Mars-Bound Hokie

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?

CHAPTER SIX: SHAKEN TRUST Back on Kerbin, there was massive outrage over the events that occurred on Jool and Eeloo. Everywhere, people demanded answers as to what was going on and who was perpetrating them and why. Friends and family members of the victims started sending letters to the Kerbal Space Center, asking that their bodies be returned for proper funerals back home. Some citizens decided to hold a demonstration at the old space center in Baikerbanur in protest of the program’s “Blatant allowance of criminals to run free.” In the administration building, the heads of the program departments were discussing what they were to do about the killings. “Gentlemen,” started Gene Kerman, the director of the Kerbal Space Program, “as you already are aware, we have a murderer on the loose in our solar system.” “The public is demanding answers faster than we can find them,” added Walt, the head of public relations. “However, if we give them our evidence now, I fear it may start an interplanetary witch hunt.” “I agree,” said Kirrim, the head of personnel. “When our astronauts get evidence that the murders were committed by ONE OR MORE of THEIR OWN, it may cause internal conflict that we cannot afford.” “I doubt that would do any good,” warned Mortimer, the finance specialist. “With today’s fast media, everyone back home ALREADY KNOWS what’s going on.” “Okay, let’s break it down,” started Gene, drawing a cross in the middle of a Smartboard screen. “Now, let’s start with the information the public already knows and separate that from the information it DOESN’T.” EELOO MURDER/S JOOL MURDERS Public knows · Moonjet hacked · Victim (Agaden) poisoned · Jeb piloting à NOT LIABLE. · Sheri hit over head repeatedly à wound up on beach. · Asteroid hit U.S.S. Zeus à 7 dead, 3 alive · Tami shot Dora (murder), then Bob shot Tami (self-defense) à IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY Public DOESN’T know · Poison unregistered toxic substance (further analysis warranted) · Victim #1 had boyfriend (Bob) à alibi cleared. · Mini-bus seen driving from crime scene à someone who has a license (a kerbal) · Tire tracks on crime scene belong to mini-bus (serial number pending) · 3 Mystery Goo canisters missing from lab (why?) · Dirty laundry theft reported (why would anyone steal that?) · Redirection probe hijacked and destroyed à designated pilot claimed he was KO’ed (had bruise to prove it) · Tami’s autopsy showed signs of torture and other unknown substance (needs further analysis) · Bob sniffed Mystery Goo at scene of shooting. “We could at least tell the public about the boyfriend’s alibi,” started Walt. “It will generate sympathy for the family and the poor astronaut.” “Not to mention that Bob will know that there are people back home supporting him,” added Kirrim. “It will help him get through this terrible ordeal.” “You’re talking about the same Bob Kerman that shot somebody dead,” reminded Gus, the head of operations. “I’ve known Bob since he was an undergraduate,” objected Werner, the chief of research and development. “He could never kill anybody.” “That was a long time ago, Werner,” reminded Gene. “On the other hand, this particular incident was clear-cut self-defense.” At that moment, Purnell Kerman – an intern in the Mission Transit department – burst into the room. “What is it, young man?” “Sorry, sir,” panted Purnell, “but the Internal Investigation Committee is here and they brought the police.” Gene sighed in disappointment. “Then tell them…,” but he was interrupted when Roger, the head of the Internal Investigation Committee, entered the room with several cops and committee members. “Ah, Roger. Hello, officers.” “Hello, Gene,” replied Roger. “Gus Kerman,” said one of the officers, “you’re under arrest.” “Arrest?!” gasped Gus. Gene was shocked when he saw this, then he almost fainted when he saw the cops handcuff Linus. “You two are now being charged with conspiracy to murder Agaden Kerman,” explained the cops. “You have the right to remain silent.” The officers continued to read Gus and Linus their rights as they walked away with them. “What the heck’s going on here?” asked Gene angrily. “Sir, don’t make it harder than it already is,” suggested Roger. “Answers, NOW!” demanded Gene. “Did they say they planned to murder Agaden?” questioned Walt. “I’m afraid so,” said Roger. “We got a tip claiming their involvement in orchestrating the moonjet crash and Agaden’s poisoning.” “You gotta be kidding me,” sighed Gene. “I wish,” said Roger. “Once our tipster sent us screenshots of the emails he received, we checked Gus’ and Linus’ email accounts. Turns out,” he then gave Gene his kPad before showing him the incriminating evidence, “Gus and Linus really did order Agaden’s death.” Gene took a minute to read the emails – which were edited to block out Hadgan’s name to preserve his identity (in case Mission Control was involved). “Impossible! Somebody must have spoofed that.” “We accessed their accounts, and the emails in question are in their ‘sent’ folder,” explained Roger. “Additionally, they both had access to their emails at the time they were sent.” “But… how? More importantly, why?” “Read this,” suggested Roger, and he showed Gene another email. Some of the words were blotted out, as they contained Hadgan’s name; Roger didn’t want anyone to know that he talked in case Mission Control was involved. From: gus@ksp.admin.org To: linus@ksp.admin.org Subject: Securing Kerbalkind’s Safety Linus, As we are all aware, Captain Jebediah Kerman is a problem that will not go away. Not only does he have the highest accident liability record of anyone in the program, but 83% percent of his passengers (regardless of specialty) have filed official complaints against him – you’ll find a zip file with all the complaints logged. It’s time we took a stand once and for all. Remember what we discussed the day before you “called in sick.” I would email (CLASSIFIED) and tell (CLASSIFIED) to “update Moonjet 314’s software.” The new software package actually contains a virus that will cause the craft to malfunction and crash itself. Not only that, in case Jeb tries to avoid this, the controls will be switched, and he won’t be able to save the jet from certain doom. Fortunately, the EVA suit dispenser will still work so he can bail out and face the charges. However, if Agaden bails out too, she can testify that Jeb did NOT cause the moonjet to crash. As such, you need to get (CLASSIFIED) to poison her before her exam begins. Be sure to tell (CLASSIFIED) that it’s “a confidence medication she’s in dire need of,” or else (CLASSIFIED) will never carry it out. That way, Jeb will get blamed for causing the student’s death and nobody will defend him – not even his own father. Why Agaden, you ask? As she’s the first student to go on Moonjet 314 for elite cadet training. If she dies, everyone will think that only he is at fault. If somebody else is involved in the crash, (even if s/he was poisoned instead), as they are more likely than the student before them to cause a fatal accident, there will be doubt as to who’s at fault. When Jeb is punished, we shall drink to the day when we can all sleep sound knowing that he won’t crash anything into another innocent victim. Gus Kerman KSC Head of Operations Jebediah Kerman.zip “What exactly was their endgame?” wondered Gene. “Getting Jeb removed from the program by killing Agaden and framing him for it,” said Roger. “The poison was for good measure in case Jeb miraculously bailed her out of a malfunctioning moonjet. In other words, Agaden needed to die so she would KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT; if she said that the crash wasn’t Jeb’s fault, everybody would know it was due to SABOTAGE and not BAD PILOTING.” “So, Gus made the virus and Linus knew what to poison Agaden with,” Gene figured out, and Roger nodded. “The two of them then told their accomplice at Eeloo to carry it out?” “So far, it looks like the person who did it HAD NO IDEA – at the time, at least – it would cause Agaden’s death. Plus… they are the masters in the respective departments.” Gene sat back down in his chair as the police interviewed his staff one-by-one. “Tell the police we will cooperate fully in this investigation.” “Yes, Gene.” “Only one problem; what about Eeloo’s end, or the Jool murders?” wondered Gene. “Commander Gustov has let me know he’s conducting his own investigation on Eeloo and will report all findings to me,” said Roger. “As for the Jool murders, General Jackson already has the Jool security force working double-time to figure this out.” “I hope to heaven none of these are connected,” commented Gene. “How long have you been here?” Bob asked Victor. “I’ve been in the rec room for five minutes,” answered Victor. “I’ve been on Laythe for,” he paused to check his kPad’s calendar, “about 200 days.” “200 days?” gasped Bob. “Val never told me you were here.” “I’m surprised; she’s supposed to know who’s coming and going now that she’s an admiral,” said Victor. “But… since she DOESN’T, I want to make it a surprise.” “Whatcha doing on Laythe?” “Heading an expeditionary force,” said Victor. “Mission Control wants to know more about potentially friendly and hostile tribes on this rock. I just flew back to this base after being put on leave a day ago.” “Good… for you,” stammered Bob. He hoped that did not mean Victor was hunting down his next victims. “You sound troubled,” noticed Victor. “I’ve… been through a lot recently,” confessed Bob. “I understand,” replied Victor. “You looked shaken up after you shot that woman.” “You saw that?” gasped Bob. “Yes, and I would have done the same thing in your position.” “You probably won’t object to killing UNARMED women and children, too,” Bob thought to himself. “Uh… I feel… uncomfortable,” said Bob. “This happens to everybody in the military,” commented Victor. “Hey, didn’t you get firearm defense training before flying here?” “Yes. I fired a gun before, but… I didn’t think I’d KILL anyone,” answered Bob. “That’s pretty much what they’re for,” sighed Victor. “What, you think you can NEGOTIATE with savage Laythans for your life?” “They’re not savages,” said Bob. “Yes, they are!” spat Victor, slamming his fist on the table. “Six men and women… unarmed, all with families, all mere explorers… and the Laythans butchered them like meat.” “Not all of them!” argued Bob. “We can welcome them into our society, I KNOW IT!” “Yeah, how?” “We and the Ryagii have been getting along fine for years,” explained Bob. “Please,” sighed Victor, “the only reason we didn’t shoot the Ryagii where they stood was because that particular tribe didn’t murder our explorers.” Bob shuttered at this statement. Was this an admission of guilt for wiping out the Clivar tribe, or did it mean something else? “Well, how did YOU feel after the first time YOU killed someone?” “Guilty at first, but I got over it when I was old enough to know it had to be done,” started Victor. “Old enough?” wondered Bob. “My first kill was Rover… my own dog,” explained Victor. “He was terminal and had been biting Val. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice… so I shot him.” As soon as he said that, there was a loud clang in the middle of the rec room. “HOW COULD YOU?!” “Oh… hey, sis,” said Victor as he turned around. “You said Rover RAN AWAY!” shouted Val, getting everyone’s attention. “What was I supposed to say?” replied Victor. “Hey, Val, you know that dog you were so into? Well, turns out, I shot him dead and buried him in our yard.” “You lied to Mom and Dad,” said Val. “Correction: I lied to Mom,” Victor responded. “Dad made me shoot him.” “I believe you’re talking to an admiral, sir,” interrupted an engineer who tried to diffuse the situation. “Unless she’s my LITTLE SISTER,” shouted Victor, “who, by the way, couldn’t get her own crew off a space station before an asteroid hit it!” “Oh, so you’re blaming ME for it?” said Val. “News flash, big brother: the asteroid was HIJACKED and INTENTIONALLY REDIRECTED!” Bob saw a chance to leave the rec room unnoticed, but he wanted to hear more. If Val and/or Victor was guilty of anything, there was a possibility that they might let it slip in this heated argument. “Oh, and FYI, I was NOWHERE NEAR the Zeus when it got destroyed.” “Then you’re a worse leader than I thought,” spat Victor. “You let your crew get lazy and complacent; you set a bad example for them.” “Like THAT mattered,” said Val. “The survivors told me that the radar and communication systems were down; they COULDN’T do anything.” “Wait a minute,” Bob said out loud to himself. “You mean someone broke it, or they didn’t even bother to FIX it!” Victor told his sister. “Matt told me that those systems went nuts before the asteroid hit,” explained Val. “He tried everything to fix them, but no use; it was SABOTAGE!” “Oh, so now you have INSUBORDINATES on your hands,” said Victor. “Vic, why are you blaming ME for something COMPLETELY OUT OF MY CONTROL?” “I beg your pardon?” “You two, that’s enough!” interrupted Eli. “Major Victor, Admiral Valentina.” “Thanks, Eli,” sighed Bob. “Bob, can you come with me to sick bay please?” asked Eli. “We need your help.” “Sure, but… why me?” wondered Bob. “I’ll tell you on the way,” said Eli, then a scientist named Wenpont approached Victor before splashing water on his face. “I know what you did,” she told him angrily. “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID!” “Lady, what are you talking about?” asked Victor rudely. “The Clivar NEVER scattered away and starved,” explained Wenpont, pointing at Victor. “YOU gave the order to kill them all… men, women, and children.” “How DARE YOU!” replied Val. “Hang on,” interrupted Bob, “what evidence do you have to support that?” “Question: why is the old battle site HEAVILY GUARDED?” responded Wenpont. “I can’t even go in there to collect SOIL SAMPLES.” “That information is classified,” said Victor. “A-HA, you just admitted it!” shouted Wenpont. “You DID gun them all down.” “Victor would NEVER do such a thing!” argued Val. “Open your eyes, Admiral!” “Guards, put her in the brig,” ordered Val. “Maybe some time there will cool you off.” “This isn’t over!” yelled Wenpont as two guards dragged her away. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!” “Bob, let’s go,” said Eli, and the two men left. “Again, why do you need me?” questioned Bob. “I don’t think I’m qualified for sick bay work.” “If the higher-ups give us crap for that, I’ll vouch for you,” said Eli. “Anyway, here’s the story. “We started the autopsies for both shooting victims. Dora’s corroborated witness statements that she was shot twice at point-blank range with Tami’s gun; she was dead before she hit the ground. Tami’s however, was the most interesting.” He took out a kPad and showed Bob the medical examiner’s notes. “You ready for this?” “Dead girlfriend, buddy losing a student, another friend ALMOST dying thanks to a saboteur, I think I’m ready for anything,” sighed Bob. “She was tortured recently before the shooting,” said Eli. “Tortured… how?” asked Bob. “We have yet to learn how and to what extent,” answered Eli. “Now, here’s the part where you come in.” “Tell me more.” “It’s… regulation to run tox screens on all dead bodies we do autopsies on,” started Eli. “Dora was clean, but Tami WASN’T. Since you were able to smell Mystery Goo at the scene, we believe maybe you can tell us more about this substance.” “Can you get the molecular structure of the substance in question?” asked Bob. “We should have it ready for you right now,” answered Eli as he led Bob into the sick bay. “You must be the Bob Eli told me about,” said Dr. Melinda. “That’s right, Doc,” replied Bob as he extended his hand. “Ah ah ah, not in here you’re not,” objected Dr. Melinda, showing him her gloved hands. “Don’t wanna risk cross-contamination.” “Oh, of course,” said Bob as he put on a fresh pair of rubber gloves. “Eli told me you found something in Tami’s body.” “That is correct,” said Dr. Melinda. “Computer, access Tami Kerman’s tox screen.” “At once, madam,” a male computer voice replied, then her screen showed Bob the molecular structure and elemental composition of the substance he wanted. “You have a voice-activated computer?” inquired Eli. “Duh, so I don’t have to risk getting germs on me OR my gloves,” explained Dr. Melinda. “Germophobe,” teased Eli. “Then medicine’s NOT the job for you,” replied Dr. Melinda. “Ooh, roasted,” said Bob. “Let me think, please.” All was silent for a minute before Bob spoke again. “Yep, there’s definitely goo in there.” “But not in its pure form,” reminded Dr. Melinda. “I know,” said Bob before ordering the computer to find the concentration in Tami’s blood. “Huh, strange. Doc, you told Eli you found signs of torture on Tami.” “I did,” answered Dr. Melinda, “but I don’t know how she got them. From my knowledge on Native Laythan culture, they always tortured their victims through more… obvious means.” “Good to know,” said Bob. “Did you, by chance, find any… injection sites?” “Well, now that you mention it, yes,” said Dr. Melinda. “Injection sites?” gasped Eli. “Bob, what are you getting at.” “I doubt the other particles binding with the goo molecules are for seasoning,” answered Bob. “This was injected DIRECTLY into Tami’s bloodstream.” “You think someone PUT THAT in Tami?” gasped Eli. “Possible, or she did it herself,” replied Dr. Melinda. “Are you sure?” asked Bob. “Computer, you have any Mystery Goo-related drug overdose cases on file?” “I do, sir.” “Great, now put their molecular structures on the left side with Tami’s on the right.” “At once, sir.” The monitor then displayed several molecular structure diagrams on one side and Tami’s tox screen report on the other. “Your computer can tell the difference between male and female voices?” Eli asked Melinda. “Yes, since we have both men AND women working here,” explained Dr. Melinda. “Plus, whoever