Boost Your Way to Anywhere - A Star Trek TOS Crossover.

[Whirligig Girl]

Star Trek: Boost your Way to Anywhere.

Episode 1: Who goes Boldy?

Captain's Log, Stardate 245682.129. The Enterprise has been ordered to the planet Corbo-5 to participate in an experiment, along with the USS Horizon captained by John Marshal, to test a new warp drive which may vastly increase the interception speed of a starship. The Corbo planetary system is owned by the Federation, but the sister system, Kerbol, is owned by the Kerbin Space Alliance. The Kerbolian engineers working at the research facility on Corbo-5 have done much of the work on the new drive. If the test is successful, the Kerbin Space Alliance may join the federation.

Uhura: Captain, the Horizon is hailing.

Kirk: Onscreen.

Horizon Captain Marshal: Hello Captain Kirk, it is good to meet you. My science officer Commander Kerman here has your instructions for the experiment.

Kirk: And that would be?

Marshal: It involves setting a course at Warp-1 away from the Corbo System, with a subspace beacon attached. You'll find all the details in the transmission.

The viewscreen cuts to the fore view, that of the Horizon docked to a spacedock.

The Horizon, NCC-1788 is a Constitution Class, like the Enterprise, but with radically different warp nacelles than other Constitution Class ships. The nacelles have a slightly larger diameter, and instead of orange glowing bussard collectors, the nacelles end sharply with a flat circular plate. There are visible rivets along the nacelles, and the nacelles are connected together with some kind of structural beams.

Spock: The Horizon's warp engines are of definite Kerbal design.

Kirk: Oh?

Spock: Kerbals are well known for exaggerated designs, little regard for safety, and the notion that in order to make an object structurally sound, a large allocation of structural connectors are required.

Kirk: I've heard rumors about Kerbals, they used rocket technology for quite some time after the development of the warp drive if I'm not mistaken. I heard that the motto of their space program was "More Boosters."

Spock: I do believe that is not giving the Kerbals enough credit. The Kerbals had explored their entire solar system within two decades of their first lunar landing.

Kirk: Well, nevertheless, it's that "More Boosters" mentality that might just make the new warp drive work.

Chekov: I agree with you captain.

Kirk: Oh do you Chekov?

Chekov: The rocket was a Russian inwention, after all.

Spock: Captain, I have received and reviewed the Horizon's instructions.

Kirk: Well then Sulu, take us out of the station, one-quarter impulse.

Sulu: Aye sir.

The Enterprise leaves the spacedock and Horizon behind.

Sulu: We have cleared the spacedock.

Kirk: Right on schedule, Warp Factor 1.

The Enterprise makes that loud humming sound that it does when going to warp.

Meanwhile, on the Horizon...

Marshal: Status of the Enterprise?

Carphe Kerman (Science officer): Enterprise has just gone to Warp 1.

Marshal: Lieutenant Grahm, please inform the Enterprise that the test is about to begin.

Grahm: Aye sir.

Marshal: Ensign Arling, please bring us out of spacedock, one quarter impulse.

Arling: Aye sir.

Grahm: Captain, the Enterprise has responded that they are ready.

Marshal: Bring us to Warp 0.5.

The Horizon makes a warp engine humming sound.

Arling: We won't catch up with the Enterprise at that speed.

Marshal: Weren't you briefed? This is a new warp engine test.

Carphe: Captain, I don't think it matters, just make sure she knows what to do.

Marshal: Arling, please engage the RT-1700 Warp Booster.

Arling: Which button?

Carphe: The big red one that says "Don't press!"

Arling: Ah. This one.

The horizon makes a warp-jump sound effect, not a engine rumble.

Marshal: Carphe, what is our warp speed?

Carphe: Engines are still showing Warp 0.5, velocity seems to be Warp 1.5.

Marshal: Then the test is working?

Carphe: Yes sir.

Marshal: Hail the Enterprise, tell them to increase speed to maximum warp, tell them to give her all she's got.

Grahm: Yes sir.

The Enterprise increases speed.

Carphe: Enterprise is holding at Warp 6.45.

