanks for telling me about Val, by the way. I knew she had it out for us since the beginning, but I didn’t imagine her ever crossing the line.” “Wait, did she just say Bob tipped her off?” asked Jeb, but Bill continued the video. “You’re probably wondering why the station’s deserted. As you know already, Val tried to kill me. Since you prevented her from doing it in the pod, she took you with her to the surface and told HER MEN to do it. I swear, it was all self-defense – just as you shot Tami to save me.” She paused as the camera showed the window looking at a one-man lander docked with the Defiant. “I knew Val would return to finish the job herself, so I had to… borrow a lander to escape.” “Why couldn’t she just use the pod?” commented Bill. “Because it’s not capable of landing, that’s why,” responded Jeb. “It’s not designed for moon landings, but it is possible – albeit risky – to land a Mark Vb pod on the surface of Dres,” argued Bill. “Oh, and Bill,” said Irpond, “I anticipated Val showing this to you. You’re probably wondering ‘Why didn’t she take the pod if it has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 2.04 on Dres when full?’ Well, I don’t want to hurt your baby. I’ve got plans for it.” “Yeah, like escaping,” sighed Jeb. “Actually, the next transfer window from Dres to anywhere doesn’t open for another 63 days – and that’s to Moho. Even when fully loaded, the pod does not have enough delta-V to reach that place,” said Bill. “Val, you can screw off,” continued Irpond. “You’ll never kill me or my mother, nor will you ruin Bob with your baseless slander.” She then turned the camera back to herself. “Bob, no matter what happens, no matter what anybody says, I just want you to know that… I will always love you.” The video ended, leaving Bill and Jeb confused. “Just HOW did she get a lander up to the station if the planet was on lockdown?” asked Jeb. “It’s not like she could… mimic Val’s voice or something.” “I’m more concerned about her plans,” added Bill. “First off, do you really think she killed the Defiant crew in self-defense?” “Nope,” said Jeb, shaking his head. “Second of all, how is she gonna stay out of sight for long? EVERYBODY knows we could just track the lander coordinates, right?” “Couldn’t she just pretend to be Val and summon a rover to her landing spot?” asked Jeb. “Even then, she’ll leave tracks on the surface,” reminded Bill. “It’s not like she’ll waste her time going back to cover them. Third of all, just WHERE would she go?” “I’d say an outpost, but I’m pretty sure Val would have those places guarded,” said Jeb. “Yeah, and more importantly, if all she wanted was Bob’s love, why would she run like that?” sighed Bill. “Maybe she’ll make a comeback,” suggested Jeb. “Comeback… OF COURSE.” Bill @Bob, @Val, expect Irpond to return. Val My thoughts exactly. If Bob’s her endgame, then she’s going to do anything to get closer to him. Bob You guys need to track that lander and find her. Val We should have her contained before you and @Jeb arrive. Kerbalnauts don’t just go AWOL on other planets without leaving a trail. Bob The only reason she ran was because you were going to kill her and her mother. Val If Misty didn’t blow up Bill’s Revenge years ago, Irpond would be on trial by now Bill Unfortunately, the investigation into the explosion says it wasn’t her. - She had an alibi (nowhere near Krakopolis when it was being built) - The explosion was caused by faulty ammunition. But for some reason, I think Irpond and/or Misty had something to do with that. Jeb Wait a minute, if Irpond said she killed the Defiant crew in self-defense, why do you say they’re AWOL? Val Without their bodies, I don’t know if she’s telling the truth. - As much as @Bill and I hate her, I want solid evidence to confront her with before she gets what she deserves. Bob You were going to kill her regardless. Val Hey, if you took five minutes to piece it together, you’d want to kill her yourself. Oh, and @Jeb, I talked to your dad earlier. He’s worried about you Jeb Duh. What else is new? Val First off, his secretary emailed me and asked me to tell you to call your dad as soon as you arrive on Dres? Jeb How am I gonna do that? Val Dres got new