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

[Kieve]

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)

They'll be fine. My .90 game has been safely isolated from Steam auto-updates, and will remain intact with compatible mods until I see fit to upgrade.

As for what to do when I progress to 1.0? That depends a lot on how robust the save-editor is, how cleanly I can port everything over, and which mods fail to make the transition with full functionality. I use B9, KW Rocketry, OPT, KAS, and a slew of others, so I've no intention of updating until I can confirm none of my craft explode or vaporize from missing or invalid parts.

And while I'm replying - sorry for the missions being on hold lately. Been bogged down with real life stuff, but I hope to have Part 9 out by the end of the weekend.

[Railgunner2160]

Is this still going?? I was really looking forward to the next chapter.....

[Kieve]

Is this still going?? I was really looking forward to the next chapter.....

It's been on hold due to IRL circumstances, sadly.

Part of the delay is a set of "in flight" survey points awaiting Jeb. Right now he's in a stable orbit around Mun, and I was trying to determine if I have the dV to land him [and] get the surveys done, or if it would be more effective to snag them with orbital pathing then see if there's enough left for actual touchdown. The MunOne has plenty of fuel for orbital maneuvers and/or landing, but doing both is a matter of efficiency. At least, that's where I last left this before the horrible Real Life thing pulled me away.

[Sharkman Briton]

Will OP deliver part 9? Who knows! Suspense!

[Kieve]

Breaking news: I'm not dead! Still figuring out my next move for this playthrough, but tonight's viewing of "The Martian" at least stirred my KSP urges enough to slink back in here and fix broken links & formatting.

However, given everything I've seen regarding mod updates, Squad breaking things (forum included) and all the trouble of trying to update old, potentially discontinued mods, I'm electing to say "screw it," and sticking with the 0.9 backup. I may toy around with 1.0+ builds in the future, but I like my game as it is and trying to un-break everything by updating is a headache I'm not interested in dealing with.

Time to fire up the rockets once more...

[Andem]

On 1/25/2016 at 4:03 AM, Kieve said:

Breaking news: I'm not dead! Still figuring out my next move for this playthrough, but tonight's viewing of "The Martian" at least stirred my KSP urges enough to slink back in here and fix broken links & formatting.

However, given everything I've seen regarding mod updates, Squad breaking things (forum included) and all the trouble of trying to update old, potentially discontinued mods, I'm electing to say "screw it," and sticking with the 0.9 backup. I may toy around with 1.0+ builds in the future, but I like my game as it is and trying to un-break everything by updating is a headache I'm not interested in dealing with.

Time to fire up the rockets once more...

Heh heh... heh... sorry to see this one go, it's quite a good piece. Ah well. 

[Kieve]

So, here's the deal: After much self-debate, I bit the bullet and updated my (primary) KSP install to 1.1.3, hunted down all the mods I was using (or as many as I could still find - fortunately all the important ones are still maintained), and taken a good hard look into what sort of save-editing and craft tweaking it'll take to drag ATS out of the past and into present-day KSP (new aero and shock-heating, whoopee ). Life put me in a tumble-dryer for a long while, but I'll spare you guys the whining about reality interfering with my gaming time.

I still have 0.90 ATS safely secured, fully functional, and I've quietly spent the last couple days doing some "narrative housekeeping" to set everything in order for the update. No promises on when that'll be, but I am very eager to get this show rolling again. A little teaser from the (hopefully) soon-to-come Part 9:

(Burhat is LOVING the KAV-15! Jenners really outdid himself on this one.)

[Shania_L]

As someone who is still running a 0.90 save, I would be very interested in the process you went through to update it into 1.1.3.

I took a brief look at it a while back and assumed it to be a massive task and have essentially resigned myself to staying put, however if you have a way of making it into a realistic task then I may consider upgrading again.

[Kieve]

On 8/24/2016 at 2:32 PM, Shania_L said:

As someone who is still running a 0.90 save, I would be very interested in the process you went through to update it into 1.1.3.

I took a brief look at it a while back and assumed it to be a massive task and have essentially resigned myself to staying put, however if you have a way of making it into a realistic task then I may consider upgrading again.

I doubt my process would work well for any extensive career-game, but since ATS prioritizes story over game progression, I'm willing to make compromises. You'll need the save-editor if you don't have it yet.

