[AAR] From Humble Beginnings

[MinimumSky5]

A New Era

“Are we there yet?â€Â

“Jeb, if you ask that one more time, Bill will be the first test pilot!â€Â

“Ah, come on Werner, we’ve been driving for hours, how much longer?â€Â

“Jeb, it’s been 15 minutes since we set off.â€Â

“Hours, Werner!â€Â

Jeb, Bill, Bob, Valentina, Mortimer, Werner and Gene were driving towards their new home, the Space Center that they had spent the last 5 years campaigning with the government to build. Eventually, the Government relented, and gave them the land and buildings, with the understanding that the space program would be privately funded. Gene had been very upset, as previous attempts had been funded by the state, but it seemed that this time, more than a few craters on the Mun would be required to please them. Mortimer had been drafted in at the last minute, as the government wouldn’t trust any of the others to be able to finance themselves!

As their car passed the last few hills on the way to their new home, that got their first look at the Space Center. The Government had clearly spent the bare minimum on building, the VAB was rickety, and looked like a sufficiently strong wind could blow it over, while several buildings looked like little more than repainted shipping containers! As the parked up next to the building they had assumed to be the Astronaut Complex, they had no idea if they would be able to get a decent bed here, let alone a space program!

***

“Well, this is indeed….. usable.†Muttered Werner, as he inspected his lab

“Is this suitable for your research, Werner?†asked Gene nervously. Werner was the single most important Kerbal here, if he couldn’t do his research, they wouldn’t even get to orbit, let alone the other planets!

“Yes, just. However, it may take a little while for me to produce anything useable, so you may want to aske Jeb for any of his….. less refined equipment.â€Â

“You mean the junk he keeps in his scrapyard? How is that useful for us?!â€Â

“Previous space programs dumped their leftover equipment there, remember, that’s what inspired Jeb to become an astronaut! With some refurbishment, I think that we could learn a lot from those items.â€Â

“Well, if it helps you.†Said Gene, not at all convinced that this would work. Gene left the lab, heading down the hallway to the common room to find Jeb, praying that Werner knew what he was doing!

“Jeb?†called Werner into the common room. Bill was trying to get an old, dilapidated coffee machine to produce something that at least approximated something edible, Bob was looking in dismay at a pool table that had lost most of its felt, and Valentina was cursing in Russian as she tried to properly align the aerials of an ancient TV.

“He went outside, something about a favour for Werner.†shouted Bill, seemingly from inside the coffee machine.

“Is this all we get?†asked Valentina, as she angrily kicked the TV. Gene noted that the aerials were plugged into the wrong socket.

“Unfortunately, this is all that me and Mortimer could get the government to give us, but don’t worry, we will get much better items and buildings when we start getting Contracts.â€Â

“Werner?!†yelled Jeb from the hallway, “I’ve got all the items you wanted!â€Â

“Excellent, these fireworks are just what I wanted!†said Werner, with all too much happiness for Genes liking.

“Werner, are you sure you know what you’re doing?†asked Gene nervously

“Mostly.†was the reply, but Gene couldn’t tell if it was from Jeb or Werner.

I've been lurking on the forums for some time, but I never really contributed much until now. For those of you who don't know, AAR means After Action Report, basically I will be turning the missions I do in career into a storyline, which should mean that it will develop more organically than a normal story. I will be using a heavily modded game, with these mods:

ATM EVE (Cloud mod) CactEye Crowd Sourced Science CryoEngines Dmagic

KAS Kerbal Engineer Kerbal Foundaries Outer Planets Mod Infernal Robotics Modular Rockets

Near Future (when updated) Final Fronteir Real Chutes SpaceY Stage Recovery

Station Parts Expansion Tantares (not LV) TAC life support Kerbal Alarm Clock Transfer Window Planner Karbonite MKS &OKS USI Sounding Rockets USI Exploration Remote Tech (when updated)

either Novapunch or KW, whichever is updated first KSOS(when updated)

Edited August 27, 2015 by MinimumSky5

[MinimumSky5]

Fireworks

“Well Werner, you weren’t lying you asked for a firework.†said Gene, as Werner showed off their first rocket to be launched, ideally this afternoon.

“Will this get to orbit?†asked Jeb, unable to contain the glee in his voice!

“Not a chance, it won’t even get particularly high into the atmosphere, but it will let me refine my data for the cloud layers and how rockets respond as the atmospheric pressure decreases.â€Â

Bill, Jeb and Valentina all appeared disappointed at this news, but they quickly perked up when Gene said that the rocket would be launched today.

***

“Are we ready?†asked Gene, with everyone in Mission Control. Bill, Bob and Werner had taken up positions in front of their monitors, and Gene, Mortimer, Jeb and Valentina were at the back of the room, watching over proceedings

“Comms good†called Bill.

“Ignition good†from Werner.

“Telemetry good†responded Bob.

“It’s very…… colourful.†said Mortimer. It was his first time at a space program, so he wasn’t being mean, he was just curious.

“The colours help us to see the rocket, and monitor its orientation†explained Gene.

“Go/No Go?†called Gene

“Comms, Go.â€Â

“Telemetry, Go.â€Â

“Ignition, Goâ€Â

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1â€Â

“Ignition, we are go!â€Â

“Telemetry, G forces reading 2.01G and climbingâ€Â

“Telemetry, warning, rocket veering north bearing 168, unable to correctâ€Â

“Not an issue, to the north, south and east is just ocean and wasteland, this just means that the rocket won’t hit us!†clarified Gene.

“Rocket exhausted in 3, 2, 1, fuel exhausted, rocket shut off, max g forces 2.01, max altitude 6,645m, highest speed, 282m/s, apogee reached at mission time 0:00:52.†called Werner, as he furiously scribble the numbers down onto a notepad.

“Rocket jettisoned, fairing jettisoned, parachute activated, data collection started†called Bob

“Speed stabilised at 37m/sâ€Â

“Parachute deployed, speed 8m/sâ€Â

“Impact point, 200m offshore, bearing 172â€Â

“Jeb, did you bring a boat?†asked Gene, hoping that he had. The instrument package weighed 150Kg, moving that to shore by swimming would not be pleasant

“I’ll go get it now!â€Â

“Warning, contact lost, trying to re-establish now.â€Â

After trying for 2 minutes, Bill had to abandon efforts to contact to probe, so Jeb, Werner, Gene and Valentina sailed out to retrieve to rocket. The scene was horrific. Everything, except the central girder, had been destroyed on impact.

