KSK

Easy there. It's not so very different to other threads that get posted here, with a paragraph or two of introduction to a story and a request for feedback before writing any more. A lot of those sink out of sight anyway through not being updated, so they're not really affecting anyone. Although, there's probably no need for any more 'countdown' updates until the writing actually starts

Unless you're planning a direct ascent to somewhere without bothering with that pesky 'orbit' thing, the navball minigame comes into play whatever your rocket looks like. And why not start a thread to discuss this - it's been pretty constructive so far and hasn't degenerated into any kind of flame war.

Nice job and congrats on founding your first station! Hetfield station would be some serious heavy metal - I say go for that

I don't mind ascents. All part and parcel of the mission and I'm not so good at them that I can't improve. I agree about looking out of the window though. The climb to orbit should be one of the most dramatic parts of the flight but I rarely get to see it much past 25-30km. It would be nice to have apoapsis/periapsis information available without having to switch to Map view.

Sounds great! Looking forward to it.

Thanks everyone. The Kermol chapters are a definite change of pace and scenery so I'm glad you're enjoying them too. They're actually quite soothing to write in an odd sort of way! Jake - you're not the only one pondering that question Anyhow, we now return to the KIS... Poyekhali A van pulled up outside Jebediah Kerman's Junkyard and Spaceship Parts Company and three kerbals climbed out. Halnie stretched and yawned after the long drive whilst Thomplin looked around. Jeb's company seemed to be doing well judging by the fact that there were at least three warehouses sporting signboards with the familiar tilted rocket logo painted on them. It seemed that somebody had finally decided to give the place a lick of paint as well - it still didn't really look like the busy hub of Kerbin's first space program but at least it didn't look quite as dilapidated now. Shervin looked around skeptically. It was busy but only with kerbals queuing to get into one of the warehouses. There was certainly a conspicuous lack of large rockets anywhere or signs that anyone was thinking about building them. Thomplin spotted the expression on his face. "Yes - that's about what I thought the first time as well Shervin. Believe me though, it's a lot more impressive from the inside. The main warehouse is that one over there isn't it Halnie?" Halnie nodded happily. “It is. Two new warehouses though, Tom! Looks like there's going to be a lot more to see this time." The Stratus team walked over to the main gates. Thomplin's eyebrows lifted as he saw the new doorway cut into the gates with a freshly painted Reception sign over it. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Halnie gaped in astonishment as she followed Thomplin. Inside, the previously dingy warehouse was now brightly lit. The piles of junk that she remembered from the last visit had been corralled down one side and much of it was now neatly organised on a huge set of storage racks. Sets of enormous metal tubes were suspended from the ceiling girders, presumably to be turned into fuel tanks at some point. In the middle of the floor, two partially completed capsules rested on wooden cradles with what looked like a small army of kerbals working on them. A row of workbenches were placed nearby, with various parts neatly arrayed on them. Towards the back of the warehouse, other kerbals were busily assembling other parts of the spacecraft. Shervin was starting to look more impressed, especially at the partially assembled capsules. Before he had time to go and inspect them in more detail, a bell jangled overhead and Jeb emerged from the Reception office. “Hi, Halnie, Thomplin, good to see you again!" he said cheerfully. “And good to meet you too, sir." Halnie made the introductions. “Shervin, this is Jebediah, owner, company manager and pilot. Jeb - this is Shervin, our director of engineering." The two kerbals sized each other up and both inclined their heads politely. Jeb turned to Halnie. “I sure hope you guys brought some more tanks with you," he said. “We're just about as far through the assembly of Mohos Two and Three as we can get without them. We used most of them to build the Moho 1 of course, so we don't have many left." Halnie grinned. “We've got them in the van, Jeb. That was quite some order you placed. I hope the last set worked out?" “I hope they did as well," said Jeb, “I hope they did as well." Shervin was looking politely confused. “You'll forgive me for asking," he said, “but I don't really see where our tanks fit in here. They do hold quite a lot for their size of course but I presume you're not using them as fuel tanks?" Jeb glanced at him. “Actually we do," he said, “but only to power the maneuvering thrusters. They're a pretty important part of the booster as well but I can show you more of that in a moment if you'd like?" He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I havn't really explained the plan for the next couple of days. I thought we'd spend some time today touring the facilities here. Things have changed quite a bit around here since Thomplin and Halnie were here last and of course Shervin hasn't seen much of anything yet. This afternoon, we'll head out to the Space Centre and we can get you all set up with your stand. Some of the team here took the liberty of preparing some material for you which you might like to take a peek at. You're all very welcome to stay and meet the rest of the team this evening - Ornie is a pretty fair hand with a barbecue and the weather is about right for one tonight!" Jeb looked at the Stratus team solemnly. “Tomorrow is launch day," he said, “so I'm going to be a bit busy I'm afraid but Ornie has volunteered to show you around and generally sort things out for you." “That's fine, Jeb," said Thomplin, “It'll be good to see Ornie again. I guess you'll be busy with the flight?" Jeb coughed modestly. “In a manner of speaking," he replied, “although as the pilot, I hope I'm not going to be too busy. Just an easy couple of orbits around Kerbin, re-entry and splashdown off the coast. If everything goes to plan we may try a couple of manevers too." Thomplin looked startled. “You're the pilot, Jeb?" he said, “Isn't that a bit risky? What happens to the company if..." His voice trailed away in embarassment. Jeb looked him squarely in the eye. “If I don't come back?" he asked. Thomplin nodded unhappily. Jeb shrugged. “I've left instructions to cover that," he said. “The company will probably change its name but there are plenty of good people on the team who'll be able to carry it on without me. Seriously though, Thomplin, I've got a lot of good friends on the this team. How can I possibly