Mars-Bound Hokie

I wonder if Squad will add an easter egg for Opportunity in the next update. After all, how can we not forget that little robot who explored the Martian surface for 15 years - and when it was supposed to die after 90 days. "My battery is low and it's getting dark" (Opportunity's final words) If anyone else would like to pay respects, visit my "Opportunity Eulogy" post

CHAPTER ELEVEN: CONSPIRACY It was late in the morning where Victor Kerman and his men were, on the side of the planet opposite of Poseidon’s Palace. After reviewing the physical training criteria with the sergeants, he sat at his command post waiting for Val to call him back like she said she would. His objective for today was to find and establish new defensive positions in case of a large-scale Laythan attack – or, worse, if some alien race from outside the planet (or fugitives from Kerbin) tried to land here. “Sir,” said a corporal who knocked on the door, “Admiral Valentina Kerman wishes to speak with you immediately.” Victor sighed in disappointment. “Let her in.” The door opened and Val – escorted by two armed guards – entered the room. “She was carrying these, Major,” said one of the guards, holding Val’s handgun and folder. “Give her the folder, but lock up the gun until she leaves,” ordered Victor. “Give us some privacy.” “Yes, sir.” The guard handed Val the folder and left her and Victor alone. “You’d better have a good reason to have flown all the way here from your base,” said Victor, and Val slammed the folder on his desk. “You know why I’m here, Vic,” she replied, opening the folder and showing Victor the MRI image of the Laythan infant. “I didn’t know you had a baby,” sighed Victor. “It’s a LAYTHAN,” said Val, “and he was SHOT!” She pointed at the bullet in the skull while keeping the x-ray photo 50 centimeters from Victor’s face. “So? Your base has a homicidal maniac on the loose,” responded Victor. “Why are you blaming me, was it one of MY men?” “That baby was murdered YEARS ago!” argued Val, pointing at the “Estimated year of death” label written on the side. “He was also found at the CLIVAR BATTLE SITE.” “A restricted area?” said Victor. “Until now, I never knew the REAL reason why it was even restricted,” added Val. “It was to cover up YOUR crime.” “How do you even know that baby was murdered? He could have been hit in the crossfire BY MISTAKE.” “The entry wound suggests that he was shot at CLOSE RANGE,” said Val, “but that’s NOT it.” She then took out several more photographs and x-rays one-by-one. “This little girl was stabbed in the back.” “So, what? The Clivar did that to their own kind all the time.” “Not with Strike Force Knives, they didn’t – and NONE of the explorers carried any,” started Val. “This elderly man was beaten to death by something that was NOT a Laythan weapon – probably one of your men’s nightsticks. This woman was burned to death; traces of liquid fuel were found on her body.” “Just WHERE did you get those?” questioned Victor. “Someone slipped them to me,” answered Val. “I didn’t want to believe it either, and that’s why I got drunk. It’s TRUE.” “How do you know they’re not phony?” “Because that same infant I started with is now in a museum back home,” said Val. “Apparently, nobody bothered to tell that he was SHOT… and now I know why.” “Get to the point,” barked Victor. “Not only were you part of the Kerbal Strike Force… you COMMANDED it,” continued Val. “YOU gave the order to kill them all, including the women, children, and disabled.” “You’d better have solid evidence to back that up, sister.” “Everything in THIS FOLDER is solid, including an email from Walt telling you to cover up your heinous act,” said Val, showing Victor a printed email. “It’s crap,” countered Victor. “That was faked, just like those orders to kill Agaden Kerman on Eeloo.” “Then you should have pulled out of the Clivar site with no problems.” “We did WHAT WE HAD TO!” shouted Victor, surprising Val. “You… it’s true. You DID give the order,” she gasped. “You killed them all.” “And by doing so, we saved tens of millions of MORE lives,” argued Victor. “Most of them Native Laythan.” “Why’d you do it?” asked Val. “WHY’D YOU DO IT?!” “We came here to bring justice for the Clivar’s victims,” started Victor. “We couldn’t just haul them to Kerbin to stand trial; our only option was to bring swift retribution THEN AND THERE.” “RETRIBUTION?” gasped Val. “Don’t forget, sister, that most of Kerbin was on board with our mission,” reminded Victor. “As soon as we were done, we got word the populace flip-flopped on us.” “Because genocide, no matter who did what, is WRONG!” “If you had been there… seen the horrors they committed – both to kerbals and Laythans – you would have gunned them all down yourself.” “Including the women and children?” “ESPECIALLY the women and children.” “How COULD YOU?!” gasped Val in horror. “The women were not only involved in the tribe’s savagery, but they were all just factories to make more sadistic killers,” explained Victor. “As for the kids, we could not allow their cultural lineage to continue.” “And so, you EXTERMINATED them?” “What were we supposed to do, let them go? They would have regrouped and retaliated stronger than before.” “OR they could have been ADOPTED by other Laythans or… even kerbals.” “Until they learn of their true heritage. Besides, if they didn’t gear up for a rematch, they would have suffered painful deaths out there anyway. If anything… our actions were merciful.” “MERCY?!” gasped Val. “You ordered your men to MURDER unarmed civilians in DIRECT VIOLATION of the Genevo Conventions.” “You really think the people cared when they gave us our mission?” spat Victor. “Yeah, well, those PEOPLE are the same ones who want you behind bars,” said Val. “You mean those bands of snowflakes and traitors?” said Victor. “I would have gladly given a ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech, but then Walt told us that the people will never understand even if we gave them hard evidence of the Clivar’s crimes against kermanity. HE and GUS told us to take the secret to our graves and declare the battle site a forbidden area.” “And, like any daddy’s boy, you did what you were told and lied about where the Clivar went,” said Val angrily. “I emailed Dad; he was the one who told you to kill Rover and tell Mom and I that he ran away.” “And did he tell you WHY?” finished Victor. “Because he was terminally ill.” “Yes, and because he was biting you. You couldn’t handle the truth back then, just like the civilians can’t handle the the truth now.” “Lots of people have already figured out your secret,” said Val. “Until a couple days ago, I thought they were just mere conspiracy theories; I was WRONG.” “Why are you taking this up with me NOW?” asked Victor. “If you were that smart, you would have known ALREADY.” “Someone’s blackmailed me with this,” answered Val. “If these go public… I go down for this, too.” “Why?” “Because you’re MY BROTHER!” shouted Val. “Bob pulled a gun on me TWICE because of you.” “Whoa, he pulled A GUN on you?” gasped Victor. “Yes. He accused ME of…” Val was then interrupted by four military policemen – all armed with machine guns – who entered without knocking. “Hey, get outta here!” ordered Victor. “Sorry, Major,” said one of the soldiers as two of them surrounded Val. “Valentina Kerman, you are under arrest.” “On what charge?” asked Val. “For starters, you’re being charged with murder, obstruction, and framing,” said the guard. “Who gave you permission to arrest the admiral?” inquired Victor. “I demand answers!” “General Jackson, sir,” answered another guard, showing Victor his kPad. “You’ll find his orders to us in his message.” “Give me that,” demanded Victor. From: [email protected] Priority: URGENT Subject: Arrest and Confinement Military Police, It has just come to light that the Kerbal Strike Force under now-Major Victor Kerman’s command has, indeed, commited committed genocide against the Clivar tribe all those years ago. More specifically, there is evidence that his unit murdered the women and children and were then ordered to cover up their actions. For years, it has been the subject of controversy and numerous conspiracy theories. However, an anonymous source has provided concrete proof that this genocide occurred. This source has also provided evidence that the major’s sister, Admiral Valentina Kerman, was involved in the murders of the following people – and framed someone else for her crimes: · Sheri Kerman · Cassandra Kerman · Fitzsimmons Kerman · Megan Kerman · Xavier Kerman · Kendall Kerman · Tami Kerman · Dora Kerman The admiral is also a suspect in the following crimes, including (but may not be limited to): · Kidnapping · Unwilful drugging · Extortion · Identity theft · RTG theft · Sabotage You are hereby ordered to arrest the admiral on the spot and present this message to your superiors if they object: DEADLY FORCE IS AUTHORIZED. · A plane will arrive shortly to transport Valentina to Poseidon’s Palace, where she will be held in the brig until a trial date and location is determined. · I am also arriving at your position, along with the base’s chief of security Eli Kerman Victor is to halt all operations except those needed for he and his unit to sustain themselves. As he was ordered by Mission Control to cover up his actions years ago, he shall not be arrested and charged yet. However, he and his unit will be confined to his current location until further notice. You are hereby allowed to defy any orders he gives that enable him to leave the moon; lethal force is also authorized in case he attacks or tries to escape. Good luck, men. General Jackson Kerman Jool Surface Military Operations “You gotta be kidding me,” sighed Victor. “I’m afraid not, sir,” said the guard as his friends dragged Val away and read her rights to her. “Permission to make a suggestion?” “It’d better not be stupid.” “You’d better talk this over with the general when he arrives,” suggested the guard. “Who knows, maybe this is all one big misunderstanding.” “My plan exactly,” said Victor, then another soldier entered the room. “What now?” “Sir, two jets are arriving from Poseidon’s Palace,” he reported. “One of them has General Jackson in it.” “I know why they’re coming,” sighed Victor. “Tell everyone to get in position.” “Yes, sir,” he acknowledged as he left. Victor then told everyone to leave his office before he put on his dress uniform and walked to the landing strip, where two three-man jets were waiting. “Get in there, mam,” ordered the military policemen as they shoved Val into one of them. After ten soldiers surrounded Val’s jet and aimed their guns at it – in the event she tried to flee – General Jackson and Eli Kerman then disembarked the other jet and Victor saluted him. “You got my message, Major?” asked the general. “I did, General,” replied Victor. “On what grounds do you have to arrest my sister?” “Besides evidence of you committing genocide, there’s also proof that Val planned to frame Wenpont Kerman for the murder of Sheri Kerman,” started Jackson. “She also blackmailed the Zeus’ crew to say she was with them at the time of Sheri’s murder, then ordered it destroyed to cover her tracks. Additionally, she knew the effects of volitium and Mystery Goo on the brain. She had written documents outlining her plan to kidnap Tami Kerman and force her to murder Bob Kerman; but the plan went awry, and she shot Dora Kerman instead. “We also have a complaining witness who alleges that Val threatened to kill her mother unless she stole an RTG from a robot. The robot’s owner also corroborates her claims with reports of the robot attacking the witness in question.” “You can’t be serious.” “But I am, Victor. We have the bruises on the witness’ legs, the robot identifies her as the person who stole its RTG, and a recovered email from Val ordering a known mob on Kerbin to harm the witness’ mother.” “Aw, Kraken,” sighed Victor. “It CANNOT be true.” “The labs at Poseidon’s Palace are processing the evidence now, but it’s strong,” added Jackson. “I also contacted the police on Kerbin to recover and question the complaining witness’ mother.” “You can’t do it, General,” begged Victor. “She’s innocent.” “If you wish to act as her attorney in court-martial, I will not object,” said Jackson. “However, you too are also in a lot of hot water.” “I beg your pardon?” gasped Victor. “There is concrete evidence that YOU ordered your strike force to exterminate civilians.” “They were the Clivar tribe.” “And that justifies a DIRECT VIOLATION of the Kerbal Rules of War?” sighed Jackson. “If there was a legal issue, I would have been arrested YEARS ago,” argued Victor. “But you weren’t, because YOU covered up the evidence.” “Speaking of which, I take it you also got my orders straight from Mission Control to cover it up,” replied Victor. “We did, all right,” said Jackson. “Had you not been given orders to obstruct justice at the time, I would have sent a THIRD plane to haul your green butt to the brig right now. However, you are to order your men to halt all operations except the ones necessary to sustain yourselves. The MPs also have my written permission to use lethal force in case you try to leave the base perimeter without written orders to do so.” “But… how can I contact Val?” “Duh, by telecommunications. If you decide to participate in Val’s defense – either as a witness or an attorney – just fill out a request and the MPs will escort you to base. Same case if you are summoned… except for the paperwork part.” “I understand, sir,” sighed Victor, approaching the plane that Val was locked up in. “Sir, I’m afraid I can’t let you near the prisoner,” objected one of the men guarding the plane. “For God’s sake, just let me speak to her,” said Victor. “Have the guards extend a message,” ordered Jackson. Back in the plane, Val was both disappointed and confused as she sat cuffed to her seat. “Guard,” she said, “what EXACTLY am I being charged with?” “The murders of Sheri Kerman, the fallen Zeus crew, Dora Kerman, Tami Kerman, and framing Wenpont Kerman for all those crimes,” the guard answered. “Do you even have proof?” “Yes; you think we’d arrest you if we DIDN’T?” “Bob,” gasped Val. “What?” asked the guard. “I… am not saying anything without an attorney present,” Val replied. “Wise decision,” said the guard, then Val thought silently to herself. “It’s only been an hour since I took off, and a Laythe day is 14 hours. Did someone get to Bob and force him to leak it early… or did someone else do it?” Val thought about who could have leaked the contents of the folder besides Bob. “It couldn’t have been Wenpont, she’s in the brig. Unless… either she had a partner… or SOMEBODY ELSE called me.” “Are her restraints secure?” asked Val’s pilot. “Yes, sir,” the guard replied. “Eli gave the green-light to take off.” “Now I gotta wait for the control tower,” sighed the pilot. “Guards, listen to me!” begged Val. “Bob’s in serious danger!” “The only one endangering Bob is YOU, mam,” a guard talked back. “I am an admiral of the Kerbal Fleet!” reminded Val. “Until you’re cleared, it means squat,” said a guard. “You also can’t retaliate afterwards unless there’s proof of malicious arrest and/or prosecution.” “I know that regulation, I wrote it!” spat Val. “Recon Plane Four, you are cleared for takeoff,” the control tower told Val’s pilot. “Roger that, tower,” said the pilot. “Recon Plane Four taking off.” Val rested her head against the seat as the plane took off and ascended over the seas before turning around to head back to Poseidon’s Palace. Darkness fell over the base perimeter as Val’s plane landed half an hour later; it took a suborbital flight while Val stayed in the atmosphere to get to Victor. After the aircraft came to a stop on the landing strip, more base guards arrived to collect Val and threw her in a mini-bus. She didn’t say one word the entire trip since she anticipated the guards either ignoring her or twisting it in a way that could point to her guilt. Since it was nighttime at the base, she did not expect many people to see her in handcuffs. However, as soon as the mini-bus stopped, there were kerbals everywhere with their kPads and cameras out. The guards ordered them to clear a path to the entrance, but even then, they continued to hound Val. “How long have you known your brother’s secret?!” asked a man with an audio recorder. “Do you condone infanticide?” questioned another. “Why did you track down Sheri Kerman?” “They were your own crew!” “Murdering scum!” “I’m here live in front of Poseidon’s Palace where disgraced admiral Valentina Kerman is now under arrest in connection to the tragedies that struck Laythe,” said Allison Kerman while her friend recorded on her kPad. Allison then brought a microphone to Val when she arrived. “Valentina Kerman, how do you respond to the charges currently being filed against you?” “Go stick your head in a thruster,” spat Val angrily. “There you have it,” replied Allison. “Val is venting her anger by threatening to commit the very deed she is being accused of.” “You LIAR!” yelled Val, but the guards tased her before dragging her through the outside crowd – only to see another crowd inside. Most of the personnel was wearing in pajamas, as they were asleep right before Val’s landing. “Oh, great.” “Hey, Val,” waved Guscan. “At least he had the decency to…,” Val said to herself, but Guscan interrupted her. “I hear your rank’s suspended, so… I’m off janitorial detail. HA HA!” Guscan bragged. “Jerk,” sighed Val, then she noticed Bob in the crowd, looking shocked. “Val,” breathed Bob. “How could you?” sobbed Val as the guards hauled her away. She suddenly noticed Bob say something to her; it was inaudible, but Val could read his lips. “Wasn’t me.” Bob was freaked out at what was going on. After he breezed through the contents of Val’s flash drive, he hid the flash drive under his mattress so nobody else could get it. 45 minutes of (attempting to) sleep later, Guscan woke him up and asked him to accompany him to the base entrance. He didn’t say why, only that “They caught the REAL killer.” “Wait, so Wenpont was framed?“ “Apparently,” said Guscan. “You were right all along, dude?” “About what?” “I think you’d better see for yourself.” When Bob and Guscan entered the hallway, Bob was surprised to see a large crowd waiting at the base entrance. He was even more surprised at what was on most of their kPad screens. They were the same images he saw on Val’s flash drive. “How…?” he gasped. He promised Val he would leak the contents if she didn’t make it back by the next sunset, not the next hour. He also didn’t tell anyone else about what he found – not even Bill or Jeb. Did somebody hack his kPad, or did they already have those documents ready to leak – or did Val decide to do it herself? When he saw the look of betrayal on Val’s face when she arrived in cuffs, he started to feel confused. “Guscan… was it Val?” “You got it,” answered Guscan. “She murdered your girlfriend, dude.” “That’s weird…,” stammered Bob, then he pulled Guscan to a quieter spot. “Any idea who leaked it?” “No, and I don’t want to,” said Guscan. “I can’t give her goons the leaker’s identity if I don’t even know it.” “I can tell you that it WASN’T me,” answered Bob. “Val told me to leak the files AFTER SUNDOWN.” “Dude, it’s nighttime,” reminded Guscan. “A bit late for that.” “More like a bit early; she meant the NEXT sundown,” explained Bob. “That doesn’t make sense; why would you leak files that incriminate yourself in mass murder?” “Uh, I’m pretty sure VICTOR’S the one being incriminated.” “No, Val was too,” said Guscan. “They said that she ordered the Zeus crew to stay silent about her whereabouts at the time of Sheri’s murder, then her accomplice destroyed it while she sabotaged it from the inside and left.” “That’s funny, since I didn’t see ANYTHING mentioning the Zeus younger than two years old,” said Bob. “It couldn’t have… been… me. Oh, no.” “What is it?” asked Guscan. “Wenpont called Val from my kPad before she was arrested; she must have leaked the files,” conjectured Bob. “However, unless the guards ALREADY figured out she was framed and released her, she couldn’t have snuck off to the landing strip and leaked the material.” “I saw her this morning,” said Guscan. “You DID?” “Yes. I asked her why she was out of jail, and she told me the guards found an unknown DNA sample on your dirty laundry.” “Unknown?” wondered Bob. “Where is she?” “Uh, try there,” suggested Guscan, pointing at a woman loudly berating Val in front of the crowd. “You PSYCHOTIC MURDERER!” shouted Wenpont. “I hope they BURN YOU ALIVE!” “Back off, miss,” ordered a guard, then Bob tapped Wenpont’s shoulder. “Hey, Bob,” said Wenpont. “How do you like your friend NOW?” “Wenpont, why were you released this morning?” asked Bob. “This morning? I’ve been out for two days now,” said Wenpont. “Really, because Guscan said that he saw you this morning.” “But not the one before that. As it turns out, somebody DID frame me for stealing your dirty laundry,” explained Wenpont. “Aside from your DNA and mine – no surprises, since it’s your sweaty clothes in MY bunk – there was another woman’s DNA on it; it’s not my bunkmate’s.” “Okay, but what about the murders and chemical thefts?” “The murders weren’t scheduled on my calendars until AFTER they happened, which meant someone broke into my account and created those events to pin them on me,” added Wenpont. “Clever plan, but not good enough. The handwriting on the plans isn’t even mine.” “Val,” Bob figured out. “You got it; and it was all to cover her brother’s dirty little secret,” said Wenpont. “Where’s Eli?” asked Bob. “He’s a tall base guard, looks a bit macho but he’s actually gay.” “Nope, but I’ll definitely let you know if I see him,” said Wenpont, and Bob left her. “Whatcha doing?” asked Guscan. “I’d better go through that flash drive again,” said Bob as he and Guscan returned to their quarters. “How’d the files get viral anyway?” “Simple: everyone on base got emailed the same zip folder,” answered Guscan. “You can pretty much guess what happened from there.” “Can you pull it up please?” asked Bob. “Didn’t you get the files too?” “You mean this?” Bob then took the flash drive out from under his mattress. “Val gave it to me before she took off to see Victor.” “What makes you think your intel’s more reliable than ours?” “It didn’t mention anything about VAL’S involvement in any crimes. In fact, the only mention of Val that I caught was Victor being given orders NOT to tell her about the massacre.” “Okay, let’s compare side-by-side,” said Guscan as he activated his kPad. “Let’s see…,” started Bob, arranging the files in alphabetical order. “Okay… that’s weird. My inten doesn’t have ‘Valentina Kerman’s To-Do List,’ but yours does. I also find it strange that yours has an email from Val to some guy I don’t even know about.” “Big deal,” sighed Guscan. “She probably ERASED those when she gave you the files.” “That doesn’t make sense,” Bob disagreed. “She’s been covering for her brother, and now she wants me to implicate him in case she doesn’t return.” “Yeah, well, she’s crazy,” commented Guscan. “She may have been planning to betray Victor.” “But why?” asked Bob. “More importantly, why would she destroy the Zeus… and who was her partner-in-crime?” “How do you know that she had a partner?” “She called me from Tylo after the station was destroyed.” “So she says,” contradicted Guscan. “For all you know… she was on-base at the time AND did it HERSELF.” “I… never thought of THAT,” said Bob. “However, if she was, then somebody should have seen her.” “Let base security handle that, dude,” suggested Guscan. “You need some slee…,” he was interrupted when his doorbell buzzed. “Who is it?” “Irpond Kerman, may I come in?” a woman asked. “Yes,” said Bob, and Irpond entered the room and rushed to Bob. “Thank goodness you’re safe,” she sighed. “They got Val.” “I know,” said Bob. “You have one new message from: Bill,” Bob’s kPad spoke. “Oh, I wonder what it says,” said Bob, opening the email. “I’ll… leave you two alone,” said Guscan as he left the room, closing the door behind him. “Interesting,” remarked Bob. “Bill says that we can leave for Dres early if we wanted to.” “Leave early?” gasped Irpond. “Wait… what’s the catch?” “An extra few hundred meters of delta-V and a longer transit time,” Bob read. “However, if we time it right, we can get to Dres with plenty to spare before Bill and Jeb do.” “Well, how long until we can leave?” “According to Bill’s math, we need to make our ejection burn in… 204 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes.” “What now?” asked Irpond. “Eh… besides crops, we need to prove that Val killed Sheri. We also need our travel pod all gassed up and ready to fly before we leave,” answered Bob. Even though Val was in jail now, he didn’t want to tell anyone on Laythe that he would be checking everyone who had ever been to Dres. “Huh, there’s a P.S. on here,” said Irpond, then Bob read aloud. “I doubt that my rocket was responsible for Misty’s fire. Ask her daughter if the craters went through the walls or ceilings; if they didn’t, then something else caused the fire.” “THROUGH?” gasped Irpond. “You already know what happened. The debris got hot during re-entry and ignited when it hit the house.” “If the exterior was made of a flammable material and the building was not in compliance with fire safety regulations,” added Bob. “I may not remember much about it, but I do know it WASN’T a log cabin.” “Oh… I just remembered, I gotta go check the personnel logs,” said Irpond. “Sleep tight, Bob.” “Goodnight, Irpond,” said Bob as Irpond left him alone. As soon as Irpond rounded the corner, she looked around to make sure nobody saw her. She then hid in a broom closet and started writing an email. From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 21 Years Ago Mom, Bill Kerman’s model rocket DID NOT burn our house down. Email me first chance you get. Irpond. After she hit the send button, she noticed a bald scientist passing by her. “Hey, Scott.” “Hullo, miss,” he replied. “You’re from Nye?” she asked Scott. “That’s correct,” Scott replied. “It was me accent, wasn’t it?” “We need to talk,” said Irpond, “about what Val did.”

