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

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

@Just Jim:  left you a few breadcrumbs and a hat tip!

Thank you! I can definitely use these breadcrumbs, but with a slight twist...  

[adsii1970]

47 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Thank you! I can definitely use these breadcrumbs, but with a slight twist...  

@Just Jim: One of the things I hoped to do with that last kinda-post-response is to set the stage in one of the sub-plots. Kerny has kinda been heading down this path to discovering the whole reason for a Kerbin Defense Force - Dr. Orson's history points to alien intervention in the affairs of Kerbin nearly three millennia ago. I hope I didn't blow things out too much by including that in the post.

 

[AviosAdku]

Impressive write-up, I really do like the world building at work here.

[adsii1970]

@AkuAerospace: Thank you. A hat tip must go to the originator of the concept of creating fictitious history to support a story line: Isaac Asimov. Check out his Foundation series...

It's hard to find a balance without giving too much of the story line idea that I have and answering questions or ideas proposed by the reader. I thought the easiest way to do that was to simply cite a fictitious historiographical work (remember, I am a professional historian by vocation), then use it as the vehicle to explain the past in such a way that it actually supports the current story.

[Orion Kerman]

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

Yeah well thanks for that trust me I can imagine anything to be honest i could imagine almost anything you could come up with and plans for bill... well I like that which is making me think of bill.....

Edited November 18, 2016 by Orion Kerman
Something weird is happening to my comments

[adsii1970]

Urlum 2, Y003
"Just another day at the KSC..."
Chapter 21

Eeloo 34th is already being considered as the second greatest event to happen to Kerbin since the Great Anomaly. For the remainder of the time we had in orbit, myself, Aldas, and Karloff, listened to the random reports coming in from all over Kerbin about the sightings of the unidentified alien craft. The last and final transmission about the sightings came out about the time we began our reentry procedures. Bobak had come across the airwaves about thirty minutes after the last sighting. The official tally is there were fifteen separate sightings during a three hour period. No one is sure what it really means.

We began our reentry procedures around mid-afternoon space center time on the 36th of Eeloo. It isn't that I mind reentry so much as I hate the reality of what reentry means - I'm leaving space! Once we completed our final burn and our altitude was around 70 kilometers above the surface, we jettisoned the service module and began our descent. Our reentry was nearly perfect; Aldas had to learn the hard way about the importance of watching the decimal points in his calculations. We ended up landing close to 2,500 kilometers from our target - but Bobak insisted during pre-flight briefings that I not be such a stickler for punctuality.

For the first time in my career as a Kerbalnaut, I heard Bobak lose his temper, "dammit, Kerman, you know what I meant... this is... well, it's going to be a long walk back to the..."

"Boys, as you can tell, Bobak's lost his cool," Gene interrupted, cutting off Bobak's microphone. "It could be a lot worse. Anyhow, you're about a hundred kilometers from an asset and we'll have orders passed to have them to recover and return you to us. Enjoy the ride back..."

And with that, our communications dropped out as our capsule was surrounded by plasma from the heat of reentry. Once we were on the surface, we had nearly a two hour wait until the recovery team made it to our location. As we boarded a transport plane for the nearly four hour flight to the center, Kerndoff told us that their team didn't see any of the alien craft but like we had, monitored the radio transmissions closely. They did tell us that another survey team had discovered something "extraordinary" in the south central region of the desert, but didn't know any more details than that.

The return flight was pretty routine and we returned to the space center in time for the morning briefing of the flight staff on the 37th of Eeloo. Although there had been no further sightings of the alien crafts anywhere in Kerbin, the five-member Committee of Kerbin Defense ordered all Kerbin Defense Forces to maintain a defensive posture. Gene announced that this was now considered a part of the Standing Orders of the KDF until the alert level would be lowered. As he said in the briefing, "We don't know if they are coming back, if they are just curious about us or any other notion we seem to give about their motives. What we do know is there are many that are concerned. We need to be the reassurance that they're protected..." and with that, the rest of the morning's briefings contained various patrol assignments. I was also notified at this briefing that my next space launch would be delayed by ten days. My crew and I were still going to complete five orbits of Minimus with a new launch date of the 13th of Urlum. 

After the morning briefing, Bobak met with me and gave me new orders for the next five days. Dr. Wernher had requested that once my duties permitted, he wanted me to continue the test flights that began before our hastily launched mission. Gene had walked into the conference room as Bobak and I were discussing our opinions of Dr. Wernher's newest craft, the Ktar.

