A KSP 'Solar War' Concept - Opinions wanted!

[AxleMC131]

Hello again fellow rocketeers!

So, recently I've been looking around at a few KSP 'fan-fiction' type creations on this forum, and I have to say I'm extremely impressed by most of what I've seen and read! As a (hobby) writer of fiction myself, including a small number of science-fiction works (), I decided I might have a go myself, and I already have a little written down from a decent premise.

I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet - the main idea is a form of 'Solar War' between two or more organizations with different opinions on the practical use of Rocket Science and space travel. Yes, I know, it's a cliché premise that's been hammered into the ground already, blah blah blah. Get over it, it's an easy premise to write from!

If this goes ahead, I will be working from a (almost) stock Sandbox game save, where I will be building and launching ships, running various missions, and letting little skirmishes start as they want. Like on Cydonian Monk's "Ad Lunam" (which I strongly recommend you go check out, it's absolutely brilliant!) I will therefore be posting screenshots and other images alongside the writing to give readers a better understanding of what's going on. And to show off a little.

To give you guys a little taste of what I have in mind, I present to you the Prologue and a trial chapter, both of which I spurted out last night. I certainly hope I can fish out a few opinions with this tasty bait!

Enjoy!

---

Prologue - A little backstory

It seems so many years ago when Kerbalkind was just able to touch the frontier of space travel for the first time. Back then no Kerbal had ever left Kerbin's atmosphere, never seen the stars or the planets or even the Mün up close. Sure, they had technology. They understood physics and chemistry and mathematic principles. They had electricity and cars and boats and even aircraft. But never before had they built a device that could fly up, up, up so high as to escape the thick atmosphere and ever-present force of gravity that gave Kerbin such widespread life in the first place.

Until the Space Program began.

It was all for good causes in the beginning. Everyone supported the program's ventures, and they launched many rockets into space, some crewed, some not, much to the delight of the public and the scientists. And for several years the program flourished; missions gleamed new scientific discoveries, which led to new missions to gleam even more science... And so on.

But even though all things seemed peaceful, there was unrest between some groups and organizations. Initially there were a few scuffles and skirmishes between countries with opposing ideals of space travel and rocket science, but those soon turned into dangerous battles and eventually, all out war across all the states of Kerbin.

The only thing that brought a complete (if fragile) peace to the planet was the notion of total nuclear war. That was something everyone agreed would destroy the planet's wellbeing for good, and no-one would profit, so a treaty was signed that would restrict hostilities between the warring states for many years to come...

