totm aug 2016 Kerny Kerman's Journal (mission reports from a Kerbal's point of view) [Chapter 87: "Among the growing shadows."]

[Angelo Kerman]

If by "flew perfectly" you mean lots of debugging and troubleshooting and patxhes, then yeah, she flew perfectly.

Great chapter, really shows that the Panel does not want to do what they must.

[adsii1970]

3 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

If by "flew perfectly" you mean lots of debugging and troubleshooting and patches, then yeah, she flew perfectly.

Um, yeah, sure, that... But to be honest, most people don't know all it takes for a car (or smart phone, for that matter) to go from initial concept to the car they actually drive. Whatever magic Angelo, Dr. Wernher, Harrison, and the gang pulls out of the SPH or VAB, most Kerbals never know. All our little greenish friends know is that it works, it lands, and it didn't cause them to get killed - and in their book, any flight they can get out of the capsule without injury - even if the craft explodes - is considered as "working perfectly..."

3 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Great chapter, really shows that the Panel does not want to do what they must.

Thanks. One of the things I want to do is to give depth to these little guys and gals. I've noticed how my game playing has changed since the early .18 demo days - I thought nothing and felt great joy if a flight went well. At times, I even got a good laugh if one (or more) died tragically in one of my flying contraptions of death. But the more I've played, the more I have become attached to the Kerbals. I've got to know some of them so well that I know what freaks them out, what brings out smiles, etc. It was a hard decision to let a Kerbal die - but it had to be done to give more depth to the characters. I mean, how does the collective handle the death of their own? Are they concerned? What about their views of an afterlife - if any? And what is their reaction when a Kerman dies as a result of the actions of another Kerman? All of these things can now be explored - but as you pointed out (in a round about way) they are all a little numb and possibly in shock. Now they are forced to deal with one of their own, a legend, whose actions led to the death of a Kerman. And as you did say, they don't want that responsibility.

There's one more chapter coming up where Kerny and the rest of the panel will have to make their recommendation to the Council of Five. Originally I was going to have it all in one chapter but I was concerned about the darkness within the chapter and its overall length. The end of the day and seeing all the "observers" except Jebediah seemed to be a natural breaking point for the chapter.

[DarkOwl57]

4 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

There's one more chapter coming up where Kerny and the rest of the panel will have to make their recommendation to the Council of Five. Originally I was going to have it all in one chapter but I was concerned about the darkness within the chapter and its overall length. The end of the day and seeing all the "observers" except Jebediah seemed to be a natural breaking point for the chapter.

Aww If I recall, Jim broke the record for most words in a fan works chapter (Like 5k or something crazy like that). 

[Angelo Kerman]

I get the sinking suspicion that Jeb will ignore the Panel and try to escape..

[DarkOwl57]

1 minute ago, Angel-125 said:

I get the sinking suspicion that Jeb will ignore the Panel and try to escape..

I think Jeb's going to just ignore them and go into an exile

[adsii1970]

Some really good ideas... Once i finish grading and posting grades over the weekend, I'll post the next chapter...

[DarkOwl57]

45 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Some really good ideas... Once i finish grading and posting grades over the weekend, I'll post the next chapter...

Wait... grading? Posting grades?!?!? YOU'RE A TEACHER?! MY ARCH-NEMESI?! DIIIIEEEEEEE

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Wait... grading? Posting grades?!?!? YOU'RE A TEACHER?! MY ARCH-NEMESI?!

No, it's cool... he's one of the good ones... 

[adsii1970]

3 hours ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Wait... grading? Posting grades?!?!? YOU'RE A TEACHER?! MY ARCH-NEMESI?! DIIIIEEEEEEE

Yes, I teach U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. History to 1865, U.S. History since 1865, World Civilization to 1500... at the college/university level.

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

No, it's cool... he's one of the good ones... 

After this semester, I do not know. I have a large class of 72 students (World Civilization to 1500) and I've about finished the grading for that course. No student made a D. 1/3 of the class has failed so far... So, I might not be one of the good ones.

[DarkOwl57]

11 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

Yes, I teach U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. History to 1865, U.S. History since 1865, World Civilization to 1500... at the college/university level.

ah. Well... okay I guess. 8th grade's hard man! How do they expect the students to learn 9 subjects when the teachers themselves can only teach one?! THIS IS MADNESS!!!