As Gene began to tell us his view of the craft, Kuzzter, the shift's flight operations tracking specialist, entered into the room. "Gene, you might want to get Thompberry's team ready. Hadfin's in trouble..." And with that, all three of us entered into the tracking center's control room. The readouts on the main screen indicated the Kyap Mk 4 he was assigned had a serious engine malfunction.

"Tracking, this is Tango 3..." Hadfin's voice filled the tracking center control room, "returning to KSC. Engine malfunction in progress..."

"Roger, Tango 3." Bobak responded. "We are aware of your problems; attempt return to KSC. Follow emergency protocols..."  Since our first day in flight training, we were required to memorize the sequence of the emergency protocols for aircraft. First, attempt to stabilize the aircraft. Second, check fuel levels. Third, transfer fuel from drop tanks to internal tanks, and release drop tank. Fourth, drop all ordinance. Fifth, attempt to return to the nearest airfield. Sixth, if the craft cannot be safely landed, eject.

"Tango 3, this is Joker..." Jebediah called out, "go through the steps. What's your status..."

"Joker, I've got another failure indicator..." and with that, the data stream and communications from the trainer aircraft abruptly ended.

"Gene, I'm going to redirect..." called out Jebediah.

"Jebediah, go ahead... Kuzzter, record Test Flight 1149 as active status, normal flight..." Gene ordered. We all watched the large display of the KSC air zone as Jebediah's flight beacon changed from light orange to yellow.

Within a five-minute eternity, Jebediah reported that he had seen a parachute deploy; Hadfin made the decision to eject. Jebediah also sent coordinates of the Kyap, now a shattered, burning wreck in the forest below. You can bet that Dr. Wernher will send out a recovery team to secure the wreckage and bring it back to the center. One of the things he enjoyed almost as much as designing new craft was trying to figure out why one crashed. Gene made the decision to allow the scheduled test flight to continue, and with that, Jebediah continued to put the new Knat Mk 5 through its paces.

Once the excitement of the morning was over, Bobak told me that Dr. Wernher had informed him that the scheduled meeting between he and myself was postponed for a couple of days. I cannot say I am really surprised by this development. The crash of the Kyap, one of the most stable designs of Kersplat Aerospace Industries, was a new puzzle for Dr. Wernher to figure out. As Bobak said, "I think this is just what you needed to get out of flying that messed up design..." I think he's probably right.

So, now I'm waiting for my revised schedule. I've already found out from the posted orders that the next mission - now referred to as Minimus Maximon 2 - will include Karloff and Aldas as my crew. Other than that, there's no real surprise about the posted orders. We're to make 5 orbits around Minimus, perform two space walks for a total of 45 minutes, and then return to Kerbin. I have no idea why our mission is numbered as the second of the series and will have to do a little research on it.

Earlier this afternoon, I did go and visit Bill who is still in the center infirmity since the alien craft sightings. I really wasn't too surprised to discover Bob already there. Bob told me that since the team found him near the monolith, he's not made a lot of sense. He continues to talk of how the monolith calls out to him and how it's full of stars. As Bob and I continued to talk about Bill's condition, the Knat 5 prototype - with Jebediah at it's controls - could be heard screaming by overhead. Since this last alien craft encounter there has been a renewed push to develop better performing craft and technology to protect our planet. Apparently, this newer version of the Knat Mk 5 is truly a high-performance craft!

Speaking of research, since our return to Kerbin, I have been reading the reports from the archived research from Dr. Orson and his theories about the alien craft and alien interference in Kerbin's history. One of the interesting things I read in his research was the numerous stories he discovered in the archives that discuss the events surrounding the first appearing of the alien craft some three thousand years ago. Apparently the craft came without any real warning and disappeared for nearly a hundred years. I'm still not sure what most of his observations mean or if these are even the same alien craft his research discusses. I guess I'll have to do more research in my spare time.

 

Edited November 30, 2016 by adsii1970

[adsii1970]

Urlum 13, Y003
"Minimus 2, you are clear for trajectory burn..."
Chapter 22

Ten minutes ago we were given the ok to begin our trajectory burn to put us on a course to intercept Minimus! In two hours, we have a correction burn scheduled; until then, all there is to do is wait. It's been pretty busy since my last entry and a lot has changed since my last entry. Since the 3rd of Urlum, life has slowed down considerably since our launch this evening.

