KSK

Ahh - the sweet, sweet smell of success! Managed to fly and land an airplane built using Mk3 cockpit and fuselage. Secret was a nice wide undercarriage and (I hate to say this), struts to keep the whole contraption a little more rigid upon landing. Also landing in daylight is way easier (who knew?) Next challenge is to build a bigger one, land it, then load it up with right mix of highly explosive propellants to get to orbit! Thanks for all the advice. KSK.

Wow - lots of very interesting stuff here! Andrew - thank you for the kind words and thanks for dropping by to comment. I offer the following purely as a discussion point. Regardless of their present and/or future role in kerbal society, we've seen that Kerm can and do feel fear and pain. Does that affect the debate regarding a kerbal secession from the Kerm at all?

Just a quick update on the Library. Main news is that I've started work on the 'Works in Progress' section. Still got a ways to go before it's finished but there's already a fair few works in there, including most of the big hitter AARs! I've been finding some new finished stories on the way through, so that section of the Library has got some new material in as well.

Thanks everyone. I think katateochi nailed it with the warning against cutting your throttle too far and therefore (as others have warned against) coming in with too high a vertical velocity. I'm having a hard time getting my speed below 70m/s anyway (even with my engines switched off), so I'll try shallow and fast rather than too steep and only-a-little-bit-slower and see how that goes. Leaving this thread open for now - more troubleshooting may be required!

Not going to contribute, for obvious reasons but I'm loving the discussion here! Thank you all - especially OrtwinS's and Patupi's last comments. Patupi - I'd go grab some food, maybe take a comfort break while you're waiting. The fan works library needs a bit of love next but the next episode of First Flight shouldn't be far behind!