Marshal: What is our speed?

Carphe: Warp 6.49.

Marshal: Warp 6.45 plus Warp 0.5?

Carphe: The math works out, yes. Warp speed is not linear, so that's an approximate.

Marshal: Tell the Enterprise to drop out of warp. Tell them the test is a success.

Grahm: Aye.

The Enterprise drops out of warp, but the Horizon overtakes them, still at Warp 0.5. The Enterprise is kicked backwards along the original trajectory.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise:

Kirk: Spock, what is happening!?

Spock: We are being knocked backwards at Warp 6 towards the Kerbol Star Cluster.

The Enterprise flies too close by Corbo, slingshoting it towards Kerbol.

Sulu: Captain, our speed is increasing. Warp 7. Warp 8. Warp 9. Warp 9.5!

CRASHING STUFF! ROCKS FLYING OUT OF CONSOLES! FIREWORK THINGS FROM THE NAVIGATION CONSOLE! SULU IS KNOCKED FROM HIS SEAT! SHAKING BRIDGE!

Kirk: Sulu, are you alright?

Sulu: Yes sir, I think so.

Spock: Captain, we are in a low orbit around Kerbol-3.

Sulu: The braking thrusters have fired.

Kirk: Spock, what happened?

Spock: I believe the experimental warp drive works on the concept of relative warping. Instead of warping on the background space, the Horizon was warping on our own warped space, so it would always move constantly with us. Until, that is, we dropped out of warp. They would overtake us at normal warp speed, while we got slingshot back along our own path due to some kind of rebound effect.

Kirk: I see. What is the status of the Horizon.

Uhura: I'm not reading them at all.

Spock: Nor am I.

Kirk presses a button on his chair

Kirk: Scotty, can you give me a damage report?

Scotty: The warp engines are out of power, the impulse engines are out, and the gravity on half the saucer section is off.

Kirk: Get repair teams on it.

Scotty: Aye sir.

Meanwhile at the Mission Control at KSC...

Some Intern: Gene, take a look at this.

Gene: What is it?

Gene looks at the intern's screen, and sees a huge object in low orbit.

Some Intern: It's a giant space object with no marker transponders or anything. Getting weird readings from one side of it. Tracking-Dish 3 is detecting ionizing radiation.

Gene: An atomic rocketship?

Intern: Perhaps.

Gene puts on his headset.

Gene: Jeb, we've got a mission change for you.

Jeb: Thank Kraken! I didn't sign up for the KSP to sit in a capsule for a week!

Gene: There is some kind of object in LKO that we'd like you to take a look at. We're uploading the orbital parameters of the object to your navigation computer.

Jeb: What is it?

Gene: Unknown, perhaps some kind of Atomic Rocketship or something.

Jeb: Bob! Get your computer out! We're climbing up!

Bob: What?

Jeb: Rendezvous. We're rendezvous-ing with some atomic rocketship or something!

Bob: Let me get to work on the calculations.

Bill is still asleep

Bob: Bill, be ready to do stuff to the engines. Or like, machines on the object. Something.

Bill: Snores

Bob: Nevermind, we'll wake you up later.

Jeb: This is exciting stuff! Who knew orbiting Kerbin could be so amazing after the first time?

Bob: Okay, maneuver node programmed into your navigation instrument Jeb.

Jeb: Stopwatch?

Bob: T-10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

Jeb: Throttle up!

The rocket engines on the spacecraft fire.

Jeb: Cutoff!

Bob: We don't even need a course correction! 1.4 km close approach!

Jeb: Brilliant!

Bill: Whaaa.

Bob: We're doing a secret mission.

Bill: What is it?

Jeb: We're rendezvous-ing with an atomic rocketship!

Bill: Oh. Okay. I thought this was supposed to be a nice, relaxing space vacation.

Jeb: Who told you that? This has been boring so far.

Bob: I can see it out the window.

Jeb: What?

Bob: The object is visible in the window. It's hard to tell, but it is there. I think I can make out a disk.

Jeb: Maybe it's not an atomic rocketship.