This morning, about thirty minutes before Kerbolrise, Aldas, Karloff, and myself attended the last pre-flight briefing for this mission. Our mission is simple - we rendezvous with Minimus, orbit the small, strange moon five times, then return to Kerbin. Again, I was instructed by Bobak not to be too uptight about Aldas' methods of formula calculations. "Remember, Kerny," he said, "Jebediah didn't jump all over you when you made mistakes..."

"But he NEVER was more than three thousandths off, Bobak." Jebediah defended. "When he was off, we were still less than a thousand meters from our designated landing zone... we were never a whole continent off!" 

And with that, everyone in the room - except for Bobak and Aldas busted out in a round of laughter. Really, I do like him and think he's got a lot of heart; he just cannot do math! In three out of the seven simulator drills, his math was off. The last mistake he made would have caused us to miss our rendezvous point completely and could have caused us to leave Kerbin's sphere of influence, or SOI as Gene called it. Our course correction burn is because he made a similar mistake while we were performing the trajectory burn. Our burn lasted ten seconds longer than it should have and now we are off by more than thirty degrees! I'm going to recommend more training for him before he goes on another mission.

Back on the 4th of Urlum, after all the excitement of Hadfin's ejection died down, flight operations returned to normal. That morning, I reported to Dr. Wernher's office and was surprised to learn he had "shelved" the Ktar and I was to test the newest design, the Koos. It's interesting because the word, "koos" is an ancient word that means "falcon." When I get back from this mission, I want to find out more about this ancient civilization of kermen.

I was surprised by her clean, sleek lines and the performance specifications of this new craft. Instead of having two small external drop tanks, the design had one large tank mounted under the main fuselage. Dr. Wernher informed me with a great big smile, "She's yours to test and I'm certain you'll be more than pleased with her performance..."

Within seconds of powering up to full throttle, the Koos had enough speed for me to attempt take-off. I was amazed as I pulled the stick back and with only twenty-five percent of the runway behind me, I was already racing up into the sky!

I spent the rest of the morning putting the Koos through the training paces. Although the drop tank was far from empty, I was instructed to jettison it and toggle the afterburner. Within moments, I was streaking across the sky at nearly 1320 meters per second! I was instructed to take tight turns in the craft, to do rapid climbs and then rapid descents - and only twice did I even remotely feel the aircraft lose stability!

I heard a roar of laughter over the radio as Jebediah called in, "Kerny, you really need to quit showboatin'! You're making me look bad..."

"No, Kerny - ignore that..." came Bob's voice over the headset. "He doesn't need your help to make him look bad... the stats board does that quite well..." And with that, another round of laughter could be heard over the headset.

Later that evening, in the post-test flight briefing, I learned the Koos was designed to be an interceptor. Her speed, combined with her agility, were designed on the heels of the most recent visit of the unidentified alien craft. Following the recommendation of Bobak, I asked Gene if I could have the Koos prototype assigned as my permanent craft. After all, it's how Jebediah was assigned his current craft, the Knat Mk 4 that sits outside the hangar on the tarmac. His response was short, "we'll see... but from this point forward, you're not flying anything but simulators until you return from Minimus! Was he ever right; starting on the fifth and ending just a day before our launch, I think I spent more time in briefings and the simulators than I did in bed!

Well, it's time to check in with mission control. I want to verify my calculations with Bobak to make sure we get back on course. Although I appreciate the support that Jebediah has always given me and the way he stood up to defend my calculations earlier today, I simply want to make sure I am right. There's no room for mistakes - or missed decimals - in space!

 

Edited December 3, 2016 by adsii1970

[Angelo Kerman]

27 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Urlum 13, Y003
"Minimus 2, you are clear for trajectory burn..."
Chapter 22

 

 

It seems brief. Apparently I'm not able to see anything but the chapter heading, did I miss something?

[adsii1970]

1 hour ago, Angel-125 said:

It seems brief. Apparently I'm not able to see anything but the chapter heading, did I miss something?

 

@Angel-125 Yes, that's what happens when without thinking, you hit "submit reply" on a post you are trying to make. It's up now... so you may resume your reading pleasure!

[Just Jim]

That's a pretty plane!!! 

Edited December 3, 2016 by Just Jim

[adsii1970]

2 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

That's a pretty plane!!! 

Thanks! And as a side note, Koos is actually ancient Mayan word, as far as anthropologists and linguistic experts understand, for falcon! And as you can tell, she looks an awful lot like an F-16! So naturally, I could not resist naming it that. And she flies like a bat out of hell! I literally did a 90 degree course change with a real tight turn - and never would have ever attempted it with any of my other craft...