let any of them fly a spacecraft that I wouldn't be prepared to fly myself?" Shervin glanced up sharply but only saw complete conviction on Jeb's face. He looked at the younger kerbal with increased respect. At that moment, the door swung open and two kerbals stepped cautiously in to join them. Again Halnie introduced everyone. “This is Leland from KBS news. Leland, you know Thomplin and me but this is Shervin, our director of engineering and this is Jebediah, owner of the Junkyard and Spaceship Parts company and pilot of tomorrow's flight." Leland shook Jeb's hand enthusiastically. “Did I just hear that right?" he said. “You're flying into orbit tomorrow?" Jeb nodded slowly as Leland's eyes sparkled. “Thanks Halnie!" he said, “When you said this would be a chance to cover a big space story, I had no idea it would be 'First Kerbal in Space' big! Oh sorry everyone - this is my cameraman Donbart, or just Don for short." Jeb rubbed his hands together briskly. “Right. Now that everybody is here, how about we take a little tour. Feel free to ask any questions along the way and Don - you're welcome to take any pictures you like." ------------- Five enthusiastic kerbals squashed themselves around the table in Jeb's office. Leland and Don were practically bouncing up and down in delight with the film footage they'd managed to record. Halnie was looking forward to a ride in the Whirligig later and even Thomplin's normal reserve had started to crack. Privately, Shervin thought that the most impressive part of the tour had been the engine test stands, the obvious level of detail and attention paid to the testing and the willingness of the propulsion team to discuss the problems they'd faced. Their candid admission that they hadn't told him everything about the new engine was reassuring too in its way. A little competitiveness was good and he really couldn't blame them for not spilling out all their secrets in front of the KBS news team. Jeb retrieved a long cardboard tube from the corner and gingerly pulled out two rolls of thick shiny paper. He unrolled the first one onto the table and carefully weighed down the corners with odds and ends from his desk. Leland and Don looked decidedly puzzled but the Stratus team were fascinated. The poster showed a labelled cutaway drawing of a rocket booster, showing it's internal workings, including a spherical pressure tank which had been highlighted in red. The label for that part was prominently labelled with the Stratus company logo. “Camrie, from our systems and logistics team, put these together," said Jeb, “We thought you might be able to use them on your stand tomorrow. The other one is a schematic of the Moho capsule reaction control system - another part of the spacecraft which depends on a Stratus tank. I think Bill has some photos of the Moho 1 on the launch pad too - complete with Stratus logo on the lateral boosters. Incidentally, if all goes well, Camrie is slated as our pilot for the Moho 2 flight." "Reaction control system?" asked Shervin. Halnie jumped in before Jeb could reply. “The steering system for the capsule once it's in space - right, Jeb?" Jeb nodded. “The RCS also includes the retrorockets to bring the capsule out of orbit. Basically a slightly bigger version of the thrusters you and Thomplin saw, Halnie. Same idea though - and also powered by a Stratus tank." Shervin kept his face carefully impassive. “So what happens if there's a problem with the RCS?" he asked. For his part, Jeb kept his voice deliberately casual. “Depends what goes wrong and when, Shervin. Anything from leaving me stranded in orbit to burning up on re-entry. We're not just exaggerating for the sake of advertising - those tanks really are a vital part of the spacecraft." Jeb smiled faintly. “Anyway, lets move on. We've got time for a closer look at the Moho 1 and a tour of the Space Centre before Ornie fires up the barbecue!" ------------ The next morning, Leland and Don were wide eyed as they watched the crowds pour through the gates. The launch was several hours away yet but the Space Centre was already getting crowded. Leland still thought that “Space Centre" was a slightly grandiose name for a pair of grandstands and a couple of, admittedly large, marquees. The commentary box was nice though, perched high above one of the stands to give him a good view of the launch and with a direct radio link to Mission Control so he could follow the details of the flight. Then again, thought Leland to himself, Mission Control was fairly impressive with it's large display screens and control desks for the flight controllers. Presumably Jeb had spent most of his money there rather than on the rest of the Centre facilities. Not that anyone seemed to mind. The atmosphere was positively festive with young kerbals running helter-skelter over the grass - most of them wearing toy space helmets or clutching cardboard rockets. Leland grinned to himself - it looked like the Kerlington Model Rockets and Paper Products stand was doing some good business. He couldn't help noticing that some of the older kerbals were also carrying more sophisticated versions of the children's toys. Over at the far corner of the field, a makeshift stage had been erected and the distant strains of musical instruments being tuned up drifted through the air. Leland shook his head. He figured that Jeb had been kidding about the preflight entertainment but apparently not. He tapped Don on the arm and pointed over at the stage. “Ornie said he'd meet us by the stage. We should probably get over there." Don nodded and packed up his cameras. As the KBS team strolled towards the stage, they could see Ornie waving at them. At that moment a huge roar went up from the crowd as four kerbals walked out and picked up their instruments. The tallest one strode over to the microphone and waved to the crowd. “Hello Barkton! It's Launch Day and we are... Fire in the Sky!" “Alright - let's see your hands in the air Barkton! This one is called... Thunderbird!" The band launched enthusiastically into their opening number. A huge smile spread across Don's face as he started swaying along to the music. Ornie grinned. “They're only a local band but they're good - and their music definitely puts you in the mood!" “Good name too," commented Leland. “Fire in the Sky is about right for today." Ornie chuckled. “Apparently they used to call themselves the Crash Test Dummies," he said. “Between you and me, most of the team thought that was pretty funny but we think Geneney had a little word with them and uhh persuaded them to change their name if they were going to play at the Space Centre." Leland laughed."Yes - not really the image you want for a rocket launch. C'mon Don, we've got some interviews to run." Donbart looked wistfully back at the stage and then, rather reluctantly, followed Leland into the crowds. ----------- Don held the camera steady and