1. Begin new Career in 1.1.3 setup (ensure all mods are fully operational, game is playable, basic stuff like that). Create backup save. Tally up the total cost of KSC upgrades.
2. Backup your 0.90 "persistent" save. Send any assigned kerbals on EVA - every vessel should be empty and each Kerbal should have their own listing in the "flightstate" section of the save.
3. Open 0.90 and 1.1.3 save files together in the KSP Savefile Editor, and copy content over as needed. I found that my R&D tree was able to port over successfully without issue, but if you run into problems, you may find it more desirable to simply award yourself the necessary science instead. Likewise, adjust your funding to be current amount from 0.90 + cost of KSC upgrades. End result should be KSC in more or less the same shape as you left it in 0.90.
4. Vessels are simple but very time-consuming. Bear in mind this my method only and may not be the best way to go about it:
   1. You need the .craft file for each vessel in operation. If you have multiple vessels docked together, undock them first.
   2. Copy the "ships" folder (SPH / VAB) into your 1.1.3 game's save-folder. (Attempt) to open each vessel, and make a note of any missing / "failed to load" parts. Hope none of them are critical. (In my experience so far, the only bad parts were deprecated B9 landing gears).
   3. In 0.90, open these ships up, remove the offending parts, re-save. Repeat as needed until the craft will open properly in 1.1.3. Rebuild / replace with new parts as needed. Save .craft.
   4. Copy 0.90 "flightstate->vessels" into 1.1.3 save. For any vessels that didn't open properly in 1.1.3, open the .craft file you saved in step 3 (1.1.3-compatible) and copy the "Part" data into that vessel's entry in "flightstate".
   5. For total accuracy, locate any Parts with fuel capacity, and clone their amounts from the 0.90 save.
   6. *I'm writing this from memory while at work and make no promises on the reliability of this method. I take no responsibility for kraken attacks, disappearing kerbonauts, misaligned ships, or rapid unplanned disassembly.
5. Roster is easier, but still a bit time-consuming since 0.90 lacked proper flags for "type" (Pilot / Engineer / Scientist), gender, etc. If you have a lot of kerbals, this will take a while. For each, copy them into the "Roster" section of your 1.1.3 save, add in the missing tags as needed (use Jeb / Bill / Bob / Val for reference). Then copy them over in the "flightstate" section as well, if they were assigned.
6. I have no idea if or how well contracts (completed and pending) will port over. There are no longer "contracts" for World Firsts, they're just automatically handed out as prizes for completing milestones. In some ways, the transition to 1.1.3 will mean "starting over*" for me, and I'm inclined to chalk up the bonuses as a book-keeping error at KWFRKS.

It's a big pain in the butt and probably not feasible for extensive careers with tons of vessels spanning multiple systems, but for ATS it'll work.

---

On a more pertinent note, I hit another "personal milestone" of KSP today (before work) - Perfect orbital rendezvous from launch. Was sending up the second half of Kyrano Station and met the first half at the launch AP for circularization, within about 2km. Only way it could've been better is if I'd circle-burned it right into the docking ports. Will edit with screenshots when I get home, t'was a thing of beauty...

EDIT: FML, thought I took at least one screenshot of the orbitals. *sigh* Guess a picture of the completed station will have to suffice.

Regarding ATS story, Part 9 is in the works. Still in the process of moving 0.90 pieces into position though.

*No, not starting over from scratch. As with the move to 0.90 however, 1.1.3 will begin with a disaster - albeit one of a much different type.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Kieve

[Andem]

*Slow clap*

[Kieve]

Part 9: Kessler Symptoms

When Jeb returned to KSC a week later, he scarcely recognized it. The runway was paved, the hangar improved – and its new tower outfitted with more advanced systems. The dormitories, once little better than “prefab huts,” as he’d told Calger, had been restored to their former, cozy glory. It seemed the only building that hadn’t gotten any love was Mortimer’s tiny office trailer, but their financial wizard spent more of his time in the Capitol than he did at KSC anyhow. Bit by bit, the space center was returning to its former glory.

“So what was it like?” Bill asked.

“Ker, it was beautiful,” Jeb replied. He sprawled sideways on a couch in the kerbonauts’ lounge, staring at the white ceiling tiles. Staring through them, through the insulation and concrete and tar-gravel roof to the night sky beyond. Staring into space. In his mind’s eye, the Mun’s stark gray craters still rolled beneath him. “Sometimes, it was so close I felt I could just reach out and touch it. It was right there, Bill.” He sighed heavily. “I wish they’d have let me land. Why’d they put legs on the ‘One if they weren’t going to let me touch down?”

“In case you did something stupid – again,” a voice from the doorway said.

“C’mon Shelbree, you’re not still mad about the X3, are you?”

She rolled her eyes. “The data from the X3 and MunOne was a huge help to the guys in R&D. They’ve worked out schematics on dozens of new parts for us engineers to play with. So, no, I’m not still mad at you.” The glare Kerston fixed on him diverted his attention from the ceiling and space beyond. “But I haven’t forgiven you either.”

“Actually,” Bob corrected, “most of that data came from the Munwell lander. Jeb’s flight observations were just for the funding that let us build stuff with it.” Jeb shot him a dirty look.

“Well fine. So what else have I missed down here?”

Bill shrugged. “Nothing much. Seems anyone with a pocketbook has asked us to put a satellite up for them. There’s like ten of them now. It’s giving the techs in the Tracking Station migraines keeping them all straight.”

“It’s crazy,” Shelbree agreed. “From the displays, you’d think Kerbin contracted space-fleas.”

 

“Space-fleas? Those aren’t real, are they?” Bill looked concerned.

“Of course! They live on Krakens, and jump off when they pass near a new planet or asteroid.” Jeb winked. “Low heat tolerance, they always burn up if there’s an atmosphere.” Bill’s expression shifted from concern to outright fear.

“Jeb’s lying, Bill,” Bob said dryly. “Space-fleas don’t exist. Krakens might, though.”

The fear on Bill Kerman’s face eased. Slightly.

Their exchange was interrupted by Burhat’s arrival as the main door swung vigorously open. Kerbalski greeted everyone with a wide grin, though there was a tired look in his eye. “Jeb Kerman, back at last,” he said warmly, clapping the reclining kerbonaut on the shoulder. “How was the Mun this time?” Not waiting for a response, he passed by the sofa and began pouring himself a large mug of koffee.

“Exquisite torture,” Jeb answered. “Hoping next time, I get to land there.”

