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

[adsii1970]

1 minute ago, Just Jim said:

Awesome! The plot starts to really thicken.... dun dun dunnnn

Oh, and Piper became Prime Consul??? Awesome... again!  

I needed a one-time character...

[Just Jim]

Just now, adsii1970 said:

I needed a one-time character...

Cameo!!!  hehehe

[adsii1970]

Yup. A cameo. Couldn't resist borrowing her. Now in explaining three loose ends, I've created six more. I defined Jebediah and Rayvan's relationship, the reason for the emergency meeting with Dr. Edmund, and even the purpose Grand Consul Katrine had for the meeting.

But now I have some newly created loose ends...

Edited January 31, 2018 by adsii1970

[Just Jim]

6 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Yup. A cameo. Couldn't resist borrowing her.

Thank you!  

[insert_name]

what was that engine under the core on the shuttle?

[adsii1970]

56 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

Love the new shuttle!

Thanks! It literally took me doing hours of research about the American version, the Russian version, and believe it or not, I discovered the ESA (European Space Agency) was actually working on their own version of a STS system. And I will be the first to tell you I do think I understand why all three were eventually abandoned at some stage in time.

Spoiler

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/45jack_files/03files/ESA_Phoenix_Shuttle.html

Some really neat stuff on this website...

 

1 hour ago, Angel-125 said:

Great to see one of the meeting attendees watching The Saga of Emiko Station!

Oh, yes, the one watching the Saga of Emiko Station is Dr. Edmund. Technically, he would be Gene's boss' boss... So apparently Kermen of all ages and walks of like enjoy claymation television shows!

1 hour ago, Angel-125 said:

Politics are never fun either, too bad Kerny is in the middle of it.

Kerny is being used, as is Valentina (and possibly Ralph) by Katrine to try and push Gene out of the director's chair of the KSC. She wants her daughter, Rayvan, in that spot. And if you remember from the Board of Inquiry, a part of her despises Jebediah and we now have a few more breadcrumbs into that back story. But there's something else about her that Dr. Edmund is very suspicious of... But I decided to introduce a new character into the mix, Maxbas, who obviously dislikes Rayvan and her mother. In time, I might do more with this story line and bring out her character a little more.

1 hour ago, Angel-125 said:

Also, what are the checks and balances for Section 31? Who or what keeps them in line?

This is going to be fun to play with. Here's what we know about Section 31:

• It was founded about twenty years before the emergence by a distant relative of the great Zebulan Kerman - Prime Consul Z. Uaxac Kerman - Zebulan Uaxac Kerman. In the ancinet Mayan language, Uaxac simiply means "Seven" or "seventh from" meaning he is essentially the seventh person named in progression after the original Zebulan Kerman. 
• Dr. Edmund, at some point before his service in the Grand Committee and as the Senior Consul of the Triune Committee, was recruited directly by Z. Uaxac Kerman.
  • This leads to an interesting question: Is Dr. Edmund the oldest member of Section 31? Possibly it's head? He has never claimed to be in charge of this organization, yet Kerny reports directly to him...
  • If Dr. Edmund isn't the head of Section 31, then who is?
• The other members are Captain Kerny, Commodore Valentina, Gene, and Dr. Haywood. But are they the only members?

32 minutes ago, obney kerman said:

I didn't know that this was a reference until I read it in a Julian Bashir voice.

It wasn't intentional. I needed a number for a super secretive organization within the government and the KDF - and Section 31 popped into my mind. Could be way too many hours of Star Trek watching and reading way too many Star Trek novels...

13 minutes ago, insert_name said:

what was that engine under the core on the shuttle?

Within the Mk 3 expansion, there is a Mk 3 SRB segment with motor. For the shuttle to handle cargo, I needed an extra punch...

[Orion Kerman]

Great chapter as always, can't wait for the next one!

[adsii1970]

11 minutes ago, Orion Kerman said:

Great chapter as always, can't wait for the next one!

I had two major bugs I had to work out...