Dejectedly, to team returned to base, and left an almost tearful Werner in his lab, to try and work out what had happened. 2 hours later, they gathered in the common room, and Werner gave his report.

“The failure was caused by an overloaded parachute, as I had used all four of my instruments as well as several batteries, rather than the bare minimum required.â€Â

Everyone gasped at this, as they had thought that the failure was environmental, not Kerbal error, and especially not Werner!

Mortimer waited for the resultant chatting to die down, and delivered his report

“The Kerbal Worlds First Record Keeping Society was impressed by our efforts, as we set a new speed and altitude record, and gave us 35,000 Funds for our efforts.â€Â

This was a very pleasant surprise, especially as the light bulb gave out just as Mortimer delivered his report! It was quickly decided that 5,000 would go on new furniture and furnishings in the astronaut complex, and most of the rest on a redesigned parachute!

Edited August 27, 2015 by MinimumSky5
Corrected image links

[KSK]

Nice - I like a good origin story! Looking forward to the next instalment.

[MinimumSky5]

Sorry for the wait, in hindsight, starting this during exam season was a little stupid, but now that its summer I should have much more time to work on this. Additionally, I was waiting for New Horizons to be updated, I wanted to use NH to separate it from other AAR tales, but there was a bug that meant that an invisible wall stopped planes form landing at the runway at KSC. As I use spaceplanes a lot, this was a very annoying bug!

[MinimumSky5]

I was planning on updating this, honest! Unfortunately, my university results were less than stellar, and I had to spend a few weeks sorting out a restart of my year, along with several other things IRL that took up a fair chunk of my time! As for the team, they (Werner) has given up with the small sounding rockets due to combustion instabilities and faulty parachutes (In reality, RAM constraints meant I removed it!). New Horizons has now been mostly sorted, apart from a small instability in Munar orbit, but I'm happy to start using it now. The Government has also had a change of heart, and will now fund the space program, partially, depending on their achievements. Hopefully, the next instalment will be up later today.

[MinimumSky5]

Eclipse

“Warning: Comms lost, switching to auxiliary channel. Auxiliary channel silent, probe assumed lost.â€Â

Despite the finality of that statement, Bill had become used to saying it. In the three weeks they had been at KSC, they had made a total of four launches. The first and second had exploded on the Launchpad due to improperly installed nozzles, and the third, and now, fourth launch, had been lost due to a parachute failure. The Kerbal media were having a ball reporting on each failure, and the Government hadn’t been particularly impressed with them either.

After this, most recent failure, Werner took off his headset, placed it carefully on his desk, and quietly walked out of the room. As he passed Jeb, who was in his usual position, leaning against the doorframe of the entrance to mission control, he told Jeb to deliver any recovered debris to his scrapheap, not Werner’s lab.

Valentina lowered her head as the news of the fourth failed launch arrived in her headset. She had been given the job of Range Safety Officer, which meant that she monitored the rocket in case it veered off course, and if it could not be recovered and presented a threat to the safety of KSC or any onlookers, she was to activate the self-destruct mechanism. So far, she hadn’t needed to, to her relief. As Werner walked out of the room, she knew that this couldn’t continue. The parts they were using were clunky, unreliable, and difficult to assemble, and the parts were sapping their moral with every failure. Val knew that she couldn’t do anything about the current situation now, as everyone needed time to calm down after the latest failure, so after Gene gave the stand down order, she walked outside and started walking around the base. Sonnah was high in the sky, with Serran shining brightly on one side, and the duller Mun on the other. Even though Serran was much bigger than the Mun, the greater distance made it look a little smaller. Being two of the three other satellites of Sonnah, the two bodies had been extensively studied, and were well known. The Mun was an airless world, with a gravity of only one sixth of Kerbin, and a surface scarred with plenty of impacts, a consequence of being so deep inside Sonnah’s gravity well. Serran was almost the complete opposite, a world of two thirds Kerbins size, an atmosphere of similar pressures and composition to Kerbins, and significant evidence of life on its surface. Aptur was the fourth and final satellite of Sonnah, a large asteroid that had only been captured two hundred years ago after a close encounter with Kerbin.

At this time of year, Sonnah would only eclipse Kerbol for about 20 minutes, but that was still long enough to lower the temperature enough that Val would want her coat if she was to stay out much longer. She started walking towards the Astronaut Complex, with half an hour until the eclipse, she didn’t need to rush. As she approached, the remains of the media circus that had been following the space program were packing up to leave, and it spoke of how low in the public minds the KSC had sunk that the reporters didn’t even try to get an interview, they simply continued to leave. Not letting this get to her, Val continued into the Astronaut Complex. By chance, her route would take her past the reception to the whole space centre. As she walked through the door out of the main corridor, a low murmur of voices she had heard turned into a cacophony of shouting, with a large group of ten kerbals standing in the main waiting area of the reception. Val noticed that the group was divided into twos and threes. Each group had an object with them, and while Val was no engineer, she recognised several components being engines, communication equipment and other assorted aerospace parts.

One enterprising Kerbal began running towards Val, carrying a large, tattered box. As she reached Val, she tripped on one of the many uneven areas of the carpet, and dropped her package. The cardboard split almost immediately, and a large metallic object fell out and rolled towards Val. Carefully, Val stopped the object with her foot, and picked it up. It was a small metal sphere, about 20cm in diameter, with a mounting plate installed at one end.

Without looking at the Kerbal that had dropped the object, she asked “What is this?â€Â

The Kerbal, still on the floor, replied “It’s a probe core, that’s designed to be placed on the top of a rocket, and it has short range communications and a small battery inside.†She spoke so fast, that some of the words were slurred into each other, but Val was barely listening. Werner was the only kerbal working in the science labs, and the stress from that was starting to show. Jeb and Gene had been trying to get more scientists from the Government to help with the workload, but the response was they if the space program wanted more workers, they would need to find them themselves. The space program had become a laughingstock in the media, and any attempt at recruitment was met with ridicule. This could very well be they only chance they would ever get at getting more people involved.