“How’d your meeting with Jenners go?” Shelbree asked.

Burhat beamed. “Oh you have to see these plans, Shel. Simple, elegant, beautiful… can’t wait to fly her tomorrow. The Spyder is aeronautic artwork.”

“A flying spider?” This time it was Jeb’s turn to look concerned.

“S-P-Y-D-E-R,” Kerston explained, spelling it out. “That’s what Jenners decided to name the KAV-15.”

“He can call it whatever he wants, I am never setting foot in one again,” Bob muttered grimly. His experience with the KAV-13 “Stratus” had been more than enough for one lifetime. Proper aircraft were one thing, but the way these fixed-wing VTOLs flew, with their noses aimed at the ground – he was having none of that.

“Don’t worry,” Burhat assured him. “She’s single-seat, with OKTO guidance assist. Like Slider’s cute younger sister.”

“Do all pilots talk about their craft like that, or just you?” Shelbree looked uncomfortable.

“It’s a pilot thing,” Jeb answered. “Wouldn’t expect an engineer to understand.”

Bill spoke up before Shelbree could respond. “Let’s call it a night,” he urged. “Tomorrow’s another busy day. We’re sending up the second half of Kyrano Station.”

“Kyrano Station? Second half?” Jeb’s eyes were wide.

“Shh, don’t spoil it,” Bob grinned. “He’ll see tomorrow.”

---===---

Jeb watched as the strange spire burned skyward on its trio of Skippers. These engineers really have a thing for threes, he mused. Three docking ports on a tri-adapter at the front of the station piece, presumably meant to align with the first half already in orbit. Three docking pylons, with a similar arrangement of tri-ports. Three large lifter engines to carry it into orbit. Even the RCS blocks were configured in threes around the station hull. The solar panels were in a circular quad arrangement, but Jeb suspected that was only because girders did not come in three- or six-sided configurations.

“Rockomax asked us for an orbital station a while back, but Gene didn’t want to send up a trash-heap like we did with the Orpheus,” Shelbree explained, standing beside him. “The contract was worth less than eighty-thousand, Kyrano is costing us close to two-hundred. Mortimer wasn’t happy about that, but with all the satellite launches we’ve done, I guess Gene figured we could take the hit on this one.”

“And that’s where Shelsey, Jenlan, and Bartbles are now?” Jeb had noticed their nameplates on dormitory rooms as he’d walked to his own – but their rooms had been empty.

Kerston nodded. “Shelsey’s piloting, Jenlan and Bartbles will transfer over to the lab once it’s secure and online. Danbrea’s been actively hiring for more scientists too – I think Gene hopes to make Kyrano the centerpiece for any orbital experiments. Oh!” Her eyes widened as she remembered something. “There’s someone else too, Newvin. I forget who he was with, but his ship had some kind of mechanical failure, and he ended up stranded in orbit. He’s onboard Kyrano Station now.”

“Jen and Bart I understand,” Jeb pondered, “but why Shelsey? Last I spoke to Calger, he was itching to come back, once we had the dorm space for him.”

Shelbree gave him a long look. “You know Calger. Do you really think it’s a good idea to leave him in an orbital station full of Science?” Jeb winced, remembering his own experience with the Mun Orbiter. “Besides,” she continued, “Shelsey was slated for the Duna Orbiter, before they shut it down. She’s familiar with station-keeping duties. And she likes purple.”

“Wha- purple? What does that have to do with anything?”

Precisely a hundred and two-thousand kilometers in orbit above them, the docking seals of Kyrano Station made contact. A smile crept over Shelsey’s face as the in-line lights of the docking pylons lit up, casting a soft lavender glow over the station.

---===---

While many of the kerbonauts and crew of KSC were watching the Kyrano II launch, Burhat had other duties. His newly-constructed KAV-15 “Spyder” howled over the grasslands south of KSC, towards a nav-point on his display entitled Kraken’s Pebble. Two contractors had come forward early in the morning, requesting temperature scans up and down the coast, and so the Spyder’s shakedown run had become an impromptu Science mission instead.

Kerbalski didn’t mind in the least. Spyder was living up to his praise from the previous night, and then some – if anything, he’d undersold her. The little VTOL was every bit as nimble as her larger “sister,” and the intake fans atop the engine pylons gave her the air she needed to really cruise. Landing gear was nice, too.

The only thing Burhat found peculiar was the choice of experiment. Atmospheric temperatures were old news – KSC already had plenty of thermal data on Kerbin – and R&D wasn’t getting anything new from these readings.

As Spyder screamed back towards the space center, he noticed the red glow of superheated air streaking off her pylons, and grinned wider. Damn, this girl can move, he thought proudly. Jenners really had outdone himself this time.

---

Let's face it - unless something goes wrong, or docking is especially tricky, orbital maneuvers are boring. I struggled for the longest time trying to figure out how to make Jeb's "Observation in flight, over the Mun" contract interesting, and finally had to admit defeat there. So he did his orbits, observed some Mun, and came back without incident (this time). Per my comment in the last post, I got lucky with Kyrano's bottom half and rendezvous was about as perfect as it gets off the launchpad, but regrettably, I was a derp and did not take screenshots of that, and quicksaves / backups did not seem to be present for the occasion. Ah well.