• I had a Windows 10/Dell Intel graphics driver issue. About every ten minutes of game play, I'd get tossed out with "This application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware..." and let me make myself perfectly clear... this is the LAST Dell computer I will buy. It was supposed to be a great "off the shelf" gaming computer. As soon as I get paid again and get the credit cards paid down from the month and a half with NO PAY, I will be getting a graphics card... the most powerful one my motherboard can handle. Oh, and upgrading to 16gb of ram, too.
• The shuttle issue. You can ask @Just Jim. For nearly a month I pounded away at trying to understand the dynamics of the space shuttle.
  • And as I mentioned above, it took about twenty hours of research to learn the basics of real shuttle design. The shuttle you see now is about the 30th variation of the stupid thing.
  • And for all its appearance, it is very limited in the roles it can perform in. It will be great to ferry passengers to and from the orbiting station or even do a cargo run. But other than that, it is very limited in what it can actually do.

The next chapter will probably be in a week. I am going to try and do a chapter a week, providing I get all the shots I need. As it stands right now, I probably have about a dozen pictures left over from this chapter I didn't use. So, I will keep them and incorporate them into the next chapter.

[Angelo Kerman]

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

The other members are Captain Kerny, Commodore Valentina, Gene, and Dr. Haywood. But are they the only members?

I kind of see Section 31 as decentralized.. like there are various cells to handle things, but no centralized command. But that's just me.

[adsii1970]

2 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

I kind of see Section 31 as decentralized.. like there are various cells to handle things, but no centralized command. But that's just me.

Now that's an interesting idea. I might play with that for a while... And who knows, maybe Dr. Angelo will be a member, too...

[Geschosskopf]

Great chapter!  Poor Kerney, being part of a Secret Society isn't all pulling strings from the shadows.  Sometimes it's being pulled in conflicting directions  

[adsii1970]

There's a new chapter coming soon... and here's a teaser image:

Just so you know your eyes aren't deceiving you, here's another image from the next chapter.

Edited April 2, 2018 by adsii1970

[Angelo Kerman]

Yay new chapter on the way.

[adsii1970]

7 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

Yay new chapter on the way.

Yup. I am hoping to have my entire workload done so that Friday I can write... I do have a few more screen shots I want to capture for this chapter.

Oh, when I roll over to 1.4.1, I am adding Snacks to the mix...

[adsii1970]

Moho 12, Y003 
"Commander, have I got a proposition for you..."
Chapter 57

The last few days have been mostly a blur. Once the meeting with the Committee of Five was over, I decided to remain at New Kerbin City for one more night. It was definitely a change of pace from the routine at the space center. Unlike the space center, there were no morning briefings and no set schedule for the cafeteria. At New Kerbin City, the cafeteria opens an hour before Kerbolrise and remains open for an hour after it sets. And even when the cafeteria is closed, there is a small cafe near the east balcony which is continually open. That's where I met Dr. Edmund the night before my hearing with the Committee of Five.

After the meeting, I decided to take advantage of the time away from the space center and look over the personnel files. I'd almost finished the second file when an electronic letter came to the console. Dr. Edmund had issued new orders for me. I was to leave on the 11th of Moho - tomorrow - about an hour after dawn. From what the orders said, air traffic control had already been informed of the orders. My craft would be ready for my early morning departure and I was heading to Tulum Station. It also said that my meeting with Dr. Haywood had been postponed because of the continuing session of the Committee of Five.

It only took me three hours to look over the personnel files. Commander Megsby, a skilled pilot in her own right, has only had 22 hours of actual space flight. After her last space mission, she requested to remain on Kerbin and is currently serving as a part of the KDF here, at New Kerbin City. Commander Geofbur is also a skilled pilot, but has 147 hours of space flight. Although he had requested another space mission, the last anomaly has set the program back. So he's at Tulum Station, awaiting assignment. Commander Doodbas was just recently promoted and has no time in space. And then there's Lieutenant Commander Orvin, currently on assignment at the Zebulan Kerman Orbital Platform. So far, Megsby and Geofbur are the top two candidates I want to interview.

I spent the remainder of the time looking at the newest data about the refit on the Excursion. Commander Karloff has sent the specifications for the new engine systems which will be installed on the ship by the end of the week. Seems that Dr. Angelo has personally taken over the refit operation and is using the Excursion as his own test vehicle. Even if his new propulsion design is only as half efficient as he claims, it will be a considerable improvement over the ship's last propulsion system. 