trained on Wilmy and Leland as the crowds flowed around them. “So what does your brother do in the space program, Wilmy?" There was a note of pride in the kerbal's voice as he answered Leland's question. “He started off as an engineer, working on the rocket boosters. Now he's training to be a kerbonaut and he's going to be commanding the Moho 3 flight!" “Congratulations, Wilmy. That's a big career move though from engineer to pilot." “Oh, he's still an engineer. That's how things work at the KIS - everyone helps to build the spaceships and everyone gets a chance to fly them! Wilford had only been working there for a few weeks but he got his chance just like everyone else." “That sounds like quite a place to work, Wilmy - do you have any plans to follow your brother into space?" “Oh not me. Wilford was always the engineer, even back in our village he would be the one to mend things that needed mending. I'm actually thinking of going kermol again, go back to the old Grove." “Well good luck with that too, Wilmy. Thank you for talking to KBS." Leland made a cutting gesture to Don. They shook hands with Wilmy and moved off into the crowd. Leland was fairly satisfied with their footage from the crowd and was considering going over to the marquee to visit the Kerlington Model Rockets stand when he nearly tripped over a diminutive kerbal in a grey cloak. He stumbled back in embarassment and bowed respectfully. “Good afternoon Keeper," he said and then caught sight of the green trim on the kerbal's collar and bowed even more deeply. “I beg your pardon. Good afternoon Ambassador. What brings you to the Space Centre?" The ambassador's wrinkled face looked up at him impishly. “The same thing that brought you here I imagine," he said, “The excitement of a rocket launch and a chance to see a little bit of history being made." Leland was momentarily lost for words. “I, I suppose so, Ambassador. Nevertheless I'm surprised..." “To see a Keeper here." finished the old kerbal. He smiled gently. “Kerman or kermol, my son, we are all still kerbals and exploration is in our blood. The Books tell us so - for as long as we have recorded such things there have been kerbals and Kerm trees. And ever we have taken the Kerm trees with us to new lands." Leland gathered himself with an effort. “So do you think we'll be taking Kerm trees with us into space, Ambassador?" he asked. The ambassador laughed merrily. “Not for a while yet I don't think," he said cheerfully, “but I'm sure the good kermans at the KIS are working on it." Once again, Leland was at a loss for words. “KIS, Ambassador?" “The Kerbin Interplanetary Society of course." The ambassador looked at him shrewdly. “I know of a good few Groves around here, my son, where KIS hats are very much the thing to wear - for young and old kermols alike! And now, if you'll excuse me, I know a particular pair of young kermols who'll never forgive their old grandfather if he doesn't bring them back a hat! Go with the Kerm, sir." Leland bowed again. “And you also, Ambassador. Thank you for talking to KBS." He nodded to Don. “Back to the stage I think. We don't want to keep Ornie waiting too long." “Alright! This is our last song today." The crowd booed obligingly as the drummer made his way to the front of the stage and whispered in the guitarist's ear. “I'm sorry." The guitarist paused theatrically. “What I meant to say is - this is our last song before the launch today! So we'd like to dedicate this to Jebediah Kerman and all the crew back at the KIS. This one is called... Badass!" Leland gazed into the distance as the music washed over him. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and for a moment he wished he could be sitting beside Jeb in the Moho 1 capsule, ready to blaze across the sky on a great plume of rocket fire. Reluctantly he tore his gaze away from the stage. “I should get to the commentary box." he said. Don looked even more reluctant but picked up his spare camera. “Yup," he said, “I'd better go with Ornie and get those last shots of the rocket before they clear the pad for launch." ----------- “T minus fifteen minutes and counting. The last of the KIS engineers have left the launch pad and the Moho 1 is fueled up and ready for launch. The last message from pilot Jebediah Kerman, now strapped securely into his capsule, was “I'm feeling fine and looking forward to the flight." “T minus ten minutes and counting. Mission Control have run the final pre-launch checks on the spacecraft and all systems are Go as we approach the five minute mark." Leland was unable to hide his excitement as the clock ticked down towards zero. “T minus five minutes and counting. From Mission Control, 'we have transferred power to the booster and the transfer is satisfactory.'" Now Leland was racing to keep up as the final moments of the countdown unfolded in quick succession. “T minus two minutes and counting. Guidance control and launch sequencing transferred. Tank pressures nominal. Mission Control reports we are Go for engine start.“ “T minus one minute, umblicals have detached, all gantry systems to launch positions. T minus forty seconds - we have launch commit. T minus twenty T minus twelve, eleven, ten, nine..." Leland gabbled, "Five, four, three..." “Ignition!... and lift off - we have lift off! All engines running!" Leland's voice soared joyfully over the PA system. “Moho 1 has cleared the tower and what a fantastic sight that is! Listen - just listen to those engines - five enormous rocket motors propelling Jebediah Kerman into history!" ----------- “Moho 1 - you have cleared the tower." Geneney's voice was rather more restrained than Leland's but it still held a note of triumph. “How do you read me, Jeb?" “Reading you loud and clear, Genie. Man this is a smooth ride compared to the old Kerbal 1!" “Copy that, Jeb. You're flying the best one we can find." There were more than a few grins around the bunker as Jeb's cheerful whistling echoed tinnily out of the speaker, although it soon began to sound a little strangled and then expired with a sudden grunt as the Moho 1 continued to accelerate. Lucan, Wernher, Joemy and Neling kept a wary eye on their consoles as the ship climbed through the atmosphere. “Two minutes to LV9 separation," Wernher said quietly. Geneney nodded, “OK, Jeb, standby for LV9 shutdown and detach." The tension in the bunker went up a notch as everyone turned to watch the familiar four lights on top of Wernher's console. On board the Moho 1, Jeb was watching the status indicator lamps on his control panel just as intently. Geneney's voice came over his headset, counting down the last few seconds. “Three...two...one...decouple." Four status lamps glowed steadily back at Jeb. Automatically, he flipped back the guard over the LV9-JETT button, waited three seconds for the automatic systems to cycle again and then mashed the button into its socket as hard as he could. The