[Kieve]

Part 10: Homecomings

Gene shifted in his seat, anxious to be done with this meeting, though it had yet to even begin. Mortimer sat beside him, with the Kerman trio just across the table. On the wall, a projection screen displayed a placeholder image as they waited for Dudrin to join them remotely. Parts-testing and satellite contracts were helping to keep KSC's finances in the black, but it would take more than that to grab the attention of the big investors.

The screen went black for a moment as Kerlington's connection was established, and his face appeared – upside-down. “Hello?” he called loudly. “Is it working?” Jeb suppressed a chuckle.

“Turn the camera around, sir,” Gene instructed. Dudrin's face righted itself, and he sat back in his now-visible office chair. The image was grainy and filled with static.

“Right, there we go. I understand you've all got some progress to report?”

Mortimer nodded. “With one recent exception, contractual arrangements thus far have been profitable.” Kyrano Station still rankled him. “The net gain has been reinvested in KSC's facilities, increasing the space center's capabilities and providing a foundation for expansion further afield.”

“In other words,” Jeb added, “we can go farther and do more.”

“Good, good! I hear you've reached Munar orbit again?”

“We have satellites positioned in both Munar and Minmal orbits,” Gene explained. “Crewed missions have only seen Munar orbit so far, though our engineers are assembling our first lander in the VAB now.” Bill, Bob, and Jeb exchanged excited glances. This was news to them as well. “We're aiming for launch tomorrow morning.”

“Excellent!” Kerlington's face split into a wide grin. “Kerbal-kind sets foot on Mun once more. That will make for good press indeed, and good press means good funding.” His expression became more serious. “Speaking of which, where do we stand on the karbonite issue?”

“See for yourself,” Gene answered, tapping quickly on the meeting-room laptop. “We have preliminary scans from Mun and Minmus, including both karbonite and metallurgic resources. We're working to narrow the concentrations and identify potential mining sites. SCANsat flights are already scheduled for this evening.”

Dudrin's eyes went wide, even by Kerbal standards. “Oh... oh my, this is... what is this?” He stared at the maps in confusion.

“The first satellites could only detect the presence of resource materials,” Bob explained. “Just a 'yes' or 'no' on whether they were there at all. As you can see, Minmus is practically coated in the stuff. The Mun's resources seem limited to polar regions and crater impact sites, but that still leaves a large area for potential mining opportunities.”

“Remarkable.” The older statesman's smile returned, nearly predatory. There was hunger in that smile. “I know some business associates who will be very interested in this. I think you'll find KSC has opened up a wealth of opportunity here, Gene. Well done.”

---===---

Through the night, satellites continued to roar off the pad, bound for Kerbin's moons. The sound of rockets shook the dormitory walls, but Jeb wouldn't have slept even if the night was graveyard silent. He lay on the floor, studying the mission profile with an intensity usually reserved for awkward young kerbs with their illicit magazines. After the meeting Gene gave folders not just to him, but Bill and Bob as well. “KSV MunTwo” was printed in thick block letters on the tab. The contents made his heart race with excitement. We're finally going back.

There was no particular contract for the M2. KNN was offering some bonus pay for footage of a flag placed on the Mun, and some other contractor wanted to test data transmission rates – any data sent from the Mun would do – but the M2 wasn't about funding. It was about Science. It was about sending a message, to all Kerbin and the rest of the heavens, that Kerbal-kind belonged in space. They would not be denied the stars, or the balls of rock, ice, water, and sometimes gas that drifted therein. It was about going home.

“This is how it should've been the first time,” Jeb declared proudly, nabbing a gummy snack out of the air as it floated away from him.

“The first time, nobody knew how to build with a Mk1-2 pod,” Bill grumped. “It's been in R&D's catalogue forever, but none of the mechanics ever wanted to use it.”

Jeb rolled his eyes. “I didn't mean the ship, I meant us. Three Kermans climbing the horizon, bound for the stars. I can't remember the last time Gene sent the three of us up together.”

“As long as we come back together, too,” Bob muttered. “I hate Mun landings. Miss your target and suddenly 'whoops!' You're rolling down a crater wall.”

“Relax, our site's in a good zone. Less than ten kilometers from the first Munar landing.” A distant expression passed over Jeb's face. “Wonder if the flag is still there? No weather on the Mun to blow it down, no seismic activity to tip it over? The Mun's timeless.”

“But technology isn't. Hey Jeb,” Bill asked, “we're still getting tracking info from the old Arc Luna base – do we have the coordinates for it?”

“I think so,” Jeb said. “Why?”

“We abandoned it over a year ago. If we've got the fuel, I want a look at the place, see how functional it still is.”

“This isn't like visiting the grocery store,” Bob reminded him. “If we run out of fuel, we're stranded.”

Jeb laughed. “You worry too much. We've got enough gas in the tank to pay Duna a visit. Primary site first, though.”

http://i.imgur.com/Ij3VR4k.jpg

Hours later, the MunTwo touched down in a shallow crater bowl. Jeb's expert piloting brought it to rest on the surface with hardly a bump. Tracking displays noted that they were a mere seven kilometers east of the original landing – the first place Kerbals had set foot on the Mun. Jebadiah breathed a long, contented sigh. Home at last. He twisted his head awkwardly towards Bob. “Well, care to do the honors?”

“Sure. We need surface samples anyway.” The trio donned their helmets, checked each other's suit seals, and at last swung open the hatch. The vast gray hills and valleys of the Mun rolled before them, stark and desolate and beautiful. The MunTwo had no ladder or handholds beyond the main capsule. The engineers reasoned, in the Mun's low gravity it would be no issue to jump or use EVA thrusters to make the short hop upwards. Bob's feet hit the surface in a silent spray of dust.