I didn't read it, but I just read the Wikipedia page - and THAT is why you don't take nicotine products. Maybe Val didn't INTEND to kill her student. More specifically, she could have hacked a RANDOM moonjet that HAPPENED to have Harriet as the assigned pilot. Maybe the virus targeted Alva/Danlong (would activate if either of them were on board - like Agaden's did with 314) and there was a different pilot assigned - but Harriet decided to fill him/her at the last second, sealing her fate. Val may not have expected Harriet to be on the jet; either the on-board accomplice didn't know about Harriet being Val's student, or she didn't care (no men named on 79's accident report) On the other hand, maybe Val WANTED to kill Harriet. Remember the motives Neiling mentioned. Passion (e.g. jealous lesbian lover; Harriet stole Val's man) Money (contract hit; inheritance; life insurance fraud) It wouldn't be moonjet insurance fraud, since the policy is void if the pilot was texting and flying - and Mission Control gets the money, not Val. Remember: Harriet's kPad was on Chirper while the plane was out of control; Bill and Bob think she was knocked out at the time (space killed Harriet) Revenge Silencing At this point, we've already established that 79 was rehearsal and 314 was the real thing - with poison as a backup measure in case Jeb and Agaden bailed. If it was Val, why would she kill Agaden? She was flying to Eeloo straight from Kerbin, and you know how long the transit takes in kerbal years. If it wasn't Val, who was it - and why?

Without spoiling anything, you may be right. Then again, it also raises questions like: Why would she have the Zeus destroyed? More importantly, why prevent lifesaving measures from taking effect (detection systems, orbital adjustment, evacuation)? Remember: most of the crew died. And who was her partner? She couldn't have knocked out that pilot on Laythe and flew to Tylo in time. Even if she could, somebody should have seen her (like a control tower). Why drug Tami and have her kill Dora (if she even was the intended target)? Bob's dirty laundry was stolen BEFORE Sheri was murdered. Why? Was she planning to frame Wenpont the whole time, or was there another motive? What does Val have to do with Agaden's (314) and/or Harriet's (79) death? Remember: the virus was sent to Eeloo from Poseidon's Palace on Laythe (Bill traced the IP address on the phony emails). Along with the recipe for the poison that killed Agaden. Harriet's death was ruled pilot stupidity at the time, but Val insisted she was sabotaged. 79 malfunctioned in the same manner as 314. Why would the person who called Val (most likely Wenpont) demand she stay away from Bob? Why Bob in particular? FYI: it'll be a few days before the next chapter comes. I'm in for a busy college week in real life, but I'm free to chat and address questions/comments/concerns.

You think Bob (or Val) is the killer? If you do, how so?

You'd be too if computers were malfunctioning left and right, and there's a murderous hacker on the loose. For all he knows, the porkchop selection calculator could have been tampered with to say he could reach Dres with plenty of fuel to spare when he'll actually run out before his trajectory would hit the planet's sphere of influence - sending him drifting in Kerbol orbit for the rest of his life (he could die from: old age/photosynthetic starvation/dehydration/oxygen deprivation/illness/MURDERER) NASA takes many redundant precautions to ensure crew safety. KSC has people that draw porkchop selection charts by hand in case the computers aren't working. Besides, if you think Bill was paranoid, then what do you call Bob pointing a gun at Val twice - and being distrustful of the women in his base?

CHAPTER TEN: TRAVEL PLANS “Uhh… what happened?” groaned Val, having a headache. “W… where am I?” “You’re in sick bay, Admiral,” said Dr. Melinda. “Sick bay?” wondered Val, looking around her. “How long have I been here?” “Nine hours,” replied Dr. Melinda. “NINE HOURS?!” gasped Val, looking at herself in the mirror. “What happened to me… and why do I smell bad? I thought sick bays were supposed to be SANITARY.” “You were intoxicated and had to be observed, mam,” answered Dr. Melinda. “Intoxicated? What?” said Val. “No way that’s possible; someone drugged me.” “We checked your blood and BAC; you were LOADED,” started Dr. Melinda. “Base security also checked the bottles of wine you drank out of; they’re clean.” “Aw, no,” sighed Val. “Tell me nobody saw me.” “Unfortunately, EVERYONE has,” said Dr. Melinda, showing Val her Chirper page. Val was appalled at the headline that came before the video of her. VAL’S GONE WILD “Oh, great.” “Be sure to drink a lot of water,” suggested Dr. Melinda. “As a doctor, and in compliance with program regulations, I forbid you from operating any vehicles for the next six hours.” “Looks like I’d better wash up and see what I missed,” said Val as she straightened her hair before leaving sick bay. “Hello, Admiral,” saluted Captain Ersen as she got near him. “Hey, Captain,” replied Val as she saluted back. “What’d I miss?” “One of the men here pretended to be me and prank-called Armstrong Base,” started Ersen. “You were then seen intoxicated and then base security took you to sick bay. After that, all operations have proceeded as planned.” “Good to know,” said Val. “Anything else?” “Bob has formally requested that you give him a list of all kerbals, living and dead, who are currently on Laythe that have ever been to Dres,” added Ersen. “Me, why me?” wondered Val. “Also, DRES? Why?” “He didn’t say, only that he’ll tell you himself,” answered Ersen. “I take it you’re hitting the showers?” “Correct, Captain,” said Val. “As you were.” Val then got a new change of clothes and showered before heading over to Bob’s quarters. “What is Bob up to?” She knocked on the door and heard a voice at the other end. “Oh, shoot,” a man had said. A messy Guscan Kerman then opened the door. “Oh, Admiral Val. What a nice surprise.” “Where’s Bob.” “I don’t know.” Val then heard footsteps on the other end of the door. “Who’s in there?” “It’s… my… maintenance guy,” stammered Guscan. “Yeah, the heater’s dead.” “Then you won’t mind letting me see…” said Val, then she saw a hand with nail-polished nails get on Guscan’s shoulder. “HA!” “HEY!” screamed a woman wearing exercise clothes. “What the…” “Lady, GET!” ordered Val, pointing at the hallway, then the woman obeyed. “Guscan, I want Bob over here NOW!” “Yes, Admiral. Right away,” panted Guscan as he ran off. Val then closed the door behind her and sat on Bob’s bunk – Guscan had the top. She then unlocked her kPad and accessed her contact list. “What do you want, sis?” asked Victor as he answered the video call. “The truth, Victor” said Val. “At least tell me you’re sober,” sighed Victor. “My men are already making memes out of you dancing in the hallway drunk.” “Because of what you did.” “What I did?” gasped Victor. “Just because you have more stripes than me doesn’t mean you’re really that high-and-mighty. You’ll always be MY little sister.” “Am I, Vic? Am I?” replied Val. “Want me to pull out the birth certificates, because I will,” Victor responded. “I didn’t think I’d be related to a PSYCHOPATH,” said Val. “You’re still mad at me about Rover, aren’t you?” guessed Victor. “I thought a grown woman would have gotten over shooting A SICK DOG within a week.” “Uh, everything okay sir?” asked one of Victor’s men. “GET!” shouted Victor, and the soldier left. “You LIED TO ME!” continued Val. “No wonder Elegail hung herself.” “How DARE YOU blame Elegail’s suicide ON ME!” yelled Victor. “Oh, and by the way, she shot her own terminally ill cat when she was SEVEN.” “I guess that’s how it starts,” started Val. “One day you’re killing your sister’s dog and lying about where he went, the next…,” she was interrupted by a knock on the door. “I have to call you back.” She hung up and asked whoever was at the door to come in. “Val?” wondered Bob. “What are you doing in my quarters.” “Responding to your request,” explained Val. “And as for you, Guscan, as punishment for lying, you’re going to be on janitorial detail for the next six hours.” “Aw, man,” sighed Guscan as he left. “Lying, what about?” asked Bob. “He said a maintenance guy was here when it was some woman in exercise clothes,” sighed Val. “Honestly, I don’t see why people even wear it if they’re not even going to work out.” “Eh... Sheri and I had our hottest dates in exercise clothes,” confessed Bob. “Too bad it was in the COLDEST parts of the solar system.” “Anyway,” interrupted Val, “Captain Ersen said that you wanted a list of Laythe personnel who were on Dres.” “Yes,” said Bob, then he explained what he, Jeb, and Bill discussed earlier – while leaving out the part where he and Irpond broke into Val’s KSP account. “Moonjet 79?” gasped Val. “I KNEW that crash was fishy.” “Yeah, and Bill and I think Danlong knows something,” added Bob. “The scientist?” inquired Val. “How do you know her?” “Duh, her name was on the accident report,” said Bob. “How do YOU know her?” “After I got word that Harriet died, I emailed the two women she was flying with at the time,” answered Val. “Danlong said Harriet was texting while flying, but Alva said she was hit in the head before waking up in sick bay.” “So why didn’t you report this to Mission Control?” “I did, but they said Harriet WAS texting at the time of the crash,” sighed Val. “I was about to file corruption claims until they showed me the messages Harriet sent with the time stamps. Additionally, while there WERE bruises on Alva and Harriet, the doctors couldn’t tell if they were sustained BEFORE or DURING the crash.” “Harriet was not in an EVA suit when she died,” remarked Bob. “The report also showed the results of her autopsy; space killed her, not a blow to the head.” “Oh, no,” said Val. “Alva did it.” “I thought so too, but Bill has good reason to disagree,” countered Bob. “First of all, JEB’S EVA dispenser was working fine.” “Maybe the killer changed the virus.” “Then ALL THREE of them would have died,” said Bob. “Secondly, Bill knows Alva from before; she was a mechanic, not a software girl. Thirdly, if it was Alva, how come she ended up in a coma… and how come Danlong never mentioned a FIGHT or even a MALFUNCTION?” “Now, are you sure that Moonjet 79 was hacked in the same manner as Moonjet 314?” asked Val. “I… think you should ask Bill that question, but HE’S sure,” said Bob. “Witnesses took pictures and video of it flying out of control with its drill sticking out through the cargo bay.” “What?” gasped Val in shock. “H… how did Mission Control NOT notice that?” “Playing Kraken’s advocate here,” started Bob, “they didn’t find any SOLID evidence that the moonjet was sabotaged. The probe core and black box were both destroyed. Plus, they had good reason to believe it was due to pilot negligence.” “What about Jeb’s crash, how did they know HE was sabotaged?” “Jeb and Agaden were yelling for help as THEY were crashing, and he tried to save it… or at least cause a safe crash-landing. In 79’s case, the pilot was KNOCKED OUT and NOBODY even sent a distress signal. Jeb managed to at least save MOST of the jet since he was alert, but Harriet couldn’t do ANYTHING.” “Oh… dear,” said Val. “Danlong slugs Alva from behind, Harriet catches her in the act, then Danlong punches her. As the moonjet crashes. She puts herself and Alva in EVA suits while texting with Harriet’s kPad to make it look like it was HER fault. She then bails her and Alva out, leaving Harriet to die.” “Makes sense,” agreed Bob, “but there’s no way we can know if Harriet even saw a fight. Bill thinks Danlong killed her so that she’ll KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT about any malfunctions AND she can’t dispute the texts that were sent while she was crashing.” “Also makes sense,” said Val. “Where are Danlong and Alva NOW?” “Bill says that Alva’s back on Kerbin,” answered Bob, getting ready to lie to Val. “As for Danlong… we don’t know where she is.” “Not anymore,” smirked Val, unlocking her kPad. “Danlong Kerman… BINGO.” “What?” asked Bob, acting surprised. “She’s still on Dres,” said Val. “She has permanent resident status, too.” “But… that means that Danlong HAD A PARTNER,” Bob told Val, “since none of them are on Laythe.” “When does the next transfer window from here to Dres open?” Val asked Bob. “12 years,” sighed Bob, showing Val his Transfer Window Alarm Clock. “Oh, great,” sighed Val, then Bob told her it would take at least six more years to get there. “Looks like we’re stuck here for a while.” “Hey, maybe Jeb and Bill can help,” suggested Bob. “Well, how long before THEIR window opens?” “Let’s see… 2 years, 371 days,” answered Bob. “It’s then an estimated SEVEN years to get to Dres… and that’s before YOU AND I can even get out of here.” “Maybe one of our pods has enough delta-V to make it to Dres early,” suggested Val. “If we’re lucky, we’ll catch this killer before we need to get out of here. Now, what are your search parameters?” She and Bob then typed in the desired parameters in the personnel search bar. “Anyone who’s ever been in Poseidon’s Palace in the past… 75 days,” started Bob, “who was also on Dres… at some point in their lives.” “Seems a bit broad, dude,” said Val. “It’s possible that our killer and Danlong crossed paths on Dres BEFORE Moonjet 79, then he or she sent Danlong the virus FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE,” said Bob. “Jeb thinks it’s also possible Danlong made the virus herself and SOLD it to our killer.” “That makes… no… actually, it kind of does make sense,” said Val. “Then again, if the killer HERE wanted to kill a pilot on Eeloo, why not just hire Danlong to send the virus from DRES?” “Maybe that’s an extra charge,” said Bob. “And if you think that makes no sense, y… Jeb thinks it was an insurance scam.” He decided to blame it on Jeb, since he couldn’t risk jogging Val’s memory – hence, her high chances of recalling that she gave Bob her password. “Insurance fraud? What?” wondered Val. “That is literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard coming from a level five pilot.” “Like you,” Bob thought to himself, then he asked Val, “Why, are they not insured?” “They’re insured, all right,” said Val. “However, KSP doesn’t get A DIME if the crash was due to PILOT ERROR – which Moonjet 79 was blamed on. Now, if it was because of a design flaw, unforeseen or unpreventable disaster, or… SABOTAGE – or if it crashes after getting hijacked – then you have solid grounds for an insurance claim. And even then, MISSION CONTROL gets the money to pay for a new moonjet and delivery rocket.” “Okay, so much for the ‘Mission Control Gone Bad,’ theory,” sighed Bob. “Just what was that theory?” wondered Val. “Well… maybe the saboteur planned to get a kickback from the insurance check,” remarked Bob, “but that would mean someone back home would be funneling it to her bank account.” “Definitely not it,” said Val. “If it was an interplanetary insurance fraud, Mission Control would have told Danlong to blame it on a technical malfunction or a hidden saboteur… or undetected debris or a random meteoroid. They’re the ones who are supposed to know the insurance policies backwards and forwards.” “She also wouldn’t need to kill Harriet and K.O. Alva,” added Bob, “or use Harriet’s kPad to make it look like she was stupid.” “I’ll contact Roger back home and ask him to look into the crash again,” said Val. “In the meantime… oh my God.” “What?” “Danlong was repeatedly accused of extortion, but the complaints were soon dropped,” explained Val. “Maybe Alva knows something that Danlong doesn’t want to get out.” “Maybe Roger can get Alva to talk,” suggested Bob. “Meet me at the landing strip at sundown,” said Val. “Your license still works, right?” “Yes, the suspension was over a few days ago,” answered Bob. “Wait, are we taking separate rovers?” “Yes, I… gotta go fly and meet Victor later,” sighed Val. “I don’t want to WALK all the way back to base when I return.” “Okay, but what do I tell the guards when I sign off on the rover?” reminded Bob. “I can’t just leave in the middle of the night without SOME purpose.” “Tell them you’re… studying black ice on the landing strip,” suggested Val. “I mean… a lot of flights around the northernmost parts of Kerbin get delayed or cancelled because of black ice on the runway. Odds are it’s BOUND to happen more frequently here.” “Good idea,” said Bob. “I’ll be sure to bring in some observations.” “Do not tell anyone except Bill and Jeb we had this conversation, not even Guscan,” said Val. “Then what do I tell HIM?” “Tell him… I was… scolding you for putting my hand in a jar of water while I was in sick bay.” “Hand in a jar of water?” asked Bob, confused. “Why is that worthy of a scolding?” Val chuckled. “You don’t know, do you? It’s a childish prank the boys did to each other ALL THE TIME in Baikerbanur. It caused them to pee in their pants while they’re asleep.” “That happened in Woomerang too… except we just slipped each other diuretics and watched them urinate themselves IN FRONT OF EVERYONE while they’re awake.” “Yeah, Guscan’s gonna know that’s not your style,” sighed Val, “unless you tell him that you learned a new prank.” “Yeah, I’ll go with that,” agreed Bob. Later that evening, Bob was at the landing strip waiting for Val in a one-man rover. He had to wear a full EVA suit due to the exposed seat – which did not provide adequate warming. Guscan had offered to drive him in a mini-bus when he saw Bob in the garage, but Bob politely declined. After arriving at the landing strip, he plugged his rover into the charger port since the sun was getting low – which would render the solar panels useless later. “You’re early,” said Val on her commlink after she arrived. Bob reached for his gun when he saw the lights. “Take it easy, Bob. It’s me.” “Not taking any chances,” said Bob. “Why did you want me to meet you?” “To give you the list you wanted,” explained Val, taking a flash drive out of her bag. “I also want you to have this.” “What’s in here?” asked Bob. “The reason why I’m heading to the peaks to meet Victor,” said Val, “and… why I got myself drunk.” “Then why are you giving it to me?” wondered Bob. “As it turns out… you were right all along,” sighed Val, then Bob took aim at her. “Whoa!” “Why’d you do it?” “Why’d I do WHAT?” “Kill Sheri and frame Wenpont,” explained Bob. “Whoa, I did NO such thing,” denied Val. “Then why force Irpond to steal Wally’s RTG?” asked Bob “Wally’s RTG… and who’s Irpond?” “That software engineer whose mother YOUR CRONIES have hostage,” answered Bob. “Now, I’m only gonna ask once, where’s Misty Kerman?” “I got a better question, WHO’S Misty Kerman?” questioned Val, confused. “You threatened to kill her and frame her for a crime she didn’t commit,” said Bob. “Freeze!” shouted a security guard who arrived at the scene. “Sir, drop the gun and step away from the woman.” “Stand down, guard,” said Val. “He’s not gonna shoot me.” “Mam, you can’t be serious.” “That’s an order,” said Val, and the guard left. “Now, who the heck is Misty Kerman?” “She was a scientist in the program when we were kids,” said Bob. “She was falsely accused of sabotaging a rover which caused someone’s death. Soon after, Misty had a daughter named Irpond – who now works here. You then had some friends kidnap Misty and forced Irpond to steal Wally’s RTG to hide VICTOR’S secret.” “You’d better have solid proof to back that up, scientist.” “Wally ATTACKED Irpond after I reinstalled his RTG, then Irpond told me why. Given her mom’s reputation for being persecuted – and the recently-discovered fact that BILL burned her house down – everything seems to make sense.” “Just why would I steal Wally’s RTG?” asked Val. “So I couldn’t use him at the Clivar site,” said Bob, and Val was shocked. “You were gonna sneak your robot into a restricted area?” “You mean a covered-up crime scene.” “Okay, Bob, I’m just gonna set this straight – but first, put down the gun.” “No, you set it straight first,” said Bob. “Right now, I don’t know if I can trust you.” “You want it that way, fine,” sighed Val. “Until two days ago, I’ve been living in denial. As soon as I found out the truth, I tried to forget I ever learned it.” “That’s why you got drunk?” “Exactly. Since I never knew Victor’s secret – AT THE TIME – I had no reason to sabotage you, Wally, or even kill Sheri.” “Now why should I believe that?” “Think of this way, Bob: if I WAS covering for him, you would have never seen me drunk.” “Then how come the Zeus never evacuated before the asteroid hit?” countered Bob. “Answer: you sabotaged it from THE INSIDE and then you told YOUR BROTHER how to destroy it FROM THE OUTSIDE.” “I don’t know why no there were no evacuation efforts,” said Val. “I sure as heck don’t know HOW they didn’t see an incoming asteroid.” “There had better not be a virus on that flash drive.” “Nope, just a digital copy of this.” Val then produced a folder from her jacket. “I’m heading to Victor’s location right now to confront him about it. If I do not make it back by sundown tomorrow evening… leak the contents of the file labeled ‘Sheri Kerman’ to everyone you know. Friends, family, media… and don’t forget Roger.” “Wait… LEAK it?” gasped Bob in surprise. “I doubt that Victor will kill me or let anyone else do it,” started Val. “But, then again… I feel like I don’t really know him. If something DOES happen to me, at least I’ll have an insurance policy.” “Mam, your jet’s ready!” shouted a mechanic. “One minute!” replied Val. “You were right about Victor, and there’s the proof. Now, don’t try to look through everything else on my flash drive – it’s all locked. There’s a text file with the password for ‘Sheri Kerman,’ on it, so delete it first chance you get. Everything else… you need a password to delete those, too – including the contents of the folder.” “Got it,” said Bob, putting his thumb up. “But first… I gotta study black ice formation on Laythe. I’m not gonna go back to base empty-handed.” “Well, in that case, I’ll be going,” said Val, climbing the ladder into the cockpit. “Please stand clear of the jet.” She then started the engine and proceeded to take off. After she was airborne, Bob collected his sample of black ice the engine left behind and recorded his observations about the temperature, barometric pressure, seismic activity, and atmospheric composition. Suddenly, he heard a rustling noice coming from behind him. “Who goes there?!” shouted Bob as he turned around and drew a handgun. “Show yourself!” “Base security!” announced a man. “What’s going on here, sir?” “I thought I heard something,” said Bob. “Hey, where’s that lady you were with?” “She flew away.” “Then why did you pull a gun on her?” “I thought she was a crook,” said Bob, “but I was wrong. Now you’re letting our creeper get away.” All was silent for thirty seconds before the guard spoke again. “Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now.” “I’ll holler if it happens again,” said Bob, then he jotted down some notes of the black ice on the landing strip before heading back to Poseidon’s Palace. After he parked the rover, he took off his EVA suit and walked to the lab, keeping Val’s flash drive, his gun, and ice sample close by. He then put the sample in a sterile test tube and placed a long-time camera in front of it to record how a change in the surrounding environment affected the sample over time. “Okay, let’s see what’s in here.” He plugged in Val’s flash drive to his kPad, then saw three files: a text document named “For Bob,” a folder labeled “Val’s things – DO NOT TOUCH” and another folder labeled “Sheri Kerman.” After he clicked on the text file, he saw the password. ValK_R0x! “At least it wasn’t Wolverines suck,” sighed Bob, then he unlocked the “Sheri Kerman” folder. “Okay, so we have a list of current base personnel who have ever been to Dres. Let’s see if Sheri and I are on it… yep.” The list also included people who have either worked at or visited Poseidon’s Palace within the past 75 days, in case there was an assignment change or someone entered the base and then left. “Well… I have nothing better to do besides grow crops for the next few years. I might as well get started taking the one-by-one option.” After setting a reminder to start talking to the current base personnel, he proceeded to look at the contents of the sub-folder. “Oh… no.” he gasped. On his screen was an x-ray of an infant Laythan. With a bullet in its skull. In Hades Station above Eeloo, Jeb was spinning himself in circles while waiting for a pilot named Neiling to get out of the bathroom. He had previously asked Commander Gustov for a list of any personnel within Eeloo’s sphere of influence who had Val as a training officer; Neiling was a probe pilot who worked at Hades Station. Jeb took a legged lander up to the station – he didn’t trust the moonjets – and waited in the science labs adjacent to the bathroom. “Oh, hello,” said Neiling. “Jeb, right?” “Yes, and you’re Neiling Kerman?” asked Jeb, shaking her hand. “Were you looking for ME?” gasped Neiling. “Yes,” answered Jeb. “You’re the only one here who had Val as an instructor.” “You mean Miss Full Kerbal Jacket,” teased Neiling. “Yes, I had Val as an instructor.” “Okay,” said Jeb. “You wouldn’t happen to know another student named Harriet Kerman, do you?” “Harriet Kerman?” gasped Neiling. “Of course, I knew her. We were cadre friends… if Val permitted it. Awful thing, what happened to her.” “I take it Val was hard on you,” guessed Jeb. “She was hard on EVERYONE,” said Neiling, “especially the girls.” “The GIRLS?” wondered Jeb. “Why the girls?” “She told us that, if we wanted to be known as ‘strong women,’ we have to EARN everything we get,” explained Neiling. “She was hard on the boys, too… but when it came to PT, she made us do the same exact thing as the boys.” “I thought Mission Control had lower PT standards for females than males,” said Jeb. “Any time any of us said that, that person would drop and give her twenty while someone else sat on them,” said Neiling. “She said those standards were to mainain ‘true equality among the students.’” “I take it the boys tried to drop their PT standards to match the girls’ as a result,” guessed Jeb. “They tried that, but it didn’t work,” said Neiling. “Anyway, why did you want to talk about Harriet?” “Because we think whoever murdered Harriet also murdered Agaden,” explained Jeb. “MURDERED?” gasped Neiling. “Who on Kerbin would want to kill HER?” “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” said Jeb. “Last I heard, she was texting and flying,” reminded Neiling. “No, she wasn’t,” argued Jeb, Neiling’s eyes widening. “Bill, Bob, Val, and I have reason to believe that A SABOTEUR knocked her out and got on Harriet’s kPad while KNOWINGLY crashing the plane.” “Knocked out, why not just kill her then and there?” “To make it look like she was just plain stupid; ingenious, since space killed her. However, the doctors found blows to the head on both her and her in-flight mechanic.” “Oh my gosh,” gasped Neiling. “Why would anyone sabotage her jet… or KILL her?” “Right now, we think she was killed to keep her mouth shut about the spacecraft malfunctioning,” said Jeb. “That’s also why Danlong used her kPad during the crash; to make it look like HARRIET’S stupidity and not deliberate sabotage.” “How do you know it was sabotage and not some technical malfunction?” wondered Neiling, then Jeb turned on his kPad and showed her a photograph of a moonjet with its drill penetrating its cargo bay. “This is a photograph of Moonjet 79 before it crashed,” he stated, then showing Neiling another photo. “This is a photograph of Moonjet 314. See any difference?” “Well… no, not really. What do they have to do with anything?” “Harriet was on Moonjet 79 when it crashed,” explained Jeb. “I was on 314 not too long ago, and we know that was sabotaged with a computer virus. By deductive reasoning, 79 was sabotaged too.” “Oh, dear,” said Neiling. “I thought Harriet had returned to normal-people habits.” “Normal-people habits?” wondered Jeb. “Val was SUPER-strict on us all,” explained Neiling. “What she called ‘discipline,’ we called imprisonment. We couldn’t even text or email friends and family except for one hour on weekends, and she banned all use of social media. Boy, every leave we got and after we were done with her, we did… pretty much everything she told us NOT to do.” “And Mission Control did nothing?” asked Jeb. “It’s not like we haven’t tried,” said Neiling, shrugging her shoulders as a tennis ball flew by her face. “Hey, who’s playing microgravity golf in here?” “Sorry!” shouted a man from the adjacent module, floating past Neiling and Jeb to get his ball. “Dang it, it didn’t deflect off the wall the way I hoped.” “After she made us stand at attention IN ZERO GRAVITY,” said Neiling, surprising Jeb, “a few of the boys tried to get her to lighten up by sneaking alcohol in her coffee – like Barf Kerbson did to his teacher in that one episode of The Kerbsons. Unfortunately, that didn’t work either; she smelled it before she took the first sip.” “Man,” sighed Jeb. “So, before now, did you think Harriet really did do something stupid or did you think it was sabotage?” “Hmm… I knew Harriet wanted to go back to living like a real kerbal, but I didn’t think she would be THAT stupid,” answered Neiling. “I was actually surprised when Val blamed her death on sabotage after the crash; some of us expected her to say that Harriet really was texting and flying… but until now, I never knew why.” “Okay… can you think of any reason why anyone would want to kill Harriet?” asked Jeb. “Aside from having the least amount of demerit points of anyone in my cadre, nope,” said Neiling. “I’d go with the ‘Keeping her mouth shut,’ theory if I were you, but I don’t know why anyone would want to sabotage the moonjet. I mean… if all I wanted was Harriet dead, I’d just bash her in the had and just de-orbit the plane – without doing anything else – to make it look like she did it all herself. I don’t know what the drill has to do with it?” “79 was just the warm-up act; 314 was the MAIN EVENT,” explained Jeb. “Main event?” questioned Neiling. “How so?” “You know about the cadet who died here recently?” asked Jeb, and Neiling nodded. “She was POISONED for good measure, should she and I BAIL OUT of 314.” “Why sabotage the jet if you’ve already poisoned her?” “To blame her death ON ME,” said Jeb, “or at least make it look like a simple crash death and not a planned hit.” “Someone tried to kill Agaden?” gasped Neiling. “Why?” “I don’t know, but whoever it was did a good job at covering his or her tracks,” said Jeb. “Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to murder a cadet?” “I’d say EXTREME cutthroat competition, but that usually comes from other cadets DURING the training phase; the die is cast AFTER,” suggested Neiling. “Other than that, I’d say the usual: passion, money, revenge, or silencing.” “Maybe someone on Laythe took a life insurance policy on Agaden,” suggested Jeb, and Neiling laughed. “What’s so funny?” “Since when are cadets named on life insurance policies?” she explained. “Even if there was a policy on Agaden, most insurance companies won’t pay up on MURDER VICTIMS until the killer gets caught.” “How do you know so much about insurance policies?” “I have a sister who works at Planetwide.” “Uh… thanks,” said Jeb. “Hey, here’s an idea: you get your sister to check if there was a policy on Agaden.” “I can try, but odds are you’ll get nothing,” warned Neiling. “Like I said, cadets may not have life insurance policies. Even if there was one on Agaden, there’s no guarantee she took it through Planetwide… and I don’t about their confidentiality rules if she did.” “Okay, Plan B: get Val to dig it up for me.” “Or just do it yourself. If Agaden was your student, you can see her cadet file; hence all associated insurance policies, like medical, dental, and liability.” “Great, thanks,” said Jeb, shaking her hand again before getting in his one-man pod. “Station airlock depressurized,” said a man on the pod’s radio. “You are clear for undocking.” “Roger that,” said Jeb as he released the docking port. “You have 1,460 meters per second of delta-V,” MJ told Jeb. “Just shut up and land me near Frosty Base,” Jeb sighed. “At once, sir.” Jeb had received numerous complaints about him landing kilometers away from the nearest fuel truck. As a result, Commander Gustov ordered him to use MJ for more precise landings. Though it upset Jeb, as he believed the autopilot to be a threat to his autonomy, he was relieved he only needed to use it for the landings. “Commander Gustov,” said Jeb on the radio. “How was your talk with Neiling?” asked Gustov. “Interesting,” answered Jeb. “Could you get me Agaden’s file when I land, please.” “Sure, if you do one thing for me.” “What is it?” “Get Bill out of his quarters,” explained Gustov. “He’s been in there for days now.” “He’d better be sick or dead in there, I kid you not,” quoted Jeb. “Good one,” laughed Gustov. “Initiating de-orbit burn,” interrupted MJ. “Please secure your restraining harness.” “Good to know you’re using MJ,” said Gustov. “Later.” It was a few minutes after Gustov hung up when Jeb’s lander smoothly touched Eeloo’s surface. A fuel truck – which was parked 200 meters away – arrived to refuel the lander and take Jeb back to base. Gustov was waiting for him at the main airlock. “You have a nice flight?” “Yes,” said Jeb. “I emailed Agaden’s file to you,” said Gustov. “Any idea what Bill would be doing in his quarters?” “I dunno, he spends a lot of his time either in workshops or around spacecraft,” said Jeb as he and Gustov started walking. “Did you at least send the doctor over?” “I already tried that, but Dr. Marie said that his door was locked,” answered Gustov. “Can you think of any reasons why he would lock himself in his room for days in a row?” “Nope,” said Jeb, then he knocked on Bill’s door. “Dude, it’s Jeb. Would you mind letting me in?” No answer. “Maybe he went to the bathroom and forgot to lock it this time.” Luckily, the door was unlocked – and Jeb and Gustov saw a passed-out Bill holding a partially-empty coffee mug laying near colorful stacks of paper. “Whoa, I didn’t know Bill liked to paint.” “They’re not paintings, they’re porkchop selection charts,” realized Gustov. “Then he’s a terrible artist, since they look NOTHING LIKE pigs,” wondered Jeb. “It’s not art, it’s MATH,” explained Gustov. “Hey, Bill. WAKE UP!” “Whoa… ejection delta-V,” stammered Bill, almost spilling his coffee. “What the heck’s going on here?” asked Gustov. “You’ve been AWOL for days, and THIS is what you’re doing?” “I didn’t think you’d skip out to try a math-heavy work of art,” suggested Jeb. “It’s NOT art,” argued Bill. “I’m trying to figure out how to get to Dres.” “Bill, you could just use a computer and get a porkchop selection in… ten seconds,” reminded Gustov. “Why spend days doing it by hand?” “Yeah, even MJ can do it faster than you,” agreed Jeb. “Probably… one of the only good parts about it.” “Don’t count on it,” warned Bill. “With all the crazy things going on, I wouldn’t be surprised if our hacker messed up the porkchop generators. “Just what exactly were you doing?” wondered Jeb. “YOU AND I can leave for Dres in less than two years with no problems and delta-V to spare,” said Bill, showing Jeb and Gustov another chart. “As for Bob and Val, THEIR transfer window to Dres opens in 12 years. HOWEVER, provided they’re willing to extend their transit time, they can leave Jool in LESS THAN A YEAR and make it to Dres before WE do.” “They’ll have delta-V to apare, right?” asked Gustov. “It should take Val and Bob less than 3,000 meters per second total.” “Here, let me help,” offered Gustov, turning on his kPad and looked for a porkchop selection chart. “Hey, what do you know, you’re right about OUR departure. Now, let’s see if you’re right about Jool.” There was 30 seconds of silence before he spoke again. “Huh… nice work.” “You might wanna screenshot those before they get messed up,” suggested Bill. “Great, if you go to see the doctor,” replied Gustov. “At once, sir.”