“What’s your name?†asked Val, still looking at the little probe.

“D-Di-Digee†she stuttered, as she picked herself up off the floor.

“Digee, you are now the head of the new Command and Communications division, everyone else, follow me, but be quick, the Eclipse is about to occur.â€Â

The group of kerbals gathered their suitcases, their equipment and their composures, and followed Val out of the Astronaut Complex, towards the R&D centre. The Eclipse was just starting as they left, the sunlight from Kerbol turning blue as Sonnah’s atmosphere started to eat into Kerbol’s disk. The group quickly walked across the grass lawns, as the air grew chilly from the lack of heat. They just reached the R&D centre as the area was plunged into darkness.

“Werner! Werner, where are you?†called Val, as they entered the largest building, and the only one that Werner was using. The lab was just as poorly build as the rest of the space centre, it looked more like a dirty garage than a science lab. Werner had installed air scrubbers, and had spent about a week just cleaning the building, but that had just removed the worst of the grime. Like most of the buildings here, it needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. Werner was sitting at his desk, holding his head in his hands.

"Val, what did I say before this launch?â€Â

Val was taken aback, as she had assumed that Werner was only being sarcastic about the comments he had made a few hours prior.

“You said that unless Mortimer brings you more money, or the Government gives you more kerbals to help you, you will be leaving the space program.â€Â

The kerbals that Val had taken in here were silent with shock at these words, as they had been idolising Werner for the last few months of him campaigning for the creation of KSC, and the last few weeks of launches, however badly they had ended. One confident kerbal walked to the front of the group, and, addressing Werner directly, said the sentence that likely saved the space program.

“Werner, we can’t bring you any money, but all 10 of us are more than willing to help you in your work.â€ÂWerner had been sitting at his desk, with his back to the group. After hearing this, he slowly turned around, to look at the group that had appeared in his lab.

Looking at Val, he asked “Are these kerbals hired yet?â€Â

“Digee is†she said, gesturing at the awestruck kerbal “she is the head of Command and Communications, with here new probe core.â€Â

After looking at the new parts, Werner declared that all the kerbals assembled here were now hired, and a huge cheer went through the crowd. The new recruits took turns in hugging Werner, just at Kerbol appeared again from behind Sonnah.

Edited August 27, 2015 by MinimumSky5
Formatting changes.

[KSK]

Sorry to hear about the results - hope that's all sorted.

I did enjoy Part 2 though! KSC - we are Go for space...

[MinimumSky5]

Sir, after reading your stories, that is high praise indeed! Werner learnt his lesson, and will now manufacture all parts in house!

[MinimumSky5]

Athena

Brrrrriiiiinnng, brrrrriiiiinnng, brrrrriiiiinnng, brrrrriiiiinnng! After the fourth trill of the alarm, Hadcas’s annoyance finally overcame his tiredness, and he rolled over to try and get up. Unfortunately, the beds at KSC were much smaller than back home in Zaroeka, and as a result he managed to roll over, and then out of bed. He landed with a thud on his back, which, while painful, did at least wake him up. Well, Bilfield is always saying that I need to wake up better, maybe this will work. He picked himself up, turned off his alarm, got washed and dressed, and headed to the canteen for breakfast.

Dunmey and Luddo had emerged as the best cooks in the space program, and had happily taken it upon themselves to cook for the group, as well as their other duties in KSC (as a result, lunches were strictly do it yourself, so that Luddo and Dunmey could get some lab/workshop time in.) Hadcas loaded his plate up with steaming meats, eggs and vegetables, and sat down with Debbella and Mortimer, who seemed to be the only other kerbals up at this point.

At the Eclipse celebrations last night, Hadcas really only stayed with Bilfield and Digee, as they all came from Zaroeka. This was the first time he had met Debbella or Mortimer, so he decided to at least try and be friendly!

“So, guys, what’s the plan for today?†he asked, trying to break the silence.

“Despair at Gene’s ability to understand basic accountancy.†Said Mortimer, in a way that implied that he had been despairing for many years.

Debbella had obviously heard that reply before, as she was smiling at what Hadcas realised was a poorly delivered joke. “Me and Dilzer are going to talk with Werner about where our lab should be, and what he has already worked out about the control systems he has.â€Â

It was at this point that Hadcas realised that he hadn’t discussed todays work with Bilfield, which put him in a very awkward position in front of one of the original founders of KSC. Fortunately, Debbella was more than willing to discuss the intricacies of aerodynamics, and her theories about “The Wallâ€Â, saving him the stress of coming up with a cover story. She spoke for nearly half an hour, by which time most of the other kerbals were up and about, eating, talking, and working out what the days tasks were to be. Just as she stopped, Gene stood on top of one of the tables, got his balance, and started speaking. Gene wasn’t very tall, even by Kerbal standards, but his presence was enough to stop any conversations.

Shocked at the very sudden silence, Gene paused briefly, which only succeeded in building the tension further.

“Guys, this isn’t a big announcement! I just wanted to say that I need all of us to gather somewhere in the nest half an hour, to plan our first mission.â€Â

“Don’t we have a big meeting room?†asked Tilotte.

“Yes, but the conference room is so poorly built that Bill and Bob are having to conduct major structural work on the roof, and that entire section of the Astronaut Complex may need to be bulldozed and replaced.â€Â

“How about here, we’re all here now, and it’s the only other big room in the centre suitable for it.†commented Luddo.

“That’s…… actually not a bad idea! Alright, everyone, gather your thoughts, clear away the dishes, and arrange the tables in a circle. I want the conference starting in 25 minutes.â€Â

30 minutes later, the dishes were washed, the tables were moved, and the kerbals were restlessly seated. At the edge of the circle furthest away from the kitchen, was Gene, at what became known as the “head†of the table. To his right, was Jeb and Val, the pilots; and to his left, Werner and Luddo, the chief scientists. Clockwise from Luddo, were Bill and Bod, the chief engineers; Propulsion, made up of Tilotte, Lisna and Dunmey; Aerodynamics and Control, composed of Dilzer and Debbella; Capsule Subsystems, made up of Hadcas and Bilfield; and Command and Communications, composed of Digee and Derrigh. Mortimer was the final participant, between Derrigh and Jeb.

