After The Storm | Part 12 (9-3-16)

[Kieve]

Continued from here, due to mods and career not surviving the .90 update intact.

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Part 1: Hurricane Beta

KNN called it the "storm of the century." A sprawling vortex of high winds, pounding rain, and massive tidal surges, Hurricane Beta stretched from one end of Kerbin's East Ocean to the other. It was a force of nature the likes of which no Kerbal had seen in generations and caught every coastal establishment by surprise. For the Kerbin Space Center, it looked to be the final nail in the coffin.

Months earlier, the politicos back inland had cut KSC's funding down to nothing, mothballing most of the facilities and leaving just enough in the budget to keep the halls clean and the lights on. Even so, Gene Kerman had managed to squeeze enough funds and Science from them to send up the occasional rocket. One such flight had been sent out to the pad shortly before Hurricane Beta registered on the tracking station monitors - a flight that promised to be a total loss, since it would never launch before the storm hit and there was no time to bring it back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Beta rolled inland, directly over KSC, striking it with every ounce of fury imaginable.

Coastal flooding sent debris washing over the runway, littering it with spent rocket parts. Penance for the kerbals' wastefulness - hundreds of rockets had jettisoned lifter stages above the bay over the years, and the hurricane seemed determined to throw every last chunk of it back. Even the flag flying at the recruitment complex was torn asunder. When at last the skies cleared, it was clear the once-proud spaceport was beyond repair. Everything had been utterly destroyed.

---===---

"They were building the last Duna transfer pylon right here," Jeb said wistfully. He stared up through the twisted girders that had once been the roof of the VAB. "We were so close to going interplanetary."

"Be glad we didn't," Bob answered, picking his way through the rubble. "With the wreck the tracking station is in, we'd have lost all contact with Kerbin and probably gotten stranded there."

"I've been stranded worse places."

Bob rolled his eyes. "Please, the Mun Orbiter had enough fuel left in those OHLs you could've flown it right back to Kerbin any time. Not the same as being stuck on another planet."

"Or in space," Bill chimed in. "Remember what happened to Kerny and the others?"

"I'd rather be up there than down here," Jeb insisted. "What do you think it'll take to get those bureaucrats to fund us again?"

Bob laughed. "You're kidding. There's nothing here left to fund, Jeb."

Jeb looked thoughtful. "Isn't there, though? A runway is just a long flat strip of ground. Sure the pavement's wrecked, but we'll have to start small anyway - we could do with a dirt runway for a while. Bulldozing would be cheap. Same goes for the launch pad." He began pacing around the ruined VAB, waving his arms excitedly. "Hangars don't have to be fancy, just keep the weather off. You remember what we started with, way back in the early years."

Bill nodded. "Tracking station's the worst of it - even the cheap radio equipment is still expensive."

"Tech's gotten cheaper, I'm sure we could find something at a good bargain - or heck, laying on the side of the road even."

"That's fuel tanks, Jeb."

"You never know. Besides, Beta washed up loads of old junk. Drain the seawater out, give it a good scrub, could be good as new!"

Bob kicked a loose chunk of concrete. "'And having trod upon the heavens and tasted the freedom of the stars, he would never again accept the shackles of a single world...'" After a moment's pause, he continued with resignation. "Alright Jebediah Kerman, so what's your plan? Kidnap a senator's fuzzling and hold it ransom?"

"Senators get to keep fuzzlings?" Bill went wide(er)-eyed. "I always wanted one as a young kerb."

"We're not kidnapping anything," Jeb stated firmly. "We'll talk to Gene. I know he'd love to get this place humming again just as much as we do."

 

 

---===---

 

With KSC in ruins, Gene Kerman had been transferred back inland as an administrative consultant - a fancy way of saying he was too important to fire but not enough to have an actual job function. As good fortune would have it however, the admin he "consulted" for was one Dudrin L. Kerlington, a longtime proponent of the space program. The Kerman Trio were as good as rock stars, in his eyes. Gene arranged a meeting for them, Jeb bought bus tickets (three hours of pure torture, sitting in a tin can he didn't have control over), and they arrived at Kerlington's office late in the evening. The administrator was still seated at his desk, reviewing reports, but gave all three a warm smile as they entered.

"Jebediah Kerman! Bill, Bob, good to see you as well! What can I do for you fine fellows?"

"Find us a spare rocket, so we can strap Jeb to it?" Bob suggested.

Kerlington gave a deep chuckle. "As I've heard tell, it wouldn't be the first time. But Gene didn't send you here to beg me for fireworks now, did he?"

"Mr. Kerlington-"

"Please, Dudrin is fine."

"-Dudrin, we're looking to rebuild the Kerbin Space Center." Jeb gave Kerlington his best flyboy smile. "Gene seemed to think you could help get us flying again."

The administrator rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. "Tall order, that. KSC didn't have a lot of friends up here, even before the hurricane leveled it. But there might be a way... Take a look at this." He pushed a folder across the desk to Jeb, its corner marked with an orange hexagon. Jeb opened it, reading carefully.

Beside him, Bill grew restless and wandered over to the filing cabinet. A funny scent had caught his attention, and he climbed up the drawers to peer over the top behind it. Bob shot a reproachful glare at his backside. "Bill!" he hissed, "what in Ker's name are you doing?"

"Hang on, I think there's some old snacks stuck back here." The cabinet shook slightly as he rummaged behind it. "Ahah! Wow, these wrappers are old! How long have they been back there?"

Bob's cheeks flushed dark green under his stubble. "Get down, blast it. You're embarrassing us!"

Sheepishly, Bill hopped off the cabinet and placed the dusty treasure on Kerlington's desk, just as Jeb finished reading.

"So this scientist, Duderov, he thinks we'll be able to find this 'karbonite' stuff all over?"

Dudrin nodded. "Naturally occurring as liquid or gas, nearly universal - if it's true, it could mean the end of expensive fuel stations, easier interplanetary travel, and would make space look a whole lot more attractive. At least," he added, "to certain interested parties."

"What is it you're proposing, Kerlington?" Bob queried.

"I'll get you a grant - fight tooth and nail for it if I have to - though I can't promise it'll be much. Coordinate with Gene Kerman, get the wheels turning and the rockets flying again, and we'll make sure the private sector knows it. That's where the money is, Jebediah. Trust an old kerman, convince those suits there's money in the stars and they'll climb over each other to reach it."

---===---

A month's time saw the rubble cleared from the ruined spaceport. Sparse prefab buildings stood where KSC's expansive compound had been. It was bare-bones and empty, limited, and had sorely drained what little money Kerlington had been able to send - but it was functional.

Jeb stood on the dusty runway, a madcap grin on his face. There was work to be done...

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Kieve

[Kieve]

Part 2: A Clean Slate

The tracking station was the first building to see proper use. As soon as it was operational, Gene Kerman settled in and set his small team to scanning the skies. As a warm-up test, he gave them the coordinates of the old Arc Luna base on the Mun. Unless something catastrophic had happened to their little gray satellite, the base and rover should still be intact.

Almost immediately, they began getting back readings - the base was over a year old, but still very much operational. A new crew would have no difficulty settling in, if they chose to reactivate it later. Sadly, the base's small lifter drones had lost torque in their SAS modules. Some flaw had manifested in the OKTO2 probe cores, making them all but useless - their engines had no vectoring and they were not equipped with RCS.

Gene shrugged. They still had a long way to go before returning to the Mun became an option.

Recently, some Kerbals had begun showing an interest in setting new records - which Kerbal had the tallest head, who the fastest snack-eater was, how many times Jeb had survived explosive failure, and the like. It had gotten so popular, a new agency had formed to log all of Kerbin's global achievements. Several letters from the "Kerbin World-Firsts Record-Keeping Society" sat on Gene's desk, offering small rewards for any milestones KSC could set. Most had already been done once - Ker's sake, they'd landed on the Mun already! - but the KWFRKS hadn't been around then, and they wanted official records. It was time to start building rockets.

 

 

---===---

 

It was nearly time to start rocket-building, at any rate. Every scrap of Science had been lost, along with the VAB's plentiful catalog of parts. The only equipment KSC had left was whatever Hurricane Beta had washed ashore, cleaned up and made (barely) flight-worthy. To further complicate matters, the space center had changed so much in the last few months that even their old survey data would've been woefully inaccurate, if they could've recovered it at all. If R&D was going to start anywhere, it may as well be their own grounds. To that end, the mechanics in the VAB assembled a small survey vehicle.

Bob had never been more embarrassed by a ship in his life. "What in Ker's name is that?"

"We call it 'The Dumbell,'" a mechanic explained. "We couldn't recover any wheels, so we just emptied out some fuel tanks. You'll have to push it to get it anywhere, but the capsule's got plenty of space for survey reports."

"I know the Mark 1 capsule, Jenners, it's never had 'plenty of space' for anything. Ever."

Jenners shrugged. "Look, Gene said we start with ground survey data to get the R&D boys rolling. Until they develop some new schematics for us, we use what we got. And what we got ain't much, Kerman."

"Alright, alright," Bob held up his hands in defeat, "I get it. So I just roll this thing around the KSC grounds for a bit and take observations?"

"That's about the size of it. We emptied out any fuel so she's about as light as she'll get, but all the same I hope you had some hearty breakfast snacks."

The next hour saw Bob grunting and sweating as he shoved the ungainly Dumbell around KSC's lawn. He took observations from the launch pad, the crawlway, and when that was done, moved on to the runway and SPH. He even secured "in-flight" observations when a hatch malfunction smacked him in the rump and sent him sailing several meters over the dirt. When it was done, he was bone-tired and ached everywhere, but at least they had a start on survey data. Science was hard work!

Wiping sweat from his forehead, he left the recovery crews to their work and headed for the kerbonauts' break room for some blue-flavored juice.

 

 

---===---

 

While Bob was out pushing the Dumbell around, the VAB mechanics set to work on something with flight capability. As the sole registered pilot on KSC's roster, it was up to Jeb to secure the height record. Without decouplers, there'd be no separating of stages to lighten the load, so a pair of girders were grafted to the rocket's sides, with extra chutes on top to ensure a safe landing. It was a simple up-and-down no goal beyond getting some altitude, but Jeb didn't care. It was still flying again.

The Bottlerocket 1, as they named it, practically screamed off the launch pad, leaving KSC far below a moment later. The tank was still half-full when Jeb crossed 5,000 meters, trailing vapor as it broke through the clouds. Gene's voice crackled through the radio.

"Alright Jeb, we've got the record. Kill the engines and let her down."

"Not yet Gene, still plenty of gas up here. Lemme see what this baby can really do!"

"Jeb, fuel is funding these days. We've got to build our envelope before we start pushing it."

"Pfft," the pilot scoffed. "You'll never know what you can do 'til you get it up as high as you can go."

"What?" A wicked guitar solo squealed through the headset, and Gene set it down, shaking his head. Jeb would never change.

The Bottlerocket topped out at just over 13,000 meters, drifting the last several in a lazy ballet of near-weightlessness, before beginning its plummet back to Kerbin's soil. Jeb attempted to open the capsule's hatch for EVA, only to find it had been sealed. Then he saw a small cardboard tag tied to the handle, and turned it over.

Quote

Not without your pressure suit, Kerman. ~Gene

The flight director knew him only too well indeed...

 

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[Sampa]

Very cool, can't wait to see how this turns out! This reminds me, I really need to run an entire career mode game (without getting bored and quitting)

[Kieve]

Very cool, can't wait to see how this turns out! This reminds me, I really need to run an entire career mode game (without getting bored and quitting)

Heh, thanks. Honestly, I don't know how it'll "turn out" either - obviously there are some things I want to do, and getting Kerbals interplanetary tops that list, but there's no endgame in mind. Just a list of things I haven't done that I feel I should accomplish.