Who do you think is the killer, then? What is his/her motive?

STARDATE: Y9-D285-3H30M The bad news is that there's still no sign of the Minmus mini-bus, and Hopper 1 was found destroyed at Kerbin's north pole. The good news is that Levi has been found alive. He said that he took a nap after Reid called him; when he woke up, he was no longer on Minmus. He tried to radio for help, but nothing. Mission Control didn't believe him at first and assumed he took the jet for a joyride and got over his head - more pilots than I can count have done it - until it was discovered that some vandals broke into the control room at the time of the takeoff and decided to prank Levi. The three punks have admitted to hacking Hopper 1's remote controls and blasting it off. They claim they didn't want to hurt anyone, adding that "By the time he wakes up from his nap, he should know what to do." HOWEVER, they deny knowing anything about the mini-bus. After the vandals were charged, Mission Control sent our first Eeloo fleet into parking orbit around Kerbin. These parts include: 1 fuel truck - same design as the Moho truck 1 ore transport Parts 1 and 2 of Hades Station Basically the same thing as Moho Station. On an even better note, after about 64 days, Hopper 2 is fully gassed up and ready to fly. In terms of dV, it has: Nuclear engine only - 4452 m/s Nuclear engine and RAPIERs - 4817 m/s RAPIERs only - 401 m/s Between the nuclear engine only and ALL THREE, which one should I pick to have the most dV. I know that all three has the highest number, but won't it drop faster than it should? Some of my crew suggested that we send a hopper to Eve since conventional spacecraft wouldn't work when it comes to getting off; Chyna mentioned "Unconventional problems call for unconventional solutions." Though Bruce and Kyle think it may not work, it's worth giving it a shot. I filed a request to Mission Control to send a hopper to Eve so it can at least test the landing and ascent. If all goes well, then we can either land it again, destroy it, or send another one for standby If we have delta-V to spare, but don't have enough to make it back to Kerbin, we could send it to Gilly to refuel. The hopper has no docking capabilities whatsoever. It should at least be able to rendezvous with a mother ship close enough for crewmembers to EVA out one-by-one.

STARDATE: Y9-D243-3H45M I had just woken up when everyone got this. Apparently, we're supposed to keep our eyes open for an SSTO that's supposed to be on Minmus; and a missing engineer, AND a mini-bus (how does one steal a mini-bus unnoticed)? Details below: !! KERBAL CRIME ALERT !! Possible crimes committed - details attached KIDNAPPING (OR DESERTION) Subject: Levi Sex: M Age: 21 Specialty: Engineer Level: 5 Last seen: Minmus Last seen inside Hopper 1 at the Minmus Airport Site Reid called him from the base at 0H23M for refueling progress --> claimed that plane was up to 2043 m/s of dV now Clayton then went on EVA at 0H30m, but saw Levi's plane was gone All attempts to communicate with Levi have failed EVA transponder not working, either Phone going straight to voicemail Emergency emails sent since 0H45M unopened Attached with automatic "read receipts" in case someone goes missing. GRAND THEFT ROVER Mini-bus parked next to the Minmus Airport base is gone. Surprisingly, no tracks were found at the scene Suggests deliberate effort to conceal it. KSC lost contact with it at the same time it lost Hopper 1 REMINDER: It can be remote-controlled SSTO HIJACKING Hopper 1's transponder is dead --> no sign of it. Has remote-control capability Previous occupant: Levi Did he steal it, or was it remotely hijacked IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, CONTACT KSC IMMEDIATELY * seriously. In my sandbox save, those items vanished without a trace (not even debris). Levi is also marked MIA.

STARDATE: Y9-D228-4H15M Man, this is awesome. This is like a relaxing vacation in Florida, only we're in orbit 150 kilometers above Duna's surface. Since we've been given permission to cancel ore collection operations - and since we don't have a science lab, we've been up here doing the following: Working out Chyna and I made many dates out of it. We even went outside and danced in microgravity (in our EVA suits, of course) Charging our chloroplasts Napping Reading Chapter 9 just came out. I agree with Bill that Danlong was involved in the Moonjet hacking - both 79 and 314 My gut also tells me that Val has something to hide. Did she commit murder, or is she covering for someone else? What do you think? Playing games Emailing our buddies back home and on Dres Meanwhile, operations are underway to establish an airport on Minmus' flatlands. More specifically, we're reserving a spot of land where self-mining SSTOs can rest and refuel until they are ready to go interplanetary. We're also putting a base there for the crews to bunk until takeoff; good thing too, since those planes take forever to refuel. The best part is that Michael finally changed his mind about not going up to Minmus again when he was offered command of the airport operations. He agreed to go on one condition: he's not alone when he gets there. Orbital shot of the airport. Reid and Elora and their plane are on the left, while Michael and the base are in the middle-right. I know Mission Control already has the crew roster, but so I can remember in case I need to know where they are. MINMUS AIRPORT CREW ASSIGNMENTS Base Jet 1 Jet 2 (awaiting landing coordinates) Michael Brandon Clayton Vicky Shreya Alex Rachel Amanda Tyler Reid Elora Levi Abdul Raven Lexi There's also a mini-bus nearby that can drive up to five people. After Jet 2 lands, the base will pretty much will be up to full capacity (unless two engineers stay in their jets to monitor refueling). We also learned that Adam got stranded in Kerbol orbit while test-flying an SSTO. Apparently, the Mun slingshot him out of Kerbin's sphere of influence. Fortunately, it had enough fuel to make a fine-tune burn to get caught in Kerbin's sphere of influence. However, it doesn't have enough to establish a stable parking orbit. Looks like he'll have to crash the jet and bail out after he enters the atmosphere. Our space program has a nasty habit of stranding people. We really have to stop it before someone dies.