Works in Progress Songs and Poetry Kerbal Space Songs by @genera1mayh3m Nivee's Song Parodies by @Nivee~ Is There Life on Laythe? (David Bowie parody) by @Rover 6428 Humour Kerbin Around by @AlphaAsh A Stupid Little Story by @BagelRabbit The Tinfoil Times by @purpleivan The Truth Can Now be Told by @purpleivan LOST on Laythe by @purpleivan KSP: Moments (A KSP Webcomic) by @Sprocket Creations Bill v Bill. Gravity flaws. An interactive story (Latest: Part 4) by @Tw1 The New Kerb Kerman Show! (Now with 85% less evil) by @Xacktar Graphic Novels A Dream of Two Worlds by @Andem Starting a KSP Graphic Novel by @BagelRabbit "A Tribute" - A KSP 'Beyond Home' Graphic Novel by @electricpants & [Writing] Kerbonauts by @jamqdlaty Kerbfleet: A Jool Odyssey by @Kuzzter A Divide in the Sky by @Musil Bill and Jeb's Excellent Adventure by @ninenineninefour Plan Kappa - a KSP Graphic Novel by @Parkaboy 2001 Nights: The Graphic Novel (discontinued) by Sorabh. Kerbal Outer space Research Agency by @Thegamer211 Short Stories That is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Fly by @0111narwhalz Into the Deep, Dark Black by @19chickens The Plock Endeavor by @Andem The diary of a Kerbonaut in training by @Columbia Dark's Collection of Random Short Stories/Deleted Scenes by @DarkOwl57 The Kerbolian Empire by @DH_Ocelot The Revamped Stories of Bill Kerman (And Bob and Val as well) by @Dobelong Flying after Dying by @Eccentric Orbit Waterworld by @electricpants Here We Go by @IFlyRockets First Contact - a KSP Story by @KAL 9000 Liftoff! - A word-heavy KSP history by @KerbalOmmex KSI Mission Journal by @Kingmaker For Your Eyes Only: Top Secret by @kiwi1960 Arousal by @LitaAlto Renewal by @LitaAlto 2001 A Kerbal Odyssey by @MrWalrus123 The Kerbal by @RA3236 Rocket Men - A Dramatized Depiction of my Career Save by @Retrograde115 Press Release by @roboslacker Venture Beyond by @RocketSquid Mechjeb - a KSP short story by @Starwhip KSP story I did for English by @StupidAndy The Kraken Katastrophe by @TheJoolian After Action Reports Beagle Flight by @BostLabs A Planet Divided - the Story of the Kold War by @CalculusWarrior Explorers by @cy4n The Kerbal Wilds: Career Mode Story in a Toy Solar System by @GregroxMun Kerbals will Conquer Space Soon! by @GregroxMun BaseCamp - a Journey to Space by @Mekan1k From Humble Beginnings by @MinimumSky5 Reaching Duna - A story of expanding influence by @Monopropellant Drifting by @MrWalrus123 Colonization: Chapter 6 - Atomic Science by @Patupi Koviet Space Program by @Sanic The Dunation (The Martian - Kerbal style) by @SirJodelstein Oceans of Eve / The city on the Mun by @Tw1 Geronomi by @Wayfare Fiction Kerbal Future by @0111narwhalz YAMR - It's Anything But by @0111narwhalz Warped Stars by @0111narwhalz Kerboin's Spur by @Addemup2002 Kerny Kerman's Journal by @adsii1970 Kerbonuclear: a KSP story by @AHeroReborn The Tower of the Kraken: Chapter 3 by @Alpha 360 The Duna Chronicles by @Alpha 360 576 Kelvin by @Alpha 360 Under the Radar - a KSP series by @AR3S_TGL When we left Kerbin by @Avery616 Gemini to the Mun - and Other Missions by @AVeryNiceSpacePenguin What if there was a war for the Kerbol system? by @Bigcheecho Revolution: A Sequel to "What if there was a war for the Kerbol System?" by @Bigcheecho Operation Expansion: A different kind of KSP story by @Canberra_Gaming Higher Paths - Corrupted by @Casualnaut In the Name of Science, a KSP novel by @Centipede Making a Dollar or Two by @Confused Scientist Sunny: The Memoirs of an Airline Pilot by @Confused Scientist Perfect Tomorrow by @Creature Revelations of the Kraken by @CatastrophicFailure The Write Stuff by @CatastrophicFailure Infinate Horizons Vol. 1: Beginnings by @Cortwade Dust Storm - Surviving Duna disaster [With Pictures] by @cratercracker Dust Storm - Night Call [Headphone/Sound experience] by @cratercracker Dust Storm - VOYAGE [With Pictures] by @cratercracker Forgotten Space Program by @Cydonian Monk The Great War by @DarkOwl57 Disaster on Duna (Part 1) by @DarkOwl57 Life At The Top by @DarkOwl57 The Worst War by @Designer225 The Revamped stories of Bill, Bob, and Val by @Dobelong The Duna Odyssey by @DunaLandings World Without Rocket Fuel by @DunaManiac Rogue by @electricpants Before They Were Orange by @Endersmens Kerbin: The War Diaries by @feriofukada The Kerbal Space Programs (KSP Reality Kerbalized) by @fgjordy Jebediah - a KSP Story by @Flightgames66 Boost Your Way to Anywhere ;- A Star Trek TOS Crossover by @GregroxMun A peculiar Venusian idea of Earth, a semi-kerbal story by @GregroxMun Project Seeker by @HansonKerman Jeb: Origins by @HamnavoePer Concord: Beyond the Horizon by @HippieGold Settling Laythe by @JakeGrey Audacity: memoirs of a Kerbonaut by @jimmymcgoochie 2019 - A Jebedian Odyssey