+++

On the 11th, as I was making my way towards my Koos, I discovered Gene and Dr. Edmund waiting for me outside the door. "Morning, Dr. Haywood. And good morning, Dr. Edmund. I would think you two have more to do than to give me a send-off..."

"Captain," Dr. Edmund began, "You handled the Prime Consul well yesterday. But Dr. Haywood and I decided it was time to get you out of here --"

"Sir," I began, "I'm not sure I understand --"

"Yes, I know we originally wanted you here for another day or so. But Haywood and myself felt that we needed to get you out of here before she has a chance to corner you again. As you know, she is going after Gene --"

"Yes, sir," I interrupted. "This isn't anything new. You told me this the other night --"

"Kerny, listen!" This time it was Dr. Haywood adding to the seriousness of the situation. "Yesterday, after you left, the Prime Consul openly discussed not only bringing you back for more questions, but on having the Committee of Five make all crew assignments for space missions. She even discussed about the possibility of using smaller crew and craft --"

"But that's --" It was all I could get out.

"Yes, Kerny," Dr. Edmund added. "You'd lose the ability to select your own crew. But there's something far worse than that. She doesn't see the need for space missions beyond the Mun. She believes we are wasting resources on space exploration and colonization rather than focusing on developing the resettlement of Kerbin's surface. She honestly believes the unidentified alien craft stories are creations to keep the space program and the KDF going."

"But with your testimony at the hearing yesterday, we have a new ally on our side." Dr. Haywood began. "You really impressed Senior Consul Maxbas with your answers and how you handled yourself. Captain, we will talk later at the KSC but now you've got to leave --"

"Yes, leave now." Dr. Edmund added. "We reconvene in another twenty minutes and you need to depart according to your new orders. I want you way out of range before Katrine has a chance to recall you to the Committee of Five."

Within a few minutes, I was in the cockpit of the Koos. "Control, the is Khaob, requesting take-off clearance."

"Khaob, this is flight ops control. You are free for departure. Your flight plan has been filed and your orders are to proceed to Tulum Station," the voice on the headset said. "And Captain, may the gods give you a good flight."

And with that, I taxied to the end of the airfield; a few moments later, I was pressing the Koos to her top speed to make sure I was out of the Grand Consul's reach. After all, Dr. Edmund did tell me that once I was too far out of the capital, the Grand Consul wouldn't recall me. In other words, it wouldn't be convenient for her plans. And her plans include the dismantling of the space program... and probably a lot more.

Within minutes I was racing to the west under full throttle. Even at full throttle, it would be another three and a half hours before I would land at Tulum Station. Within about twenty minutes, I was over the Northern Kaskadia Mountains. At one point, I would have thought that having a last minute order change would have been a strange thing. Now, as a part of Section 31, it isn't as much surprising or strange as it is a little unnerving. My whole interest in joining Section 31 was to be able to have access to the classified materials regarding the unidentified alien craft, what happened to Bill, and the connection between the carvings on the Monolith and their relationship to the carvings on the inside of the large chamber. I wasn't expected to be drawn into the unfolding drama between the Prime Consul, the Grand Committee, and Section 31 - an organization trying to maintain the balance.

Without realizing it, I had already reached the halfway point of the continent. The tall and majestic peeks of the Northern Kaskadia Mountains were a welcome sight. Since the very early days of my pilot training program, I have always enjoyed flying through the mountains. Last night, the Kerbiographic Video Network had a program where they say these are some of the newest mountains on the planet - at only 7 to 9 million years!

And another twenty minutes, and I was now over the western coast of Kaskadia. Both Dr. Haywood and Dr. Edmund believed that once I was over the western sea, I'd be safe from any recall attempts by the Prime Consul. At least the trip to Tulum Station would not be all wasted. It would give me a chance to interview Commander Geofbur. But there was still a lot of flight time left between where I was and the station.

Dr. Wernher had asked me before I left the space center to take the Koos up to an altitude of  27,000 meters and evaluate it's cruising capabilities at high altitude. So, having nothing but a long flight in front of me, once I left the continent and increased the altitude. But as I gained altitude, the speed of the craft increased. I constantly had to decrease the throttle to keep my speed at 285 meters per second. By the time I reached 27,000 meters, the throttle was slightly less than half, and my speed remained around 285 m/s. I might not have to stop at the airstrip near the naval docks to refuel after all - or so I thought.