CHAPTER NINE: DISORDER ON DRES “FORCED to?” gasped Bob. “How?” “It was Val,” sobbed Irpond. “I don’t think so,” Bob disagreed. “I was videochatting with her when Wally’s battery died.” “She threatened my mother,” explained Irpond, holding on to Bob. “She said that if I didn’t do what she told me, she had friends back on Kerbin that would kill her.” “That… doesn’t make sense,” sighed Bob. “We have spare RTGs buried under the surface, why steal Wally’s?” “Val said that Wally got in the way,” said Irpond. “I don’t know why, but she was very specific.” “Well… now that you mention it,” started Bob, “I did plan on sneaking him into the Clivar battle site. However, the only other person I told was… Sheri.” “Don’t you see?” said Irpond. “Val must have TORTURED Sheri before she killed her; that’s how she knew about Wally.” “Do you know why she had YOU steal the RTG and not someone else?” questioned Bob. “It… was probably because she knew Wally would recognize me and try to hit me,” realized Irpond. “Why you? Why did she threaten your mom?” “I never told you my mom’s name, did I?” said Irpond. “Her name is Misty Kerman; she used to work as a scientist in the program’s early days.” “Misty Kerman…,” said Bob. “That name rings a bell, but I can’t remember from where.” “She lived in Woomerang,” started Irpond, taking out her kPad. “Before I was born, she was accused of killing an engineer named Debra. Even though the courts figured out she was framed, people still treated our family like criminals.” Bob then read the headline. JEALOUS SCIENTIST ACQUITTED “Jealous?” wondered Bob. “Why was she jealous?” “The cops said that she was jealous of Debra having the man SHE wanted,” explained Irpond. “That man… is my father.” “So… Debra dies, Misty’s acquitted, marries that guy, and they have you,” Bob figured out. “You got it,” said Irpond. “I still don’t see why Val would pick YOUR MOM as a target,” said Bob. “Mom has been involved in MANY scandals since,” started Irpond. “A big one was when she… shot Dad. Even though the cops figured out it was self-defense… some people STILL disrespect her… especially in Woomerang.” “Hey, I remember where I heard Misty’s name before,” announced Bob. “You do?” “Yeah, my parents told me never to go near ‘Misty’s House’ when I was a kid,” explained Bob. “They said the house was haunted, but I didn’t believe it; like ‘life-threatening pathogens’ was any better.” “Huh… did you ever try to go near it?” asked Irpond. “My little brother and I tried once, but we chickened out before we even got on the porch,” said Bob. “Years later, in eighth-grade, Bill – who was in tenth-grade at the time – built a suborbital rocket for his toy spy car to get him a visual.” “Wait… you’re the one who set my house on fire, aren’t you?” realized Irpond. “It wasn’t me,” said Bob. “Bill said that… uh oh.” “What is it?” “Bill said that he lost contact as he was re-entering Kerbin’s atmosphere,” started Bob. “Theoretically, Bill did NOT account for the extreme temperatures and aerodynamic forces associated with re-entry. The intense air resistance broke off the antenna, cutting off Bill and causing the rocket to lose control. At the same time, the debris caught fire during re-entry and was still hot by the time it entered the lower atmosphere. As a result, the hot debris crashed into your house and ignited with something flammable… starting the house fire.” “So… it was an ACCIDENT?” gasped Irpond. “Seems like it. I hope everyone was okay,” said Bob. “Nobody got hurt,” said Irpond. “Thank you for explaining the craters in the walls.” “I didn’t think Bill had anything to do with it… and neither did he,” added Bob. “I mean, I called him after I heard about the fire… but he told me he lost control mid-flight. He then mailed me a disc, showing me proof that he couldn’t have done anything about it. I thought it landed in the ocean or some clearing.” “Anyway, Val threatened to not only have her friends kill Mom, but to make it look like either suicide or self-defense,” continued Irpond. “Not only that… she threatened to frame Mom for murder for good measure.” “Val would NEVER do such a thing!” shouted Bob. “Wouldn’t she?” interrupted Irpond. “There’s a big cover-up going on here, and Victor’s at the center of it… and where he is, his LITTLE SISTER is close by.” “No… it’s not true,” gasped Bob. “Use your head, Bob,” said Irpond. “You know it’s all true; everything fits perfectly.” Bob then took out his kPad after it buzzed. “Sorry, it’s Bill,” said Bob. “I gotta take this.” “I’ll leave you alone,” said Irpond. “I gotta… fix the relay.” She left Bob alone as he walked to his quarters and unlocked the kPad. Bill @Bob, @Val, you there? Jeb Relax, @Bill. It takes a while for the signal to travel, and they may be busy. Bob I’m back, @Val’s not Jeb What happened to her? Bob She got drunk and is now in sick bay. Bill Drunk? Why? Bob I dunno. Anyway, what did you want to tell us? Bill Anyone know anything about Moonjet 79 (Dres)? Bob Nope. Jeb How could I forget? @Val always complained that something was off. Bob What you mean? Jeb The pilot was a student of hers. Bill Wait, @Jeb, you know about the Moonjet 79 crash? Jeb Yes, the pilot was texting and flying – Val INSISTED it was foul play, though. Bob @Jeb, don’t you do that? Jeb Only when I’m waiting for my burn WHILE IN ORBIT – or when MJ steals my job. Bill Val may have been on to something. Bob Moonjet 79 was hacked when it crashed? Bill Seems like it – the probe core and black box were destroyed, but several witnesses and probes took pictures. Jeb Nah, I’m pretty sure the pilot was texting WHILE she was flying. Bill So, we think. The on-board engineer claimed someone hit her over the head from behind; the next thing she knew, she was in sick bay. There were also bruises on her and the pilot – the doctor couldn’t tell if it was BEFORE or DURING the crash. Bob Before? Bill If it was sustained during, big deal. If BEFORE, then one of them is a SABOTEUR. Jeb Are you sure? That pilot wasn’t even in an EVA suit when she died. I mean, I may be crazy – but I am not THAT stupid. Bill @Jeb, was the EVA suit dispenser working when you crashed? Jeb Yeah, why? Bob Back up, WHAT happened? Bill Harriet (pilot) – DOA (no EVA suit) Alva (engineer) – in coma (EVA suit – survived) Danlong (scientist) – unharmed (EVA suit) Witnesses took pictures of a drill sticking out and moonjet losing control Bob How did Harriet not get an EVA suit? Did the dispenser jam? Bill Hard to tell with what was left of it. Bob Maybe that was sabotaged Bill Highly unlikely - With a code that long, any alteration will require countless follow-up adjustments – which may require another test run (and no “accidents” like that since – until Jeb’s crash) - If the dispenser WAS hacked, odds are all three of them would have died (unless they brought their own EVA suits with them) à same case if it was mechanical sabotage - Danlong’s and Alva’s suits were fine when rescue crews arrived. - None of the survivors mentioned anything wrong with the dispenser Jeb They checked the pilot’s kPad - she was definitely texting. Bill While it was crashing? How could she not notice? Jeb She probably got complacent and used MJ. Bill Then how do you explain the bruises found only on two of them (one dead, the other in a coma)? - The third came out okay Jeb Like you said, they could have also gotten them DURING the crash. Bill Or BEFORE, but yeah. Then how do you explain only two people getting EVA suits? Jeb Maybe they forgot to install the suits before taking off. Bill No, they didn’t. The accident report came with a pre-flight checklist – 6/6 self-assembling EVA suits loaded in the dispenser. And JEB’S was working fine, FYI – and program alterations are risky. Even one small overlook can cause the whole thing to not work. Bob But Jeb and Agaden weren’t on that jet. Bill Unfortunately, without the virus that affected Moonjet 79, I can’t exactly say what the differences are – or who was targeted. It’s more likely that the name and ID numbers were changed in the “targeting” code – nothing major (not like the code for a suit dispenser) Bob I’m guessing it was the engineer – she should have known how to fix the moonjet in case something went wrong. It also gives her the knowledge to sabotage it She then knocked HERSELF out to throw off the investigators. Bill I’m leaning towards Danlong (scientist). - If it was Alva, then who slugged Harriet – and why did Danlong not even mention a fight in her report? - Alva said she couldn’t remember who or what knocked her out? - I find it hard to believe that even a dumb pilot would text and fly while THAT many things went wrong. Jeb Yeah, even the alarms were working in my crash. Bob Maybe Alva attacked Harriet, but Danlong fought back and tried to get everyone out. Bill You bring an interesting point, @Bob. Then again, why didn’t Harriet get an EVA suit? Bob Maybe it was that blow to the head that killed her. Bill Her autopsy said that space killed her – but you’re probably right. Danlong probably thought that blow was fatal, then fought back when Alva tried to kill her. But why bother saving Alva, or even not disclosing the crime? Jeb Danlong has some serious explaining to do. Bob So does @Val. Jeb Why her? Bob Because, @Jeb, you said that Harriet was Val’s student once. She probably knows something about WHY she was killed - My gut says that Harriet was the intended target (why else didn’t she get a suit)? Bill, DM me. Jeb If 79 was only a test run, 314 was the main event – that virus was sent to Bill-and-I-know-who from Laythe, and he had no idea it was meant to kill her (same case for the poison) Bill As soon as @Val sobers up, ask her to use her high-level clearance to see if Danlong or Alva are on Laythe (or at least were at the time of AGADEN’S death). If so, then we probably found Agaden’s killer – and Gus and Linus’ blackmailer. Bob made a mental note to approach Val after she was sober – which would be in a few hours. Then again, he thought that Val would be less capable of lying while she was still drunk. She may still be incoherent and her mind fuzzy, but that would inhibit her ability to concoct a convincing cover story right on the spot. “I’ll definitely wait until she’s sober to talk about the student,” thought Bob, “but… everything else?” He then got a text from Bill. Why’d you want me to DM you? Remember that time in 8th grade (you were in 10th grade at the time) you launched a rocket at Woomerang to spy on Misty Kerman’s house. Sorry, but I don’t know any Misty Kerman. She owned that “Forbidden House” everyone talked about – you called me once about it after you stopped by my school to test a rocket booster. Oh, now I do. You also accused me of setting a house on fire. Because your rocket DID start a fire. How? I lost contact with the rocket during re-entry, so odds are it missed the target completely. A seminar with Werner – who came by to visit Baikerbanur soon after that – made me realize that my payload broke apart and was most likely disintegrated during re-entry - Pieces of my rocket were also found IN THE OCEAN months later. Some of your pieces survived and hit the target How do you know that? Misty’s daughter works here – she described craters on the wall when it burned up. - Most likely caused by debris that was still hot when entering the lower atmosphere. I KILLED MISTY? You killed nobody. Looked up the fire on Oogle – you were right. Misty Kerman and her daughter were out at the time – but didn’t see anything. They probably arrived some time after the debris hit. That’s weird, because the fire department pinned it on a faulty furnace (why did she even have a man-sized furnace anyway?) It also took you 21 years to figure out I caused it? I thought it was a bad furnace too, until Irpond told me about the craters just now. Why didn’t they find the craters THEN? They were looking for clues on the floor or lower walls – not rocket debris. Come to think of it, it’s also possible that the debris triggered an ALREADY-MALFUNCTIONING furnace and caused IT to burn the house down. Irpond is Misty’s daughter, right? Yes. There’s something else. What? I have strong reason to believe that Val’s a murderer – and Wenpont was FRAMED. - Sheri’s killer is a woman – and Val had more than enough motive to kill her. - She had access to the Zeus’ emergency systems before the asteroid hit – and her big brother’s on Laythe. - She and I frequently visit each other’s quarters – it’s possible she got my combination. - She forced Irpond to steal an RTG – WALLY’S. NO WAY! I’ve known her since elementary school. You did; I never met her until Basic Why would Val commit multiple murders? Or even want to steal Wally’s RTG? I personally designed the crates for the spare RTGs on Laythe – she could have just stolen one of them. To protect her brother’s secret – that he committed mass murder. - Sheri and I were investigating before she died. - I planned to sneak Wally into the Clivar battle site. - Wenpont was on my side – Val must have framed her to get one more person off her back (and turn me against Wenpont) - The Zeus was probably to throw us off – and Val had her brother pilot the asteroid while she evacuated. Is that why you wanted DM? You don’t want Val to see this? Yes – and to talk about the rocket incident. Can you hack into her KSP account and get the personnel files? Why do you want ME to do it? Right now, I don’t know who to trust on Laythe. I can try, but odds are I’ll get flagged and stopped. If the SOI IP address is different from her assigned location, then Mission Control will find that suspicious. - E.g. “How did Val log on from Eeloo while she’s supposed to be in Jool?” - Either she’s AWOL or someone hacked her. On second thought, maybe I can try and talk her into giving it to me. At least I can log on from Laythe. How are you gonna do that? Simple: ask her while she’s still drunk. She won’t even remember we talked. Still have no idea WHY was she drunk? Still no idea. Okay. What are we gonna do about the fire that I caused? You could email Misty and tell her it was an accident – you didn’t intent to cause any damage Actually, if all went well, I would have crashed through her ceiling window and deployed the recon car after landing. - Not that it matters now. Besides, unless Misty’s an active-duty kerbalnaut, I can’t get her email address. I’ll get it for you – and I’ll try Val’s password, too. Bob then switched off his kPad and ran out of his bunk. “Irpond, you there?” “Yeah,” she answered, getting off her own kPad. “What’s up?” “Can you get me your mom’s email address, please?” he asked. “Why do you want it?” she questioned curiously. “My friend wants to apologize for any damage his faulty rocket may have caused,” explained Bob. “Wait, he’s waiting UNTIL NOW to apologize?” “We BOTH thought it was a faulty furnace until you told me about the craters in the wall,” said Bob. “Plus, Bill thought the remains of his rocket ended up in the ocean; some parts of it were found there months later.” “Mom thought it was an angry mob, but the cops didn’t think it was arson,” commented Irpond. “Apparently, it was neither; it was just a HEAVILY FLAWED rocket.” “I dunno why the cops didn’t see the craters either,” sighed Bob. “[email protected],” said Irpond. “That’s mom’s email.” “Okay,” said Bob as he wrote it down on his kPad. “Hang on… didn’t you say that your mom was in KSP?” “Yes, but she’s retired,” explained Irpond. “Whatcha gonna do now?” “Trick Val into giving me her password,” said Bob. “No way,” gasped Irpond. “Why?” “If she IS guilty of the Laythe crimes, I want the evidence to nail her,” started Bob. “Also, we need to know where Moonjet 79’s survivors are right now.” “Moonjet 79?” said Irpond. “Why do you want THAT? I’m pretty sure Harriet was texting while flying.” “Yeah, well, Bill thinks it was sabotaged,” started Bob. “Also, Jeb said that Val told him that Harriet was a student of hers; maybe she crossed paths with the killer.” “Okay, so how are you gonna get the password out of Val?” “Simple, talk to her while she’s drunk,” answered Bob. “Depending on what she ate and how much she drank, we only have a few hours before she’s sober enough to keep her mouth shut.” “Why bother when I can access Val’s account RIGHT NOW?” bragged Irpond. “Wait, you know Val’s password?” “Password, phhbt,” scoffed Irpond. “I can get us in her account and find what you want.” “Wait, but… I don’t feel right about this,” sighed Bob. “Please, you’re going to ask A DRUNK WOMAN for her password – and that woman committed murder, just like her brother,” said Irpond. “If you ask me… hacking is nothing compared to all that.” “You make a compelling argument,” said Bob as he got another idea. “I’m still gonna talk to her.” “About what?” “Maybe she knows something about Harriet that’s not on record AND wouldn’t tell while sober,” explained Bob as he headed over to sick bay. “Halt,” ordered a guard. “Identification, please.” “Bob Kerman,” said Bob. “I’d like to speak with Admiral Val, please.” “Hang on,” said a guard, verifying Bob’s identity with his kPad. “Lucky you, you’re a designated friend; proceed.” “Designated friend?” wondered Bob. “Hey, we can’t just let any visitor in here – especially if the patient is a high-ranking kerbalnaut,” explained the guard. “I mean, DON’T tell me you didn’t fill that out too.” “Whatever,” said Bob as he approached Val’s bedside. “Hey, Val.” “Hey, Bill,” replied Val. “Bill?” wondered Bob. “Bill’s on…,” he stopped himself when he got another idea. “on duty to make sure YOU’RE okay.” “Wanna hear a secret?” slurred Val. “Okay… whatever,” said Bob, hoping it would be something juicy. “I’ve had a crush on you since high school,” confessed Val. “Weird,” said Bob, “I thought you liked Jeb.” “Jeb, PUL-LEASE!” sighed Val. “If I ever married THAT hunk, I’d die from a plane crash within a week.” “Okay, so you had a crush on Bill… I mean me,” said Bob, remembering that he was still pretending to be Bill while Val was intoxicated. “So… lovely lady,” he started, trying to sound smooth – Val giggled, “what’s a firey soul like you doing in a cold place like this?” “The drunk said I was guards,” answered Val. “She is,” commented Dr. Melinda. “Her BAC is 0.12.” “Hey, a…least I drivent did,” replied Val. “How’d you even get alcohol anyway?” wondered Bob. “The high-ranking personnel bring it for special occasions,” explained Dr. Melinda. “I’ve gotten too many of those while stationed here.” “I hope to heaven Jeb didn’t get any,” said Bob. “Anyway, Val, try to remember a student of yours.” “Could you be specific?” requested Val. “I have A LOT of kids… students.” “Just one, Harriet Kerman,” said Bob, activating the voice recording app. “She died in a moonjet crash a long time ago, but you said that… uh oh.” Bob quickly picked up a bucket as Val threw up. “You said that her jet was sabotaged, and that she DID NOT text and fly.” “This may take a minute,” said Val. “My head’s a little fuzzy.” “Maybe this was a bad idea,” sighed Bob. “Ah, yes,” said Val. “Harriet was SUPER-focused… had a father who died in a plane crash.” “Where was the crash?” “I dunno, but I think it was… NOT off Kerbin,” recalled Val. “She never once texted or used Chirper while she flew. Heck, I even got her off Photogram when I saw her model… hang on, bucket please.” Bob quickly caught Val’s vomit in the bucket before she continued. “And I thought MALE catets were stupid.” “Note to self: don’t tell Jeb about her Photogram,” said Bob. “Any reason why you think she was murdered?” “Insurance fraud, DUH,” sighed Val. “I seriously doubt that,” started Bob, “but still a good idea to check Harriet’s life insurance policy and our program insurance policy for off-planet moonjets.” “Hang on, that’s not right,” said Val. “Someone got jealous and SHOT HER DOWN!” “It wasn’t shot down,” said Bob, then Val tugged his uniform. “Kiss me, Bill Kerman,” Val told him. “You may not get another chance.” “Come on, come on,” said Bob, but his lips were already touching Val’s. “Man, I’m so telling Bill… I mean… I got another one ready.” “You do?!” gasped Val in drunken excitement. “GIVE IT TO ME!” “But first, you gotta give me something,” smirked Bob, his eyebrows going up and down. “I’m all yours.” “I just need the password to your KSP account,” said Bob. “The one with the high clearance and everything.” “Why, Bill? But… it’s MY password.” “You’re gonna be stuck in here for a while, and we need to find a killer FAST.” “A killer?” gasped Val, getting behind Bob. “Protect me with your life, my love.” “I can’t wait until you’re sober again,” sighed Bob. “Password, please?” Val sighed. “Wolverines suck, with one z, all caps.” “HEY! Our football team’s been UNDEFEATED for four years straight now,” replied Bob, but Val grabbed his shirt again. “You got what you wanted, sweetie… now PAY UP.” “Fine,” said Bob, trying to imagine Val as Sheri. Even though she was dead, he still felt guilty about kissing Val. “Man, you are such a good kisser,” commented Val after 30 seconds. “Where did you get so good?” “Sheri,” sighed Bob. “Sheri? I thought she was girl’s Bob-friend,” said Val. “Uh… Bob and Sheri broke up for a bit,” lied Bob. “She then got back together with Bob before I was sent to Duna.” “Please, tell me somethin’,” said Val. “Who was your crush in Baikerbanur?” “First, you gotta tell me something,” said Bob. “Ooh, playin’ hard-to-get,” said Val. “You’re on.” “Did you kill Sheri Kerman?” Bob hoped that the answer was no, but he wanted the truth immediately. Val then leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. “I did… NOT.” “Oh, then were were you about… 30 days ago?” “How should I know, it was a long time ago.” “Uh… thank you,” said Bob. “I had a crush on…,” Bob tried to think of a convincing name and get out of sick bay as soon as possible. “Sally.” It was the name of a physics student he dated in Woomerang before Basic Training. “Ha ha, of course you would,” said Val. “You were SUCH a nerd back in high school.” “Eh, how did you know Sally?” asked Bob. “She was in Woomerang.” “She was in my ladies cadre during Basic,” explained Val. “I was the first woman to make it to space and live to tell about it – ME!” “Eh… okay,” said Bob. “Well, I got… engineering stuff to do. So, you stay here and obey the doctor’s orders to lower your BAC.” “Call me!” said Val as Bob departed sick bay. “How’d it go?” asked Irpond. “Perfect,” said Bob. “Anywhere we can get some privacy?” “Try my room, Val’s probably bugged YOURS,” suggested Irpond, and the two of them headed to Irpond’s room. “Neat,” complimented Bob as Irpond locked the door. “So, I got Val’s password.” He then asked Irpond to log out of her own KSP account and onto Val’s using the password he gave her. WOLVERINEZUCK “Wolverine Zuck?” wondered Irpond. “No, it’s supposed to be Wolverines Suck,” explained Bob. “The irony is that the Badgers have been sucking WORSE lately.” “Welcome, Queen Val,” a lady’s voice said as access was granted. “We’re in,” said Bob. “We’re in your account, Val,” bragged Irpond. “Warning: your account is currently being used by another device.” “You mean THIS device?” said Irpond, producing Val’s kPad. “You stole Val’s kPad.” “Technically, she dropped it. And we’re not stealing it, we’re PROTECTING it from an intoxicated owner.” “Good point,” said Bob. “Now, let’s see what we have here. Orders, missions, crew rosters… here we go. Personnel lookup.” “Who did you want to look up?” asked Irpond. “Harriet Kerman,” said Bob, and a file popped up with a picture of a female kerbal in a pilot’s uniform. Name (Last, First) Kerman, Harriet Sex F KSP ID 93473 Specialty Pilot Status K.I.A. Last Assignment Dres - Killed when Moonjet 79 crashed Last Training Officer Kerman, Valentina (Admiral) Pre-Basic Education Baikerbanur He then clicked on Harriet’s name, and found her date of birth and date of death – which coincided with the date of the Moonjet 79 crash. There were also links to Harriet’s transcripts, her psychological and physical screening reports, and her mission reports. Basically, he had access to everything Harriet did during, and some of before, her time in the Kerbal Space Program. “Awesome,” he gasped. “What now?” wondered Irpond. “We need to find out who would want to kill her and why,” explained Bob. “Even if Moonjet 79 was just a TEST RUN, why leave her to die?” “I think I can help with that,” offered Irpond. “To not leave any witnesses.” “Witnesses?” gasped Bob. “You mean that she was killed to KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT?” “Yes,” said Irpond. “You said it yourself, 79 was only REHEARSAL. If the pilot lived to tell about a MALFUNCTION, everyone will know it was hacked and then 314 would have flown just fine due to the countermeasures taken.” “If 79 was rehearsal, and 314 was the main event… 79 must have been a lucky chance, while 314 was picked SPECIFICALLY… which means our killer HAD A PARTNER,” concluded Bob. “But who?” asked Irpond. Bob then turned on his own kPad and looked back at his chat with his friends. “Can you look up Alva Kerman, please?” requested Bob. “Huh, it says here she’s an ex-pilot who got fired for freezing the runway and using it as an ice rink for the supersonic jets,” said Irpond, feeling confused. “That doesn’t sound right,” said Bob, looking at the personnel file. “It starts with an ‘A,’ not an ‘E.’” “My bad,” apologized Irpond, fixing her mistake. “A-L-V-A Kerman’s an engineer at the space center right now.” “Wait, she’s on Kerbin NOW?” gasped Bob. “She clocked in to her job at the SPH four hours ago,” added Irpond. “Look, they even logged her time card.” “Jeez, Val’s clearance ROCKS,” commented Bob. “Was Alva ever on Dres?” “Yes, she was,” answered Irpond. “She too was involved in the Moonjet 79 crash, but claimed she was… hit over the head.” “I know SHE didn’t hack Moonjet 314,” Bob said. “She’s most likely to know how to work the moonjets HERSELF, and she would not have enough time to get from Laythe to Kerbin right now.” “Laythe?” gasped Irpond. “The ‘orders’ to sabotage Moonjet 314 and kill that cadet,” explained Bob, “came from Laythe – THIS BASE, in fact.” “Oh, no,” said Irpond. “Even so, I’m open to the chance of MORE THAN ONE killer at work here,” continued Bob. “Now, let’s see what we got here. Alva Kerman was at Nye Academy before Basic, then she was sent to a new airport on the Mun.” “Ha ha,” chuckled Irpond. “How can you have an airport if there is no air?” Bob laughed with her. “I asked myself the same thing,” said Bob. “Turns out, her assignment coincides with when KSP made its first working SSTOs.” “The moonjets?” wondered Irpond. “No, those planes later used for orbital surveys above Kerbin, fly-bys of the Mun, and mainly flying through Duna,” explained Bob. “How do you know all that?” asked Irpond. “I rode in one of them,” said Bob, “when Sheri and I were on Duna. Plus, Bill and Val both have subscriptions to Spaceplane Monthly.” “Nice,” said Irpond. “Alva then flew back to Kerbin and worked at restoring the Island Airfield before she was sent to Dres,” continued Bob. “She stayed there for a few years… before she ended up in a coma from the Moonjet 79 crash. After she woke up, she filed a request for a reassignment back home.” “Hey, Bob, you got a text message,” said Irpond. “What does it say?” wondered Bob. “Danlong did it,” read Irpond. “Let me guess, BILL sent it,” said Bob, and Irpond nodded. “He thinks the scientist did it, but my money’s on the engineer.” “What makes you say that?” asked Irpond, fluffing her hair. “Alva inspected Moonjet 79 the day it crashed,” started Bob, showing Irpond a detailed job list. “As she also got in-transit training on how to deal with moonjets, she knows the ins and outs of how to sabotage it.” “You got another message,” said Irpond, then Bob unlocked his kPad for her. Did you get Val’s password WOLVERINEZUCK Nice. Here are the reasons why I think Danlong is the killer - She didn’t mention any malfunctions or alarms going off in her report à Jeb’s crash DID. - She didn’t even mention a loss in cabin pressure, which happened in Jeb’s crash (and, most likely, hers). - She also could not explain how Alva got her bruise à she claimed Alva “passed out from panicking.” - Why did she make no effort to fix the jet’s trajectory? It was equipped with MJ if, by some unlucky chance, she didn’t know how to at least ADJUST HER PERIAPSIS (if she could) Bob still thinks it was Alva. Who are you? WHERE’S BOB?! >:( Irpond Kerman (F – engineer). Bob’s using Val’s account right now. Sorry. I don’t expect other people to answer Bob’s DM. His kPad sends a “Busy,” notification whenever he’s driving or working on his next science project. Plus, a whole bunch of crazy things have been going on around our solar system. Right now, I don’t know if I can even trust Val. Bob says that Alva “knew the ins and outs” of the moonjets before her assignment on Dres. Not the software; she was the mechanic. P(physical damage) >> P(bad software) - Which can lead to physical damage How do you know she wasn’t lying? 1) More people have died from the following than bad software: pilot stupidity, flawed designs, unmaintained/broken hardware, hard landings, botched takeoffs, et cetera 2) Even if a software malfunction occurs (they caused 1 in 45 moonjet incidents), it will most likely result in physical damage – THAT needs fixing. 3) Unless there’s a software engineer within the SOI, Mission Control will send precise instructions with corrected software. Also, she worked in Aerodynamics – the PHYSICAL aspect of planes Wait, how do you know her? I met her in an e-convention once – we’re subscribed to Spaceplane Monthly magazine “Huh, I think Bill’s right,” said Bob. “Alva’s training did NOT involve the software in the moonjet – just the physical nuts and bolts.” “I’ll tell him that,” said Irpond. “Also tell him Val has a crush on him,” added Bob. “Wait, Val has a crush on Bill?” asked Irpond. “Well… hard to tell since she was intoxicated,” confessed Bob. “Yet she was able to accurately give you her password,” said Irpond. “Ew, what’s that smell?” “I… had to kiss her to get her to talk,” answered Bob. “I pretended to be Bill when she mistook me for him.” “Oh,” said Irpond, resuming typing. “I think you’d better look up Danlong.” Bob says he thinks you’re right. Alva’s in-flight training was just “nuts and bolts.” No surprise. Usually, in-transit training for new vehicles does NOT involve extensive software – especially at the time she would have made it to Dres Where did she start from? Kerbin. Okay. Another thing: Val told Bob that she has a crush on you (not Bob, you). - And Bob pretended to be you to get her to talk à even kissed her One other thing: only Mission Control and the manufacturer can see the full operation code - Tell Bob to check for digital thefts that happened before the Moonjet 79 crash - Also a good time to see if Alva was involved with the manufacturers and/or the personnel that dealt with the moonjet operation software Don’t be surprised if you don’t find anything, though – I seriously think DANLONG did it. Bob thinks that the saboteur on the jet WASN’T ALONE. You mean a partner-in-crime? Yes. I was thinking the same thing. Assuming Danlong is not a whiz with computer hacking, somebody else must have asked her to review her virus’ performance from the inside (everyone else kinda did the outside) Any of them on Laythe now? So far: - Harriet’s dead - Alva’s on Kerbin - We haven’t looked up Danlong yet. If NONE of them are on Laythe, the saboteur DEFINITELY had a partner who IS. “Okay, Danlong Kerman,” Bob began. “A level five scientist from Woomerang – go Wolverines – who worked as an intern in Mission Control before getting a full-time job in R&D. She then… huh.” “What?” “It says on her file she then quit and worked in Baikerbanur at the police crime lab,” explained Bob. “After quitting THAT, she decided to enlist in Basic. She then went to Eve to make the explodium… less explosive and more propulsive. She was later sent to Dres, and… she’s STILL THERE.” “Drat, NONE of them are on Laythe,” sighed Irpond. “But their cohort IS,” said Bob. “We’d better talk to that scientist.” “If she worked in a crime lab, she must know how to manipulate the evidence and cover her tracks,” added Irpond. “I’d better email base security.” “There is no security,” elaborated Bob. “Dres has been the lowest on the interplanetary colonization budget since we reached across our solar system. Heck, even Minmus is getting more cash than Dres.” “So, what now?” “We’d better go there ourselves and find out what went on,” said Bob. “Better talk it over with the guys first, since I’ll definitely need their help.” “But isn’t Val, like, in charge?” wondered Irpond. “Not until she’s sober, and even then Bill and Jeb are on another planet further away from Dres than we are,” explained Bob. “In the meantime, I’d better email Roger about Alva in case she knows… strange.” “What’s strange?” “Danlong was accused of extortion at least FIVE times after Basic,” started Bob, “but the complaints were soon dropped.” “I’d better tell Bill that,” said Irpond. “Also tell him NOT to tell Jeb that we broke into Val’s account,” added Bob. “Why, is he Val’s boyfriend?” wondered Irpond. “No, he’s terrible at keeping secrets,” answered Bob. “One time when Bill tried to test an SSTO prototype, Jeb said, and I quote, ‘Just so you know, I did NOT burn up the cockpit and cause the to crash into the ocean. I also DID NOT go full throttle when you said not to.’ I mean, COME ON!” Irpond laughed. “Only his rich dad could keep him in the program.” “The weird thing is Jeb doesn’t seem to appreciate it,” remarked Bob. “From what I hear, Jeb and his dad are estranged.” “What, estranged?” gasped Irpond. “Mom and I chat ALL THE TIME.” “It’s a miracle if they send one email EITHER WAY in a 60-day period,” sighed Bob. “My little brother’s in prison for illegal genetic experimentation, and even we write each other more often than Jeb and his dad.” “What was he doing?” asked Irpond. “Rob was experimenting with kerbal cloning,” explained Bob, and Irpond laughed. “What’s so funny?” “Bob and Rob,” she told him. “Bet your parents got the names mixed up A LOT.” “Last I heard, they’re working to get him released,” added Bob. “All Rob was going for was reducing the death rate for our testing crews.” “By making expendable substitutes?” “Exactly,” sighed Bob, shaking his fist. “If I see another one of those bureaucrats, I’m going to strap him to a supersonic plane flying full throttle.” “Ooh, burning him to death,” said Irpond. “Over 75 percent of SSTO-related deaths are directly linked to atmospheric overheating ALONE,” Bob mentioned. “Not only will our REAL pilots be safe and ready for other missions, but we won’t have NEARLY as many grieving friends and families. STUPID POLITICIANS!” *You’re right, something needs to be done about this ergregious breach of progress,” agreed Irpond. “Just as we need to get Danlong,” said Bob. “Can you check the Transfer Window Alarm Clock, please?” “Okay,” said Irpond. “It says the next Jool to Dres window opens in… 12 years.” “12 YEARS?!” gasped Bob. “We need to get there NOW!” “At the optimum position, it takes at least another six to get there,” added Irpond. “I think I’d rather get shot than live the rest of my life in transit trajectories,” commented Bob. “I hope Jeb and Bill have better luck.” “What makes you think they’ll get you to Dres before the next transfer window?” wondered Irpond. “Or, better yet, before Danlong tries to make a run for it?” “I’m more worried about the transfer window timing than Danlong fleeing,” said Bob. “It says here that she applied for permanent Dres residence… 307 days after the moonjet crash.” “Was it granted?” “Yes,” said Bob. “Now I gotta ask Val to do all this again.” “That’s SO lame,” said Irpond. “You already have her password, why not just tell her YOURSELF?” “Because I don’t want her to know I broke into her account,” explained Bob. “Even if she WAS guilty of murder, that just means I’m a terrible friend.” “Wait, what do you mean IF she’s guilty?” “I asked her if she killed Sheri, and she said no.” Irpond gasped in surprise. “And you believe her?” “She was honest about everything else, including her password,” started Bob. “Normally, she would take it to her grave even with Bill. Plus… she was singing – sometimes literally – while drunk.” “DANG IT!” cursed Irpond. “I… seriously thought it was her. I KNOW she’s hiding something.” “Something’s definitely hidden, but I don’t know if it’s VAL who’s doing the hiding,” said Bob. “Victor, definitely.” “So, what’s our next move?” asked Irpond. “It’ll be YEARS before we can go anywhere.” “Stop the search before we go too deep,” said Bob. “If we gather too much now, Val will know we used her clearance without permission.” “But everything we need is RIGHT THERE.” “Then what, freeze our butts off before the next time we can leave Jool’s sphere of influence?” argued Bob. “If we left now, we have two major issues: delta-V, and transit time.” “Well, we gotta find this killer before she strikes again.” “I can ask Mission Control to talk to Alva in case she knows something about Danlong or more about the crash,” suggested Bob. “We can also try to look for the killer here.” “Wait, are you talking about Sheri’s killer, the Zeus destroyer, or the moonjet hacker?” wondered Irpond. “Hopefully… all of them.