by @Johnster_Space_Program From Kerbin to the Mün - The Official Biography of Major Valentina Kerman by @Kalidor Steel Talons (Chapter 1 - Cloak and Dagger) by @Kalidor Probes - a Kerbae Ad Astra Story by @KAL 9000 Paler Blue Dot - a KSP Story of First Contact (Prologue) by @Kerbiter Paler Blue Dot Reboot by @Kerbiter Surviving Duna (A KSP novel) by @KerbolExplorer A million light-years from home by @KerbolExplorer Five More Days by @LavaCake This Too Must Pass by @Laythe Squid Kearth by @livefree75 We Who Witnessed by @Lo Var Lachland Journal of Jebediah Kerman (Missions as told by a Kerbal) by Lo Var Lachland [discontinued] Pathos 1- The Story Prologue by @LukesWorks The Story of Kerbin by @Mars90000000 A Mystery Beyond Science: A Kerbal Mystery Thriller by @Mars-Bound Hokie Mün by @MatttheCzar The Kerbal Space Program: A Head-Canon Tale by @MailletC Upwards: A Story of Survival by @Maxilica KSC Archives: Journey to the Stars by @MacLuky The Kronos Maneuver by @MedwedianPresident The Beginning of it all by @michaelsteele3 A few boosters short of a rocket; a KSP story by @MiscelanousItem Drive to Survive - a Racing Series by @Mukita12 In the Leaf of War by @Mukita12 Antiochi: the Sirius III Files by @njmksr Red Star Space Agency (reboot) by @Niemand303 "Darkest Fears" - A Blend of "KSP", "Stranger Things" and "It" by @NISSKEPCSIM A Rusty and Dusty Space Adventure by @NSEP Looking for Our Lost Home by @Orion1500 Storm Clouds by @peadar1987 A Backstory by @Pthigrivi The Second Kerbal War by @Poryy The Kerbal Space Program: The tale of Kerbin by @RA3236 Find the Gap - a KSP Racing Story by Resonant Waves [discontinued] Kavy Kerlem - Wider Vistas - by @SCE2AUX2 For Glory! For Victory! by @Selective Genius Kerbal Space Program: From Humble Beginnings by @ShadowDragon8685 Enigma of The Light by @Sharkman Briton The Final Option - Mun landing and return (KSP 1.0) by @SiriusRocketry Jeb's Ride - A new KSP fanfic by @SiriusRocketry Anomaly by SiriusRocketry [discontinued] Desmond by @SkidRowe Test Pilot (Working title) by @Skylon SkyTech Aerospace by @Skylon A KSP Story by @SlabGizor117 Walking out of the Cradle by @Sorabh Gael Industries - Stories from a new Kerbal Homeworld by @SpaceColonist The Weird Secret of the Abandoned Airfield by @Sp4nge Warbooster 40,000 by @Souper Farlight by @Ten Key KSP Fanfic - Birth of a Space Program by @Tex The NEW Adventures of Tex Kerman by @Tex LASA Robotic Space Program by @ThatHomelessGuy Year 312: a Kerbal Space Program adventure by @The solid fuel chemist The Kerbal Empire by @The Space Dino The Munar Kerbal by @ThiccRocketScientist Pale Green Dot: The story of the Planet Kerbin by @ThirdOfFive Through Hardship to the Stars by @TheEpicSquared A New Frontier by @The Error Natagee's Dilemma by @The Flying Kerbal The Story of the KAF by @TheKosanianMethod Kerbin Aerospace Research Agency by @TheKosmonaut Reaching for the Stars by @The Optimist Jeb's Great Blimp Adventure by @The Optimist The Camwise Logs by @UnusualAttitude R.A. 1. Civilization can not always go in the right direction by @_UNIvErSe_ KASA Heroes Race to the Kosmos by @Vexxus9999 Kerbal Combat: The Ideology War by @War Eagle 1 To the Stars: a KSP Career Journey by @xXIndestructibleEVAXx Spoiled by @ZooNamedGames "Recover Vessel" KSP Survival Story by @ZooNamedGames Non Fiction Wings of Glory: A History of Jet Combat by @CSRobot The Beginning - kerbal lore by ek viLLain Uncharted Past - a Brief History of Kerbin in Uncharted Lands by @GregroxMun The Kerbal Mythology + History Timeline by @HansonKerman Random musings on Kerbal biology and society by @Haruspex Kerman: a story of kerbal evolution by @Jeb-head-mug kerman Kerbal Histories by @Kerminator1000 Encyclopaedia Kerbalis - Companion Thread by@KSK Kerbfleet Canon Reference Files by @Kuzzter Kerbal Geographical Society by @MedwedianPresident Kerbal Food by @MedwedianPresident Encyclopaedia Kerbalis by @MinimalMinmus The Anomaly by @MrWalrus123 A Kerbal's Guide to our solar system by @NovaSilisko My Kerbal Backstory by @Rolanvorxariat The Foods of Kerbin by @Selrahc4040 A report on the presence of Kerbal Pirates by @Sharkman Briton My Kerbalverse Timeline by @SiriusRocketry Sumghai's KSP fanon by @sumghai Space Professionals Institute of Culinary Excellence (SPICE) by @sumghai Kerbal's Guide to Local Intelligent Star Systems by @Sylandro How to Speak Kerbal! With Translator! by @Tanner Rawlings A Spacetime Oddity - The Engineer Diaries by @Tex Spacetime Oddity II: Lore of the Kerbals by @Tex New KSP fan theory by @TheEndHathCome The realistic origins of Kerbin (a fan made theory) by @TheJoolian Kerbal Mythology Chapter 3 by @Xemina Kerbal Mythology Chapter 2 by @Xemina Kerbal Mythology Chapter 1 by @Xemina Kerbal Historical by @Yukon0009

