Civil War (A KSP War novel) The End

[DarkOwl57]

1 minute ago, Orion Kerman said:

You could use that!!!

And what SAFTEY????

I think I will

[RandomGuy1824]

MOAR! Me want MOAR!!!!!!!!!!! In all seriousness this is a great story. I think it has the potential to be your best story yet!. You're probably my favorite writer on the forums

[DarkOwl57]

13 minutes ago, RandomGuy1824 said:

MOAR! Me want MOAR!!!!!!!!!!! In all seriousness this is a great story. I think it has the potential to be your best story yet!. You're probably my favorite writer on the forums

1: Chapter 3's in the works

2: Thanks!

3: Well I've got some experience

4: aaaaawwwwww shucks 

[Orion Kerman]

Today's news,

https://imgur.com/a/Bm1eL

Can't wait for chapter 3

Edited February 10, 2017 by Orion Kerman

[DarkOwl57]

3 minutes ago, Orion Kerman said:

Today's news,

https://imgur.com/a/Bm1eL

Can't wait for chapter 3

DarkOwl 56?

[Orion Kerman]

25 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

DarkOwl 56?

Damn it!! I messed up there!!

[DarkOwl57]

8 minutes ago, Orion Kerman said:

Damn it!! I messed up there!!

hahahahha

 

First off, thanks to @Just Jim for letting me use his story in mine. Thanks bro!

Chapter 3

First Flight

 

Time: 7:00 am

Location: Runway of the KAFB

 

    The plane touched down perfectly, applying the brakes at just the right time to bring the plane to a smooth stop. As Gene prepared to exit the passenger capsule, a squad of fighters went into the hangar. The door opened, and Gene climbed down to see some grinning pilots coming up to the plane.

    “Hey there. You must be the new recruit.” One of the pilots said as he shook Genes hand. I’m detecting a faint East Kerbin accent, Gene thought as he looked at the other pilots. “Yup. Corporal Gene Kerman, reporting in.”

    “No need for the formality here,” The lead pilot laughed. “We’re kinda an informal bunch around here. My name’s Hans. This is Sam, Meg, Scotty, Josh, Timothy, Greg, aaaannndddd.. Where’s Frank?”

    “Colonel assigned him to KP,” Meg replied. “Really? Gah, I’ll talk to Porter later. Doesn’t he know I outrank him?” Hans sighed. “Well this is all of us for now. There’re more of us, but our CO decided to put everyone hard at work today.”

    “Wait, you said you outrank him. Why aren’t you CO?” Gene asked. “Well when you’re CO, you don’t have any fun. All they do is sit at a little desk all day and fill out paperwork. Our job on the other hand, that’s where the fun is.” Hans smiled as he pointed to a small office building. “That’s where out CO stays. I’ll give you the tour as soon as I give a report-“ Hans started before there was a collective groan from the rest of the pilots.

    “You gave the last tour!” Scotty cried out. “Well I outrank you! Colonel Privilege!” Hans gave a mischievous grin. “Oh come on!” The other pilots all exclaimed in protest. “Listen, you’ll all get a chance. But this time, I’ll lead the tour. Okay?” This was met with some mumbles, but no one gave audible complaints.

    “Alright then. Gene, if you will follow me.” Hans dismissed the group, and started walking towards the center. “So this building here’s the Hangar. We build most of our planes here, as well as store the fighters when we don’t need them.” Gene looked up at the massive structure, and saw the other planes inside.

    “And right here’s what we call the ‘VAB’. We don’t use it for anything really. Just if we want to launch off a satellite or two.” Hans pointed to a massively tall building; Almost twice the height of the Hangar.

    “And that complex of buildings over there?” Hans pointed to their right. “That’s the R&D complex. We to a ton of tests over there on stuff like engines, weapons, data; the standard stuff.” Hans was just about to turn around before he saw a scientist walking up to him. “Oh no. Nonononono. Hey, Gene?”

    “Yeah?” Gene looked around but didn’t see any danger. “Hide.” Hans turned to run before the scientist called out “HANS!!!” Gene looked at the two of them, trying to figure out what was going on.

    “Heeeeeeyyyyy Wernher. How’s it going?” Hans turned around and gave a half-hearted smile. “Where are my supplies? You promised that they would arrive 2 days ago!” Wernher asked with some very tried patience.

    “Uhm.. Uh ah… What… Supplies?” Hans stammered, making Wernher’s face go red. “SIE KENNEN GENAU, WAS ICH SPRECHE ÜBER IHNEN IDIOT!” Wernher shouted, making Gene confused. Wish I could understand what they’re saying… he thought as Hans tried to defuse the situation.