[Just Jim]

Just now, adsii1970 said:

Thanks! And as a side note, Koos is actually ancient Mayan word, as far as anthropologists and linguistic experts understand, for falcon! And as you can tell, she looks an awful lot like an F-16! So naturally, I could not resist naming it that. And she flies like a bat out of hell! I literally did a 90 degree course change with a real tight turn - and never would have ever attempted it with any of my other craft...

I like it a lot... but I don't recognize the cockpit. Is it a mod part?

[adsii1970]

17 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

I like it a lot... but I don't recognize the cockpit. Is it a mod part?

Yes, it is. It's from a mod pack called AviationCockpits.

@Just Jim: sorry it took me so long to reply. I was trying to find the OP for the mod...

Edited December 3, 2016 by adsii1970

[Dman979]

Like Jim said, it's a very pretty plane!

I assume that over the years, Koos has gradually changed its meaning to something like this?

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

In three out of the seven simulator drills, his math was off.

That's less than half, OK in my book!

29 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

I literally did a 90 degree course change with a real tight turn - and never would have ever attempted it with any of my other craft...

How much speed did you lose?

[adsii1970]

5 minutes ago, Dman979 said:

Like Jim said, it's a very pretty plane!

I assume that over the years, Koos has gradually changed its meaning to something like this?

That's less than half, OK in my book!

Koos and coos are NOT the same...

(j/k )

Forgot to answer your question, @Dman979: Not a lot. about 48 m/s... which shocked me. In fact, I tried to do a roll turn to the right, ended up doing a barrel role because she's so responsive...not at all like some of the other craft I've flown. Lands easy... she can still glide at under 48 m/s which means you can drift down to the runway and land pretty smooth.

Edited December 3, 2016 by adsii1970

[Just Jim]

31 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Yes, it is. It's from a mod pack called AviationCockpits.

@Just Jim: sorry it took me so long to reply. I was trying to find the OP for the mod...

Oh wow... those are awesome! I may have to break down and add them. 

Question, I see it needs another mod called Rasterpropmonitor  ... are those both 1.2 compatable?

[adsii1970]

10 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Oh wow... those are awesome! I may have to break down and add them. 

Question, I see it needs another mod called Rasterpropmonitor  ... are those both 1.2 compatable?

Yes, they are.

 

[AviosAdku]

I just read the last chapter and ... only in the Kerbal space program can you goof a burn by that much and not get fired, I really think that you captured the tone of Kerbals, competent (especially as engineers) but not that keen on safety regulations to comedic effect.

Also congratulations on the plane design, insanely fast and agile with a good landing speed to boot, it sounds like a lot of fun.

I must admit though that I'm a little confused by the chronology of the chapter (as in what happened when) could someone clarify, are they currently flying to Minmus or ???

I guess it doesn't help that I don't know how their calendar works, is it your own one or something you saw?

Aku

[adsii1970]

@AkuAerospace - glad you asked... but before I answer your question about the dating system, let me explain the chronology of the chapter... Kerny starts off by explaining where he is at now, what's happened since dawn, and the problems with Aldas' math... Once that has happened, he then explains what has happened since his last entry - the testing of the Koos, then simulator drills until the day before the launch.  I hope that helps... when the chapter ends, he is double checking his own calculations about the pending course corrective burn...

Now, you're the first person to ask about the dating system. It actually evolved out of my first attempt to write mission reports... which frankly sucked to write and blew chunks to read. The only thing I felt was salvageable, besides Ralph, was the calendar...

According to the wiki back for version .90, (Beta than ever!), it described the Kerbin year, the amount of time it takes Kerbin to make one orbit around Kerbol, as 411 Kerbin days (six hour days, to be technical). So, I went about to create a calendar based on those numbers.

Since Kerbals prefer the metric system, I wanted to create a calendar based on ten months. I chose the names from the stock planets and some of the planets from Outer Planets Mod. (I used this until 1.1 - the point when my machine refused to go faster than 5 fps with that mod installed! Until I get the new computer at the first of the year, I am playing without OPM but decided to leave those months named after the planets anyway. Here are the months of the Kerbin year and the number of days in each month:

Month	# of days		Month	# of days
Moho	40		Dres	35
Eve	40		Eeloo	40
Duna	40		Urlum	43
Jool	46		Neidon	43
Sarnus	44		Plock	40

The years, simply noted as Y003 for now, actually start with Y001 being the first moment I started that particular game. At that time, Kerny was on the roster but it was not until I decided to change my approach to writing fan fic (shout out to @Just Jim, @Kuzzter, and ZooNamedGames for encouraging me to try again), that he became the focus of the story. For the sake of the storyline, Y001, the first day of Moho, is the day known as the Great Emergence...

