[Story] Into the Deep, Dark Black

[19chickens]

Into the Deep, Dark Black

Backstory

    Decades ago, the Union of Kerbal States was a peaceful organisation, devoted to helping all of the different kerbal states achieve balance, eliminating world poverty, things like that.  It also had a rapidly growing space program, aiming to put Kerbals on the Mun.  Before they could, though, the Republikan Kerbal States broke away from the Union, plunging the world into khaos.  Eventually the situation stabilised, but then the RKS attempted to test its first KIIAE weapon.  The launcher failed during its flight, sending the KIIAE crashing to the surface.  Due to the RKS' hubris, they did not include a method for safe venting of the warhead, which led to the explosion creating a new biome-the Badlands.  The states with the UKS panicked, and the Kerbal State of Afrika led the UKS into becoming the Military Alliance of Kerbal States, or MAKS for short.  They were at each other's throats for ages, the MAKS aggressively upgrading its launch facility whereas the RKS still failed to design a coating for the KIIAE that could enable it to survive the stresses of reentry. 

Just weeks ago, it came to a head.  An RKS KIIAE self-destructed over the Kayan Territories, causing aurorae to spread as far as the west coast of Afrika.  Enraged, the MAKS ordered an emergency evacuation of all Kerbals, evacuating them into underground shelters.  Whilst this happened, the Orbital Corps. was mobilised, launching from the MAKS' Space Center for a bombing run on the RKS.  Out of fifty craft launched for the first wave, one was shot down, carrying Valentina and Bill Kerman.  The brother-and-sister duo had been manning kargo craft for years, until the RKS Run destroyed their craft.  Valentina managed to fly it onto a collision course for the RKS' Space Center, before both she and Bill ejected.  The destruction of the RKSSC effectively forced their surrender, especially when the detonation of a KIIAE pushed the RKSSC into a large crater.  Recognising the danger that total war posed, the RKS-MAKS alliance tentatively decided to place a kolony on the Mun.

Contents

Prologue

Prologue

"LC, prepare for go/no-go poll on launch." Gene Kerman, legendary MAKS launch director, said.

"Sat?"

"Go."

"AVI?"

"Go."

And so on it went, until every station had reported "Go."  On the launchpad the ISRO's PSLV XL SLL (Solid-Liquid-Liquid) sat, ready for liftoff.

* * *

"Hello, and welcome to Kerbal Spacecast.  Today is the launch of the International Satellite Research Office's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying the satellite Munarekon I to a munar orbit.  Rozalina, would you like to explain?"

"Yes, thank you, Ronnie.  A few minutes ago, launch controllers at the KSC conducted a go/no-go poll for this launch.  This is to determine whether the rocket can launch successfully.  If it couldn't-"

Rozalina paused, listening to the chatter of the launch controllers from her and Ronnie's perch upon a balcony above Mission Control.  Through the pointed glass windows she could see the PSLV sitting there, ready for launch.

"The launchpad has just passed control for the launch to the satellite's M3CH-J3B guidance unit.  Both satellite and rocket are on internal power.  Liftoff in ten seconds."

With a lurch, the M3CH-J3B unit detonated ignition rings, lighting the main core and 4 of the 6 boosters in a blaze of fire.  For a single, heart-stopping second, it tipped itself away from the VAB before the M3CH-J3B fired again, igniting the last pair of boosters on the PSLV's climb to orbit. 

There was cheering from Mission Control, but most were quiet, concentrating on the mission of getting the rocket to orbit.  After a minute or so of flight, the first set of four boosters flickered out, decouplers and separatrons firing to clear the rocket.  Gasps rose from the Mission Control crowd.

"Huh?" Rozalina asked, staring at her laptop.  "It appears that one of the boosters' separatrons failed to fire.  As a result it was destroyed on contact with the first stage.  The other two boosters have successfully separated."

Mere minutes later the first stage blew off, exposing the second stage as the M3CH-J3B plotted a circularisation burn.  Having sone so, it suddenly staged the fairings, all climbing up, up to its 372 KM apoapsis.

Up it climbed, deploying its scientific instruments to study Kerbin on the munar kruise, until the engine lit in a burst of flame.  Despite the best efforts of a struggling RCS, it was ever so slightly off maneuver, causing the upper stage to slew wildly back and forth.  The M3CH-J3B unit quickly attempted to compromise, making the slew worse.

"AVI?" Kerman asked.

"System adjusting gimbal radius," the AVI crew replied.  True to their word, the rocket stabilised, in a 372x172 KM orbit.  Realising this, the M3CH-J3B plotted the TMI burn and swivelled round, falling down to accelerate to the Mun.  Unfortunately for the Munarekon I, as Kerbal Spacecast had come to term it, it was on a Munar collision course.

"Hold on," the RCS kerbal said.  "We can perform a 5m/s retro burn in 23 minutes.  It'll push us clear of the Mun."

"Cleared to execute," Kerman replied.

Chaya I had begun.

 

Edited April 30, 2016 by 19chickens