    “Hören Sie, wie ich Ihnen gesagt habe, das Unternehmen hat noch nicht alle Lieferungen! Geben Sie ihnen etwas Zeit, und ich bin sicher, dass sie durchkommen werden.” Gene whispered into Hans’s ear, “What’s up with this guy?”

    “I habe gehört- or sorry, I heard that kid.” Wernher called out. Hans ignored him. “Wernher’s working on a new engine. He’s upset because a shipment of materials hasn’t come in yet.” Hans replied, before dropping his voice lower. “I didn’t order them yet.” Gene laughed, making Wernher even more upset.

    “Gah Deshalb arbeite ich nicht mit Kindern. Schönen Tag!” He shouted, before stomping off to the R&D complex. Hans laughed, but Gene was just flat-out confused. “What-“ Gene tried to ask, before Hans just waved him off, still chuckling.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 7:45 am

Location: Hangar; KAFB

 

    Gene clambered up into his plane, and opened up the cockpit. The plane, the F-61 Eagle, was a beauty; 2 Juno engines at the rear, a sleek design, and a beautiful cockpit interior all accumulated into this great vessel. Gene was flying the stock version, but Hans had promised that as soon as he got a chance, Gene would be given his own plane with a custom interior, a personalized setup, and, if Gene wanted it, stickers to put on the cockpit and wings.

    “Are we all ready?” Sam asked as the jets warmed up. “Sam, I’ve got this,” Hans said over the radio. “ESF, call in!” He called out. 

    “Eagle 2, reporting.”

    “Eagle 4, signing in!”
    “Eagle 3 is present.”

    “Eagle 5, accounted for.”

    “Eagle 6 is good.”

    “Eagle 7 here.”

    The radio was filled with people calling in, but Gene hesitated. “Eagle 9, are you ready?” Hans asked. “E-Eagle 9 reporting in.” Gene stammered.

    “Alright. All units ready. Let’s roll!” Hans smiled as he began to roll towards the runway. “Eagle group, this is tower; you are clear for takeoff,” A voice declared over the radio. Gene grinned as they rolled to a stop at the edge of the runway. This is it, Gene whispered as the Hans’s plane began to shoot forward. Here we go… Meg, Scotty, and Sam followed suit. No pressure, The other planes shot forward.

    “NOW!” Gene shouted as he thrust the throttle lever forward. The immediate response of the engines flung the plane out, and Gene grinned. As soon as the plane hit 50 m/s, Gene lightly pulled up on the stick. As he did, he felt a gentle lifting feeling, and the plane lightly lifted up.

    Gene pulled up the landing gear, and then lifted up to join the rest of the group. I’m doing it. Gene thought as he caught up to the other planes. “Gene! Fall into position 8; we’re doing Diamond 1.” Hans called out as he looked back.

    It felt good, that day; flying along the best in the business, darting in and out of formation and seeing the seemingly flawless actions of the group. But there was just one more thing that made the day special. That day, Gene was one of the Elite.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 7:20 pm

Location: KAFB Mess Hall (Inside the Astronaut Complex)

 

    “That was just flat-out amazing today,” Gene described to the rest of the pilots as they ate. “To be up there with you guys… Wow.” Hans gave a quick smile. “It’s pretty cool, ya? I remember my first time up there. Propellers whirring, the smell of hot rubber filling my nose… It was just amazing.”

    It felt great being with these guys. The atmosphere of the room, the kindness of the people; the situation was just perfect. Just as Gene was about to finish his Meat and Cheese sandwich, Meg walked by. “Hey, you guys coming? Show’s starting in ‘bout 10.”

    “Oh kerb it is. Team! Let’s roll!” Hans looked at his watch. Gene looked around, and asked “What show?” Every bit of chatter stopped, as if Gene had just issued the most vulgar and crude insult known to kerbalkind. “You know… Saga of the Emiko Station?” Timothy asked. Gene just shook his head no.

    “Oh come on! Surely you’ve seen it at least once!” Meg exclaimed. Again, Gene just shook his head. “Oh my gosh. Well you’re coming with me!” She grabbed Genes hand, and pulled him into a large room; almost like a library. There was a TV with a camera in front of it, and a massive projector pointing at a wall.

    “Alright everyone, find a seat. Show’s starting soon.” Hans checked his watch, and turned on the TV to the end of the previous show. “This has been, Recover Vessel: A KSP Survival Story.” The entire room clapped as the screen faded.