interplanetary phones installed. Didn’t Bill tell you? Jeb He told me he was in that challenge – but he lost. - At least it involved him keeping the ultimate relay antennas. Val Second, and I hope you’re reading this @Bill. Jeb’s Junkyard has the car that killed Debra Kerman 36 years ago Bill How do they know it’s the same car? Val They ran the serial number on an old engine – that had blood on it – and it came back to the electric car prototype that was sabotaged when Debra died. Bill Tell me they tested the blood. Val They did, but it’s not Debra’s – or anybody else we know. Jeb How did blood get on the engine? Val I don’t know; your dad said that it was shed over 30 years ago by an unknown female. Bill I think that blood is Misty’s. - + 30 years old --> closer to the time of the murder - There weren’t any women working in those junkyards at the time. Jeb Sounds right. Val Misty could have cut herself while she was messing with the car. Jeb So, I guess the plan is: - Run Irpond’s DNA (from wherever you got it) - Match it to the bloodstain on that engine. - Tell the cops on Kerbin to arrest Misty for murder. Val Unfortunately, that won’t happen. Misty cannot be tried for the same crime twice. Bill What about perjury? If the DNA on Bob’s underwear is a familial match to the engine blood, that means Misty DID tamper with the car and lied about it. Val I can try. I just need to wait until the lab’s done with the tests. Bob That doesn’t mean anything against Irpond, since she wasn’t even born yet. Jeb It totally does, man. Irpond’s mother is a woman who got away with murder (until now, that is). What do you expect from the daughter – and when atrocitys like the base poisoning and the moonjet hacking are happening. * atrocities Bob Your dad’s overly cautious, yet you’re frequently careless. Maybe Irpond swore to be nothing like her mother. And let’s not forget @Val is the total opposite of her brother. Bill Even if Irpond’s not a murderer, she has some serious explaining to do. Val Yeah, like how the DNA file for Bob’s stolen clothes disappeared. Bill What? Val The file’s gone, and so is our evidence that Irpond was stalking Bob. Bill Irpond knew exactly what she was doing. She made sure to erase all traces of herself from all her crime scenes – and she irradiated the base to cover her tracks. Jeb Idea: - Arrest Misty for Debra’s murder. - Offer her a plea deal: lighter sentence in exchange for Irpond’s location. Val That could work – except that they’re on two different planets. Irpond may not even tell Misty where she is in case Misty gets captured. Jeb It’s worth a try. Bob For once in several years, I agree with you guys – if the DNA on my underwear matches the old bloodstain. Then we can find Irpond and clear things up. Val Glad to see you’re thinking rationally for once. Bob Just because Misty committed murder doesn’t mean Irpond did. Jeb The cops can also offer a deal if Misty confesses the details of Irpond’s crimes --> just like one of the bad guys in a BKU episode I watched 12 hours ago. Bill Now it’s just a matter of finding Irpond. Val And when we do, we can tell her that her mom ratted her out. After that, she’ll get mad enough to betray her --> confessions from BOTH of them. Bill And since the RECENT murders she committed won’t be covered in her plea deal, she’ll definitely go on death row after Irpond turns on her. Jeb Double-whammy, OH YEAH “So, did we get her?” asked Jeb. “If the DNA on Bob’s underwear is a familial match to the blood on that old engine, we got THEM BOTH,” answered Bill.

I think this would be better placed in the "Mission Reports" thread.