YEAAAHHHH! Jeb might ride a chair to orbit too but only Oggy would lay the nut on his (successfully landed) spacecraft for a bet! Loved the picture of the Kessie V flying in one direction and Oggy flying in the other. Conservation of momentum baby! Incidentally, this thread is definitely Not Safe for Work. Unless you have an office to yourself or your co-workers are polite enough not to give you funny looks when you start laughing for no good reason. *ahem*

Not at all sad - I did too! *hands over a microphone* Hey. If you're going to sing - sing into this.

Oh this should be good! Whichever one you pick. My vote is for Minmus - you need to get even faster to go there, which strikes me as being more Oggy's scene. Dude doesn't have the patience for building a space station. A polar mission doesn't really follow on from the Mun to my mind, although Oggy getting packed off to the Arctic for some spurio... ahem, great and noble purpose of the Lord Xacktar, seems like it should be comedy gold!

Hey folks. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips, or could point me at an existing how-to thread on landing planes? Aeroplanes, spaceplanes, whatever - I can build them, fly them, get them to orbit and back where appropriate but I cannot for the life of me land anything but the very lightest stock aircraft! Any advice gratefully received. Cheers, KSK.

Next chapter is up. Circles Enley glanced at the altimeter, sighed and pulled the throttle levers back to their shutdown positions.The bone shaking howl of the twin C7 rocket engines faded to a sullen mutter, hiccupped and then cut out completely. Outside, plumes of white streamed out of the engine nozzles and were swiftly whipped away to nothingness by the hypersonic slipstream. Enley clamped his lips together and blew sharply into his oxygen mask. The pressure on his eardrums subsided but he still couldn't hear anything through his heavy flight helmet. The fuel gauges showed a healthy reserve left in both propellant tanks and for a moment he was sorely tempted to try an engine restart and see just how high his aircraft could take him. The sluggish response of the control stick as he eased out of his zoom climb came as a sharp reminder that this would probably be a bad idea. Enley checked the altimeter again and cautiously eased the Skyhawk into a shallow bank. He relaxed his grip on the control stick but the aircraft didn't respond and his eyes widened as the artificial horizon tipped past 60 degrees. He pushed the control stick hard over, feet dancing on the rudder pedals as he fought for control. Beads of cold sweat popped out on his forehead, as the bank angle fluttered perilously close to vertical. At the last possible instant the control surfaces held, flipping the Skyhawk back over in another snap-roll.The aircraft see-sawed across the sky, ailerons flip-flopping up and down and rudder flicking from side to side. The nose dipped sharply and it plunged downward, wings still rocking wildly. Enley gritted his teeth and hauled back on his controls For one agonising moment the Skyhawk refused to respond and then, centimetre by centimetre, the nose began to rise. Blinking the sweat out of his eyes, he released the back-pressure on the stick and let the aircraft settle into a shallow dive. The utter blackness outside the cockpit canopy faded into a chilly indigo sky, lit from beneath by an iridescent blue glow. For a fleeting instant Enley marvelled at the spectacular view of Kerbin spread out before him. Then his eyes flicked back to his instruments and he gave his full attention back to the task of putting his aircraft back on the ground in one piece. The control stick began to feel more positive in his hands as the Skyhawk's flight surfaces bit into the thickening air and he warily began a descending turn. This time the bank held steady at the commanded twenty degrees. As he swooped down through fifteen thousand metres, Enley allowed himself another glimpse of the view outside. Only not quite and all of it at once, he murmured to himself. Those crazy KIS guys sure got that bit right. Got some guts too, to try a stunt like that with nothing but a tin can and a parachute. The Skyhawk began to vibrate in the denser air. Enley scanned his instrument panel and nodded to himself as the altimeter unwound past ten thousand metres. Working his controls in short, precise movements, he rolled the Skyhawk to the right in the first of a planned series of wide S-shaped turns, designed to bleed off his excess speed before final approach. Far below, a vast expanse of forest whipped past in a supersonic blur. Enley soared over the thinning forest canopy and across the surrounding grasslands. The edge of the forest was ragged with straggly clumps of trees spilling haphazardly onto the plains. As he shot past, he was startled by a sudden glimpse of smeared out muddy brown amidst the greenery. He pulled the Skyhawk round for the last time, easing into a shallow dive to maintain airspeed as he lined up on the distant runway. The final pass over the trees was lower and slower and Enley blinked in surprise as he flew towards an enormous semicircle of wilted and browning vegetation stamped into the grass at the edge of the forest. Looks like someone's making themselves a new field - but I don't see any signs of life. And what... no that can't be right. Enley frowned. Smack in the middle of the dying vegetation was neat semicircle of rich