 

11 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

After this semester, I do not know. I have a large class of 72 students (World Civilization to 1500) and I've about finished the grading for that course. No student made a D. 1/3 of the class has failed so far... So, I might not be one of the good ones.

Ouch. We have this math teacher who does double-time as the drone instructor (Yay drones), and he's normally pretty happy. But after the first half of this semester? He showed us a stack of missing work that was about 4 inches from top to bottom. Thank god I'm in Algebra and not Math.

[adsii1970]

41 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

ah. Well... okay I guess. 8th grade's hard man! How do they expect the students to learn 9 subjects when the teachers themselves can only teach one?! THIS IS MADNESS!!!

Um, not meaning to brag, but I have a M.Ed., a M.A. (in U.S. history and Foreign policy), and a Ph.D. in U.S. history... Then there's the B.A. in history with my focus being on Ancient History with three minors (Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology). And that's on top of the undergraduate core classes in the sciences, math, and other requirements.

49 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Ouch. We have this math teacher who does double-time as the drone instructor (Yay drones), and he's normally pretty happy. But after the first half of this semester? He showed us a stack of missing work that was about 4 inches from top to bottom. Thank god I'm in Algebra and not Math.

Yes, this is because dealing with students who feel they are "entitled" to a good grade just because they show up gets to be frustrating for teachers - whether in high school or university. Although I have begun final grading for the spring semester, I have students begging to do anything for extra credit... what I want to say is "oh, I am so glad you've taken an interest in passing the class. It is a shame it's taken you 16 weeks to take the course seriously!" But I simply leave it at "No, your grade is what it is... You can take the course again next semester..."

If you really want to show your teachers you appreciate what they do for you, then you can only do one thing: do your best on every assignment and exam. This means studying, doing the assignments and submitting them on time. When you make a mistake, then own up to it. Be honest with your teachers - and you'll find your teachers will not only appreciate your honesty and integrity, but they will treat you more like an adult then they do the majority of your peers.

[DarkOwl57]

5 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Um, not meaning to brag, but I have a M.Ed., a M.A. (in U.S. history and Foreign policy), and a Ph.D. in U.S. history... Then there's the B.A. in history with my focus being on Ancient History with three minors (Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology). And that's on top of the undergraduate core classes in the sciences, math, and other requirements.

5 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Yes, this is because dealing with students who feel they are "entitled" to a good grade just because they show up gets to be frustrating for teachers - whether in high school or university. Although I have begun final grading for the spring semester, I have students begging to do anything for extra credit... what I want to say is "oh, I am so glad you've taken an interest in passing the class. It is a shame it's taken you 16 weeks to take the course seriously!" But I simply leave it at "No, your grade is what it is... You can take the course again next semester..."

I know! The most annoying thing for me isn't people who feel entitled, but people who act stupid all the time, and don't even want to learn! I always wonder how they move on

8 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

If you really want to show your teachers you appreciate what they do for you, then you can only do one thing: do your best on every assignment and exam. This means studying, doing the assignments and submitting them on time. When you make a mistake, then own up to it. Be honest with your teachers - and you'll find your teachers will not only appreciate your honesty and integrity, but they will treat you more like an adult then they do the majority of your peers.

I always try to do that. Like, every single time I mess up, I try to correct it before many people notice it. Thanks for the tips. Now to finish a biology presentation that's due tonight.. Oh boy.... Endocrine, Nervous, and about 10 more human body systems to go...... 

[Orion Kerman]

Great chapter and not to be rude but i found a typo "was able to wtch the latest video report on history being made today by the first Kerman-made object to land on Duna. I couldn't believe that after all this time, the old probe, the one everyone calls the "Beast" and believed was lost in space, actually" let's play spot the typo!!!

[adsii1970]

10 minutes ago, Orion Kerman said:

Great chapter and not to be rude but i found a typo "was able to wtch the latest video report on history being made today by the first Kerman-made object to land on Duna. I couldn't believe that after all this time, the old probe, the one everyone calls the "Beast" and believed was lost in space, actually" let's play spot the typo!!!