Anyhow, that's how nerdy I am... and it works well in my Kerbal universe!

[Angelo Kerman]

Loving the new jet! F-16 was one of my favorites back in the day.

[adsii1970]

13 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

Loving the new jet! F-16 was one of my favorites back in the day.

https://kerbalx.com/adsii1970/KAI-Koos-Mk-1

Happy flying! I'll add the control groups tomorrow... it is late and I am going to bed!

[adsii1970]

Urlum 25, Y003
"The ramblings of boredom..."
Chapter 23

Today marks mission day thirteen. About two hours ago, Bobak's voice came over the VOX. It was nothing really urgent nor alien craft related. It was time to verify my calculations for tomorrow's orbital insertion burn around Minimus. With nearly thirty percent fuel remaining in the second stage and full fuel in our command module, we should have plenty of fuel to spare once we are back in Kerbin's orbit. We actually have more mono-propellant remaining that what was expected at this point in our trip. I decided to change our view.

"Minimus 2, this is Mission Control..." It was Bobak again. "We just measured a one point two seven percent drop in your mono--"

"Yes, Mission Control..." Aldas, obviously not aware of mission protocol, responded. "Kerny decided to give us a better view..."

"Kerny, this is Gene..." the gruff familiar voice coming over the VOX said. "Sight-seeing is fine. Just make sure you keep enough mono to steer home. We're sending you a packet of data; the Grand Senate was in session until two days ago. You might want to read it before you get back. Oh, and Aldas, you NEVER answer the radio unless it's approved by the mission commander..." And with that, today's contact with mission control ended. We wouldn't hear back from mission  control again until two hours before orbital insertion.

As I look out the portal, Kerbin seems so small. During our simulator training, I never really took the chance to look out the portals into the simulated space. But looking out the portal and seeing home - Kerbin - about the size of a basketball and the Mün looked even smaller. During the conversation with Mission Control two days ago, Bobak told us that there had only been ONE other Kerbal that had ever been so far out in space, and he had also been on a mission to Minimus. Of course, I knew he was referring to Bill.

I did read over the data packet Gene mentioned. These tablets could hold an amazing amount of data; before launch I was able to download  Dr. Orson's complete set of books and about three hours of The Saga of Emiko Station before it even reached twenty-five percent of available storage. On missions, data packets are extremely easy to download. It's a fairly simple process. You take the tablet, plug the cord into the side, then plug the other end of the cord into the craft's control panel data socket. This was now the standard and had been since Y002.

Anyhow, the data packet contained a few briefings on events happening around the KSC. Jebediah had been given a scramble order for an unexplained radar image located towards the north-north-east of the center. Within seven minutes of receiving the scramble code, the report states that Jebeidah was already in the air, had jettisoned the external drop tank, and was on his way to where the center's radar indicated something had been.

The report stated that Jebediah, too, encountered a radar anomaly, but when he was within visual range, he didn't see anything. He requested to go "weapons hot." I could almost hear Jebediah's voice as I read his "Mission Control, this is Joker, I've got a partial lock... Activating Missile 1 fire!" The tracking center was able to track the missile. Not only had Jebediah not armed its warhead, but whatever he fired at simply wasn't physically there. The radars at the KSC tracked Jebediah, the fired missile, and the anomaly. At the point the anomaly and the missile should have made contact, the missile went right through it!

From what I remember of Kerbin history, Jebediah is now the first Kerman to fire a weapon in a live-fire situation since the Fifth Great War. The rest of the mission report was Gene and Dr. Herodikus agreeing with Jebediah's decision to fire on the anomaly and contained an extensive objection by Dr. Haywood and three other members of the Committee of Space Exploration and Spaceflight. Since this was decided by the Grand Committee as a defensive matter, it was concluded that Jebediah acted within a reasonable manner. As Gene said, "if they are friendly, why don't they just come by the KSC for coffee?"

One of the other things in the data packet was about the latest session of the Grand Committee. It was that time of the year where the Senate reviewed the annual budget and made public its most recently passed legislation. The space center's budget was increased by nearly two hundred percent with three new goals added for the next three years. The new goals included more space flights, a Kerbaled expedition to Duna, shuttle research, and even the launching of a space telescope.