“So, to our new recruits, we are sorry for the state of the buildings, but welcome to KSC!†said Gene.

All of the new members of the team cheered at this, which made Gene blush a deep green!

“Now, us founding members have decided to start the space program again, not that we had got very far, so each of you will begin working on something, but to work out what that something is, we need a mission plan. So, any ideas?â€Â

Tilotte spoke first. “We haven’t got the capacity to get to orbit, so it will have to be a suborbital flight.â€Â

“That is correct,†Gene replied, “but I meant what are the mission objectives, what data are we trying to collect, what height to we want to reach? Our problems before were that we were randomly bolting together parts with only a basic understanding of what we were doing. We need to have a good idea of our mission plans first, before anything else.â€Â

“What data exists for atmospheric readings?†asked Dilzer.

“Very little,†Werner replied “we know that the atmosphere ends between 100 and 150Km, but that is from extrapolating data from high altitude aircraft, the readings themselves don’t go above 25Km.â€Â

“Well, it seems like a good idea to start from there, using sounding rockets to get upper atmosphere readings, so that we understand the flight profile of later rockets.â€Â

“Dilzer, that is an excellent plan, does anyone have anything to add?†said Gene.

Hadcas was the first to reply “What measurements are required, exactly?â€Â

“At a minimum, temperature, pressure and radiation levels.â€Â

“Me and Bilfield have several instrument packages with us. We haven’t got a thermometer, but we could make one in….. under a day, maybe?â€Â

“Excellent Hadcas, that speed of construction isn’t required but it would be useful if you could create a small instrument package, working with the Command group of, maybe, 25Kg? So, we need a name for this project, does anyone have any ideas?â€Â

Lisna spoke up, for the first time since arriving at KSC. “How about Athena?†she asked, in a voice so tiny that Gene struggled to hear her.

“Lisna, Athena is a brilliant name. Project Athena is Go!â€Â

And so, the first true project of KSC was born, Project Athena. The goals were to characterise the upper atmosphere of Kerbin using temperature, pressure and radiation measurements, and to finally work out where the atmosphere ends, and space begins. Dilzer and Derrigh were the leaders, as the data from this project would help them the most. Each team was given a specific part of the first rocket, the Athena 1, to work on. Dilzer and Derrigh would work on the fairings and fins; Propulsion would work, obviously, on the solid rocket motor, Command would build a probe core, and CapSys would build the instruments and launch infrastructure.

Tilotte was exited and more than a little nervous about this. The Athena 1 was targeting a 25Kg payload to 10Km, as a practice run for later missions. The largest rocket that she had ever launched was an off-the-shelf hobbyist’s rocket, that itself weighed 25Kg! As the teams dispersed to their assigned labs, the Propulsion team were still in their seats, looking a little dumbstruck at their task. Werner, taking pity on them, beckoned them to follow him out. Seeing a quick way out of their predicament, they gladly followed him.

Werner led Propulsion over to the main lab. The Research and Development centre (R&D for short) was composed of the main lab, a surprising well built, though not very clean building, two clusters of smaller buildings (Which, Werner noticed now, were military surplus bunkers), and a small fuel depot set far back from the other buildings. The main buildings was used by the Propulsion team and Werner, the larger cluster to the left was shared between CapSys and Communications, and the smaller right cluster was used by Aerodynamics. Inside the main lab, Werner sat down the propulsion team, to find out what was bothering them.

“Right,†started Werner, as he eased himself into his chair,†What’s got you lot all flustered then?â€Â

“W-we’ve never made a rocket motor this big before, we don’t really know where to start!†Tilotte stammered, her voice getting louder towards the end.

“Yeah, this rockets payload capacity is bigger than our last rocket!†Added Dunmey.

“Well,†said Werner “let’s start with the basics. What fuel did that rocket use?â€Â

“The Zaroeka 6? Sugar and potassium nitrate, like most hobbyist rockets.†Answered Tilotte

“Could you scale that mixture up to this size?â€Â

“Possibly, but the fuel isn’t our concern, it’s the rocket casing. Solid motors have the pressure of the combustion felt across the whole of the structure, unlike liquid motors where only the combustion chamber has to be extremely pressure resistant.†Explained Tilotte, briefly forgetting the Werner almost certainly knew this anyway.

“So, build a stronger casing, how difficult can it be?â€Â

“We’d need much thicker steel casing than the fibreglass ones we used, as well as a stronger nozzle, possible made out of tungsten…….†Tilotte’s voice faded away, as Werner pointed out the steel plates leaning against one wall, the titanium nozzles arrange in size order on a set of shelves, and the metal rolling machine taking up one wall.

“Tilotte, this is your lab,†explained Werner “use all of the machines and materials in here, and don’t let Mortimer tell you not to, for example, use the titanium nozzles up there that I specifically made for solid boosters, as prototypes.â€Â

Tilotte was staring in awe at her lab, only just grasping the gravity of the opportunity in front of here. Dunmey was already measuring the steel and testing its strength, and Lisna was examining the new nozzles. Werner decided that the Propulsion team would, in time, understand that this place isn’t where dreams are acted out, but where dreams are made.

Edited August 27, 2015 by MinimumSky5

[MinimumSky5]

The next part will be going up soon, I have been making a config for New Horizons that turns it into a somewhat realistic planetary system (basically, a 10x config). I'm also working on custom parts (Using models already in the game, or from mods!) with procedural parts, to get the rockets looking and working as close to what the kerbals are making as possible. I still want to do some character building first though.

The Wall

The door to the newly christened Aerodynamics and Control laboratory opened with a squeal of misaligned and improperly installed hinges, and the laboured breathing on two struggling kerbals.

“Oh, do come on!†huffed Dilzer, as he slipped on the gravel path and received a mouthful of grit for his trouble.

With a loud snap, something in the door mechanism gave way, and Debbella also fell over, but this time into the lab itself.