    “LIGHTS!” Greg called out, before the episode began.

[Emperor of the Titan Squid]

On 2/7/2017 at 5:42 PM, DarkOwl57 said:

As for the ESF, they're a bunch of really loose-knit, cool guys. Basically like the 4077th from MASH. Funny and informal, but serious when it counts.

That is interesting. I was thinking that they wouldn't be very excepting of a rookie airkerbal right out of boot camp. I was thinking of something kinda like in Kaptin amerika, because I'm still hung up on that after Jeb's Iron man suit.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Emperor of the Titan Squid

[DarkOwl57]

1 hour ago, Emperor of the Titan Squid said:

That is interesting. I was thinking that they wouldn't be very excepting of a rookie airkerbal right out of boot camp.

Well in my original plans (Yes, I do plan for this and don't go "Okay, I'm just going to type today") the ESF was really tight on regulations. They were MAJOR jerks to Gene, but after some time, they warmed up to him and took him under their wings. But then I decided that with a massive plot twist, I had to make them NOT jerks so the twist would yank a few heartstrings .

1 hour ago, Emperor of the Titan Squid said:

I was thinking of something kinda like in Kaptin amerika, because I'm still hung up on that after Jeb's Iron man suit.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha

[DarkOwl57]

Alrighty, so quick update: I have good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first? Good news? Okay then.

Good news is that thanks to some help, I managed to get all but one of the 1.1.3 mods over to 1.2! HUZZAH!!!

Bad news is, wanna guess which mod DIDN'T go over to 1.2? Yup, you guessed it; the one.... The only.... KERBIN-FLIPPING-SIDE!!!!! GAH!

[DarkOwl57]

Oh, and just to get off topic a tad, here's a little Q&A info session for the NSK and PRNS. Enjoy!

Q: What's this "Fight Song" mentioned in Chapter 2?

A: 7 Nation Army. Yeah, I know, I use it a lot, but it's a good song!

 

Q: Where're the NSK and PRNS located?

A: The PRNS is in the northern half of the old NSK landmass. As for the NSK, it's in........ well... The lower half (duh).

 

Q: What're the national anthems?

A: NSK is awarded the Star Spangled Banner. PRNS gets............... uh................. *derps*

 

Q: Are there any battle hymns?

A: Why yes there is person #4! The NSK is awarded Dixie (The song the Southern soldiers sand during the American Civil War.) Now, don't bite me head off here. I'm not giving the good guys a song from the losing side in a war because it's bad. 1, I actually think the song's really catchy. 2, The lyrics aren't bad (My history class listened to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Dixie" in class today and now I'm stuck humming that song). 3, I'm from Texas and so since it's got that Southern Rhythm, I just HAVE to give it a reference.

 

Q: What're your plans after Civil War?
A: Well my plans are to re-release "The First Great War" as a Special Edition, then work on my finale story (Set 50 years after "Battle of Kerbin"). After that, I plan for summer vacation to start (Yeah, I'm one heck of an ambitious bugger, ain't I?). Once I finish the finale (Yet to be named; PM me with any ideas if you have some), I'm thinking of taking a Jenson Button (Read: Retiring). I may come back and do some stories that are more "Kerbal" (i.e. goofy and hilarious), but right now my plans are to finish the finale, and go on a mental vacation.

[DarkOwl57]

Good morning everyone! So in the spirit of this foreign "Valentines Day", my owl has put on a new coat, and donned a dapper gas mask! Don't want to breathe this strange "love" everyone's talking about! Enjoy Chapter 4!!!

(Oh and another Q&A Question

Q: When's Chapter 4?

A: RIGHT NOW!

 

Chapter 4

First Fight

 

Time: 8:40 pm

Location: KAFB Library

 

 

    “This has been… The Saga of the Emiko Station.” The announcer said as the room clapped. The episode had been wonderful, and very slowly, everyone filed out. Gene was the last one out, still basking in the greatness of being part of the EFS. After everyone had left the room, Gene finally filed out. However, as he got up, he tripped over a small object.

    “Ow..” Gene muttered as he got up. He turned around, and found the source of a fairly large bruise; A small, brown wallet. Well well well. What have we here? Gene thought as he picked the object up. As he rummaged around, Gene finally found the ID. Hans? Gene immediately closed the wallet, and asked for directions.

    “Go up to the third level; Turn left at the stairway and it’s the 3rd door on the right.” The librarian smiled as he pointed up. “Thanks.” Gene rushed out of the room and up the stairway. He was very surprised; Hans was extremely organized and didn’t really seem like the type to forget something as important as a wallet.