lamps didn't even flicker. Jeb keyed his microphone. “OK, Gene, I've got a problem up here." “We see it too, Jeb. Stand by." Geneney broke his radio link with the Moho 1. “Lets go people," he said urgently, “What have we got? Propulsion?" Wernher rattled off the key details. “LV9s have shut down. LV-T20 is Go. Spacecraft still accelerating." “Got it. Guidance?" Neling fought to keep the nervousness out of her voice. “Trajectory is stable. SAS is compensating for the additional mass." “Thank you. Flight Dynamics - what are our options?" To everyone's surprise, Lucan's response was quick and confident. “We're still Go, Flight." Geneney blinked but he wasn't about to argue. He knew one thing though - if the first stage also failed to detach, the flight was over. He reached out and clicked the radio on. “OK, Jeb, we're working this but for now you are still Go." “Understood, Gene." Geneney toggled his radio off again. “OK, Lucan, what have you got in mind?" Lucan swivelled round in his chair. “Staging will be lower than planned but we can still get to orbit with the second stage and final insertion from the RCS. If we don't get first stage separation then we shut everything down and go for a mode one abort." Geneney thought it through rapidly. “That's going to be a long burn with the RCS and the guidance system is only designed to hold orientation for retrofire. That means that Jeb is going to need to keeping the capsule oriented manually for the whole burn. Guidance?" Neling turned to face them both. “We can do better than that, Flight. SAS is set to hold capsule attitude along the flight vector minus twenty degrees of pitch. If Jeb can execute a manual offset on the gyros, the SAS should hold attitude correctly for the burn." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Lucan nodding in agreement. “How much margin will that leave us for the deorbit burn?" Wernher spoke up from his console. “Enough, Gene. We'll have to scrub most if not all of the planned maneuvers but we'll have enough propellant to to get Jeb home without cutting into the reserve." Geneney made his decision. “Lets do it. Lucan, Neling - we're going to need a procedure for that gyro offset and quickly." “On it, Flight." Lucan scrambled out of his chair and hurried over to Neling's console. The two kerbals bent their heads over Neling's flight logbook and started roughing out a set of instructions. “OK, Jeb, stand by for staging. Once you lose the first stage we'll take things from there. If you don't get separation I want to you to punch out immediately. Mode One abort - just get that capsule out of there!" Jeb's voice was calm. “Got it . Go / NoGo at staging." ------------- The fifth light flickered off and seconds later, Wernher sighed with relief as his console lit up with telemetry from the second stage engine. “Second stage ignition confirmed!" he called out across the bunker. “Thank you, Wernher." Geneney replied tersely, “Lucan, Neling - how's that procedure coming along?" “Got it right here, Flight." Neling tore the page out of her logbook and took it over to the flight director's chair. Geneney scanned the checklist quickly and nodded as he keyed his microphone. “OK, Jeb. We've got some additions to your flight plan here. You ready to take them down?" “Ready and waiting, Gene." “I've got Neling on the loop to pick up any transmission errors from here. This procedure starts as soon as we have a confirmed booster separation;" Neling listened intently as Geneney read out the checklist and Jeb repeated it back line by line. She nodded quickly and hurried back to her console. “Understood, Gene. Gyro offset, burn one-nine-seven seconds with the RCS, reset gyros for orbital attitude. How much monopropellant will this leave me?" “You won't be doing much flying up there, Jeb but you'll have enough to get you home without tapping into the reserve tank." “That's good to know. The view should be pretty good from up here anyway, so I'll just take it easy for an orbit or two and do a little sightseeing!" “Just remember to take some holiday pictures too. Second stage shutdown in three minutes." The atmosphere in the bunker was tense as the second stage engine continued it's long burn, pushing Jeb and the Moho 1 higher and higher out of Kerbin's atmosphere. Everyone watched as the ship velocity climbed rapidly upwards, knowing that each metre per second on the board could be vital. There was complete silence, every kerbal in the room mentally counting off the seconds until shutdown. Suddenly there was a familiar and very welcome muffled bang from the speaker and the last light flickered out on Wernher's console. The capsule system displays next to Neling and Joemy shifted rapidly, as Jeb raced through the improvised checklist. “...and SAS override off. Capsule attitude holding steady. Firing RCS." “Attitude hold confirmed, Jeb." Geneney's voice caught in his throat. “One minute to loss of signal - good luck." “It's all looking good up here, Genie. Go take a break - I'll be back in an hour or so." ------------- Up in the commentary box, Leland's voice was sober. "Mission Control has just reported the expected loss of communication with the Moho 1 during the final moments of the ascent. If all goes well they should re-establish contact with the capsule in exactly one hour and twenty-two minutes. If something goes wrong and the thrusters don't fire for long enough, Jebediah Kerman will be faced with the daunting prospect of a difficult and dangerous re-entry, alone on the far side of Kerbin. Even if he survives re-entry, Mission Control will have no way of finding the capsule once it lands." All around the Space Centre, the festival atmosphere was long gone as thousands of kerbals waited anxiously for more news. The control bunker was packed with members of the Kerbin Interplanetary Society, eyes fixed on the screens. Those few that couldn't fit in paced up and down outside, occasionally craning their heads around the door to try and catch a glimpse themselves. “Control to Moho 1. Come in Moho 1." Static hissed balefully out of the speaker as Geneney tried to raise Jeb on the radio. He gripped the arms of his chair to steady his trembling hands. Dammit Jeb, where are you, he muttered under his breath. “Control to Moho 1. Come in Moho 1." Joemy gave a startled exclamation as his console began to light up with data. “Flight - I have telemetry. Repeat - I have telemetry!" And then a familiar cheerful voice filled the room. “Looks like I am flying the best one you could find, Genie!" The bunker erupted with cheering. Geneney's voice shook as he tried to make himself heard over the noise. “Copy that, Jeb. You've got a whole roomful of people down here that are glad you could join us again." He jabbed a finger at the Guidance and Flight Dynamics stations. “And you my friends, are a pair of steely eyed rocketeers." << Chapter 11 :: Chapter 13>>