iridescent green. From this angle, the whole thing resembled nothing quite as much as a thick, muddy rainbow carved into the grass. What on Kerbin could make plants grow in such neat lines. Maybe I'll have a word with John-B back at base. He's not long out of his Grove - maybe he would know. --------------- The sail flapped in the stiffening breeze, beating against the rigging with the flat slap of canvas against rope. Lemdan pulled on the sheets, expertly trimming the sail until it just caught the wind and billowed out with a sharp crack. The heavy rope squeaked against a gleaming brass cleat as he made it fast, rocking back on his heels as his vessel lurched into motion. Almost keel-less, it was about as manoeuvrable as a kaya on a frozen pond but fortunately the light breeze was blowing dead aft, bringing the faintest whiff of salt from the Wakira coastline with it and providing almost perfect sailing conditions for the small, square rigged raft. This close to the sea, the river Wak was still broad enough that even such a clumsy vessel as a raft was unlikely to hit anything. Lemdan pulled the tiller line smoothly around another cleat, dropped a neat hitch over one end and pulled it tight. He pushed his broad brimmed cap back on his head and surveyed the river with some satisfaction. A string of similar rafts trailed behind him, their captains less alert to the changing wind than he had been. Further ahead he could make out a number of the larger rafts edging ahead with their sails bulging and their pennants jauntily snapping in the breeze. He nodded to himself: Anything more than this breeze will tip 'em right over. Wouldn't want to pole one of those damn whales either, never mind take one over the rapids. The tree-shaded river banks were lined with kerbals waving brightly patterned flags printed in the colours of their favourite raft. Small kerblets splashed happily in the shallows under the watchful eyes of their parents, whilst the older ones played with a colourful assortment of toy rafts. Some were painted in official team colours but as far as Lemdan could see, most of them weren't much more than hastily lashed together collections of sticks and string. He smiled and watched one of the bolder youngsters shin up a tree, climb out onto a convenient branch and plunged into the river with a yell and a mighty splash. Several of the erstwhile rafters quickly realised that it was better to drench than be drenched and soon the air was filled with spray, hurtling green bodies and shrieks of glee! Some of the bolder spectators had taken to the water themselves, swimming or darting around the slow moving rafts on flat bottomed bodyboards. Lemdan kept a wary eye on the closest swimmers in case they decided to hitch a lift. Doubt they'd tip me over but one of 'em would slow me down fer sure. One of the swimmers began to circle around behind him. Lemdan sauntered over to the centre of the raft and nonchalantly lifted his marlinspike off its hook. He propped himself against the mast and set to work unpicking a knotted hank of rope. The swimmer took the hint and backed off to a more respectful distance. Further ashore, crowds of kerbals strolled amongst a host of tents and an eclectic throng of smaller booths and stands. One particularly large marquee was emblazoned with an enormous stylised sailing raft that proudly proclaimed its owner to be an official supplier of the 24th Annual Wak Race. Kites fluttered from tent poles and a haze of charcoal smoke, liberally flavoured with the appetising aromas of grilled meat, toasted breads and hot baked corn, hung in the air. Lemdan leaned out over the edge of his raft and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Ho there!" The nearest boarder looked up. Lemdan fished a coin out of his pocket and held it out at arms length. “If yer goin' to be followin' me upriver, you can make yerself useful. I'll have a bucket o' corn bites an' a bluefish skewer. Salted not smoked and mind yer don't drop it! Rest o' the coin is for delivery!" He flipped the coin over the side. The boarder grinned, snatched it out of the air and paddled swiftly towards the bank. Lemdan watched as the small damp figure hauled itself out of the water, pulled its board out onto the shingle and disappeared into the crowd, emerging with a shiny white bundle, clutched in one hand. The boarder casually tossed his slender vessel back into the river and waded out after it, carrying his prize high over his head. Lemdan raised his eyebrows as his impromptu deliveryman set out across the river. Not too bad - cuttin' me off at the bend and aimin' across me bows instead o' chasing along behind. Lad's got some water sense. With a quick flick of his feet, the boarder darted in and grabbed the edge of Lemdan's raft. He shoved the shiny white bundle safely up onto the logs, tipped Lemdan a mocking salute and paddled away downriver. Lemdan retrieved his parcel, ripped open the thick waxed paper and sighed as the rich smell of tangy pepper sauce, toasted pine kernels and salted bluefish filled his nostrils. ----------- By time Lemdan had finished his lunch and stowed away the empty wrappings, the last of the tents were drifting slowly astern. Up ahead, a lazy looping bend of the Wak river marked the first real challenge of the race. He unlashed his tiller, seized hold of the sheets and peered intently at the shallows by the inside bank. No rocks, not seein any eddying worth mentioning. Should