programmed that was in a contest involving AI differentiating between male and female recorded voices.” “How intriguing… weird… uh-huh…,” Bob continued to carefully analyze the similarities and differences between Tami’s drug and those of the other cases. “Find anything?” asked Eli. “For starters, there’s definitely Mystery Goo in Tami’s blood,” said Bob. “The reason I asked if she had injection sites was because, had it been ingested, the blood concentration would have been lower.” “How do you know she didn’t just drink A LOT of it at once?” asked Dr. Melinda. “Because it tastes so bad you’d spit it out,” said Bob. “Even if you CHUGGED it down, there’s a good chance it will trigger a reaction in your digestive system that will have you PUKE it out.” “Which… is consistent with the fact that I found no signs of vomiting in her digestive tract,” said Dr. Melinda. “Speaking of which, she was also starved AND dehydrated; I could tell her chloroplasts had been inadequately charged for days.” “This is FAR unlike any of these previous goo drug cases,” commented Bob. “Perhaps the additional molecules will tell us something. Computer, analyze compounds binding to the Mystery Goo.” “Searching… found.” “Whatcha get?” asked Dr. Melinda. “Another of the key components of Tami’s substance is volitium,” started Bob. “An explosive?” wondered Eli. “That’s volitalium, which is often used in building demolition,” corrected Bob. “Speaking of which, why do some of the other overdose cases have compounds you find in explosives?” The doctor shrugged her shoulders. “Illegal drug manufacturers usually AREN’T qualified chemical or medical scientists; if they were, they definitely violated the Scientist’s Vow.” “Scientist’s Vow?” questioned Eli. “United we are in the purs…,” started Bob. “Less reciting, more analyzing,” interrupted Dr. Melinda. “You were saying about volitium?” “Oh, yeah. Thanks,” said Bob. “As you should know, Doc, volitium can be found in drugs intended to deal with psychological and mental issues.” “The drugs in question are intended to get the user to be more compliant and less rebellious,” added Dr. Melinda. “People who work with vicious animals often use them to decrease the risk of an attack when they want to get closer to them.” “Is there a legal use on kerbals?” questioned Eli. “Are you kidding, it’s used on smokers and drinkers ALL THE TIME to get them to quit,” answered Melinda. “It’s also used on violent prisoners and children who frequently misbehave despite adequate measures. Fun fact: I’m actually part of a Kerbnet group intended to outlaw the use of volitium on children.” “Do you have such medications in stock?” inquired Eli. “Yes, as a matter of fact,” said Dr. Melinda. “Computer, name and count all medications with volitium in the supply closet.” “Searching… sorry. No medications containing volitium found in inventory.” “What?” gasped Dr. Melinda. “Impossible.” “How so?” wondered Bob. “Computer, access inventory and tell me if anybody’s signed off on such drugs?” “Searching… no logged acquisitions.” “You were ROBBED!” concluded Bob. “Doesn’t your computer have auto-report in case this happens?” asked Eli. “It did, but we switched it off when too many people forgot to sign for the medications first,” said Dr. Melinda. “First my dirty clothes, then the goo, now this,” commented Bob. “Wait, goo was stolen too?” asked Dr. Melinda. “Recently, base security got a report that three canisters of mystery goo are unaccounted for,” explained Eli. “As for the laundry… Bob reported a set of his exercise clothes going AWOL. He claims to have searched the laundry room, but no sign of the clothes in question.” “Weird,” said Dr. Melinda. “Can’t you just get another set of clothes?” “I could… but it still bothers me,” answered Bob. “Just WHY would anyone want to steal MY dirty clothes. One day they were in my basket, the next they were gone.” “You know, more money goes into colonizing Laythe than any other place in our solar system,” commented Dr. Melinda. “What about Moho or Eve?” wondered Eli. “I hear Moho is the hardest to get to, and Eve is next to IMPOSSIBLE to get OUT of.” “Moho’s second because of the IMMENSE delta-V needed to get to AND from there – and the transfer window from Kerbin happens frequently,” said Bob. “Eve’s third because of ascent rockets.” “Okay, that makes sense,” said Eli. “Now that Melinda mentioned it, with all the money coming here, you’d think we’d have solved those crimes already.” “Wait, did you examine a pilot named Sheri Kerman?” asked Bob. “Yes, I did,” said Dr. Melinda. “Tell me you found something,” sighed Bob. “No way. I’m not allowed to talk to unauthorized personnel,” replied Melinda. “It’s okay, Doc,” said Eli. “Bob was her boyfriend, and he has an alibi.” “From what I recall, Sheri was clean,” started Melinda. “No defensive wounds on her, which means she KNEW her killer. However, the degree and quantity of blows to the head suggested that this was personal.” “Personal?” wondered Bob. “It means that whoever bashed her head in was FILLED WITH RAGE when he killed her,” explained Eli. “You’re correct, except for one thing,” said Dr. Melinda. “I also found a hand print in the back of her head, corroborating the cause of death as drowning.” “Uh, I’m pretty sure THAT many blows to the head would be enough,” suggested Bob. “Yes, but someone pushed her head in the water to finish the job,” clarified Melinda. “Judging by the size of the hand print, it’s safe to say your killer’s a woman.” “A WOMAN?” gasped Bob. “Yes; it’s smaller than A MAN’S average right hand size,” explained Dr. Melinda. “Thanks, Melinda,” said Eli. “Well, that narrows things down a bit.” “What about the smaller-than-average MEN?” asked Bob. “I’ll make a note on it,” replied Eli, taking notes on his kPad. “Right now, we’re looking into anyone who took a mini-bus around the time of Sheri’s death.” “Mini-bus? You mean the killer was… A KERBAL?” said Bob, realizing Val was telling the truth about the mini-bus. “I’m afraid so, since we don’t issue licenses to Laythans yet; they don’t know how to drive,” said Eli. “Additionally, from what I hear, they take their prey back to their tribes to either eat, show as trophies, or offer as sacrifices.” Bob hastily left the sick bay. “So, let’s take this from the top,” he told himself. “One of OUR women took a mini-bus, drove to where Sheri was, bashed her in the head a few times before drowning her – and LEAVING her – then drove back. Sheri didn’t drive there since her license was suspended, and she always ran in the mornings… so somebody FOLLOWED her.” “Bob!” shouted Eli. “You okay?” “I dunno,” answered Bob. “I just figured out that some lady PLANNED to kill Sheri then stole a car to INTERCEPT her.” “That makes sense,” commented Eli. “On the other hand, why not just RUN HER OVER?” “Maybe she tried, but that didn’t work,” said Bob. “Base security will get started looking for licensed drivers who drove at the time of the murder,” started Eli. “Why not licensed WOMEN?” wondered Bob. “It IS possible that the killer had AN ACCOMPLICE who drove her, so we’re looking into anyone who took a mini-bus at the time,” explained Eli. “Aside from tire tracks, we have an eyewitness who saw a mini-bus heading for the base shortly after Sheri’s time of death.” “Please tell me when you catch her,” requested Bob. “You’ll be the first to know.” Back on Eeloo, Jeb had just returned to Frosty Base on a moonjet from an expedition to Mu Glacier. He was assigned to take a geologist and a chemist there so they can learn if they can harvest water from the frozen surface. Fortunately, the SSTO worked perfectly and all three men came back alive; the geologist threw up in his helmet when Jeb did a barrel roll in orbit (and while he was strapped to his seat). Commander Gustov had told him to “keep the tomfoolery down to zero,” but Jeb wasn’t listening – as usual. Now he was waiting for at the base entrance for a mini-bus to arrive. 75 hours before Bill’s craft – a Mark V Interplanetary Travel Pod (which had a larger delta-V capacity than its predecessor) – got captured in Eeloo’s sphere of influence, Bill called Jeb and informed him of his prompt arrival. Bill was allowed to call Jeb since the pod had a total communication range of over 200G, which meant that his pod can adequately handle phone calls to and from Eeloo if within 100 hours of arrival in Eeloo’s sphere of influence; the powerful relays surrounding the planet also helped. Bill’s pod then established a parking orbit 500 kilometers above the surface before making a rendezvous with Hades Station. Bill then grabbed his ski prototypes and took them with him on a lander back down to Eeloo’s surface, where a mini-bus was waiting to take him (and two others) to Frosty Base five kilometers away. “Wassup, Bill,” said Jeb when he saw his friend enter the base through the docking port. “Hey, Jeb,” replied Bill as he high-fived Jeb with his left hand – he was holding the ski bag with his right. “You ready to ski?” asked Jeb. “Nah, I gotta get used to Eeloo gravity before I get started with the tests,” explained Bill. “I’ll test it for you,” offered Jeb. “No-can-do.” “Why not?” “Because you SNOWBOARD.” “Oh, yeah,” said Jeb. “Wait, you didn’t bring snowboards?” “Nope; Mission Control told me to confirm the SKIS work before we bring snowboards,” explained Bill, and Jeb sighed in disappointment. “This is discrimination.” “Actually, it makes sense,” argued Bill. “Numerous studies have shown that it is WAY easier to control skis than it is snowboards.” “Who conducted them, my Dad?” Jeb joked. “Skiers are totally missing out on the thrill.” “The last time you said that to me, I lost half a year of fifth grade,” reminded Bill. “I’m pretty sure you got in that coma because your design STANK,” said Jeb. “Because I didn’t account for you doing a TWO-MINUTE BARREL ROLL that would cause structural failure,” explained Bill. “I’m surprised only ONE other person died before your cadet was murdered.” “NOT MY FAULT,” spat Jeb. “Why, was he poisoned too?” teased Bill. “Technically, he was poisoning HIMSELF; he smoked and got a heart attack,” clarified Jeb. “Anyway, Commander Gustov wants me to accompany you to my quarters.” “Okay, but first I gotta lock up my skis.” Bill then walked to his assigned quarters and put his ski bag in his room before locking the door and headed to Jeb’s room. “Jeb’s Joint, really?” he sighed, reading a magnetic dry-erase board on Jeb’s door. “Warmest bunk in the base,” smirked Jeb as he opened his door, then he saw Gustov waiting for him. “Hello, Commander.” “Hello, Captain,” replied Gustov and the two men saluted each other. “You must be Jeb’s friend, Bill.” “That is correct, sir,” said Bill as he and Gustov shook hands. “You know my mission here, right?” “Ah, yes, the ski test,” recalled Gustov. “I’m also adding ‘Solving a murder mystery,’ to your Eeloo to-do list.” “Then you got the moonjet codes I asked for?” asked Bill, then Gustov produced a flash drive. “Why do you need moonjet codes?” wondered Jeb. “I called Bill 24 hours before he got in Eeloo’s sphere of influence,” said Gustov. “He told me to copy and download the operation codes from two random moonjets of the same design as the one that crashed.” “Let me check the codes for similarities,” requested Bill, then he plugged Gustov’s flash drive into his kPad. “I have a program on my kPad that analyzes multiple code files for similarities and differences; it’s also used in factories. Were the moonjets you got these from working fine?” “Yes, they were,” answered Gustov. “I couldn’t help but notice that there was a file labeled ‘Virus’ in your flash drive,” said Bill. “That’s correct,” said Gustov, then Jeb told Bill about Hadgan’s confession. “That explains it,” gasped Bill. “I saw a transmission from Kerbin saying that Gus and Linus were arrested, but until now I didn’t know why.” “The worst part is that it was all an elaborate scheme to FRAME ME,” added Jeb, “and a TERRIBLE one at that!” “What do you mean terrible?” said Bill. “I think it was INGENEOUS; a plane crashes, a cadet dies, the instructor is held responsible and punished. They won’t even bother to consider STUDENT error, as the instructor has override protocols in place AND… the instructor is the notorious Jeb Kerman.” “Yeah, but the law MANDATES autopsies be done and crashed vehicles be inspected,” reminded Jeb. “That’s what saved me from prison when that chain smoker died in that rover.” “Which gives me a gut feeling that Linus and Gus are INNOCENT,” added Gustov. “Hacked probe core plus poisoned victim equals zero valid claims that Jeb caused the crash.” “Both codes are the same,” announced Bill when his analysis was complete. “Now to compare with the operation code I got emailed on my way here?” “Why is that important?” wondered Jeb. “Duh, in case I have a faulty code,” explained Bill. “If the codes are 100% similar, I can compare one of them to the virus file and see how this guy tampered with the jet.” “Neat,” complimented Gustov. “Bet this will keep you occupied while you get used to Eeloo’s gravity.” “And when I do, I’m not letting Jeb fly me to the mountains,” commented Bill. “Hey, relax Bill,” said Jeb. “I haven’t put anyone in a coma since your fifth-grade mishap.” “Wait, what happened in fifth grade?” wondered Gustov. “Well, Bill built a small plane that BOTH of us could fly in,” started Jeb. “Once we were airborne, I tried to do some stunts; that’s when the plane broke apart.” “Because it was NOT designed for crazy stunts,” argued Bill. “We lost altitude and crashed. The next thing I knew, a doctor told me I missed six months of school. All the kids there had my back, even the ones who stole my RTG-powered hugger bot.” “Uh… how did you get RTGs at your age?” gasper Gustov. “Mom worked at a nuclear plant, and they had a sale for surplus RTGs,” explained Bill. “That’s… also how she died from cancer when I was 15.” “Bless her soul,” said Jeb. “When Bill recovered… we kinda stopped playing around.” “No, I started flying again with VAL,” corrected Bill. “As good a pilot as you, but NOWHERE NEAR as crazy.” “You didn’t object to me flying the lander on the first Mun mission,” replied Jeb. “Because Val was the best choice for the return craft,” answered Bill. “If YOU were in it, you would get bored waiting for us and leave us stranded on the Mun. And furthermore, there was a remote-control fail-safe measure in place for when you decided to go crazy… AGAIN.” “Come on, Bill. I haven’t killed anybody yet; you LIVED through that coma.” “I had to repeat fifth grade BECAUSE OF YOU.” “But you bounced back because you were too smart for them.” “That was luck.” “Enough, you two!” interrupted Gustov. “Bill, is your reference code the same as those from the two jets?” “Almost done… and… yep,” answered Bill before accessing the virus file. “Now, let’s see what you got my little multi-million-line malware.” “Try saying that five times fast,” dared Gustov. “My little multi-million-line malware,” started Jeb. “My little multi-minion-line mal one, my little lulti-bunyan mal… forget it.” “Huh… intriguing…,” started Bill. “So far the code on the top is EXACTLY ALIKE to the reference code… uh oh.” “What do you mean uh oh?” asked Gustov. “This.” Bill then zoomed in on a few lines of the virus code. “Uh, what are we looking at?” asked Jeb. “Everything on this code seems fine until here,” started Bill. “Once the navicomputer detects a periapsis altitude below zero, an ‘if-then’ protocol is activated that starts with burning retrograde until the expected minimum touchdown time is reached. Not only that, the command ports…,” “Sorry to interrupt, but we don’t speak computer nerd,” teased Jeb. “Ha ha, dude,” sighed Bill. “The virus tells the jet to crash, and it changes the control switches. For instance… hang on… toggling the monopropellant engines would deploy the drill; that, by the way, had its ‘do not deploy while stowed’ and ‘depressurize before opening’ orders REMOVED.” “Wait, what is it supposed to do if I hit the emergency shutdown button?” asked Jeb. “I tried that, but still no good.” “In the least technological of terms… the hacker accounted for that,” said Bill. “Whoever wrote this code really wanted you and Agaden to die… aside from… HELLO, what do we have here?” “You find something else?” asked Gustov. “Yeah; the virus also has another trigger,” said Bill. “You know how you need to verify your identity before using a moonjet?” “How could I not? Gustov threatened to suspend my clearance if I did another barrel roll,” answered Jeb. “Yeah, well, once the periapsis altitude reached zero, it would also check the registered instructor and student. There’s an if-then-else loop on here that will activate the virus if ‘Jebediah Kerman’ and/or ‘Agaden Kerman’ is on board. Where did you get this code, anyway?” “I fetched it from the attachment Gus allegedly sent Hadgan,” answered Gustov. “It was too risky to extract the virus from the damaged probe core.” “So, that code is saying ‘Moonjet, when Jebediah Kerman boards you, you must kill him?’” summed Jeb. “Not exactly; as I said before, the first activation key is when the periapsis altitude reached zero,” repeated Bob. “When’d it happen, were you landing?” “Well… no,” confessed Jeb. “I distracted Agaden and forced her to correct her orbit after flying her craft away from Hades Station.” “You almost got her to crash?” gasped Gustov. “No; I gave her PLENTY of time to fix it,” argued Jeb. “Technically, he DID cause the crash,” remarked Bill. “He didn’t know it at the time, but putting the moonjet at a crashing trajectory activated the virus; his presence was the second key that was supposed to seal his fate.” “And Agaden’s,” corrected Gustov. “Actually, Jeb’s,” said Bill. “The second activation key is coded so that it will look for JEB’S ID first. If Jeb wasn’t on board, it would then look… for… Agaden.” “Oh, no,” said Gustov. “The hacker didn’t want ME dead,” gasped Jeb. “He wanted AGADEN.”