-As a side-note, since Steam has apparently lost the ability to disable updates entirely, I spent this afternoon shuffling my KSP install around, backing it up, and basically quarantining it from Steam. This way, even when 1.0 drops, I can remain on .90 and not have to go digging around for mod updates and see everything break.

-Also, new update tonight, in which Bill finally gets something to do, and Jeb makes more silly music references.

(Anyone spot the links in the last two parts yet?)

[Sampa]

yeah, I am going to immediately backup the original folder so I can have .90 for my mods until they update completely! Either that, or I will mess around in World of Tanks until mod updates are available.

[DMSP]

Cool!

I like the whole "Hurricane Beta" idea, how did you do it?

[Kieve]

DMSP said:

Cool!

I like the whole "Hurricane Beta" idea, how did you do it?

Do the hurricane you mean? Just photoshop, and a lot of google image references.

If you mean "how did I come up with the idea?" I... couldn't say. It just popped in there.

As for tonight's update: doing just a little bit more photoshop work and I have some writing left to do. Should be posted in a couple hours.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[Kieve]

Part 3: Touch of Heaven

The rest of the day saw Jenners and the other mechanics dashing back and forth between the VAB and SPH, setting a mad pace to keep up with the list of contracts and goals Gene had established. Rockets were rolled out to the launchpad for Jeb almost as fast as they could weld them, and as soon as he launched, it was back to the plane hangar. There, they grafted new parts onto a Mk 1 capsule for testing, and carved off the old ones with as much precision as they could manage. By the time they were done, Jeb had landed, and it was time to build a new rocket.

After the Bottlerocket touched down, Gene filled Jeb in on the flight tests for the next craft. The KVx 1 was a tripod lifter with a small LV-909 tucked under the capsule in the center. They needed an in-flight ignition test, at an altitude above 17,000 meters, and the Mk16 chutes had to be deployed shortly after.

"But won't those just slow me down?" Jeb asked, puzzled.

"They're parachutes, Jeb, that's the whole point," Gene explained slowly. "Just follow the flight plan, please. We have more in-flight tests to run, and I have to oversee some ground work with Bill as well. If we get this squared away, I'll try to squeeze a high-altitude launch in as well.

"Just a touch of heaven, eh? Alright, let's do it. Sooner we run those tests for you, the sooner we get our stars back."

"We'll get there Jeb, I promise," Gene assured him, "but it's Day 1 here. Let's finish the basics first."

The KVx 1 packed just enough punch to get Jeb into testing altitude. With the added weight of three tanks and their LV-T30's, Jeb kept a little fuel to spare for a descending retro-burn. The chutes would probably have no difficulty handling the load, but if playing it a little safe meant not crashing and exploding, so much the better. As cash-strapped as KSC was right now, they needed every part they could recover. Getting back their best pilot obviously helped too.

As the lights went green for optimum altitude and speed, he thumbed the 909's ignition. Instead of the satisfying rush of a rocket engine pressing him back, he heard only the soft pop of flameout. Worried, he checked his gauges, and found the central tank was bone-dry.

"KVx 1 to Control, reading me?"

"We copy, Jeb. Everything alright?"

"LV-909 shows green on startup, but no ignition - the tank's empty."

"Structural tank only, Jeb. We need you in atmo still, your chute test is T-minus twenty seconds."

"... You're such a killjoy, Gene."

Despite himself, the Mission Controller laughed, though he had the sense to mute his headset first.

KVx 1's chutes deployed as planned, though they immediately whipped behind the craft and rapidly slowed its ascent. Jeb worried briefly if they might get tangled in the rocket nacelles, but soon enough he was drifting back down towards the space center and all three Mk16s remained stable. A few short spurts from the rocket motors helped slow the craft below 100m/s, as he'd intended. At just over 1,000 meters up, they caught the wind and unfurled, jerking him back in the seat. It wasn't the same as acceleration, but he enjoyed the G's anyway. The rest of the ride down was out of his hands, so he simply leaned back and listened to the rush of the wind, imagining he was returning from some great journey to Minmus, or even Duna. At around 200 meters up, Gene's voice interrupted his reverie.

"Control to KVx 1, do you copy?"

"Still awake, Control."

"Jeb, you've drifted a little bit from launch path, you're coming down over the crawlway tracks. Please adjust your trajectory."

"Sorry Control, tanks are empty, since someone wanted to keep me Kerbin-bound. I go where the wind blo-oh!" The KVx 1 touched down with the scrape of metal on concrete, one nacelle catching the raised track of the crawlway. Off-balance, the tripod craft tipped over onto its side. Jeb heard a loud bang as impact sparks ignited fuel vapors in Tank 3. Over the headset, he heard Gene sigh heavily.

"KVx 1 has landed. Ready for round 2, Boss."

 

 

---===---

 

Meanwhile, Jenners and his crew had pushed the second Mk1 capsule out on the runway for Bill to run his own tests. A tiny Sepratron I was grafted to the right side of the pod, while a cylinder of "mystery goo" perched on the left. No one really knew if the Goo was alive, or just very good at faking it, but they all agreed it was excellent for doing Science with. From the simple dirt runway however, the Goo just appeared bored and innert.

After observing the Goo, Bill gave Control a quick countdown and fired the Sepratron. Like the LV-909, it had been drained of propellant, but testing circuits confirmed positive ignition. Had there been any fuel in it, he'd probably be spinning crazily around the grasslands about now. He radioed in the results and climbed out of the capsule to help Jenners haul the pod back.

 

 

---===---

 

Jeb's next flight, KVx 2, was a much taller affair. KSC had finally gotten in touch with Rockomax, and they wanted flight test data on one of their solid-fuel BACC boosters. To ensure a safe landing, the mechanics affixed a trio of radial chutes around the booster's top, just below the command pod. Odds were, the Mk16s on the tripod engines would suffice, but after Jeb's little accident on the crawlway, they wanted to be extra careful.

Bill, on the other hand, conducted his next test by descending. His pod was attached to a TT-18a launch clamp, suspended several meters above the runway. The sudden drop, followed by an equally sudden stop, nearly made him toss his snacks onto the pod's controls.

 

 

---===---

 

As afternoon became early evening, the KVx 3 was rolled out to the pad.

"What's this test, Gene? I see a T45 under there."

"Yep. Fire at high altitude - the parameters are in your flight computer already - and try for a new altitude record for Kwa'ferks."

"Ka-what?"

"K-W-F-R-K-S. The world-record guys."

As Jeb headed towards his next ride, he glanced back. "So you're saying there's actually fuel for the T45 this time?"

"I am indeed. Shoot for the sky, young Jebediah." Jeb's grin was positively manic.

As the rocket shot skyward, he noted the LV-T45 test requested an ignition altitude of at least 22 kilometers, at speed. Even if he conserved fuel, the main T35 engines would run dry well before that. This would be a challenge - he had to hit his altitude, at the right speed, and he'd have to do it coasting on momentum only. Thinking quickly, he throttled back and kept an eye to his airspeed indicator. He'd thread the minimum speed up as high as he could manage, until 1/10th of the tanks remained, then go full-throttle and hope the boost carried him high enough and fast enough. Once the T45 kicked in, he should already be plenty close enough to hitting the altitude record. Almost as an afterthought, he nudged the nose slightly to his right, out to sea. The last two flights had come back down directly on KSC grounds - he didn't want to risk tipping this one over on the crawlway or worse.

When the T45 ignited, he felt like a rock had landed on his chest. The g-forces pressed him back into the command seat as though it'd become quicksand trying to envelop him. The fresh rocket motor carried him well above record height, where Kerbin's atmosphere became a pale blue sheen on the horizon, and the sky was a deep black filled with stars. He stretched out a gloved hand, touching the capsule's tiny window. "Soon," he whispered. "I'll be back soon."

 

 

---===---

 

Bill's final test was a radial decoupler. He was getting tired of not-doing-anything-interesting, but as the resident flight engineer, it was his responsibility to make sure the parts worked.

"Bill to Tower Control, everyone ready up there?"

"Ready and waiting, Bill. Even warmed some snacks up in the break room. Fire when ready."

"Here she goes then."

Bill wasn't sure what to expect. He remembered the 38K's being key components of their old lifter stages, but he was always too preoccupied with the act of flying to wonder what the staging was doing behind him. When the explosive bolts blew, they knocked him back hard into the pod's wall.

"Gwah! Wreck me, what just happened there?"

"Oooh, nice shot Kerman! Quick, EVA and have a look before it lands!"

Mystified, Bill climbed out of his pod and looked where the Tower directed him. In the distance, a black speck was arching down onto KSC's lawn, out near the kerbonaut complex. There was a fiery explosion as it struck the ground. He heard applause and cheering over the radio, as well as much crunching of snacks. "Well," he said, feeling a bit dazed, "we sure know it works."

 

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[TheGamingNoobster]

"Very nice", Boris Johnson.

I think I may agree with him.

[Kieve]

Sometimes I hate me.

I was doing some trials for the next update, and after completing them hit "recover vessel" instead of reverting back to hanger.

Derp - those weren't supposed to be official, and I took no screenshots!

So I tried reloading from my last quicksave.

Turns out my last quicksave was when I began the career. And of course, loading it immediately overwrote my persistant save, which I thoughtlessly didn't back up.

So now I have to redo everything. Luckily I'm not very far along here, but just the same it's irritating.

And of course, update may be postponed until tomorrow evening.

UPDATE:

Luckily, my saves copied over with the ".90 backup" I did earlier, which means I didn't lose everything - just the stuff from Part 3. Unfortunate, but I had the craft files saved, so it wasn't too difficult to repeat the contracts. Sadly, the one for Bill's decoupler artillery did not respawn, but everything else is more or less back to the way it was. And a valuable lesson was learned about backing up Persistent.sfs.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Kieve

[Kieve]

Part 4: Fly To Learn

"So that's where we stand for now," Jenners finished, motioning to the spread of schematics and blueprints R&D had presented. A separate pile detailed the parts they'd worked out with other manufacturers. Like KSC, the Rockomax, KerbolWorks Rocketry, and O.M.B. facilities were all hard-hit by Hurricane Beta, and were still repairing damage to their production plants. Parts catalogs were limited right now, but hopefully would grow as things came back online. Sharing data from KSC helped speed that process along as well.

Gene nodded. "Looks good, Jenners. You and your boys get some rest for now, tomorrow's gonna be busy and we'll need everyone at their best." The lead mechanic scooped up his armload of diagrams and scurried out of the meeting room. Another kerbal, sharply dressed in suit and tie, passed him in the lobby on the way out.

"Pardon me, is Gene still in?"

"Yep, think he's waiting for you Morty. Room 4."

Mortimer headed back up the stairs the way Jenners had come. Meeting Room 4 was the small one, but with the space center running a skeleton crew right now, it hardly mattered. Gene was still seated at the table, waiting. When he saw Mortimer enter, he stood and shook the kerbal's hand. "Thanks for coming, Mortimer."

"A pleasure, Gene. A bit late, however," he said curtly. "Shall we get right to business?"

"Alright. Short version is, today was productive but we won't be able to keep this pace up very long. It's too rough on the crews, and I mean pilots and mechanics alike. We'll run ourselves ragged trying to keep the lights on at this rate."

"So the issue is funding." Mortimer steepled his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "I have to make a trip back to the Capitol tomorrow evening. I can see about arranging a fundraiser dinner later this week - guests must have some notice, of course. What milestones have you hit?"

"Several altitude records, and component tests so far. Jeb's slated for atmospheric exit tomorrow morning - if we really push, we might achieve full orbit by the end of tomorrow."

"Gene, you realize you just told me you have a space program that hasn't actually gone into space yet."

Gene gave the accountant an annoyed glare. "The program became operational today, Mortimer. It's a small miracle and a lot of hard work that's got us this far already."