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: BASE PURSUIT (2.5 KERBIN YEARS LATER) Finally, after an approximate total of seven Kerbin years drifting in orbit around the sun, Pod 5B15 was within Dres’ sphere of influence. After MJ notified the crew of the gravitational pull change – which was triggered whenever the pod entered or left a celestial body’s sphere of influence – Guscan adjusted the pod’s course to approach Dres at an inclination of 15.9 degrees and a periapsis of 70 kilometers above the surface. When the pod made its insertion burn, Guscan told MJ to rendezvous with the U.S.S. Defiant. While Pod 5B15 was adjusting its orbital plane for the rendezvous, Val ordered a full lockdown of all SSTOs and ascent vehicles unless she explicitly authorized their flight on or off the surface. After the pod docked with the Defiant, two three-man landers were waiting; one to take Bob and Val to the surface, and another for a surface crew rotation. Guscan, Samuel, and Matt entered the second lander and undocked with the station while two burly men got on either side of Val; a smaller man followed them and floated to the command module. “Do not let Irpond leave this station or contact anyone,” Val whispered to one of them. “If she tries to escape or hurt anyone, you have permission to use deadly force.” “Yes, Admiral,” he replied. “Remember: nobody goes in or out of this station,” repeated Val. Much to her disappointment, she caught Bob and Irpond kissing in the lander – in only their undergarments. “Mmm… mmm,” Bob moaned, and Irpond breathed heavily as she put her arms all over Bob’s back. “Hey, hormone testing’s over!” interrupted Val. “You were perfectly fine with it while we were in the pod!” argued Irpond. “Only if you turned up healthy, did your duties as expected, and never got pregnant,” replied Val. “Bob, get changed and put an EVA suit on.” “Yes, Val,” sighed Bob, then Val pretended to bump into him on his way out. “Give your undies to me and put on new ones,” she whispered before speaking in a normal voice. “Bring Wally with you.” “Oh, he’s been assigned to the surface,” said Irpond as Bob left the lander through the docking port. “And… I see you’re already in a suit.” “Out, now!” ordered Val. “Oh, am I going too?” cheered Irpond in excitement. “Sweet.” “Actually… no, you’re not,” objected Val. “WHAT?!” gasped Irpond. “This surface op does not require a software engineer,” said Val. “Furthermore, one is needed up here to ensure the new telecommunication systems are working fine.” “You’re lying,” spat Irpond. “That requires other engineers who are already experienced with the system.” “And we need to make sure our veteran software engineers can use them just as well as the new ones,” argued Val. “Now get changed into something more appropriate.” “But… the surface crews…,” stammered Irpond. “That’s an order.” Irpond then floated out of the pod, looking disappointed. “Oh, and before you complain about how we’re lacking an engineer on board, I already got that covered.” Matt then entered the pod with his kPad and EVA suit on. “Matt, do you have the plans to Edwards Mobile Base?” “Let me check… no, Admiral,” he answered. “What? What do you mean no? I thought that was your design.” “Admiral, I designed a lot of mobile bases in my career – but not THIS one,” explained Matt. “Well, can’t you find it on the schematics database?” asked Val. “It’ll take me a while,” said Matt. “Why do you want ME to get the plans?” “I’ll explain everything,” Val told him. “Just get me the schematics for the mobile base.” “Yes, Admiral.” A few minutes later, Bob had returned to the pod with his suit on and Wally in his hands. “Everything’s ready, Val,” he said. “You forgot your gun,” argued Val, showing her sidearm holstered at her hip. “Oh, okay. Be right back.” “A gun? Why would he need a gun?” asked Matt as he strapped Wally to the floor. “Are we gonna… shoot up the base?” “As soon as everyone’s ready, I will answer all your questions,” said Val. Bob then returned with his gun, and the lander undocked with the Defiant. “Bob, why do you get a gun and I don’t?” asked Matt. “Okay, boys, listen up,” started Val. “As you may be aware, I told Edwards Base that we’re sending a lander for a crew rotation, right? WRONG, I lied.” “What?!” gasped Matt. “Please hold all questions until the end of the presentation,” said Val. “We’re actually coming down there to talk to a scientist named Danlong Kerman.” She then showed Bob and Matt Danlong’s picture on her kPad. “’Why does the admiral want her?’ you ask; she’s a suspect in a years-cold murder case.” “Who’d she kill?” interrupted Matt, and Val facepalmed herself. “I was getting to that,” she said. “Since Bob’s been smooching Irpond for most of the trip here, I feel the need to repeat to