CHAPTER FIVE: AN ODD CONFESSION “State your name, rank, and specialty,” ordered Eli. “Sergeant Jendun Kerman, level three pilot,” the man opposite to him answered. “You were assigned to redirect a Class B asteroid that had just entered Jool’s sphere of influence, correct?” continued Eli. “Yes, sir. Its predicted trajectory took it to about 50 kilometers from the Zeus’ orbit,” explained Jendun. “If it wasn’t exactly a threat, why bother?” wondered Eli. “Aside from Captain Ersen giving me an order to do it,” started Jendun, “it is KSP regulation to redirect all asteroids coming to within 100 kilometers of any orbital trajectories. If not, we leave them alone unless otherwise ordered.” “After you caught the asteroid, what were you going to do with it?” “Put it in a safe, controlled, circular orbit with a radius 150 kilometers wider than that of the Zeus,” said Jendun. “That way, ore transport probes – and not the ones that look like planes – can mine ore off it and send it to the Zeus easily. However, as I said earlier, I never got the chance to plot my orbital adjustment after I grabbed the asteroid.” “Tell me again what happened,” said Eli. “Fine,” sighed Jendun. “I had just grabbed the asteroid with the probe’s claw when somebody knocked me out from behind. The next thing I knew, I was locked in an EVA suit closet. Good thing there’s a switch to open it from the INSIDE in case you get locked in.” “How did you know it was an EVA suit closet?” asked Eli. “I know what the texture of the exterior layer feels like,” said Jendun. “Interesting. Why don’t to tell me what happened before you got knocked out.” “I told MJ to get me within 20 meters of the asteroid so I can have space to figure out where to put the redirect craft for an effective orbital alteration,” started Jendun. “I then heard a clang in the room, then I stood up and took aim with my gun.” “Gun? Why do you have a gun?” wondered Eli. “All control room personnel are required to carry them,” said Jendun. “Anything bad happens in there – hostile attack, rogue crewmember, remote hijacking – a lot of people’s lives are in jeopardy.” “Okay, you heard a clang and drew your gun,” started Eli. “I then said, ‘Stop or I’ll shoot.’ Everything was quiet when I heard another sound, then I shouted to come out with their hands up. Again, no answer. I then walked back toward the probe control panel while keeping my gun at the opposite corner and waited for MJ to match the probe’s velocity with the asteroid’s. I then moved closer to it using the monopropellant; I was about to order MJ to change my periapsis, but then BAM… lights out.” “Could you see his face?” questioned Eli. “Did he have any other distinguishing marks, like a scar or a tattoo?” “I didn’t see any part of him,” said Jendun. “After I woke up in the closet, I unlocked myself out and went to the nearest sick bay.” “Why sick bay?” “Because I want to know if I had any life-threatening injuries sustained from that blow to my head,” explained Jendun. “I… don’t even know why we’re here. Did the craft leave Jool’s sphere of influence?” “Pardon me, sir,” said Eli as he read an incoming message on his kPad. “Hmm… well, what do you know. That bruise below your head could NOT have been self-inflicted with enough force to knock you out.” “See, I told you,” smirked Jendun. “Now answer me this, officer, why am I here?” “That asteroid you were sent to redirect,” started Eli, “destroyed the Zeus.” Jendun laughed. “You can’t be serious. Even if I let the asteroid drift, the Zeus would have been on the OTHER SIDE of the planet at the asteroid’s closest point to the station’s orbit.” “How do you know that?” “After docking with the asteroid, I selected the Zeus as my target and… wait, you’re SERIOUS? My asteroid hit the Zeus?” “You sound surprised,” noticed Eli. “That can’t be!” shouted Jendun. “After I learned that asteroid would have posed no threat to the Zeus, I unselected it as the target. HOWEVER, right before I ordered a periapsis change, I got hit.” Jendun almost shook in horror. “Oh my gosh, he did it.” “Who?” asked Eli. “Who did it?” “The guy who hit me and stashed me in a closet,” said Jendun. “He must have come in there to steal the probe and destroy the Zeus… but who would do such a thing?” “We’ll send someone to check the probe core,” said Eli, but then he got another email. “Sorry about that, it’s been a busy day.” After he read it, he looked at Eli sternly. “Well… I got some good news and some bad news.” “I hope everybody’s okay,” said Jendun. “I mean, they should have seen it coming and either adjusted their orbit or evacuated.” “Unfortunately, neither happened,” Eli informed him, “but… the good news is at least that asteroid won’t hurt anyone again.” “What’s the bad news?” “Your craft was seen entering Jool along with the asteroid,” said Eli. “It got destroyed.” “Well… you could try checking my MJ command logs,” suggested Jendun. “Everything up until ‘Unset U.S.S. Zeus as target,’ is me. Everything after that, NOT me.” “We’ll do that. We’ll also check the hallway cameras to see who this intruder may have been,” reminded Eli. “Please, do that,” sobbed Jendun. “I want to help you catch the psychopath that did this. Tell me… how many died?” “Five dead, three alive, and two unaccounted for,” answered Eli. “I think I’d better…” started Jendun as he left the room, but then Bob pinned him against the wall next to the door. “Why’d you do it?!” yelled Bob. “It wasn’t me, I swear,” replied Jendun. “Calm down, sir!” ordered Eli, and Bob looked at him. “This is the guy who tried to kill Val,” explained Bob. “No, he’s not,” countered Eli. “Are you sure? He redirected the asteroid,” said Bob. “I never got around to that,” said Jendun, showing Bob the bruise under the back of his head. “The REAL killer gave me this and stuffed me in a closet. HE’S the guy you want.” “Then who is he?” asked Bob. “We’re working on that,” said Eli. “You’d better,” warned Bob, “unless you want a corruption claim filed against you.” “You’re still mad that we questioned you for Sheri’s death,” said Eli. “First off, we checked your alibi – it’s ironclad. Second, you’d question the boyfriend too if you had my job.” “Try jealous EX-boyfriends,” suggested Bob. “Already found them; they’re ALL back on Kerbin,” said Eli. “Say… have you been involved in any intimate relationships OTHER THAN Sheri since you two started dating?” “No, why?” asked Bob as Jendun left them to their privacy. “This happens all the time back home,” said Eli. “A man cheats on his girlfriend or wife, the other partner gets jealous, and takes out the competition.” “What? No,” replied Bob angrily. “I would never cheat on Sheri… or anyone, for that matter.” “Then it’s possible that someone who had the hots for you grew jealous of Sheri and offed her to eliminate the competition,” explained Eli. “Likewise, it’s also possible that someone who liked SHERI grew jealous of her relationship with you, things got heated between them, and that resulted in her death.” BANG! BANG! A muffled sound came from around the corner, getting everyone’s attention. “Oh my gosh!” “She’s got a gun!” “She shot her!” Eli and Bob quickly drew their guns and rushed to the scene. “I didn’t know you carried a gun,” said Eli. “I think now’s the best time to use it,” commented Bob, then he and Eli saw a large crowd gathered near the base’s main airlock. “Move it, out of the way, base security,” said Eli as he and Bob got through the crowd. The two men then saw a woman holding a handgun, towering over a woman’s bloody corpse. From the looks of the wounds and the bloody clothes, it was obvious that the woman with the gun shot the other woman who lay dead on the floor. “Drop the gun!” “Kill,” the woman with the gun said weakly. “Kill… kill…” “Yes, you killed her,” said Eli. “Nobody else needs to get hurt if they can avoid it.” “HELP!” a lady’s voice screamed, and Bob saw Irpond standing at the other side of the crowd. “Kill… kill…” She quickly turned around and aimed her gun at Irpond. At that split-second, Bob squeezed the trigger on his gun. The next thing he knew, the woman with the gun fell dead on the floor with a hole in her chest. “Great shot, sir,” thanked Eli, and Bob immediately realized what he had done. He had shot and killed someone; though all the witnesses would argue that it was in self-defense, he still felt guilty about it. “Thanks, Bob,” said Irpond as she rushed over to him. “She’s dead,” announced Eli as he checked her pulse. He then checked her pants pocket and found an ID. “The shooter’s a tourist named Tami Kerman.” He put the ID back in her pocket and found her victim’s card. “Dora Kerman… another tourist.” “What happened?” asked Bob. “It was horrible,” said Irpond. “I just saw Tami walk over to Dora and then… she shot her… twice.” “Hang on,” interrupted Eli, sniffing the air, “what’s that smell?” Bob approached him – careful not to get blood on his boots – and took a whiff. “Mystery Goo,” Bob told him. “That’s quite a nose you got,” complimented Irpond. “All scientists are required to know the smell of Mystery Goo in case of leaks,” added Bob, still shocked at what he did. The next thing he knew, Irpond had kissed him on the cheek. “That was for saving my life,” she explained. “Thanks, but…” stammered Bob, “it’s just… not the same.” He and Irpond were redirected away from the scene by more guards. “Why, you still torn up about Sheri?” asked Irpond. “Not just that… I just shot and killed a woman,” answered Bob. “You mean you shot and killed a PSYCHOPATH,” corrected Irpond. “If you hadn’t done it, some other innocent person would have died.” “Yeah, but…” said Bob. “It was only natural,” said Irpond. “Tami shot Dora, she aimed a gun at me… you wanted to save another innocent life.” “What kind of motive would Tami have to shoot Dora… or you?” wondered Bob. “Well… I have one idea,” started Irpond. “You know how one of them wreaked of Mystery Goo, right?” Bob nodded as a tear started to form. “Yesterday… I saw Tami walking with an oddly-shaped bag. It kinda looked like a canister.” She then took out her kPad and showed Bob a news article from Kerbin. MYSTERY GOO DRUG DEALERS APPREHENDED “I know that… if altered in specific ways, the goo can be used as a narcotic,” said Bob. “I’m no scientist, but I can tell you that Tami showed signs of a drug dependence,” continued Irpond. “You work with software,” recalled Bob. “Yes, and I also sort out the passenger and crew rosters for this base,” added Irpond. “Tami and Dora were assigned to the same bunk; I’m guessing Dora found out about Tami’s theft and drug use and decided to confront her.” She then grabbed Bob’s hand, who did not seem to notice. “Unfortunately… Tami shot her. Tragic, but if you hadn’t pulled the trigger and shot Tami… who knows how many others could have died.” “Now I definitely need to see a psychiatrist,” sighed Bob. “Because you’re shaken by the act of killing someone?” guessed Irpond. “No… you should talk to someone with… experience.” “Who did you have in mind?” inquired Bob. “Try Victor Kerman,” suggested Irpond. “Some guy who’s on the Victor Kerman?” “Not the space station, silly. I’m talking about your friend Val’s BROTHER.” “Well… I can see why you would think he’s credible,” said Bob, “but… of course he killed people. The Clivar army was trying to kill his men… and they had hunted down and sacrificed some of our astronauts.” “Trust me, he knows ALL ABOUT what it’s like to live with that guilt… if there was any,” assured Irpond. “He might not want to talk about it, but he knows.” “Wait a second, how do you know so much about that?” asked Bob. “Ever wonder why the historic battle site is a RESTRICTED AREA?” responded Irpond. “They won’t even let you enter for archaeological studies, which can only mean one thing: they’re HIDING SOMETHING. Only a few people know what actually happened that day with the Clivar, yet there’s such secrecy surrounding it. Care to guess why?” “Back up,” said Bob. “Are you accusing Val’s brother of murder?” “That seems to be the only logical explanation,” answered Irpond. “Think about it: no signs of Clivar migration SINCE that battle, and the battle site is HEAVILY GUARDED.” She paused as Bob gasped in horror. “The women and children had NOTHING to do with the kerbalnauts’ deaths… yet no sign of them anywhere; worse, the guards won’t even let you check the old settlement to research what happened.” “No… it can’t be true,” said Bob. “He did what he had to…” “Did he HAVE to kill the WOMEN AND CHILDREN as well as the Clivar soldiers?” asked Irpond. Bob sat down on the floor, then Irpond got down closer to him. “It’s only natural; they killed unarmed explorers, he wanted revenge.” “Oh… no,” replied Bob. “Does Val know?” “Eh… I don’t know,” said Irpond. “On one hand, she is honest, straightforward, and always dedicated to her job and her integrity. On the OTHER hand, siblings OFTEN keep secrets for each other.” “It… can’t be,” said Bob. “She’s the one who said I should carry a gun.” “No surprise there; a lot of freaky things have been going on lately,” sighed Irpond. “But… do you really trust her?” “She would NEVER lie or betray the integrity of herself or her crew,” snapped Bob. “I’d trust her with my life.” “Since Jeb’s more likely to kill you,” finished Irpond. “She’s an admiral, and they have A LOT of security clearance… not to mention she’s the warmonger’s little sister.” “Warmonger?” asked Bob. “You and Sheri must have wanted to find out the truth for yourselves… and that’s why she’s dead,” said Irpond. “You know it to be true, Bob… Val killed Sheri to hide her big brother’s dirty little secret.” “How DARE YOU?!” shouted Bob, standing up quickly. “You think you know people… until you don’t,” added Irpond. “Just like Dora with her friend… and Mom with Dad.” “Don’t be absurd.” “Am I, Bob. Am I?” “Val would never kill anyone.” “Not even to protect her brother?” Bob said nothing for half a minute. “You’re a scientist, you want answers that are hidden from you. Surely, you can see what’s going on here.” “I don’t… understand.” “I understand this is a lot to process at the moment, but I’m confident you can put the pieces together,” said Irpond. “You want more answers, feel free to visit my quarters.” “That sounds nice… except I don’t know where it is,” reminded Bob. “I’ll show you now,” said Irpond, but then they were halted by a couple of guards. “Bob Kerman?” “Yes, sir,” acknowledged Bob. “We’re gonna need your weapon and your statement,” said the guard. “I’ll gladly give my statement,” said Bob, “but not my weapon. I’d rather keep it for now.” “We’ll give it back when we’re done with ballistics tests,” explained the guard. “Hopefully, we’ll be done with it in less than two hours with no additional problems.” Bob then surrendered his gun and recalled the events leading up to the shooting and what happened during. “Thank you. Don’t leave Laythe.” “No problem,” said Bob, and he continued walking with Irpond through the base. “I can’t believe Val’s alive,” commented Irpond. “But… I got the strange feeling that it was ALL HER IDEA.” “That I KNOW she didn’t do,” said Bob. “She was on Tylo, and I saw the bruise on the redirect craft pilot.” “Victor’s massacre involved many more soldiers, not to mention a good piece of the public advocated the Clivar’s extinction,” reminded Irpond. “It is only logical to assume Admiral Val had AN ACCOMPLICE hit him over the head and steal the probe while Val sabotaged the Zeus’ detection systems FROM THE INSIDE.” “Why would she destroy the Zeus?” asked Bob. “If that WAS her, then she ruined her best chance at getting out of Jool’s sphere of influence.” “Actually, I hear a low-occupancy refueling port – and a fleet of new ore transports – is inbound for Jool’s sphere of influence to assist with interplanetary craft refueling,” Irpond told him. “Expect a quick getaway out of her when it comes… and don’t forget the immense delta-v capacity of the Mark V travel pod.” “But… why?” “I have a few theories,” started Irpond. “She knew it would be loaded, so she must have targeted someone in it. So, she and/or her partner DISABLED the communication and asteroid detection system – or at least sabotaged the station to prevent adequate lifesaving measures from taking effect.” “Why would she want to kill anybody on there?” gasped Bob, showing Irpond a picture from his photo gallery. “She and a crew took a happy group picture three days before the Zeus got hit.” “To make appearances,” said Irpond, then she stopped in front of Bunk 23 before entering her keycode. “Feel free to come by anytime and knock; I have a vibration-triggered camera on the door, so I’ll know if it’s you.” “Eh, I’m pretty sure ALL bunk doors have some sort of eyehole.” “Not this one. THIS one sends the video feed to my kPad, so I’ll know at ANYTIME who’s at my door when he knocks,” explained Irpond. “Well, I got rosters to file through.” “Eh, don’t you have to do that at the control room?” wondered Bob. “That’s an advantage of having a kPad AND my level clearance; I can do my roster sorting detail anywhere… provided I get this done by tomorrow,” said Irpond. “Well… have a nice day.” “You too,” said Bob and he left Irpond. Inside, he was shaken by her words and the logic behind them. He knew Val since astronaut training, and she was always honest, straightforward and adherent to the rules; unlike Jeb, who had the highest accident liability record of anyone in the space program. Val was also not afraid to stand up to anyone who was corrupt; for example, when she was a corporal, she reported a commander who she learned was blackmailing Gus – the director of operations – into ordering more Kerbodyne parts so his accomplice could help him skim company funds. However, everything he learned plus Irpond’s theory about Val’s guilt seemed to add up. After all, what was so special about the battle site that warranted anyone approaching it getting shot down? Sure, there was the possibility of Native Laythan scavengers trying to steal treasure – or, worst-case scenario, return for a rematch or using the battle site as some kind of religious grounds – but even though Bob explained who he and Sheri were, why did the guards still threaten to blow them out of the sky; they could have been supervised if they went inside. After he landed from his flight, he and Sheri researched the battle site and found no reason why it had a “Heavily Restricted Access” status; it was regulation that any places with such status would have specific reasons noted, like heavy a toxin concentration or “One-Way Trip.” He and Sheri notified Mission Control about this lapse, but still no response about it. This struck Bob as odd, since Mission Control was always prompt in its replies; if they weren’t, they would always have a valid reason why. As Val was an admiral, and the younger sister of the alleged perpetrator, there was a good chance she was entrusted with silencing Sheri and/or Bob before they could expose the truth. “No… she wouldn’t,” he thought as he entered the rec room. Not only was Val in low Jool orbit at the time of Sheri’s murder, he didn’t think she had the guts to commit such a heinous act. Then again, it was her own brother’s reputation and life at stake. She could have had an accomplice or subordinate do it or falsified the Zeus’ roster and committed the deed herself. “Nice shot,” a man’s voice told him. Bob turned around and almost gasped in shock at who it was. “Victor.” Meanwhile, on Eeloo, Jeb had resumed behind-the-wheel training with his cadets. After the autopsy was finished on Agaden’s corpse, a memorial service was held in her honor. Her parents had demanded that her body be flown back to Kerbin for burial. The sick bay personnel had hoped that they would just place her in an EVA suit and bury her two meters below Eeloo’s surface before placing a flag as a grave marker – it had been done for the first person to die on the Mun – but Commander Gustov convinced them to reserve a cryogenic preservation chamber for her; not only to respect her family’s wishes, but to preserve the body in case there was undiscovered evidence for her murder. Jeb was finished with his last student when Corporal Urgar approached him and saluted him. “Wassup, man?” “Captain Jeb,” said Urgar, “Commander Gustov wants to see you immediately.” “Did he tell you why?” asked Jeb. “He mentioned that he had some information about your moonjet,” explained Urgar. “I’ll head for the control room at once,” acknowledged Jeb. “Sir, he’s… in Hadgan’s quarters,” corrected Urgar, and Jeb turned around. “Why is he there?” “I don’t know, but Hadgan was there too; he wouldn’t tell me why.” “Weird, oh well.” Jeb then left his students and headed back inside Frosty Base, where Urgar escorted him to Hadgan’s quarters. “Thanks, Corporal. Take five.” “Come in,” said Gustov’s voice after Jeb rang the bell, and the door slid open. He then saw Gustov sitting on the bed opposite of Hadgan. “Commander, why are we here?” wondered Jeb. “Don’t we usually talk in the control room?” “Hadgan has requested that this be confidential unless disclosure is relevant,” explained Gustov. “I suppose that corporal I sent told you it was about a moonjet.” “Yes, he did,” answered Jeb. “Well, what I DIDN’T tell him was that it was about Moonjet 314,” said Gustov. “Moonjet 314… sorry, not ringing any bells,” remarked Jeb. “It was the one that you and Agaden were in,” answered Gustov, surprising Jeb. “Speaking of which, he also has some information regarding how she died.” “Well, what is it?” Hadgan sighed and spoke to the two men in a somber tone. “I killed Agaden Kerman.” “WHAT?” gasped Jeb. “Let the man…,” started Gustov, but Jeb grabbed Hadgan by his shirt and pinned him against his closet. “Why did you do this, WHY?” “Release him, Captain,” ordered Gustov. “Why, Commander? We have Agaden’s killer RIGHT HERE!” argued Jeb. “And don’t you think he deserves to tell why?” replied Gustov. “Ugh… fine,” sighed Jeb, releasing Hadgan. “Why’d you do it?” “Because Mission Control TOLD me to,” said Hadgan. “Why should I believe you?” asked Jeb. “This.” He then unlocked his kPad and accessed one of his emails. When Jeb read it, he almost dropped it – but Hadgan caught it with his feet before it could shatter on the ground. From: gus@ksp.admin.org To: hadgan@ksp.org Subject: URGENT – READ AND EXECUTE IMMEDIATELY Hadgan, I have an important mission for you. Not only is it important that this gets done immediately, but you keep quiet about it. Our engineers back on Kerbin have just realized that Moonjet 314 has a serious problem with the software. More specifically, we forgot to add some crucial fail-safe protocols to it; fortunately, it has not yet resulted in any catastrophic outcomes. Why Moonjet 314, you ask, it’s because we learned that the guy who programmed this was drunk at the time it was plugged in – that was the only jet he programmed before he got fired. To correct this egregious oversight, you must wipe out Moonjet 314’s corrupted software and replace it with the software in this attachment. You must also be asking “Why me?” Mission Control ran the numbers and decided that you were the best person currently stationed on Eeloo to accomplish this task and keep quiet about it. The reason you must keep this quiet is because, if the people on the base realize that one of their moonjets is corrupted, they’ll think all of them are and bad start a panic. Remember: replace MOONJET 314’s software with THIS – and DON’T LET ANYBODY SEE YOU (or otherwise know what you did or your assignment) If successful, you would have done the men and women on Eeloo a huge favor. Good luck. Gus Kerman KSC Head of Operations Moonjet314Update.voc “Gus TOLD you to?” asked Jeb. “You can’t be serious?” “Actually, that is indeed Gus’ email,” said Gustov. “Hadgan showed me another email he sent asking for verification that it was Gus; turns out, either the guy who spoofed him is good or Gus really did want you and Agaden to die.” Hadgan showed his replies to Jeb. “Hang on… I got the feeling the attachment was not a software update, but I don’t know what it ACTUALLY was,” said Jeb. “Duh, the virus,” sighed Hadgan. “Gus told me to hack THAT SPECIFIC MOONJET, and it later went out of control and crashed. Seriously, why don’t you remember the numbers of the spacecraft you take?” “Because I’m never assigned one for regular use,” replied Jeb. “Cool it, you two,” ordered Gustov. “We plan to test that code to see if it really is a virus… but it is risky. I mean, do we really want to sacrifice a moonjet and/or anyone else at this point?” “Wait a minute,” recalled Jeb. “The plane crash didn’t kill Agaden, POISON did.” “You don’t remember the moonjet number, but you remember Agaden was poisoned?” teased Hadgan. “Just show him Linus’ email,” said Gustov. “Linus?” gasped Jeb. From: linus@ksp.admin.org To: hadgan@ksp.org Subject: Student in Need of Help Hadgan, A squad of cadets is inbound for Eeloo to receive behind-the-wheel training. It is of utmost importance that they are prepared for this phase. It has come to the attention of Mission Control that one of the cadets, a woman named Agaden, has some confidence issues. We already tried to talk her into preparing herself, but so far, we have evidence that she is not ready. There is a medicine that will enable her to increase her self-confidence and, effectively, her ability to perform adequately in her moonjet exam. Fortunately, the side effects are almost negligible, and it has proven extremely effective. · Don’t bother looking up the recipe, though. It is classified to ensure nobody steals the manufacturer’s secrets. Unfortunately, we checked our inventory records and have discovered that none of Eeloo’s bases or stations carry the drug in question – but the ingredients are. As such, you need to make the medicine yourself. Attached to this email is the recipe, along with detailed instructions on how to administer this to Agaden. We had offered earlier, but she refused; this is the only way to ensure she can perform what is expected of her. Good luck, Hadgan. Agaden, her instructor, and her entire cadre DEPEND ON YOU. Linus Kerman KSC Head of Science AgadensMedicationRecipe.txt Instructions.txt “Gus told you to mess up the jet… and Linus told you to drug her?” gasped Jeb. “I didn’t think it would KILL her,” said Hadgan. “And did you CHECK to see if that REALLY WAS Linus?” asked Jeb furiously. “Oh, yeah, like YOU would have!” snapped Hadgan, his face 20 centimeters away from Jeb’s. “Easy, Captain, or I’ll put you on resource harvesting detail,” said Gustov. “As long as you’re bunking in my base, you’ll obey MY orders.” “Yes… sir,” sighed Jeb. “Hadgan replied asking if Linus – or at least whoever’s posing as him – was sure this was the right medication for Agaden,” started Gustov, “and he replied with absolute certainty. When Hadgan came forward to me… what he DIDN’T know was that, while he was getting orders to UNKNOWINGLY kill Agaden, the REAL Linus had called in sick at the day those emails were sent.” “Even if he REALLY WAS sick,” conjectured Hadgan, “it’s STILL possible that he sent those emails himself.” “Couldn’t Hadgan have Oogled that recipe and found out it was toxic?” wondered Jeb. “Tried that, nothing,” answered Hadgan. “Plus… he’s the head of science. He’s SUPPOSED to know if it’s toxic… which means both he AND Gus wanted you and Agaden killed.” “Using the recipe his email provided, the medical examiner found that it was, indeed, the poison which ended Agaden’s life,” said Gustov. “To sum up… either Mission Control has become corrupt or some computer geek posing as them did a good job at tricking Hadgan. Either way… Hadgan was only following orders.” “Keep in mind I checked for verification,” added Hadgan. “Has anybody else been poisoned?” wondered Jeb. “So far, no,” said Gustov. “Thankfully, no other deaths or disappearances have occurred on Eeloo. Only one rover crashed, and that was because the driver was speeding; the software was working fine.” “That was you, wasn’t it?” said Hadgan accusingly to Jeb. “No, that rover crash happened at Eeloo’s north pole,” Gustov told him. “Hadgan has agreed to cooperate fully in this investigation in exchange for leniency on the grounds that he was an unwitting pawn in the real killer’s game.” “This makes no sense,” sighed Jeb. “Why would Gus and Linus want to kill Agaden?” “I emailed the investigation board back home… and an old friend in the police,” said Gustov. “Hopefully, they solve this crime before anybody else gets tricked.” “Don’t you think we should have the software guys check it out?” wondered Hadgan. “Sergeant, you have damning evidence that both Gus and Linus are involved in a conspiracy to kill Agaden and/or Jeb,” said Gustov. “This warrants investigation back on Kerbin, but you’re right. Please turn over your kPad.” “Gladly,” said Hadgan as he surrendered his kPad to Gustov. “I shall confine myself to my quarters until the next return window, then I shall turn myself over to the police upon landing.” “Not yet,” objected Gustov. “As the higher-ups MAY OR MAY NOT be involved, it cannot be known that you talked or else we may never get justice for Agaden; I can’t take the chance that they ACTUALLY planned Agaden’s death. As such, you are to resume your duties as planned until I give you further orders. Is that understood?” “Yes, Commander,” saluted Hadgan as he left his quarters. “Stay, Captain,” ordered Gustov as Hadgan closed the door behind him. “I don’t need to remind you how important it is you remain discreet about this.” “Actually, Commander… there’s another problem,” said Jeb. “What is it?” asked Gustov. “There’s a bunch of weird things going on at Jool, too,” started Jeb. “Bob’s girl murdered, Val’s station getting destroyed by an asteroid. I think they have a right to know what else is going on here; I already told them about Agaden.” “Val… she’s a captain, right?” “Admiral, actually,” corrected Jeb. “All the more reason to keep quiet about Hadgan’s confession,” said Gustov. “Look, I know you trust Bill and Bob, but if you or any of them talk to Val…” “Why is Val a problem?” wondered Jeb. “Her high rank comes with high security clearance, so she reports to the higher-ups,” answered Gustov. “Back up, are you accusing Val of being involved in this conspiracy?” “Not exactly; she may not even know about it, and UNKNOWINGLY leak to the conspirators that we’re on to them. If they know that, there goes our chances of catching the real killers,” explained Gustov. “I thought you said they may be innocent,” Jeb recalled. “Until I see solid evidence that they were FRAMED, I’m going to go with the evidence I already have and not take the chance that Mission Control IS involved,” clarified Gustov. “I’ll at least tell Bill, since he’s coming here in a few days,” said Jeb. “Bob and Val are in Jool.” “Hmm… wait a minute… how good is he with software?” questioned Gustov. “Are you kidding? He wrote the base code for our first spacecraft and program-built planes,” said Jeb. “He… was also the one… who programmed MJ.” “Then I guess he wouldn’t object to helping us solve this mystery,” suggested Gustov. “He was all in,” added Jeb, “right after Bob invited him, Val and I to solve these weird going-ons in our solar system – starting with Bob’s girlfriend’s murder.” “Do not talk to anyone about what was said here,” said Gustov. “Don’t even text your three friends… or your dad.” “I agree with you on Dad, since he can’t keep a secret,” remarked Jeb, “but those three? They’ll want to know what’s going on.” “And they will; but now, Bob and Val have their own problems in Jool. As for Bill, wait until he GETS HERE to talk to him about the moonjet hacking and Agaden’s poisoning. However, inform me when you meet him so that I will be at your quarters when you bring the news.” “Why do you need to be there?” inquired Jeb. “In case you slip up, and we have privacy in your quarters,” answered Gustov. “Wanna go get some water?” “Sure.” Jeb and Gustov then left Hadgan’s quarters and headed for the rec room. “Eeloo, Jool, and/or Kerbin,” sighed Gustov. “Just what have we come to?” “Another challenge that we NEED to beat fast,” remarked Jeb. “I agree that it’s challenging, but this isn’t another one of your crazy flights,” reminded Gustov, taking a sip of purified water with Eeloo Ice. “Ooh, that’s cold.” “You exposed that water to Eeloo’s temperature, what’d you expect?” teased Jeb, and Gustov laughed. “So many men and women in our program died in the pursuit of knowledge,” started Gustov. “They knew the risks involved, and the rewards associated. BUT, ‘Chance of death by murder’ was NEVER in the job description.” “When was the last time we had a murder in the program?” asked Jeb. “I think it was when the Rebel exploded after liftoff, but I may be wrong.” “Technically that shuttle explosion was due to O-ring failure in a poorly-designed rocket booster,” corrected Gustov, “and the only charges filed were for negligent mission planning.” “Okay… the Native Laythan attacks,” guessed Jeb, but Gustov shook his head. “28 years ago… before you and your three pals joined,” started Gustov, “an engineer named Debra Kerman died in a rover crash.” “So, rovers were TERRIBLE back then,” said Jeb, “since they broke down ALL THE TIME. Even today, rover crashes happen everywhere. Heck, I saw a news report of one happening on Eve today.” “First off, the driver was checking his Photogram – bad idea no matter what vehicle you’re in,” clarified Gustov. “Second of all, we now have WAY fewer rover accidents than we did back then; the percentage of fatal crashes has also dropped. And third of all, Debra’s death was NO ACCIDENT.” “Her rover was hacked too?” gasped Jeb. “Eh… it was sabotaged, and it directly caused her death,” answered Gustov. “The cops thought her partner, a scientist named Misty, did it.” “Did she?” “Nobody really knows; she got acquitted, and she cannot be tried again for that murder,” said Gustov. “Some people say she was framed, others say that she really did kill Debra.” “Sheesh… what happened to Misty?” wondered Jeb. “Last I heard, she has a kid who’s now in the program,” answered Gustov. “It’s… okay if I text Bob, Bill, and Val about THIS, right?” asked Jeb. “Sure, but I don’t see what a 28-year-old rover sabotage has to do with today’s murders,” sighed Gustov. “Go nuts or whatever, but whatever you do, DO NOT MENTION HADGAN.” “My lips are sealed, Commander,” said Jeb as he raised his reusable plastic cup. “To our health.” “To our health.