    As Gene rounded the top of the stairs, he saw some lights on and some hushed voices coming from Hans’s room. Just as he was about to call out, he heard someone say his name. Now, normally Gene doesn’t eavesdrop. however, because of the suspicious scenario, Gene creeped to the edge of the doorpost to listen in.

    “So, you think the kid’s going to make it?” Sam’s voice asked. Gene was incredibly shocked now; Sam had told him that he was amazing in the flights! But nothing could have prepared him for the reply. “Well, he’s a really great kid-“

    “I’m not asking if he’s a good kid though.” Hans hesitated. “No. He’s far too young to handle it. I mean, he’s a great pilot, but not EFS worthy.” Gene felt like he was sucker-punched in the stomach. “I don’t even think he’s that good. I mean, he thinks he’s good, but really?” Sam whistled. “Not that great.”

    “Well, we’ll just have to see how he does tomorrow; HQ called and told us about our schedule tomorrow. We’re on call for Ben Bay field,” Hans said. “Yes! I love that place.” Sam exclaimed, making Gene jump.

    “Well either way, Gene’s going to have a lot on his shoulders. I personally think we’ll dominate as always,” Hans sighed as he stretched along a couch. “Now there’s something I disagree with; I say Gene’s just going to wash out. As for the domination, we’ve got no chance of losing.”

    “Why do you think he’s going to wash out?” Hans seemed like he was trying to defend Gene a little bit. “Aw come on! He’s just too young; can’t hack it.” Gene waited for a reply, but he only heard “Guess you’re right. I’m going to turn in; Big day tomorrow.” Gene leaped back from the door and tried to look like he had just come up from below.

    “Hans?” Gene knocked on the door making the two turn around. “Hey pal; what’s up?” Hans smiled. Gene tossed the wallet to him, and said “You left this in the library.” Hans looked in and saw his ID.

    “Hey, thanks man. Listen, we better get to bed; HQ called and we’ve got a big battle coming up.” Sam added, “Oh don’t worry; this battle’s a piece of cake. I know you’ll do great.” He flashed an encouraging smile, and Gene smiled back.

    “Thanks guys. Where is it?”

    “Ben Bay. We fight battles there almost every week; it’s become sort of a ritual.” Hans replied. “Now, it’s time for lights out. See you in the morning.” Gene saluted, and walked out, still hurting at what he had heard. I’ll show them, he whispered. I won’t wash out. I will win.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 6:00 am

Location: Hangar, KAFB

 

    Gene rushed out to the planes, which were warming up in the hangar for combat. The alert had officially gone out just 15 minutes ago; The EFS 1 Group would be heading out to Ben Bay to battle the Reb’s Elite forces. Gene was incredibly excited; not just for the battle ahead, but for a chance to prove himself.

    “Alright guys, listen up! We’ve got the standard battle today; reports are suggesting it’s going to be a 9v6. However, even though we’ve got the odds in our favor, they’ve still got 6 good pilots and they’re not going to hesitate to shoot us down! Stay cautious, stay vigilant, and stay alive.” Hans’s pep talk rang through the radio, and Gene felt the confidence boost almost immediately.

    The 9 elite pilots all throttled up, and moved into a tight V formation. “Tower, this is Red 1. ETA to battle zone: 30 minutes. Over.” Hans made sure to let the tower know what was going on, since the only RADAR system they had was a short-range defense system, which had a range of about 5 km.

    “Roger that Red 1. Good luck with the fight. We’ve got reports that there are civ’s down on the ground watching the fight, so try not to crash.” The tower’s radio operator chuckled and sat back in his chair, watching the 9 green dots trail off the RADAR screen one-by-one.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 6:30 am

Location: 5km out from Ben Bay Airbase; 10 km from the border of the NSK and PRNS

 

    “So why do we come here every week again?” Gene asked as he looked out at the endless blue ocean. “Well since it’s 10 kilos from the border, the airbase’s a massive target. Since she doubles as an airbase as well as a boat launch, Ben Bay’s really important for us and them,” Hans replied as he too looked out at the water, imagining the last vacation he had.

    Ben Bay was also a massive tourist destination, with over 100,000 funds per year being generated in tourism before the war. Ah, I remember this place. I played beach soccer there… Tried to tan before being sunburned there… Hans mentally pointed to each location as he saw them. Met Juliet there… Oh gosh I need to call in on her.

    As Hans continued to daydream, Gene looked out at the beaches, and saw a huge crowd of kerbals. Hans was jolted out of his dreaming when a large cheer came up from the people below. Oh come on! Don’t these guys know this is a massive battle?! Hans thought.