Bill: Maybe it's a flying saucer?

Bob: Maybe.

A bit later, just as the sun is rising, the ship comes close to the object.

Bob: I can see it clearly at this point. It has a large circular saucer, and three cylindrical projections, connected together with some kind of heavy strutting.

Jeb: So it is a rocketship?

Bill: No, it's a flying saucer.

Bob: I think it's neither.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise

Spock: Captain, there's a small vessel approximately 567 meters off starboard.

Kirk: Tractor beams?

Scotty: The tractors are fried captain.

Kirk: Shields?

Scotty: None at all.

The Kerbal ship approaches something that looks like a docking port on the saucer section.

Bob: 20 meters.

Bill: The docking ring seems to be re-configuring into a Clamp-O-Tron.

Bob: 5 meters.

Jeb: RCS Retro.

Bob: 2 meters.

Jeb: Lining up.

Bob: 4 degrees off.

Jeb: Parking.

Bob: 1 degree off.

Jeb: Going in for the dock.

Bob: 1.5 meters. 1 meters. Half-meter.

The nose of the capsule connects to the docking port on the saucer.

Bill: Soft dock.

Clamps engage.

Bill: Hard dock.

Jeb: This is Jebediah to KSC. Do we have permission to board the spacecraft?

Gene: Yes.

Jeb: Let's go.

The Kerbals exit the hatch, and into the corridors of the Enterprise.

On the bridge:

Sulu: We've been boarded sir.

Kirk: Send a security team.

Sulu: Life support and gravity is down in those sections.

Meanwhile:

Jeb: It's like this ship wasn't designed for zero-gravity. There's no handrails or anything. We'll have to use our jetpacks. Flashlights on too.

Bob: I've broken off a bit of the floor panel here. It's some weird object. Really strong, but little mass.

Bill: Let me see if I can get this computer terminal working.

Jeb: I think that's a wall panel.

Bill: Oh.

Jeb: Come on, I see lights in the hallway ahead.

Jeb flew towards the lighted hallway, and as soon as he entered the lighted hallway, he fell down to the floor.

Jeb: What the Probe?

Bill: Some kind of gravity? And it's downwards too! I told you this was a flying saucer!

Jeb: Feels like gravity all right. 1g exactly.

Bob: Try walking out of the light.

Jeb walked out of the area with the gravity, and started floating again.

Jeb: The lights cause gravity?

Bill: From what I can tell of these exposed wires, it's a separate system. It's the electrical power system that's broken at this part.

Jeb: Come on guys! This is a big ship!

Bob: Okay.

Bill: I wonder why no one is here?

The turbolift door opens, and the three Kerbals enter it.

Jeb: How does this thing work?

Bill flicked one of the turbolift control sticks.

Bill: Hold on to these sticks. They look like control sticks.

Jeb: Okay, so how would we go to the Bridge?

The turbolift starts moving.

Jeb: Okay.

On the bridge

Kirk: Scotty, get back to engineering and get to that repair work.

Scotty: Aye sir.

Scotty approaches the turbolift, which opens. He looks foreward into it, and then downward, seeing the Kerbals

Bill: AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!

Jeb: Who are you?

Kirk: I'm Captain James Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise.

Bob: Stop screaming Bill.

Bill stops screaming.

Later in the conversation room.

Kirk: I'm sorry, but we have an important law, it's called the Temporal Prime Directive. It's a bit hard to explain. We are under an oath to protect culture from influence where influence should not be made.

Jeb: I don't understand, you're not from our culture, you're giant beige men for Kraken's sake!

Kirk: It's... well that's going to be hard to explain too.

Bob: We end up becoming a part of your Federation, don't we.

Jeb: We have to complete our mission. Surely your prime directive would require we return?

Spock: We must first make sure that you are all important to Kerbal history. Federation records show that the Kerbal Space Programs of this era used Astronauts up almost as fast as new ones applied. Certainly you must not tell of our presence.

Jeb: Well we'll just shut up.

Spock: Kerbals are notorious for being bad liars.

