CatastrophicFailure

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Chapter 46: Food and Drink Valentina tilted her head one way. Then she slowly tilted it back the other. One eye... bulge was raised, the corner of her lip just below it matched. Somewhere, distantly, some part of her mind told her she should probably be offended, but... it was all just too weird. It was so absurd that surely it must be satirizing something, but she wasn't getting the joke. She tried switching the raised part of her face. Nope, still didn't make sense. Every room here in the Kerbonaut center had its own entertainment box. Bit of a wordy name for it, that. They had them back in the Union too, of course, but not nearly in such numbers! Quite literally every room in the building had one. And so many channels! Why, there must be a dozen of them, maybe a dozen and a half! Some things weren't all that different, but others were extremely, well, foreign. The news programs were straightforward enough, if unusually frank. Although the weatherkerb who stood there so happily describing the incessant heat and humidity in the forecast was certainly in need of a sound beating. The "game-shows" were endlessly entertaining, apparently they would just give you all sorts of very nice things if you were willing to embarrass yourself on a national broadcast. Valentina still didn't quite grasp this concept of this "vacation" they mentioned so much. After that had been a long block of very strange, very serious people saying very serious things. Something about an hourglass and a hospital. Which was good, she supposed, as there seemed to be a lot of brain tumors involved as well. It was all quite confusing and just a bit melodramatic. And then she had found the Gytepi channel. It was some sort of satellite feed, apparently. She knew the Union had launched a number of communications satellites for the Gytepis, but... they certainly had some truly bizarre taste in programming. Their "game-shows" went far beyond the Foreigners', Valentina hadn't come close to discerning was was actually going on or even what the point was, but had laughed herself silly all the same. But now, this. She tilted her head again. She really should be offended, she thought, even appalled, but... it was just so strange. This was either the work of a truly depraved mind or social commentary so brilliant it was far beyond her understanding. So she just shrugged, kept watching, and popped another morsel into her mouth with the funny little sticks. General Chang's chicken. "Gytepi day" in the cafeteria downstairs, someone had said. The food was delicious, even if the presentation was quite odd. It was served in little white containers with cute metal handles, and had to be eaten somewhere other than the cafeteria, so she had brought it back here to her room. There were half a dozen empty containers scattered about her small table. The attendant had given her a strange look when she had bought them, perhaps she had taken too few? There were many different dishes prepared, was it courtesy to sample them all? What she had finished was amazingly good, but this one was by far her favorite, such a delightful mix of sweet and sour and crunchy and firm. Not really what she would have expected a general to eat, though, and the bits had a tendency to cling on to the side of the container. The little wooden sticks circled the inside of the container a few times, and Valentina looked down and frowned. Empty. Just one of those skinny red peppers left. She knew better than to touch those, the Gytepis probably used them as rocket fuel. She sighed, set the container down, then burst out laughing. Her hand slapped to her mouth, eyes wide and searching. There was nothing funny. What was on the entertainment box certainly was not funny and what was in the take out box, or rather the lack thereof, was just plain sad. That bizarre sensation again, like she was feeling someone else's emotions. Valentina sighed again, and rubbed her face. It must be the strange drink at the bar. She should go ask about it. Before her, on the entertainment box, the... program was ending with a jarringly upbeat pop song. It was immediately followed by an advert for this "Wutani Kokuni" corporation. The spokes...thing was an anthropomorphic kitten. Valentina couldn't understand a single word, of course, but it was such a strange mascot for a large electronics firm. Deciding that was enough weirdness for one day, she reached over and clicked off the box... and paused. The emblem on the unit was the same as the one in the advert. Frowning, she wondered how many other electronic gizmos around here featured that same emblem. She sighed and pushed the thought away, turning to the window. The sun was just dipping below