STARDATE: Y9-D144-5H45M Sergeant Major Andrew here, detailing our stay on Ike. We spent about five days refueling the lander for the trip back (it'd take 30 SECONDS with a loaded refueling truck), and now we started our drive around the moon. Our solar panels are pretty much useless right now since Duna's blocking our sunlight, so we're relying on our RTGs for power and for warmth. Since there are three of us in the mini-bus, we'll all be driving in two-hour shifts; same case for Captain Red's team in the truck back on Duna. Man, I wish I had one of those bad boys on Ike right now. I hope Red brought a telescope, because we got a nice view of Duna from here. He can definitely see Ike with his perfect eyes - everyone else in his family needs glasses - but I wish he could see us. So, anyways, we're going at a steady 7 m/s - that's 25.2 kilometers an hour. Assuming constant non-stop surface velocity, we should be able to drive around the planet's circumference in about 33 days (I'm rounding up to account for fluctuations in speed thanks to hills). We're ambitious, but that doesn't mean we plan to go back home. We're going to drive around Ike for a few days and head back for the lander. Besides, Captain Red told me that he has even more ambitious plans; drive to the rumored "camera mast" (30° 20′ 30″ S 28° 48′ 37″ W), then the southern ice cap, and then the Giant Kerbal face before heading back to the equator.

