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Kerbol's Shadow - A story about the struggle to be the first. (ABANDONED DUE TO CORRUPTION)

TaintedLion

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TaintedLion

TaintedLion

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Kerbol's Shadow

Prologue

In the beginning there was war. How was there war, you may ask? Well, I'm not going to go into the technicalities of it, but there was an evil ruler, people got a bit pissed at him because he was evil, but anyway, one thing led to another, and before you could blink, civil war broke out in the land of Hexania. There were two factions; the Eastern Royalists and the Western Republicans.

During those final,desperate years of the war, both sides trained their nuclear weapons on each other. Mutually assured destruction seemed certain. Not wanting to risk total annihilation, a truce was brokered, and the land was divided between the factions, forming the Kingdom of East Hexania, and the United Republic of West Hexania.

The years after the war were never more prosperous, and relations between the East and the West warmed slightly. The nations started to turn their eyes skywards. Both governments happened to found their space programs on the exact same day. The two sides immediately became suspicious of one another. Propaganda would keep the kerbals of their respective nations thinking that they were the superior nation. When they announced their intentions, people knew a race was coming. The race was on. And only one can win.

Kingdom of East Hexania

KxxTEad.png

United Republic of West Hexania

lfrZKeI.png?1

ROYAL HEXANIAN SPACE PROGRAM

Government

  • King Jebrus Kerman II - King of East Hexania
  • Davfrom Kerman - Prime Minister

Administration

  • Hekron Kerman - Administrator
  • Serkgei Kerman - Chief Designer, Head of R&D
  • Alukan Kerman - Mission Director
  • Elise Kerman - Head Bursar
  • Greeneggsnham 'Greg' Kerman - Chief Researcher
  • Jesse Kerman - Public Relations Officer
  • Toddhand Kerman - Chief Operations Officer

Astronauts

  • Hendous Kerman - Chief Pilot Astronaut
  • Seecot Kerman - Chief Engineer Astronaut
  • Eilla Kerman - Chief Science Astronaut

UNITED HEXANIAN SPACE PROGRAM

Government

  • Gogram Kerman - President of the Republic of West Hexania

Administration

  • James Kerman - Administrator
  • Wernher von Kerman - Chief Designer, Head of R&D
  • Gene Kerman - Mission Director
  • Mortimer Kerman - Chief Financial Officer
  • Linus Kerman - Head Researcher
  • Walter Kerman - Public Relations Officer
  • Gus Kerman - Head of Operations

Astronauts

  • Jebediah 'Jeb' Kerman - Chief Pilot, unassigned
  • William 'Bill' Kerman - Chief Engineer, unassigned
  • Robert 'Bob' Kerman - Chief Scientist, unassigned
  • Valentina Kerman - Chief Specialist, unassigned

Edited by TaintedLion
Added Chapter 3
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TaintedLion

TaintedLion

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Alright! The first chapter! As usual, all criticism is welcome. Enjoy the first chapter!

CHAPTER 1 - THE FIRST ORBIT

Following their respective leader’s orders to build and launch a small satellite into Kerbin’s orbit before the others, the leading scientists got straight to work, deciding the best way to proceed with the challenges faced. First of all, current missile technology was not strong enough to blast a satellite straight into orbit. This could easily be solved by adding upper stages though.

Kerbal Space Center, West Hexania

Wernher von Kerman sat in his office and sighed,

“Our current Spinnaker missile is only 0.625m in diameter, not powerful enough for our satellite design. Ve are doomed to loose to the Royals. Sohn von einem Weibchen!â€Â

Linus, Wernher’s quiet, yet talented intern, and the Head Researcher, spoke up.

“Um, if I may sir, I have an idea… well, it may not work, but I’ve run the numbers, and clustering four Spinnaker missiles together will generate the necessary thrust and delta-V to get into a low orbit. We won’t be able to orbit much, and the satellite will need a small engine to circularise the orbit, but it’s a sta-â€Â

Linus was cut off by Wernher, who embraced him.

“JA! That’s it! You’re brilliant!â€Â

Wernher ran off to tell James Kerman, the Administrator.

Royal Kosmodrome, East Hexania

“Well, it’s certainly bleak…â€Â, said Serkgei Kerman, looking out into the desert surrounding the Kosmodrome, land donated by the King himself, while comparing it to images of the lush grasslands and beaches around the West Hexanian Kerbal Space Center.