the horizon in a flourish of orange and red. Day became night very quickly here, but the sunsets were always magnificent, the sun seemed to sink right into the ocean driving a thousand brilliant hues as it went. It was a pleasant end to a, well, rather unremarkable day. Valentina had spent most of the morning giving interviews to the incredible variety of news agencies in the area, and met the mayor of Kerbin City to the south, who of course had invited her to come for an official visit, meet more official people, et cetera, et cetera. Then came a very stuffy lunch with the KSA Board of Directors. Pfft. At first she'd thought it was the KSA's own little Imperium, minus the pointy beards. Instead, they would have fit right in with the typical ineffectual mid-level apparatchiks back home. Gene had done an impressive job trying to keep conversation flowing, but Valentina suspected he was the only other one in the room who had the slightest idea which end of a rocket was supposed to point towards space. And then, well, nothing. She had been on her own the entire afternoon, and spent it watching the confounding pictures on the entertainment box. Which wasn't bad, of course, but... somehow she had suspected more... structure to an official visit. She had the growing feeling this trip was every bit as improvised as it felt, and that led to the even more unnerving feeling that someone had arranged it get rid of her. Valentina shuddered, and recoiled from the thought. Too many implications down that road. Best to avoid it, and deal with what she could see. Everyone back home would be all right... right? Again she pulled away from the thought. Her task here was to gather information about a new KSA spacecraft. That was seeming an odd thing too, they certainly didn't appear very secretive around here. She looked out the window toward the launchpad, where Burdous's rocket stood bathed in floodlights in the waning twilight, and shrouded in scaffolding. That certainly couldn't lift a ship of any size to orbit, and this "Rockomax" seemed unable to deliver a replacement. But surely development of the ship its self was proceeding... might it be as simple as just, well, asking someone? Wouldn't Imperium intelligence-- Again Valentina burst out laughing for no sensible reason. Someone, somewhere was having a grand old time, which irritated her to no end, being in on neither the punchline nor the joke. She stood up with a grunt, enough of this nonsense! She was going to march right down to that strange bar and find out what they put in her drink! *** The place was considerably more... muted, this evening. Valentina stared, slack-jawed, around the room. Not a single glass looked out of place. Tables, chairs, all of it... looked perfectly normal. There were perhaps twenty people scattered widely about the main floor, a Kerbal on the stage was butchering a vaguely familiar song, but no one was bothering to throw anything at him. Then she spotted a lone figure seated at the bar, and thoughts of drink additives quickly evaporated. "Mister Edmund?" She said curiously. "Well, wasn't expecting to see you back here so soon," he replied with a smile that looked a bit forced. "You... are all alone, tonight," not a question. "Um, yes... when I drink alone I prefer to be by myself." "Oh! Apologies, please. I will not disturb you further." Edmund laughed bitterly, and gestured to the barstool with the drink in his hand, not quite looking her way, "relax, it's just a song. Get your tush in the seat." Valentina managed to do so without embarrassing herself too much, stupid tall barstools. "Your rattail," she pointed, "is not lit." "Huh? Oh," Edmund looked at the whitish stick in his fingers, then bit the end off, " it's candy. Can't smoke in here, either. How's that for a bar? Can't drink, can't smoke, but scheduled gratuitous violence is encouraged." His brow pinched, while he continued to stare at the wall of bottles, "they call cigarettes 'rattails' in Ussari?" "No, are actual rat tails," she smiled innocuously, "is thriving cottage industry." Edmund opened his mouth. Edmund closed his mouth. He shrugged, "ok... not the strangest thing I've heard." Ol' Sam meandered by about this time, "and what'll it be for ye, mum?" What was that line from the entertainment box again? "Um... I have what he having." "Yar, comin' roit up." A short glass, a single bottle flipped in the air, then plink, plink. "And leave the bottle," Edmund said. Ol' Sam frowned, "suit yerself, but that's no way to be." Valentina was still staring at her drink. She reached into the glass and plucked a rock out, studied it for a moment, then dropped it back in. Beside her, Edmund chuckled, "don't ask." He had turned a bit and-- "Oh!" Valentina cried, "your chin!" "It's