The lab, like most of the smaller buildings in the Research and Development centre, was made of corrugated iron, bent into a half cylinder and capped with flat iron sheets. Cheap, but normally sturdy and reliable. In this case, the Government had decided that while public opinion was high for a space program, they didn’t want to splash out on something that, traditionally, never quite worked out. Even so, with half of the Astronaut Complex unfit for use, and many other buildings with major issues, Dilzer couldn’t help but think that maybe, just a little more could have possibly been spent on construction. The lab itself was more of a workshop, with tool racks on the walls, lathes and cutting machines scattered haphazardly around the room, and a smell of fresh oil.

“So, Dilzer, what’s that plan?†asked Debbella.

“Work on the fairing and control fins for the Athena 1, like Werner told us to.†said Dilzer, confused as to why Debbella had to ask when she had been in the same meeting where this was all discussed.

“So, if I work on the control fins, and you work on the….. the thingy…… the…….. ermmm……â€Â

“The fairing?†asked Dilzer, who was now getting a bit annoyed with Debbella.

“Yes, the thingy!â€Â

“Debbella.â€Â

“What!â€Â

“What experience do you have with aerodynamics?â€Â

“Plenty, I’ve designed many rockets and aircraft!â€Â

“And how many of them were Kerlington paper models?â€Â

The silence in the room was all the answer that Dilzer needed.

“Debbella, why did you join my department if you had no experience in aerodynamics?â€Â

“Because we are all amateurs, right? It doesn’t make a difference what department we are in!â€Â

“Debbella, I have a degree in aerospace engineering, Lisna has a degree in fluid dynamics, and most of the others have degrees of some sort. We aren’t amateurs, we are engineers and scientists that wanted to take a chance and join what could very well be the last attempt at spaceflight in kerbal history. Didn’t you realise that?â€Â

Debbella rook a while to answer, but Dilzer decided that it would be best to let her talk in her own time.

“I didn’t realise at first, but on Hadcas’s minibus, overhearing your conversations with each other, I realised how out of my depth I was. I wanted to say something, but I was past the point of no return, so I just had to continue and hope that no-one noticed.â€Â

Dilzer could only feel pity for the kerbal standing in front of him. She had thought that this would just be a group of friends launching small solid fuel rockets to the upper atmosphere, not a space program with the stated goal of footprints on every solid surface in the Kerbol system. Even so, Dilzer needed someone who understood aerodynamics as his assistant.

“Debbella, what do you know of The Wall?â€Â

Without hesitating, Debbella replied “It’s a phenomena that happens when an object approaches the speed of sound. The drag suddenly increases beyond what the Kelwill laws state the drag should be, due to the sound waves created by the object collapsing into one another.â€Â

Dilzer had been listening carefully, and was impressed with Debbellas knowledge. But when he heard her explanation for The Wall, he started getting very interested indeed. As of that point, no kerbal had been able to explain the phenomenon.

“Debbella, are you aware of any other theories about The Wall?â€Â

“No, I couldn’t find anything on The Wall in fact, apart from a basic outline of what it is.â€Â

“Debbella, that’s because no-one knows what it is, you are the first kerbal I have met that seems to understand it. Could you try and explain your theory in more detail, please.â€Â

Debbella took a pencil and a piece of paper from the nearest workbench, and drew four pictures. The first was a stylised drawing of a plane, with concentric circles emitting from it, representing sound waves. The second picture had the sound waves shifted, so that the lines in front of the plane were closer together, and the lines behind the plane were further away. The fourth picture had the circles arranged so that the front of them overlapped, forming a large shockwave in front of the plane. The fourth picture had a cone drawn from the front of the planet, with the circles inside of it.

“Debbella, what score did you get in your maths exams?†asked Dilzer.

“A*, why?â€Â

“You were first in your school?!†Dilzer practically shouted. A* means that the student is the best in their year, and it is normally a fast track to a scholarship at a university.

“Yes, but my science results were poor, so my teachers told me not to bother with university.â€Â

Debbella had said that as if it made perfect sense, but inside, Dilzer was both shocked and furious. Debbella was clearly a maths genius, and she had quite possible solved the conundrum of what The Wall is, yet her teachers had decided that, for whatever reason, she was unfit for university! He had heard stories of students whose teachers had told them to avoid university in order to save themselves the hassle of sorting out the application, and Dilzer sincerely hoped that that wasn’t the case here.

“Could you create an equation showing how the pressure would change on a surface accelerating through sonic speeds, assuming that your theory is correct?†asked Dilzer, struggling to contain his anger. “I’ll start building the fairings.†He needed to do something with his hands, to release to the tension inside.

“Of course, I’ll get it done within an hour.â€Â

Dilzer was still trying to comprehend that Debbella could create an equation, which could very well be the biggest discovery in aerodynamics, in less than an hour, as he started work on the fins.

“Dilzer, out of curiosity, what are the fins going to be made out of?â€Â

“You can talk about fin construction while rewriting a significant chunk of the aerodynamic sciences!â€Â

“You’re talking while trying to not lose your fingers on a router!†Debbella shouted back.

“Fair point. I’m making two primary spars out of mild steel, with a fibreglass skin, and aluminium stringers holding it together.â€Â

Debbella gave him a blank look, so he toned down the technical language.

“Two pieces of steel in the middle,†he grunted, as he set the first of two down on the central workbench “fiberglass on the outside, and aluminium strips holding it all together.â€Â

“Ah, gotcha!â€Â

Dilzer’s pager beeped as he started going back to the router. He chuckled as he read the message.

“Better late than never.†He quipped.

“What is?â€Â

“That was Tilotte, she has just told me the diameter of the rocket. 40cm.â€Â

Edited August 27, 2015 by MinimumSky5

[KSK]

It's smile time!

I'm just picturing the new propulsion folks looking around the lab and thinking: "Well we're gonna need about 2 metres of... oh. And a couple of...okay. And a good supply of...well alrighty then!"

Likewise the aerodynamics lab was very vivid - I could smell the oil, see the single beam of sunlight pouring through the plastic window near the roof, picture kerbal sized footprints in that fan of dirt by the door where the wind has been blowing through the gap in the doorframe for who knows how long. I very much liked the technical details of the rocket fin too - nice touch!