Mortimer held up his hands defensively. "I'm not trying to offend, Gene, but the people we'd be asking money from need to be impressed. Test-flights and altitude records simply won't do. We can stake our reputation on achievements, but they have to be significant, or you'll barely see a return. Also," he added, "it will help if some of your kerbonauts can make an appearance at the dinner as well. Wow them with tales of adventure, that sort of thing."

"Alright," Gene agreed. "Do what you can, and get back to me when you've got that fundraiser set up." He stood and shook the accountant's hand once more. "Good luck in the Capitol. Say hello to Kerlington for us, if you see him."

"Certainly. Goodnight, Gene."

As Mortimer made his exit, the mission controller sat back down rubbing his temples. Presiding over an active mission was stressful enough - trying to run an entire space center required more administrating than he had time for. Once orbital missions began flying, there simply wouldn't be room for these meetings. Until he could pass that particular burden however, there was one more task left for today. "Karol, can you send Danbrea from KR in please?"

 

 

---===---

 

The skies were cloudy as dawn broke over the launch pad. Fresh from the VAB, the lightweight KSV-X1 sat ready and waiting. Built in two stages, it consisted of an inexpensive Rockomax BACC solid-fuel booster, with a KWR Wildcat liquid-fuel engine and tank on top. A pair of Goo containers were bolted to the side, almost as an afterthought. Jeb sat fidgeting in the cockpit, awaiting launch. Today was the day he touched space again. "Misson Control to X1," Gene's voice crackled over the radio.

"X1 reads you. 'Morning boss!"

"Good morning Jeb. Hope you got your sleep last night, 'cause we're touching stars today. Can't have you burning out on us."

"I'm just looking for something to help me burn out bright," Jeb answered. "Better to go out in a blaze of glory."

"Let's try to avoid rapid unplanned disassembly this time, Jeb. Preflight check?"

"X1 reading green and sparkly across the board. It's like Kerbmas, without the red."

"Control copies. You are go for ignition."

The BACC's thrust output had been reduced 25% for better fuel and atmospheric efficiency. Even so, it hurtled into the sky like an arrow from a very large bow, making Jeb's teeth rattle as the booster roared underneath him. He loved the sensation, but forgot what a kick in the pants these big solid-fuel boosters could be. It blazed beneath him for a full minute before exhausting its fuel at around 7 klicks up. There was a heart-stopping jolt as the separator fired, dumping the spent booster and triggering the Wildcat. The BACC's smoky yellow plumes were replaced by the clean blue flame of liquid propellant, and the KSV-X1 surged forward.

Jeb checked his trajectory readings, noting when projected apoapsis passed 80 kilometers. KWFRKS had challenges for passing 56,000 meters, and for escaping atmosphere at 70,000, and the X1 was built to hit them both. It lacked the muscle needed for full orbit however, and Gene had made it very clear he was to land back at KSC. Reluctantly, he cut the throttle and let the X1 coast upwards. Kerbin's upper atmosphere barely made a sound as the X1 rushed through it, but drag still managed to steal two kilometers from the craft's apoapsis when it finally peaked and began its lazy fall back to the ground. Jeb drifted in his seat, relishing the weightlessness for a long moment before he remembered the Goo. Quickly, he made some observations through a tiny camera in the sample pod, and some notes of his own through the Mk1 pod's equally tiny window.

Kerbin rolled beneath him as the X1 descended back into atmosphere. At 2,000 meters, he engaged the chutes and with a soft bump the rocket touched down on the plains just west of KSC. It would take the crews a few minutes to drive out and collect him and his rocket, so he pulled out a granola snack to munch as he waited, and wondered what his next flight would bring.

 

 

---===---

 

Meanwhile, Jenners guided another part-testing capsule to the runway, with Bill strapped securely into the pod. His manifest required a grounded ignition test of the LV-909, and firing the TT-70 Radial decoupler. The latter made him grin. After last night's surprise, decoupler tests were now something he looked forward to.

"Alright Bill, test capsule in position. Give us a few minutes to get clear and get our snacks, and we'll see how that decoupler fires!"

"Sounds good Jenners! Radio when ready."

A few minutes passed while Jenners and the other mechanics got their flatbed out of the way and dug out packets of Krispy Mix. "Ground team is clear, Bill. Fire when ready!"

With a wicked gleam in his eye, Bill thumbed the decoupler release. The pod kicked to the left as the explosive bolts blew, and he watched from the pod's monitor as the mount sailed off over the plains. The ground crews cheered as it struck dirt and exploded.

"This is the best job on Kerbin," the kerbonaut laughed, jotting down his report.

 

 

---===---

 

"More parts tests?" Jeb sighed. "C'mon Gene! We broke atmo! Let me go orbital this time!"

The mission controller shook his head. "Sorry Jeb, not just yet. You know we need to make bank here, and we've got some important survey contracts lined up - but we need flight data from those jet engines first. Parts testing it is."

"You're killing me, Gene."

"No faster than you're killing yourself - or trying to. Unless you'd rather someone else take the KVx 4 up?"

The KVx 4 was yet another test-vehicle, with a single Basic Jet Engine beneath and a pair of TFE731 turbines on each side. Only one was required for testing, but two were easier to balance. Jeb was starting to hate the KVx rockets, but he'd be damned if he gave up flight command over something so petty. Luckily the altitudes for both jet engines were close enough, he could fire them off in rapid succession. Less than ten minutes later, he was drifting back to ground at the end of KSC's runway.

The KVx 5 followed immediately, this time a test of the Rockomax Mark 55 Radial engines at altitude, and T2 Solid Rocket Separation Boosters splashed down - "Wait, splashed down?!"

"That's right. Tetragon wants to see if they'll ignite in water."

Jeb was utterly mystified. "But why? When would we ever use a solid-fuel in water? Even I haven't done anything that crazy." He thought for a moment, and added under his breath, "yet."

"I ... have no idea," Gene admitted. "But they're paying us for it, so we'll get it done. Besides, it'll give you a chance to get our R&D boys some data for ocean-landing. They'll need it later."

Jeb's test of the KVx 5 proved significantly more challenging than any others he'd performed thus far. There simply wasn't enough fuel in the tanks to reach the required height of 10.5km, at at a speed of at least 270m/s - at least, under power. He'd run out of fuel well before then, which meant having to coast the rest of the way, with atmosphere constantly slowing him down. No matter how he looked at it, there would only be a precious few seconds while the KVx 5 maintained both the altitude and speed required for Rockmax's contract.

He gritted his teeth, and grinned fiercely. The KVx ships were starting to wear on him, no doubt, but it was still a chance to affirm his status as the best damned pilot on Kerbin. Split-second reactions, tiny margin of error? This is what he lived for. Once more, Jeb hurtled into the sky, trailing plumes of fire.

 

 

---===---

 

"Excuse me, I'm here to see Ms. Danbrea. Is she in?"

Karol the receptionist looked up from her desk. The Kerbal in front of her had thick grey hair and an equally thick grey mustache-beard. "Burhat!" she beamed. "Welcome back! I'll let Danbrea know you're here."

"Thank you," he answered, giving her a warm smile. "KSC has certainly changed a lot since I was here last."

"Yeah, the storm really - sorry, hold on," she held up one finger as Danbrea picked up the phone in her office. "Yes, he's here now. Do you want me to send him in? Of course, I'll let him know." Karol hung up the phone and motioned down the hallway to the right of her desk. "She's in her office now, just go on in. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Though," she added with a sly smirk, "not as happy as I am."

"Thank you Karol," he said again, refusing to be flustered. The receptionist was sweet, but she could be a shameless flirt at times. He'd learned to resist her charms. Mostly.

Despite being told to "go on in," he gave a quick knock on the door frame to announce his presence. The Kerbal Resources Director looked up from her desk and motioned him in. "Mr. Kerbalski," she greeted him, holding out a hand. "Good to see you again. You're a tough Kerbal to get a hold of."

Burhat chuckled. "I was never a fan of the spotlight the way Jebediah is. I'm glad to see KSC is-" The roar of rocket engines drown him out as the KVx 5 on the pad lifted off. "-flying again," he finished.

"You'll have to get used to that. They've been firing off flights nonstop for the last day and a half now. Gene's up to his eyeballs in contract work."

"Space flight is privatized? I'd heard things were a bit different, but I had no idea you'd gone corporate."

Danbrea shrugged. "It's not quite like that, but the Capitol is only providing a small amount of funding. We supplement with private contractors to keep the funds flowing. Mortimer could tell you more, if you wanted to know the details."

"I think I'll stick with flying."

"Good choice. Now then," she dug out a folder bearing his name, "let's get you enrolled in the program."

 

 

---===---

 

Jenners looked over his latest baby. The KVx rockets flew, and the KSV-X1 had flown high, but this... this would fly. He was really beginning to like the new parts the R&D boys had secured for him. Now if only they'd add proper landing gear to their list. Officially titled the KAV-11, his Skipper was a twin-engine VTOL using a pair of the new jet turbines provided by USI. It was light, agile, and carefully balanced to ensure proper flight performance. Flying a twin-engine was like hanging from the sky by a string - the balance had to be just right or the pilot might lose control and the craft would tumble and flip. And crash. They definitely didn't want it to crash.

"She's pretty," a voice behind him admired. The mechanic turned around.

"Kerbalski! They didn't tell me you'd be flying her!" Jenners gave Burhat a swift hug and backslap. "Ker bless you, kerman, it's good to have a pilot 'round here that ain't crazy."

Burhat laughed. "Come on Jenners, Jeb's not that bad."

"Maybe when you were around he wasn't, but being out of the sky for months made him a bit stir-crazy I think. And you know he wasn't all that grounded to begin with." Jenners shook his head, grinning. "Anyway, Skipper's all yours. Two engines, plenty of fuel, and an emergency chute just in case she misbehaves. Hopefully you won't have to use it though."

"Hopefully." Kerbalski climbed up onto the plane's nose and popped open the canopy. "Let's see how she handles."

Jenners scurried back as the KAV-11's turbines spooled up, a low hum building to a howling crescendo that set the blood pumping. Someday I'll have to take flight classes, the mechanic promised himself. He watched hungrily as Burhat and Skipper lifted above the dusty runway, angling for the mountains to the west.

Gene had assigned two nav points for Burhat to check out. The first was Bobak's Approach, in the foothills of the mountains. He cruised along steadily, getting a feel for the tiny VTOL. Skipper was well-behaved for a twin-engine, but he noticed a subtle tendency for the craft to nose up, especially at high throttle. Despite the care Jenners had put into her, the KAV-11 was still slightly tipsy. Burhat hoped it wouldn't get worse as the fuel drained. As he neared Bobak's Approach, he brought the craft level and slowed the engines, drifting to a low-altitude hover as he made his observations. Skipper mounted a Communotron 16 antenna behind the cockpit, so he elected to radio in his findings, rather than scribble notes while trying to fly.

"Skipper to KSC Tower, come in."

"Tower reading you, Skipper. How's she flying?"

"Nimble but slightly tipsy. Tell Jenners she's a good girl but her sister will be more refined."

The kerbal manning the ATC tower chuckled at that. "Will do, Skipper. We'll set out doilies."

"Tower, standby for survey data. Transmitting altimetry and crew observation."

"Affirmative Skipper, Tower is standing by to receive."

While Burhat made his report, the plane continued drifting west, nearing the mountains. As he finished transmitting, he released the landing legs and scanned the mountainside, seeking a flat place to set down. Gene had made it clear any additional data or observations he could get would be helpful to KSC, and as far as he knew no one had surveyed the mountains yet. As Skipper hovered over the rocky terrain however, he began to think better of it. The USI turbines were powerful but slow to respond and likely to send him bouncing off the ground and into a cliff. And Skipper just wasn't balanced well enough for a smooth drop, she drifted too much. Somewhat discouraged, he retracted the legs and rolled the plane to its side, pointing the turbines out to sea for the second nav point.