I missed that one. I will fix it.

[Orion Kerman]

Ok

Edited May 4, 2017 by Orion Kerman

[AviosAdku]

Well, I think Jeb's lost it (first Bill, now Jeb). Quite the deconstruction of the typical madman Kerbal image the character is most commonly portrayed as.

Avios

[adsii1970]

Plock 5, Y003 (or is it Plock 6?)
"When the Pedestal of a God Crumbles..." _{(Part 2)}
Chapter 40

It's now about thirty minutes before Kerbolrise and the start of a new day. Already, Kerbol's golden light can be seen as it starts to stretch into the darkness above the horizon. All I can say is it has been a long day. It was the final day of my first assignment as a member of a Panel of Inquiry. With any luck and blessings of the gods, I do hope it will be my last. Today started just as yesterday started. I had breakfast and made my way over to the new building that housed the conference room we'd been assigned for the duration of our inquiry. In the distance, I could see the new experimental craft, being flown by Ralph and his crew, making its landing near the space plane hanger.

I had been about ten minutes late for the start of our last session because Karloff had a question he wanted to ask about the new crewmembers we were going to be taking on. So, by the time I was able to get to the conference room, I noticed Dr. Haywood and Consul Rayven sitting across the table, looking more agitated than anything else. It wasn't until I sat down next to Gene that I understood why they weren't amused.

"Hey, Kerny...bomp! Bomp!" Gene said, in a near jovial mood. Major Thompberry, sitting on the other side, began to snicker.

"Who's there?" I asked. Yes, foolishly I answered Gene's 'bomp!' 'bomp' joke. 

"Interrupting Kerbite," Gene responded. 

"Interrupt-" Yeah, I fell for it! Before I could even finish...

"Waaagaaa, waaagaaa!" Gene yelled out in his imitation of the Kerbite's call. And with that, Dr. Haywood let out a groan. Thompberry and Gene were now in fits of laughter - at one of the worst 'bomp! bomp' jokes ever. And yes, I fell right into it.

Dr. Haywood allowed their fits of laughter to continue for a few more minutes before calling our morning session into order. Today's schedule was supposed to be simple. We had allotted Captain Jebediah an hour and a half to present his witness to the events, to provide any additional information, and the ability to speak in his own interests. Whatever he was going to say, as Dr. Haywood reminded us, would become a part of the official report we would forward to the Delegates of Five. He reminded us that Jebediah was scheduled to appear in front of the panel in another five minutes. We were free to ask any question we wanted but were reminded that we were not there to do any other thing but gather evidence. At 1:30, an hour and a half after Kerbolrise, our interview with Captain Jebediah would begin.

The time of his appointment came and passed by. At 1:40, Dr. Haywood began to ask Gene if he had told Jebediah of what time to report to the conference room. "Sir, I told him and even had Bobak remind him at first breakfast..." Gene began to answer, being interrupted by the chiming of the console in the center of the table. An audio call was coming through and Gene knew it had to be important for Bobak to disregard protocol.

"Yes, Bobak, what is it?" Gene answered. It was clear that Dr. Haywood nor Consul Rayven were thrilled with this latest interruption.

"Sir, Jebediah... there's been an unauthorized flight leave the center..."

"Sir, we're already getting reports that as an engineering team finished fueling up a Sparrowhawk trainer for flight, Captain Jebediah climbed into the aircraft, fired 'er up, and took off..." Bobak added.

"What exactly is a Sparrowhawk, Gene..." Dr. Haywood demanded. "What makes this craft..."

Before he could finish his question, Gene explained the Sparrowhawk was the first aircraft Kerman pilots flew once they had passed all the simulator tests. It was a fairly easy craft to fly. It was easy to land and easy to control. They also had a fairly long range but were rarely flown outside of a thirty kilometer radius of the space center. To keep them affordable and nearly disposable, the basic flight systems were never upgraded. Immediately I realized why Jebediah had selected this craft - it was not equipped with a transponder! Once the craft flew out of radar range it would be practically untrackable. 

"Bobak, can you give us some idea of which direction he's heading?" Gene asked.