I'm enjoying this. I like the extra bits you're making for the Space Centre and you've definitely got an eye for a screenshot! Also, the slight hitch with the flag was very Kerbal somehow.

Regardless of the rest, providing technical advice for "Skies of Pern" is cool! On topic, my first thought was 'why not include Scott in the KSP wikipedia page'?, so I'd agree with Sodra's comment.

Ahh nuts! I saw the update to the thread and was hoping for another chapter on the blog. Not to worry - good to know things are still rumbling along and I do like the sneak peek into the Garage!

Oh this is good stuff! Some awesome ship designs and screenshots, not to mention plenty of drama. What's next after fixing the flight computer with a lucky coin - fixing the lander with a felt tip pen? And yeah - I'm getting the same vibes as Fox62 about that big ship and 'Darth' Bill Kerman there!

Snow Leopard running on my slightly long in the tooth Intel iMac. Works fine enough for a pretty old computer.

Next chapter up. Another interlude from rocket building and another view of life amongst the Kermol. These two plot threads will meet in the middle I promise you! The Seed Jonton's boots squelched through the early morning dew as he walked up and down the rows of breadfruit vines, patiently inspecting them for ripeness. The sun had barely risen over the Kerm Grove at the far end of the field and his breath steamed in the cold dawn air. The tips of the large green globes were just starting to blush purple and Jonton knew that harvest time was only a week or two away. The vines weren't looking quite as healthy as he would have liked though. There were definite signs of wilt on some of them, although admittedly the weather hadn't been particularly good for breadfruit lately. Jonton stopped abruptly and bent over to peer at a cluster of leaves more closely. That wasn't right at all. The brown spotting looked like some kind of fungus and one or two of the leaves had actually died. Hard to blame that on the weather too - if anything, the unseasonable chill should have helped to kill off any odd pests that the Kerm trees couldn't handle. Jonton made a mental note to look up the brown spots in the Record Books once he got back to the village. Gerselle hummed cheerfully to herself as she pulled on her climbing gear. Joenie watched her solemnly from the warm confines of her carry pack which Gerselle had carefully hung from a nearby branch. The tiny kerblet inspected her hands gravely and then batted at the brightly coloured plush bird suspended above her head. The bird made a playful cheeping noise as it bounced too and fro, much to her delight. Gerselle smiled as Joenie squeaked happily back at her new toy. Gerselle dipped her gloves into the adhesive, carefully letting the excess liquid drip back into the bucket. Hopping awkwardly, she dipped one boot into the viscous mixture before pressing it firmly against the trunk of the sapwood tree. She took a good grip on the smooth bark before repeating the process with the other boot. Satisfied that everything seemed to be holding properly, she rapidly clambered up the trunk. The long grooves running down the trunk looked shiny and blemish free and Gerselle was pleased see translucent golden beads still forming in the channels despite the weather. Sap collecting wasn't her task for this morning though, so after a brief inspection, she climbed up further to the spray of huge green fronds at the top of the tree and the fleshy white flowers beneath them. Working with practised ease she wriggled her hand out of one glove, leaving it stuck to the leather patch on her leg. Carefully she dipped her hand into one of the pouches on her belt and sprinkled a pinch of bright yellow pollen into the centre of each flower. By mid morning, Gerselle had settled into a steady rhythm of tree climbing and flower pollinating, taking the occasional break to rock Joenie back and forth in her carry pack. The novelty of being in a swing was rapidly wearing off however and Joenie was getting increasingly irritable as the morning wore on. Gerselle finally gave in to the inevitable and sat down against a particularly large sapwood trunk as she settled Joenie in to feed. It was only then that she spotted the unusual looking gourd at her feet. Shuffling carefully around so as not to disturb her daughter she examined it curiously. Whatever it was, it was certainly no sapwood pod and Gerselle couldn't remember seeing anything quite like it before. The thing definitely looked like a seed pod of some kind but it was larger than usual and covered in a dense mat of mottled yellow and brown fibres. She picked it up and shook it tentatively, raising her eyebrows slightly as it made no noise. She shrugged and dropped the gourd into a belt pouch, making a note to look it up in the Records later. ------------------ As Gerselle walked up the path to the village archives she was surprised to find Jonton heading in the same direction and looking worried. “Is everything alright?" she asked, a note of concern creeping into her voice. Jonton looked at her. “I'm not sure, he replied, “The breadfruit vines aren't looking too good - they seem to have caught some kind of fungus. I was just going to consult the Records." Gerselle frowned. “It's been pretty cold for a fungus," she