“Bleak is just what we need right now Serkgei. Inconspicuous.†replied Toddhand Kerman, the Chief Operations Officer, slapping Serkgei on the back, while walking into the VAB, where the K-6 rocket was being built, which would hopefully carry Ariel I into space, becoming the first artificial satellite in the process. The satellite was very simple, carrying only a radio beacon, with enough battery to last a whole day in orbit.

One week later, at the launch pad.

mPRt9lY.png

Ariel I undergoing pre-launch checks.

Alukan Kerman, the Mission Director, sat at Mission Control, going through the pre-launch checklist. Finally the time had come. King Jebrus II himself was present at mission control, watching the launch.

“Booster?â€Â

“Go.â€Â

“Telemetry?â€Â

“Go flight.â€Â

“GNC?â€Â

“Go here.â€Â

“FIDO?â€Â

“Go.â€Â

“INCO?â€Â

“Go.â€Â

“Range Safety?â€Â

“Go.â€Â

“Payload?â€Â

“Go.â€Â

“We are go for the launch of Ariel I, commencing final countdown at T-minus 5 minutes.â€Â

Serkgei could have sworn that his heart stopped beating for that whole five minutes leading to launch. He had worked too hard for this to fail now.

“... 3, 2, 1, we have ignition, and liftoff of the Ariel I satellite, carrying the spirit of the Kingdom into space!â€Â

mni4HXS.jpg
Ariel I lifts off!

The K-6 rocket, which was simply a solid rocket booster with an liquid-fuelled upper stage, proceeded to fly straight up. Suddenly, FIDO spoke up.

“Flight, we have a gimbal malfunction. We are veering off course.â€Â

Alukan’s face went white.

“How long do we have to correct it?â€Â

“Fifteen seconds Flight.â€Â

“That’s not enough time… Range, destroy it.â€Â

“Roger.â€Â

fFMruJI.jpg

Ariel I is deliberately destroyed by the Range Safety Officer.

The Range Safety Officer took out his key, twisted it in the lock, and pushed the red button. It was all over in a matter of seconds, as a series of precisely placed explosives tore the rocket apart. Serkgei and the King left the room, both looking thoroughly infuriated.

Kerbal Space Center, West Hexania

“Vell, it seems ve do have a shot after all.†said Wernher, as he laid down several newspapers on James Kerman’s desk, describing the failure of the Ariel I satellite by the East.

“I have the first Discovery satellite ready to go and a Spinnaker X4 rocket ready to launch. I just need your approval.â€Â

“Very well Dr. von Kerman, you have my consent. You may launch when you are ready.â€Â

Two days later.

The Spinnaker X4 rocket sat on the pad, held in place by four launch clamps. The satellite, Discovery I, consisted of a Probodobodyne OKTO core, an antenna, four deployable photovoltaic panels a small fuel tank and a Rockomax-brand 48-7S rocket engine, to circularise the orbit.

The pre-launch checklist had been completed, and the satellite was go for launch.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition, and blast-off, of the Discovery I satellite!â€Â, announced Gene Kerman. Millions of kerbals across the Republic were glued to their TV sets, watching the live launch, in stark contrast to the usually secretive Kingdom.

gL4gNZq.jpg

The Spinnaker-X4 rocket lifts off, with Discovery I on board.

The clustered Spinnaker missiles burned faster than expected, which lead to the fairing being jettisoned early, so the satellite was briefly exposed to the heated air. However, it was undamaged.

Five minutes later, the whole world listened to see if Discovery I had succeeded in getting into orbit, or whether it burned up and crashed.

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP…

T6iNK0V.pngDiscovery I deploys its solar arrays, the first artificial satellite.

The whole of Mission Control erupted into applause and shouts of joy. Kerbals were crying, hugging each other. James Kerman shouted,

“A WHOLE PINT OF BEER, FOR EVERY KERBAL ON THIS SITE!â€Â

Discovery I returned a grainy black-and-white image of Kerbin from space, the first of its kind. That image would go into the books as one of the most significant pictures of history.

D4YyzKh.png

The first picture of Kerbin from space, taken by Discovery I.

Wernher went outside, his eyes looking at the Mun and Minmus.