"Sir, he flew about twenty kilometers east of the center, then veered north. I don't think he realized the radar system has been upgraded, but he is still in our radar zone for the next thirty minutes at his present speed. He's heading north... Do you want me to scra..."

"Stand by, Bobak..." Gene added, "I'll get back to you..." During this exchange, I looked over at Dr. Haywood, and for a brief moment, I think I could read his mind. We both understood where Jebediah was heading.

"Gene, stand down. This isn't our fight," Dr. Haywood interjected. "We can't order other Kermen to shoot him down... just let him go..."

And with that, we began the difficult task of trying to sort out what to do next. After a bit of awkward silence, Rayven asked, "Ok, so... how are we going to note this in our report? Why would he do this instead of coming here to answer or summons..."

"What do you think he did, Consul?" Thompberry interrupted. "Instead of coming here to make a statement, he gave a statement when he stole the Sparrowhawk. In fact, you could say that when he took off, he essentially gave this Panel of Inquiry a giant Scre..."

"Look, we've been assigned to assess the events leading to the death of Captain Jala - and not Captain Jebediah's most frequent escapade." Raven interjected. "And with that said, how do we note this in our report?"

For the next twenty minutes, we discussed how we could tell the Delegates of Five about Jebediah's refusal to present matters for consideration. "I think we're making this more difficult than it should be..." Thompberry said, drawing the discussion from our end of the conference room table to his. "We simply state he was not present to make a statement at the time assigned. We leave it at that. As additional documentation we include his unscheduled flight - after all, he did violate his Orders in Council restricting him to the space center," and with that, we all agreed that was probably the best remedy for our current predicament.

By mid-afternoon, we had begun to consider the rest of our recommendations and how to place them in our report. On the 4th, we all agreed before today's events, that we were probably going to recommend a courts-martial. His recent conduct today cemented two facts into place we already all knew too well: if Jebediah had been anyone else, there would be no hesitation in doing what needed to be done. The second fact was a bit more sinister: Jebediah had little regard for any authority other than his own. Since the first craft took to the Kerbin skies, I had followed every mission he flew. By the time I graduated and joined the Kerbal Defense Forces, I knew the statistics of all his missions, his awards, and commendations. Now I would be a part of the panel recommending actions that will directly impact his future. I think what Gene said yesterday is absolutely right: this is what it looks like when a pedestal of a god begins to crumble.

About an hour ago, after nearly three hours of deliberations, reviewing testimony, and considering all the evidence we had gathered over the last two days, the difficult decisions had to be made. As a part of the rules provided by the Delegates of Five, we took an official vote - and with a unanimous motion, it was agreed upon that our panel would recommend courts-martial for Captain Jebediah. The next stage was to determine the charges our panel would recommend in its official report. The first three were easy: willful disregard for the wellbeing of an assigned mission crew, unnecessary destruction of a KDF craft, and unnecessary assumption of command of a mission or flight in progress. Each of these were made by a unanimous decision by our panel. 

The next three were more difficult. With a vote of four to one, the charge of assault on a Kerman for the two times Jebediah attacked J. Jim was passed after a lot of debate. It was Rayven, the only member of the panel to vote no, who tried to claim that it was simply a case of "love sickness" that had caused the fight between Jim and Jebediah. In other words, as she later would say, "males will be males..." There was a charge for violating the orders of the Director of the Space Center for Jebediah's complete disregard of the orders Gene had given the flight crew charged with returning Bob and Jebediah to the center. The vote on that charge was three for, one against, and one abstention. Gene said he didn't feel right voting on it because it was his orders which were violated. It was Thompberry who provided the no vote. He felt the disobeying of Gene's flight orders was a little redundant with the previous charges. I disagree. It goes hand in hand with the other charges. 

The final charge was the most difficult but was passed by unanimous motion. Jedediah would be charged with the most serious of the charges - willful disregard for the wellbeing of a Kerman resulting in death. In our unanimous decision, we were sending the message to the Delegates of Five that we believed there was sufficient evidence to say the actions taken by Captain Jebediah directly resulted the death of Captain Jala. Her death was not the result of anything other than Jebediah's ego.