him anyway. The victim is Harriet Kerman; she was killed in a moonjet crash where Danlong survived unscathed. You may think that Harriet was texting and flying, but that’s a lie; not only was she hit over the head before the crash, the plane crashed in the same manner as the one on Eeloo.” Matt was about to raise his hand, but he then remembered to not interrupt his commanding officer. “And no, Harriet wasn’t poisoned; she was left to die from exposure to space during the crash. There was a third passenger, but she survived since she was knocked out and put in an EVA suit. Now ask yourself ‘Why did the third person get an EVA suit while Harriet did not?’ By itself, it looks like a simple accident. However, when you widen your scope, you’ll get suspicious yourself. “Now, there is reason to believe that Moonjet 79 – the crash Danlong and Harriet were in – was merely a test run. More specifically, Alva – the third crewmember – was knocked out from behind before Harriet caught Danlong in the act. Danlong then overpowered Harriet before triggering the virus; she had to kill Harriet before she could talk, but she couldn’t do the job then or else Mission Control would look suspicious. So, while the plane lost control, Danlong texted with Harriet’s kPad and bailed herself and Alva out – leaving Harriet to die.” She paused as Matt gasped in shock. “Since you know that Agaden was poisoned and it’s already established that 314 – the crash Agaden was in on Eeloo – came down in a similar manner, one can reasonably assume that Danlong knew the real bad guy.” “Sorry to interrupt,” said Matt, “but aren’t you supposed to program the landing coordinates?” “Not now, Matt,” replied Val. “Danlong is currently on board that mobile base, whose captain I ordered to halt. Our mission will involve boarding that oversized school bus and getting Danlong to talk. One way or another, she’ll tell us who asked her to test the virus that crashed 79. Bob and I are bringing guns for our own protection, while MATT stays on the lander with schematics in case of an emergency. NOW, I’m finished.” “I got something to say,” said Matt. “I’m offended that you referred to a mobile base as an ‘oversized school bus.’ Do you really think even high-prestige mistanol engine designers have ANYTHING on the guys who build fully-functioning habitats?” “Do either of you have anything to say RELEVANT to this mission – and NOT the terminology?” “I got one,” said Bob. “What if Danlong says it’s NOT Irpond?” “She will,” assured Val. “Why else was Agaden killed, huh?” “Irpond? What makes you think it’s her?” wondered Matt. “Because the guy who UNKNOWINGLY killed Agaden believed Gus and Linus told him to do it – or at least do the things that led to her death,” answered Val. “However, further investigation proved that their emails were spoofed from Poseidon’s Palace – where Irpond, a former Cyber Soldier and software specialist, was stationed at the time.” “Then why did you tell me to bring my underwear with me?” asked Bob, patting one of his pants pockets. “Because I’m sure Irpond left her DNA all over it while you were making out in the lander,” explained Val, lowering her eyebrows. “Ugh, gross,” said Matt. “No, I didn’t catch them doing THAT – but I told Ralo to test Irpond for possible pregnancies in case they did it before I caught them,” clarified Val. “If there’s a female’s DNA on there, and it matches the DNA from your stolen exercise clothes from years ago, then you know for sure Irpond was stalking you before Sheri was killed.” She turned her head to look at the controls. “MJ, target Edwards Mobile Base.” “Searching… target locked.” “Land us 71 meters from the target,” ordered Val. “Acknowledged. Plotting landing trajectory.” “Oh, and one more thing, MATT,” said Val. “She tried to kill me with an asteroid to the Zeus, then tried to frame me once she realized that I was out at the time.” “Wait, so… Irpond tried to KILL ME?!” gasped Matt. “She tried to kill Scott, too?” “Well… I was the intended target; the rest of you were just collateral damage,” elaborated Val. “She also had access to the plans to your hypersonic airliner – the same kind that crashed when the cabin ejection system didn’t