[MinimumSky5]

That's really good to hear, my biggest concern about writing this story has been whether I have been putting in enough detail in the descriptions! I'm also going to try and put technical details like that rocket fin in, as I'm going to focus more on the design of the rockets rather than the missions (not that Jeb and Co won't feature, this is a work of fiction, not a rocketry textbook!).

Also, I've been working on an actual world for these guys, as I wanted to use real scale planets.... in a planet pack with no support for RSS! I have managed it though, but the planets look very flat at the moment.

[MinimumSky5]

Just a quick question for my readers (apparently, this means KSK!), do you want to hear about Bill and Bobs adventures with repairing the KSC, or do you want me to just skip right to the launch of Athena 1? I'm still working on some issues with the career (I don't want to use Realism Overhauls tech tree, I want to let the kerbals make their own stuff!) but I would need to get Open Tree balanced correctly, and the terrain for Kerbin is currently very flat, after being resized to Earth's dimensions.

[KSK]

Why not both?

It could be quite an interesting parallel - Bill and Bob bashing away at the decidedly low-tech (but critical) roof repairs contrasted with the high tech rocketry stuff. The chapter ends with them both sprawled out on their backs on the newly repaired KSC roof, watching the plume of smoke from Athena 1 disappear into the sky. Two jobs - both well done.

Or, if you wanted to be a bit meaner, Athena 1 could go off course, plough straight through said newly repaired KSC and the chapter ends with a bunch of disconsolate kerbals walking through the rubble!

[MinimumSky5]

This is an AAR, so I don't decide what happens to Athena 1, but if it does crash into any of the buildings, I will put that in! I'd love that final scene to happen, but it would be unoriginal now, and probably stealing, to use it! I think I will combine the chapters though, it seems like a really good idea. Cheers!

[KSK]

This is an AAR, so I don't decide what happens to Athena 1, but if it does crash into any of the buildings, I will put that in! I'd love that final scene to happen, but it would be unoriginal now, and probably stealing, to use it! I think I will combine the chapters though, it seems like a really good idea. Cheers!

Nah - if it works, feel free to use it.

[Ten Key]

“Debbella, what score did you get in your maths exams?†asked Dilzer.

“A*, why?â€Â

“You were first in your school?!†Dilzer practically shouted. A* means that the student is the best in their year, and it is normally a fast track to a scholarship at a university.

“Yes, but my science results were poor, so my teachers told me not to bother with university.â€Â

Now that's an interesting hook. Helps differentiate the character and could possibly be used as a plot device down the road. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Just a quick question for my readers (apparently, this means KSK!), do you want to hear about Bill and Bobs adventures with repairing the KSC, or do you want me to just skip right to the launch of Athena 1?

I think perhaps this is the wrong question to be asking yourself. The real question is, what do you need in order to lay the foundations of your story?

Storytelling is a bit like playing a game of cards. You, the writer, can create any card you want and put it in your hand. The reader can't see your cards, so you're free to reorder them as you see fit, discarding some and adding others as needed. The catch is that you can't play a card directly from your hand-- in order to put a card into the story, you have to first lay it on the table, face down. How long you leave it there will depend on your story and your writing style, but you can't skip that step.

Early on, the trick is to keep your story interesting while giving yourself opportunities to lay your cards on the table. Then, as your story progresses, you can start turning them over to reveal the plot/characters to the reader. Such as the following. . .

Jeb set his glass down. "Well, I think I can help with that. Rockomax has a good, long stretch of mining tunnel that is completely played out. They've been trying to sell it off as underground housing, but everyone knows the tunnel is unstable and no one is willing to risk it. The asking price is desperately low, and I can't think of a better place to park that construction waste.

The above is a bit of "throw away" dialog from my own story. Jeb's suggestion is rejected and the story moves on. But in addition to helping set the tone for Jeb's current situation, it was also an opportunity for me to quietly lay a card on the table. At some point I may need that tunnel again, and at that point I can turn the card over.

At this point you probably have some idea of where your story is going, and a little bit about the characters who populate it. It's not a complete picture, and it will change over time, but it should be enough to give you an idea of what kind of cards you want to put on your table for future use. Plan and write your scenes accordingly.

[MinimumSky5]

Now that's an interesting hook. Helps differentiate the character and could possibly be used as a plot device down the road. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Believe me, I fully plan on Debbella being a very important character further down the line, but that is a story for another time!

I was only asking where to go, because I wasn't sure if the worldbuilding and character development were getting boring, and if people wanted to get right to the rockets and science and explosions! I am working on the next instalment, which will focus on The Big Three, then I should be able to get Athena 1 in the chapter after that. But thank you for the response, I was starting to feel like KSK's personal provider of bedtime stories!

[KSK]

And lunchtime - never forget lunchtime.

Personal opinion? World building and character development never get boring and they give all the science and rockets and explosions their point.

[MinimumSky5]

Well KSK, I hope that it's lunchtime wherever you are in the world!

Integrity

Jeb was cycling down the main road leading away from the KSC, as he did every morning. As today was the Eclipse, he technically shouldn’t be on the road, as most kerbals get very anxious during this period. This was because, during the longest Eclipses, temperatures can drop to -15 degrees Celsius, even at the equator. As a result, all life on Kerbin had two circadian rhythms, a daily cycle corresponding to Kerbin rotating around its axis, and a weekly rhythm in sync with Kerbins orbit around Sonnah. Kerbals, as a result, become very agoraphobic around the time of the Eclipse, and develop a fear of the colour blue (as the early stages of the Eclipse are coloured blue by Sonnah’s atmosphere.) At this time of year at the equator, the Eclipse doesn’t really happen, all that does happen is that the area goes slightly blue and dims a little.

Jeb’s route took him south, along the coast, through largely uninhabited areas. This was the main reason the KSC was in this area, as both the sea and soil were so poor that only a few scattered fishing villages and cattle ranches existed that could be in the way of a discarded rocket stage. Even so, KSC was only allowed to launch to the east or the south, as only ocean existed in those directions. The road was a dual carriageway, and despite being one of the main routes through Kelpogart, it was very hilly, with many tight curves. 15 miles from KSC, Jeb pulled over in the village of Mevagissey, as he had a small errand to run. He locked his bike to a rack in the main harbour, and walked first to a tiny bakery, sandwiched between a tailors and a pub.