STARDATE: Y9-D194-4H30M Our request to end ore collection and conversion on Duna was granted. Since nobody would be using the lander for a while, there's no reason to refuel it up to full capacity at this time. Additionally, as Ike will be getting a fuel truck in over a year (but under a year and a half), ore collection operations should be easier for us. Hopefully, when Duna is replaced with Ike as our primary ore collector, we won't have to take a piece of ore and convert it for the delivery craft itself when it arrives. Takes a bit away from what the lander's getting. (2251 m/s of dV when loaded) - (630 m/s from Ike's surface to low Duna orbit) - (990 m/s from low Duna orbit to Ike's surface) = 631 m/s of dV left after one run Number's going to be higher after ore tanks are unloaded. Plus, we won't have to constantly send engineers to repack parachutes. I hear Reid and Elora are having a fun time on Minmus, while Levi (I said "Eli" earlier, but I was mistaken - their names sound the same) is making excellent progress refueling the jet; he's up to 1435 m/s of dV now. Reid also gave us great news that he's been deemed fit to go interplanetary now, so a crew rotation is kind of redundant now. Besides, Michael has made it clear he's never going to Minmus again. Looks like we have nothing to do but wait for our return window. There's also NO WAY we're leaving anyone stranded on Duna's surface... probably because everybody's back in the pod. After the Ike truck arrives, ore collection and refueling operations can be completely unmanned. Our lander should be fully gassed up by the time the next wave of explorers arrive. Reid's crew doesn't count. Why refuel in up in Duna orbit when your plane can get it from Duna itself? Besides, the plane is not docking-capable.

STARDATE: Y9-D180-0H00M All seven of us are back up to our pod, and now we're stuck doing ore runs until the next transfer window. That way the lander will be completely gassed up by the time the replacement crew gets here. Honestly, if we're not going to go down to the surface again, I don't thing we need to do anything major while waiting for our time to leave. On the other hand, after we leave Duna's SOI, we'll only have one chance to use the ore transport; nobody will be there to repack the chutes. Shot of me right before we lifted off to get back to the pod. You can barely see Ike at the night sky. Back at Mission Control, there's a debate on whether to take the Mk. I Duna SSTO (rover required) or the Mk. II (self-mining) to Duna. The Mk. II had 2,436 m/s of dV at approximately 140 km above Kerbin - after a close call with an unplanned aerobrake - and it successfully landed on Minmus and started refueling itself. It will take a very long time (I'm estimating over 100 days) to refill this plane completely, but at least we can do that if we have nothing better to do. Besides, Eli's staying behind and watching the drill and ISRU while Reid and Elora are out on their "extended leave." Great that he recovered, by the way. Once it's refilled, we shall either send the crew we already have there or put a lander with a replacement crew to get on the plane to Duna. If we decide to go with the Mk. II, that is. I also took the time to read some new chapters in "A Mystery Beyond Science." I hope Bill can find the moonjet hacker's first victim - and, essentially, the hacker himself - before he strikes again.