“Someday."

Edited by TaintedLion
Added some captions to Chap. 1's images.
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KSK

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Nice pictures and I like the design for Discovery 1.

The story seems a little short right now. I can imagine James' desk diary for the week: Monday - to do. Found space program. Friday - to do. Launch satellite into orbit.

But that's OK because it completely depends what you want to do with the story - and as a reader I don't know that yet. :) It could be a bit of text to add some background flavour to your pictures (which it does very well). Or it could be that you're skimming over the early days of both space programs before focusing on the big events to come.

Either way, keep up the good work.

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TaintedLion

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Nice pictures and I like the design for Discovery 1.

Thanks!

The story seems a little short right now. I can imagine James' desk diary for the week: Monday - to do. Found space program. Friday - to do. Launch satellite into orbit.

But that's OK because it completely depends what you want to do with the story - and as a reader I don't know that yet. :) It could be a bit of text to add some background flavour to your pictures (which it does very well). Or it could be that you're skimming over the early days of both space programs before focusing on the big events to come.

I'll work on that. I have more parts planned out, I'm just trying not to get too ahead of myself actually playing out my save at the moment :P

Either way, keep up the good work.

I'll try!

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TaintedLion

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Good start! Though, I may suggest having the Kingdom and the west more equal, instead of one getting wrecked by the other, maybe the Kingdom could put the first Kerbal in space?

Don't worry, I'm planning to give each side an equal number of firsts :P I got this all planned out. Your username implies you're British. Is that true? I'm British too XD

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TaintedLion

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I hope you enjoy Chapter 2!

​

CHAPTER 2 - CATCHING UP

Royal Kosmodrome, East Hexania

“I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG AND I WANT TO KNOW IT NOW!†screamed Davfrom Kerman, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of East Hexania, to Hekron Kerman, the Administrator of the Royal Hexanian Space Agency in his office. Although the King was the head of state, everyone knew it was really Parliament that held all the power, letting the King think he was in charge. He was not one to be trifled with, but Hekron was not intimidated. He had seen worse.

“You think this is my fault? Current analysis shows it was merely an electrical failure, causing the gimbal on the first stage to lock, and we had to destroy it. You wanted a rocket embedded in an innocent civilian’s home? That would make you look good, wouldn’t it? The engineers have been working tirelessly around the clock, and you slashing their pay isn’t helping. I have several conflicting orders on my desk by other MPs, telling me to try again, to cancel, to try again, what am I supposed to do?â€Â

“No more failures.â€Â, threatened the Prime Minister.

With that, Davfrom Kerman left, slamming the door behind him. Hekron Kerman took a bottle of pills out from his desk, tipped two into his hand, and swallowed them down with a swig of water. This was going to be a long week, but he was confident the engineers would pull it off.

One week later, at the launch pad.

Ariel II stood proudly on the launch pad, virtually a duplicate of its fallen sister. A little less important, it would be the first night launch ever. A thin film of sweat had gathered on Serkgei Kerman’s forehead, but he did not bother to wipe it off. Jesse Kerman was also present. It would be a PR disaster if this rocket were to fail.

The solid rocket motor ignited perfectly, and the clamps were released. The gimbal problem had been fixed, to much fanfare. Once the powerful SRB had been jettisoned, the much less powerful LV-909 engine, nicknamed the “Terrier†kicked in, pushing Ariel II to apoapsis. The fairing jettisoned at 35 km up, revealing the simple satellite. After a brief coast to the 80 km apoapsis, the engine kicked in again, putting the satellite in a circular orbit. Alukan could have sworn the roof of the Mission Control building lifted off slightly due to the eruption of congratulations among the crowd. The King and the PM were also there, clapping and congratulating lead engineers.

bzeI0l2.png

Ariel II lifts off from the Royal Kosmodrome.

Ariel II constantly broadcasted a recorded message from the King emphasising the superiority of the Royalist regime, and demonstrated technology for a future communication satellite system. The satellite quietly died six hours later as the batteries drained.

YYjnXT8.png

Ariel II in orbit, the first satellite of the Kingdom of East Hexania.