work.” “Impossible. She couldn’t have gotten to Kerbin and back in time.” “Then how else could she have done it? Answer: she had a partner.” “Spoiler alert: Val’s accusing Irpond’s mom of it,” interrupted Bob. “Since she committed murder before,” added Val. “Why, is she an ex-con?” asked Matt. “You don’t know who her mother is, do you?” sighed Val. “It’s Misty Kerman.” “Misty Kerman, the inventor of mistanol?” gasped Matt. “And the murderer of Debra Kerman,” continued Val. “Hey, just because Misty was put on trial for murder decades ago doesn’t mean she did it,” argued Bob. “Oh, and Matt, how do you know she invented mistanol?” “How do you NOT, scientist?” “I only learned its properties and molecular structure, not who invented it,” said Bob. “Because your school didn’t want to associate a murderer with one of the first pioneers of gasoline-free cars,” argued Val. “You’re just prejudiced.” “You’ve been duped for the past eight Kerbin years,” said Val. “Why else did I invite you to fly with me, so you can hear Danlong tell the truth herself.” “How do I know you’re not going to COERCE her to say Irpond’s name?” responded Bob. “You and Matt can listen,” said Val. “Speaking of,” she then unlocked her kPad and gave it to Matt, “if she gives a name, I need you to check their service record and see if they were ever on Laythe at the time of the 314 crash.” “Got it,” acknowledged Matt, then Val activated the lander’s communication system. “Edwards Base, this is Lander 41. Please respond, over,” she spoke. “Edwards Base, transmission received, over,” a man responded. “We’ve activated MJ and now on landing trajectory 71 meters from your current position,” continued Val. “ETA is 30 minutes, over.” “Copy that. We’re stationary as you previously ordered, over.” “See you later, over and out.” “Copy.” “Beginning inclination change in t-minus one minute,” announced MJ. “Everybody strap in,” ordered Val. Several kilometers from Dres Canyon, Edwards Base was resting in a flat area with its panels retracted and lights on. Even though it was daytime and not using solar panels seemed counterproductive, it was regulation to turn on all lights and retract solar panels if and landing craft was within three minutes of landing near the base; this was in response to numerous craft landing close enough to break the solar panels off in the dark. Though Val planned to land a distance from the mobile base, the base driver was prepared to move if it detected the lander about to come right on top of it. Though the occupants were frustrated that their research operations were stopped abruptly, they seemed to be excited to meet Val and Bob; some of them were happy for the chance to see Matt. “Hey, if Jeb ain’t flyin’, I’m good,” said an engineer, and his friends laughed. At least a kilometer above the surface, MJ was firing its engines to slow down its descent so that it would touch the ground at half a meter per second. “So, Val,” said Bob. “Once we get Danlong to talk, how are we gonna get back up? We’ll need to refuel the lander before we ascend again.” “I dispatched a refueling truck to our position,” answered Val, “but we’re still gonna wait her a while before it arrives.” “But what about other landers that will need that truck?” wondered Matt. “Until I’m back on board the Defiant, nobody else is going up or down,” said Val. “I have Dres on lockdown, remember?” “Touchdown in 45 seconds,” announced MJ. “Edwards Base, this is Lander 41. We’re making our touchdown, over.” “Copy that. I have visual contact, over.” Less than a minute later, the lander gently touched down on the surface 24 meters away from the mobile base. “Cutting it kind of close, aren’t we?” “We also have a surface robot with us,” said Val as she switched on Wally after his wheels touched Dres’ surface. “Permission to bring him on board with us.” To her surprise, there was no response. “Uh… I’ll take that as a yes.” “WO, WEE!” screeched Wally. “Yeah, that is weird,” agreed Matt. “Uh… everything okay in there?” “Stay in the lander,” Val told him, then Matt got back inside the lander. “Edwards Base command, this is Admiral Valentina. Please respond.” No answer. “That’s odd. They were more than happy to chat, but