Area 7T-MIP was well out over the ocean to the southeast of KSC. Burhat didn't know what he was expected to observe, but he dutifully made his report as he brought Skipper to a hover around 5,000 meters. The craft was starting to pitch up more strongly now, and he was eager to set her down back at the space center. Jenners might be proud of her, but as the pilot Burhat preferred not to fight his own craft for control. Skipper came in low, drifting forward around 400 meters. Burhat waited until he'd cleared the Research & Development grounds, then killed the engines and deployed the emergency chute. At 11.5m/s, the landing gave him a good jolt, but the legs held and nothing was damaged.

 

 

---===---

 

"Another ocean survey? What are they trying to find out there?"

Gene gave Burhat a wry smile. "You know those stories about the Space Kraken that sometimes destroys ships? Somebody at Tetragon thinks there might be an ocean-dwelling Kraken that destroys boats too."

"That's ridiculous," the kerbonaut scoffed. "Who would build a boat on Kerbin anyway?"

"Not my place to ask. How'd your meeting with Jenners go, by the way?"

"He was a bit disappointed with Skipper, but he's building the KAV-12 as a quad-engine, which should fix the stability concerns. Each engine has a dedicated fuel cell, so fuel imbalance won't be an issue."

"Clever. That your idea?"

"Bill's actually. He got bored and was looking for new decouplers to launch."

"Ker help us," Gene laughed. "I'll have to get him tasked soon or KSC's lawn will look even worse than when Beta rolled through."

It was just past noon when Jenners had the KAV-12 "Slider" brought out to the runway. Wider and sleeker than her predecessor, Slider also mounted a Probodobodyne OKTO behind the cockpit. Burhat had questioned its addition at first, but Jenners assured him the craft was not intended to be unkerballed, it was simply there to help with flight guidance and alignment.

"The cockpit faces down most of the time," he explained. "That can really mess with your sense of direction, so the OKTO helps keep you oriented. It's also useful for VTOL landings, to help kill drift velocity."

The nav point for "Zone KEIZ" specified an observation above 17,800 meters. As Burhat quickly discovered, pushing Slider to that altitude was going to be a tricky proposition. The KAV-12 mounted only two intakes, aligned along the craft's fuselage. This meant they spent most of their time facing downward, and intake suffered as a result. The BJE's had a low flameout tolerance, and began to sputter the moment the air thinned out - above 10 klicks. He nursed the throttle back, bringing the nose up as gently as he could. Even changing pitch disrupted the airflow and made the engines cough. Slider was beautifully stable to fly, but in her own way she was just as touchy as Skipper.

With a little luck and a lot of pluck, Burhat peaked the craft at 17,900 meters, just as he entered Zone KEIZ. Even as he leaned over to make his observations, the front right and rear left engines sparked and died, sending the KAV-12 into a whirling spin that threatened to snap Burhat's restraints and splatter him across the canopy. Quickly he killed the throttle entirely, forcing Slider out of her spin with SAS torque. Fortunately the craft was light enough that the SAS ring didn't suck the electrical dry, and he brought the throttle back up to 33%. Sparks and smoke belched from the air-starved engines as they spooled back up. Burhat glanced to his left, seeing the contrails the engines left as they slid sideways through the thin air. A long downward-sloping curve, but gradually drawing level as the engines powered back up. Grinning from the rush of adrenaline, the pilot wiped his brow and radioed back to KSC.

"Slider to KSC Tower."

"Tower here, Slider, go ahead."

"Standby for mission report and altimetry data. Also, please locate the book 'A Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics' and smack Jenners with it, please."

Tower snickered. "Standing by for data. Any chapter in particular we need to beat into him?"

"Intakes and Airflow."

 

---

Burhat Kerbalski is an import from my last career, before the .90 update. I preferred to use pilots without Stupidity, so his utter lack of it plus high Courage made him an immediate favorite of mine. However, by the time I started hitting Mun and Minmus, I had taken to using "expendable" Kerbals, since I was still new to KSP at the time and didn't want to risk my valuable kerbonauts. Thus, while he's a "veteran" flyer in my eyes, his XP/Level don't really reflect that in KSP mechanics.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[Kieve]

Part 5: Forward Motion

"I have good news and bad news for you, Jeb," Gene said. "Which do you want first?"

"Lead with the good, I suppose. I could use it, after all these KVx flights."

"I ran into Shelbree on her way to the VAB, bringing some plans over from R&D. Jenners has his crew assembling the parts now."

Jeb gave him a curious grin. "Kerston? I thought she was flight-certified. What's she doing in R&D?"

Gene shrugged. "Apparently she signed on with Research & Development when we resumed operations. Anyhow, I thought the plans would interest you more. KSV-X2 is designed to attain full orbit."

"Outstanding! ...So, wait, what's the bad news?"

"You have to take KVx 6 up first. Jet turbine test."

"Wreck me. Well, let's get this done then," he said with resignation. "Gotta keep moving forward, straight ahead."

For KVx 6, the engineers had decided to try something a bit different. Rather than burning expensive amounts of fuel and oxidizer with rockets, they'd outfitted the KVx capsule with two jet-powered pylons. Taking advantage of Tetragon's generosity, the pylons used two more of the D-30F7 Turbojet engines, with the test-model mounted in the center below the command pod. Using jet engines this way felt strange to Jeb, but if it did the job he wasn't going to complain. Besides, he had to admit it looked kind of neat.

The craft was slow to take off - the Turbojets took some time to spool up before he could feel the thrust and the acceleration was gradual. As he passed 10,000 meters altitude, he still hadn't met the airspeed velocity Tetragon was requesting, and began to wonder if he'd top minimum speed at all before he broke the upper altitude limit. Finally, at 15,500 meters up, the craft was moving at the required 480m/s and he could engage the ignition for the third test engine. With that done, he shut the engines down and waited for the KVx 6 to coast towards apoapsis, and return to Kerbin's surface. The jets were equally slow to spool down, and he drifted up above 30 kilometers before he felt that brief moment of weightlessness.

He popped the chutes at just over 2,000 meters. They would not fill out until a kilometer above the surface, but he'd barely used any of the jet fuel in his ascent and the small test craft was still quite heavy. Too heavy, in fact - even after the parachutes caught air and unfurled, he was descending at over 10m/s. The speed barely slowed as he neared the ground, and suddenly Jeb realized he stood a good chance of crushing the pylon engines when he touched down. He nursed the throttle back up, but the stubborn jets were too sluggish and he'd waited too long.

Jeb winced as the craft struck ground with a loud crunch.

 

 

---===---

 

On the runway, Burhat was reviewing the latest quad-VTOL iteration. The KAV-13 Stratus was a two-seater this time, using structural wings in place of the narrow swept pylon mounts Slider had employed. Stratus lacked Slider's sleek design, but Jenners had taken his airflow jest to heart and made sure each engine had a dedicated intake mounted to it - in the correct orientation. Hopefully this one wouldn't fight him so much, since he'd have a passenger along this time.

Bob had been directed to join the survey flight, to contribute his Scientist's expertise to whatever observations Burhat took. The search for this elusive "Sea-Kraken" was still ongoing, and Bill's Drift was another ocean scan. Somebody at Tetragon had a lot of money to waste. Or had lost a bet. Either way, it seemed like a waste of jet fuel. "I just think sending two of us out to look for some fictional sea-beast is a serious waste of time," he protested.

"Maybe, maybe not, but we're going anyway. Both of us," Burhat stated firmly. "Hop in, I want to be here when they take the X2 out."

Despite Jenners' improvements, Stratus was actually the worst VTOL so far. She didn't just pitch, she bucked and rolled and twisted in every direction but forward. Burhat made an almost-game of it, wrestling her back on course with disturbing glee. It was frustrating how much she wanted to fight, but he was determined to see the mission through regardless. Bob, lacking pilot's controls, sat white-knuckled in the pod behind, watching in mute terror as the sky continually shifted above his canopy. It took several agonizing minutes for them to reach Bill's Drift and ascend to the required height - 18,200 meters. The "airflow" lesson had definitely stuck though. As ornery as Stratus was, she never came close to flameout, even at this height.

By now, even Burhat was growing sick of her antics. "Well Bob, you see a Kraken down there?"

"I feel like one's latched onto our tail, Kerbalski. Let's get out of here before we're taking surface samples."

"Roger that. Use the comm back there and report in, maybe we can still make it back for the X2 launch. Then," he added, "I'm going to have a very long talk with Jenners about aircraft." Burhat hauled hard on the stick and forced Stratus into a swift U-turn that had them briefly facing their own contrails. She may be a feisty wretch, he thought with amusement, but she's a damned nimble one.

 

 

---===---

 

"That's... it?" Jeb was incredulous. "It's tiny. Where are all the boosters?"

"Right there on the side," Shelbree assured him. "Most of the necessary lifting is done in-atmo, and the X2 is very light. Those jets are all you'll need." The KSV-X2 was Shelbree Kerston's brainchild, and she had taken a personal interest in its launch. Now that funding was a concern, R&D's primary focus was on "cheap and reusable." Heavy rocket boosters were yesterday's news - assuming the X2 performed as intended. "Now Jeb, listen carefully. Dumping the first stage will be very different from what you're used to."

"All in the flight plan, sweetness," Jeb laughed. "Don't worry, I read it twice. I'm just having trouble believing it'll do what you say. But," he added, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Shelbree scowled after him as he climbed up into the command pod. Her reputation - maybe her career - was riding on this flight, and Jeb was just laughing it off. Of course he was. What did he have to worry about? KSC loved him, the press loved him, he was the poster-boy for spaceflight in this hemisphere. Possibly across all Kerbin. His job was safe. Suddenly her teeth hurt, and she realized she'd been grinding them.

Like the KVx 6 before it, the X2 lifted slowly, though the Basic Jet Engines were nowhere near as sluggish as Tetragon's D-30F7's. Following Shelbree's instructions, he waited until 15,000 meters, then brought the nose to a 45-degree angle facing east. It was a strange hybrid of SSTO flightpath and standard rocket ascent, with one major twist. As predicted, the engines began to cough and sputter around 30 kilometers up. The starboard engine died first, sending the X2 into a slow yaw.

Swiftly, Jeb killed the thrust and threw the craft into a roll, decoupling the jet boosters as he did. The two tiny pods were flung away, spiraling back to Kerbin behind him, while the KWR Wildcat engine roared to life. With a little help from the rocket's vectoring, he had the X2 pointed back space-ward in no time, burning hard for the stars. He still had nearly half his fuel remaining when his apoapsis peaked at just under 83 kilometers. The rest of it burned away as he circularized - and then some. The X2 was on an elliptical orbit now, with an AP of 169,500 on the other side of Kerbin. KSC's Tracking and Mission Control centers were still rudimentary and lacked the equipment to send him sophisticated telemetry readings. Orbital maneuvers were careful, educated guesses for now. He was beginning to see why Gene had been holding back on full orbital missions...

There was still one more task to perform, however. Mounted to the X2 was a TT-70 Radial Decoupler, like the one Bill had fired off earlier that morning. O.M.B. wanted to see how it performed under orbital conditions, and Jeb was more than happy to oblige. He rolled the X2 until its test item was pointed back at Kerbin, and fired. The pod gave a small jolt as the decoupler blew, rocketing off towards the planet below. "Bill was right," he mused. "That is fun."

Without the ability to set maneuvering nodes, it was up to Mission Control to figure out how to return Jeb to KSC grounds. True, he could deorbit at any time, there was plenty of fuel for that. But KSC currently lacked the infrastructure to retrieve him from half a planet away. If he landed in a far-away ocean, or on another continent, it would be a long time before they could retrieve him, and hauling the X2's capsule back all that way was out of the question.