When I finally made it back to my quarters this evening, a little over an hour ago, I noticed I had missed a video call from Ralph. Because of our long meeting today and his new flight orders, I was unable to get a look inside the craft he is now testing. He did leave me a brief video message. This morning, thirty minutes after sunrise, he and his crew took off from the Island Airfield and headed back to the space center, as was originally planned.

He told me his new experimental craft, the K'o'ox Ya'ax, which literally translates to Wild Blue from the ancient Kerbin language, is a prototype designed by Angelo. This design, named the "Trifoil Basic" is electric powered with a backup monopropellant electric generator. Although her top speed is around seventy meters per second, she is very fuel efficient - her dorsal surface is covered in solar panels which generates more electricity than her electric fans need to cruise at top speed. It can land virtually anywhere. While this is the concept vehicle, Ralph is pretty confident that the performance he's seen so far will lead to bigger vessels - and already there's one on the drawing board. The Trifoil Expeditionary Vehicle, as it is already being called, will have a large cargo area capable of carrying ground vessels anywhere on the globe. 

While we were busy waiting for Captain Jebediah to attend his hearing, Ralph and his crew were busy preparing for their next flight. It seems that Gene ordered the K'o'ox Ya'ax to immediately fly to Tulum Station and pick up a passenger and return. The entire mission is to take three days. 

I'm glad that my schedule will be returning to normal since my panel duty is now done. The Delegates of Five will be meeting within the next couple of days to make their determination based on our report. My part was a small portion of trying to make sense of everything that has happened with Jebediah over the last few days. His fate now rests in the hands of the Triune Committee and the Delegates of Five. I really have no idea what the outcome will be, especially since Jebediah simply left the center this morning - in violation of his Orders in Council. I guess only time will tell.

Well, Kerbol is now beginning to make its second appearance since the last time I slept. With my work on the Panel of Inquiry now complete and having a day off, I think I'll get some sleep and maybe check on the progress of Gilti and Karloff in the flight simulators. 

[Angelo Kerman]

Great chapter! It's interesting to see how the Panel came to their conclusions. And now Jeb is a fugative! Loving the new airship too, it's really nice to see more people using the Heisenberg mod. So glad that @JewelShisen took up the mantle of resurrecting Hooligan Labs; with out it, Heisenberg would be grounded.

[adsii1970]

@Angel-125     Did you happen to catch the air ship's name?

[Angelo Kerman]

1 hour ago, adsii1970 said:

@Angel-125     Did you happen to catch the air ship's name?

Oh yes, the Wild Blue is a nice prototype airship.

[JewelShisen]

Ok I have to say that I LOVE this! And not just because I get to see others enjoying the mod but because it sounds like a very neat story you are creating.

[adsii1970]

6 hours ago, JewelShisen said:

Ok I have to say that I LOVE this! And not just because I get to see others enjoying the mod but because it sounds like a very neat story you are creating.

There are a few mods I've greatly enjoyed featuring in the game that are from @Angel-125. I have his Heisenberg mod, Buffalo mod, Deep Space Exploration Vessels, Pathfinder mod, and the Mark One Laboratory Extensions (M.O.L.E.) mod. As he will tell you, I have pressed his mods into things he never imagined anyone would be insane enough to attempt... in fact, I've given him a few ideas - and the Osprey knock off is one of them! (I used Firespitter's tilt rotors on the early rendition). I have been thinking about adding his Comet mod, but still need to figure out if it will do what I want.  I am kinda picky that way.

You've contributed greatly because without it, as Angel-125 said earlier, the blimps would be ground clutter. So, in a way, you are a part of the story too.

Who knows, maybe one day I will share the list of parts mods I use for my game. No one has really asked, so I've never really thought of doing it before.

10 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Great chapter! It's interesting to see how the Panel came to their conclusions. And now Jeb is a fugative! Loving the new airship too, it's really nice to see more people using the Heisenberg mod. So glad that @JewelShisen took up the mantle of resurrecting Hooligan Labs; with out it, Heisenberg would be grounded.