now they’re quiet.” “Maybe their communications are down,” suggested Bob. “No, it was working fine right after we touched down,” argued Val. “Matt, how’s the reception?” “A-okay, mam.” As soon as he said that, the lights on the mobile base shut off. “What’s going on?!” asked Val sternly. To her surprise, the base then spun around and sped away; its rear wheels kicked dust into Val’s and Bob’s helmets. “WHAT?!” gasped Bob. “Dang it,” said Val as she turned on her jetpack. “She must have seen us coming.” She jumped with all her might and pressed the joystick forward, propelling her toward the mobile base. “Wally, skateboard!” “WO, WEE! WEE!” Wally deployed its skateboard and Bob gently stepped on it before strapping his boots down. “Whoa!” he said as the robot gave a great lurch. He didn’t need Val to tell him that he had to chase Edwards Mobile Base. “Everything okay?” asked Matt. “No, everything’s not okay,” said Val, “They’re getting away!” “There’s an emergency brake next to the side hatch,” Matt told her. “Left side or right side?” “Right; there’s a drill on the left,” answered Matt. “Right side, emergency brake, got it,” said Val. “Come on, Wally. Turn those wheels!” said Bob encouragingly. “BEEP, BOP!” Bob screamed in terror as Wally jumped a small bump on the surface, but Wally managed to safely land on his wheels and continue pursuit. “Whoa… who programmed you to be a badass?” “Dres Command, this is Admiral Valentina. I need a trace on Edwards Mobile Base. It is currently making an unauthorized rover trip near Dres Canyon.” “Roger that,” a random man replied. “Activating trace program now.” “Doesn’t it already have a transponder?” asked Matt. “This one is programmed to log the base’s precise coordinates every ten seconds,” explained the man on the radio. “Almost… got it…,” stammered Val as she reached for the right side of the base. However, before she could touch the ladder, it moved to the left. “Dang it!” She then moved her jetpack forward to get closer, but then it moved to the right to try and hit her. A second before impact, Val applied maximum power to the upward thrusters and moved just in time. “That was a close one.” “Status,” said Matt. “She tried to hit me with the truck,” explained Val. “Try getting inside through the top airlock,” suggested Matt. “You can apply the brakes from inside.” “Got it!” Val aimed her right arm at the ladders on the top and pressed a button on her forearm. A small claw then fired from a small wrist-mouned railgun and grabbed on to the ladder, then Val reeled herself in. It was a feature of the new EVA suits that were stored in the Defiant, but Val only got the chance to try it out once before the new crew arrived. “Twist the airlock handle to the left and pull it to the left to open,” Matt told Val. “Thanks,” said Val, then she followed the instructions painted on the airlock door. “Hey, how convenient.” “Airlock secure,” a female computer voice said as Val shut the door behind her. “Re-pressurizing to save levels.” “How long will that take?” sighed Val. “Let’s see… 20 seconds,” answered Matt. “Great,” said Val as she felt a bump lift her off the floor – her helmet protected her head from the worst of the impact. “Guys, why is the back end opening?” asked Bob. “Wait, what do you mean opening?” inquired Val. “It’s the mini-rover deployment hatch,” answered Matt. “Mini-rover?” gasped Val. “How many can it carry?” “Two, mam.” As soon as the airlock was pressurized, Val could feel intense vibrations in the ground. “The door’s touching the ground!” said Bob. “The door’s touching the ground!” Despite the airlock door and her helmet, Val could hear the screams of panic coming from the main cabin. They were so loud she could barely hear Bob reporting a small rover being deployed from the mobile base. “Bob, go after that rover!” she ordered. “But Wally’s low on power!” warned Bob. “Then use your jetpack!” argued Val as she entered the cabin. “Matt, you have to tell me how to stop the base.” “It’s not working!” yelled one of the occupants, pointing at an emergency brake in the wall. “The driver’s dead!” said another. “Controls, now!” ordered Val when she removed her helmet, then a scientist took her