... But not forever.

~~~~~

SLC 'Slipstream'

Low Kerbin Orbit

"Main engine cut-off in T-minus thirty seconds.â€Â

Bill clutched the foam armrest next to him as Jebediah's voice emenated out of the speaker in the cabin ceiling. He could barely hear what he was saying, what with the roaring of the single LV-45 engine just a dozen meters behind him. The G-forces were forcing him back into his seat, and his breathing was coming short and rapid.

CAPCOM replied shortly amongst an ear-splitting burst of static. “Copy that Slipstream, we have a good trajectory plotted at our end.â€Â

Not long now, Bill thought to himself, his teeth gritted too tightly

to let him speak aloud. Just a few more seconds and the orbital insertion burn would be complete.

The intercom clicked again, from the cockpit forwards of the vessel's passenger compartment. “Not much longer boys,†came Valentina's voice this time, guessing Bill's thoughts. “Engine cut-off in T-minus ten seconds.â€Â

Bill glanced over at the other passenger, Bob, his good friend and fellow member of the original Space Program. Bob was staring straight ahead, looking even more terrified than Bill felt, but that was normal. Jeb and Val had always been daredevils, and likewise, Bill and Bob had always been... A little more refined, to say the least.

Another click from the speakers in the ceiling. “Engine cut-off in T-minus five, four, three, two, one, mark. Main engine cut-off.â€Â

Instantly the deep, throaty roar from aft ceased to exist, and Bill was flung forwards towards the bulkhead; his safety harness thankfully stopped him short before he could leave his seat.

Jeb called ground control again. “Capcom, Slipstream. Orbital insertion burn complete, how's our orbit looking?â€Â

"Copy that Slipstream, we have you in a 105.1 by 104.9 kilometre orbit, zero inclination. Looking good.â€Â

"Thanks Capcom,†Val replied. “Ready to perform standard-procedure maintenance checks before we line up for an encounter with the Object.â€Â

CAPCOM was lost briefly in another flurry of static, but the telemetry connection was quickly re-established. “Copied. She's all yours from here on folks. Have a nice flight! Capcom out.â€Â

The intercom went silent. After a few moments, the airlock in front of Bill cycled open with a sharp hiss, and Jeb's face peered through, grinning like a cat. “Alright back there, humble passengers?â€Â

Bob gave him a slightly sour look as the engineer and the scientist undid their harnesses and floated free from their seats. “You know you don't have to run the engine at full throttle just to get into orbit,†he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “It's an LV-45, not an LV-N.â€Â

Jeb just grinned even more and pushed his way into the passenger cabin. “Ah, quit your whining. You've done it before.â€Â

Bill kicked gently off the bulkhead and followed him into the aisle. “You've done it before Jeb,†he retorted, though not unkindly. “Neither Bob nor I have flown in StarLines' fancy shuttle.â€Â

“Well, you have now,†replied the veteran pilot nonchalantly.

The engineer shook his head and decided to change the subject. "Jeb, help me crack open the cargo bay. We should make sure our batteries are overflowing before we lose the sun."

"Righto Bill," Jeb answered. Together they operated the control panel at the back of the compartment. With a whirr and a buzz, the bay doors opened wide and the pair of solar panels stretched out, reaching to grab the last bits of sun before it went behind the horizon.

Bill waited until the whirring stopped, then glanced through the cargo bay video feed to verify that the panels had indeed extended. "Alright, that should keep us from running dry before we reach our destination." He turned to Jeb. "How long until we get there by the way?"

Jeb pushed backwards in the microgravity towards the front bulkhead again and gestured his head towards the airlock. "Val's working on it. We're a little ahead of the target, so she's gotta plot a small manoeuvre to bring our AP up a little. Shouldn't be more than a few metres per second."

"Righto," Bob nodded in response. After a few moments the scientist said, "Any ideas what the object might actually be?"

Bill glanced a Jeb, who shrugged. "Beats me," he admitted. "Radar says it's a small object, small enough to fit inside our cargo bay even, so I'm not sure. Dilapidated satellite maybe?"

"Probably a rock," Bill interjected, with a wink at Bob.

Val stuck her head into cabin suddenly. "Could be aliens!" she suggested with a laugh.

"Oh for goodness sake," Bob exclaimed, reaching over to a storage cupboard and removing a packet of snacks. "It could be a Kraken egg for all we know!"

Jeb glanced at Val and made another famous grin. "A hundred Roots says it's from Kerbin, Bob." Val shook her head in exasperation.

Bob didn't even pause in his munching of snacks to point at Jeb. "You're on," he said determinedly, and stuck his hand back into the packet.

"So, Val," Bill piped up, changing the subject again. "How's our intercept looking?"

Val grimaced. "Not great. Don't ask me why, but the best encounter path I can do consists of three minor manoeuvres over the course of an entire orbit, to a 900 metre intercept."

"Doesn't bother me," Bob said, reaching for another handful of snacks. "As long as we're not being forced through our seats for an orbit, I'm comfortable." He sent another venomous look at Jebediah, then glanced out the nearest window. "Hey, look! Minmus!"

"Either way," Valentina interrupted, after taking a look through the glass herself, "It'll be a good half hour before we get anywhere close, so you boys might as well break out the playing cards.

Edited September 11, 2015 by AxleMC131
Added a fancy screenshot or two, and more story!

[KSK]

Interesting start and I like your writing. Having spaceflight technology arise 'for science' and then being repurposed for military uses was a nice twist and one which seems much more kerbal to me.