nothing," Edmund tried to cover the little bits of paper closing the skin, "he got one good one in and--" "I am so sorry!" She pleaded, "I did not mean to cause problem, I--" "Now don't you even start with that!" Snapped Edmund, "Dean had it coming. For once he actually reaped as he sowed." Valentina blinked at the odd phase, then turned to her drink, and grimaced at the deep, smoky taste of the dark liquid. "Is as they say," she sighed, "he is big shower head." "Shower head?" "I think she means d-ouch, me shin!" Another rock plopped into Valentina's glass as Ol' Sam dropped to a knee, "blimey, that smarts! Best go get a bandaid meself." "Yeah, like that," Edmund said, topping off his drink from the bottle. The two sat in silence for a time, taking turns staring at their own drinks, or at the rows of multicolored bottles on the wall behind the bar. At length, Valentina spoke, "drinking alone in empty bar, and so early, in my country, this is thing of mourning. Is not so, here?" "Mourning," Edmund grunted, "s'pose that's one way to put it." She frowned, "has someone died?" "Yeah, my career." "How... do you mean?" "Got the mission assignment today," he said wistfully, "Command Pilot for DUOS 1," "I... do not understand. This is not thing for celebration?" Edmund turned a bit, and waved the arm in its sling at her, "that shows you how confident they are it'll ever fly." "What is this DUOS 1?" "A spacecraft without a booster. Was supposed to be our answer to that Zare-ya of yours." "Zarya," with effort, Valentina kept her face neutral. New space craft... "Close enough," Edmund said with a wave, "it's got problems of its own, but that doesn't even matter with Rockomax making like it's a damn fireworks company." He turned back towards the wall, "this is how they hang you out to dry." Silence descended once again. Was this the new spacecraft the Kommissar had mentioned? Edmund hadn't hesitated to mention it, there didn't seem to be any real secrecy about it at all. It felt more like... shame. But... the Imperium had ways of finding things out, surely more reliable than sending a nosy Kerbonaut. What were they playing at? Unless-- Edmund simply began speaking, staring into his glass as if seeking insight there, "it was my fault, after all. I felt it when the solids let go, knew something was wrong even before the chamber pressure on number two dropped out. Half the board lit up red. But I hesitated. I knew that stack better than any bird I've ever flown, I knew it couldn't tolerate an engine out. I saw the needle moving off the vector, heard mission control screaming in my ear. But I hesitated. I kept thinking, maybe it'll straighten out, maybe it's not over. Maybe if I give it just one more instant... I can still play the hero, like..." He took a deep breath, then sighed it out, "Chadvey." "By the time I reached for the abort handle, the breakup had already started. Torque came on so strong it slammed my arm into the couch rest. Snapped the bones like toothpicks, did something to my shoulder I can't even pronounce. When I came to, I was on the deck of an Ussari trawler, getting mouth-to-mouth from some burly bearded fisherkerb." He stared up at the wall again, or rather, somewhere far beyond it, "I should have stayed on that damn boat. Always loved to fish." After another heavy silence, Valentina asked, "Sir Kerman, you do not like him?" "Hm? Oh, never call him that, he hates that," Edmund said, "we get along well enough, but it's... complicated." His eyes rose to the picture case above the bar, "it was supposed to be me, y'know. Way back when, when Kleptogart and Omork first starting discussing a joint space program, after J--" he winced hard and lowered his face, waving vaguely at the photographs. "Just... after. I was number one on the flight roster, then the Gednalnans started making a stink. Didn't want our rockets landing their heads. Airheads today, warheads tomorrow, that's what they said. Everyone knew it was malarkey, but the politicians did what they do. And Chadvey was the keystone. Close enough to their king to have his ear, far enough to be expendable." Edmund topped off his drink again, "so that was the arrangement. Gednalna would allow overflights, build a tracking radar on Zaroeka... and Chadvey Kerman becomes the first Kerbal in space..." "...officially," he sighed deeply. "And he's coming back tomorrow. Always has been a bit of a flake, but he'd never miss a comrade's launch," he downed the rest of his drink, then sat idly stirring the rocks with a finger, "I just wish... things could have been different. That I could have been... remembered." Edmund pursed his lips, and stared down into the worn, scarred wood of the bar, "but if wishes were RatSquirrelFishes then beggars would gag. My old