And it's going to get even more... twisted. CHAPTER EIGHT: FIRST VICTIM Two Eeloo days later, Bill was hitting the slopes with his new skis. Hadgan, his assigned pilot, was relieved to hear that it wasn’t actually Mission Control that plotted to kill Agaden. Bill asked him if he knew anyone on Laythe that would want Agaden dead, and Hadgan denied even knowing anyone on Laythe (except for Val). As soon as Hadgan landed the moonjet – which was working perfectly fine – an engineer in a mini-bus was waiting for him at the test site. While the engineer would stay in the jet and refuel it, Hadgan would drive Bill up the mountain and down alongside Bill when he skied. He repeated the process at least eight times before Hadgan decided to give it a try. “Man, it’s harder than it looks,” he commented as he got back in the rover. “No kidding,” remarked Bill. “Takes a lot of practice; I first learned on Kerbin.” “Why can’t you have Jeb do it?” “Because I didn’t bring any snowboards,” explained Bill, then he typed his observations on his kPad while Hadgan drove back. “Better dry these off before the melted ice freezes and causes potential problems to the skis’ structural integrity.” “Now that you tested your skis, what are you gonna do now?” asked Hadgan. “I’m glad you asked,” said Bill. “Besides looking for anybody who can ski, I’m going to find out where Agaden’s killer struck before.” “Before?” gasped Hadgan. “How do you know?” “Jeb and I believe that, since the moonjet virus was precise in its targeting and execution methods, this isn’t the first time the virus was used,” answered Bill. “You think someone tested it BEFORE?” wondered Hadgan, and Bill nodded. “Maybe that WAS the test run.” “Then why order the virus to activate when Agaden was on board?” retorted Bill. “Better yet, why also POISON the same person that the moonjet was targeting?” “Oh, so the main purpose was just to kill Agaden?” “Yep.” “I can’t believe it,” sighed Hadgan. “Agaden’s death… was MY fault.” “Hey, unless you’re a badass with computers – like me – there was no way in heck you could have known they weren’t actually Gus and Linus,” assured Bill. “In your mind, you were only following orders. You thought you were updating a moonjet and helping a depressed cadet; as they were the experts in their respective field, they seemed credible.” “Like that makes me feel any better,” said Hadgan sarcastically. “What do I tell her parents, that some psycho tricked me into killing their daughter?” “If you want to tell the truth, yes,” sighed Bill. “I don’t know about you pilots, but that’s what’d I’d do – as I am bound by the Engineers’ Code of Honor to speak the truth in its entirety.” “Yeah, I never got why you guys had them,” commented Hadgan. “I’ve heard of the Scientist’s Vow, the Engineers’ Code of Honor, but there’s no ‘Pilot’s Vow’ or anything.” “Probably because of too much rule-breaking from one Jebediah Kerman,” teased Bill, and Hadgan laughed. “Okay, how long before we arrive at the jet?” “ETA in five minutes,” said Hadgan, “but it’s not gonna be ready for another hour. Whatcha wanna do now?” “Look up accident reports,” sighed Bill. “Okay… and I’m in.” “Why do you wanna look up accident reports?” asked Hadgan. “Duh, to find where the moonjet virus first showed up.” “Oh, I thought you were doing research like what kind of rovers are likely to get themselves into orbit,” remarked Hadgan. “Okay, let’s see,” started Bill. ACCIDENT REPORT SEARCH Craft Type Moonjet Search back as far as All time Location Everywhere Casualties Unknown Liability Unknown Keywords · Rogue autopilot · Drill punctured cargo doors · Virus · Malfunction · Tried to kill me To his disappointment, nothing appeared in the results page; not even Jeb’s crash. Bill decided to widen his search parameters by removing the keywords, then his kPad displayed links to 207 moonjet accident reports. Since “Moonjet 314 (Destroyed) - Eeloo,” was the most recent accident, he knew he had to look through the reports one-by-one; he had nothing better to do while his ride back to base was refueling. “Okay, let’s see,” started Bill. “Jeb’s accident, everything happened just like he said; it’s got pictures from Hades Station, too. Now, to begin.” He tapped on the next accident report and looked through it carefully. “Six Kerbin days before Jeb’s crash, Moonjet 46 on Ike ran out of fuel and was forced to land using monopropellant.” He scrolled down to find pictures of Moonjet 46 after it landed. “Man, they did a number on the landing gear.” “What about the pilot, what’d he say?” wondered Hadgan. “Pilot claims that his first landing spot was based on faulty information; the ore concentration there was too low,” answered Bill. “Upon further investigation… the mechanics found a dead rat in the orbital ore scanner’s computer.” Bill didn’t believe it until he saw a picture of an astronaut pulling a frozen, shriveled rat’s corpse from inside the probe’s survey scanner. “How did a rat end up in an ore scanner?” asked Hadgan. “I’m pretty sure we put animals in LABS and not SATELLITES.” “An internal investigation proved that the Ike scanner was built at the same time the VAB had a rat infestation,” read Bill. “It’s very likely that one of the rats snuck into the probe while it was being built.” “Doesn’t exactly scream sabotage,” said Hadgan, and Bill agreed, “unless the rats PLANNED it?” “Then it was a dumb plan,” added Bill. “Anyway, here’s the next one. Moonjet 172 flew out of Gilly’s sphere of influence and the pilot repeatedly tried to get back. He ended up taking some damage landing; no surprise, considering Gilly’s extremely low gravity.” “No sabotage there,” sighed Hadgan. “More like bureaucratic negligence,” commented Bob. “You only need 30 meters per second of delta-V either way to go up OR down – that’s 60 in total – and all EVA suits have 600 meters per second of it.” “Try doing a rendezvous without MechJeb,” retorted Hadgan. “Good point, but I’m pretty sure integrating MechJeb into EVA suits will cost WAY less than sending manned craft up and down Gilly.” “Great idea,” said Hadgan, then Bill resumed reading the accident reports. He described each incident to Hadgan in case he had some useful input; so far, nothing that seemed to involve sabotage. “Report Number 38,” sighed Bill. “Moonjet 79 on Dres, crashed in the highlands. Pilot dead, engineer in a coma, scientist unharmed. Scientist claimed that the pilot was on Chirper while flying and the engineer was asleep. Her kPad was checked, and… uh oh.” “What do you mean uh oh?” wondered Hadgan. “The pilot WAS on Chirper right before the crash,” started Bill, “but witnesses on the ground claimed the moonjet was spinning out of control AT THE SAME TIME.” “Big deal, you’d be appalled how many dumb pilots we have here,” sighed Hadgan, “even with GREAT designs.” “Yeah, but how does one NOT notice their plane about to crash – even in microgravity?” countered Bill. “Maybe he just panicked,” suggested Hadgan. “All three occupants were WOMEN,” corrected Bill, “and though you bring up a good point, you’re still wrong.” He turned his kPad around to show Hadgan why. The screen displayed several pictures of the moonjet’s drill sticking out of the cargo doors while its engines were firing. Bill even showed Hadgan a time-lapse that the orbital scanner recorded of the moonjet losing control; he could barely see an explosion at the edge of the last frame. “Hey, Hades Station had pictures just like that the day Jeb crashed,” said Hadgan. “The U.S.S. Defiant also took telescopic photos of the crash,” added Bill. “Bruises on the engineer and the pilot… strange. It says here that the doctors couldn’t tell if they were sustained during or BEFORE the crash.” “Before, why is that an issue?” asked Hadgan. “When Alva finally woke up, she claimed that someone hit her over the head from behind,” explained Bill. “Hit over the head? Behind? Wait a second,” said Hadgan. “The SCIENTIST did it.” “Maybe,” replied Bill. “Danlong, the scientist, denied it and stuck to her story that Corporal Harriet was using Chirper while flying.” “So, she says,” interrupted Hadgan. “Here’s what I think: Danlong knocks out Alva, then hits the pilot over the head, then activates the virus. She bails out unscathed, while the other two are left to die.” “Hadgan, this virus was designed to turn on after two things: the periapsis altitude reached zero after the ascent, and Agaden was on board,” reminded Bill. “Then why K.O. the pilot and the engineer?” argued Hadgan. “Answer: so the pilot won’t try to fix it or prove the moonjet was sabotaged.” “Hang on,” said Bill. “Danlong and Alva were both seen in EVA suits when a mobile base arrived – but Harriet WASN’T.” “Sorry to go off-topic,” said Hadgan, “but please secure your restraining harness. We are heading back to the jet.” “Okay,” said Bill as he did what Hadgan said. “You know these are just overpriced seatbelts.” “Hey, don’t look at me,” remarked Hadgan, “YOU designed the mini-bus to save a couple of tourists on the Mun.” “Not the seats,” Bill clarified as Hadgan started the rover. “It’s not like anybody will be flying in them – and how do you plan on fixing the carnival harness WHEN IT BREAKS? It’s not like you can just drive to the nearest auto shop and have Lizard Insurance pay for it.” “Actually, my little brother back home is running a rover repair service on the Mun,” said Hadgan. “That’s not the point,” argued Bill. “Seatbelts are just as effective in rovers for only a SMALL PIECE of the cost, and they’re easy to fix and replace if they break.” “Tell Mortimer that.” “Okay, now we’re going WAY off-topic,” said Bill. “There were bruises on Harriet’s and Alva’s heads and necks, but the doctor said they could have also been caused by crash-related impacts.” “But if witnesses took photos of the drill sticking out, there’s bound to be a case for sabotage,” said Hadgan. “Tell me they found an infected probe core.” “Well… some of it,” stammered Bill, “but not enough to tell what happened. The Black Box was also destroyed… and moonjet debris scattered EVERYWHERE for kilometers.” “Then how come they recovered more from Jeb’s crash than that one?” stated Hadgan. “Oh, no,” said Bill. “Because Jeb was ALERT; he TRIED to land it.” “And Harriet WASN’T since Danlong knocked her out,” finished Hadgan. “That’s one possibility,” said Bill. “Another possibility was that she was dumb enough to text while the moonjet was crashing and too lazy to fix it.” “Why would you think that?” questioned Hadgan. “Uh, at least 20 of the accidents I’ve read about were due to pilot stupidity,” explained Bill. “Oh, then how do you explain Alva getting in a coma, or claiming to have been hit over the head, OR only her being in an EVA suit while Harriet WASN’T?” “Even crash victims… actually, you may be on to something.” “Told ya,” smirked Hadgan. “But… how do you explain the moonjet going crazy?” asked Bill. “Ground witnesses and orbital cameras captured what happened; same MO as JEB’S crash.” “Oh…,” said Hadgan. “Theory Two: Alva sabotages moonjet, then she puts on an EVA suit and kills the pilot. However, Danlong FIGHTS BACK and bails out just in time.” “Okay, Harriet’s autopsy showed she died of suffocation and rapid hypothermia – caused by exposure to space,” explained Bill. “That’s… also a possibility, seeing how the pilot could have been so easily distracted – and you know how often women go on Chirper.” “They use Photogram and Snapspeak more, actually,” commented Hadgan. “Then again… if that was a test run… why would the killer stay on board a craft he or she knew would TRY TO KILL HER?” asked Bill. “Not even Mission Control lets people in preliminary tests on vehicles that are supposed to WORK FINE.” “Hmm…,” said Hadgan, “maybe an EVA suit malfunctioned – or the closet got hacked too. That could be why Harriet never got a suit.” “Yet he would want to admire his handiwork… hmm.” The two men exchanged their ideas as they returned to their jet for the flight back to base. After the sun rose on Laythe, Bob was out in protective clothes running along the shore. Next to him was his automated rover, Wally, fully charged and panels soaking in the sun. Now that he had his RTG reinstalled, as long as the power consumption was kept to a minimum, he could resume being a cute automated science robot. His panels and antenna glistened in the sunlight reflecting off the mineral-loaded waters, but his lights were turned off since he didn’t need them. “Wow, 12 kilometers an hour,” said Bob. “Not bad. How was that, Wally?” “WO, WEE, WEE!” Wally beeped. “I know you can go faster, but I can’t,” said Bob. “Besides, you’ll save power when running my speed.” “WOO!” “Hey, try going on the hard surface to save power.” Wally beeped again, pointing his front left wheel at Bill and his tracks. “I need that since it’s a good foot workout; you DON’T. Now, let’s go.” They resumed their run along the shoreline before returning to Poseidon’s Palace. “Morning, Bob,” said a guard. “Hey, Wally.” “BEEP BOOP!” “Hey, Bob!” shouted Guscan as he ran through the base doors. “You got some messages from your buddy, Bill.” “Thanks,” said Bob as he took his kPad. “I’m gonna hang in the rec room before I shower. Wanna come with?” “WEE, WEE!” “Sorry, I can’t,” said Guscan. “My shift starts now. Later.” He hopped on his mini-bus and drove off to the landing strip while Bob and Wally got in the rec room. “So, Wally, you’re indoors now, so try not to expend too much power. I know you got your RTG back, but that has a weak power output.” “Hey, Bob!” said Irpond, and Wally turned around and looked at her. “Aww, what a little cutie.” “WEEEEEE!” yelled Wally, then he blinded Irpond with his flashlights. “AAGH!” groaned Irpond, starting to see spots. The next thing she knew, Wally had hit her and knocked her to the ground. She tried to get back up, but Wally hit her again at high speed. “Wally, STAY!” ordered Bob, but he didn’t listen. “Oh my gosh!” gasped a bystander. “That robot’s trying to kill her.” Wally hit her with another blast of light as he spun around and repeatedly struck her with his rear end – where the RTG was kept. “Wally, what’s wrong?” “WO, WEE, WEE!” the robot replied, pointing its front right wheel at her. “Why were you hitting Irpond?” Wally beeped again, and Bob tried to guess what he meant. “Is your software glitching?” “BEEP, BOP!” “Is your connection broken?” “SIGH!” Wally then made his rear end face Bob and moved forward and backward. “Is… this about your RTG?” asked Bob, and Wally blinked his lights once. “Once means yes, twice means no, so… is your power flow acting funny?” Two blinks. “That’s weird. I’m pretty sure I installed it correctly.” He then took out a small remote from his pants pocket. “Diagnostics.” “Everything is functioning perfectly,” said a female voice. “See, buddy, nothing to worry about. Now, what’s your problem?” Wally then blinked at Irpond, who panicked. “Oh my gosh, please don’t kill me,” she said, holding onto Bob by the arm. “I want to help you, but I won’t let you hurt anyone,” said Bob, then Wally stormed off. “Strange, he’s never like this. He’s never attacked anybody before.” “That IS strange,” agreed Irpond. “How are you doing?” “A little better, now that Sheri’s killer was locked up a few days back,” answered Bob. “Uh… who was she?” “My partner, Wenpont,” said Bob. “She also stole some of my things… and didn’t even have the decency to clean them.” “Yeah, well, she was a creepy stalker,” said Irpond. “I mean, who does that?” “For a scientist, she sure doesn’t know how to store my toothbrush – or even use it – in a sanitary manner,” sighed Bob. “You know… my bunk’s still unlocked if you wanna talk,” said Irpond. “You doing anything else today?” “As a matter of fact, yes,” answered Bob. “I gotta shower and change before my breakfast exposure, then I gotta get back to my crops. Besides that, I got a text chat with my buddies and then I need to figure out what’s going on with Wally.” “What do you need to talk about?” “We think Agaden’s killer struck before, and Bill’s trying to find out where,” answered Bob, and Irpond said nothing. “Why do you have your gun?” Irpond noticed. “I thought you said they arrested Wenpont.” “Yeah, but something else is going on here,” explained Bob. “Someone on Laythe orchestrated Agaden’s death, but nobody knows by who, how, or why.” “Oh… no,” gasped Irpond. “Can I ask a question?” “Okay, what?” “May I join you in your little farm?” she requested. “Why? I’m pretty sure this requires scientists for optimal results; you work with software,” said Bob. “Yet you also invited LAYTHANS in your experiments,” countered Irpond. “Because they’re teaching us how to grow their crops,” explained Bob. “Please, I used to garden when I was a kid,” sighed Irpond. “I can help you.” “Okay, just meet me in the lab in half an hour.” “I’ll be there.” The two of them left, then Bob showered off before changing into his laboratory uniform and went to the sunbathing room for breakfast; it had been specially designed to allow as much sunlight as possible in while keeping the occupants warm. After his chloroplasts were charged, he headed to the lab – where Irpond was waiting for him. “You’re early,” he said. “I just happened to be ready before you were,” commented Irpond, and Bob laughed as he let her in the lab. “So… man, that’s a lot of plants. What are you trying to do?” “My objective is to see if, and how, we can grow Laythan crops on Kerbin,” explained Bob. “The reason I have so many different variables is to find determining factors in what may cause them to die; temperature, atmosphere, soil, average rainfall, et cetera.” “Neat,” complimented Irpond. “So… what do I do? I mean, I’ve gardened before, but this isn’t your average everyday lima bean project.” “I have instructions written on the containers,” said Bob, checking his kPad. “Hey, what do you know. Today we just need to make sure the climate regulators are working right and record height in the morning and the evening.” “That’s it?” wondered Irpond. “I thought you’d be busier today.” “Me, too,” agreed Bob, then he set an alarm on his kPad to check the plants later that afternoon. “You got any other plans today?” inquired Irpond. “Yeah, talking to Bill, Jeb, and Val about the moonjet hacking,” answered Bob. “I also need to tell Bill that his brainchild attacked someone.” “Brainchild, so HE built Wally?” “Yep, built him when he was in Baikerbanur County High School,” recalled Bob. “He then gave Wally to me during Basic.” A few minutes later, Bob and Irpond determined that all the containers were operational, and Bob locked the lab as he left. “Well, time to get in a group chat.” “I think you need a rest,” Irpond disagreed. “Leave the mystery solving to base security.” “But Bill may have something important.” “Hey, there’s a reason text messages were invented; so you can read them whenever you want,” assured Irpond. “Whatever he has to tell you can wait.” “Okay, I suppose I could use a break,” said Bob. “We have other scientists here anyway. So, whatcha wanna do?” “Well… what’s showing in the rec room right now?” “Let’s see,” started Bob as he accessed the rec room TV schedule. “The Kerbsons are showing now… and then Ferocious Females. I bet a few laughs wouldn’t hurt.” Bob then started running toward the rec room, and Irpond followed. “Hey, Moaner,” said Barf on the TV. “Can you read me a bedtime story, please?” “Sure thing, Barf,” replied his father, Moaner Kerbson. “Here it comes,” said Melburry, who was sitting with four other men. “Hmm, The Chronicles of Lisette Kerbson,” stated Moaner. “Unauthorized access,” a male voice said. “AAGH!” screamed Moaner as the diary shocked him. Moaner tried again but was unsuccessful; Barf was laughing that his prank worked so easily. Back in the rec room, most of the crew was laughing loud enough to wake up everyone in the base. “Seriously?” said Bob, trying to catch his breath. “COME ON, how can you not see that it’s your DAUGHTER’S booby-trapped diary.” “Yeah, Moaner’s just stupid,” said Melburry. “He sure is,” agreed Bob. “Hey, wanna prank-call someone from the rec room?” suggested Irpond. “DIBS!” shouted Melburry, then he reached for the nearest wall phone. “ “Oh, I know,” said Jendun, “Try Armstrong Base on Tylo.” “Good one,” agreed Bob, then everyone was silent as Melburry asked for Armstrong Base. “Hello?” a man replied. “Hello,” started Melburry, trying not to laugh. “I wish to speak with Mr. Apu-en. Last name… Mapence.” Bob almost cracked when Irpond covered his mouth. “Hang on, let me get him,” the man on the phone replied. “Uh, Apu-en Mapence. Hey, everybody, I POO IN MY PANTS!” On both sides of the phone, everyone laughed. “That’s a new one,” remarked Jendun. “Oh, wait a minute…,” the caller realized. “Who is this?” “You have just been prank-called by the… Eccentric Ersen,” replied Melburry before hanging up. “Man, Captain Ersen’s in for it now.” “Uh… what’s the gag?” wondered Irpond. “Doy, you call someone and trick them into saying something hilarious,” explained Jendun. “Oh, great,” sighed Melburry, “it’s Ferocious Females.” “I don’t mind,” said Bob, getting a surprised look from the two men. “You mean to tell us you actually like that high school chick flick?” asked Jendun. “It’s actually got some good laughs,” said Bob. “Uh oh, we got a flick-man here,” teased Melburry. “For your information, that movie has been the inspiration for more memes than any other,” argued Bob. “Also, Sheri and I watched that once when we started dating on Dres.” “He’s right about the memes,” agreed Jendun. “My daughter looks at a lot of those.” “Wait, your daughter’s HOW old and she’s already looking at memes?” wondered Melburry. “Five,” sighed Jendun. “Seems pretty young, doesn’t it?” questioned Melburry. “Not really. Jeb and Bill flew a plane when they were ten,” answered Bob. “Bill… was also the one who built the plane.” “Let me guess, Jeb crashed it… AGAIN,” sighed Jendun. “Yes, but even today I don’t know if it was because of pilot stupidity or a design flaw,” sighed Bob. “Val thinks it was a combination of BOTH.” Jendun’s watch then beeped. “I’d love to stay and chat, but my shift starts now,” he told Melburry, Bob, and Irpond. “I thought you were suspended,” said Irpond. “That was lifted; I’m on control tower duty now,” explained Jendun. “The guy before me can’t leave until I relieve him.” “Wait,” said Melburry, “what happened?” “You know what happened to the Zeus, right?” started Jendun, and everyone nodded. “Turns out, it was a planned hit.” “PLANNED HIT?” gasped Melburry. “Someone HIJACKED your probe?” “Yes. Some guy knocked me out and stuffed me in a closet,” explained Jendun. “You’re wrong,” sighed Bob, and Jendun turned around. “Bob, what are you talking about?” “Some guy didn’t knock you out,” clarified Bob, “some GIRL did.” “Wait, it was A WOMAN who stole my probe?” asked Jendun. “Yes, but the guards arrested the culprit a few days ago,” chimed in Irpond. “She tried to kill Admiral Valentina.” “Oh no,” sighed Melburry, then Jendun ran off to start his shift. “All the girls in my cadre wanted to be her; she was their inspiration. What kind of sicko would do such a thing… and take OTHER men and women with her?” “Wenpont believed Val’s brother committed genocide,” explained Bob. Irpond was about to speak, but Bob continued. “However, rather than look for positive proof, she went ahead and tried to kill Val.” Melburry shrugged his shoulders. “So what if Victor shot up the Clivar?” “Give me ONE good reason why mass murder is justified,” spat Irpond. “Oh, I got plenty,” said Melburry. “First off, that tribe not only terrorized and slaughtered innocent kerbals, but OTHER LAYTHANS as well. Secondly, if Victor’s strike force didn’t do anything about it THEN, the Clivar would rebuild and cause MORE death and destruction.” “There were CHILDREN in that tribe,” argued Irpond. “Who would have threatened more innocents when they got OLDER,” countered Melburry, “Laythans and kerbals alike. Third of all, the Strike Force came here for retribution and THAT’S what they did. There’s actually an online fundraiser focused on covering legal fees for Victor and his men in case they’re ever arrested. Fourth of all… most of Kerbin wanted the Laythans exterminated too; just be glad they only shot up the GUILTY PARTY.” Bob gasped in horror. “Is it true? Did Victor kill the women and children too?” “I don’t know, and I don’t care,” sighed Melburry. “THEY ALL deserved it; if not then, they would later.” “Then why bother guarding the battlegrounds?” asked Bob. “Doy, so hippies like YOU won’t use it as a worshipping site.” Bob then slugged Melburry and held him by his uniform. “What’s going on here?” he asked threateningly. “Ever since Sheri and I flew near the battle site, people have been poisoned, beaten, drowned, shot, and burglarized LEFT AND RIGHT. My guess is that there’s a cover-up operation going on here, and those involved are not hesitant to kill innocent KERBALS as well as Laythans. I’m going to get straight answers before I leave this rock, and I don’t care who I have to go through to get them.” “Would that include your friend, Admiral Val?” countered Melburry, then Bob started to loosen his grip. “Are you going to go through HER to get straight answers?” “Don’t you have some drill to fix?” asked Irpond, then Melburry checked his kPad. “Hey, what do you know? I’m needed at the landing strip to fix a drill,” said Melburry. “Gotta go.” He then left Bob and Irpond alone. “How’d you know?” wondered Bob. “Lucky guess,” replied Irpond. “I just realized… Wenpont didn’t kill Sheri.” “What makes you say that?” questioned Bob. “She and Sheri both wanted positive proof of a Clivar Genocide, so she had more to gain working together than against each other,” started Irpond. “Val, on the other hand, was on the opposing team; her big brother’s big secret is exposed, she and her family are disgraced forever. So, she must have offed Sheri to SHUT HER UP and then planted evidence in Wenpont’s room to throw off the guards.” “Then how come Wenpont was found with MY stuff in HER room?” “How often do you let Val in your quarters?” questioned Irpond. “I’ve let her in a few times,” said Bob. “Wait… you think that VAL robbed me?” “First of all, as an admiral she can just FORCE the door open. Second of all, she knew that she would need to pin her crimes on someone else. So… she kept breaking into your room and stealing your stuff to make Wenpont look like a creepy stalker; same case when she stole Wenpont’s license.” “That… makes… SOME sense,” replied Bob. “Then how do you explain the Zeus and Wally’s RTG theft? Val was NOWHERE NEAR those crime scenes.” “She had an accomplice,” answered Irpond. “Who else benefits from this cover-up?” “Melburry?” sighed Bob. “No, he’s not the type to cover it up – as you just saw,” said Irpond. “Who else do you know is close enough to Val to keep his mouth shut after doing such a heinous act?” “His…,” gasper Bob. “Oh no… VICTOR.” “You got it.” “How? Why would he try to kill his OWN SISTER?” “Simple: he told his sister to EVACUATE the Zeus before he hijacked the probe,” explained Irpond. “Val also had to sabotage the station from the inside to prevent countermeasures from taking effect in time.” “But Jendun was DRAGGED; Victor could carry THREE men his size on his shoulders.” “Which means that he can easily drag someone… to throw off the guards,” clarified Irpond. “He also has the skill to sneak up on your robot in the middle of the night, steal his RTG, and sneak it back to the base unnoticed.” “Then why plant it in his sister’s quarters?” asked Bob. As Irpond scratched her chin in confusion, Wally quickly approached him. “What now?” Wally then pointed its front wheels at the entrance and inched towards it. “Something’s going on that way?” “WEE, WOO!” “Well, what is it?” wondered Irpond, then Wally blinked its lights at her and charged at her – stopping 20 centimeters in front her legs. She almost lost her balance as she tried to not get hit, but Wally drove around her and tripped her with his wheel. “HEY!” shouted Bob, but Wally ran away. “GET BACK HERE!” He then helped Irpond back on her feet and chased Wally through the base. “WO, WEE! WEE!” “You’re in so much trouble when I get my hands on you, little hunk of metal!” “Wait up… Bob,” panted Irpond. “I’m so gonna tell Bill that you… what the heck?” Bob stopped when he saw a crowd gathered near the bunks. Wally beeped loud enough to create a hole for him to go through, then Bob was surprised at what was going on. “Hey, r…vy one,” said Val, who was holding a bottle of wine in her left hand. “You’ll know yer… doo… duties. Doodies.” She laughed as she leaned on the wall. “Oh, man, this is Photogram GOLD,” said a woman who started recording on her kPad. “Oh, no,” gasped Bob as he approached Val. “Val, you okay?” He knew the answer was no, as she wreaked of alcohol and her hair and uniform were a mess. “Hi… Bill, that you?” slurred Val. “Uh, Bill’s on Eeloo,” said Bob. “I’m Bob, your OTHER friend.” “Where’s… Jeb?” asked Val. “Also on Eeloo.” “Did you know that… we…,” started Val, then Bob heard a strange noise coming from her stomach; he knew was coming next. “EVERYBODY, GET CLEAR!” He pointed Val at the wall as she threw up. “Man, how much did you drink?” “I dunno,” answered Val. “One and a half bottles… maybe two.” “You should get some rest,” suggested Bob. “I’ll walk you to your quarters.” “NO!” objected Irpond. “Why not? I can’t just LEAVE her here,” disagreed Bob. “Then have the guards throw her in the brig,” suggested Irpond. “Not just yet, mam,” interrupted Eli, accompanied by two other guards. “Unless she took a swing at someone or operated any machinery or vehicles while intoxicated.” “Don’t give her any special favors just because she’s an admiral,” said Irpond. “Oh, and FYI, she and her brother are a pair of murderers.” “Take the admiral to sick bay,” ordered Eli, and the two guards escorted Val through the crowd; she threw up on one of them. “You say she and Victor are murderers?” “Yes… didn’t you figure it out already?” said Irpond. “Search her room, you’ll find the proof.” “Not without probable cause, we’re not,” objected Eli. “Even the interplanetary colonists are bound by Kerbin’s laws.” “Hi, Wally!” shouted Val as she got near the robot. “Did you know that you look like my dog… the one Victor shot?” “WO!” “Oh, right. Wally,” said Bob as he approached him. “Is that what you were trying to do, just get my attention to see THIS?” Wally blinked his lights once to reply yes. “Oh, then why did you hit Irpond?” Wally spun to show its rear end to Bob. “Your RTG? What did she do to your RTG?” “I think it wants to play charades,” suggested a woman passing by. “Okay, since you can’t talk,” sighed Bob, and Wally pointed at Irpond – who was backing away. “Uh… Irpond.” Wally blinked once, then showed Bob his RTG again. “Her rear… no, wait… YOUR rear end.” “BEEP BOP!” “Weird. Why are you so mad about her touching your rear end? People do that to you all the time, and you don’t mind. You’re a cute little dog-like science robot.” “WEE!” sighed Wally, then he opened his RTG compartment. “Oh, your RTG?” gasped Bob. “Wait… SHE stole your RTG?” Wally blinked once, and Bob looked at Irpond. “Is it true?” As soon as he said that, Irpond started to cry. “Yes,” sighed Irpond. “What?” gasped Bob. “Why?” “Because…,” started Irpond, “because I was FORCED to.

This prototype is basically Mk. II of this guy. It took several tries, and an unplanned aerobrake, but I at least managed to get it into orbit. This is a self-mining version of the Duna plane I posted earlier (see the attached link). Only THIS TIME, it's self-refueling and had 2,436 m/s of delta-V at approximately 140 km above Kerbin - and that was after the aerobraking shenanigan. I then decided to send it to Minmus for a test run to await landing and refueling. If all goes well, I may end up sending this to Duna instead of the Mk. I and the truck to go with it. I can even send this space shuttle-style (attach to a separate delivery rocket) to places like Ike or Dres - maybe even Eeloo.

You could try adding the pictures individually in a specific order. Impressive flight time, by the way. One question: how did you get the craft to not catch fire?