“Ah, Jeb, how many this time?†asked the lone baker.

“10 large Gartish pastries, 5 meat feast baguettes and three large vegetarian pizzas please, Kelcas.â€Â

“The usual then! Coming right up!†replied Kelcas, as he started to mix the fillings of the pastries.

“So, Kelcas, how are things on this fine, sunny day?â€Â

“I tell you what, Jeb, if not for you folks at KSC, I would have gone out of business!†quipped Kelcas, as he placed the pastries in the oven and started constructing the baguettes.

“The tourist season has been that bad?â€Â

“We’re a bit out of the way here, and all the tourists are staying in southern Kelpogart. Very few get this far north.â€Â

“Kelcas, if trade is bad, I’m sure that no one would mind you joining us! I know that Gene is very fond of your Gartish pastries!â€Â

“Really?†asked Kelcas “You know Jeb, I might just take you up on that offer!â€Â

“Here’s Gene’s number, and let me tell you, if word got out the Gene had turned you down to work at KSC, it would be him going up in Athena 1, not a probe core!â€Â

“Well,†said Kelcas, as he handed Jeb three bulging sacks of goodies â€Âin that case Jeb, no payment is necessary, so long as I get that job up north!â€Â

“Kelcas, you’re amazing! I’ll text Gene to tell him.â€Â

Jeb was halfway back to his bike, when he felt his phone vibrate.

From Gene:

Jeb, that kerbal is such an important asset, that I’m sending the helicopter! We’re landing on the headland north of you in half an hour.

Jeb spun on one foot, and walked back to give Kelcas that good news. Kelcas’s jaw dropped as he heard how much his pastries were enjoyed back in KSC, and on Jebs instruction, started packing his kitchen supplies away.

“I’ll be on the other side of the harbour Kelcas, call if you need me.â€Â

As Jeb walked across the small harbour, he stopped to take in the atmosphere of this small village. With Kelcas heading to KSC, it was unlikely that Jeb would ever return here. He could smell the fish being unloaded from the ships, and the coffee from a harbourside café next to him. He could hear kerblets playing in the narrow, cobbled streets, and seagulls fighting over scraps left by the fishermen. Jeb had grew up in a small village like this, and he would be sad to leave here. He also knew that the fish in the fishmongers would likely be second choice, the better quality catch being taken by the large transport and catering companies. As luck would have it, a fishing boat was pulling in near to him.

“Ahoy, skipper!†called Jeb, using the old maritime greeting.

“Ahoy landlubber! Are you after a particular fish?â€Â

This kerbal seemed a little nervous, likely due to the impending Eclipse, so Jeb tried to complete this errand quickly.

“Do you happen to have any Whitebelly on board?â€Â

“How much, and what price?â€Â

“One small crate, 20% higher than what they are asking!†replied Jeb, pointing at a truck that was pulling in to the quayside.â€Â

“That will be 360 credits, and you have a deal!â€Â

“Hey, you have a contract with us, any Whitebelly is ours, and ours alone!†shouted the truck driver, as he ran towards Jeb and the skipper.

“The very first clause of that contract, and the Laws Of The Sea, mean that as that kerbal has given me a better price, I can give him whatever he wants!â€Â

“What’s your price?†asked the now highly irate driver to Jeb.

“360 credits for a small crate, that’s all I want.†Replied Jeb, trying to defuse the situation. By now, several people were watching the confrontation with a variety of facial expressions. Jeb was also fairly certain that a pair of kerbals across the quayside were betting on the outcome.

The driver looked forlornly at the skipper “I can’t match that price. Give him the fish.†The driver started walking back to his truck, slamming the trucks back doors shut as he went. A 10 credit note changed hands across the quayside.

“Hey, wait! I only want this crate, you can get the rest!â€Â

“Yeah, and you’ll be back here tomorrow with a big truck before I will be.â€Â

It dawned on Jeb that the driver thought that he was a scout from a shipping company, looking for samples from the fisherman.

“Nononono, guys, I’m from the KSC, I seriously just want a small crate of Whitebelly, for a meal tonight!â€Â

“You’re from KSC!â€Â

“What’s an astronaut doing in our small village?â€Â

“Can I get your autograph! Please!â€Â

A small crowd gathered around Jeb, ecstatic at an actual member of the Kerbal Space Program visiting their village. After the autographs, photographs and handshakes, he paid the highly bemused skipper, and took his crate back to his bike. He took a metal contraption out of his pannier bag, and unfolded it into a trailer. This was a gift from Bill, who realised that with Jeb getting everyone lunch every day, he needed a better way of transporting the food back. Jeb placed the fish crate into the trailer, and covered the crate with a plastic lid, to protect the fish. He then walked back to the truck, and helped the driver to load the fish into it.

“Why are you helping me? I haven’t done anything to help you.†The driver asked, as Jeb started loading some crates into the back.

“I probably delayed you with that little sideshow back then, so I’m making sure that you get to your deliveries on time.â€Â

The driver smiled at Jeb. “You are an incredibly kind kerbal. Thank you.â€Â

“What do you mean kind, this is my gym session for the day!â€Â

That earned Jeb a small chuckle from the driver, and the two of them continued to load pallets of fish in a companionable silence. Just as they finished, Jeb heard the distinctive rumble of Vals helicopter.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you two, but that’s my ticket home!â€Â

Jeb retrieved his bike, helped Kelcas to load his things onto one of his mobile cooling rocks from the bakery, and headed towards the helicopter.

“Jeb, how is all this going to fit in a small helicopter?†Asked Kelcas.

“It’s not a small helicopter!â€Â

As they climb up, out of the village and onto the headland beyond, Kelcas caught his first sight of KSC’s helicopter. The helicopter wasn’t a small craft, like the ones that the police and larger television companies use. It was a military surplus, dual rotor transport, designed to take several tonnes of supplies behind enemy lines. All weapons were, of course, deactivated. As soon as Jeb and Kelcas appeared over the hill leading into the village, Gene stepped out of the side door.

“Kelcas, welcome to the Kerbal Space Program! If I may be so bold, do you happen to have any Gartish pastries with you?â€Â

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The helicopter landed on the runway outside an old hanger that KSC had inherited, as much by accident as design. The land had been an airstrip, and to save costs, the Government had just built around the hanger and runway rather than demolishing it. As soon as the rotors stopped, Val rolled the aircraft into the hanger, where Bill and Bob were waiting to perform checks and maintenance.