The next item will be a big change and I can only imagine how it will impact things at the KSC. A piece of legislation that passed created a rank structure within the Defense Forces and would even include the Kerbalnaut program as a separate branch within the defense force.The only mention of rank assignments were that Jebeidah, Bob, Bill, and Valentina were promoted to the rank of captain.

The legislation stated that all remaining current members of the URKDF would be evaluated and assigned rank based on duty performance. Anyone accepted after the 25th of Urlum would begin the normal rank progression as defined by the committee. I guess we'll learn - me and my crew - what we've been evaluated as once we return to the center.

Another announcement was made within the data packet. Valentina and her crew had been transferred off the URKN Dres and onto a much larger vessel, the URKN Sinaan. She's also been named as the senior officer of the Navy - and I can almost hear Jebediah's complaining to anyone who will listen. There's always been a high level of competition between the two. I'd hate to be Gene or anyone else at the tracking center right now! According to the release, the Dres was placed under operational command of Lanfry once Valentina assumed command of the Sinaan. The Sinaan, by decree of the Grand Committee, is the flagship of the Kerbin navy. 

Since it is the oldest ship in the fleet, the Dres was ordered into dry dock yesterday. I've never seen how they retrieve a ship out of the water and take it back to the center, but I have heard it is truly a sight to see! By the time we return to the KSC, she'll be in the process of undergoing the first stages of the refit. From what I remember being told when the Menzabac was launched, they essentially allow Thompberry, considered as one of the greatest engineering minds on the planet, to oversee any vessel being removed from the ocean.

I've come to the conclusion that our ship is too small for the mission it is designed to do. I've made some notes for Gene and Dr. Wernher with recommendations on what needs to be included. Both Ralph and Jebediah told me that Bill complained about the tight quarters and long voyage in the Mark 1 capsule. The last ten days have been extremely difficult. Personally, I'd like to see a crew cabin with more room added to the command module. There also needs to be some additional variety added to the snack selection. Whatever is in Protein Bar Recipe 2 has given Aldas a bad case of gas and a nice bluish-green rash on his face. I asked Jebediah about it four days ago; his answer was classic Jeb: "Well, tell him not to eat any more of those, then!"

Bob's response was more compassionate; trade out his Recipe 2 bars for any of the remaining bars in my snack pack. I've done that and Aldas' rash is beginning to fade. I wish I could say the same about the gas. I think if I go back into space with him, I'm going to take Bob's advice. I am going to bring some of that air spray he used when Bill farted!

Dr. Orson described the unidentified alien craft in his books as having a large appendage with a red eye. I'm not sure if the alien craft that's been spotted recently is the same as he described. I've gone back and looked at the reports filed shortly after the 2nd of Urlum encounter. In the images captured by camera, there's no such appendage and definitely not any sort of red eye. There can only be two possible meanings to this - one is that these are not the same aliens and we're encountering an entirely new species, or two - since it has been more than three hundred years since his research was published, then perhaps the aliens have advanced in technology the same as we have. It's amazing how much research one can get done when it's one of the few things you can do on these missions!

[Just Jim]

Oh, here we go again... Kerny is wasting valuable tablet memory on non-mission related sci-fi programs...  lmao   

I absolutely love the ships!  And your method of pulling them into dry dock. Very clever...

[Dman979]

Neat! I do like the "dry-dock" process.

About Jeb and Val- is it a competition, or a rivalry? No need to answer here- the Author is dead.

[adsii1970]

1 minute ago, Just Jim said:

Oh, here we go again... Kerny is wasting valuable tablet memory on non-mission related sci-fi programs...  lmao   

I absolutely love the ships!  And your method of pulling them into dry dock. Very clever...

You bet! Reforger, Desert Shield and Storm taught me the "benefits" of using military equipment to encourage and expand amusement possibilities when deployed! I heard more than once, "sergeant, just how did that happen, again!?"

Thanks... And as you can tell, Thompberry is a genius in this story also...

1 minute ago, Dman979 said:

Neat! I do like the "dry-dock" process.

About Jeb and Val- is it a competition, or a rivalry? No need to answer here- the Author is dead.

She thinks it's good old fashioned competition among colleagues. Jedediah thinks it's about being the undisputed top dog...so he sees her as a rival. Or at least it's how I see it playing out in my mind.