Bill: Yeah, there's no way I can keep quiet about this technology. I've already got a blueprint of the gravity plating memorized and...

Jeb, Bob: SHUT UP!

Kirk: We have to keep you here until we can figure out what to do. Please, allow, eh, Chekov to show you to your quarters.

As Jeb is being shown down the corridors, he carefully swipes a communicator from a passing crewman without anyone noticing. Later in the Quarters, Bill, Jeb, and Bob are sitting around a table having a discussion.

Bob: So what's your plan, Jeb?

Jeb: Hmm?

Bob: You always have a plan.

Jeb: Oh yes, I have something for you Bill.

Bill: What is it?

Jeb: THIS!

Jebediah takes out the communicator.

Bill: How'd you get it?

Jeb: It was hanging loose from Mr. Chekov's belt.

Bob: What is it.

Jeb: I don't know.

Bill: A communications device!

At the same time.

Bob: Oh. Indeed.

Jeb: Can you get it to work?

Bill: It uses some kind of advanced technology. KSC's tracking station might pick it up, but no doubt this rocketship's sensors would pick it up too.

Jeb: Any other ideas?

Bill: I can use it as a radio transmitter, they probably aren't listening for that. KSC is probably searching their rears off on all radio frequencies.

Jeb: Good, now get to work. And make sure they don't figure us out.

Bill: Who should I talk to?

Jeb: What?

Bill: Who should I talk to?

Jeb: Hmmmm.

Jeb snapped his fingers and smiled

Jeb: Of course, Valentina! She's got connections to the higherups of the space program. She can probably pull strings and get her rendezvous mission launched early!

Bill: Right, I'll hail Valentina.

Bob: But won't the Enterprise detect her ship?

Jeb: Perhaps. Bill, see what you can do about finding a weakness in the sensors of the Enterprise.

Bob: Alrighty then Jeb.

Jeb: We're going home in time for supper, haha!

Next Time on Star Trek: Boost Your Way to Anywhere.

Valentina: Jeb, I thought you were gone!

Jeb: What do you mean, it's been a day!

Valentina: Are you sure?

--music sting--

Bob: I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Kelvorak.

Deep voice: Your warp engine design. Give it to us now.

--music sting--

Kirk: This is Jim Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, do you read me?

Spock: The ship is definitely of the Federation.

--music sting--

Bill and Scotty in unison: I'm giving it all she's got Jeb/Captain!

--explosion and extremely intensified music sting--

All of this and much more in the next episode of Star Trek: Boost Your Way to Anywhere, episode 2: The Tyranny of the Rocket Scientists.

Edited June 6, 2015 by GregroxMun

[Mister Dilsby]

Best line: "The Horizon's warp engines are of definite Kerbal design."

This is a good idea. We do a lot of fiction from within the Kerbal universe, but rarely from outside it--and sometimes we get a more interesting picture from the outside than in. Good choice of crossover material, as well: Trek and TOS in particular excel at presenting quirky alien species. I've borrowed a lot from TOS in my own work, and from that perspective it'll be interesting to see what happens when Kirk and Jeb inevitably meet in your world...I picked those speech balloon colors for a reason

[Whirligig Girl]

Best line: "The Horizon's warp engines are of definite Kerbal design."

This is a good idea. We do a lot of fiction from within the Kerbal universe, but rarely from outside it--and sometimes we get a more interesting picture from the outside than in. Good choice of crossover material, as well: Trek and TOS in particular excel at presenting quirky alien species. I've borrowed a lot from TOS in my own work, and from that perspective it'll be interesting to see what happens when Kirk and Jeb inevitably meet in your world...I picked those speech balloon colors for a reason

You know, I was actually not going to have Jebediah and Kirk meet, but now that you've brought that up, I have to do it. And I now have an actual idea of where the story can go!

(And you might enjoy this)

[Mister Dilsby]

(And you might enjoy this)

!!! Need, must have, should be stock !!!

[Whirligig Girl]

Episode one of Boost Your Way to Anywhere has come to it's end. Coming soon is Episode 2: The Tyranny of the Rocket Scientists.