“Val,†asked Kelcas, after Val had gotten out of the pilots seat “how did you get a helicopter like this? It’s a bit more than I thought you would have!â€Â

“When I served in the military, this was the chopper I was assigned to. She’s an old design, even back when I started flight school, and when I finished my last tour of duty, I was the only pilot left that knew how to fly these helicopters. The air force was scrapping them, so when me and Jeb were hired by KSC, when Gene asked for an aircraft, it made sense for the military to offload the old bird onto us.â€Â

Seeing the mildly shocked expression on Kelcas’ face, Val elaborated “Don’t worry, she was built for reliability, and was only taken out of service because technology had progressed, not because she’s unsafe!†Kelcas remained to be convinced, which Val put down to the Eclispe.

“Come on, let’s leave, I’m sure Bill and Bob will want to give her a once over.â€Â

As soon as Val and Kelcas left, they saw Gene, Bill, Bob, and Mortimer have a quite animated discussion.

“Mortimer, the building isn’t unsafe, it’s not structurally sound, a particularly angry kerblet could knock the thing over!â€Â

“Well, let’s not let any angry kerblets in, then.†was the infuriatingly calm reply.

“This isn’t funny Mortimer, we are risking our lives every time we enter that building.â€Â

“Maybe, but we can’t afford the repairs that you are proposing.â€Â

“Could we just evacuate the southern wing?†asked Gene, trying to calm the situation.â€Â

“When the southern wing collapses, when, not if, it may take down the whole building with it.â€Â

“Is it possible to isolate the problem section?â€Â

Bill considered this for a second, then replied. “Maybe, but we would need significantly more powerful plasma torches to cut through the building structure.â€Â

“Get them. Yes Mortimer, we are buying them, as I don’t want the astronaut complex to fall on top of me during the night!†said Gene, in a way which invited no arguments.

As the group dispersed, Gene finally noticed Kelcas standing next to Val, with a small suitcase full of clothes, and a very worried expression on his face.

“Kelcas, I’m sorry you had to see that, but as you can tell, we are having issues with the quality of the building work that was undertaken here.â€Â

Kelcas had expected as much, as he had noticed several holes in the hanger walls that had been hastily patched together with corrugated sheet metal.

“This building is government built, isn’t it?â€Â

“No, this building is just old and dilapidated, but the rest of the space centre was built by the government.â€Â

“Get those buildings replaced Mr Gene, you know how much you should trust anything that comes from up north.â€Â

“Believe me Kelcas, I am well aware of what our leadership is capable and is not capable of, and I will be replacing those buildings as soon as we can.â€Â

“Is the building safe that you were discussing?â€Â

“Mostly, the northern wing is safe, but the southern wing seems like it was built with duct tape and prayers.â€Â

“Then I’ll avoid the southern side! Now, Jeb mentioned something about a fish pie on the way over, and me mother’s pies are to die for, if I can remember the recipe!â€Â

“I’ll show you to the kitchens, I’m sure Luddo and Dunmey would appreciate a helping hand!â€Â

Gene, Jeb and Kelcas walked out of the hanger, pulling several carts of assorted ingredients and kitchen supplies. Val had completed her post flight checks, and turned to Bill, who was currently almost upside down, buried in the engine bay.

Quietly, she climbed up the helicopter and asked “How is he?â€Â

Bill had been expecting this, so he wasn’t at all surprised at the sudden question.

“He’s doing as well as could be expected, but the new therapy hasn’t helped at all. It’s the Eclipse now, so you know what Bob like at this time.â€Â

As if on que, Bob started muttering to himself incoherently, which was Bill and Vals indication that the day’s work was done for him. Bob clambered down the side of the helicopter, with little of the grace of Val, and scooped Bob up into his arms. Bob was very small and skinny for a kerbal, and Bill was quite strong, so it wasn’t hard to carry Bob back to his quarters. After Bob had settled down to sleep, Val turned to Bill.

“Do we have to accept government help? It seems like we’re disrespecting Bob by doing so.â€Â

“I know Val, and for now, we do need monetary help. Soon, though, we’ll be able to make money ourselves, and when we can, this place will be torn down and replaced with something better.â€Â

“I’ll never forgive them, Bill.â€Â

“I know Val, I know. Neither will I.â€Â

Edited September 5, 2015 by MinimumSky5
Redo of the second half, it reads a lot better now!

[Joshwoo70]

Ohhh looks nice! Maybe some pictures?

[MinimumSky5]

OK, I'm currently confused as to what I was thinking when writing that last chapter! The plot is correct, and the plot arc involving Kelcas and Jeb is fine, but that last part is a bit darker and more tense than I was intending! (I think that sleep deprivation was progressively affecting me throughout the writing process!). That last part is going to get completely rewritten, and I'll post pictures when I've got my savegame sorted (The tech tree isn't complete, and the terrain is still very flat.)

[MinimumSky5]

I've rewritten the second half of Integrity, hopefully it reads better and is a little less dark and tense! I also altered the line breaks, and I'd appreciate feedback on whether people prefer the original formatting or the new style.

[KSK]

I can't speak for it's technical correctness - I've been on forums where folks get very...particular about formatting - but for my money, the new style is a lot cleaner and I prefer it.

Well KSK, I hope that it's lunchtime wherever you are in the world!

Heh - I'm just up the road, relatively speaking, so our lunchtimes should more or less coincide. If you're ever up around Edinburgh, give me a shout.

[MinimumSky5]

I can't speak for it's technical correctness - I've been on forums where folks get very...particular about formatting - but for my money, the new style is a lot cleaner and I prefer it.

I thought that the smaller chapters were fine as they are, but Integrity is the largest chapter by a factor of 2, and the large wall of text was starting to get a little... intimidating, to look at!

Heh - I'm just up the road, relatively speaking, so our lunchtimes should more or less coincide. If you're ever up around Edinburgh, give me a shout.

I will, but as I'm almost as far away from you as it is possible to be, without leaving the country, I doubt I will be up there soon!