be plenty deep enough for this old lump 'o lumber.. He pushed the tiller away, deftly working the sheets to bring the raft sluggishly about. Careful, careful - keep 'er out of the irons. Not goin' fast enough fer any proper sailin here'. The raft cut neatly across the bend, missing the bank by no more than two or three metres and edged back out into open water. Not too shoddy if I do say so meself. The river glimmered in the afternoon sun. Sunbeams speared through a patch of shallow water, casting a lambent glow on the gravel beneath, whilst around the raft, surface ripples glinted in an ever shifting mosaic. Along the river banks, the tall trees and wildflower mats of the deep forest were gradually giving way to shorter hardier trees, shouldering their way through a dense carpet of bracken and thorny, blossom-speckled shrubs. The afternoon wore on and the sun sank slowly towards the horizon. The low sunlight turned the river into a blinding mirror, forcing Lemdan to squint hard as he tried to pick out his course. He grumbled to himself and pulled his cap down firmly over his eyes. It didn't help. Suddenly he heard raised voices. Blinking furiously he tried to see where all the commotion was coming from. Thankfully the sun chose that moment to disappear behind a particularly tall tree and Lemdan saw the pilots on the lead rafts all gesticulating wildly at something. Lemdan's gaze instinctively dropped to the water's surface, although he couldn't imagine how any halfway competent river pilot could fall overboard in these conditions. His eyes darted to and fro, frantically searching for a bobbing green head. Then it struck him that all the other pilots were pointing at the river bank and not the water. Puzzled, he followed their gestures and nearly fell overboard himself. A vast swathe of wilted grass stretched out as far as he could see. The few hardy shrubs that still dotted the landscape looked sickly and blighted with a faint haze of insects buzzing over them. Lemdan wrinkled his nose at the suddenly soured air. Behind the stench of rotting grass, he could just make out darker scents of... something. Something that smelt powerfully wrong, although he couldn't quite work out why. Lemdan stared around in dismay as he floated on. The dismay turned to bewilderment as he spotted what appeared to be a perfectly healthy sapling jutting out from a nook in the river bank. He frowned. Much like the smell, there was something he couldn't quite identify about the lone survivor but at the same time it looked awfully familiar. Something about the shape of the leaves and the way they clustered around the stem. --------------- Halby strode through the Veiidan woods with his tool belt clinking and jangling around his waist. Around him, the undergrowth was flattened and bent after the recent spring storms and several of the smaller trees were leaning over at odd angles with their roots protruding from the soil. Halby paused to paint a white cross on one particularly fine leatherbark to mark it for the cutting crews that would follow him. A huge fallen sapwood tree blocked his path, its roots reaching into the sky like gnarled fingers. He ducked under it making sure not to touch the sticky sap still trickling down the grooves in its trunk. Underneath the forest floor was dank and slimy underfoot. Halby cursed as one foot skidded in the muck and grabbed at the nearest branch to steady himself. He wiped his boot on a tuft of sickly yellow grass and nearly gagged at the combination of bruised foliage and stagnant black mud. Dear Kerm but that's awful. Halby bent down to retie his boot lace and was startled to see other clumps of the same yellow grass dotted over the forest floor. He pulled the can of white paint out of its holster and aimed it at the fallen giant. Still plenty of sap in that one. Should be worth saving.. Then he paused and took a closer look. He drew his knife and tapped the hilt against the trunk. Instead of the clear tap tap tap of steel against hardwood, he was rewarded with a dull thudding sound. Reversing the blade, he cautiously jabbed it into the bark. The blade slid effortlessly through and deep into the unnaturally spongy wood underneath. He frowned and pressed down on the handle. A large chunk of wood tore out of the trunk, ripping the rotten bark away as it went. A cloud of spores exploded into the air and Halby flung one arm over his face to protect himself. What in the hells?! Halby grabbed a second can of paint from his belt and viciously sprayed a bright red cross on the sapwood trunk. Just in case. Would take a real bug-wit not to spot something was wrong but that amount of rot would catch anyone by surprise. The further Halby went into the forest, the more uneasy he became. The trees around him were encrusted with moss and lichens, even on the dry side of their trunks. Thick skeins of mistletoe ran wild over their branches, streaming down in great gauzy sheets that rustled in the breeze. A cloying smell of mildew and rot hung over everything. Fighting down his rising nausea, he pressed on. Need to get to the bottom of this. Doubt anything is worth cutter time though. He pushed through a particularly thick curtain of mistletoe and emerged into a murky clearing. There was a sudden crunching sound underfoot. Halby looked down in trepidation and leapt backwards with a startled cry. The floor of the was alive with trail after trail of ants, termites, woodlice