I didn't want to get too bogged down in the debates. Having been a legal NCO back when I was in the service, I combined the Article 32 procedures of the Uniform Code of Military Justice with the civilian grand jury process. Instead of having 12 on the jury, I decided to reduce it to five - to assure that there would rarely be a tie. I actually had begun thinking of how this process would work in Chapter 3, where we see Jedner, one of Kerny's training partners, crash on a flight. I decided that at the time it was too early to get into the workings of Kerbal military justice. So... I put that whole idea on the back shelf, knowing I would eventually use it. As you can tell, it did come in handy.

I debated for a while what to do with Jebediah. I do not want to give too much away here, but yes, he is a fugitive... for now. His status as an "original three" makes it difficult to treat him any other way but KSP "royalty," and most of the fan fics that use him (except for @Kuzzter, I've discovered ) treat him as such. I even hint at it in Kerny's story... the whole exchange we've seen twice now, "If he was anybody else, we know what we would do..." is a hat tip towards that concept. But as even the title of the last two chapters hints at, the pedestal we put people on often crumbles and those we exalt as the best among us do often fall. And that's what is happening with Jebediah. If I could have found a "nude Kerbal suit), I would have included him mooning in the direction of the building containing the conference room before his flight.

Oh, and I have plans for the Heisenberg mod... Believe me, when you see in a few chapters what I am trying to do... you'll begin to wonder what I am thinking! In the words of Wednesday Addams, "Be afraid. Be very afraid..."

Yes, I owe a big "thank you" to @JewelShisen!

[Angelo Kerman]

1 hour ago, adsii1970 said:

There are a few mods I've greatly enjoyed featuring in the game that are from @Angel-125. I have his Heisenberg mod, Buffalo mod, Deep Space Exploration Vessels, Pathfinder mod, and the Mark One Laboratory Extensions (M.O.L.E.) mod. As he will tell you, I have pressed his mods into things he never imagined anyone would be insane enough to attempt... in fact, I've given him a few ideas - and the Osprey knock off is one of them! (I used Firespitter's tilt rotors on the early rendition). I have been thinking about adding his Comet mod, but still need to figure out if it will do what I want.  I am kinda picky that way.

You've contributed greatly because without it, as Angel-125 said earlier, the blimps would be ground clutter. So, in a way, you are a part of the story too.

Who knows, maybe one day I will share the list of parts mods I use for my game. No one has really asked, so I've never really thought of doing it before.

I didn't want to get too bogged down in the debates. Having been a legal NCO back when I was in the service, I combined the Article 32 procedures of the Uniform Code of Military Justice with the civilian grand jury process. Instead of having 12 on the jury, I decided to reduce it to five - to assure that there would rarely be a tie. I actually had begun thinking of how this process would work in Chapter 3, where we see Jedner, one of Kerny's training partners, crash on a flight. I decided that at the time it was too early to get into the workings of Kerbal military justice. So... I put that whole idea on the back shelf, knowing I would eventually use it. As you can tell, it did come in handy.

I debated for a while what to do with Jebediah. I do not want to give too much away here, but yes, he is a fugitive... for now. His status as an "original three" makes it difficult to treat him any other way but KSP "royalty," and most of the fan fics that use him (except for @Kuzzter, I've discovered ) treat him as such. I even hint at it in Kerny's story... the whole exchange we've seen twice now, "If he was anybody else, we know what we would do..." is a hat tip towards that concept. But as even the title of the last two chapters hints at, the pedestal we put people on often crumbles and those we exalt as the best among us do often fall. And that's what is happening with Jebediah. If I could have found a "nude Kerbal suit), I would have included him mooning in the direction of the building containing the conference room before his flight.

Oh, and I have plans for the Heisenberg mod... Believe me, when you see in a few chapters what I am trying to do... you'll begin to wonder what I am thinking! In the words of Wednesday Addams, "Be afraid. Be very afraid..."

Yes, I owe a big "thank you" to @JewelShisen!

If it's anything like the Skydancer, an airship that you launch into orbit and fly to Laythe, it should be fun.

[adsii1970]

36 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

If it's anything like the Skydancer, an airship that you launch into orbit and fly to Laythe, it should be fun.

Now that you mention it, I never really thought about it. But what I have in mind... I just hope the SPH can handle it or it may be a mute point...

[obney kerman]

22 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

Now that you mention it, I never really thought about it. But what I have in mind... I just hope the SPH can handle it or it may be a mute point...

That big?