There was Science to be done. A pair of Goo canisters, thermometers, and material labs had been secured to each side of the lander. Then of course there were surface samples to take, EVA reports and crew observations to record. But first, before any of that, was the most important task of all.

With a small flourish, Bob drew the small extending pole, popped the release, and jammed it firmly into the soil.

Jeb and Bill weren't far behind. For a long moment, no one said a word as they took in the desolate majesty of the landscape. Then, something in the distance caught Bob's eye. “Hey guys, I think that's the first flag down there. I'm gonna go have a look.”

“Seven kilometers on EVA? You sure about that Bob?” Bill looked concerned.

“I'll be fine. It's not that far. Besides, nothing else to do until the materials tests finish running.”

“Here begins the glorious return of Kerbals to their natural habitat – open space!” Bob read aloud. “Very poetic, Jeb.”

“Look around, Bob,” the pilot radioed back. “You can feel it, we belong out here. We were never meant to stay on Kerbin, we're natural explorers.” As Bob looked around the crater, the ridges surrounding him, the stars beyond, at Kerbin hanging above him, blue and green, he began to see what Jeb meant. Somehow, it felt right that they should be here.

---===---

“I'm still getting a signal from those old OKTO-2 drones,” Bill announced.

“That's great,” Jeb said through gritted teeth. “How about having them turn the lights on?”

The worst aspect of Arc Luna had always been its location. Nestled in the basin of the Panhandle, it was perpetually gloomy and dark, even during the Munar day. And as the M2 hovered over their derelict outpost, twilight was setting in, making the ground a black void only instruments could see.

“One second. And... done!” Floodlights bathed the crater floor below, white on black, film noir brought to life.

Bill's inspection of the facility was brief, and disappointing. The batteries still retained power, the solar cells worked, and some of the drones still had fuel left in their tanks. That was the best to be said for it. But up close, he saw what an ungainly mess of girders and struts the small outpost really was. There were no crew modules at all, save for the command cupola, no science facilities or equipment, nothing to offer, and no reason to stay. It was little more than a beacon in a dark corner of the Mun, good for lighting the way and little else.

Then he turned his attention to the rover nearby. The infamous Centipede.

“Hey Jeb,” he said over the comm, “how much would Calger hate you for taking that beast on a joyride?”

[Kieve]

Part 11: New Data

“You're joking. They want what now?” Gene stared at the agreements in disbelief.

“Comprehensive thermal analysis of Mun and Minmus,” the sharply-dressed kerbal across from him replied. “Periapsis and Reaction Systems were very satisfied with the atmospheric data from Kerbin, and forwarded their recommendations to Kerbodyne. They, along with JSI, need temperature readings on Kerbin's moons as well. Confidentiality arrangements prohibit me from explaining further, but my superiors trust the funding speaks for itself.”

“The money is fine, Mr. Kenbas. It's these deadlines that concern me. It takes at least five days to reach Minmus, in ideal positioning. Factor in orbital maneuvering and plane-shift –”

“The assured me time was critical in this matter. If KSC isn't up to the challenge, I'm sure another program will be happy to accept these contracts.”

“Give me those,” Gene snapped. His pen scribbled madly as he signed all four. “I hope you folks understand what you're asking for here.”

“Mr. Kerman... Gene, I know thermal scans of the moons may not seem like much, compared to interplanetary travel or building orbital stations,” the contract rep said quietly, “but trust me – this may be one of the most important things KSC will ever do.”

---===---

Jeb tried to hide his disappointment. The way Calger talked about his experience with the Centipede had made it sound like both the grandest adventure and greatest ordeal at once. The best stories usually were. He'd hoped to see some of that himself, here, but the Centipede would not permit it.

A fault in the control circuits had locked the brakes in place, and even Bill's engineering expertise had been unable to convince the rover to rove again. For all practical definitions, the Centipede was a more functional base than the outpost it was parked at.

Bill was in the lab now, helping Bob analyze some of the experiments. It was a good way to unwind, spending a couple hours in the rover. The Centipede was designed to seat seven, giving the three of them plenty of breathing space before they all piled back into the MunTwo and returned to Kerbin.

---===---

Seanden's voice crackled over the radio. “Munlab is green across the board, Control. Proceed with the count.”

“Rodger, Munlab. Launch in T-minus sixty seconds.”

Munlab was a much smaller affair than Kyrano Station, with a budget to match. One contractor wanted a station around the Mun, another wanted the results of a particular Science experiment, and that was the extent of it. Thus, Seanden was the craft's only occupant. The Science lab and rear quarters – a refurbished Lander Can – were empty.

He didn't mind the impending solitude. Several of his favorite books were stashed in the rear. Seanden was no stranger to space travel, and he knew station-keeping duties were dull. Even after KSC launched the mission for crew to join him, there'd be ample time to catch up on his reading.

“T-minus ten seconds. Main thruster fuel pumps online. Secondary thrusters online. T-minus five... four... three...”

The engines roared to life, raging against the launch clamps. Munlab shuddered and trembled at their fury, shaking Seanden in his seat. He rode an earthquake, a volcano of steel and flame, a force of un-nature that gripped him in its metal fist and hurled him viciously upward. The sky faded, blue to navy to indigo, until blackness swallowed his craft. Then the fist eased its grasp, opened, the earthquake over, the volcano's fury spent. Weightless and alone, Seanden drifted high above Kerbin. Munlab belonged to the stars now.