grandpabbie said that. Still doesn't make sense." "Oh, and in case no one's told you, never sleep by the lake," he waved in her direction, then went back to studying the bar. Silence stretched on again, thick and pleading. Valentina did not look at him, just kept staring down into her own drink, "staging was nominal, at first. Then I saw needle move off vector, for second time. Radio, is just static, gee force, too much. I know, is wrong. I know, is much past flight rules. But..." She glanced his way for an instant, "I hesitate. I think, maybe will smooth out. I think, maybe, I still can have honor like Sergei, maybe, I be more than shamed peasant girl. When I reach for knob, is too late. Gee force, is too much. I nearly break arm. I wake at bottom of ocean, and I think, now I shall be like Edmund Kerman." She turned to him fully now, "then I think, yes, I shall be like Edmund Kerman, who was not broken by sea or sky, who rose from water to-- how you say?-- get horse on back," then taking another sip of her drink, added, "but is no burly fisherkerb for me, only stern look from great sea-beast." "Would have preferred burly fisherkerb," she shrugged, drawing a hint of a chuckle from Edmund. "But... now I have met Edmund Kerman," she took a sip, and looked up at the photographs, "Edmund Kerman, who raced alone into hurricane because he would not risk own crew, and returned with shipwrecked sailors. Edmund Kerman, who flew time after time to burning drilling rig to rescue stranded workers, until aircraft run out of fuel and crash, but they all safe." Valentina set her glass down, and deliberately pushed it aside, "Edmund Kerman, who stand up to little shower head in bar and get punched in chin, for Kerbelle he hardly know, because he is Kerb of honor." "I think," she looked at him again, "is good to be like Edmund Kerman. Edmund Kerman already is hero. Edmund Kerman... will not be forgotten." "Yeah, well," Edmund said, flushing a bit as he still stared into his glass, "wouldn't do to have you beat him to a little green pulp. International incident, and all..." "Wise friend once said to me, 'do not loose heart," Valentina smiled broadly at him, "is only beginning.'" Edmund finally looked at her, and smiled back. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a muted buzzing filled the air. Edmund scowled, and dug around in his pocket, finally producing a small black shape. He looked at it, silenced the buzzing, and frowned again. "Gene's paging me," he said, sighing as he rose, "sounds important, I'd better go." He clapped Valentina hard on the back as he passed, the hint of a smirk on his face, "and call me Ed." She watched him disappear up into the light, then turned back to her half finished drink. Wouldn't do to waste it, after all. Still didn't understand the rocks, either. Perhaps-- "You," said a trembling voice beside her. She turned, and looked into the face of a madman. One of his eyes was purple, nearly swollen shut, a missing tooth peeked out from his sneer, and there were two little round burn marks in the center of his forehead. PЦTIЙS ЗДЯS, even like this he was still gorgeous! "I spent an entire night in jail, because of you," D.N. croaked, advancing, "I've been suspended from flight status for a week because of you." Valentina carefully slipped off her barstool. D.N. spoke in a thin, wavering voice, his eyes wide and bloodshot, pupils dilated. Valentina knew a face like that. There was no reasoning here, no talking her way out. Only force. She set her stance and tensed. D.N.'s face began to tremor, he raised his hands as he stepped toward her, "I'm going to k--" A telephone receiver appeared in front of his face. "Phone call fer ye, Dean," Ol' Sam said, looking very confused, "some feller calls himself, uh, Igor?" Valentina's jaw dropped like it was full of rocks. D.N. blinked, shrugged, then put the receiver to his ear. Surely it was... it couldn't... Igor couldn't speak Kerblish... could he? Igor could barely speak Ussari! An unintelligible, rumbling susurrus came from the handset. First the anger drained away from D.N.'s face, then the color followed it. His unseeing eyes grew even wider. His trembling took on a distinctly different timbre. He even seemed to shrink a little more. Finally, with skin so pale it was nearly translucent, he handed the receiver back to Ol' Sam. He weakly raised a finger to Valentina. "This ain't--" he squeaked in a voice that might have been stolen from Lolli Kerman. D.N. coughed roughly, swallowed hard, then tried a again, still lacking both bass and conviction, "this ain't over." He limped off toward the door. Valentina stared after him. Without moving her eyes, she picked up her glass and tossed back her drink in a single gulp. Then gagged and spit out a rock.