Two factions fighting is a bit of a cliched premise but it works. My first thought on reading your prologue was why? What happened to spark that initial disagreement? I can think of lots of possible reasons (I'm sure you could think of more) and all of them could make a good story in their own right. After that, what fanned the flames of war? How did the scuffles and skirmishes turn into a world war?

This is good - plenty of background material and answers to interesting questions, that could potentially be drawn out and referred to in your main story, if that's how you wanted to do it! The premise is a cliche for a reason - a war offers so many opportunities for storytelling and can be described and lived through from so many perspectives. Looking forward to seeing your take on it.

Edited September 9, 2015 by KSK

[Sharkman Briton]

Sounds awesome, is it a full blown military series? Think Kethane Station but in writing, will it be like that?

[AxleMC131]

Interesting start and I like your writing. Having spaceflight technology arise 'for science' and then being repurposed for military uses was a nice twist and one which seems much more kerbal to me.

Two factions fighting is a bit of a cliched premise but it works. My first thought on reading your prologue was why? What happened to spark that initial disagreement? I can think of lots of possible reasons (I'm sure you could think of more) and all of them could make a good story in their own right. After that, what fanned the flames of war? How did the scuffles and skirmishes turn into a world war?

Very glad you like it!

As you say, two factions or alliances is definitely cliché, but I'm trying to amp it up a little by not having two big alliances, but about eight smaller groups, each with their own opinions, friends, enemies, and goals for their own space programs. There are some main groups who will be referenced more often ("SLC" for instance is the abbreviation for 'StarLines Commercial', one of the larger organizations) as well as other smaller contributories who pop up now and then. Hopefully that way I'll be able to shy away from the usual "One versus one" battles, and make engagements a little more interesting.

Also I'm going to be focusing on the logistics (and hopefully politics) of war just as much as the actual battles, because I find that stuff absolutely fascinating.

About what started the skirmishes that led into the original war? Not sure yet, but I'm thinking something along the lines of rights to space travel and launch sites; I don't really know yet. Perhaps we'll find out as the story unfolds...!?

- - - Updated - - -

Sounds awesome, is it a full blown military series? Think Kethane Station but in writing, will it be like that?

Not sure what you mean by "Kethan Station"... Is this a YouTube or AAR series I should know about?

Either way, glad you like it so far! It's not going to be a full-blown military story as you say, although there will be military aspects. I'm hoping to focus more on the logistics and strategies and 'behind the scenes' stuff. Don't worry though! There definitely will be some thrilling battles and shocking moments!

[AxleMC131]

A little update guys! I've made a few additions to the story above, and posted some screenshots along with it too. Do go back and read again, as I have changed one or two things from the initial write-up as well. Hope you enjoy!

PS: More story and images for this little practise mission coming soon!

[AxleMC131]

Thought I'd give you guys a little more story. Things are getting thrilling already... My, I do love plot twists! Enjoy, and don't forget to leave feedback!

Chapter Two - Encounter

SLCS 'Slipstream'

Low Kerbin Orbit

"Hey Bob!"

Bob was jerked awake from his snooze in one of the fold-down beds by Jeb's voice. The scientist yawned, stretched, and rubbed his eyes before acknowledging the pilot's presence in the cabin. Bill was sitting in one of the seats opposite him, writing swift calculations - or possibly doodling dinosaurs - in a spiral-bound notebook. "What's up Jeb? Are we there yet?"

Jebediah winked. "We are. And you owe me a hundred Roots."

Bill glanced up from his scribbling to see Bob frown in distaste. "Aww man, really?"

Jeb nodded, and gestured over his shoulder to the cockpit. "Come see for yourself. Both of you," he added, glancing at Bill.

The two B's trooped through the airlock and floated into the cockpit after Jeb. It was only designed to seat two, but they managed to squeeze in behind the pilot chairs.

"Check it out boys," Val proclaimed. "We have ourselves a Kerbal-made satellite."

Bob groaned. "Are you telling me we came all this way for a communications satellite!?"

Jeb sighed. "Guess so. Radar must have missed its comms signature on their list, marked it as 'Unknown'."

"Well, time to go home and report back then," Val finished with a sigh. "And I was hoping for something far more exciting..."

"Hold up folks," Bill said suddenly. Of the four crew members, he was the only one looking at the data readouts around the cockpit rather than out of the window. "Jeb, you say Radar may have misread its signature. Look at this." The engineer pointed to a display screen alongside the targeting systems. It was showing a motionless, flat, green line.

Bob stared. "It doesn't have a signature."

Jeb shrugged. "Could be out of power?"

"Its solar panels are out, dummy," Val replied.

"Or manually shut down?"

"Then we'd have a record of its service life," Bob responded.

Jeb raised his hands in defence. "I'm just thinking of ideas!"

Val looked back at Bill. "Do you think it might be worth taking a closer look?" she said seriously.

Bill nodded, his face one of confusion. "Yeah, I do. If that satellite is still powered, and we don't have a record of its service, let alone its existence, it falls under Section Four of the Unlawful Space Operations act."

"'No artificial satellite may be put into orbit of Kerbin without being registered'?" Bob quoted from the regulations.

"Exactly," Valentina replied. "If that's the case, we have the authority to bring it home as a souvenir." She turned around again. "Alright Bill, get suited up while I take us in closer."