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE TRUTH “You got it, Jeb,” Bill confirmed. “The moonjet would still try to kill Agaden if VAL was the instructor… or if anybody else was in it, for that matter.” “That doesn’t make any sense,” said Gustov. “On one hand, it proves that there was no plot to frame Jeb. On the other hand, why would anyone want to kill Agaden?” “I’ll do you one better: how did the hacker know to get THAT ONE JET?” asked Jeb. “I think we’ll make more progress with the motive,” suggested Bill. “Commander, permission to enter Agaden’s bunk.” “Don’t bother, it’s been emptied,” said Gustov. “I can take you to where we’re keeping her stuff.” “Thank you,” said Bill, and Gustov led him and Jeb out of Jeb’s room. “Requesting permission to see the pilot’s emails from Mission Control when we’re done looking through Agaden’s stuff.” “Granted.” He took Bill and Jeb to his quarters and produced a plastic bin from his closet. “Help yourself… anything to bring justice for her.” “We’ll start with her kPad,” suggested Bill. “Eh, don’t you need a password for that?” asked Jeb. “Some people forget to lock their kPads,” said Bill as he turned it on, “but Agaden ISN’T one of them.” “Try opening her shield and looking there,” said Jeb, and Bill found a sticky hidden inside Agaden’s kPad shield. He then found a six-digit number in there and punched it in the kPad lock screen; it worked. “How’d you guess?” “That’s how I hide my passwords,” said Jeb. “Okay, let’s see what we have here,” said Bill. “Wanna check through her photo gallery for anything?” “Sure,” said Jeb. “I gotta go back now,” said Gustov. “Call me if you find anything.” “Can-do, Commander,” saluted Jeb as Gustov left. He and Bill then looked at a selfie of Agaden with another female cadet inside Frozen Base. “Who’s she?” asked Bill. “Hanina Kerman; she said she was Agaden’s ‘BFF’ from the academy,” answered Jeb, scrolling through the photos. “Man, Agaden was quite the selfie shutterbug. At least ten of these photos alone are of her in Hades Station.” “She came here from Kerbin, right?” asked Bill. “Yes, why ask?” “Because I’m seeing A LOT of photos from the Mark Vb,” explained Bill. “With as long a transit time as it takes to get from Kerbin to Eeloo, you think you’d get bored of that pod.” “Why are you so fascinated in those pods?” wondered Jeb. “They’re just a capsule with a heat shield slapped onto four weak engines.” “Weak, you say?” replied Bill. “Weak? At the time we designed it, we only wanted to save a man we stranded in Kerbol orbit. It also broke the ground for sending kerbalkind to other planets AND back.” “Those nuclear engines are lame as heck, dude,” argued Jeb. “Even the Poodle engine can do better than FOUR of them.” “That engine won’t do much good if the delta-V gauge reaches zero,” said Bill. “Those 60-kilonewton liquid fuel engines are the most efficient engines for transporting multiple kerbals AT ONCE. You want weak impulse, try the xenon engines. Good for small probes and relays, but BAD for manned spaceflight; and at least liquid fuel engines are REFUELABLE.” “Let’s see,” sighed Jeb. “Pod pics, pod pics, a video of the zero-g mannequin challenge, applying makeup in the pod, Interplanetary Matchmaker results, more pod pics…” “Wait, back up,” interrupted Bill. “Interplanetary Matchmaker?” “Why is that important?” wondered Jeb. “Seems odd that she’ll have a screenshot of THAT in a gallery full of average everyday pics,” explained Bill. “Plus… I’m kinda… curious.” “Ooh, you’re interested in her,” teased Jeb. “No,” said Bill, “but… I’d like to know if I made the list of ‘Most Eligible Males’ for her,” said Bill. “So, you are interested in her.” “First of all, she’s dead, so what’s the point? Second, you don’t get notified if you made the top three matches on anyone’s list.” “Yeah… Hanina was hotter, by the way,” remarked Jeb. “Dude, what’s wrong with you?” sighed Bill. “What, she’s 25?” “And you’re, what, 37?” “36,” corrected Jeb as he stopped at the matchmaker results. “Let’s see what Agaden… that’s weird.” “What’s weird?” “This.” NAME SPECIALTY LEVEL LOCATION Bob Scientist 5 Laythe (Jool) Ferton Engineer 1 Mun (Kerbin) Samley Engineer 3 IN TRANSIT (Moho à Kerbin) “Bob? OUR Bob?” gasped Bill. “You know many other Bobs who are level five scientists,” replied Jeb, “AND who are stationed at Laythe?” “It couldn’t have been Bob OR either of these guys,” said Bill. “They were too far away.” “Maybe one of the men in the pod got jealous and decided to off her,” suggested Jeb. “Then why didn’t he just stuff her in an airlock and ejected her without an EVA suit on?” countered Bill. “I can name at least FIVE people who died because they didn’t have an EVA suit on while exposed to space; two were suicides, one was from a faulty airlock, and the last two were just plain dumb.” “Okay, I get it,” sighed Jeb. “You think this may have something to do with Agaden’s murder?” “Maybe,” said Bill. “Since Bob and Val texted me about the Zeus getting destroyed, I downloaded some classic Sherlock Kerman novels to pass the time; some of the others also brought Law of Order: Badass Kerbals Unit with them to watch. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that unmonitored feelings of love can be a STRONG motive for murder.” “Again, why Agaden?” said Jeb. “More importantly, how did the killer know… she would use Moonjet 314?” added Bill. “It’s not like she posted the jet number on Snapspeak.” “That sounds like something… Mission Control… would… know,” stammered Jeb, then he hastily dialed his kPad. “Commander Gustov, yes, this is…” “Sorry, intended recipient is outside your sphere of influence,” replied the kPad. “Impossible!” said Bill. “Gustov couldn’t have left Eeloo’s sphere of influence THAT quickly.” “Actually… I dialed a wrong number. My mistake,” explained Jeb before hanging up. “Gosh, I almost dialed my Dad.” He carefully scrolled through his contact list before he dialed Commander Gustov. “When was the…,” started Bill, but Jeb wasn’t listening. “We need the emails Hadgan got, ASAP.” “You got it,” said Gustov. “Anything else?” “Now that you mention it, I could also use the cadet personnel files you put into SOSA,” requested Bill. “Oh, and don’t forget the original virus file.” “Heading over right now,” replied Gustov before hanging up. “SOSA?” wondered Jeb. “The Student Order Selection Algorithm,” answered Bill. “It takes the cadet files and determines the safest order to train cadets, starting with the least likely to cause a fatal accident.” “You’re the one who started the #ladiesfirst wave on Chirper, aren’t you?” sighed Jeb. “Indirectly, but yeah,” said Bill. “How would you pick your student order?” “Ask for volunteers first; if nobody steps up, I go randomly,” answered Jeb. “Anyway, why do you need the cadet files now?” “If Agaden was the least likely to cause a fatal accident, she would appear top of the list,” explained Bill. “If she WASN’T, then that means the list was ALTERED before lessons began. Otherwise, if somebody else started first, Agaden would die while still on the ground and nobody would blame it on a moonjet crash – particularly since the moonjet would not have crashed without Agaden on it; you were just the fall guy.” “Maybe Commander Gustov decided to mix it up a little bit, then the killer got lucky with Agaden going first,” suggested Jeb. “I’ll ask him if he deviated from the recommended list,” said Bill as Gustov entered the room. “Ah, Commander. Thanks.” “Here’s Hadgan’s kPad,” said Gustov as he unlocked it, “and here are the emails he got. Why do you need the cadet files?” “Maybe that’s how the killer knew when to poison Agaden; if she was first, then she would die from poison at the time of the plane crash. Did you make any alterations before they arrived?” “No, Bill,” said Gustov. “I stuck to the list.” “We’ll see about that,” remarked Bill. “Are you calling me a liar?” questioned Gustov as he gave Bill the cadet files. “Not even close, Commander. If Agaden didn’t make number one, odds are someone TAMPERED with the list before you got it.” “Still doesn’t explain how the killer knew to mess up Moonjet 314,” added Jeb. “More importantly, how did the killer TEST the virus UNNOTICED?” “Yeah, how did he test his virus?” wondered Bill. “It’s not like Mission Control let him test malware in the spaceplane hangar. And even if they did – which meant one or more of the higher-ups ARE corrupt – you can’t fly a moonjet on Kerbin; they’re brought to their designated moons space shuttle-style. The delivery craft design depends on the intended destination, but the moonjet itself should stay the same.” “So, if the killer wanted Agaden dead…,” started Jeb. “Moonjet 314 is NOT THE ONLY VICTIM,” concluded Bill. “Poseidon Tower, this is Admiral Valentina. I’m on landing approach, over.” “Roger that, Admiral,” a man replied on the radio. “You’re clear to land, over.” “Copy that.” As Val lowered the landing gear, she saw the runway lights activate while the sun started to set above Laythe’s shores. “MJ, land this plane,” she ordered before entering the designated runway coordinates. “Okay,” replied MJ as it cut the engine. “Would you like to deploy the parachutes upon touchdown?” “Yes, please.” “Okay; you are very polite.” “I didn’t know Bill programmed you to have manners,” commented Val. “He didn’t; it was part of a software update,” MJ explained, and Val reached for her kPad. “DO NOT use a kPad while landing. I am NOT a substitute for common sense.” “That, I know Bill put in you,” commented Val, accessing a picture of her, Jeb, Bill, and Bob at the beach near the Kerbal Space Center. It was taken two days after the four of them made it back home from the Mun; they all seemed cheerful at their victory. Now they barely talked to each other. Granted, Jeb and Bill were millions of kilometers away, but Bob and Val were in the same base. Not only that, Val had a gut feeling that Bob was trying to avoid her. She tried to visit him in the lab once, but his partner said that visitors were prohibited; even when she told him who she was, he wouldn’t let her in. She then forced her way in by reminding him of her superior rank, but Bob didn’t want to talk. He also didn’t respond to her calls, giving excuses like his battery died or his Kerbnet connection was down at the time when Val confronted him about it. “What happened to us?” she asked. “ETA until touchdown is one minute, over,” said the man at the control tower. “Holding steady,” replied Val, and soon the jet’s landing gear touched the strip; it then deployed the brakes and parachutes, and Val was at a complete stop before she was halfway across. “I made it.” “Proceed to taxi.” “Roger that.” She carefully got the plane off the landing strip and parked right beside another supersonic air-intake jet. “Okay, I’m parked.” “Sending a surface transport to pick you up.” She disembarked the jet and walked toward an incoming mini-bus. “Did you have a nice flight, Admiral?” asked the driver as he saluted Val – who recognized him. “Guscan… Bob’s roommate?” “That is correct, mam,” said Guscan. “I’ve been assigned to drive you back to base.” “I kinda guessed,” sighed Val. “You know, you didn’t have to do a patrol flight all the way around Laythe,” commented Guscan. “Anybody else coming?” Nobody answered, and Guscan and Val got in the mini-bus as a refueling truck headed for Val’s jet. “I remember seeing that kind of jet back home. How’d you get it here?” “Simple: we slapped it on top of a rocket and transported it space shuttle-style,” explained Val. “However, we had to put them in parking orbit around Laythe and put pilots inside before making re-entry.” “That explains the airlocks.” “Say, how has Bob been acting lately?” asked Val. “Strange,” answered Guscan. “He wouldn’t leave his room, even for exercise, without a loaded gun and a spare clip.” “That IS strange,” commented Val. “It’s been a month since the base shooting.” “Did he tell you that he was the one who shot that girl with a gun?” inquired Guscan. “No, but… we haven’t really talked much in a month,” stammered Val. “That’s weird; he used to talk about you, Bill, and Jeb ALL THE TIME,” remarked Guscan. “Anything else?” asked Val. “Even if it doesn’t seem relevant, tell me.” “Yes; I couldn’t help but notice him getting more paranoid since the shooting,” answered Guscan. “The weird thing is that he seems more distrustful of the WOMEN than the men.” “What?” gasped Val. “Did he tell you why?” “With all due respect, Admiral, I am not comfortable disclosing that. He made me swear not to tell anyone his reason BEFORE he disclosed that to me; ‘Don’t tell anyone, especially Val,’ he said,” replied Guscan. “Okay,” said Val, confused. “I’ll let you honor that… unless, of course, it contains his involvement in any felonies.” “Of course not; I even warned him about that regulation before I swore my vow.” “Then I’ll let you keep your mouth shut,” sighed Val. “Why would Bob not want to tell ME? We’ve been friends since training.” “Without giving specific details,” started Guscan, “I can tell you this: I thought it was a GOOD reason.” “Good reason?” said Val. “What reason can Bob POSSIBLY have to not trust the women?” “Wish I’d tell you, but I’m not gonna break my promise,” said Guscan. “Maybe you can ask him, and he’ll change his mind.” “Then…,” started Val, but her kPad started to ring. “Oh, look, it’s Bob.” “I’ll give you some privacy,” started Guscan as he closed the cockpit doors. “Hello, Bob,” sighed Val. “Listen carefully, Val,” a distorted voice said. “Bob Kerman is off-limits.” “Bob, is this a joke?” asked Val. “You will end all communications with Bob, whether they be personal, on the phone, or written or typed messages,” continued the voice. “Bob, I know it’s you; I can see the caller ID.” “If you do not, you and your family will suffer dire consequences,” threatened the voice. “You know what happened to Elegail Kerman? That was me.” “Victor’s wife,” realized Val. Earlier, she had received news that Elegail was found dead after supposedly drowning herself in Laythe’s waters. “Did YOU kill her?” “Let’s just say… she could not handle the truth,” replied the caller. “Whoa, back up. WHAT truth?” No answer. “WHAT TRUTH?!” “You mean to tell me you don’t know the secret hidden from the Laythe settlers? Let me give you a hint: once Victor’s wife knew, she couldn’t live with the shame.” “Hey, wait a second, how do I know you’re not lying?” replied Val. “You will receive proof in time,” said the voice, “but for now, I got another call. Talk to you later… Admiral.” “Everything okay?” asked Guscan as the caller hung up. “MJ, ETA until we reach the base.” “ETA in 2 minutes.” “Make that immediately,” ordered Val. “Guscan, HIT IT!” “But… that’s speeding,” objected Guscan, “not to mention we could tip…” “I’ll take the heat; just get me back AS FAST AS YOU CAN!” “Yes, mam!” acknowledged Guscan and he deactivated the cruise control and put his foot on the rover’s accelerator. “Now draining power at 35 charge per second,” MJ informed him as Guscan ensured the stability control was on. “What’s the rush, Admiral?” questioned Guscan. “Someone stole Bob’s kPad and threatened me,” explained Val. “Focus on the road.” “Warning: you’re going at 25 meters per second above the designated surface velocity limit,” MJ informed Guscan. “Whatcha gonna do… whoa!” The mini-bus’ wheels then hit a rock and it started to tip over to the left. Fortunately, the reaction wheel had activated in time to stabilize the vehicle before it could fall on its side. “Whew, that was a close one.” “Warning: 20 seconds before collision with Poseidon’s Palace!” “I gotta apply the brakes!” yelled Guscan. “Not yet!” countered Val. “15 seconds.” “Now?” “Not yet!” “10 seconds.” “NOW!” shouted Val, then Guscan applied the brakes and put the rover in reverse. “Warning: rover becoming unstable.” “Hang on, Admiral,” warned Guscan. “Come on, reaction wheels. Don’t fail me now.” After a few seconds of sliding and nail-biting terror, the rover’s site hit the base walls before making a complete stop. “We made it.” “You got your gun with you?” asked Val. “Yes, mam,” said Guscan, showing his gun holstered under his jacket. “Then come with me,” she ordered, and the two of them quickly left the mini-bus. “Take me to Bob’s room!” “Yes, mam!” acknowledged Guscan as he and Val drew their guns. They quickly ran to Bob’s quarters and Guscan knocked. “Bob, this is Guscan. You okay?” Nobody replied. “Open it.” Guscan then punched in the code and slid the door open before quickly moving to the side. Val took point with her gun raised and searched the room. “Nobody here. Check the closets.” “Clear,” said Guscan after he opened both closet doors and checked under the beds. “Any ideas where else he may be?” asked Val. “Try the lab he turned into a greenhouse,” suggested Guscan. “Anywhere else?” “Sheri’s room crying,” sighed Guscan, “or hanging out with that base guard.” “Wait, what base guard?” questioned Val. “I think Bob said his name was Eli.” “You go to Sheri’s room; if he’s not there, find that guard,” ordered Val. “I’ll try the lab. Meet back in the rec room in 30 minutes.” “Got it,” said Guscan as they split up. Val ran toward Poseidon’s Palace’s greenhouse-for-a-lab. “Is that the admiral?” wondered an onlooker. “Why does she have a gun?” “What’s she doing?” “What’s the problem?” Val ignored them as she saw the lab doors. I hope you’re in there,” said Val as she forced the door open. “Hey!” yelled Wenpont as she turned around shocked. Val then raised her gun at her when she didn’t see Bob. “Where’s Bob?” asked Val. “He went to the bathroom,” answered Wenpont, but Val quickly searched the inventory. “Hey, watch the plants, miss.” “That’s ‘Admiral Miss,’ to you, mam,” corrected Val, pointing at the stripes on her flight jacket. “Did Bob take his kPad with him?” “What do you mean?” wondered Wenpont, taking out a kPad lying next to a container labeled “Laythan Atmosphere, Kerbin Temp.” “Give me that,” said Val and she carefully inspected it. She tried to unlock it, but it was surprisingly easy – it had no password. “This can’t be his.” “It is, check the back,” suggested Wenpont, and Val read the label on the back PROPERTY OF BOB KERMAN RETURN WHEN FOUND “What’s the deal…,” started Wenpont, but Val kicked her in the stomach and put her gun at her head. “Whoa, take it easy.” “Why’d you call me?” asked Val angrily. “TALK!” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” denied Wenpont, but Val slugged her before grabbing Wenpont’s lab coat with her left hand. “Liar! BOB’S name came up as the caller ID,” said Val. “Explain THAT.” “I can’t; I was working on the plants the whole time,” said Wenpont. “And why should…,” started Val, but then she heard a gun click from the lab entrance. “Drop the gun or I’ll shoot,” said a man. Val slowly put the gun down and turned around with her hands up, surprised at who was there. “Bob. It’s me, Val.” “Other corner of the lab,” ordered Bob as he closed the door behind him. “NOW!” “Bob, you don’t need that,” said Val as she did what he told her. To her shock, he still had the gun pointed at her. “Just put down the gun and we can talk this over.” “Why should I trust you?” countered Bob. “Because we’ve been friends since Basic, and I know you would never hurt me,” answered Val. “Oh, yeah? What about Sheri?” said Bob. “Sheri… WAIT A SECOND!” gasped Val, who then fell silent for a few seconds. “Yes, and you know PERFECTLY WELL why she was killed,” accused Bob. “Sheri’s killer’s a WOMAN, isn’t it?” guessed Val. “I also know why you think it was ME.” “Go on,” said Bob. “You think I killed Sheri to keep her mouth shut about the Clivar Genocide,” said Val. “After all, I have a valid driver’s license AND, since Sheri’s killer is a woman, I seem to be the only woman here with a strong enough motive to do it.” “Ha, so you DO admit there was a genocide,” said Wenpont. “That’s why you don’t want to talk to me, and that’s why you’ve become distrustful of the women here lately,” figured out Val. “Any one of them, including me, could have killed Sheri – or, worse, target you next.” “Well… at least Guscan kept his promise,” commented Bob. “Don’t be ridiculous,” sighed Val. “I was in low Jool orbit the day Sheri was killed; check with the crew.” “Bull,” spat Bob. “What?!” gasped Val. “Why don’t you believe me?” “Because I know you’re lying,” answered Bob. “You sabotaged the Zeus’ radar and communications before YOUR PARTNER-IN-CRIME hijacked the redirection craft and hit the station so nobody would live to refute your alibi.” “If I had to guess now, I think VICTOR knocked out Jendun and hijacked that probe,” added Wenpont. “It wasn’t me, and Victor never ordered an extermination,” said Val. “And brothers are ALWAYS HONEST with their little sisters,” replied Wenpont sarcastically. “Uh oh… my caller said he – OR SHE – had proof of ‘some truth,’” said Val. “What caller?” asked Bob. “Someone just used your kPad to threaten me,” explained Val. “Check your call log.” “Can-do,” said Bob as he turned on his kPad and accessed his communication log – his gun still trained on Val. “That’s weird.” “What’s weird?” inquired Wenpont. “My last call was to Val less than five minutes ago,” started Bob, “but I was IN THE BATHROOM at the time. That couldn’t have been me… UNLESS.” He took the gun off Val and held it at Wenpont. “What’d you do?” “What do you mean?” asked Wenpont. “Only one other person had access to my kPad, and that’s YOU,” started Bob. “Why’d you call Val? What’d you threaten her with?” “I never called Val, and why would I use YOUR kPad?” replied Wenpont. “Doy, to throw me off,” said Val. “Where were YOU when Sheri was killed?” “I don’t know; someone knocked me out from behind and stuffed me in the supply closet,” answered Wenpont. “And for that matter, why would I kill Sheri?” “Oh… no…,” stammered Bob. “It makes sense now. The shooting… the probe-jacking… my kPad calling Val.” “What?” gasped the women. “Eli told me that the probe-jacker is also most likely A WOMAN since there were drag marks from the crime scene,” started Bob. “It COULDN’T have been Victor since he can carry OBESE MEN on his shoulders. This woman then stuffed Jendun in a closet, targeted the Zeus, then sent the probe crashing down to Jool after the hit.” “And why would I do that?” asked Wenpont. “To kill Val,” figured out Bob. “You also had access to the Mystery Goo canisters at the time they were stolen, and you knew what volitium can do to you.” “Volitium, that mind-control chemical?” gasped Wenpont. “Yes; the shooter was drugged with it – along with mystery goo,” said Bob. “Mystery Goo?” asked Wenpont, then Eli and two base guards entered the lab. “Sir, lower the gun. We’ll take it from here, thank you.” “Thank goodness you’re here,” sighed Wenpont. “Wenpont Kerman, you’re under arrest,” said Eli. “ARREST?” gasped Wenpont as the other two guards cuffed her. “For what?” “Murder, theft, probe-jacking, sabotage, illegal drugging, and stalking,” explained Eli. “Read the woman her rights, boys.” “You have the right to remain silent…,” started a guard as he and his partner walked away with Wenpont. “Admiral,” said Eli as he saluted Val. “Good to see you.” “Same here,” replied Val as she saluted back. “Status report.” “We know who’s behind all the strange events going on here on Laythe,” started Eli, “and we have solid evidence to prove it.” “How solid?” wondered Val. “We started by looking through the vehicle usage logs; Wenpont’s license was used to activate a mini-bus that departed before Sheri’s time of death and returned afterwards. Its predicted path also took it to where the Laythan said he saw a mini-bus,” started Eli. “She could have had a partner,” suggested Val. “So far, the evidence at the crime scene and Sheri’s autopsy points to ONE killer who was Wenpont’s size – but if she had a partner, she’s likely to give it up in exchange for a plea deal,” continued Eli. “After base security got a warrant for her quarters – which took a while since two higher-ups had been arrested – we found a treasure trove of evidence.” “Mission Control? ARRESTED?” gasped Bob. “What for?” “Two of them were ALLEGEDLY planning to frame your friend on Eeloo by killing a student and sabotaging the moonjet,” explained Eli. “Didn’t he tell you?” “Actually, no he didn’t,” said Bob. “We’re getting off-topic,” said Val. “Oh, yeah, the evidence in Wenpont’s room,” remembered Eli, taking out his kPad and showing Bob some pictures. “Recognize them?” “Hey, that’s my toothbrush,” said Bob. “Your toothbrush?” asked Val. “Yeah; that got stolen too,” explained Bob. “Tell me she at least had the decency to CLEAN THAT before using it.” “We don’t know yet, but we’re checking for DNA,” said Eli, showing the next picture. “Oh, and we found your dirty laundry – emphasis on DIRTY.” “Using dirty clothes as stuffed animals, REALLY?” sighed Bob. “She didn’t even WASH IT?” “Apparently not; or it was recently used,” said Eli. “Now WHY would SHE steal MY dirty clothes?” asked Bob. “Even if she washed it, it’s too big for her.” “Uh… Bob…,” stammered Val. “I got a reason.” “What, you DO?” replied Bob. “What is it.” “Same reason she stole your toothbrush,” said Val. “She’s obsessed with you.” “Bob, what else was stolen from your quarters?” asked Eli. “Hmm, let me see,” said Bob as he accessed his personal notes on his kPad. “Ah, yes, here we go. My book on Kerbin botany and farming, a schematic of a cheap water reclaimer that I drew, a flash drive with my pictures of Sheri and I, and…,” Bob leaned in closer to Eli so Val wouldn’t hear him, “a diagram about the Clivar Genocide.” “Let’s see… found that, found that – it was sneezed on a while ago – and found that.” “Yeah, I accidentally sneezed on my reclaimer diagram,” explained Bob. “Oh, and Wally’s RTG got stolen.” “Who’s Wally?” asked Eli. “My robot,” said Bob. “I sent him out to take environmental readings along the beach a few days ago, but I found out the next morning he was dead. When Guscan drove me to his last known location, there he was – minus his RTG.” “Why do you even have RTG?” wondered Val. “Doy, so he can work at night,” sighed Bob. “When I found the RTG gone, I contacted base security. I even gave them the serial number.” “Sorry, no RTGs,” said Eli. “Anyway, we also found the missing goo canisters and volitium drugs in her closet – and documents proving her intent to kill Sheri.” “Documents? Like what?” wondered Bob. “A map of Sheri’s jogging route with the words ‘Drive here at dawn,’ on it, corresponding to the time and place where Sheri was killed,” started Eli, showing Bob a hand-drawn map. “We also found a sticky with Sheri’s murder scheduled.” “So… Wenpont killed Sheri?” gasped Bob. “Seems like it,” said Eli, “and we think we found a murder weapon.” Bob did not respond, as he was getting visibly angrier. “Wenpont… did this,” he breathed heavily. “Bob, now’s not…,” started Eli, but Bob rushed past him and headed toward a struggling Wenpont. “I swear, I DIDN’T do anything!” said Wenpont, but Bob pulled her away from the guards and slammed her against the wall. “YOU!” he shouted, but one guard pulled him away from Wenpont while the other seized her. “Why did you kill Sheri?!” “Wait, did he just say that woman killed Sheri?” asked a bystander. “Isn’t Sheri the woman who died on the beach?” “That woman killed Sheri?” “Hey, that’s the boyfriend.” “AGH!” Bob stepped on the guard’s foot and drew his gun at Wenpont. “TALK!” “I swear, I didn’t kill her!” said Wenpont nervously. “LIAR!” shouted Bob. “You also stole chemicals and drugged Tami to do your bidding. WHY?!” “I didn’t steal anything,” objected Wenpont. “Bob, put down the gun and nobody gets hurt,” said Eli as he arrived at the scene with his gun raised at Bob. “Is that really necessary?” asked Val. “Yes, Admiral,” said Eli. “She deserves to die!” complained Bob. “And she will, but first she needs to stand trial for what she did,” Eli told him. “What about Sheri, did SHE get a trial?” countered Bob. “EVERYBODY has rights, despite what they did,” said Eli. “Now, put down the gun and perhaps we can talk this over.” “Eli’s right,” agreed Val. “If you shoot Wenpont now, everyone’s going to think you’re a gun-happy psycho who murdered an innocent woman.” “But she’s not.” “Innocent until proven guilty, Bob,” said Val, and Bob dropped the gun and started to cry. “She was my world,” he wept, Eli taking his gun and Val comforting him as he walked back to the lab. “I was gonna marry her.” “You proposed to her?” asked Val. “I was going to while on leave to Eve,” answered Bob. “And then… that MONSTER took her from me.” Val had to stand on her tiptoes as Bob cried on her shoulder. “We were going to be a family. If we had a daughter, I would have named her Val.” “Aw, how sweet,” said Val, then her kPad buzzed. “It’s Jeb.” “I got it too,” said Bob as he checked his own kPad. “It’s on the group chat.” “You should get some rest,” suggested Val. “Not until my experiments are done,” objected Bob. “Fine, I’ll talk FOR you,” sighed Val. Jeb Guys (and Val), this is @Bill. My own kPad’s being used right now for something else. Val Like what? Jeb Like analyzing the moonjet virus. Turns out, it was designed to “kill” Agaden by entering a crashing trajectory and altering the control ports Val What do you mean designed to kill Agaden? I’m pretty sure a crash like that would kill anyone who didn’t have a jetpack. Jeb The virus checked the student and instructor IDs; if Agaden was on there, the virus would activate and try to kill her (her name and credentials were in the virus code). Even if @Val was piloting it, if Agaden was in there, it would try to kill her. Val @Bob says it seems like a pretty sophisticated plan – and I agree. How does one test a code like that unnoticed? Jeb The real Jeb here. @Bill and I have a couple theories 1) Mission Control has gone corrupt. 2) The real hacker caused an accident just like this as a test run Val Wait, @Jeb, I thought you said Agaden was poisoned. Jeb @Bill: He did; the poison was for good measure in case Agaden bailed out. She was the intended target. Val I suggest looking for incident reports, but I doubt that “Moonjet tried to kill me” is a good keyword. Jeb Me: You’re an admiral, you have high clearance. YOU do it. Val That won’t be necessary. @Bill should know that engineers level two and above have access to all accident reports Jeb @Bill: She’s right, we do. It’s to learn from other people’s mistakes and spot potential design flaws. - A lot of those I read were caused by Jeb Real Jeb: Because @Bill desqwgrvar.u Where’s @Bob? Val He’s working on his experiment. Also, guess what. Jeb Bob has a new girlfriend? Val No They found the killer – Wenpont Kerman @Bob also said that they didn’t find Wally’s RTG, though. Jeb Me: Who’s Wally? Bill: What happened to the RTG? Val @Bob said it was stolen one night – then Wally died of power starvation. Jeb Bill: Makes sense to steal it at night. No sun means no power source for solar panels Val If the intent was to sabotage Wally. Also makes sense if one wants to make a quick buck. The weird thing is that Wenpont was found with a lot of @Bob’s things and stolen chemicals – but no RTG Jeb Me: ANYWAY, @Bill and I found some interesting things in Gus’ and Linus’ emails. Val What emails? Jeb One of our pilots said Gus and Linus emailed him into “fixing the moonjet’s software” and “giving Agaden a confidence medication.” à both of which actually killed her (he didn’t know it at the time – was only following orders) Or so he thought Val Who’s the pilot? Jeb Commander Gustov told me not to tell anyone else the pilot’s name – especially not anyone outside Eeloo’s SOI. Bill: While it IS Gus’ and Linus’ email accounts, the IP addresses from where the emails were sent struck me as odd. Val How odd? Jeb Bill: The emails originated from Poseidon’s Palace – on Laythe. Val Did the pilot know this? Jeb Me: no. Heck, I can’t even tell a for-loop from a fruit loop. Val For-loops, if-then-else loops, I-give-up loops Jeb @Bill: Ha ha. You and me both @Val. That was Jeb, not me. THE REAL BILL: Weird that “Gus” and “Linus” would be emailing a pilot on Eeloo from Jool. If they did, they would not have made it to Kerbin in time. Commander Gustov also said: - Linus called in sick that day. - Gus claimed he was locked out of his computer and forced to take a day off. Val Apparently, they were telling the truth. Jeb Theory 1: - Killer tests moonjet virus on Jool’s moons à sees handiwork. - Killer sees SOSA and finds Agaden as student #1 - Killer hacks Gus and Linus and told (PILOT’S NAME CENSORED) to poison Agaden and mess up Moonjet 314. - KA-BOOM Val Makes sense. Bob I’m back in front of my room. Sorry I wasn’t with you guys – I had to use my kPad to write my lab report (@Val was there to speak for me) Anyway, it DOESN’T make sense. Jeb Why not? Bob Who on Laythe would want to kill a cadet going to Eeloo? Val @Bob has a point; Agaden was going to Eeloo straight from Kerbin Bill Just finished looking at he-who-cannot-be-named-by-order-of-Commander-Gustov’s emails – now working out and using voice chat at rec room elliptical I agree; if this was just a plot to frame @Jeb, the virus would have been designed to activate merely when HE was on the plane. Jeb I thought you said it would activate when the trajectory hit the ground. Bill That was Key 1; Key 2 was Agaden’s presence - Keep in mind, it still would have turned on if you weren’t on it but Agaden WAS. Bob I guess our next move is for @Val to use that high-level clearance of hers to find out if all the moonjets within Jool’s SOI are working right Val Good idea, but unnecessary. @Bill has clearance for all craft incident reports – manned or unmanned – that happen in our solar system. If our killer tested his or her virus before hacking @Jeb’s moonjet, then there’s a chance someone logged a moonjet going haywire. Bill On it, Admiral. Oh, and @Bob, please tell me when they find Wally’s RTG (double-check the serial number to make sure it’s his). Bob Can-do. Jeb Still doesn’t hurt to check the Jool moonjets, though. Val You got it. Val then headed to Bob’s quarters, but was surprised to see Bob waiting outside the door. “What’s wrong? The door won’t start?” “Guscan’s in there with his new girlfriend,” answered Bob. “New girlfriend?” wondered Val. “They started dating a few weeks back,” said Bob. “I didn’t know,” said Val, “since you didn’t trust me.” “I had valid reason to,” countered Bob as they started to walk to Val’s assigned quarters. “You had means AND motive to kill Sheri, and I’m pretty sure your rank and brother’s connections gave you PLENTY of opportunity.” “That’s also why you didn’t trust the OTHER women on base,” reminded Val, “you were paranoid about one of them being Sheri’s killer.” “Good thing we found her,” said Bob. “How did you know I was paranoid about the women here?” “Guscan told me,” answered Val, “but he didn’t tell WHY because you made him swear to keep his mouth shut.” “You’d be paranoid too if you lost someone you loved,” countered Bob, then Val unlocked her door. “You wanna come in for a while?” “Yes, please,” answered Bob and shut the door behind him. “Well, now we know we also have a hacker AND another killer in our midst,” started Val. “The worst part is we don’t even have a motive.” “I’d say another cadet, but I doubt we get any of THOSE here,” suggested Bob. “Then again, what were a bunch of CADETS doing on Eeloo?” “They were FIRST-CLASS ELITES, the best of the best,” explained Val. “You complete that, and you’re already a level four with a command position.” “Maybe it was a jealous classmate,” said Bob, “but do we get cadets here?” “No,” answered Val. “It’s FORBIDDEN for cadets to go to Jool for training runs. Heck, they’re not allowed to go here while on leave.” “Really? I thought Jool was a good place to practice,” argued Bob. “So is Kerbin, if you’re practicing moon hopping, fuel runs, and atmospheric re-entry and orbital launch,” reminded Val. “I checked the roster for the pod that took them; one of the students was the designated pilot.” “Why would they let a student pilot a travel pod?” “Because at that point, the student practiced well enough to do it,” explained Val. “It’s also a team-building exercise; either all of them make to Eeloo alive or none of them at all.” “Man, they are the best of the best,” said Bob. “Even so, why not Dres or Duna?” “If you can make it to Eeloo, you can pretty much fly anywhere,” commented Val. “Moho’s also a no-cadet-zone because it’s extremely risky and next-to-impossible to get to compared to the other planets.” “So, let’s go over what we know,” started Bob, leaning towards Val’s closet door. “The virus was sent from Poseidon’s Base using Gus’ and Linus’ email accounts.” “Which means that the killer was a hacker,” said Val, “which also means he’s in the software personnel.” “Eh, not necessarily,” countered Bob, taking out his kPad and accessing Kerbnet. “I read about a cadet back home who got arrested for cyber extortion; he was a pilot. Plus… it could have been a tourist with a knack for computers.” “True,” said Val. “From what Jeb and Bill said, this virus was well-concealed. The moonjet was working fine until… the craft’s orbital trajectory hit the surface.” “But that was only the first key; Agaden being on board was the second key,” reminded Bob. “You know of any ‘Moonjet tried to kill me’ incidents?” “No,” answered Val, “but it doesn’t hurt to check.” She gestured Bob to step aside as she opened the closet door. Much to her surprise, a large object came down on the floor and almost hit her. “WHOA!” As soon as Bob recognized it, he pulled Val through the bunk doors. “GET BACK!” “What the heck?” “RTG,” explained Bob. “WHAT?!” gasped Val, rushing to the corner of the hallway. “What’s it doing in my closet?” “I don’t know, but I hope it didn’t break,” said Bob, taking out a Geiger counter from his jacket. “Why do you carry that?” asked Val. “Why would I NOT? I’m a scientist,” replied Bob. “Okay, it’s safe.” He crept forward to Val’s room with the Geiger counter in front of him, praying it would stay silent. When he opened the doors and waved it around the RTG, it didn’t make a sound. Bob carefully took the item and placed it on Val’s bed as he inspected it. “Hey, don’t spread radiation on my bed,” complained Val. “If it WAS leaking, we’d already be affected,” said Bob. “Good, the casing’s intact.” “How did it end up in my closet?” wondered Val. “It’s not like I collect boxes of blutonium as a hobby.” “And even if you did, you’re required by law to keep them in specially designed containers unless they’re being used to supply power for something,” added Bob, then his eyes widened. “What happened? Did the case break?” Bob then showed Val the serial number. 294-7840-615 “What’s so special about THAT one?” questioned Val. “It’s Wally’s,” answered Bob. “Where did you get this?” “I don’t know why I even have it,” said Val as Bob accessed his notes on his kPad. She looked over his shoulder and saw some math. “What is that for?” “I know you didn’t take that off Wally,” started Bob. “What do you mean?” “At the estimated time the RTG was stolen, you were talking to me from Bop’s orbit; I remember seeing you float on the video camera,” explained Bob. “You COULDN’T have stolen the RTG.” “Thanks for not accusing me of first-degree larceny,” said Val. “Even so, until now I never… wait just a minute.” “You think the bunk’s PREVIOUS occupant stole the RTG and stashed it in the closet?” asked Bob. “General Jackson? No,” said Val. “Why would he steal an RTG, or store it in a closet?” “You’d be surprised at how many people don’t store them correctly,” sighed Bob. “I know they’re tough, but they’re NOT indestructible.” “Again, WHY would he steal it and keep it in here?” reminded Val. “More importantly, why would he take that off Wally WHILE HE WAS RUNNING?” “Good point,” agreed Bob. “It’s not like Poseidon’s Palace has a power shortage – thanks to all the panels and RTGs this place ALREADY has. Oh, well, time to put this thing back in Wally.” “Not just yet,” objected Val. “Program regulations mandate you report found RTGs and have them inspected for damage before putting it back where it came from.” “Fine,” said Bob, “but get me a cart for this.” “Of course,” said Val. “I’ll also call base security and the designated RTG inspector.” She then sent the orders via her kPad, and five men in lead-lined suits entered the room in two minutes. “Why are you not wearing protection?” asked a base guard. “I didn’t find any cracks or signs of radiation leakage,” answered Bob. “I’ll be the judge of that,” said another man who checked the RTG. “Good, it’s intact.” “Get me the serial number for that unit,” ordered another guard, and Bob showed it to him. “Ah, yes. It says here that this particular unit was reported stolen a few days back.” The guards then looked at Val. “Where did you get it?” “She doesn’t know,” Bob chimed in. “General Jackson had this bunk before she did, AND she was videochatting with me at the time it was taken.” “We’ll check that,” said the guard, then he checked the crew assignments for the day of the theft with his kPad. “Hey, what do you know. She was at Bop.” “So, can I put it back where it belongs please?” “Of course, sir. Boys, load it in the cart.” Two more guards obeyed and put the RTG in the carrier cart. “Where does it go?” “It goes on a science robot named Wally,” answered Bob. “He’s parked in the rover lot.” “Do you even know how to install it?” asked Val, then Bob accessed a PDF on his kPad and showed the front page to her. WALLY FOR DUMMIES By Bill Kerman, its creator “Bill created Wally?” she gasped, and Bob nodded. “Then why do YOU have it?” “He gave it to me during Basic,” said Bob. “When Bill built him in high school, he tried to impress girls – but that didn’t work.” Val laughed. “What’s so funny?” “He built a rover to impress girls?” said Val. “I didn’t think he was THAT nerdy. Did you?” “I never knew Bill until Basic.” “Oh, yeah, you never went to Baikerbanur County High,” remembered Val. “Bill, Jeb, and I were good friends there. Where’d you go?” “Woomerang Institute,” said Bob, and Val gasped. “You’re the science geek who stomped us in our scholastic bowl, aren’t you?” Val figured out. Bob shrugged his shoulders. “Guilty as charged. Bill was that math nerd who almost beat me.” “Yes, he was,” said Val. “How’d you know that?” “We recognized each other during Basic,” explained Bob. “After we shared a couple drinks, he showed me Wally and told me of his intentions to keep using him while Bill’s exploring other planets. I then suggested we fit Wally with scientific instruments, and Bill agreed. After modifying him, Bill then reprogrammed him to be fully automated – with a manual remote-control override, of course – and we tested him along the beach near the Space Center. We both agreed that I would have better use for Wally than Bill would now that we were kerbalnauts, so he then signed ownership over to me.” “How nice,” said Val. “Why did you need to SIGN a change of ownership?” “Wally had an RTG, and you know how tightly they were regulated,” said Bob. “Besides, it also had a provision that I would not pass off Wally as my own design.” “Wait a second,” gasped Val, recognizing the robot on the cover. “I’m pretty sure there are robots like those EVERWHERE on Eve and Duna.” “Yes, but they’re remote-controlled; Wally’s COMPLETELY autonomous (with a fail-safe code in case of emergencies),” explained Bob. “Since Bob told me his plans to get rich off of those robots through a contract with Jeb’s Junkyard, he etched serial numbers on Wally and his parts so I can tell him apart from other models.” “What about the RTG?” “Bob said he had that since he was a kid.” “Jeez,” sighed Val. “Sir, are you coming or what?” interrupted a guard. “Oh, yeah,” said Bob. “Later.” As he left with the guards and Wally’s RTG, Val closed the door behind him and got out her kPad. “Belay my last order,” she said while typing. “Found Bob and mystery caller. P.S. Wenpont killed Sheri.” She then set an alarm to go off in the morning and plugged in her kPad. “Man, I need a rest.” As she plopped on her bed, she heard a strange sound on impact. “What?” She lifted her sheets and found a folder under it. “Huh, wonder what’s in it.” She turned it around and saw her name written on it. “Must be for me, but how did it end up here?” After she opened it, she read the note on the top of the stack of papers. I told you that you would get proof Stay away from Bob, or everything goes public Final warning “Proof of what, exactly?” wondered Val. Normally, she would alert base security and order them to find the one who broke into her room; but she was curious as to what was in the folder. As soon as she saw the first document, she gasped in horror and fainted on her bed. “It’s… true.”