With an hour and a half of flight time remaining, I was startled when the communications panel signaled. The signal identifier displayed on the panel indicated prefix 000 - from New Kerbin City! My first thoughts were that the Prime Consul had recalled me anyway, not realizing how far from the city I actually was. I activated my communications panel and answered the call.

"New Kerbin City, this is Khaob," I began. "Acknowledging call..."

"Khaob, this is New Kerbin City Control. You have a personal transmission from Senior Consul Maxbas. This is a secure channel..." And within what seemed like a heartbeat, the communications panel's indicator screen turned blue. The frequency was now secure.

"Captain," Maxbas began. "I'm hoping that this call isn't distracting you."

"No, senior consul," I began. "I still have an hour or so of flying time and I'm over an ocean --"

"Good," she interrupted. "We are in a thirty minute recess in our latest session. And, Captain, I wanted to ask your opinion about something. How long are you supposed to be at Tulum Station?"

"Ma'am, I cannot answer that," and I honestly couldn't. "My orders are to proceed to Tulum Station and await further orders." And that was the truth of it. Dr. Edmund's purpose for this particular set of orders was to get me away from New Kerbin City. Normally, he would not have issued official written orders. But as he had explained earlier, this way I was insulated from the Prime Consul since the orders came from the Senior Consul of the Triune Committee.

"Understood. When you return to the KSC please send a message to me," she countered. "It would be better to discuss... um... things... issues... when you're not as distracted as you are now. Captain - /static/ "

"Ma'am," I began. "I don't mind --" And before I could finish my sentence, the channel was filled with static. After nearly half a minute of trying to regain communications, I closed the channel. For the three-parts of the hour, I continued to fly towards my destination. I was now over the eastern coast and decided that with one-third of the fuel remaining, I could easily get to Tulum Station without refueling at the naval yard air station.

+++

About twenty kilometers out from Tulum Station, an alarm indicator light on the cockpit control panel began to flash. I was down to the last 5% of fuel. All of a sudden, the idea of skipping the refueling mid-point didn't sound like such a good idea.

"Tulum Station Control, this is Khaob."

"Roger, Khaob, we're expecting you --"

"That's nice," I began, "but I'm a little short on fuel -- "

"Roger, Khaob. There's no air traffic, come down when you're ready. Welcome back to Tulum Station, sir!"

All I can say is I made it with less than 2% to spare. For all practical purposes, when the engine flamed out as I was making my descent to land, the craft was out of fuel. I rolled the Koos to the end of the makeshift runway, as I had been instructed to. I climbed out of the cockpit and headed towards the settlement when I was met by a familiar face. It was Debgie, the senior engineer of the settlement!

"Captain, sir!" she said. "It's been a while since you've been here. There's a lot we'd like to talk with you about, but I wanted to come out to give you a heads up. Dr. Edmund contacted us about thirty minutes ago and asked me to relay a message."

"Sure, Lieutenant, " I began. "What is --"

"Before you leave to return to the KSC, I have a data stick I'm supposed to give you. I cannot tell you what's on it. It is heavily encrypted. It came in as a data packet a little while ago and I was told to transfer it to the stick."

"Did he say -- " I couldn't get the rest of my sentence out.

Before I knew it, she held out the small data stick in her hand. "I'm not sure what's on it, but I don't want to hold it any more, sir!" She began. "I was told that no one, not even our installation commander, could know about the transmission or that I was ordered to give this to you. So, take it, sir!"

She placed the small data stick in my hand. The data packet was encrypted so I knew it had to be related to my Section 31involvement. "Thank you, Lieutenant!" And with that, I took the small green data stick she held in her hand.

"Captain," she sheepishly added. "Dr. Edmund also told me to relay the message you are not to review the data until you are off-Kerbin, whatever that means." It was obvious she had no idea what was meant by that message. For me, it was clear. I wasn't to look at the data until I was back in space. But the question I had was how long was I going to be assigned to Tulum station?