and other creatures that he didn't even recognise. In places the leaf litter churned and rippled as waves of insects marched past. The few remaining tree stumps in the clearing were coated black with tiny writhing forms. Then Halby lifted his gaze and his mouth fell open. Right in the very centre of the clearing was a tall slender sapling. It was tall enough to have started growing its first lateral branches and the second ring of leaves around it's stem were well developed. It's leaves were bright glossy green and perfectly formed. They rustled in the dank, fetid air. It can't be. It can't be... ----------------- The emergency team stared around in horror. The village itself seemed to be largely intact but the surrounding fields and orchards were ruined. Most of the villagers wandered aimlessly, or sat outside their huts gazing blankly into space. The hut door swung open and the medical team emerged, carrying an elderly kerbal on a stretcher. Sallow skin drooped off his emaciated frame in slack green folds and his eyes rolled wildly in their sockets as he thrashed against his restraints. “They're coming! They're coming!" One of the medics held up a syringe and raised his eyebrows. The senior doctor shook her head sharply and bent closer to the old kerbal, murmuring into his ear. Whatever she said only agitated her patient still further. Specks of foam spattered against his chin as he screamed. “The sparks are coming! They're still coming! They're going to kill us all!" ----------- Jonton's hand shook as he turned off the television and turned to face Gerselle. Her face was pale and drawn and her fingers trembled on the arm of her chair. “Sparks. I didn't see any sparks." Jonton's eyes twitched at the memory. “I did," he replied quietly. “What did you see instead?" “I saw a great black wall," Gerselle said. Her voice quavered. “It was suffocating me, trapping us away from the light, crushing us into our prison." “That makes sense,†said Jonton slowly. “You were the new Kerm, trying to take your own ground. You didn't care that some of it was already taken." He grimaced. “We barely managed to hold you off. I don't think that poor fellow was as lucky." Gerselle's voice shook. “Did you see the rest of the village? It was ruined, Jonton - just ruined! Whatever that Keeper was fighting must have been a lot closer to his grove." “I don't think there's much 'whatever' about it," Jonton said grimly. “He was seeing sparks - he had to be fighting another Kerm." “But how?" said Gerselle, “We planted my Grove too close to yours but mine was the first new Grove in..." Her eyes widened in horror. Jonton nodded. “Yep. I don't know how they missed it but one of the trees in his Grove must have dropped a seed too." His fingernails dug painfully into his palms and his voice turned bitter. “A new Kerm, right in the middle of his Grove. He never stood a chance." Gerselle's voice was very small. “I wonder if any other Kerm are starting to seed?" “I don't know," said Jonton, “I've been trying to ask my Kerm but just the mention of another seed sends it into a panic. I get a lot of memories of sparks but one memory feels much the same as another to me. I don't know whether it's talking about the fight with your Kerm or fighting between all Kerm." “What are we going to do? A few dozen seeds would be bad enough but if every Kerm on Kerbin decides to drop one!" Gerselle threw her hands up helplessly. Jonton took a deep breath. “I do have one idea," he said, “but I don't like it. If we can't make our Kerm understand, then we need to make them capable of understanding." Gerselle frowned. “I don't follow you." “One Kerm tree on its own is barely intelligent," said Jonton.“Thirty-seven knitted together aren't quite intelligent enough. But thirty eight or thirty nine might be." “No!" said Gerselle. “Jonton you can't break the..." “Law of Thirty Six?" said Jonton. “That's what I thought too. The thing is, Gerselle, I can't find any reason why that law was ever written. Even the oldest records just take it for granted, just like they take so much else for granted. We follow the law blindly because it works - but we don't know why!" “It's there for a reason, Jonton! It comes up in the Records time after time. Why bother doing that if it wasn't important?" “The Records are like that, Gerselle. Old facts repeated again and again. For goodness sake, the Records insist that you should never plant leatherbark and sweetleaf together in the same Grove! Try telling that to my great great grandfather." “The Records also insist that Groves should be planted a days walk apart, Jonton. That turned out to be pretty important wouldn't you say!" Gerselle suddenly lifted her hand and cocked her head but there was no sound from the next room. “I thought I heard Joenie, “ she said quietly. “I don't like this plan, Jonton. It's just too dangerous." “Nor do I," said Jonton, “but I honestly can't think what else to do. We need answers Gerselle and we need them badly." “The Conclave?" “That was my first thought. But you know as well as I do how long it takes to gather the Chief Ambassadors. How many more seeds will fall in that time?" His voice shook. “And we all own the same Records anyway. I hate to say it but I don't think they'll have any more idea what to do than we do." Gerselle was silent. “One extra tree, Jonton. One extra tree - and if anything goes wrong we burn it to the ground and beneath." << Chapter 25: Chapter 27>>