    Just as he was about to do a celebratory barrel roll, he saw 6 dots coming over the horizon. “Look alive guys! We got here first, but we don’t want to turn our tails to them. I want each pilot to go 1-on-1 with a plane. If you don’t have a plane to lock on to, help out someone who does. Break on me…” Hans called out as he pulled up, going into a vertical dive.

    “Ready… Break break break.” Gene immediately twirled away from the group, and caught onto one of the enemy planes from above. He fired a couple of brief bursts of gunfire, but missed by just a hair. The enemy shot up into the sky, but Gene hung onto him with ease.

    “One on your tail Gene,” Meg said as she fired. Bullets whizzed over the top of Genes cockpit, but fortunately nothing hit him. This must look awesome from the ground, Gene thought as he imagined the sight of four fighters lined up nose-to-tail, each one bent on one purpose: Claw the enemy down from the sky.

    The beautiful ballet continued for some time; planes dancing around, but not able to disable the others. “Come on, come on..” Gene muttered as he attempted to hang on to the enemy’s tail. Finally, the pilot made a minor mistake, but Gene capitalized. Firing off about 20 rounds, Gene’s bullets clubbed the right wing, shredding off the wing and removing the tail of the plane.

    Just as the plane spiraled down, belching smoke and flame, a roar almost like a freight train erupted from below, with cheering almost as loud as a goal in a World Cup Final. Gene was stunned, but still flying around as he dodged the enemy’s fire. Below, Scott directed the band to begin playing, and Gene heard it almost 2000 meters above. Gene sang along with the song, even as he pulled over 5 Gs and caught up to Josh and his target.

    Over the course of about 5 minutes, the EFS managed to shoot down all the enemy fighters, without even being damaged themselves. However, there wasn’t time for celebrations. Gene’s fuel gauge read at the critical point for return. The maximum calculated flight time for the F-61 was 75 minutes, and with a return time of 30 minutes, there was only about 5 minutes left in the tank.

    “EFS! Group up and follow me. Go to heading 200 and get in a tight V before a flyover for the fans.” Hans shouted over the radio, obviously worried as well over the fuel situation. And as the planes shot over the cheering spectators, the Elite began the journey home.

Edited February 22, 2017 by DarkOwl57

[DarkOwl57]

Oh, and yes I'm not kidding about the F-61; I spent over an HOUR working on calculations for fuel using the KSP Wiki; any plane with 2 Junos and 580 units of fuel can last for an average of 75 minutes at max throttle (This doesn't account for coasting). Any plane with 1 Panther and 580 LF units can go for either 43 minutes, OR 12 minutes at afterburner pace.... yeah; The maths involved were complicated.

Spoiler

For all you people who want to know it, here it is.

(x*60)/f=m

(x is fuel burn/second, f is amount of fuel, and m is the minutes of flight time.

EXAMPLE: 0.128*60/580=75

 

[Orion Kerman]

I know this is off topic but since you like laughing so much here's some jokes. Horrible ones.

Spoiler

1. He's rushing (say out load)

2. I'll stop punishing you.

3.  Here is a really good one!

Spoiler

 

 

 

And can't wait for chapter 5.

Oh yeah I have an idea. You could make a challenge to calculate the most accurate (forgot name!) For planes using weight fuel and weight of fuel and intake drag. And also take off which will be something like. Go all the runway then pull up at 10 degrees then steeper until height which would be changed depending on mission which would be cool if you were doing something which had to be timed perfectly for a video or something.

[DarkOwl57]

23 hours ago, Orion Kerman said:

And can't wait for chapter 5.

Well, I'm actually at the half-way point. It's actually at this "New Tech" phase; Sorta like what I PLANNED to be for the original Civil War (*grumble* Airplane Plus *grumble* 1.1.3 *grumble*) when jet engines are introduced. Well, since engines are already a thing, I decided that the new tech is......... *drumroll*........ Vector engines!

[Orion Kerman]

9 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Well, I'm actually at the half-way point. It's actually at this "New Tech" phase; Sorta like what I PLANNED to be for the original Civil War (*grumble* Airplane Plus *grumble* 1.1.3 *grumble*) when jet engines are introduced. Well, since engines are already a thing, I decided that the new tech is......... *drumroll*........ Vector engines!

We from the Kerbal tech labs never thought of this. You must be a god! We were thinking use jebgas Kerman (An actual Kerbal.) To trump about.

And hows the super hard maths going on for calculating exact everything???