---===---

The pad had hardly cooled before the first of the two “thermo-sats” rolled out for launch. Minwell Thermo, MT1, was the first for several reasons. Travel time and simplicity were the most significant. It was a basic Maxwell-style satellite, with additional fuel and the requisite thermometer fastened to the probe core. The VAB crew had slapped it together in no time, which was perfect because “no time” was exactly how much they'd been given.

Munwell Thermo, MT2, was another matter. Multiple locations on the Mun required a reading from the surface, which took substantially more fuel than simple orbital adjustments. Somehow the thermo-sat would need to refuel itself during the mission.

Briefly, the engineers considered Karbonite refinement. MT2 could land, extract and refine the peculiar substance into liquid fuel and oxidizer, refuel, and continue its mission. The prospect of finally doing something with the extraction technology excited them. However, the designs had to be scrapped when it became clear that such a process simply wasn't feasible for a small-scale probe. The size and weight of the drill and Karbonite converter necessitated a heavier vehicle, making orbital translations less efficient, landings heavier and more risky, and prolonging a mission already on an incredibly tight timetable.

A docking port was the simple solution, but required a vessel to dock with, to supply the needed fuel. Designing a fuel station would take even more time, require a bigger launch, and add periodic rendezvous time to the thermo-sat's mission. That is, until one of the junior engineers stopped chewing his pencil's eraser and spoke up.

“What about refueling from Munlab? Seanden still has his transfer stage attached, and there'll be fuel left over from circularization.” The other engineers looked at him. “When MT2 launches, we'll already have a fuel station in place. Sort of.”

By that time the following day, the compact dumbbell-shaped satellite was streaking through low Munar orbit.

---

I am honestly amazed at how nicely the contract requests are playing into my storyline. After Burhat got done with the two coastal "temperature scan" contracts, another one popped up on Minmus. Then on the Mun. Then two more on the Mun... it's like KSP is reading my mind. Spooky.

In other news... odd glitches with Arc Luna and the Centipede made them both substantially less interesting than I'd hoped. The toggles at the top for "lights, gear, brakes" are locked into whichever state they were at when I copied the vessels over - lights grayed out, unclickable, brakes on the Centipede forever in "parking" mode and no clicking or keypressing could release them. So no joyriding for Jeb & the gang. Still, it was cool to get some use out of the place again, if only for a little while.

[Kieve]

Small update: About half the writing for Part 12 is done, but this next segment is a long one. There's a great deal of story to cover, leading up to the switch to 1.1.3, however in game terms I've already reached that point. My game is about two or three "parts" ahead of the story at the moment, to where I've had to stop accepting / completing contracts because any further "progress" in 0.90 would only complicate the story. There's only one or two missions I have yet to launch, and those are strictly for narrative reasons.

So basically, I'm done playing 0.90 now, and just need to catch up with my writing. As always, thoughts / comments / critiques are welcome.

[Kieve]

Part 12: Global Warning

Jenners stared at the blank drafting sheets, feeling lost. His KAV-1X series VTOLs had served well thus far – Burhat's praise for the Spyder still left his cheeks warm – but the space center's needs were already outpacing short-range atmospheric craft. They needed to go further, higher, carry more, do more. They needed a spaceplane, and Jenner's mind was not delivering. He was as blank as the paper in front of him.

“Late night, Jenners?” Shelbree peered into the mechanic's office. “Saw the light still on and thought I'd check up on you. Need a pick-me-up?” She held out a mug of steaming koffee.

“Ker yes, thanks.” He accepted the offered drink, blew softly to cool it, took a small sip. The hot liquid settled in the bottom of his stomach, eased some of the frustration he was feeling. “It's this damned SSTO puzzle, Shel,” he grumped. “Balance liquid fuel with LFO mix, balance the weight between dry and full tanks, jet thrust against rockets... I can't do it. I even dug up those old Valkyrie and Phoenix designs, but they're garbage now. Valkyrie was a one-seater that barely scraped orbit, and Phoenix was basically the same thing with cargo space. And to top it off, I need VTOL capability – I know I don't need to tell you what a headache that is, trying to keep thrust and mass centered.” He let out a long sigh as his head hit the desk with a thunk. “I wish Wernher were still here.”

Shelbree bit her lip, fighting a sudden tide of emotions. Wernher von Kerman had been her inspiration, and many others who'd joined KSC to build rockets. The old scientist had retired in the wake of Hurricane Beta, citing his age and failing health. He wasn't dead, yet, but his absence left a hole in KSC just the same.

“Every bird has to learn to fly on its own,” she said at length. “You'll figure it out, I know you will.”

“The weight balance is the worst of it,” he explained. “A full tank weighs more than empty, and you can't balance vertical thrust against horizontal mass shifting. That's why KAV-12 and up have dedicated fuel tanks, per engine.”

“What if you could shift the engines too?” A light went on in Shelbree's head. “Come to the VAB with me, I have something to show you.”

Intrigued, Jenners followed her out of the small office and down across the grounds to the towering Vehicle Assembly Building. “I'm not sure I understand,” he wondered aloud. “How can you move the engines with the mass shift?”