At four minutes past AP, he gave a short burn, bringing his periapsis to around 20,000 meters and ensuring atmospheric capture. Now, he just had to hope Control had done its math right.

 

 

---===---

 

Forty-one minutes had passed since the KSV-X2 lifted off. Bill, Bob, and Burhat stood together on the sidewalk outside the VAB, watching the sky for Jeb's return.

"Do you think he made it?" Bill asked, munching thoughtfully on some Krispy Mix.

"Of course. Gene's still holed up in the Tracking Station with the monitor crews," Burhat replied. "You know he won't leave until Jeb's back down, safe and sound."

"Jeb is neither safe nor sound," Bob chuckled. "But I take your point. We should be- there!"

A dull orange smudge was rapidly growing brighter behind the clouds. As they watched, it passed over a gap in the cloud cover, a steel meteor trailing a writhing snake of furled canvas. Blue-white fires flickered from the LV-909 at its base. The ground rumbled as the X2's sonic boom rolled over them.

Jebediah Kerman had returned home.

 

 

---===---

 

Later that afternoon, Jenners brought out the KAV-14, which he'd named "Selene." Like the Stratus, it was a two-seater, though he'd taken Burhat's admonishments and gone back to structural pylons for the engine mounts. This time, it was Bill's turn to accompany the pilot - more parts testing "splashed down at Kerbin."

"The Rockomax 24-77 I get," Bill said, climbing into the passenger's seat. "It's a radial-mount engine. I can see that doing a water landing. But the C7 Turbojet? If that goes in the drink you've got bigger problems than whether your engine still lights up."

"Truth," Burhat agreed. "But you know KSC needs the funding. You heard what Jeb was saying in debrief?"

"Nah, Shelbree wanted to talk to me. She's thinking of signing on with the flight program again."

"Hm. Getting the gang back together, wouldn't that be something. But anyway, from the sounds of it even Jeb isn't keen on doing more than low orbital passes until KSC improves the tracking and telemetry equipment."

Bill shook his head, speaking into Selene's comm as the engines spooled up. "Now I've heard everything. Jebediah Kerman doesn't want to go into space? You're kidding me."

"No joke. Gene's supposed to meet with some contractors later today. Seems somewhere in all this hectic chaos, we've actually built up enough funds to consider upgrading our facilities." Selene gently lifted off the runway and Burhat tilted her forward, towards Booster Bay.

"That'd be nice. Do you think he'll expand the Kerbonaut Complex as well? We could do with a few extra dormitories. Y'know, in case more of the old crew starts coming back."

"Afraid you'd have to share a bunk with someone, Bill?" Burhat eased Selene out over the water, debating whether or not he should throw in a jibe about Shelbree. Bill decided for him.

"Only if it's you, Kerbalski. I remember what that Hitchhiker smelled like after a week of your laundry."

"Just be glad you couldn't smell yours, Kerman. Bet Shelbree would have some choice words about it though." He popped the chutes and let the KAV-14 drift down onto the waves. The engines hissed with steam as their hot nacelles touched the water. "Alright, we're in. Fire 'em up."

"Roger. 24-77 lights up fine. Turbojet... also green. And Burhat," Bill added with a chuckle, "Shelbree already knows what my laundry smells like. We dated in training."

Burhat laughed, beaten at his own game. "Well played, Kerman. Well played."

 

 

---===---

 

The KVx 7 may as well have been a whole new line. The flat-black Command Pod Mk 1 was gone, replaced by the sleek white Mk 1 Cockpit. A sturdy SAS ring served as the structural link, with two KLF-150R Radial Jet Engines from Ark Propulsions mounted to the side. It was even smaller than the KVx 6, but for a change Jeb was looking forward to flying it.

"I see the TR-2V is empty. That's the test part?"

"Got it in one, Kerman," Jenners affirmed. "21.3km minimum altitude, 200-400m/s airspeed. Bring her back safe and we'll have one more for you before the day's out."

Jeb gave the mechanic a curious look. "Day, out? It's still early."

"Gene managed to get in touch with some construction contractors, they'll begin work later this afternoon and we have to shut down Mission Control and the Tracking Station to let them do their thing. You've got this flight and one more KVx 7 run with a Mk16-XL chute, then we're calling it done for today."

"Gotcha. Guess I'll see you in a few minutes then."

As the KVx 7 soared into the clouds, Jeb contemplated what Jenners had told him. Upgrades to the facilities already? Gene was really pushing KSC hard to get back to their pre-Hurricane status. An alarm beeped on the cockpit's console - time to fire that decoupler.

On the second flight up, he turned the little craft's nose towards the east horizon. Ahead of him, just above Kerbin's rim, the Mun hovered like a small gray golf ball. He brought the nose up a bit more, sighting it through the cockpit's green HUD. "Target acquired," he grinned. "Next stop: Mun. We're comin' back, baby."

 

---

The tech tree is really starting to get under my skin, at least where aircraft are concerned. Seriously, why is the high-end Radial intake unlocked before the basic Circular Intake? It's locked behind Tier 2, with Supersonic Flight! /rant

Also, a show of hands from those keeping up with this thread - do you prefer the text with imgur album at the bottom |or| text with inline pictures? I'm not sure which loads faster, although I know inline pics popping in causes text to continually jump downward. To me, it does feel like it adds more to the story/report to have the images right there with text though. Input is welcome here.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[Kieve]

I generally reread an entry at least once after posting, checking for typos and grammatical errors, readability, and that sort of thing. One point I mentioned but haven't really expanded on yet is a rule I'm using for this career run:

• Until everything is upgraded and all tech is unlocked, vessels and crew cannot be recovered beyond KSC.

It's briefly relevant while Jeb de-orbits, but since most missions thus far have been quick "up & down" launches for in-flight part tests there hasn't been much impact yet. However, that'll quickly change as more flights start going orbital, and reaching out to other bodies like Mun and Minmus.

Also as a footnote from Part 4 - I kinda knew KAV-12 would have intake issues from the start. At low altitudes however, Slider is by far one of the smoothest and most stable VTOLs I've built. Future KAV quads will definitely follow in her footsteps (contrails?), once the SPH gets upgraded and higher part counts become an option.

The tech tree is still a bloody mess, though.

[Ten Key]

Also, a show of hands from those keeping up with this thread - do you prefer the text with imgur album at the bottom |or| text with inline pictures? I'm not sure which loads faster, although I know inline pics popping in causes text to continually jump downward. To me, it does feel like it adds more to the story/report to have the images right there with text though. Input is welcome here.

Just my two cents here. . .

I am viewing this on a desktop computer with a 24" widescreen flat panel and a landline internet connection. Inline pictures load very quickly for me, and having each individual picture mixed in with the text helps with figuring out what is going on. Especially since I often don't recognize the mod parts being referenced in the description.

Conversely, the imgur galleries squash the images down to a point where the quality is fairly poor-- the "montage" shots are so small that I really can't make out anything at all. If I want to see the complete image, I have to wade through a right click menu that then pops the image out in a new browser tab. Individually, one at a time. I'm not going to do that.

I know I'm in the minority here, and that's fine, but in my opinion if you're going to put screenshots into an Imgur gallery, you might as well not include them at all.

[Kieve]

...If I want to see the complete image, I have to wade through a right click menu that then pops the image out in a new browser tab. Individually, one at a time. I'm not going to do that.

I don't blame you. Personally, when I see posts using imgur galleries, I click the gear icon in the top-right and choose "View Album on Imgur." It's still a new page, but not as inconvenient as what you've described. Also the reason I take time setting up galleries with titles & descriptions. My own internet is painfully slow, to such a degree that loading in image-heavy AARs often takes several minutes, and my only indication of a picture being there is a double-space between text lines (until it pops in). That was the primary reason I decided to try switching to imgur albums - I know how awful "pic-heavy" can be on slow connections.

I do take your point though, when they're basically tacked on as an afterthought, they may as well not be there at all. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

[Sampa]

Wow, this is turning out swimmingly!

[Ten Key]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

I'm not sure how helpful that was. . .now that I've had a chance to sleep on it a bit I think I can do a better job of explaining. Some advice too, I guess, but only on the condition that you promise you'll ignore me as it suits your purposes. I can't tell you how you should being doing it-- I can only you how I would do it. And I've lived long enough to know that "my way" is oftentimes the "wrong way".

Going to try and tuck this into a "spoiler" pocket so I don't clutter up your thread.

Alright, so, what do I mean about the imgur galleries?

I have a lot of hardback, non-fiction books on my shelves. Political, historical, scientific. Lot's of space stuff. Pick up one of those books and start reading it and, well maybe it's good, and maybe it's not. But almost invariably, about halfway through the book (and sometimes, halfway through a paragraph), there will suddenly be half a dozen glossy pages with photographs on them. Photographs that have been abused to get them to fit on the pages. Personally, by the time I get to those photos I usually don't care any more. I would need to go back a hundred or so pages to find the part of the book that mentioned the people milling about in that grainy image, and I'm much more interested in finishing the paragraph I was in the middle of when the photos started. So I skip them. Sometimes I go back, sometimes I don't, but rarely do they contribute anything-- they're just there.

Imgur galleries are basically the same thing, and are often done for the same reason. It's a system limitation, in one case from the printing process, in another due to bandwidth limitations. And, I think, the consequences are the same-- the pictures are largely stripped of context and they lose any sense of awe they might have had during the compression process. I tried the "open gallery in Imgur" option you mentioned, but the results were the same. The pictures are still squashed. If I want to see the full image, I have to click on them. One at a time.

I have two suggestions here, though I don't know how well either of these will work for you. I saw one thread in here that was pretty decent, that had most of the pictures embedded as direct URL links in the text. I thought that worked pretty well-- they didn't load until the reader was ready for them, the text provided context and a single click netted you the full image.

If you don't want to do it that way, maybe you could try putting the screenshots into a spoiler box? That might not work well, but it's a thought.

In any case, it feels like you have too many screenshots, and now we've come to the place where my "advice" may not have any relevance to what you're doing. I'm used to story telling, not mission reports, and I don't really understand what your audience is looking for here.

What are you trying to show with your pictures? Your designs? Your accomplishments? Your "whoa" moments? Are you showing pictures because you are excited to share them, or because you feel people won't believe you otherwise? Pics or it didn't happen! You've got pictures of the tech tree in here. . .do you need them? I don't know, but I think it's a question worth asking.

What do I want to see in this thread? It doesn't matter what I want, the question is, what do you want? What do you want to show, what makes you want to jump on the computer and work on this? I love the banners you have for each section of this "report" (story?) and I think you love them too.

Of everything I've read here so far, this is what sticks in my head the most. . .

--

Shelbree scowled after him as he climbed up into the command pod. Her reputation - maybe her career - was riding on this flight, and Jeb was just laughing it off. Of course he was. What did he have to worry about? KSC loved him, the press loved him, he was the poster-boy for spaceflight in this hemisphere. Possibly across all Kerbin. His job was safe. Suddenly her teeth hurt, and she realized she'd been grinding them.

--

I won't lie, a lot of this thread is kind of a slog. But then, I think you know that, and I think you know it's not your fault. As you say, the tech tree is ridiculous, but then so is the gameplay progression. The endless stream of silly part tests is boring, and a lot of the dialog between Gene and Jeb conveys the sense that the writer is bored too. There's no excitement, just. . .another part test. And another imgur gallery.

But there is a spark in this thread too. That exchange between Shelbree and Jeb is good-- I enjoyed reading it, and I'm willing to bet you enjoyed writing it. I get the same feeling reading about Burhat and Jenners and the VTOLs. And I think that's the key. If you, the writer, is having fun, then the reader will have fun too. Conversely, if the writer is bored, or frustrated, the writing will drag and the reader will be in for a rough time.