I like it! I've included a bit of background to kerbal society in my own story but I never really thought of giving them a mythology. I also agree with the good Commissioner - naming Moho after an iron dog is just plain cool. As you said, your English does need a little bit of work but your descriptions are good enough that the odd mistake here and there doesn't spoil the writing at all. I look forward to reading the next part!

Yup - I had a less than gentle 'landing' on the Mun and had to fix the landing gear afterwards. The new legs will take quite a whack though before failing.

Blimey - that's some serious piloting right there. I enjoyed the glimpse behind the scenes at Mission Control too!

*blush* Can't believe I missed the second installment though. It's looking good - and I love the picture!

To misquote David Scott - 'Nothing like a little engineering on the Mun'! Too bad the tricoupler didn't work - that would have been neat to see. I've never had much luck with that set up either, I always seem to have at least one torn off docking adapter drifting through space after undocking. Good to see the base going well - hope the recycling efforts help to get the Council off Gene's back!

Heh - I can relate to that one!

When you buy a double album because the last track on it is the music for your favourite KSP video.

There were a couple of stories ( by yourself, Mekan1k and Bostlabs most notably), where I wasn't quite sure whether to leave them out as unfinished or include the completed parts as works in their own right. I'm leaning towards the former but its a moot question since I'll be starting a new section of the library for works in progress in any case and probably a third 'abandoned' section just for completeness. And maybe, just maybe if an abandoned piece gets more views and comments after being put in the library, it might encourage the author to pick up the story again. Incidentally, I'm delighted to announce that the library has now been stickied! A big thank you to Sal_vager and the rest of the moderation team!

Hey folks - thanks for the feedback! TJM - some of your stuff is indeed in there. Thanks to a wise suggestion by Patupi and czokletmuss please now see my signature. Tw1 - Visit from St Jeb is definitely in there - thanks for the pointers to the other pieces! Stories only at the moment I'm afraid. And yes - some of the stories could use a little, (or even a lot) more work but for now they're all going in there. I don't really want to set myself up as the arbiter of quality, since that's a really grey area. Frankly I'm not sure where I'd draw the line between deserving and not deserving and I think most everyone would have a different opinion on where it should be. Besides, the feedback and comments on some stories are quite instructional in their own right.

Update. Finished stories section (70 in total) completed and mostly catalogued. The Short Stories section needs a little more organisation, as it's something of a 'miscallaneous' section at the moment.

Have some bonus points for use of proper old school Lego!

You saw her machining pusher rods for the decouplers in one scene, so she's a pretty solid machinist / engineer too although she probably won't be in line for another flight any time soon purely beacuse of the number of volunteers who havn't flown yet! Minor aside - Camrie was the first female Moho pilot although I didn't make much of it: From "Project Moho" From "Two's Company" Maybe I could have made a bit more of Camrie's flight. Going up on a rocket takes guts at the best of times but even more so when the one before yours was less than a complete success (although Mission Control managed to salvage Jeb's flight.) edit: The Moho pilots really were picked at random. I still have the envelope full of paper slips somewhere! In the end I got a pretty good mix of established, new, male and female pilots although I was strongly tempted to put Jeb back because having him take the first flight 'at random' didn't look particularly believable In the end I thought it would be fun to have that 'Fixed! Fixed!' moment during crew selection and also having Jeb go up first let me put some stuff in about leading from the front, so it was all good.

Definitely! Once I've finished the list I'll be sorting it in alphabetical order by author at the very least and probably sub-divide it into categories. At the moment, based on what I've found so far I'm thinking: Songs and Poetry Humour Incidents (basically 1 page AARs) Short Stories AARs Backstories I'm open to suggestions though. And yes - if any authors want to contribute descriptions, please do get in touch and I'll add them in. It would make a big difference.

Cheers Xacktar. First 30 books are up in the library. Some are probably more like pamphlets but they all count!