Is it 

I + give + up equals I give up

[DarkOwl57]

18 minutes ago, Orion Kerman said:

And hows the super hard maths going on for calculating exact everything???

Is it 

I + give + up equals I give up

Well since I know the basic formula, I'm pretty much done with Fighters and Attackers... Bombers though... yeesh!

[Orion Kerman]

Just:

Calculate all possible weight from bomb loss

Then calculate multiple possible times you'll drop a bomb

then work out stuff and more stuff.. I can't be bothered to explain well because im tired 

Edited February 15, 2017 by Orion Kerman

[0111narwhalz]

What exactly are you math-ing? If it's flight time, you can get fuel consumption from the editor (under the engine module). Sum the consumption of every engine on the craft and multiply by the cruising throttle (0-1). This is fuel/second. Divide your fuel by the fuel/second and you should get seconds. If it's range, multiply the above by cruising speed.

[DarkOwl57]

Just now, 0111narwhalz said:

What exactly are you math-ing? If it's flight time, you can get fuel consumption from the editor (under the engine module). Sum the consumption of every engine on the craft and multiply by the cruising throttle (0-1). This is fuel/second. Divide your fuel by the fuel/second and you should get seconds. If it's range, multiply the above by cruising speed.

What I'm doing is: max fuel consumption(per second) x 60(To make the consumption per minute) and then divide the result by the total fuel capacity of the plane.

[Emperor of the Titan Squid]

Um... Emiko station ends with "The saga of Emiko station is far far from over"

[DarkOwl57]

13 minutes ago, Emperor of the Titan Squid said:

Um... Emiko station ends with "The saga of Emiko station is far far from over"

Yeah, well the KCS (Kerbin Copyright Society) would get on me

[0111narwhalz]

5 hours ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Yeah, well the KCS (Kerbin Copyright Society) would get on me

But you got express written permission, right? 

[DarkOwl57]

8 hours ago, 0111narwhalz said:

But you got express written permission, right? 

ubudububububububuuuuuhhhh.......... *runs away*

[DarkOwl57]

Oh sweet baby potato pie...... 2128 words!!!! WHAT DAHECK?!?! This has taken me the better part of the week, and so it feels good to finally get this 50-pound dumbbell off my stomach. Enjoy the chapter nonetheless. Now where's my headache medicine?

 

Chapter 5

Breakthrough

 

Time: 6:35 am

Location: 5km out from the KAFB

 

    As the group neared the KAFB, Gene leaned back in his seat. The adrenaline rush had finally worn off, and now he was just feeling exhausted. Hans gave the landing request, which was accepted for all 9 pilots. The entire EFS was pretty tired for many reasons; the first: The battle had been extremely taxing, but the second: There was a huge storm brewing off the coast, and since they had to fly through it, everyone was pretty banged up and tired. Still though, it was super fun to be in a battle.

    “Heads up guys; Grounds crew’s saying the storm blew through the base. Runway’s going to be super slick; engage the brakes AFTER deploying flaps.” The tower controller looked out at the slick runway, which was covered with puddles.

    Gene breathed in, and prepared for the upcoming landing. “All units, fall into formation L5. Give a point-seven-five kilometer gap between the planes; we’ll all land with some gaps for the other pilots.” Hans gave the call, and Gene immediately cut the throttle.

    After he activated the flaps, a screeching alarm sounded out. Gene looked around for the source of the problem, and found a flashing red light that said “WARNING: APPROACHING STALL LIMIT. RAISE SPEED”. Gene checked the airspeed, and immediately had a heart attack. Somehow, the plane had gone from over 150 m/s to under 50 in a matter of seconds.

    Gene punched the throttle forward, and the alarm shut off. Crisis averted.

    “Coming in for landing!” Hans called out, as he lined up for the runway. At first glance, it appeared Hans would stick the landing perfectly. But, as he made the move to apply the brakes, the plane’s rear shuddered violently, and Hans skidded off to the side of the runway; throwing water and tire smoke up into the air before coming to a stop in the mud.

    “DARN IT!” Hans was heard shouting over the radio before his headset was slammed against the dashboard. “My turn!” Scotty cried with glee, doing a nice roll to prepare a landing.

    One by one, the planes all slid, spun, and smashed to a halt, with about 4 planes getting into a pileup with Hans. Concentrate, Gene breathed in and out, trying to think about the landing. As he turned around, Gene came up with an idea.

    Just remember this. If the runway’s wet, use flaps first. NEVER use the brakes, but use flaps as best you can.