Feeding a thread like this can be very lonely. You log in and most days have nothing but a view count to tell you how you're doing. Do people love it? Do they hate it? Am I wasting my time? That view counter doesn't help much with that, so most days you're left in the dark, wondering if you're giving a speech to an empty room. But I will tell you (and remember, I am wrong a lot ) that it doesn't matter. What matters is, are you enjoying it? Perhaps that seems self-serving, but if you have talent (and you do) then your level of enjoyment is going to have a big effect on the final product.

Perhaps mission reports are supposed to be dry, clinical things. Maybe. But that's not much fun to write, is it? The best parts of this thread are when we see your old flight crew start to get back into things again, partly because it's not another part test, but mostly because those are the parts I think you enjoy doing. I think it's okay to focus more on those parts, and gloss over some of the mundane stuff.

Don't chronicle your space program Kieve. Celebrate it.

[Kieve]

Part 6: Icarus Falling

Shelbree smiled proudly at the gleaming metal tower she'd designed. Twin solid-fuel boosters held the main fuselage aloft, pillars of lightweight steel bracing the most advanced rocket yet to come out of the VAB. From nose to engine nacelles, the KSV-X3 was a masterwork of limited resources. True, she'd have preferred to use jet engines as with the X2, but the X3 was a heavier model, and the VAB facilities just didn't have the capability to construct more complex machines yet. Jet engines would've required too many additional parts.

Instead, what set the X3 apart was its OKTO drone core mounted in the lower transfer stage. The unguided stage from the X2 was still circling Kerbin as debris, and would eventually have to be deorbited and destroyed. The X3's lifter could deorbit on its own however, provided it had the fuel to do so. Its guidance system was fairly basic, but capable enough to maintain a charge around Kerbin's dark half, plot a reentry course, and deploy its chutes when called upon. More parts recovered meant less funding wasted.

"Now that's a rocket," a voice beside her exclaimed. The single flaw in her beautiful craft. Its pilot, Jebediah Kerman. Shelbree gritted her teeth.

"Be good to her Jeb," she warned him. "This is a test run. If it goes smoothly, Gene says we'll begin focusing on Munar missions. There's a lot of Science up there."

Jeb just laughed, that infuriatingly charming smirk on his face. "Relax, I'll take good care of her. Very good care."

The engineer felt a cold prickle crawl up her neck.

---===---

The X3 lifted off an hour past dawn, its twin solid-fuel boosters trailing fire into the morning sky. At 17,000 meters the boosters coughed and died, and Jeb swiftly jettisoned them. Blue fires erupted from the Wildcat V on the X3's transfer stage, leaving the spent boosters spinning in graceful pirouettes as it soared ever higher. From the newly upgraded Tracking Station below, Gene monitered Jeb's progress.

"Orbital insertion looking good Jeb. Course plotting indicates apoapsis at 72,500 meters. Circularize in two-point-five minutes."

"Roger, Control. Circularization in progress."

Through the night, Jeb had done his own calculations. While the contractors worked on installing the new computers and sensor equipment, he studied Shelbree's plans for the X3, and the slim L2 Atlas motor that would power the command module. He was accustomed to flying "by the seat of his pants," but in the vacuum of space, fuel was too precious to waste. Thus, while Bill, Bob, and Burhat snoozed in bunks down the hall, he stayed awake plotting out orbital paths, timing, and trajectories until he was confident in the results. Gene might hate him for this at first, but they'd all be thanking him later.

The Wildcat finished burning, peaking at a healthy 143 klicks on the opposite side of Kerbin. It was almost time.

"Orbit circularized," he radioed down. "Ready to decouple from transfer stage. You boys have the stick?"

"Affirmative, X3, drone core is online and ready to go. Decouple and proceed with reentry sequence. We'll see you on the ground in thirty."

The transfer stage released its hold on the capsule with a satisfying thunk, letting it drift ahead. Jeb waited until he was well clear of it before he made his move. "X3 to Control, Transfer stage is clear and all yours. I'm taking the Command pod on a little detour first."

"Detour? Stick to the flight plan, Jeb - you flip that capsule around and prepare for retro-burn."

"Negative Control. Have to pay a visit to an old friend first."

"Jeb-!" He shut the comm before Gene could finish voicing his objections. The X3 drone was live, the Command pod was free, and there was fuel in the tank. His next burn was only a few minutes away.

---===---

"Ker damn him!" Gene cursed, slamming his headset down. He ran a hand through his close-cropped hair, thoroughly frustrated. "Alright gentlekerbs, listen close," he said at length. "Obviously our boy's got it in his thick head to go somewhere. Our task is making sure he gets there - and back - alive. Bobak, keep monitoring the X3 drone, make sure it gets back here in one piece." The mohawked kerbal nodded, fixing his attention on the readout screens and the controllers bringing the craft in. "Dansen, head to R&D and get Shelbree in here ASAP. We need to know what that Command pod can do."

"X3Com's Atlas just fired up!"

"Track that course, Mitchell. I think I know where he's headed."

---===---

I'm going to kill him, Kerston thought bitterly. I'm going to strap him to a TT-70 and fire him into the VAB's fuel holding-tank. I will end that reckless sonova-

Dansen interrupted her silent invective with a hand on her shoulder. "This way, Shel," he motioned, pointing down the hall.

Mission Control was in a state of managed chaos. They'd tracked Jeb's course, finding him on an intercept with the Mun. Five hours from now, he'd be the first kerbonaut in over a year to feel the pull of Kerbin's little grey neighbor. Meanwhile, the X3 drone would splash down in Booster Bay in less than thirty minutes. All thoughts of contracts and funding had gone out the window - until Jeb was on the ground, Mission Control's only priority was to ensure he made it back alive. For now however, all they could do was wait.

As evening closed in, Dansen reported Jeb's comm had finally come back online. Apparently he was ready to talk.

"X3 to Control. You guys awake down there?"

"We read you, Jeb," Gene answered, struggling to keep his tone level. "Mind filling us in on this little adventure of yours?"

"Materials lab and Goo containment readings in Mun SOI, plus personal observations. I thought our friends over in R&D could make use of the extra Science." A brief pause. "Tank's a bit emptier than I expected though."

Shelbree grabbed a spare headset and plugged it in. "It wasn't designed for Munar orbit!" she bit back fiercely. "If you-"

Gene quickly stabbed the mute button, making a gesture across her throat. "We'll deal with that when he's one the ground, Kerston," he hissed. "Focus."

"Was that Shelbree?" Jeb asked. "She sounds mad."

"You've given her a good reason for it, Kerman. Now let's talk about return vector. How much fuel is left in the X3?"

"Roughly 15%. Computer says that's around 200 dV, little less." Gene winced. According to the course Jeb had laid out for himself, it would take at least that to break him away from the Mun, leaving nothing for course correction. They'd only have one chance at this, and it'd have to be perfect.

"Alright Jeb, listen carefully. This is your next burn trajectory..."

---===---

The surface of Mun rushed underneath him, much closer than Jeb had anticipated for this excursion. The tank was dry now - he just had to pray to Ker that Gene's instructions were accurate, and that he'd followed them correctly. There were no second chances here.

But for now, he'd done all that he could. Well, almost all. He was still in Mun's grip, and he'd come with the intent to do Science. The shell on the Goo canister slid back, and he watched for a bit as the blob bounced and gyrated in zero-g. A few more switches later, the experiments in the Materials lab also began processing.

Five more hours - the better part of a day - before he returned to Kerbin. Jeb sighed, gazing out the Command pod's tiny window. They really need to give this thing a better view.

---===---

Gene sat back in his chair, looking out over the monitors and the kerbals assigned to them. They'd done all they could for Jeb. With any luck at all, he'd make it back to Kerbin's surface intact. Where was another matter entirely.

Before the shutdown and the hurricane, they'd had recovery teams in position to pick up both ships and their pilots from anywhere on the globe. But what hadn't deteriorated from lack of funding had been utterly destroyed in the storm - if it didn't land near KSC, they likely weren't getting it back at all. Unacceptable.

They'd not struggled for the last day and a half to see Jebediah home safe, only to abandon him on their own planet. The irony of being stranded in Kerbin's mountains, or the middle of the ocean, after having come all the way back from the Mun, was simply not a result he would tolerate. There had to be a way to fetch their wayward pilot back, once he landed. He voiced the problem out loud.

"What about those VTOLs over in the hangar?" Shelbree asked. "Bill said a couple of them were two-seaters."

"Burhat's provided extensive reports on the flight capabilities for each. The only one that flew worth a damn was KAV-12, and it's single-seat. But," he added, the glimmer of an idea flaring in his mind, "it did mount an OKTO probe core for guidance assist."

"The same core we used in the X3's transfer stage. That might work, if we can rig it for remote operation."

Before Gene could agree, she was rushing out of Mission Control towards the hangar.

---===---

"Just tell me, can you do it?" Kerston demanded.

Jenners rubbed his eyes, forced out of bed in the pre-dawn hours. "Dunno. Slider's different, core wasn't linked to control systems, only guidance and navigation. She wasn't built like your X3." He yawned. "Might work, might not."

"Then we have four hours to find out. Go wake up Burhat and I'll meet you in the SPH."

---===---

Flames licked along the sides of the X3's Command pod. His final burn put him much deeper in the atmosphere than he'd intended - even with the engine and Materials Lab taking the brunt of the reentry heat, he was sweating. There was a sudden popping sound, the squeal of metal tearing, and through the tiny viewport Jeb saw one of the pod's canard stabilizers tumble into flaming shrapnel behind him. The pod slewed sideways for a moment, then straightened as the second canard ripped free. At twenty kilometers up, the X3 trailed fire and smoke as it shot over KSC and out to sea. For the first time, Jeb began to wonder if he'd actually survive this time.

On the ground, Burhat watched the meteor that was the X3 streak overhead. "Jenners, I need that remote link ready," he shouted.

"Almost done. You know Slider was never designed for this," he cautioned.

"I know, but she's still our best option. She's the only one that hasn't tried to fight me in the air." He looked over KAV-12, parked on its landing struts next to the hangar and smiled thinly. Aside from the intake issue, she was Jenners' best work to date. As long as he kept the plane below nine kilometers, she should fly true. With a tiny motorized hum, the antenna on Slider's OKTO probe core extended, blinking ready.

"There!" Jenners announced triumphantly. "Remote link established. It's a jury-rigged mess but it'll work." The mechanic stepped aside, leaving the console and chair open for Burhat. "Go get 'im, Kerbalski."

Burhat siezed the controls and opened Slider's throttle wide. There was no time left to waste. Outside, her quartet of jet engines roared to life and Slider hurtled into the air, screaming like a banshee. Deftly, he tucked the landing struts in and lowered her nose, pointing all four engines toward the coast. In no time, she was out over the water, a gleaming white speck headed for the horizon. At top speed, he noted a subtle tendency for the craft to pitch up, but a little coaxing and the SAS ring kept her flying straight.

Time seemed to accelerate as he followed the X3's course eastward. It was mid-afternoon outside the hangar, but Slider was quickly shooting off into an early dusk, leaving the sun dipping ever-lower on the horizon. The ocean faded from glittering cerulean to an inky black as he crossed over the large peninsula that framed the far shore of Booster Bay. Then the tracking signal went silent. Jeb had landed, somewhere...

Burhat leveled the VTOL out, using the nose camera to scan the black waters for signs of life. A scant three-hundred meters up, Slider drifted on plumes of jet exhaust, searching.

---===---

The hatch hissed as Jeb forced it open, letting the salty ocean air replace the stale recycled stuff in his pod. The X3 capsule floated on the waves, buoyed up by its spent fuel tank and the lightweight materials of the command pod. Seabirds squawked in the distance, but he saw none nearby. He'd probably scared them off with his reentry.