Get an imgur account You don't have to make any of your images public. You just need it to store KSP photos to post on the forums Upload the image in question to your imgur account. Click on the photo and copy the "Direct Link" Paste the "direct link" in your KSP Forum post, and the image pops up.

STARDATE: Y9-D131-2H20M We're actually going faster than expected in our Duna exploration mission. Our Ike crew made it into orbit around that moon at least 23 days ahead of schedule; that's PLENTY of time to pick a landing spot and explore. That also gives Bruce, Chyna, and I more time to drive around Duna. Speaking of Bruce, I had to tell Mission Control that he caused some damage to the truck while repacking chutes. The rover still worked adequately, but regulations mandate I report all accidents. So far, he's destroyed. 2 Gigantor solar panels 3 medium thermal control systems. 1 15G direct antenna We need another truck here (and one on Ike) --> since TRUCK 001 will be kilometers away from Disco Base. You cannot deny that's one beautiful sunrise. We're gonna be seeing a lot of that for the next few days, as we're driving east. Also a good chance to see Ike from Duna. What do you all think? I may consider retiring here - but first we gotta do some recon before heading back. Good thing we have some Brad Paisley in here instead of 70s disco.

STARDATE: Y9-D125-5H15M There's an old saying that goes along the lines of "If you tell someone a wish, it won't come true." Well, I'd like to find whoever made that saying and slug him... Because I TOTALLY told EVERYONE my wish, and HOT DAMN it came true. * me after I planted a flag in front of the Mars 1 landing site After several ore runs to and from Duna, we had enough fuel to descend upon Duna. Bruce was nervous, but I told him "We either die with stories to tell or die trying. Either way, we die legends." Though Chyna felt a bit uncomfortable with the notion of barely running out of fuel in a planet whose atmosphere is nowhere near as good as Kerbin's - the parachutes were effective, but nowhere near as well as they would have been back on Kerbin - they both felt relieved to know that the craft was intact with a scrap of fuel to spare. Once I got out and planted the flag, I took that picture of myself with the lander and the truck. Disco Base is less than a kilometer from the landing site, so we're going to check it out after the lander gets refueled. After the base inspection, we're sending the lander empty back into Duna orbit so that the Ike crew can explore that moon - and we're using the truck to explore the surface while we wait for it. That also means we're sending the Duna transport to where the truck is whenever we make runs. HOWEVER, we can't send the Duna transport down while Jayme is out on Ike since she is the only person other than Bruce who can repack the chutes. Even if I had Bruce repack chutes BEFORE (and not after) the transport ascended (while Jayme and her crew is on Ike), the runs will be useless - what are we going to do with the ore (besides make fuel for the transports themselves) Convert too much of the ore, and you've beaten the purpose. We have a mini-bus to refuel the lander, but even that takes days. Here's a bit of math to describe what the next part of our mission may entail (D125-D102) = 23 days of ore runs. Let's go with 28 in future calculations to account for rover movement, ore mining times, and waiting until sunlight to land the transport. Y9D125 + 28D ~= Y9D153 when Ike lander should be ready. Y9D153 + (1D Maximum Hohmann Transfer) = Y9D154 when second crew should be on Ike's surface. Y9D154 + (5D refuel) + (8D maximum exploration) = Y9D167 when Ike crew should return. Y9D157 + (1D Maximum Hohmann Transfer) + (~28D Fuel Runs) = Y9D186 when lander should be ready to pick up Chyna, Bruce, and I. Assuming I did the math right - and we don't doddle - we should be well within our Y9D347 deadline to have everyone back in the pod. Kyle said I may be off by a few weeks due to the time it takes to mine and convert ore for the truck, but he still agrees that we will all be back in the pod WAY before our return deadline. In the meantime, (CENSORED) called someone in Mission Control and asked for "Mapence, first name Apu-en." S/he send me a video file of the prank call, and we all laughed; even Mason's crew found that funny.

