Kerbal Exploration Research Agency: An ongoing New Horizons colonization campaign.

[Ghostshark27]

Kerbal Exploration Research Agency

Introduction:

Legends speak of a time before. When the space around Kerbin was simple, and safe. Stories are told of brave kerbals who leaped into the sky on great contraptions of metal and fire. Brave explorers that visited foreign planets, and conquered the emptiness between. That was before The Event.

No one remembers the cause of The Event, or exactly how long ago it was. All that is known is that it caused a majority of Kerbals round the world to seal themselves in deep underground caves, or Vaults, if you will. Several generations had passed while the race lived underground, and only recently has the Kerbal race managed to climb out and reclaim their planet. Thanks to technology designed before the Event, Kerbals from all reaches of the planet were able to keep in contact with each other, and that allowed for an easier time reclaiming the land and searching for old remnants of civilization. Since the Vaults weren't isolated from each other, it made coordination accross the globe easier, and kerbals from all regions banded together under the goal of reclaiming their old way of life above ground. The notion of country borders and city-states were declared more for nostalgic purposes than to attempt to hold sway over another group.

One thing was certain from the moment the first Vaults were opened. The skies above had become a very different place. Prominent above the horizon was a large ringed planet, the likes that old planetary records had never seen before. The night sky had many more twinkling large bodies as well. Using ancient telescopes that had sat dormant in Vault inventories for centuries, it was determined that the current solar system was vastly different than what old records showed. No one knows why or how it happened, but the amount of celestial bodies floating around Kerbol nearly doubled. The news of this discovery led to a frenzy of scouring pre-Event info for any data on space flight and tech.

Among the Pre-Event records, there were mentions of facilities above ground that served to further understanding of the celestials. Search parties were organized, and sent out to discover the status of these ancient locations. Many of these sites have been lost to the ravages of time, along with much of the former markings of Kerbal society. A few scant facilities showed promise however. The site known as the Arakebo Dish was more or less intact, and could eventually be brought back to life. With that operational, the newly created Kerbal Science Administration could take readings of the other planetary bodies orbiting around the sun.

A majority of our story, however, takes places at the old space center. Scouting parties found the site in much better shape than any others, with a minimal amount of work. A crew of the best and brightest kerbals from around the planet was tasked with the daily operation of the facility. In a few short months, with data from Pre-Event archives and what was discovered at the new facilities, the KSA was able to begin operations to conquer the space around Kerbin.

This series of chapters is an attempt to chronicle the adventures of a budding space agency, in an attempt to uncover what happened to the solar system, and to attempt colonization of other potential planets in order to make the Kerbals a multiplanet species. As the story progresses, we'll showcase more of the kerbals responsible for making this possible. For now, we'll introduce the first few brave souls to man the team. These are the men and women who will test new and old technologies, and hopefully live to tell the tale.

Current Roster:

Jeb Kerman- The Dreamer. Ever fascinated by the thought of what the night sky looked like. Jeb was one of the first souls to leave the vaults once the all clear was sounded. Gifted with quick nerves and keen eye for piloting all manner of craft, his gifts come at a cost. His reckless pursuit of adventure and excitement has already cost the KSA a number of trainer craft and simulators. Kerbals have learned to trust his reflexes when the going gets tough, but when he's bored he tends to challenge himself or his craft to just to see what happens. He also claims to be named after an ancestor who was famous for space flight, but many kerbals are skeptical.

Bob Kerman- The Pessimist. One of the most brilliant scientific minds on Kerbin. His insight into the sciences of physics and mathematics has made him a valuable member of the team. He is able to calculate large formulas in his head, and determine the success of a given operation. His estimations are usually quite low, so people around him tend to not believe him. (Kerbals are, by nature, an optimistic lot...) Unfortunately, he's usually right.

Bill Kerman- The Tinkerer. Not the most social of kerbals, but he has a knack for building things. Almost singlehandedly responsible for getting the space center's facilities up and running, he is the master of improvisation in technical gadgets. He has a knack for building things out of strange objects such as kokonuts, which is good because for some strange reason he always has a supply in his office. It kind of weirds other kerbals out a bit.

Valentina Kerman- The Speed Freak. Val likes to go fast. Really fast. Three time champion Vault Racer, she joined the KSA to get the claim of being the fastest soul on Kerbin. She has aspirations of being the fastest Kerbal on the planet, and any other planet for that matter. Less reckless than Jeb, she is more calculating and precise. She hails from the region of Kerbin that used to be known as the UKKR.

So, that's just a bit of the background story. I can't guarantee a regular schedule as far as when I will put out new episode/chapter, but I'll tentatively say at least one a month. There's a bit of a good news/bad news situation right now, though. The bad news is that due to some recent issues with my mods, my old save has become invalid. It's cost a lot of wasted time and some interesting things that aren't going to see the light of day now. The good news is that since my craft files are still ok, I don't have to waste a lot of time on early designs, and can get right back to hurtling Kerbals into space. Also, since the removal of some of the troublesome mods (RealPlume), I have room to add a few more parts that I had to sacrifice in order to fit RealPlume into my build. Expect a prologue and perhaps a short chapter soon, then after that I'm not sure. But like I said earlier, at least one a month.