Jeb climbed out, standing on top of the capsule, and took stock of his situation. It'd been two full days since the X3's launch, and he'd barely eaten or slept since. He'd forgotten what prolonged space travel was like, and the Mun was only six hours - one day - away. Less, if he'd planned his course better. Feeling he should do something useful, the kerbonaut leaned back into the capsule and dug out sample cases. Maybe the X3 pod was a loss, but he'd still obtained some Science. Quite a bit of it, in fact - maybe Shelbree would forgive him when she saw it.

"Hah. Fat chance of that, Kerman," he muttered, collecting experiments from the Materials Lab. The Goo container was trickier to get at, but he managed to coax the viscous thing into a plastic tube. As he straightened up, he became aware of a faint keening sound, steadily growing louder. Just above the setting sun, something white was approaching. As it drew closer, he saw the foggy trail of jet engines - Burhat had found him at last.

Slider's jet nacelles hissed and pinged as they touched the cool seawater, setting down a few meters from the X3 pod. The craft's nose rotated, facing him as the cockpit canopy lifted upwards invitingly. "About time you got back," Burhat's voice crackled over the comm, sounding tinny and mechanical. "Ready to head home?" The wake from the VTOL's landing made the X3 bob, and Jeb struggled to keep his footing. He tucked the samples into a waterproof bag, sealing it and securing it to one of the straps on his flight suit, then hopped off the pod and into the water. It was colder than he expected.

"Home is where the heart-t-t is," he said, soggy and shivering as he crawled into the plane's cockpit. "I just-t-t-t came back from mine."

---

---

This is one of those cases where there's a bit of discrepancy between "how the story went" and "how the mission went."

For the cinematic, the stabilization canards were mounted on scaled-down decouplers, to "break" them at the appropriate time. The landing legs, likewise, were just for show. Now with Tier 1 VAB limitations, I was capped at 30 parts, so the cinematic X3 had a much tighter budget. The real X3 also mounted Goo and a Communotron-16 antenna, in addition to the Materials Lab, meaning more Science. Mission-wise, Jeb's capsule had plenty of fuel for high-orbit Mun SOI and a safe return. With the upgrades to Mission Control and the Tracking Station, I had no issue landing him safely back in the waters just outside KSC, for recovery of pilot, capsule, and all the delicious Science he'd picked up brushing Mun's gravity. Burhat and the KAV-12 were not needed.

But the music inspired me, and letting Jeb break mission parameters without consequence just wouldn't make for as good a story.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Kieve

[Kieve]

My sincere apologies for everyone waiting on Part 6. When I made the post (at 5am this morning), I'd thought it would be fairly quick to write up.

Unfortunately, staying awake all night to complete the video took its toll. Between sleep, IRL interruptions (one of my cats enjoys confiscating my lap, making it quite difficult to type), and finding the write-up much harder to complete than I anticipated, it seems I jumped the gun on that one by a fair margin. In the future, I'll hopefully be a little wiser and restrain from posting until there's actually something to post.

[MoridinUK]

This has been awesome. I prefer the pics in the thread but you need your own thread to be readable for your self too! Excellent story writing...

[Kieve]

Part 7: Orbital Adagio

Once Burhat had confirmed Jeb safely back in the VTOL and inbound, Gene returned to his office. A healthy list of contract offers had cropped up while they tended to their rogue pilot, and there was still the matter of an altimetry scan they had yet to make good on. He skimmed through the files and forms, trying to balance the promise of funds against their time and estimated budget. R&D had done well, restoring a lot of KSC's low-level capabilities, but they were running up against a wall now. The facilities just weren't sufficient for the development and testing of new parts. The runway had to be paved if it was to support heavier craft. Both the SPH and VAB were hitting the point where part assembly and complexity became an issue. So many things we still need, so much funding we don't have. Yet again, Gene cursed himself for not hiring an administrator to handle all the paperwork.

On his desk, the speakerphone beeped. "Yes Karol?"

"Sorry to bother you Gene, but Mortimer's on the line. He says he's got that fundraising dinner set up and needs to hammer out the details with you. Can I put him through?"

"Of course."

There was a brief pause, then Morimer's voice greeted him over the phone. "Hello?"

"Afternoon Mortimer. How's the Capitol treating you?"

"Less productive than I'd like, and far noisier. I'll be glad to get back to KSC, where the only interruptions are ten seconds of rocket motor. But I was able to get that fundraiser organized, it'll be tomorrow evening."

Gene winced. "Little short notice there Morty."

"Best I was able to do. Most conference halls require booking a month or more in advance, but as luck would have it, one of the charity banquets was postponed and their slot opened up. There'll be a jet coming in tomorrow mid-day for yourself and up to three guests. And Gene," he added, "make sure your flyboys are on their best behavior. I can't stress how important it is to impress these people."

"Understood. We'll see you tomorrow night then. I'm sure Bobak can handle Mission Control for one night."

 

 

---===---

 

"Are you sure about this, Kerston?" Danbrea looked up from her forms, gazing skeptically at the engineer.

"Someone's got to keep that maniac in line, and Ker knows Gene isn't doing it from the ground," Shelbree answered, still fuming. "I was flight-certified before the shut-down, my qualifications should still be good."

"Yes, that they are," the Kerbal Resources Director agreed. "It's your motivation I question. What would you do if Jebediah goes off-mission with you in the pod? Jettison him?"

Shelbree laughed. "The thought crossed my mind, Brea. I don't think it'll be necessary though. I design these ships, I know plenty of ways to make them do what I want, with or without the pilot's cooperation." She shook her head, still amused by the image of Jeb drifting in space with a contrite look upon his smug face. "Hopefully none of that's ever necessary though, having a fellow kerbonaut to worry about might be enough to curb some of that recklessness."

Danbrea was not smiling. "Jebediah Kerman helped found this program because he believes literally reaching for the stars is the most important thing Kerbals can do in their lifetime. Without a bit of that recklessness, none of us would be here. Don't be too hard on him for it - and don't give me this application unless it's for the right reasons, Shelbree. 'Keeping Jeb in line' is not one of them."

"I'm not a dreamer, Brea. I don't have some higher purpose here. I just want to make sure that, whatever we do, we're doing it right. That goes for all of the crew, not just Jeb."

"Mhm..." Danbrea shrugged. "In that case, welcome aboard I suppose. Just remember to keep some perspective, alright?"

 

 

---===---

 

Though operations had largely ground to a halt during Jeb's unscheduled pass at the Mun, the VAB crew had not sat idle. A research & development firm had contracted with KSC to provide altimetry scans of Kerbin, a project initially delayed due to the need for better orbital tracking. At first, they'd tried SSTO delivery, hoping that fuel-efficient jet engines could augment the delivery system and get the scanning satellite into orbit. Unfortunately, every design resulted in a machine more complex than the VAB or SPH could handle. In the end, they went back to basics. The Maxwell 1 was a simple, elegant, and most importantly cheap three-stage missile with more than enough kick to put the satellite into orbit with delta-V to spare. The first stage was a towering S1 SRB from Kerbodyne, which carried the rocket well into the upper atmosphere. From there, a trusty liquid-fuel Wildcat finished orbital insertion and circularization, and released the actual Maxwell satellite for maneuvering.

By the time it was rolled out to the pad for launch, Gene had finalized contracts with Probodobodyne and Kerlington MR&PP for their own satellites. Maxwell 2 and 3 were almost identical, save for smaller satellites and downsized fairings to match.

Mid-afternoon saw the first Maxwell lift off, veering northeast to align itself for the orbital path the altimetry contract requested. While Bobak lead the ground crews in tracking and maneuvering the little satellite, Maxwell 2 was quickly sent out to follow its slightly bigger brother. Mission Control delayed the launch, however, waiting until Maxwell 1 was in its proper place and scanning. The rockets flew beautifully, but they wanted positive confirmation that the satellites would achieve the orbits they'd been slated for.

"Fairings are away and on reentry trajectories. Should burn up in a few minutes."

"Fairing separation confirmed. Apoapsis in T-30 seconds, Wildcat showing green for circularization burn."

"Orbital heading looks good. Burn is go." They couldn't see the blue flames roaring from the Wildcat's engine, but monitoring feeds from the satellite's OKTO core assured them everything was going smoothly.

"Wildcat nearly spent. Prepare for Maxwell release."

"Confirmed. Maxwell is away and finalizing burn." The kerbal tracking the satellite's fuel levels gave a small chuckle. "Damn that Atlas is efficient. Burn nearly complete, and still over half the tank."

"Alright, stay focused now," Bobak reminded them, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Burn complete. Maxwell 1 is on track and ready to begin scan."

"Confirmed. Fire him up, let's see what our blue marble looks like from orbit."

High above the southern hemisphere of Kerbin, Maxwell 1's scanner array slid open, feeding them back the first glimpses of their planet's topography.

 

 

---===---

 

Maxwell 2 and 3 were quick to follow. Each took approximately a half-hour to track and align on their desired headings. By the time Maxwell 3 lifted off, it was early evening and the cloud cover that had blanketed Kerbin since the hurricane had finally dissipated somewhat. Clear skies greeted the third and smallest of the Maxwells as it burned southeast for a polar orbit nearly eight-thousand kilometers out. After its last burn, the tiny satellite was drifting out to an apoapsis some four and a half hours distant. Maxwell 2 would not require attention again for another two.

By the time Gene returned, all three Maxwells had been sorted into their correct headings. All that was left now was to monitor them until the next burn, and ensure nothing shorted or exploded. It was a slow, stately symphony of orbital alignment, awaiting its next rocket-fueled crescendo.

"I like these OKTO drone cores," Bobak stated as he relinquished the chair to Gene. "No surprises, no backtalk, they just go where they're told."

"You mean unlike a certain pilot of ours."

"Yep. Did you talk to him yet?"

Gene nodded. "We had a long discussion, yes. Not something these gossip-mongers need to hear about," he added with a chuckle, waving at the crew seated at their monitors. He leaned over and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I think you'll find his penance fitting though."

"Oh?" Bobak looked intrigued.

"I'm making him attend that fundraising dinner in the Capitol tomorrow night. With Mortimer."

Bobak laughed. "You're a cruel kerman, Gene, but I like your style."

 

---

So if you haven't guessed it by now, the "fundraising dinner" and Mortimer's activities in general are my way of explaining the Admin building. It seems a little odd to get rep-based funding on every completed contract, so for the purposes of this career at least, that all gets lumped into one amount. As Morty stated, how much is still dependent on how many contracts get done, and the prestige / rep involved in completing them.

Lately my game has been crashing more frequently. I don't know if this is because I updated OPT with the new parts from 1.6, or because ScanSat just eats memory for breakfast with its mapping, but I uninstalled a few mods to try and ease the burden. One of them being the Environmental Visual Enhancements, which I've personally found to look good only at extreme distance from Kerbin anyway. Maybe it's just my settings, or maybe ATM compressed more than it should've, I'm not sure. Either way, that and a couple others have been dropped, so Kerbin's thick fluffy clouds are now gone. I may reinstall it briefly for story purposes here and there, but for regular gameplay I'm no longer using it.

A final note about the Maxwell 3 shot - yes, it's actually pointed northeast. I initially got confused about the polar orbit / direction on that one and reverted the launch, but the screenshot stayed. Derp. Not the first time I've done that though - for some reason the direction of polar or highly eccentric orbits tends to trip me up.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[Cydonian Monk]

Finally getting caught up on things. Gotta say, the previous update with the video was quite good. The video was improved by having read the mission report ahead of time, so I'm wondering if it stands as well on its own. Does kind of raise the point that recovering craft far, far away from KSC should maybe (maybe?) have some very steep impact in the early game. Such as a major rep hit or 0% recovery funds.