Even late at night, the work crews were busy inside the massive structure. There was always another rocket to build, another launch to prep for. Shelbree guided him through the chaos to the planning offices in the rear of the building. Shelves lined the far wall, cluttered with scale models and parts catalogues, and it was the latter she was looking for. “Something in here might work,” she said, handing him a thin volume.

“Magic Smoke Industries? Wait, I heard about this.” Jenners skimmed through it, taking in the collection of mechanical components. He'd looked at it briefly once before, as he did all the catalogues they received from industrial suppliers, but now his eyes took in the contents with renewed interest. The gears weren't just turning again, they whirred madly in his head. Motorized rails, hinges, and rotational joints would add untold complexity to any vessel, particularly one as intricate as a spaceplane. And yet, it gave him options he hadn't considered before. A craft that could change and adapt, alter its control surfaces and thrust vectors “on the fly” – it was exactly the answer he'd been looking for. Then he spied something else on the shelf, a new flyer from Tetragon. “When did we get this?”

“Just yesterday. I haven't looked at it myself, why?”

Jenners held the pamphlet up for her to see. A pair of blocky engine designs graced the front, labeled VA1 and VS1 – engines whose primary feature was a pivoting thrust assembly. Engines purpose-built for VTOL use. “This is perfect!”

Kerston's eyes went wide as the mechanic gave her a swift hug. “Thank you!” he exclaimed, tucking the catalogue and flyer under one arm. Without waiting for a response, he turned and dashed back toward his office in the hangar. It was going to be a long night.

---===---

“Munwell Thermo reading all tanks full, Control. Disengaging docking clamps.” Seanden keyed the release, and MT2 drifted slowly away from the science station. “Thermosat is free. She's all yours again.”

“Acknowledged, Munlab. Maneuvering to final surface node. Deorbit coming up in five minutes.” A brief pause. “Thanks for topping us off.”

Seanden laughed. “Anytime, Control. What'm I gonna do with a quarter-tank of LFO out here? Good luck on the landing!”

He meant it, too. While great thought had been given to Munwell Thermo's fuel and docking capabilities, including a compact RCS, the VAB crew had overlooked a critical element to its mission – landing struts. The thermosat was forced to touch down on its miniaturized Atlas engine, which had an impact tolerance to rival egg shells. He did not envy the pilot who had to guide it down by remote.

For the next few minutes, Seanden kept watch over the nearby satellite. There was no announcement when the time came – MT2 simply twisted in place, aimed its Atlas retrograde, and fell backwards from Munlab in a flare of blue flame. With its orbital velocity cut in half, the satellite would descend to the Munar surface far below and collect the last of its required temperature readings.

He shrugged and pulled his book from a storage cupboard. The thermosat's mission was not his concern, and J.J. Kerman's “Emiko Saga” was far more interesting anyway.

---===---

“Descent at six-point-four meters per second. Surface altitude below five-hundred. Burn is steady.” Jeb's hands were slick with sweat, but he dared not release the controls to wipe them. “Six-point-oh meters a second, still slowing.”

“Looking good, Kerman. Keep her steady. Slight drift southwest.” Except for reading off critical data, everyone in Mission Control was holding their collective breath. The tension in the room was palpable.

“Altitude two-fifty, five-point-seven meters a second. Almost there...” Jeb urged through gritted teeth. “Retracting solar panels.” Another fault in the thermosat's design – its solar panels were angled back, away from the shielded docking port. A wise choice for refueling, but its short profile meant the panels extended past the engine itself. For landing, there was no choice but to pull them in and rely on battery power. Fortunately, the OKTO consumed very little power, and the additional batteries would keep it going long enough to land and perform its duties.

“Vertical speed decreasing, fifty meters to go...” With a steady hand, Jeb guided the thermosat down. It bled speed and altitude in equal measure, touching the surface at less than one meter per second. He cut what little thrust remained, and a cheer went up throughout the room as Munwell Thermo came to rest.

Gene clasped Jeb's shoulder, beaming with pride. “Well done, Kerman,” he grinned. “Dansen, log that reading. No solar means no time to waste.”

“Already done, Gene. That's the last one.”

“Good job. Jeb, get her back to Seanden for refueling. We might need her again.”

“You got it Boss.” MT2 launched itself back into Munar orbit as Jeb laid in a course for Munlab rendezvous.

Gene turned his attention to one of the kerbals monitoring the incoming data. “Mitchell, get a copy of that down to Linus in R&D. I want to know why everyone is falling over themselves for thermal scans.”

Minwell Thermo, MT1, still had four days left before Minmus intercept. And with every hour that passed, Gene Kerman was growing more and more certain they would not like what they found when it arrived.

---===---

When Burhat saw the KAV-16, he wasn't certain what to make of it. With the exception of KAV-11, Jenners' designs were slim, elegant, beautiful in their minimalist approach. The plane on the runway awaiting him harkened back to Skipper's squat, bulky profile. But where KAV-11 had been the work of necessity, making do with the parts at hand, the KAV-16 “Sirius” resembled a linebacker with wings – it was muscle, with purpose. Though eager to see what she could do, Kerbalski remembered the last time Jenners had tried to build a VTOL with aerodynamics in mind. Stratus had not been the mechanic's crowning achievement.

“Don't let her looks fool you,” the mechanic said, reading his thoughts. “She'll fly straight, and she's got enough range to fly clear 'round Kerbin and back.”

“What kind of engines are those?” Burhat asked. “They don't look like anything I've seen before.”