STARDATE: Y9-D102-3H00M WE MADE IT! After we dock an ore converter to the pod, we'll send a loaded transport to deposit ore for conversion. HOWEVER, we'll wait until after a lander docks with THAT to convert to liquid fuel and oxidizer. Chyna, Bruce, and I will then descend to Duna's surface - I hope the craft has enough fuel for a safe landing and check out Disco Base while doing some exploring. We can't doddle, though, as Mission Control told us we have until Y9D352 to make our return maneuver node. Meanwhile, a second crew shall head over to Ike and explore that moon. While we'll be without a lander for a while, we'll get it back when they're done. Too bad the fuel truck's photographs show the mountains blocking a view of Ike on the horizon. And if we lose the lander, at least they'll be three of us to survive Duna rather than just one. Also too bad that they're going to be stuck with a crappy mini-bus. What's worse is that a fuel truck won't launch for Ike in 344 days - we'll already be in transit back to Kerbin by then. We still have no ideas for an Eve ascent vehicle, but we at least put Wally on the surface. Judging by the atmospheric composition and surface temperature - we need a device for surface composition, by the way - he's not going to find any plants here. While we have a solid idea for an Eve DESCENT vehicle - just put a heat shield and parachutes on a capsule, then slap it on a moon lander - getting back up is the tricky part.

Thanks @obney kerman, I'll be sure to load the fuel truck with monopropellant (it's usually empty when I lift off). And you're probably right about the EAV - Kraken help me. Would you be interested in reading a mystery novel I'm working on in the KSP Fanworks section? It's called "A Mystery Beyond Science." Feel free to post questions/comments/concerns if you want to.

You and me both, @EdwardB3020. Nice lander design, by the way; simple, yet effective. I just have some questions. What's the Delta-V for that lander when fully gassed up? Did you also conceal Baguette fuel tanks in the main body? Nothing wrong with that, just makes it a bit tricky (but not impossible) for refueling trucks. Are the Thud engines necessary? Maybe they're reducing your delta-V for the lander? Keep in mind that Duna's surface gravity is 2.94 m/s2. Below are some pictures of my three-man lander in a test run on Duna. Basically, it landed next to a refueling truck and deployed parachutes during the descent, then it got refueled by a truck waiting for it. After it was fully loaded, I sent it back into Duna orbit - waiting for the crew to arrive. After all, you can't repack your chutes without an engineer. Nice view, isn't it? Now THAT'S what I call an Single-Stage to Orbit; DUNA Orbit.

How long did it take you to build that?

While I'm occupied with sending fleets to other planets - and thinking of ideas for an Eve ascent vehicle - I can at least send unmanned rovers to explore Eve's surface. After watching @Matt Lowne's video - and this one - I got an idea for the rover's design. Since I'm going to Eve, what better name for the rover than Wally? Wally Specs Power Generation 1 x PB-NUK Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator 1 x OX-STAT-XL Photovoltaic Panel Power Capacity 1330 Charge Communication 1 x Communotron 88-88 Mass 882 kilograms Science 1 x thermometer 1 x barometer 1 x fluid-spectro variometer 1 x gravioli detector 1 x seismic accelerometer Maximum Velocity (RECORDED AT KSC) 40 m/s DON'T TRY IT! * Wally and the surface drop capsule on the runway back at Kerbin. Tests were successful, but will need "Allow Partial" for science transmissions. * Wally deployed on Eve's surface, one kilometer away from the Drop Zone. Duna and Laythe are next. Feel free to post questions/comments/concerns about this thread - maybe throw in a "WALL-E" reference now and then. After all, he's on a planet named after his girlfriend. P.S. Wally will also make an appearance in A Mystery Beyond Science.

STARDATE: Y8-D228-0H30M We just fine-tuned our closest approach to Duna, and are expected to arrive at the sphere of influence in 298 days. Perfect for us since a new base, two ore converters (one for the pod*, one for the station), and a spare interplanetary travel pod. will be arriving before we do. We're disposing of one of the ore converters when it's time to head back home. I also hear the guys at the spacecraft hangar developed a new robot. It's equipped with reusable scientific instrument and a Communotron 88-88 for long-range control; the delivery capsule also has an RA-15 relay. After slapping the delivery capsule on a Moho station part rocket (not so creative, but at least it works) - and modified it with more monopropellant for the ascent (if done wrong, it wobbles past the point of regaining control) - Mission Control already sent three of those things up into space Chyna (named after the Defiant's medical officer): Laythe We noticed the transfer window to Jool was open, and we seized our chance. Wally: Eve Seems fitting, since Wall-E was EVE'S boyfriend in that movie (yes, we brought it) Dedication: Duna If you look closely at the photo, you'll notice parachutes on the delivery capsule. This is because it's designed to land on planets with atmospheres - so we put on heat shields. Besides robots, other planets in our solar system have other fleets ready for them. Here's a "grocery list" of what they're getting. EVE: A Mk. Vb return pod, a Mk. V ore transport, Wally. DUNA: (At next transfer window) fuel truck for Ike, an Ike lander, Dedication (rover) DRES: Fuel truck for the canyon, another three-man lander, Mk. V ore transport (since Mk. IV died), EELOO: A Mk. Vb return pod. Mission Control was also kind enough to email me its to-do list for space exploration - ordered from easiest to hardest (NOT in chronological order): Select next Dres crew. Not for replacement, but for expansion. Send the U.S.S. Mark Watney to Duna Get the Moho truck near the equator. Start Moho mining operations. Finish Moho Space Station That will also require picking the crew Build an Eve Ascent Vehicle capable of carrying 3 or more people at a time. Build interplanetary, two-way, medium-occupancy (3-10 people) SSTOs Start planning manned Jool operations Which may require the SSTOs listed above. To anyone who's reading, any help is welcome.

STARDATE: Y7-D385-1H45M Mason found a nice landing spot (1*31'35" N, 132*29'47" W) in sight of Dresden Base to put our ore transport probe. He emailed me saying that Sam "burned down the Defiant," but I know he was just kidding; (aside from him telling me) how does one burn down a space station in orbit? In my pod, "Yes" won after the men were convinced there would be hilarious scenes. Turns out, Mean Girls had us all RIML (Rolling in Microgravity Laughing).* One thing I don't get is how Regina survived a bus hitting her at 10 meters per second; the medical officer said that she should have died instantly. We agreed with her, especially since Kyle read about a grown man back home who died after getting hit by a mini-bus at 8 meters per second; the driver was checking his Instagram, and he forgot to turn on the lights. You can't exactly say "Rolling on the floor laughing" when there's no gravity to pull you to a floor. Bruce had the idea of prank-calling some buddies back home, but how are you going to call anyone from this far? Even with 200G of antenna power, the signal will STILL take forever to travel - not to mention it can be messed up in the transmission. Aside from fleets to Duna and Moho - and some more things for Dres - I hear we're sending more supplies to Eve. We have a Mk. IV ore collector in Gilly orbit, but we may have to trash it since the last Mk. IV died of battery starvation. So, we're sending a Mk. V collector and a Mk. Vb return pod. I also have an idea for a Gilly lander, but that will also require refueling upon landing. I'm considering this truck to Gilly, but some of us think it's too risky due to extremely low gravity. Is it a good idea to send this truck to Gilly? If so, how do I minimize the risk of it getting too bouncy? That also means I can send a Mk. III ore transport, too. The one thing we DON'T have is an Eve ascent vehicle. More specifically, a vehicle that can: Dock with a space station At least after getting OFF Eve - if necessary, we can send a smaller vehicle to the EAV (Eve Ascent Vehicle) before it enters Eve's atmosphere. Carry three or more people at a time. Have science, good communications, and power generation Have enough Delta-V to make it into Eve orbit (most likely in multiple stages) and then rendezvousing with a space station. Survive Eve's atmosphere during re-entry. Allow for people to EVA on and off it - ladders? Remain stable while landed We're also thinking of ways to send rovers down to Eve. The last time we sent a mini-bus there, it got destroyed on re-entry. I'm open to ideas for the EAV - as well as how else to prepare an Eve fleet.

STARDATE: Y7-D382-2H30M We're now in a Mk. V travel pod in Kerbol orbit, en route to Duna. We have to do a fine-tuning burn 271 days from now, but we're still destined to get caught in Duna's SOI. Judging by the Kerbal Alarm Clock, we should have a spare return pod (a Mk. Vb, I may add) - as it is regulation to have at least one standby pod in orbit of the planet in question - a surface base, and an ore converter module waiting for us when we get there. I'd also like to place an order for another ore converter module. One will be put on the pod for its own refueling purposes - and it can also be used for refueling other vessels that dock with the pod (especially a lander). Another one to wait for the Mark Watney. It will stay stowed until the station arrives, then it shall dock with the station. I'm trashing the first one, as Mission Control calculated it's most likely to break during the rendezvous Back on Dres, Mason and five of his crew have moved to Dresden Base. Sam, the sixth, was to stay in the Defiant and made sure everything was working right in orbit. This also means that we removed the refueling truck from Rosly's Whim and now the ore transport has to share some space with the three-man lander; seems annoying to keep wasting fuel just to get out of a probe's way. Mason, Tayo, and Eli will take the truck tomorrow to find that spot for the ore transport. To be honest, though Tayo was enjoying himself in the now female-majority base (Eli's still in the truck), Mason seemed quite eager to get out of the base for a while. Lizard, Andrew, and Chyna gave me their opinion that Q, Quinn, and Liv would turn Dresden Base into "Plastics Base" while the guys looked for a new landing spot. I don't know why they would think that; the base is made of many different metal alloys and Kevlar - and don't forget non-conductive insulation between the crew occupancy section and the mining section. The only "plastics" that I'm aware of are the plastic, semi-durable sample containers in the lab. Chyna said it was a reference to this movie called "Mean Girls," and asked to download it into the pod's entertainment computers. The women in my pod voted yes, but the men said no - I guess it's up to me to break the tie. To help me decide better, and since we're going to be cooped up in here for a while, I ordered both sides to prepare for a civil debate to be held in six hours. Besides, Mission Control approved the excursion roster as long as Dresden base had a pilot and a scientist: One pilot - Quinn One scientist - Liv and Q Engineer unnecessary, since they're not drilling now. Besides, the guys don't plan to go farther than 300 meters from the base. I hear our new Moho truck is 32 days from arriving at Moho's SOI - let's hope it has the delta-V to make a safe landing at a specific spot with a good ore concentration. That, plus pod, plus final parts of Moho Space Station (extra battery piece + crew) equals Moho becoming ours - not that I would want to retire there. Reading my mystery novel, I stopped at the part where Bob learned that the space station Val was on just got hit by an asteroid while in Jool orbit. Honestly, I think losing a girlfriend can be more heartbreaking - not to mention Val is not on the list of people who were found dead (or alive). If I didn't know any better, I'd say the asteroid collision was DELIBERATE. However, that means that there were at least TEN possible targets and any one of them could be who the killer wanted to die. It's also possible that it was an inside job; after all, you'd think the station would have seen that coming and try to dodge it before the impact. To anyone who reads this entry, I recommend also reading "A Mystery Beyond Science." It's a work in progress, but it's really suspenseful. If Alfred Hitchcock were still alive, some would say that HE wrote it.

When your space station needs an energy boost.

Bad idea; the human will use it to contact NASA after his crew leaves him to die on Mars.

I can get around the world in under TWO HOURS without leaving the atmosphere. Below is a picture of the Nye Jr, a supersonic jet with PLENTY of fuel and electric charge - and impressive heat resistance. To be honest, I saw a jet like this on the internet and decided to give it a try building it. I had no idea at the time how awesome flying this thing is. Either way, this bad boy's got what it takes when it comes to global circumnavigation.

STARDATE: Y7-D346-2H30M My crew undocked with the Defiant so we can get into our parking orbit around Dres and create our maneuver node with the MechJeb maneuver planner. We originally planned to head straight home; however, we unanimously changed our minds and decided to go to Duna first. KERBIN: (1y362d waiting period) + (1y267d transit) = 3y204d until we reach Kerbin's SOI DUNA: (34d waiting period) + (1y127d transit) = 1y161d until Duna. While this means we can get a lot more done faster, this also means no space station - hence, no refueling port - when we get there. On the other hand, the pod should still have enough fuel for the trip back home. We could also dock the ore converter module to the pod, but that also means we'll have to send another one when the Mark Watney arrives. Lizard also noted that we can dock the three-man lander to the pod and it will look Apollo-Style - a perfect photography opportunity. Speaking of space station parts, Mission Control decided to add a "battery pack" for Moho Station. More specifically, it consists of: 4 RTGs Monoprop and reaction wheels for docking 24 Z-4K batteries That's 96,000 charge. When I emailed them asking why, they replied that they needed to get Part 8 of the station lowered down so docking ports are more easily accessible without the panels getting in the way. Another reason was that the Convert-O-Tron 250 would take up a lot of power - so an extra boost is needed. Alex then took a picture of the part and made it a viral meme, and everyone laughed. I don't think Moho Space Station's going to run out of power anytime soon, but Mission Control's not taking any chances. Especially not with the station's orbital period of 39 minutes (frequent sunny-side exposures), and it already has a power capacity of 61,845 charge. It also has A LOT of Gigantor solar panels and RTGs already there After my crew and I arrive at Duna, I'll take two others with me down to the surface to explore and inspect the surface base when it gets there. It will make for an interesting chat when the Mark Watney crew gets there and we wait for the transfer window. Hopefully, by then, Moho exploration would have begun and the station would be fully operational. I've just begun Chapter 3 of the novel I downloaded (we've been busy, okay). I wonder why anyone would want to steal Bob's dirty laundry - or kill Jeb's student? I'm guessing it's to frame Jeb for causing a fatality (via bad piloting), but my gut tells me that there's more to it than that.

STARDATE: Y7-D325-2H00M Sergeant Quinn and her friends made it to the other end of the canyon - but the rover took some damage in the process. As far as I know, the rover lost: Two out of five solar panels A rear headlight A non-essential structural element - mainly there for protection for an essential. Thank God it wasn't an RTG or the refueling claw - or worse, a part with someone in it. Sam even had the nerve to jump across the canyon and plant a flag on the other end when they reached the top - as seen in this picture below. Speaking of the other side, once Quinn learned that her parking spot had an insufficient ore concentration, she had to drive all the way around the foot of the canyon until she found a nice slope to put the lander. Once it arrived, she gassed it up and got it into low Dres orbit. At the same time, we were testing our new self-mining ore transport... ... which died two days after landing. Due to the weak solar panels and low power capacity, the batteries died during the mining and converting stage - rendering it useless. Aside from a refueling truck to put near the Canyon base, Mason's crew will be getting a Mk. V ore transport - one with: More powerful solar panels Higher power capacity RTGs My crew and I are still undecided on what to do, which is why we're filling up the pod with monopropellant in case we decide to go to Duna. I've also been catching up on some reading; I recently subscribed to this interesting mystery novel. It's about strange things happening going on in the Kerbol system, and it's up to a crazyhead pilot, a disciplined admiral, a cautious engineer, and an emotional scientist to find out what. Feel free to post questions/concerns/comments/reactions to this novel. It's a work in progress, but that's what keeps me on the edge of my seat.