said, “and its unusual for one to get past the Kerm trees. Are you sure?" “Not really," said Jonton, “but it's the only thing I could think of that would explain the brown mottling on the leaves. Anyway - what takes you to the Records. Don't tell me the sapwoods have caught something too?" Gerselle shook her head. “No, they're fine. They're even managing to trickle out some sap in this weather. I just found this gourd whilst I was out. I don't remember seeing anything like it before though, so I was just going to look it up." She drew the gourd out of its belt pouch and handed it to Jonton. Jonton frowned. “Not sure I recognise it either. That fibrous coat is pretty distinctive though - should be easy enough to find in the Records." Absently he twisted the fibres around his fingers and then stopped in surprise, sniffing at the air. “Odd. Do you smell cinnamon?" Jonton twisted another handful of the fibrous coating, rubbing it vigorously against his fingers. There was definitely a scent of cinnamon in the air. Almost like the smell of... “No, he whispered to himself, “no, it can't be." He hurried into the archive house and went over to the very oldest section of the shelving. Without hesitation he reached for the first book on the shelf and took it over to the table. By the time Gerselle joined him, he had found the section he wanted. Wordlessly he pointed at the faded but carefully rendered drawings on the page in front of him. Gerselle's eyes widened as she recognised the picture of the tree and the picture of her gourd right next to it. “It can't be..." she said faintly, Jonton gripped her hand. “I know, love," he said, “but the book even mentions the smell of that bruised fibre. I'm having a hard time believing it myself but think you might just have found the first Kerm seed on Kerbin for nearly five hundred years." He kept his voice deliberately casual but a small worm of unease was beginning to gnaw at him. If Gerselle's gourd really was a Kerm seed then it would need a new Keeper and he had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly who that Keeper would be. “I'd better read up on this, Gerselle. There looks like quite a lot to get through and... well it's a Kerm seed. Most of this stuff is probably important and we don't exactly have anyone else we can turn to for help. ------------- The Walkers stood in a loose group at the entrance to the village. Jonton and Gerselle stood slightly apart from the rest, both clothed in grey robes belted securely around them to ward off the pre-dawn air. Gerselle's robe was so new that the wool hadn't had a chance to soften and she shifted from foot to foot, scratching herself surreptitiously. The cowl of her robe was draped down her back, weighed down by the Kerm seed inside. Joenie was fast asleep in a makeshift sling strapped across her chest. A group of six kerbals stood in a row, each with a heavy grey pack on his or her back. Each pack was full of damp earth, with six Kerm cuttings planted carefully inside. Another dozen kerbals were carrying similar packs, these dyed brown and filled with saplings of all the trees in the Grove, all carefully packed in damp sweetmoss. Others were equipped for camp, carrying bundles of food and waterskins for the whole group, along with bedding and rolls of fabric wrapped around light wooden poles. The rest of the village looked on with a mixture of sadness and joy. Most families were proud to have at least one son or daughter listed amongst the Walkers but that pride was tempered with the knowledge that they were finally leaving home. Jonton squeezed Gerselle's hand reassuringly and then stepped into the middle of the group. “My friends. We are setting out today on a journey of great joy. A journey that hasn't been seen on Kerbin for centuries." He paused. “By sundown today we will have founded a new village and planted the seeds of a new Grove. Each and every one of you has promised to help our new Keeper with her task and for that you have my deepest thanks." Jonton smiled gently. “Of course, some of you will be making this journey many times in the days ahead. Even the stoutest group of kerbals cannot carry a whole new village on their backs and even with proper transport there will be much to carry and much work to do over the coming weeks. But for now, the seed kindles and our time grows short." He knelt before the Walkers, arms stretched towards them in the ancient gesture of benediction, then climbed to his feet. “Lets make a start my friends." -------------- The sun rose over the treetops as the Walkers set out. The village stream wound it's away across the grasslands in front of them, running down from the hills on the distant horizon. As far as possible, Jonton kept them on a trail along the banks but where the stream's course was looping and erratic, the Walkers kept to a far straighter path. Everyone seemed reluctant to break the peace of the early morning with chatter, although the clinking of buckles and the occasional bird call stopped the silence from becoming oppressive. The grass underfoot was coarse and springy and the kerbals were able to keep up a good pace. Towards mid morning, the last of the dawn mist finally burned away and the mood of the party became less contemplative. Murmured conversations could be heard up and down