to the viewing cupola at the front. “Oh my God.” Though the driver’s stabbed corpse was horrifying to Val, she was even more terrified at where the base was going. It was heading right for Dres Canyon. Meanwhile, Bob and Wally were in hot pursuit of the mini-rover that had been deployed from the back of Edwards Base. He could make out someone in an EVA suit sitting in the left command seat, but he couldn’t tell who it was; he couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman. To make matters worse, Wally was running low on power. Even though his solar panels were exposed to sunlight and his RTG was operational, the power output was not enough for accelerating to catch the mobile base. “PULL OVER!” he yelled. “Ain’t gonna happen,” a woman’s voice replied. “WOOOOO!” Wally beeped weakly, then Bob unfastened his shoe restraints before activating his jetpack. “You stay here, Wally,” said Bob as he jumped and started to fly. “Guys, I’m airborne and in pursuit of a woman in the mini-rover.” “Can’t help you, Bob. I’m busy with Val now,” said Matt. “Stop right where you are, Danlong,” said Val. “Or what?” teased the woman. “Last I checked, you have an… oversized school bus to catch.” “It’s a mobile base, not a school bus!” shouted Matt. Bob then swooped down on Danlong from above, but she drove to the right and he almost hit the surface. “Strike one, Bob,” taunted Danlong as Bob regained altitude. “How low can you go?” Bob then tried a side-jump, but Danlong dodged it again by slowing down. “Ha ha. Whatcha gonna do?” “Try leading her to a boulder,” said Matt. “I heard that, Matt. There aren’t any boulders within 20 kilometers of here,” responded Danlong. Bob then carefully got out his gun and turned the safety off. “What, are you gonna shoot a fleeing girl in cold blood? The opposing force will push you back so far you won’t get another accurate shot.” “She’s right, you have no counteraction,” sighed Matt. “And we need her alive,” added Val. Bob then held his gun with his left hand and converged on his target from above and in front of it. BLAM! Right before Danlong could move, he fired his gun at the interior section of one of the wheels. Though he was pushed forward (relative to the rover) as a result of the shot, he could see Danlong losing control and start to crash. “No!” she yelled, then she ejected from the command seat and turned on her jetpack – leaving the mini-rover to its fate. When Bob regained control, he had realized that he dropped the gun during the kickback. Not that it mattered now; he could tackle Danlong above the surface and force her to talk while Val dealt with the mobile base. “Nowhere to go, Danny!” said Bob. “Just give up now!” But as soon as he approached Danlong, she kicked him in the midsection and increased the distance between her and Bob. “You’ll never catch me!” Bob then put his jetpack on full throttle and managed to tackle Danlong, He then oriented his body upward and turned on the downward thrusters. Danlong then tried to stab Bob with a screwdriver, but he threw her downward to accelerate her descent to the surface. As she re-activated her backwards thrusters to move away from Bob, he grabbed her by the suit and started to fly upward. “Listen up, scumbag,” said Bob, “because I’m only going to ask you once!” “Ooh, big bad boy is picking on a girl half his size,” chuckled Danlong. “We know you killed Harriet Kerman and caused Moonjet 79 to crash!” said Bob. “Who gave you the altered operation code?” “Ha,” smirked Danlong. “Haven’t you figured it out already?” “You’re LYING!” shouted Bob. “Sheesh, Bob, we’re on commlink here,” remarked Matt. “How did you know who I was going to name?” asked Danlong, then Bob slowed down his landing velocity before slamming Danlong against the surface. “You know just as well as I do that it wasn’t Irpond,” said Bob angrily, then Danlong knee-jabbed him in the groin and pushed him off her. “Then you are doomed, like those who came before you.” She then put her hands below her helmet. “NO!” shouted Bob, then he witnessed Danlong remove her own helmet in front of him. “Guys… she’s dead. Matt, can you…” “Forget it,” replied Matt. “I gotta keep Val from plunging into the canyon.”