Within a few minutes after our awkward exchange, Debgie and I were joined by Commander Geofbur, Lieutenant Mauchell, and Lieutenant Trice. Jedke, I was told, was going to be refueling my craft and moving it into the apron area of the airfield. But until later that evening, I was invited to what they call the topside lounge. Smaller than the conference room at New Kerbin City, the topside lounge was designed for that purpose - to be a retreat at the settlement.

 

When I made it to the topside lounge, I was awestruck at the view the lounge offers of the ancient pyramid complex. Lieutenants Mauchell and Debgie sat on either side of Commander Geofbur and myself. For about thirty minutes, I ate the snacks put in front of me as each told me about their most recent activities at the station. Whenever not flying air patrols ordered by Gene, the three pilots took turns assisting the scientists studying the pyramid complex, cataloging the various shrunken head carvings, and even helping the engineers with the various maintenance tasks around the settlement.

"So, Captain," Mauchell said during a dull moment of conversation. "Can you tell me why you were ordered here? I mean, it's not every day that we get a visitor of your importance in our arm dimple of the world." One thing about her, she is blunt and to the point.

"Yes, Lieutenant," I said, still munching on the cheese snacks in front of me. "I've come here to talk specifically with Commander Geofbur." And with that, the room grew silent. "Commander, have I got a proposition for you..."

For the next half hour, the three listened intently as I discussed shipboard operations aboard the Excursion on a normal mission. Then I told the group about our upcoming mission to test the refitted ship, return to Minmus, and then to the objects which keep appearing at the edge of our system. Immediately the room became quiet as Debgie began to ask questions.

"Sir, are they alien ships?" she asked. "the rumors are the aliens are going to invade Kerbin. After all, they did take Bill --"

"I've heard they are not going to invade," Mauchell chimed in. "I've heard they want to harvest us much like we harvest the sea bugs. They intend to turn us into --"

"No, I interrupted. "Yes, whomever is in the unidentified alien craft did take Bill. No, we don't think those objects are alien craft. They seem to be locked on orbit on the edge of our system. And why would they fly to Kerbin just to eat us? I'll be willing to --"

"Well," Mauchell interrupted. "There's absolutely no way I'd ever volunteer for a space mission. That's why I chose the Ground Expeditionary Force. Flying is one thing. Going into space, well, I'd just rather --"

"I agree, Mauchell!" Debgie added. "There's no need to go into space --"

"Captain," Geofbur added, ignoring the ongoing commentary from the others, "I know you're bringing this up on purpose. What are you getting at?"

And with that, knowing I had his interest, I decided it was now time. "Commander, I've been instructed by Dr. Edmund to interview the best candidates for my next mission. We will be out for about four months in space and part of that will be beyond Minmus' orbit. I was given the records of four Kermen who were selected by the Triune Committee as being those candidates. I've narrowed it down to two -- and you're on that list."

"Sir --" Geofbur began. "I'm going into space? Are you... this isn't some sort of joke... Am I going into space?"

"That depends on you, Commander." I began, but felt the need to explain further. "You're the first candidate on my list and I narrowed that list down to two. You've been in space before and -- "

"If this is an offer, count me in! I'll take it, Captain!" Geofbur exclaimed. "When do we leave? I've been waiting to get back into space for nearly a year --"

"You'd leave us... and go back into space?" Debgie and Mauchell said, nearly simultaneously.

"Commander, there's more," I added. "When we get back from this mission, you'll be promoted to captain. And with that promotion, you'll be given the command of your own ship --"

"Woah," Geofbur said, now looking overwhelmed. "I don't know what to say..."

Kerbol was now beginning to sink below the mountains which had acted like ancient guards to the site of the pyramids for nearly 10,000 years. For the rest of the evening, Geofbur and I found ourselves alone in the topside lounge. For the next hour, we discussed the various crew positions on the Excursion and what his role on the ship would be. I also shared my knowledge of the specific duties of each crew member, their education, training, and experience. He asked questions I never thought about asking when I was put in command of my first mission. Some were about the food rations, communication of Kerbin, and what to expect in space beyond the Mun. He even asked when he would be returning to the KSC to begin his training.

"Commander, we'll discuss those particulars in the days to come." And with that, I excused myself and headed towards the quarters I had been assigned. It was a long day and I needed all the rest I could get.