Serkgei Kerman stood up and said,

“This is only the beginning my friends. We will conquer space, for the glory of the Eastern Kingdom! First Kerbin, then the Mun!â€Â, to much applause. He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn’t the first, but there would be many more opportunities to be the first in other areas. However, what he didn’t tell everyone was that the Mun and Minmus were merely stepping stones for him, he saw the planets as the ultimate prize.

Kerbal Space Center, West Hexania

“They launched a heavier satellite than ours? How is this possible?â€Â, asked Mortimer Kerman, the CFO, during a meeting discussing the recent Royal launch.

“They always did have the better missile tech…†replied Walter Kerman.

Wernher spoke up,

“Well their satellite is less capable than ours, and ve in the Research Department have plans to utilise the backup Discovery satellite for scientific investigations. DMagic has lended us their magnetometer and radio vave system to measure particles and fields, and Probodobodyne has given us their gravioli detector, thermometer, and barometer to measure conditions in space, vhich vill be vital in preparing for kerbed missions.â€Â

Walter Kerman, being the head PAO, knew that kerbed missions would increase public opinion of the space program, gave a resounding yes to the idea. After submitting the proposal to James, the backup had been modified in almost no time at all, creating a miniature laboratory to conduct experiments in space.

Three days later

Discovery II sat on the launch pad, being fuelled up and charged up. The Spinnaker X4 rocket had not been changed from last time.

6tQzTyG.png

Discovery II sits on the launch pad, awaiting the final go-ahead for launch.

Once it had been fuelled and checked out, the Kerbal Space Center heard once more the roar of rocket engines. The fairing issue cropped up again, but the satellite remained functional. Unlike Discovery I, Discovery II was placed into an inclined, highly elliptical orbit, which was optimised for particles and fields experiments, as well as providing the first image of the entire circle of Kerbin, becoming another image ingrained in the minds of young kerbs everywhere.

F1ygkv0.png

Discovery II fully deployed in space, the first dedicated scientific satellite.

yrhjKlV.png

The first image of the full circle of Kerbin, taken by Discovery II.

“We’re getting there. We will get to the Mun.â€Â, said Wernher to himself inside the dome of the KSC observatory, sipping coffee. He never got enough of those starry nights.

Later

Four kerbals walked out of the Astronaut Complex, having just been selected out of thousands of potential recruits to be (hopefully) the first into space.

F0xfYiy.png

From left to right: Bob, Jebediah, Valentina, and Bill Kerman, the Original Four astronauts of the United Hexanian Space Program.

“Dude, do you wanna go to the bar to celebrate?â€Â, said Jebediah, a former test pilot of the United Air Force.

“Are you sure? You don’t want to turn up wasted to your first day of training tomorrow?â€Â, replied Valentina, his girlfriend, who was the only woman selected.

“I don’t know, we did just get picked out of millions of kerbs! I’d want to celebrate too!†voiced Bill Kerman, a top engineer of his field, and personally selected by Wernher von Kerman himself, from the engineering department.

“Thousands, not millions.â€Â, countered Bob, a leading astrophysicist, who gained a Ph.D from the University of Hexford at the age of 16.

“And do we really have to wear these damned spacesuits all the time?â€Â

Can someone help me with the spoiler formatting it keeps on screwing it up.

Edited by TaintedLion
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THIS FORMATTING IT SCREWS IT UP EVERY TIME.
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TaintedLion

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MOAR, MOAR East Hexania!

I'm having RAM troubles at the moment, which is restricting me from KSP until I can increase it. I assure you I have this all planned out, and East Hexania will get it's fair share of victories. Maybe slightly more, maybe slightly less, who knows? :P

To be honest, I personally prefer the East too ;)

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TaintedLion

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Alright, sorry about the big delay! RAM problems, stuff, school, more stuff etc. Enjoy Chapter 3! Sit back, relax, and shut up.

CHAPTER 3 - A GAME OF OUTDOING

Royal Kosmodrome, East Hexania

“The West may have their science satellite, but what use is radiation and particles data? The testing on death row prisoners has shown that the green pigment in our skins can survive very high doses of radiation.†said Greg Kerman, the Chief Researcher, while reading an article about findings from the Discovery II satellite.

“That may be, but it’s the propaganda that counts. Kerbs will not respect us if they do not know that we can match or beat the West, seeing as we only have one satellite, which is now defunct. Right now, their satellite has gone further than any others. Their solar cell technology has allowed them to possibly stay in space indefinitely, as long as it has sunlight.â€Â, replied Jesse Kerman, the Public Relations Officer.