~~~

Soon, the shuttle SLCS Slipstream was holding position barely a dozen metres from the satellite, and Bill was gripping the handrails of the external airlock. "Okay, that's good and close," he spoke through the radio. "I'll take care of this from here on."

"Roger that, Billy-boy," Val replied.

Mentally crossing himself as he always did before EVA, Bill let go of the handhold and reached for the jetpack control arm. This was a tense few moments of helpless freefall, as his thick glove fumbled for the joystick, but Bill wasn't a novice and he quickly found purchase and activated the jetpack. A few short bursts was all it took to get him flying towards the satellite, and he was soon able to get a much closer look.

"How's it looking out there?" This time Jeb was calling him.

"To be honest it looks like a perfectly ordinary communications satellite," Bill answered. He jetted sideways and started circling the object, noting the external lights that betrayed the fact it was definitely 'On'. "Still nothing on the comms?"

"Line's still flat as a possum on a highway."

Bill frowned. "There must be something we're missing. Maybe... Oh..." He trailed off as he circled around the front of the big dish.

The radio line static'd. "... Bill? What's going on?"

"It's fake."

This time there was a pause. "Say what now?"

Bill jetted closer. "This high-gain communications dish. It's a fake."

"How do you mean 'fake'?"

"This isn't a comms dish," Bill explained adamantly. "It's an umbrella someone's painted gold and put little lights on! Look, it even still folds up!"

Just to demonstrate, Bill reached forwards and clicked a little button on what was pretending to be the central aerial. Instantly the dish collapsed on itself and folded away, before Bill pushed it back open again. "There's even a wrist-strap hanging on the base of the handle."

This time Bob's voice came over the radio. "Are you saying it's a phony com-sat?"

"It just might be," the engineer answered. "But what, by the Kraken, is under its disguise?"

"Anything else on the structure that looks suspicious?" Valentina's voice questioned.

Bill continued to circle the 'satellite'. "Not really. Other than the solar panels and some batteries. There's a single Gravioli detector, but that's it."

The noise of a confused Bob popped through the speakers. "Why would a communications satellite have a Gravioli detector on it...?"

"Dunno," Bill replied. "But I think we can safely assume this is not a communications satellite."

At that moment, as Bill continued to float around the object, a bright reflection of headlight hit him square in the face from the opening of the Gravioli detector. He winced and jetted sideways out of the way... Then he hesitated.

Gravioli detectors didn't have any reflective parts.

"Oh my..." the engineer murmured as he examined the science experiment.

"What now, Bill?"

Bill stared. He was, simultaneously, perplexed and horrified. "The Gravioli detector is a fake as well. There's a damned camera inside it!"

There was a sound of horrified gasps from the shuttle. "Like, a photography camera?" Jeb said hopefully.

"Definitely not," Bill replied. "A high-zoom, digital camera. This is a spy satellite."