Supplemental Entry - Moho 14, Y003

With short notice similar to what put me at the Tulum Station, the same short notice ordered me to report back at the KSC. An hour before Kerbolrise, newly promoted Lieutenant Trice called from the settlement control room to inform me that a member of my crew, Lieutenant Gilti, had flown in last night after I had gone to bed. Since I did make the comment to hold all calls until today, it was obvious why she hadn't notified me before now. After taking a quick rainstorm in the room's rain station, I went to the topside lounge for breakfast and discovered Gilti was already awake, waiting for me.

"Captain, good morning!" she said, her enthusiasm for the new day was almost sickening.

"Morning, Lieutenant," I began. "What brings you out here?"

"Dr. Edmund contacted the KSC yesterday afternoon and said you'd be returning today. But he told Gene to send a courier rather than sending the orders or a message using the standard communications system. So, Gene sent me."

"I see," I said, still not so sure about this latest strange move by Dr. Edmund. "Well, we'll leave after breakfast, if you're up to it, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir." Gilti replied.

Within twenty minutes, Gilti and I finished our breakfast and had begun to clean up our mess as Geofbur entered the lounge. Apparently after I left, he and one of the other Kermen of the settlement stayed up two more hours, playing twelve dots. I introduced the two, and then informed him I would be leaving within the hour to head back to the KSC. It would still be at least two weeks before the space center would cut orders for him to return to the KSC for further training.

Within minutes, Gilti and I had been given permission to take off. Flying in formation was something I hadn't done since I entered into the Kerbalnaut service. But just as Gene had said at one time, you never really forget how to do it. Unlike the Koos I was flying, Gilti's craft had sky blue tail wings and flaps. She was flying one of the KSC Squadron craft and not one of the spare craft like I was flying. For the next hour and a half, we made our way to the air station near the naval yard.

Once we refueled (as I had learned my lesson from last time), I told Gilti to climb with me to an altitude of 25,000 meters. And just as I had discovered earlier, the Koos flew with less effort at higher speeds than at the lower altitude. For the next two and a half hours, we continued our high altitude flight at 235 meters per second. For some reason, the flight seemed a lot shorter to get back to the KSC -- or maybe I was more distracted by Gilti's constant chatter filling my ears.

We approached the KSC and were met with Kuzzter's familiar voice. "Khaob, this is KSC control, do you read?"

"KSC Control, this is Khaob, request landing clearance for two."

"Roger, Khaob." Kuzzter's voice as calm as ever. "The old man says to maintain a holding pattern as Sparrowhawk lands"

"Roger, KSC Control, Khaob will hold." And with that, I would maintain a holding pattern around the KSC until Gilti was cleared from the runway.

I watched as Lieutenant Gilti dropped to a low altitude and began her approach. Just like everything else she did, her landing was by the book. I watched as she slowed her speed, extended her landing gear, and prepared to land on the runway, adjusting her heading ever slightly to make sure she was where she needed to be.

But that was her, and well, having been taught by Jebediah, I hadn't learned all those steps. But being in a holding pattern meant I could not land until she had cleared the runway and was back on one of the KSC's aprons, safely out of the way. So while she was taxiing to the apron near the VAB, I continued my holding pattern...

until I decided to have some fun...

"KSC Control, this is Khaob," I called over the headset. "Request permission from a close-quarters flyby..."

And without waiting for confirmation, I began the roll and did something completely Jebediah. I increased the throttle to full and began to execute my plan...

Within seconds and as I executed the roll, I heard Bobak's voice on my headset, "Kerny, Gene says --"

"What's that, Bobak?" I said in a playful manner, "I can't hear you over the static! Come in, Bobak, Come in KSC Control..." No. There wasn't any static but they would never know.

The Koos accelerated to 340 meters per second and I not only was able to buzz the tower, but flew a tight arch around the Vehicle Assembly Building. Within seconds I pulled tight again and watched as some of the members of the space center poured out of the doors to see what the commotion was. But what I didn't expect was the next voice I heard over the headset.

"Dammit, Jeb - I mean - Kerny!" It was Gene! "As soon as you land, you... you know!" The one thing about that radio signal was the laughter and applause I heard in the background.