CHAPTER FOUR: A GOD’S DESTRUCTION Darrel, Jay, and Pauline Kerman were finished making their escape trajectory burn in their SSTO. It would take them out of Pol’s sphere of influence and into Jool’s orbit, where they will then begin a rendezvous with the U.S.S. Zeus. Jool was not like any other planet with moons in the Kerbol system. For starters, it required a lot of delta-V to make two-way trips between low Jool orbit and any of its moons; Laythe was the easiest to descend to (provided the landing craft had parachutes), but ascending was the hardest to accomplish. This required spacecraft capable of converting – and in some cases, storing – its own ore into fuel while having several thousand meters per second worth of delta-V; the designs were very bizarre compared to conventional moon landers and ore delivery craft. This particular mission involved finding evidence of the existence of the so-called Kraken. Earlier, an ore scanning probe in orbit around Pol captured photographic images of what seemed to be the monster itself. General Jackson then dispatched Darrel, Jay, and Pauline to check it out. Though the crew didn’t see the Kraken, they took pictures of what Jay believed to be Kraken tracks. He then took surface samples to test them for organic matter, and the three kerbalnauts left Pol as soon as its fuel tanks were fully loaded. “You really think there is a Kraken, boys?” asked Pauline as she checked the craft’s power flow. “I hope not,” said Jay while he carefully observed his soil sample floating in a test tube. “Otherwise, we’re in big trouble when he wakes up.” “How would you know it’s a he?” wondered Pauline. “It’s always the males that did the hunting back home, and it was a pack of MALE natives that wiped out our first Laythan explorers,” reminded Jay. “Not that I’m not open to the chance that it’s a woman, but don’t be surprised if it’s a man.” “We’re leaving Pol’s sphere of influence,” said Darrel. A minute later, he spoke again. “MJ, take me to within 30 meters of the U.S.S. Zeus.” “Calculating rendezvous maneuver nodes… done. Preparing to match orbital planes now.” “I think I liked it better when we used the legged landers,” commented Darrel. “What’s wrong with this?” asked Pauline. “Well… call me prejudiced, but I think plane and spacecraft designs need to stay separate,” started Darrel. “I mean, at least you can tell which ones are supposed to work in a vacuum and which aren’t.” “Technically, Eve and Duna have atmospheres,” reminded Jay. “Yes, but they’re insufficient for jet engine use,” countered Darrel. “Pauline, you’re an engineer. Do you know about that one supersonic plane that tried to get into orbit but couldn’t circularize at apoapsis because it forgot a vacuum-free propulsion source?” “Know it,” chuckled Pauline, “I designed it.” “Yeah, you got mixed up in the design process,” added Darrel. “I bet many engineers back home are getting confused by this.” Several minutes passed as the crew debated on whether or not plane and spacecraft designs should be merged together, each side citing many credible examples. After that debate, they moved on to discuss whether or not the space program should make speaking Native Laythan a requirement for cadet graduation. Hours passed as the three of them filled their chloroplasts with sunlight and did the routine checks for the craft. “We’re coming up on the Zeus,” announced Darrel. “ETA, three minutes.” “U.S.S. Zeus, this is Joolplane 23,” said Pauline. “We’re on rendezvous trajectory with you. Please respond.” To her surprise, there was static on the other end. “No answer.” “They’re probably asleep,” guessed Darrel. “We’ll wake ‘em up when we dock.” Suddenly, an alarm went off and a light in the cabin started to blink red. “What is it?” gasped Jay. “Incoming asteroid at eight o’clock,” said Pauline. “Try the Zeus again,” ordered Jay. “U.S.S. Zeus, do you copy?” asked Pauline nervously. “Incoming asteroid, over.” Still no response. “Dang it, no answer AGAIN.” The crew looked to their right and saw an asteroid coming from behind it. “Evasive maneuvers, STAT!” said Jay, and Darrel activated the RCS and attempted to alter his orbital trajectory to stay clear of the asteroid. “Brace for impact!” “Current trajectory…,” MJ started, but the crew didn’t listen as they braced themselves. A flash of light came from the window, and Jay poked his head out of his arms. “Damage report!” “No damage sustained to the vessel,” MJ answered. “It didn’t hit us,” added Darrel. “The Zeus is gone.” “What?” gasped Jay, and he and Pauline got up to see several chunks of debris floating where the U.S.S. Zeus once was. “No,” said Pauline. “Well, this certainly messes up the rendezvous,” remarked Darrel. “Pauline, contact General Jackson,” ordered Jay. “Darrel, if we have Delta-V to spare, look for survivors.” “Sheri had a boyfriend, right?” asked General Jackson while in Captain Ersen’s quarters back in Poseidon’s Palace. “Yes, General,” said Ersen, “a scientist named Bob Kerman. His alibi’s solid as a rock, lined with science reports.” “Must have been a severe blow to him,” commented Jackson. “I remember a few days back, he emailed me asking for advice on how to propose to her.” “Why would he ask you?” wondered Ersen. “I’m married,” explained Jackson. “Huh, you never told me you were married, nor have I seen your wife,” said Ersen. “She’s not allowed to fly in space due to hip trouble,” replied Jackson. “Once the lab boys back home find out a way to transport tourists with such problems, she’ll meet me here.” He sighed as he took a sip of water. “I email her every day, waiting for the message that she’ll be allowed to go interplanetary.” “Oh, since you had experience, Bob talked to you,” concluded Ersen, and Jackson nodded. “Any ideas on who might want to hurt Sheri?” asked Jackson. “No… but I think we can narrow down suspects,” said Ersen. “How so?” wondered Jackson as Ersen took out his kPad. “A Native Laythan named Teru came forward two hours after Sheri was found,” started Ersen. “According to our translator, he saw a ‘Bright-eyed metal monster’ driving away from the spot we believe Sheri was killed. When we showed him pictures of our rovers,” he then showed the general an image of a mini-bus, “he freaked out at THIS.” “A mini-bus?” gasped Jackson. “Yeah, and we found tire tracks going to and from the primary crime scene,” added Ersen. “We have no confirmation yet, but the security force said that they likely belonged to a mini-bus.” As soon as he finished his sentence, Jackson’s kPad started to ring. “Joolplane 23… weird. Hang on,” said Jackson as he accepted the call. “General Jackson.” “This is Doctor Jay Kerman,” he saw a man say on the screen. “We just saw an asteroid hit the U.S.S. Zeus… there’s debris everywhere.” “Oh… dear,” Jackson gasped in horror. “If you have fuel to spare, look for survivors and wait in Jool orbit for someone to pick you up. Does your crew know first-aid?” “Yes, sir. My pilot and engineer,” answered Jay. “Good luck, doctor,” said Jackson and hung up. “Wait, I thought he was a doctor,” thought Ersen. “Archaeologist,” clarified Jackson. “Stephen, pull up the crew roster for the U.S.S. Zeus.” NAME GENDER RANK SPECIALTY LEVEL Avery M Captain Pilot 4 Cassandra F N/A Doctor 4 Fitzsimmons M Lieutenant Scientist 3 Kendall M N/A Doctor 3 Matt M N/A Engineer 5 Megan F Sergeant Engineer 3 Penelope F Corporal Pilot 2 Scott M Commander Scientist 5 Valentina F Admiral Pilot 5 Xavier M N/A Scientist 2 “The famous Admiral Valentina,” sighed Ersen. “Bob will be devastated when he hears… wait a second.” “What is it?” asked Jackson. “I asked a drone pilot to redirect an incoming asteroid that would have come within 50 kilometers of the Zeus,” explained Ersen. “The thing is that its plotted trajectory would have still missed the Zeus if we did nothing.” “Then why bother redirecting it in the first place?” wondered Jackson. “Program regulations… and it makes ore collection WAY easier,” said Ersen. “Anyway, are you thinking what I’m thinking.” “If it is the same asteroid,” started Jackson, “are you saying that it was… DELIBERATE?” “Without a doubt,” said Ersen. “More specifically, somebody used the asteroid redirect craft to target the Zeus and destroy it.” “Why not just use the craft itself to destroy it?” inquired Jackson. “That sounds quite inefficient.” “Unless you want THE PERFECT CRIME,” countered Ersen. “That Joolplane crew saw AN ASTEROID instead of a ROGUE LANDER hit the Zeus, so everybody will think it was a natural disaster.” “Then how come the Zeus didn’t see it coming and adjust orbit,” wondered Jackson, “unless…” “I think Eeloo’s moonjet hacker and our asteroid probe-jacker,” started Ersen. “ARE THE SAME PERSON!” both men concluded simultaneously. On the other side of the base, Bob was finishing up on his experiment for the day. Using translated instructions from the Ryagii tribe, he started to grow Laythan crops in a controlled environment similar to theirs. He also grew a lot more of the same crops in varying conditions, eventually getting to those similar to Kerbin (down to its atmospheric and soil composition and average plant-growing temperature). It felt weird that he basically turned an interplanetary science lab into a temporary greenhouse, but he felt that it was a small price to pay for learning if Native Laythans could live among the Kerbals back home. After he measured the crops’ growth, he decided to do inventory for the closet. Taking the log for what supplies were supposed to go where, he turned on the lights and carefully inspected the contents. “Okay, let’s see,” said Bob, checking off the items on the list one-by-one. When he reached the shelf full of Mystery Goo, he made sure to read the serial numbers on the canisters. “Huh… Ersen was right. Canisters 3456 to 8 are unaccounted for.” He knew that they were stolen, as it was regulation that anyone who needed to use a canister would sign for that specific one before obtaining it. “Knock, knock,” a man said outside the lab. “Come in, but be careful!” shouted Bob, and he saw Guscan enter. “Oh, hey Guscan.” “Bob, I thought I’d find you here,” said Guscan. “What’d you expect, I’m a scientist?” teased Bob. “Not a greenhouse,” Guscan retorted. “I didn’t know you took an interest in botany.” “Well… sort of,” confessed Bob. “If I can prove that we can grow Laythan crops on Kerbin, then we can welcome the Laythans into our society.” “Except the savage Kerbal-murdering ones,” added Guscan. “Well… naturally,” said Bob. “Whatcha doing here?” “I got some bad news,” started Guscan. “Oh, how do I put this… the U.S.S. Zeus is… well, uh… destroyed.” “Destroyed?” gasped Bob, dropping a canister of Mystery Goo. Fortunately, the impact didn’t leave a dent – but he would have to check its structural integrity later just to be sure. “Yeah, got hit by an asteroid,” added Guscan. “What’s worse… Admiral Val was on the station’s crew roster.” “How is she?” said Bob. “HOW IS SHE?!” “I don’t know, man,” answered Guscan nervously. “So far, three dead and two survivors; the rest are unaccounted for.” “She’s gotta be one of the survivors,” conjectured Bob. “She’s been through worse.” “Sorry, buddy, but those two survivors were MEN,” corrected Guscan. “General Jackson still has spacecraft looking through the debris, but if they cannot find Val or her body… we’ll have to assume the worst.” “No, she’s not…,” stammered Bob, starting to look furious. “NO, SHE’S NOT!” “Bob,” shouted Guscan, “you gotta cool it.” “How many were with her?” asked Bob, grabbing Guscan’s uniform. “Nine others, just let go man,” answered Guscan. “NINE MORE!” yelled Bob. “Sheri, Val, and NINE MEN AND WOMEN! Who’s next?” “Buddy, listen to me,” said Guscan, holding on to Bob’s shoulders. “You gotta take some time off. Go see the psychiatrist.” “We have a psychiatrist?” asked Bob. “Yes, they helped us understand A LOT about the natives,” answered Guscan. “Go see her before you go completely crazy.” “But… what about the plants?” complained Bob. “I’ll ask Captain Ersen to send a temporary replacement, he’ll understand,” said Guscan. “Now go.” Bob took a deep breath and walked away from the lab. “Hi, Bob,” said Irpond as Bob passed her. “Where are you going?” “Psychiatrist,” replied Bob angrily, “if I can find her.” “What’s the matter, Bob?” asked Irpond, and Bob stopped in his tracks. “First Sheri, then Val,” said Bob. “Who’s next?” “Oh… must be a real tragedy losing Val like that.” “Yeah, no kidding,” responded Bob. “What’s worse, I try to resume working like nothing happened, but my own bunkmate told me I need to see a psychiatrist while potentially leaving my plants to die in the hands of some noob.” “Hey, want some advice,” said Irpond. “As a ‘different’ girl myself… don’t bother seeing a psychiatrist.” “Why not? We were all screened before we could go interplanetary?” reminded Bob. “The program either treats us like soulless robots or fragile children,” said Irpond. “What you see as a perfectly normal reaction can be seen by them as a ‘red flag,’ that you don’t even deserve. Many people have recovered from loss without seeing a psychiatrist, and I’m sure you can too. Especially since… I’m here to help.” “You know Captain Ersen’s going to just force me to see her,” said Bob. “Only if you exhibit signs of violent or self-destructive behavior,” added Irpond. “He can force you to take leave… which can be a good thing.” “But what about the plants… the Native Laythans?” “When one drops a torch, somebody else picks it up,” said Irpond. “My mother used to tell me that when I was a kid.” “Popular inspirational quote,” sighed Bob. “We used to say it all the time at the space center back home.” “Cool, my…,” started Irpond, but then Bob’s kPad started to buzz. “Is your pad ringing?” “Hang on, sorry,” apologized Bob as he opened his kPad screen cover. “That’s weird.” “What’s weird?” “Val’s calling me,” said Bob as he accepted the video call. “Uh, hello.” “Bob, everything okay back on Laythe?” asked Val, and a smile quickly overtook Bob’s face. “SHE’S ALIVE!” he yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “Duh, of course I’m alive,” sighed Val. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “I thought you were dead,” explained Bob. “Calm down before you embarrass yourself, then tell me everything,” said Val, and Bob took a deep breath before returning to his makeshift greenhouse laboratory. He then told her about how Guscan told him about the U.S.S. Zeus getting blown up. “How’d you survive?” he asked. “I wasn’t on the Zeus,” said Val. “I was on Tylo, picking up some people for a crew rotation.” “Hang on.” Bob minimized Val’s screen and looked up the last crew roster for the U.S.S. Zeus. “Weird, you’re on the crew list.” “They either forgot to log my departure or decided that I would stay on the roster as I was NOT getting rotated out,” Val figured out. “Either way, glad I wasn’t on it.” “Too bad there’s no Zeus to go back to,” said Bob. “As far as Guscan knows, three dead and two survivors.” “WAIT A SECOND!” gasped Val. “We’re supposed to have sufficient detection and redirection systems in place here. And even if redirection or orbital trajectory change was not possible, an immediate evacuation should have been held if the asteroid would have hit it. I mean, come on, we could have seen that coming from at least 100 days away – and we would have seen a potential collision as soon as it entered the sphere of influence.” “Val, what are you saying?” asked Bob. “Meet me in the group chat with Bill and Jeb in 10 minutes,” said Val. “I’m stuck here for a while, anyway.” “Got it,” acknowledged Bob as he hung up and returned to his quarters. When 10 minutes passed, he opened his group chat with Bill, Jeb, and Val. Val @Bill, @Jeb, @Bob, you there? Bob Yep. Jeb Thanks for ending my beauty sleep, @Val. Bill What is it, @Val? Val Somebody tried to kill me, and I know who. Bob Who is it? Val Sergeant Jendun Kerman (M – Lvl 3 Pilot) Bill @Val, we need your level clearance to open it. Val Oh, yeah. Sorry. He piloted the probe which rendezvoused with a Class B asteroid, which has more than enough mass to destroy the Zeus. Jeb What the heck’s a zeus? Bob It’s a single-launch space station in Jool orbit * or at least it was. Bill That doesn’t make sense. Since KE=(1/2)m(v^2), an asteroid redirection craft BY ITSELF should still dish out enough energy to destroy a space station if it had enough velocity (which shouldn’t be much). Why would he bother catching an asteroid, hence reducing his delta-V capacity? Val · He was assigned to redirect the asteroid in question before the Zeus was destroyed. · He has the knowledge (and MechJeb access) to make a rendezvous with any target and hit it. · Witnesses would think it was a natural disaster and not a probe-jacking. Jeb I knew MJ was no good. Bill Technically, it was no good because SOME WACKO set it to a 0-meter target separation distance à somebody TOLD IT to crash into the station. Bob Why would he kill you, @Val, or anybody else on the Zeus? Val I don’t know. Jeb You think he also hacked my moonjet? Bill Unlikely. I double-checked the schematics for the moonjet – you need to be directly plugged in to the moonjet to alter its operation software. Jeb Here’s a theory: someone SPOOFED Mission Control and told a guy at Eeloo to give my moonjet a software update – which actually contained a virus. Bob How would you know what spoofing is, @Jeb? Jeb My dad got involved in some spoofing scandal once – that’s why we never got Jeb’s Junkyard parts for a while. Bill Possible, then how do you explain Agaden getting poisoned? Or the killer knowing THAT SPECIFIC MOONJET should be hacked? Val Yeah, @Bill has a point. The moonjet hacking and the poisoning may not be connected at all. Bob I don’t even know if Sheri’s murder and the Zeus’ destruction are connected, either. Jeb Either way, this Jendun has some serious explaining to do. Bob At least for the Zeus getting destroyed. For all we know, he knew nothing about Sheri OR the incident in Eeloo Heck, (if he did redirect the asteroid) he may have targeted an occupant OTHER THAN @Val. Bill Hang on. I just saw this on Chirper: - DEAD: Cassandra, Fitzsimmons, Megan, Xavier - ALIVE: Matt, Scott - M.I.A.: Avery, Kendall, Penelope, @Val Better tell Jool command that you’re still alive. Val Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me, @Bill. Bill { Agaden + Sheri + (four others) = 6 } + (3 M.I.A.) = 9 6 to 9 deaths in only a few days – hopefully, just 6 Highest death rate in the program since the Rebel explosion (and this is all INTENTIONAL) Bob This madness needs to end NOW! We’re gonna get to the bottom of this. Jeb Say no more. COUNT ME IN. Bill Sounds cool, but why us? Bob Jeb’s student, my girlfriend, (most of) Val’s crew, who’s next? How long before this murderer kills someone close to you, @Bill? We need that engineering brain of yours. You designed and programmed whole vehicles, wrote algorithms, and not to mention Dres’ ore transport and orbital refueling system was YOUR idea. - You also designed the Interplanetary Travel Pod Mk. I to IV. Our race depends on all four of us stopping the killer before he strikes again. Bill Well, I suppose that makes sense when you put it that way. I’m in But I can’t turn around now. I’m still waiting to get caught in Eeloo’s SOI – and @Jeb’s stuck there for a while. Bob That’s what Kerbtext and email are for. Val I want dibs on the guy who tried to kill me, but why does OUR WHOLE RACE depend on US? Bob We’re no longer confined to our homeworld, where it’s hard enough as it is (but not impossible) to track down and capture a murderer. Now that we’ve expanded across the entire Kerbol system, if the killer is smart enough, the odds of finding him (let alone catching him) are next to impossible. We’re the greatest minds to travel through space, and WE broke the ground for interplanetary colonization. If we don’t stop this killer now, who know who’s next. Val You need some rest, @Bob. The program has safeguards for this sort of thing. Bob Even the best safeguards fail - @Bill should know, he designed some of them. Bill Hey, at least I didn’t set off a bomb on Gilly. Bob I had no idea the explodium would go off when exposed to direct sunlight (Eve’s atmosphere apparently blocks out the radiation that caused the explodium to detonate). Plus, a lot of Kerbalnauts (myself included) think putting a permanent base on Gilly is a bad idea due to extremely low surface gravity. Val Boys, I get the point. While I agree that we need to find whoever killed Sheri and Agaden, and whoever messed up Jeb’s plane, I think that it’s open-and-shut for the asteroid murder Bob Don’t be surprised if he cries probe malfunction. With all the crazy stuff that’s going on, I’d be surprised if it WASN’T. Val Along with the update that I’m still alive, I’ll tell General Jackson about Jendun being suspect number one. Bill Is he even in Jool’s SOI, because we can’t access his file (higher rank means better security clearance) Val Even better, he was assigned to Poseidon’s Palace on Laythe. Bob Why not tell Captain Ersen, who runs the base? Val - I outrank him (Admiral > Captain) - General Jackson wants to know about what happened to the rest of the Zeus crew. - Captain Ersen only runs one base on Laythe, whereas General Jackson runs pretty much everything in Jool’s SOI – I was in general Jool ops, too. Bob You do realize Captain Ersen will be notified too, right? Val I’ve talked to General Jackson more than I talked to Captain Ersen, he’ll listen to me. Besides, on the small chance that Ersen’s INVOLVED (he gave the order to redirect the asteroid), he won’t have time to hide it if the general’s notified first. After thirty seconds of message silence, Bob accessed his photo gallery and tapped the album named “Shob Moments.” He then scrolled through pictures he and Sheri took while they were dating. They had first met at the foot of Dres Canyon; when Bob was about to get ready to venture in there with a mini-bus, a lander arrived with the new driver (the old one got sick). Bob first thought Sheri driving would mean his death, as she had an accident liability record close to Jeb’s. However, not only did she return the rover without any new dents (despite the mini-bus’ high statistical likelihood to get in an accident), but no injuries and the surface and ore samples remained undisturbed throughout the trip. Bob then apologized to Sheri for underestimating her driving ability, then Sheri told him about her court-ordered driver retraining course she had to take before going to Dres. She then dared him to distract her as much as he could while she remotely piloted an ore transport probe to the U.S.S. Defiant in orbit of the planet. Bob felt weird about this, but he eventually gave in to her dare. To his surprise, none of his attempts to get Sheri’s attention off the controls worked. She was able to do a successful rendezvous and docking with the station before returning to the designated landing spot to refuel and get more ore repeating the process. Everybody in Colorado Base – located at the foot of Dres Canyon – was amazed at her focus. Bob first thought Jeb was her inspiration, but she said that she often emailed Val for help after she got injured in a rover crash. She told him that Val was able to do whatever task she put her mind to despite distractions, whereas Jeb was easily distracted and unfocused – which explained his high accident liability record. “We sure were awesome together,” sighed Bob, looking at a picture somebody took of him and Sheri doing an EVA on an interplanetary transport pod. “You were like… the best parts of Jeb and Val put together.” He recalled emailing Jeb and Val and asking them if Sheri could be related to any of them, and they all denied it. As far as they knew, Jeb was an only child and Val had one older brother. Bob then read an old email he sent to Victor, asking him for advice on how to get a girl to like him (since Victor was about to get married at the time). “Girls like confident men,” Victor had replied. “They like men who take bold risks, that’s why we soldiers get called by the ladies A LOT.” Bob knew there was validity in Victor’s advice, but at the same time he didn’t want to end up as crazy as Jeb – who suggested that Bob and a friend stage a robbery that Bob would “save” Sheri from. Bob rejected Jeb’s idea and decided to ask Sheri to be his pilot to the polar ice caps as soon as they arrived at Duna. Sheri asked why her specifically, and Bob gave her the answer which sealed his plan. “Because you’re the most focused pilot I know.” He had meant every word of it, as he did not know about any instances where Val got as many distractions as Bob offered Sheri during that dare and still piloted perfectly. Eventually, Bob got his surface samples and analyzed the ice caps for potential underground water content – and his first kiss (in the plane, since Duna’s atmosphere was not breathable) with Sheri. “Why you, Sheri?” he groaned as he viewed a photograph of her smiling after a lab explosion. “What kind of… monster would do this to you?” He did not suspect any Native Laythans, as the base would have been on full alert by now if it was. When he was about to scroll to the right, Val started to call him. “Hi, Val.” “Hi, Bob,” answered Val. “I didn’t want to talk to the other guys about it since I didn’t think this was necessary for them to know, but I hear there’s more going on in Poseidon’s Palace.” “Like what?” wondered Bob. “Well… to start from the beginning, one of the base guards is an old trainee of my brother’s,” started Val. “He told me about Captain Ersen briefing the security force about this strange burglary.” “What was stolen?” asked Bob. “Goo canisters,” said Val, “three of them.” “I know,” said Bob. “Captain Ersen told me about it, and I did inventory before you called me.” “Goo’s not toxic, right?” “If taken in a large enough dose, it is… but it tastes so bad you’d want to throw up after five milliliters,” explained Bob. “That’s not the only thing that’s been stolen.” “Let me guess, your massive cash and steel reserves got looted?” sighed Val. “No, but that would put a dent in the Cult War,” said Bob. “A set of my exercise clothes is gone.” “Are you sure you didn’t just lose it?” “Guscan and I searched every centimeter of our bunk from top to bottom, and we checked the laundry, but no sign of it. I also did inventory of all my clothes – both clean and dirty – and everything BUT that set is accounted for.” “What about Gus?” “Checked his too, nothing; and he denied ever doing my laundry.” Bob paused as he saw Val’s jaw drop. “The weird thing is that it was a dirty set, too. Why not steal a clean set?” “All kinds of crazy things going on here,” agreed Val. “Any ideas why?” “No, but I doubt it has anything to do with Native Laythans,” said Bob. “If it was, we’d be on full alert by now.” “The base security shares your doubts,” added Val. “My contact just told me that… a mini-bus was seen driving away from the spot Sheri drowned; the tire tracks confirmed it.” “Mini-bus?” gasped Bob. “You mean that A KERBALNAUT killed Sheri?” “At least one who had a valid license – which I know you DON’T have because you were speeding,” elaborated Val. “Unless we started to give Native Laythans driving lessons and working licenses, it’s reasonable to say that a base crewmember drove up to Sheri, bashed her head in and left her to drown, then drove away.” “I think I know why,” said Bob angrily. “What? Earlier, you said that you had no idea as to the killer’s motive. What changed?” Bob then told Val about the trip he and Sheri took to where the Strike Force fought the Clivar tribe but was turned around or else the guards would shoot him down. “Maybe… there REALLY WAS a Clivar Genocide,” theorized Bob. “Sheri got too close to uncovering the secret and then someone killed her to SHUT HER UP. But that means… I may be next.” “Oh… dear,” gasped Val. “I’ll be on the next SSTO down to Laythe. You told anybody else about your flight to the battle site?” “Well, I told Guscan,” said Bob. “Until I get down, don’t trust ANYBODY,” warned Val. “You’re licensed to carry, right?” “Yes, but I never carry a gun,” answered Bob. “You may need to use one soon, so get a handgun and keep it concealed… along with your permit,” said Val. “Anybody tries to hurt you – Kerbal OR Native Laythan - shoot them.”