    Gene slowed the plane down rapidly, and extended the flaps to slow down even more. The stall alert began to blare, but Gene just tuned it out and tried to concentrate.

    The wheels of the plane lightly brushed the runway, and then Gene slammed the nose down. The flaps worked wonders, and when Gene hit under 20 m/s, he gently tapped the brakes. As the plane rolled to a stop, Gene grinned at the incredulous looks on the other pilots faces.

…

 

    10 minutes later, the EFS was cleaning all the mud off of their planes, Wernher burst into the hangar, shouting out “HANS!!! Es klappt! Der Motor funktioniert!” Hans turned around, water hose in hand, and tried to calm Wernher down.

    After a few minutes of hushed conversation, Hans finally got the message; The new engine was functional. “Gene! Come over here!” Hans motioned for Gene to join the conversation, and so he walked over. “Yeah?” He asked.

    “Listen, Wernher finished the engine. We need to test it out, and I’ve volunteered you for the job,” Hans gave a maniacal grin, and Gene’s stomach dropped faster than an elevator. “Oh no. No no no no no. Why me?!” Gene cried out.

    “Because you’ve proven yourself to be the most skilled pilot!  If you can do a perfect landing on a wet runway, you can fly this thing. Now, we’ve built a new plane all ready for testing. You’ll be taking off in about 30 minutes. Deal?” Hans asked. “Well I don’t-“ Gene started. “Great! I’ll tell the ground crew to warm up the plane.” Hans rushed off, leaving Gene confused, and extremely nervous.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 7:20 am

Location: Runway, KAFB

 

    Gene was more tense than a rubber band as he sat in the cockpit. The plane, the JT-4 “Arrow”, was made solely for the purpose of testing, but according to Wernher, this was supposed to be the latest version. In addition to the new engine, Wernher had been working on a new missile; the Aim-9 Sidewinder. The missile had a heat sensor on the nose, and if the missile got a lock, it would track engine heat until it got a hit. And on top of everything else, the NSK’s top engineers had created a machine gun (Dubbed the ‘Vulcan’) that was super aerodynamic and had an insane firing rate compared to the .50 cals.

    “Alright, so are you buckled in all good?” The ground personnel asked as he tugged on the straps. Gene just gave a thumbs up, and a weak smile. As the ground crew-man left, one of  the Flight Directors came up and gave him info on the controls. 

    “Okay, so this switch right here cycles weapons,” He said as he pointed to a button on the joystick that had a number 1 on it. “This button right here, number 2? That launches the missile. Of course you need to cycle to it first. Then, this switch right here. Good old number 3.” He then pointed to one of the switches on the right-hand console. On the upper side of the switch, the switch lever was red. On the other side, it was blue.

    “If you flip the #3 switch, you’ll activate the second engine mode. To go back to the other mode, just put the switch back in the ‘off’ position. All clear?” Gene nodded, and made a mental note to NEVER touch #3. “Alright. Go ahead and get out on the runway; we’ll let you know exactly when to go.”

    As the controller stepped out of the cockpit, Gene pressed the automatic door sealer, which made the door close by itself. What’s next, TV’s with color? Gene grinned as he marveled at the futuristic technology of the NSK. Gene signaled for the plane tow to begin the carrying mission to the runway, and sat back and relaxed before the ride of his life.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 7:30 am

Location: Runway, KAFB

 

    Gene gave a couple heavy breaths, hearing them as if they were a thousand times louder, and seeing the fog momentarily coat the visor. It’s cool, he tried to calm himself down. You’re only doing something that’s never been done before. Totally normal. You got this… You got this… YOU DON’T GOT THIS! Gene began to unstrap, but then Hans’s voice came over the radio. “Sorry Gene; no escaping.”

    “Come on! Why don’t you do this?!” Gene cried out, making everyone in the tower chuckle. “Because you ‘volunteered.’” Hans was on the verge of laughing. “Oh ha ha very funny.” Gene sarcastically replied. “Now Gene, I’m not going to force you to fly this thing. Just know that if you don’t, I have the power to order you to do it. So suck it up and get up in the sky.”

    Gene gulped, and activated the engine. The ‘Panther’ emitted a screaming noise as it warmed up; almost like a pair of Junos put to throttle settings above their limit. He released the brakes, making the craft shoot forward. “Whoah!” He shouted as the engine delivered the insane thrust. Gene lightly pulled up on the stick, and the nose shot up into the sky.