“VA1 VTOL jet engines, fresh from Tetragon. They have built-in thrust vectoring, so no more pointing your nose at the ground to go forward. Just lift off, use staging to switch alignment modes, and she'll fly like a real plane should.” Jenners was all smiles, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed a hint of delirium. He clearly hadn't slept at all last night.

Burhat nodded slowly. “Mission says EVA surveys to the southeast, near the Badlands Sea. Not halfway around Kerbin, but that'd still be a long way to fly staring at the ground, so thank you. Just switch them over through staging controls?”

“Yep. Ascend 'til you're comfortable with the altitude, flip them forward, and away you go.” The mechanic took several steps back as Burhat climbed into the cockpit. “Oh, one thing Kerbalski.”

“Yes?”

“I read your report, about Spyder's heat-trail. That... should not have happened.” He looked worried. “Those jet engines shouldn't have been able to push her hard enough for shock heating. So be careful up there, alright?”

The pilot opened his mouth for a wry comment, like “Don't worry, I'm not Jeb,” but the concern on Jenners' face made him think better of it. “I will,” was all he said. The cockpit hatch sealed tight, and he focused on making his pre-flight checks. While it was barely dawn at KSC, at his survey locations it was closer to noon. Time zones were strange that way.

“KSC Tower, this is KAV-16 Sirius reporting ready for takeoff.”

“Understood Sirius, you are clear for departure. Hasta la vista, Kerbalski.”

Burhat grinned as he urged the throttle forward. “Hasta la vista, Tower. I'll be back.” KAV-16's engines had a distinct high-pitched whine as they awoke, and the plane floated swiftly upwards. After a few seconds, the nose began to pitch up substantially, but he remembered Jenners' instructions. With an electric hum, the engines rotated in their housing, aiming their thrust laterally, and Sirius jolted forward. Just as the mechanic said, she flew straight and proper. Burhat grinned, and opened the throttle wide. As his speed indicator spun upwards however, he began to wonder if he'd made a terrible mistake.

“Sirius to Tower, do you read me?”

The reply was audible, but laced with thick layers of static. “T-wer -eads y-- S--ius, barely.”

“Atmospheric speed exceeding one kilometer per second, altitude fifteen kilometers and climbing. Experiencing significant shock-heating up here, cockpit's getting toasty.” Burhat eyed the throttle, itching to bring it down, but he intended to push Sirius to her limits, and at this rate she was practically hitting escape velocity.

“S-- -gain, Si---- --d not …” The signal was completely lost, KSC Tower's reply drowning in a sea of static interference. The flames around the craft roared brighter, then faded away to nothing as Sirius reached the upper limits of Kerbin's atmosphere. The VA1s coughed and died, sending the craft into a slow yaw. Quickly, Burhat wrenched the controls back in line, and looked at his trajectory. Then looked again, disbelieving. Apoapsis, 102,098m. Impossible!

But it was very possible – the four boxy engines had pushed him into low Kerbin orbit, and there was no longer a thing he could do except ride it out until reentry, several minutes later. He took quick stock of his situation – the cockpit had its own life-support, however minimal, so at least he wouldn't suffocate. But the craft had only what battery power was integrated with the cockpit, so leaving the SAS on was probably a poor idea. He switched it off, letting the KAV-16 drift slightly. No matter, he'd realign it when he hit atmosphere again. Where would he be when that happened? SCANsat altimetry showed him well beyond his survey destination. He'd already overshot the Badlands Sea and was likely to pass over the eastern half of the continent, too.

Well, Jenners sure wasn't kidding about range, Burhat thought with dry amusement. He'd barely consumed any of the fuel in the tank. Lesson learned though, throttle down for the return. What in Ker's name did Tetragon build these engines with? Live demons? As if on cue, flames began licking the plane's nose once more. He watched as the atmospheric gauge began detecting useable air again. Then an idea struck him. He forced Sirius into a hard dive, rolling a full hundred-eighty degrees in the process. The ground was above him now, his plane pointed forty-five degrees downward, aiming straight at it. Reentry fire roared over the glass. Straining against the g-forces, he staged the engines back into VTOL alignment and threw the throttle wide open.

And prayed to Ker he survived.

---

This isn't where I'd intended to end the chapter, but after some deliberation I realized there's simply too much to try and cram into this one update. MT1 won't reach Minmus for another couple days, and is a key piece in the events still to come.

As a side-note, my flights with the KAV-16 reminded me of some crucial information I'd forgotten - something to do with B9 jet engines not scaling a velocity curve properly (or at least, different from stock). Bear in mind this is still 0.90 and probably fixed at this point. But anyway... as you read above, those four little engines sent Burhat hypersonic and put him into LKO with ease. My first test-flight actually managed an AP of around 150km. Crazy. Needless to say, I don't expect this design will be anywhere near as effective come 1.1.3.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Kieve

[GDJ]

Read everything, and nice job!

[Kieve]

On 9/5/2016 at 11:33 AM, GDJ said:

Read everything, and nice job!

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it.

---

Apologies to all readers for the delay in getting the next part up. My girlfriend and I discovered Empyrion recently, and it's diverted a lot of my writing momentum (at least for KSP stuff). Fear not, I refuse to let this stagnate for another year+. 1.1.3 is coming, just as soon as I round off the 0.90 stuff.

[TheEpicSquared]

Looking forward to more!