STARDATE: Y7-D298-2H30M Sergeant Quinn here: Captain Red has allowed me to write my mission report in this entry. I then emailed it to him before he copied and pasted it. Tayo, Sam, and I took a three-man lander to Colorado Base and spend a few days refueling it with a mini-bus before sending it back into Dres orbit unoccupied. When the sun rose, we then took a mini-bus directly into the canyon. It was tricky, but thank God I had MechJeb's stability control switch on. It tipped over once - luckily it didn't break - but we were able to prop it back up thanks to Dres' low gravity and the combined strength of three EVA suit jetpacks. We stopped a few times during the drive, eventually deciding to park in the geographic center of the canyon (the base is 8.3 km from our location) before writing our reports. We plan to get drive out of the canyon and leave the mini-bus there before landing the ascent vehicle to take us back to the Defiant. Good thing we have "big boxes of plutonium" to not only keep warm while we're driving at night (we can, but Captain Mason has ordered us to not drive while it's dark) but listen to Sam's disco. The bad news is that Colorado Base now won't have a refueling-capable rover for landers that arrive there. The good news is that there will be room for a REAL refueling truck in the next wave. The next transfer window from Kerbin to Dres opens in 211 days, so that means only Dresden base is open for permanent surface operations.

Nice Falcon 9-style booster. Even more impressive that you managed to build a base on Gilly without it bouncing into orbit before completion. Did you use any mods for the base - those base parts don't look like stock.