    “Steady there,” Gene breathed as the radio crackled to life. “Hey Gene, thought you might want to know; the engine is equipped with Gimbal technology; It should allow for a massive amount of maneuverability.” Hans said. Oh great, Gene thought as he did a roll to test the craft.

    “Alright, so we want you to run some tests. Your first objective is to see how fast you can get to the Island and back. Keep the engine in mode 1 and then you’ll come around for landing,” The flight director said.

    Gene made a swift turning to heading 135, utilizing the increased maneuverability of the plane. “Hey, this is pretty fun!” Gene laughed over the radio. Back at the KAFB, Sam moved over next to Hans. “How come you’re giving the kid all the opportunities?” He asked in a hushed tone.

    “Well when you said he wouldn’t make it, I decided to put him on equal ground as us. Plus, he was the only one that didn’t crash a few minutes ago.” Hans grinned as he turned his head back to the big screen, where all the telemetry was being shown.

    “Ah that was just his training. He’s got an education that’s 4 years newer than ours,” Sam waved. “Think again. I called the base where he got his training? They never taught wet landings. In fact, they were taught to never land on a wet runway; just go around.” Hans replied. “Face it. This kid’s got skills.”

 

…

 

    Gene stepped out of the plane, almost falling down from exhaustion. The ride had been taxing, but if given the chance, he would do it all over again. He was just stopping for a refuel; afterwards he would go right back up for another speed test, and then he would do some combat testing.

    “How’s it going, Gene?” Hans came up and gave him a pat on the back. “Feel like I’m ‘bout to hurl,” Gene admitted. “Well get ready to go back up there; The ground crew just finished refueling.” Gene groaned, and got up. Back to the fun.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 8:00 am

Location: 2 km out from the KAFB; Over the Sea of Kerbin

 

    Gene twirled around, hoping that the call never came in. “Arrow One, we’ve got a new objective for you,” The controller radioed in. Oh please for the love of Kraken don’t tell me to test mode 2, Gene prayed. “You’re new objective is to test out Mode 2. Repeat: Mode 2.”

    Gene gulped, and cautiously pressed the switch. The response was immediate, as the orange flames shot out of the planes exhaust. With the sudden burst of force, Gene was immediately thrown back in his seat, and being bumped around as the plane surpassed Mach.

    “YEEEEHHAAWWW!!!!!” Gene shouted. “THIS IS AMAZING!” He performed around in the sky, looking like a bird finally released from his cage. But now there was just one more thing to do: The Combat Test.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Time: 8:30 am

Location: Over the KAFB

 

    Gene scanned the sky below, waiting for control to give the command to begin. It would be New vs Old, with the JT-4 going up against the old F-61, which would be piloted by one of the test pilots, who was going to be obviously attempting evasive maneuvers.

    “Arrow One, you are cleared to engage; Weapons free. Good luck,” The ATC Officer said, giving Gene the call to begin the engagement. Even though this was just a test, the entire “Operation” was meant to simulate an actual combat scenario.

    “Roger that Tower, commencing dive; could you give me relative position? Over.” Gene asked as he scanned the area below. “Negative Arrow One. You’ll have to get this Bogey without assistance.” Gene hit the side of the seat in frustration. Added challenge.

    Just as Gene was about to ask ground crews about a possible position, he saw a slight smoke trail. Gene ramped up the throttle, and followed the trail. As he shot along, Gene realized that his plane was catching up with immense speed.

    The ‘enemy’ plane was finally in sight. Just as Gene was about to shoot at him though, the other plane slammed on the brakes, making Gene have to break off at the last second. Gene tried it again, but with the same result. He finally came to the conclusion: He either had to slow down, or break off and go with missiles.

    Gene stormed out of the area, and then looped around for the second attack. The enemy plane whirled around, trying to run away from the terrifying plane. Gene caught on easily, and armed the missile. A loud buzzing noise filled the cockpit, telling Gene that the missile had a lock. Gene breathed in and out, and released the missile.

    The missile tracked the plane, and using the heat tracker, went straight to the right engine before it bounced harmlessly off the fuselage. Gene breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back towards home base, overjoyed at the days events.

On 2/12/2017 at 10:28 AM, Emperor of the Titan Squid said:

Kaptin amerika, because I'm still hung up on that after Jeb's Iron man suit.

hhhmmmm..... Well in the middle of the night, I decided on something. So on the topic of the Iron Man suit, I've decided that Jeb just took it with him to [REDACTED]. That way, he can survive on [REDACTED] for a long time, and when the time's right, he can make the perfect intro . And actually..... I'll give you guys a little hint as to what is going to happen in the Finale. Let me make a thread real quick