“I’m looking for more practical applications. I have designed a mapping satellite. First, we take the Ariel II core, add fuel and an engine, a pair of solar panels, and finally, an advanced synthetic aperture radar, and a multi-spectral mapper. We can map the entire of Kerbin. However, international law does require we release these maps to the public, which does mean of course, the Republic.â€Â, voiced Serkgei.

“Hmm… interesting.†mumbled Hekron. He was always one for practical applications, and this was no exception.

“Will the Ministry of Space fund such a project?â€Â

“Of course they will. It would help troops navigate on the ground, for… future reference.†replied Serkgei.

“I’ll submit a request for funding. Should be interesting.†smiled Hekron. He stood up, straightened his tie, put a sheaf of papers in his briefcase and left.

Two weeks later

dF0dDBT.pngAriel III sitting on launch pad, fuelled and ready for take-off.

“Three, two, one, ignition, and liftoff of the Ariel III mapping satellite!â€Â, announced Alukan, along with many other cheers and kerbs reading out from monitors.

4SAioRc.pngAriel III lifts off from the Royal Kosmodrome

“Stage one has separated. Stage two ignition in three, two, one, ignition. Ignition confirmed. Apoapsis reached, coasting to burn.â€Â

“Parking orbit reached.â€Â

pb7udNJ.pngAriel III deploys its solar panels for the coast to the orbital burn.

The satellite then fired its own Spider engines for two minutes, raising the apoapsis to the optimal 783km. Once there, the engines fired again to circularise the orbit. The SAR was then deployed, and orbital mapping began.

q37lgqu.png

Ariel III in its SAR mapping orbit.

The West, however, had better plans.

Kerbal Space Center, West Hexania

“Herr James, I have been reviewing the Discovery II designs, and vith a second stage and solid rocket boosters, ze small payload vould be able to be sent on a close flyby of the Mun, allowing us to see ze far side for ze first time!, then go into a kerbolar orbit between Kerbin and Eve, and study Kerbol. Zwei in einem!â€Â

“Hmm… a chance to beat the East to the Mun? President Gogram will swallow this up! All those in favour say ‘I’.†said James Kerman.

All ‘I’s from Gene, Mortimer, Walter, Linus, and Gus. The new satellite would be christened Explorer I.

One week later

The launch proceeded perfectly. Wernher was used to success, and it would be difficult for him if anything were to go wrong.

qwKRso1.pngExplorer I's SRBs detach.

But there would be no failure today. Within half an orbit, the second stage had boosted Explorer I to a trajectory which would take it to within 150km of the Mun’s far side, then fling it out into a kerbolar orbit, from where the satellite’s engine would move it’s apoapsis and periapsis to avoid interacting with either Kerbin’s or Eve’s SOI.

nYXnyQL.pngTrans-Munar Injection Burn.

One day later, the satellite entered the Mun’s SOI, and began looking for a magnetic field, though none was detected. Imaging began, using a new high-definition camera, and continued all the way through the SOI, at perimun 1 hour later.

k7HB6hQ.png

The first picture taken of the Mun's far side, taken by Explorer I.

“Hmm, the far side looks more cratered than the near side. Maybe it gets the brunt of the meteor impacts?â€Â, questioned Linus.

“Ja, and zhere seems to be more dark patches. I think the crust is thinner on the far side, which allowed lava to seep up more easily during its formation.â€Â

The rest of the data would be analysed over the following weeks, and used to prepare future missions.

kDR3FaJ.png

Explorer I departs from the Mun.

After it had left the SOI of the Mun, the probe swung back towards Kerbin, and flung out of the Kerbin system a couple of weeks later. A maneuver was set to circularise its orbit a few months later.

Royal Kosmodrome, East Hexania.

“It’s a feedback loop. One side does something good, the other does something better, and on and on it goes until the champion comes out. I want that champion to be us.â€Â, said Hendous Kerman, chief pilot astronaut of the Royal Hexanian Space Angency.

InHfju5.pngHendous Kerman, the RHSP's chief pilot astronaut, standing in front of his capsule.

“Let’s go to space.â€Â

1dDbrPm.png

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