I murdered Danlong Kerman. I lured her to the launch pad and then activated a USAF Airborne Laser, which targeted and killed her; she was disintegrated instantly. I then sabotaged the laser to make it look like an automated security feature gone bad. THEY'LL NEVER KNOW. HA HA HA!

STARDATE: Y9-D162-1H15M We made it to the Kerbal Face. I can see why it's such a big deal for high-budget stargazers; from here - and apparently, from Kerbin - it looks like a well-carved statue. Below is a picture the orbital scanner took of us sitting right next to the Kerbal Face. How convenient that the scanner was coming over us as the sun rose, by the way. Up close, it looks too well-carved to be naturally occurring. Mission Control has also notified us that the camera mast we found is NOT one of ours. While this means that there may be life beneath us, there's also the possibility that ANOTHER space agency on Kerbin launched a rover there before we did and it somehow got lost. While Mission Control checks with those other agencies, Bruce, Chyna, and I will be heading off towards the equator to do some more ore runs before ascending to the pod. HOWEVER, we're not parking near Disco Base since the terrain there's pretty rugged; we're going somewhere flatter. Good thing the tanks are fully loaded in case the ore concentration's too low. Map of where we are now and where we're going. Boy, what I wouldn't give for a plane to fly through Mars; that rover drive took FOREVER. Speaking of which, Michael and Clayton tested a new SSTO and I'm so happy to say that they worked out well in the preliminaries. If all goes well, we can send the new plane - and a new kind of fueling truck made just for that - to Duna to explore the surface without ever having to leave. Heck, if fully gassed up, it can even LEAVE Duna and head back home. Reid, however, is in the hospital being treated for third-degree burns sustained from a cockpit overheating during testing. His girlfriend, Elora, has not left him since. He will be on medical leave for a while after leaving the hospital, but the doctors say there's a chance he may never go interplanetary. * Orbiting the Mun * Michael after the "Conventional" landing test. Clayton took the "Unconventional," and just deployed the parachutes after cutting the engines. Though he came down nose-first at 10.4 m/s, the cockpit turned out okay - and so did everything else. That was our first working SSTO, and a handsome one at that. Hopefully, we can make a Mk. II that can refuel itself without the need of a separate gas rover. At the next transfer window, Michael and two others will take off and head for Duna in that little plane; he demanded he not wait in parking orbit for 290 days.

First of all, I would like to thank @Matt Lowne for inspiring me to persist. In the past, I SUCKED at SSTOs. But now, thanks to him, I think I got a good design going. After so much blood (from SPH incidents), sweat (from the nose cone overheating during the initial ascent), and tears (from the widowed wives of the test pilots), I put this bad boy in LKO. Call me a copycat if you may, but this is only my first SUCCESSFUL SSTO that I built from scratch. Besides, I installed a 2G direct antenna on this plane as well as a science bay and an RTG (in case the solar panel breaks off). I also put rocket tanks in front of the Rapier engines so that it will give the craft an extra boost on its way to LKO (I'm at 85 km right now) - they automatically switch, by the way. When the next transfer window opens, I shall blast this off to Duna - only it STAYS there. It's objective is to get kerbals to and from places on Duna, since rovers are too slow. Tbh, I haven't test-landed this. I spent a lot of time just trying to get it to LKO It now has 2215 m/s of delta-V left at 85 km above Kerbin's surface. I'm also designing a small refueling rover just for that plane - the rover I already have on Duna's too large, and a mini-bus is total crap when it comes to refueling. That way, I won't have to worry about running out of fuel while flying through Duna. Too bad Captain Red won't get it OR the plane before he leaves Duna, but at least the next wave of Duna colonists will.

STARDATE: Y9-D156-0H30M Andrew, Jayme, and Lizard have made it back to the pod from their voyage on Ike's surface. Though Jayme had already repacked the chutes, we can't send the ore transport back down since the only truck on Duna is NOWHERE NEAR the equator - which will be trouble when it comes to the return ascent.* More specifically, it would require less delta-V to ESCAPE Duna's SOI rather than to perform a successful rendezvous - let alone return. Even if I manage to reach the pod, it may take up too much fresh Lf+Ox for a safe descent - which beats the purpose of an ore transport. * the Ike crew on its ascent. This was taken on a timer from the mini-bus. Nice view of Duna, isn't it? Meanwhile, Chyna, Bruce, and I made a stop at the southern ice cap and had a little fun there. We saved some radiator parts from the ones Bruce broke, so we used them as sleds to go up and down the hills. That doesn't mean we didn't got some serious science done; we took a surface sample of the ice and observed the materials and goo - read Dr. Chyna's science report for more detailed information. All three of us standing in front of the truck after arriving at the southern ice cap. You can tell just by this photo that we can make some serious tourism money here (starting with selling postcards with this photo - "Greetings from South Duna" kind of has a nice ring to it. What do you think)? Doctor Chyna and I also did a cover of "Baby It's Cold Outside" in the truck while Bruce filmed us. After showing it to the rest of the crew, everyone agreed that we sounded awesome. To be honest, it's been cold EVERYWHERE on Duna. We then told Sam and Liv about it on Dres, and they told us that they're going to get a new unmanned rover when the next transfer window opens. * A few days ago in real life, I had an interesting email conversation with Scott Manley about this video. That's where I also got the idea to NOT RISK landing the ore transport when the rover is too far away from the equator. Besides, I tend to land along the equator anyway (give or take 10 degrees)

STARDATE: Y9-D148-2H00M We have arrived at the first waypoint. Turns out, the rumors of a camera mast are TRUE. Bruce (engineer) standing right next to the camera mast (HE planted the flag to mark the location, but the camera mast was already there when we arrived). I had to wake up Bruce when we arrived; he, Chyna, and I drive in two-hour shifts (more or less) non-stop. We don't even need to stop to use the bathroom or get gas - since we have a water reclaimer and PLENTY of RTGs and batteries. And yes, we used the RTGs for heating during this excursion. Anyway, he jetpacked from the rover to the camera mast to inspect it. We have no confirmation from Mission Control yet, but based on the exterior design he believes it's NOT one of ours; not even a faded insignia. Chyna and I then left the truck with shovels and pickaxes to try and dig it out. So far, it looks like the mast goes deep into the rock. COULD THERE BE ALIENS UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE? We stopped a couple of times times to relax and get a good shot of Ike, . If my mom was here, she'd have us stop every five kilometers (give or take four) for photographic opportunities. From Duna's surface, Ike kinda looks like our own Mun. I hope Andrew and his crew are having fun. Right now, we're going to drive to the southern ice cap before heading to the Kerbal face. Bruce wanted to go check out the rumored signal emitter at the polar ice cap (66° 3′ 12″ S 160° 53′ 38″ W), but that means we're going to the other side of the planet before returning to our starting site. Besides, we don't even have an SSTV signal decoder - but the new unmanned rover destined for Duna WILL. We'll be heading to the Kerbal face as soon as we spend some time in the southern ice caps, then back to the equator. Back on Dres, Sam and Eli switched spots; Sam's now in Dresden base, while Eli's on board the Defiant. Sam also told me that he and Olivia are dating now; he had to get permission from Mason to use the refueling truck for his drive through the crater behind Dresden base (by saying it was part of a "geological survey"). I also hear that we're sending an unmanned rover to Dres, and our ore scanner on Vall found pictures of a stonehenge near the southern part of the moon. We're going to send a rover there to check it out. MAYBE WE ARE NOT ALONE

@MacLuky, where was this taken?