Then again, as we've both discovered, the early game is really a slog. The tech tree and the bizarro upgrade costs don't really make "fun" sense. And I've got to agree with Ten Key there - in my experience they're just not as much fun to write. Part of the reason I tend to condense those types of missions into a few smaller updates (or skip them entirely - most of my parts tests never make an update). That's something I lost track of doing with the sounding rockets. Your artillery decouplers did give me a chuckle.

Definitely prefer the inline images, but you've gotta go with what works for you.

I like the whole "Hurricane Beta" idea.

Ditto. And your photoshopped image reminds me of the two giant hurricanes I've got going on Laythe.... I think one of them was Hurricane Ike and the other Typhoon Haiwan, photoshopped/Gimp'd into the cloud layer for EVE. Makes the little moon look a bit more menacing.

[Kieve]

Cydonian Monk said:

Finally getting caught up on things. Gotta say, the previous update with the video was quite good. The video was improved by having read the mission report ahead of time, so I'm wondering if it stands as well on its own. Does kind of raise the point that recovering craft far, far away from KSC should maybe (maybe?) have some very steep impact in the early game. Such as a major rep hit or 0% recovery funds.

Then again, as we've both discovered, the early game is really a slog. The tech tree and the bizarro upgrade costs don't really make "fun" sense. And I've got to agree with Ten Key there - in my experience they're just not as much fun to write. Part of the reason I tend to condense those types of missions into a few smaller updates (or skip them entirely - most of my parts tests never make an update). That's something I lost track of doing with the sounding rockets. Your artillery decouplers did give me a chuckle.

Definitely prefer the inline images, but you've gotta go with what works for you.

Ditto. And your photoshopped image reminds me of the two giant hurricanes I've got going on Laythe.... I think one of them was Hurricane Ike and the other Typhoon Haiwan, photoshopped/Gimp'd into the cloud layer for EVE. Makes the little moon look a bit more menacing.

Thanks for the reply! I've been pretty sick the last couple days, which has left me some free time to get caught up on ATS and get some new missions logged. Mostly though, it's been lounging in bed with a supply of juice and too much time on my hands.

I don't think I'll be doing any more videos for a long while though - I'm content with the result but it's not as good as I'd envisioned, and that's aside from the shots that rendered mysteriously dark despite looking just fine in FRAPS. Maybe there's a setting in the encoder I missed...

I've been slowly reading through Ad Lunam too, but I'm only to "Nightfall" right now, so withholding commentary for now until I get caught up myself. Like what I've read so far though.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Kieve

[Kieve]

Part 8: Starlight Drifters

The stream of satellite launches continued through the end of the week. Minwell 1 was, as its name implied, destined for an orbit around the tiny mint-colored iceball of Minmus. Maxwell 4 was slated for an equatorial orbit so far distant from Kerbin it was likely to crash into the Mun. And Munwell 1 was the heaviest of them all, designed not to orbit Mun, but to land on it, bearing a compliment of Science instruments and experiments. With so many pans in the fire, it quickly became evident to Gene he'd have no time left to maintain KSC's day-to-day operations. From this point on, Mission Control and the Tracking Station would require attention all six hours a day, with multiple flights in play at once.

And there still remained the issue of upgrading their facilities, requiring downtime while the contractors did their work. R&D needed improvement the most, but the costs involved were far more than he could afford right now. Likewise, the VAB was high on the priority list, since Munwell's design was "too complicated" for what they could handle in the current building.

The painfully slow dance of orbital trajectories didn't help either - leaving them waiting hours or even days for funding while the satellites drifted into position. Only then, when they could confirm orbital stability, was payment sent in.

Not every satellite remained in that orbit, however. Part of Maxwell 2's contract had stipulated an on-board materials lab, and Gene used this as a perfect opportunity for high-orbit experiments. However, the Scientific value of those experiments dropped substantially when transmitted, so Maxwell 2 had also been sent up with a radial parachute mounted to the top of its probe core.

The ex-satellite screamed over KSC just before noon the following day. An error in the OKTO's trajectory calculations resulted in a splashdown much further up the coast than they'd initially planned, straining the limits of the recovery team's range, but they were able to haul the waterlogged probe out of the bay and back to KSC intact. Maxwell 2 was still being dried out and dismantled when the KSC Air-Traffic Control Tower began reading an incoming signal on the short-range systems.

"KSC Tower, this is Kerbin United Flight 1202 on approach. Is the pattern clear?"

"No pattern here to speak of just yet, Flight 1202. Runway is clear, but be advised it's still unpaved. Landing might be bumpy."

"Copy, Tower. We'll be on the ground shortly - have your guests standing by."

True to his word, Mortimer had sent a jet out to retrieve Gene and three others for the fundraiser that night. By the time the P-77 Sunrise had landed and taxied over to the hangar, a small ladder truck was already waiting to load them up. Jeb had been all but sentenced to it as penance for his errant pass at the Mun, while Bill and Bob joined him feeling it was their duty as part of the Kerman Trio.

"So what does Gene expect us to do out there?" Bill asked, glancing up to the hatch. Their mission controller had already disappeared inside the plane.

"Mostly just hobnob with the guests. Convince wealthy kerbs that what we're doing is worth signing a check for." Jeb shrugged. "Wow them with tales of adventure and glory."

Bob smirked. "So should we leave out the part where you go rogue and nearly strand yourself in Munar orbit?"

"Is anyone at KSC going to let me live that down?" Jebediah grumped. "If you have to bring it up, tell them how all kerb-kind came one step closer to returning to the Mun, and KSC's heroic efforts in getting me back alive."

Bill nudged Bob in the ribs with his elbow. "Jeb's right. We can tease him in private, but if we want more funding we have to really live it up as daring space explorers."

"I'd have an easier time with that," Bob snorted, "if we'd actually explored space. Mun and Minmus barely count."

Gene peered around the plane's hatch. "We're burning daylight, gentlekerbs. Get up here and strap in."

With a resigned sigh, Jeb grabbed the ladder and lead the way up, Bill and Bob following close behind. The P-77's hatch sealed behind them with a pressurized hiss, and the plane was backing away from the hangar even as they buckled their seat belts. Despite the unpaved runway, the small passenger jet had no trouble getting up the speed required to lift off. The cabin tilted as the pilot banked, turning them northwest towards the Capitol further inland.

 

 

---===---

 

Work began on the VAB as soon as the P-77 was out of sight.

The advance from the new satellite contracts had provided enough funding to improve both the VAB and the dormitories. With construction on the Munwell 1 still in limbo, the VAB upgrades became first priority. By late afternoon, the new Assembly Building was finished and the work crews could put the final touches on their waiting Science probe.

They'd left fairings off this one to reduce weight, trusting the sturdier probe would hold up through its ascension. Likewise, the lower stabilizers had been removed from the Kerbodyne S1 SRB, and the liquid-fuel tank for the Wildcat had been extended to increase capacity. By all calculations, the Munwell should pack enough fuel to fulfill its mission of orbiting, landing, and returning from the Mun, loaded with Science. It would be several days before it returned to Kerbin however. That was the trouble with looking beyond low Kerbin orbit - the missions stretched on for days at a time, during which any number of flaws could expose themselves, or things could go wrong. The Minwell 1 satellite had lifted off late last evening, and would take another seven days before reaching its destination around Minmus.

By that comparison, Munwell's six-hour drift out to the Mun was blissfully short.

 

 

---===---

 

To Jeb, even one hour felt like eternity. He tugged at the stiff necktie, somehow finding it far more uncomfortable than the wide saucer-like collar of his flight suit. At least that didn't try to strangle him at each opportunity. Maybe this is why Mortimer's so sour all the time. His clothes are always trying to choke him. He sipped at something fizzy and bitter, wondering where all the good snacks and Joose had been hidden. Bill had gone to look earlier, but found himself roped into a discussion on industrial expansion on low-gravity worlds instead. Despite barely scratching Munar orbit, these tycoons were falling over themselves at the possibility of exploiting fuel sources on Mun and Minmus, and potentially even further out. He didn't even know where Bob had gotten to. He was about to go searching when a familiar voice greeted him from behind.

"Jeb...? Jeb Kerman, in a suit jacket? Oh Ker, never thought I'd see that happen!" The kerbonaut turned, nearly spitting out his fizzy drink at the kerbal behind him, and choked as he tried to swallow it. Staring back at him with a crazy grin was one of the few pilots KSC considered as much a lunatic as himself.

Calger took a step forward and clapped him on the back, though whether it was a greeting or to ease his cough, Jeb couldn't tell. "Well," he sputtered, "feeling's mutual Cal. What'd you do to get sentenced here?"

"Hah, nothing, my old Da just didn't feel like showing up so he sent me instead. Said it'd be bad form if Kerlysle Motors didn't have someone to rep for them."

"Kerlysle... wait, so your father is KM's CEO? How did I never know that?"

Calger shrugged. "Don't think it ever came up. I joined the space program to get away from all this stuffy corporate... stuff. But once KSC closed down, where else was I gonna go?"

"I always figured test driving. Or game development - didn't Kertronic Interactive cut some deal with you for specs on the Centipede?"

"Yeah, and then backed out when they heard how it really handled." He winked. "Trust me, the version they added in KerKart 2 is nothing like that beast we left up there on the Mun. But yeah, didn't have much choice. Back home it was. So here I am. Hey, aren't you supposed to be begging me for money or something?"

It was Jeb's turn to laugh. "That was Mortimer's idea. I'm just here to tell everyone how grand space is, but you'd know as well as anyone. Plus, Gene was mad at me. I took our last test vehicle on an early detour back to Munar orbit, and ran out of fuel on the way back. Burhat had to remote-pilot a VTOL out past Booster Bay to pick me up." Jeb shook his head, still chuckling. "Ker damn, it's good to see you again Cal."

"You too Jeb. I'll put in a good word with the old kerman when I get back, see what Kerlysle can do for KSC. Say," he added, "don't suppose you've got room in those new dorms for an extra pilot?"

Gene had not informed him about the planned upgrades to the Kerbonaut Complex, so Jeb simply shook his head. "Shelbree Kerston filled the last open room yesterday. They're barely qualified as prefab huts right now, but we make do. If they start expanding the place, you'll be the first to know though."

Calger took Jeb's hand and shook. "Consider it a deal. I'll swing by KSC sometime next week and let you know how it goes."

 

 

---===----

 

When the P-77 returned Gene, Mortimer, and the Kerman Trio to KSC the next morning, yet another rocket was already prepped and waiting on the pad. Unlike the OKTO-powered satellites however, the familiar cone of a Mk 1 Command Pod tipped this one. Had Jeb not been the last to exit the plane, the others might have tripped over him - he came to a dead halt as he caught sight of it.

"Where is that one headed?" he asked Gene.

"See for yourself." The other Kerman handed him a folder, marked "Flight Plan." The craft's name was stenciled in at the top: KSV MunOne.

"Gene, if this is a joke..."

"No joke. But if you don't want it, I'm sure I could give it to Burhat..."

Gene's words fell on deaf ears - Jeb was already running for the pad.

---

I'm at a point in the game where there's a lot happening at any given time, but none of it is interesting to write about. Just a ton of probes drifting around Kerbin or its moons, waiting for the next maneuver node to demand attention. On the bright side, the contracts are finally starting to pay worth a damn and that means R&D can get the upgrade it needs to move tech forward - SSTO spaceplanes, orbital stations that serve a purpose (rather than one scrapped together for the sole purpose of fulfilling a contract), and interplanetary capabilities. Plus, Jeb's back at the Mun and this time it's even on-mission! So frequent readers rejoice - the early-game grind is at last coming to an end and interesting things can begin to happen. (Like getting Calger back on the team and into the Centipede again... /maniacal laughter)

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kieve

[Commissioner Tadpole]

So... what will you and your intrepid crewmen do after yet another hurricane - aptly named Hurricane Gamma now - has been spotted heading for KSC again? (In other words, 1.0 comming out soon that will likely wipe out career saves)