the trail and some of the younger kerbals kicked a ball back and forth between them as they walked. By the time they stopped for their midday meal, everyone was in good spirits, as they retrieved packets of food from their backpacks and sat down by the stream. The youngest kerbals splashed happily in the shallows but even the oldest could be seen dangling their feet in the water to cool off. Lunch was a short affair though, as Jonton was keen to get moving. The afternoon walk was rather harder going, the springy grass gaving way to coarse shrubland and outcrops of rock as they moved into the foothills. The group gradually spread further and further apart as some of the walkers found it increasingly difficult to keep up. Finally the shrubland petered out altogether and Jonton looked at the rocky slopes ahead of them with increasing dismay. The stream was still keeping them company as it bubbled and foamed over the stones beside them but this was no ground for planting. Worse still, as far as he could see, they wouldn't find anywhere better before sundown. He called a halt and waited for the stragglers to catch up. “I don't know about you my friends but this doesn't look like good country for planting a new Grove." There was a general murmur of agreement. “The Records are clear - the new seed should be carried on foot from sunrise and it shall be planted at the last minute of the day. Unfortunately, it looks like the last minutes of this day will be spent climbing rocky slopes and stony scree." Jonton took a sip from his waterskin. “I need three volunteers to scout ahead, in case there is better ground before us. The rest of us will turn back. As soon as we find enough soil to plant our trees, we will stop and wait for news from the scouts." A fleeting look of worry passed across his face. “This was not an easy choice my friends. However, I can't believe the Records would intend us to let a Kerm seed die by leaving it on bare rock. We shall turn back." The sun was just dipping below the horizon when the three scouts appeared over the hilltop and made their way over to Jonton. They spoke to him briefly in lowered tones and Jonton nodded solemnly and called the rest of the Walkers to him. “So be it. We plant the new Kerm here. "He knelt down and scooped out a shallow pit in the gritty soil. As the last rays of sunlight sank out of sight, Gerselle reached into the hood of her robes and took out the seed. As the others stood reverently around them, she placed it carefully into the pit and tamped the soil down over it. Finally she shook out the last drops of her waterskin out over the newly planted seed. One of the sapling carriers raised his hand. “Keeper - where should we plant the other trees?" Jonton scratched his head. “The Records don't tell us anything about the other trees," he replied. “but the Kerm cuttings should be planted no more than seventy paces from the seed and no less than forty paces apart. In the village Grove, all the Kerm trees are planted in a loose group with the rest of the trees planted outwards from there. That seems like as good a plan as anything." As twilight crept over the hill, the air was full of the sound of spades scraping against soil. Gradually the bald hilltop became covered in a thin stubble of slender saplings as the kerbals planted the thirty-six kerm cuttings and then the dozens of other trees they had brought with them. As twilight faded into a deep starry darkness, the last of the tents was put up and all the Walkers fell into a deep and well earned sleep. ----------------- The next morning, the new villagers kept at a respectful distance from Jonton and Gerselle as they said goodbye. Jonton drew his wife into his arms and hugged her tightly as they stood wordlessly on the hillside, the new saplings dotted around them. "It'll be alright, love. As soon as the four months are up, I'll be on my way to visit." Gerselle fought to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "Four months, Jonton! Four months on my own with no father for Joenie." Joenie heard her name and made a happy chirruping noise. Jonton swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "I know," he said softly, "I know. The Books leave no doubt though - only one Keeper in a Grove until it has properly knitted." He took her by the shoulders and gazed tenderly into her eyes. "It's a wonderful feeling you know, to wear the grey cloak. To bond with a Grove, be its guardian and sometimes even share its dreams." Jonton looked at her earnestly. "The village Grove is old, Gerselle, just like every other Grove on Kerbin. My family have been it's Keepers for generations. Even then, to be chosen as Keeper was a great privilege - and a great joy. But you get to be the mother of the first new Grove for over five hundred years! Not even the village Records go back that far." His eyes misted over. "You'll get to feel it grow, to guide it on its path from a handful of saplings to a beautiful new Kerm." Gerselle was silent. "It is only four months isn't it?" Jonton nodded. "So the Books say. Four months until knitting and then other Keepers can visit. Trust me - I'll be here to see you and Joenie on the very first day I can. He smiled. "The village Grove will understand. After all, it has a child of its own now." << Chapter 10 :: Chapter 12>>