Funny you should mention that. Next chapter going up once I get home... ..with a special thanks to @Ten Key

Gentlekerbs.... thank you kindly for all your assistance, however... I was doing all this config tweaking in an old unused backup folder, not the relevant KSP one. The part is working fine. Now I'm going to go find a quiet corner and have a good cry.

Your organizational skills continue to astound

I think that since the first stage is still controlled, it's actively steered out of the way. Wouldn't take much of a nudge to move it clear of the single plume.

I'm with you, I could have sworn they said they were gonna use up whatever was left in the falcon to start circularization, they mentioned it wouldn't be much cuz of boiloff.

It's already got tweakscale modules. I'm trying to change the dimensions, so it needs to be a separate part.

Might not be right subforum here, anyways... I'm trying to make a very simple custom part by cloning the CFG from a good, working part. Thought I had this figured out once but I seem to be missing something, as the part I'm trying to make isn't showing up in game. Here's the CFG from the known working part: configc.cfg PART { // --- general parameters --- name = Decal curved module = Part author = Krasimir // --- asset parameters --- mesh = decalccc.mu scale = 1 rescaleFactor = 2.0 MODEL { model = NEBULA/decals/decalccc position = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 scale = 1.0, 8.0, 1.0 rotation = 0, 0, 0 texture = decalc, NEBULA/decals/textures/dcl } MODULE { name = FStextureSwitch2 moduleID = 1011 objectNames = decalc nextButtonText = Next Texture prevButtonText = Previous Texture statusText = Current Texture repaintableEVA = true showListButton = False textureRootFolder = NEBULA/decals/textures/ textureNames = dcl;nebula;esa1;esa2;eustars;squad;iss;nasa1;nasa2;roskosmos1;roskosmos2;energia1;euflag;usflag;ruflag;ruflag2;rusroundel;usairforce1x8;usairforce1x8b;ussari2;ussari3 // Add your texture name at the end of the above line with a semicolon before it // Copy your texture in the GameData/NEBULA/decals/textures/ } MODULE { name = TweakScale type = free } PhysicsSignificance = 1 // --- node definitions --- // definition format is Position X, Position Y, Position Z, Up X, Up Y, Up Z node_attach = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0 // --- editor parameters --- TechRequired = spaceExploration entryCost = 100 cost = 10 category = Utility subcategory = 0 title = Curved decal manufacturer = NEBULA description = Curved decal - fits well to curved surface. Right click to open GUI to change scale and textures. // attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision attachRules = 0,1,0,1,0 // --- standard part parameters --- mass = 0.001 dragModelType = default maximum_drag = 0.00 minimum_drag = 0.00 angularDrag = 0 crashTolerance = 8 maxTemp = 3200 PhysicsSignificance = 1 } Here's the clone I'm trying to make with a couple of very simple tweaks. I'm probably missing something equally simple & stupid. configc1.cfg PART { // --- general parameters --- name = Decal curved 2 module = Part author = Krasimir // --- asset parameters --- mesh = decalccc.mu scale = 1 rescaleFactor = 1.0 MODEL { model = NEBULA/decals/decalccc position = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 scale = 1.0, 1.0, 1.0 rotation = 0, 0, 0 texture = decalc, NEBULA/decals/textures/dcl } MODULE { name = FStextureSwitch2 moduleID = 1011 objectNames = decalc nextButtonText = Next Texture prevButtonText = Previous Texture statusText = Current Texture repaintableEVA = true showListButton = False textureRootFolder = NEBULA/decals/textures/ textureNames = dcl;nebula;esa1;esa2;eustars;squad;iss;nasa1;nasa2;roskosmos1;roskosmos2;energia1;euflag;usflag;ruflag;ruflag2;rusroundel;kWl50Rf // Add your texture name at the end of the above line with a semicolon before it // Copy your texture in the GameData/NEBULA/decals/textures/ } MODULE { name = TweakScale type = free } PhysicsSignificance = 1 // --- node definitions --- // definition format is Position X, Position Y, Position Z, Up X, Up Y, Up Z node_attach = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0 // --- editor parameters --- TechRequired = spaceExploration entryCost = 100 cost = 10 category = Utility subcategory = 0 title = Curved decal 2 manufacturer = NEBULA description = Curved decal - fits well to curved surface. Right click to open GUI to change scale and textures. // attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision attachRules = 0,1,0,1,0 // --- standard part parameters --- mass = 0.001 dragModelType = default maximum_drag = 0.00 minimum_drag = 0.00 angularDrag = 0 crashTolerance = 8 maxTemp = 1200 PhysicsSignificance = 1 } Anything sticking out here?

But probably alot closer than the real thing ever would have gotten

Too close for gun, switching to empty vodka bottle!

Too close for missiles, switching to... Nevermind.

While I completely agree with you... I think you said this after the last landing oops too Or at least someone did.

So Jeff Bezos doesn't own this notoriously balky satellite that carries the barge feed does he?

Just like we've been tantalized with a launch for the last couple weeks....

Landing didn't look good....

Looks like a short kick at apoapse to GTO

Fark and my feed froze at the worse time!

Hmm. Well it is possible... I've made unguided orbital rockets in 64k and I know some have existed in real life. But easy, and on a shoestring dV budget, perhaps not...

Ah so. Do you have any control at all, like from fins, lower down?

Have you tried spinning it up for stability if not actual guidance?

@Ten Key cool, I'll have to play around with this. All my flags are actually from a decal mod (they even burn off on reentry occasionally), hopefully that will make it simpler, KSP can be awfully balky about flags. Tho needing to worry about EVA flags is a very very long way off, if ever.