My landing was uneventful and within a few minutes, I had taxied my craft to the apron near where Gilti had pulled hers to. As I climbed down, Gilti was already at the base of my ladder, waiting for me. As I turned to face her, I could see her trying to suppress her smile.

"Captain!" she could barely conceal her excitement. "That was awesome! You know, by the time you rounded the VAB, Wow! You had to be going mach 1! You shook the whole center!"

"Yeah," I replied; she was right. It was really awesome.

"But Wow, did you hear Gene?" she asked. "He's pretty mad at you... he even started to call you Jebediah!"

"Yeah, about that..." And she was right. Turning towards KSC Operations, I began a walk that Jebediah had taken many times - leading to Gene's office to be yelled at for doing something completely stupid. She was right. It was pretty awesome.

 

A big thank you to @Just Jim for some PhotoShop work on an image for this chapter.

Return to the OP (Index)

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Edited April 15, 2018 by adsii1970

[obney kerman]

Kerny has "pulled a Jeb".

[Just Jim]

4 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

A big thank you to @Just Jim for some PhotoShop work on an image for this chapter.

You're most welcome... that was an easy one. Just don't ask me to put any Krakens in the sky... lmao... 

[Angelo Kerman]

Krakens you say? Hmm...

Now I’m curious to know what’s on that data stick...

Pretty neat to see the planes flying in formation too!

[Thedrelle]

Magnificent!

Nice to see Kerny being a bit mischievous, though I'm afraid it might hurt their fight to keep the KSC alive. If Kerny is seen as a loose cannon like Jeb it may detract from his reputation, and having Gene call him Jeb on the radio might have unexpected consequences. 

[adsii1970]

17 hours ago, Just Jim said:

You're most welcome... that was an easy one. Just don't ask me to put any Krakens in the sky... lmao... 

Makes me want to break out in song...

"Ghost Krakens in the Sky"

18 hours ago, obney kerman said:

Kerny has "pulled a Jeb".

Hehehe... Yup. And think about it... Eventually we all do something for the hellovit! And the way I see it, and based on Kerny's attitude, I would definitely say he had one of those moments.

10 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Now I’m curious to know what’s on that data stick...

Pretty neat to see the planes flying in formation too!

Until Kerny returns to space...

Yes, it was tricky... Let's just say that it took a lot of trial and error and a few F5s and F9s. And one doctored screen shot...

34 minutes ago, Thedrelle said:

Magnificent!

Nice to see Kerny being a bit mischievous, though I'm afraid it might hurt their fight to keep the KSC alive. If Kerny is seen as a loose cannon like Jeb it may detract from his reputation, and having Gene call him Jeb on the radio might have unexpected consequences. 

Yes, Kerny has his mischievous and dare devil side, too. He hated waiting in a holding pattern, so why not have a little fun with it! I just wish I had been a little quicker with the screen captures, though.

As far as the rest of the comment, I don't want to give out too many spoilers. But I will say this... Gene is going to be important in the next few chapters...

[RealKerbal3x]

This is great, @adsii1970!!!

The plot thickens.....

[Thedrelle]

21 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

This is great, @adsii1970!!!

The plot thickens.....

If it thickens any more, it will collapse into a black hole. 

[adsii1970]

21 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

This is great, @adsii1970!!!

The plot thickens.....

 

23 minutes ago, Thedrelle said:

If it thickens any more, it will collapse into a black hole. 

Yeah, last count there are roughly 21 different sub-plots going on... And there are those who wonder why I have graduated from note cards to keeping a spiral bound notebook...

Black holw, @Thedrelle? Are you sure we're not to the "dark matter" stage?

[RealKerbal3x]

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

 

Yeah, last count there are roughly 21 different sub-plots going on... And there are those who wonder why I have graduated from note cards to keeping a spiral bound notebook...

Black holw, @Thedrelle? Are you sure we're not to the "dark matter" stage?

At this point, it’s probably 500 overlapping black holes spewing out dark matter.

And the Kraken. Definitely the Kraken.

[adsii1970]

21 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

At this point, it’s probably 500 overlapping black holes spewing out dark matter.

And the Kraken. Definitely the Kraken.

Oh, yeah. The last chapter... I summoned the Kraken five times trying to do the planes flying in formation screen shots.

I learned that quick saving and then reopening the quicksave simply summons multiple Krakens.