Yep - that was a nice touch but it was the Bus that I really liked! I think I'll be borrowing that idea - it never occured to me to use fuselage parts to make a rover.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with (I voted a very definite yes by the way )! As for suggestions, this probably isn't terribly helpful but pick something you would want to read about and write about that. I'm sure the folks here could give you a thousand great ideas but in my (admittedly limited) experience, the hard part comes when you've written about that one great idea - and then need to figure what to write about next to continue the story! If you're planning to make this a long tale it needs to be one that you can get stuck into personally - which probably means planning it out yourself, even in rough. If the story deviates from the plan, just roll with it - it doesn't really matter. The plan is just something to give you a start. As I said, I'm talking from limited experience so take all this with a large bucket of salt. Best of luck with it in any case!

Quite easily I would think Random examples off the top of my head. Liquid Fueled Engines + Radiative Nozzles. Starting technologies. Enables LV-30 engines . (imaginary, not currently in game but think lower tech version of the LV-T30.) Radiative Nozzles. Unlock research into Ablative Cooling. Required for Heat Shields, Mark 1 Capsule. Enables LV-T30 engines with Liquid Fueled Engines. Liquid Fueled Engines. Unlock research into Closed Cycle Combustion. High Pressure Storage. Enables Monopropellant Tanks. Unlocks research into Pressure Fed Engines (requires Radiative Nozzles) Pressure Fed Engines. Unlocks LV-910 engine. Enables Mainsail 'Skipper' engines (with Closed Cycle Combustion.) Closed Cycle Combustion. Unlocks research into Advanced Injector Plates. Advanced Injector Plates. Enables Rockomax 'Mainsail' engines. So just that quick and dirty example gives you a straight line path from basic engines all the way up to the biggest engines currently in game. On the way through you have technology offshoots into other situationally useful engines, as well as links to other systems completely unrelated to engines. If you want to make things more complicated you can include other techs like Engine Gimballing (required to enable Skipper and Mainsail Engines, plus the LV-T45 (with Liquid Fueled Engines)). Then you could include something like Engine Clustering, which opens up the Bicoupler, Tricoupler etc. line of parts, if players want to go with multiple (presumably cheaper) engines rather than single monster engines. I would argue that the science level of the current stock parts is about the same (with some obvious exceptions as pointed out) but that there is quite a spread of technology levels - or engineering levels if you like - that give plenty of scope for a tech tree. I would actually see the problem from the other way around - it would be quite possible to have a fantastically detailed tech tree, such that you need to do a ton of research to unlock even fairly basic components.

Rofl - I can so imagine my last post as a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon "We join our hero, the intrepid Spaceman Spiff, high above the surface of Zorkon 4" "Zounds! A treacherous Zork Cruiser appears and zaps Spiff's ship with a sinister Goop Ray. Spiff is going down!" "None of the the controls will respond. Our hero grabs his trusty blaster and prepares to eject!" And then the final panel of a rather disconsolate (and perhaps rather older ) Calvin, looking at a keyboard and an upturned cereal bowl.

Hey folks! Next chapter is about 1/3 - 1/2 done so should be up reasonably soon. Couple of things getting in the way of late, for myself an ear infection slowed me down somewhat and for my trusty keyboard - well it turns out that keyboards don't appreciate milk and breakfast cereal (who knew?). Writing without delete, backspace or enter keys isn't terribly easy, or at least it isnt with my general keyboard accuracy. Anyhow, ear is now sorted and the keyboard is replaced, so looking forward to finishing up this next chapter! Apollo1391, TJM and Mr. P - thank you all for the kind words! And czokletmuss - man what can I say but thank you. Definitely gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when the thread of the month author rolls in and enjoys your work.

Trademark infringement is unlikely unless the company is in the aerospace or computer gaming businesses - which it doesn't seem to be As far as I can tell they havn't registered the logo as a trademark either (US or Australia). But yeah, safer not to use the logo without permission.

A well deserved sticky - congratulations!

Yeah, wonder if they could do a tabbed menu, similar to what they have for the Map screen. Problem is I'm not sure how well automagic sorting would work. You could filter out the stock designs and do a crude kerballed vs non kerballed separation but beyond that I think you'd need to be able to drag and drop ships yourself between the different tabs. If I launch a monster booster with a crew cabin, a hitchhiker module and a rover on it, (not unrealistic) then how do you pigeonhole that?

A reasonable point but I don't think its anything to worry about. People already play the game in many different ways anyway, so I don't see that 'Sandbox vs Career' will cause any greater community friction than for example 'stock vs mod' or 'MechJeb Yes/No.' Provided that the building and flying game mechanics are consistent between career and sandbox (which is easier and possibly the only sensible path for the devs anyway), then nobody should feel hard done by, particularly if sandbox mode *does* include the option of turning off un-fun parts as you suggest. I think it's more likely that some players will like career mode a lot and play mainly career but with a sandbox game on the side to test new designs or just unwind with krazy kerbal killing kontraptions if they wish! Others will decide its not for them and just play sandbox. Even then I think some players will play essentially the same game in sandbox that they would in career but just do things on a larger scale unfettered by budgets and such.

Looking forward to seeing the next steps towards Career Mode personally. I think I read that the game already logs various details in a progress file, so I'd love it if that was accessible in game (assuming it isnt already and I'm just being dumb ). Little crew biographies for the Astronaut complex would be awesome, particularly if they had a space for player annotations. Something like: "Jebediah Kerman. Current holder of the endurance record for longest spaceflight. First Kerbal in history to successfully orbit the Mun.", to which the player can add comments like. "Munar orbit mission salvaged due to adept use of duct tape to repair the life support systems."

That also works but then you need to take another 50 goes to get the crash precisely on target, with the optimum number of aesthetically littered parts over the Munscape. And then of course, just when everything else is perfect, you crash into the flag and knock it over!

Heh - although to be fair, it turned out to be a lot harder to actually plant the flag than anyone expected. Pushing it more than an inch or two into the regolith turned out not to be possible.

Just a quick post to say that I'm really enjoying the ability to add notes to my ship designs. It's a small thing but adds a lot to the immersion. For example I've just completed a very simple four flight program using the 1-kerbal capsule and iterating the design between flights. The notes let me add some history to that - reasons for iterations based on past mission, which Kerbal flew the previous mission etc. Its just nice to be able to select a ship from the launch pad and then get all the history and mission notes along with it - feels much more like a coherent space program. It's possible that building a rover (plus a pod on legs to get crew out to the pad to drive the rover) for the sole purpose of driving over to the old capsule monument and planting a commemorative flag at the end of the program was a little over the top