The Orange Wasteland...

[Chel]

'Exploration, Part 2'

'Coming up to it now' Jeb said as he slowed down the rover near the base. 'Let's go explore this thing!' Nacy said, enthusiastically over radio link. 'Wonder if they have snacks?'...'Jool-Aid vending machines?' said no one in particular, as they were walking to the base.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TLZ2RMeGSTZepVSo1

Upon reaching the base, it seemed to be a small-scale mining rig. 'Look's small, why would anyone want to be here?' asked Catla, as she inspected the tight-fitting crew quarters. 'It's got drills, but no storage tanks. Interesting...' Jeb said, as he checked out the drills. 'Over here! I found something!' Jonlong said from the drilling operator's workstation. 'It's a log of shipments from the base' he told the group once they had arrived. 'Shipments? This is a drilling base, not a trading outpost' Catla said. 'There's something here about a supply craft that takes the ore' Jonlong, who was reading the log, said. 'Supply craft? Like a cargo plane?' Jeb replied. 'Yep, and the last shipment was to Ike'. 'Ike? I thought that no Kerbal had been on Ike' Catla replied. 'Wrong, Catla. Kerbals did land on Ike and establish a base, but the base didn't use ore, except to build the station in orbit of the moon' Nacy suddenly said over the radio.

'Well, according to this, the supply craft failed to reach Ike, having lost radio and scanning contact' Jonlong said, as he read the last part of the log. 'Anyway, can we leave now? This place is kinda scary'. With that, they left the base, but not without Jeb finding unopened snack containers and putting them on the rover. 'Wait! That yellow thing! It's a rover!' Catla, who had already made a discovery, pointed out. 'If it runs, we could use it as our rover's not moving' Jonlong said, and Jeb agreed, after planting a flag to mark the base. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TLZ2RMeGSTZepVSo1

'And...it works! One new rover!' Jonlong and Catla drove off from the base, and Jeb went to pick up Nacy and then follow the others. 'It even has air con and is climate controlled, meaning that we can take off our helmets!' And with that, they began to drive back to their base, but Jonlong insisted on checking out the suspension.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TLZ2RMeGSTZepVSo1

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TLZ2RMeGSTZepVSo1

And they arrived back, with Jeb depositing the snacks into the cupboards, and sat down to a good meal and a good sleep after their long day...

[Chel]

'Shuttling All The Way'

After a good meal and sleep, it was the weekend. For two days, they could do practically anything that they wanted to. No orders from Mission Control, no schedules to follow, no strict wake up times. Jeb decided to explore around the base, seeing if he could find anything interesting. Jonlong and Catla practiced using their EVA packs, and Nacy started taking pictures of Duna. 'I'm flying! Yippee!' Jonlong excitedly said, as he was lifted up 5 meters into the air. 'Me too! Wow! It's so cool!' Catla said, as she started flying around. Soon, the pair were having races to rocks and hills, but were interrupted by Jeb calling on the radio.

'Hey guys, I found something! It's another rover, but it's huge!' he excitedly blurted out. 'Where? Give me your location, and we'll drive over' Nacy said. Ten minutes later, the rest of the crew had arrived at Jeb's location. Beyond where he was standing, was a large vehicle, just sitting on the side of a hill. 'It's a big one!' he said, as they travelled down to it.

Soon, they had reached it, and got into their workstations after scanning it for any dangers. 'It says here, MBL - 03, or Mobile Lab 3' Catla pointed out, after inspecting it.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oe6coabNKxOq2gxp2

'Let's drive it back to the base!' Jonlong said. 'Hold on, there's a little craft inside the cargo bay here. Seems to be a shuttle or something' Jeb said, once checking around the cargo bay for snacks. 'We can properly look at it once we get back to base, as Jonlong mentioned' Nacy added on, and they were on their way back to their base.

Once back inside, they began inspecting the small craft. 'Seems small enough to fit inside the Valiant, so maybe we could drop it somewhere?' Catla suggested. 'I've got an idea! The Valiant isn't capable of landing on moons or plants other than Kerbin and Duna, but we could go to Ike, drop the thing while we are floating over there, and one of us could land it! It has engines, and wheels, so it can get back up into orbit again' Jeb said, and the group agreed. This would be a violation of the Mission Control schedule, according to Nacy, but on the weekends they didn't have schedules.

Edited July 27, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

'Icy Ike, But Catla Gets Ike Cream'

It had been decided. They would fly up to Ike, drop the craft, and head back to Duna. 'Who's going to do what?' Nacy asked, as they were planning. 'I'll control the shuttle, and Jeb can override it in case something goes wrong' Catla said. 'Jonlong will provide a running commentary, once I've organised the stream to Kerbin' Nacy said, and they all agreed.

That night they went to bed early, and woke up early as well. 'Right...so what are we doing again?' Jeb said, staggering down to the briefing, still half asleep. Nacy explained it all again, and they got back into the Valiant. They would only be gone for a few hours, but Jonlong insisted on locking up the base, to keep out any looters while they were gone. And with that, they engaged the throttle, and lifted up into Duna's orange-pink sky. 'KSC, prepare for stream. Activating now' Nacy said, and then the whole of Kerbin was watching. Once in orbit, they plotted an Ike intercept course, only having to wait a short amount of time until Catla burned the engines, and they were on an Ike trajectory.

Catla then went into the cargo bay, and got in the shuttle, which they had nicknamed 'The Pod', and waited. Waited for several hours, several minutes, until Nacy opened the cargo bay. 'This is Ike Shuttle one, commencing landing now' Catla said, as she disengaged from the cargo bay.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9ePCbeqqlk9aTgOg2

'Commencing dropping procedure now, hold on' Jeb said, and the bay's door opened.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PbP2efA2EoGEIGNV2

Catla was now in Ike's gravity, and was free to fall to the surface. 'Activating engines, descending to surface' she said, as the engines came to life. 

'Landing now, although the area's a bit hilly' Catla said to the crew, as she was about to reach the surface. 'And...touchdown! I've made it!'

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zJI3IMdOlh6GxqnJ3

From there, she went to explore the surface.

What would she find? What would she see? Stay tuned for the next episode!

 

[Chel]

'A Grey Turn Of Events'

Catla had been driving around the surface of Ike, stopping to collect samples, testing the gravitational force, and just generally exploring, when she came across a weird tower-looking structure. It was orange and grey, and had several extruding points that looked like tubes. When she exited the craft and went near the thing, she was suddenly and violently pushed back.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/uBFVVbGy0FFNF1ch1

'Catla to Valiant, I may need assistance down here. Could you scan for things around the area?' 'Ok Catla, scanning now' Jeb said, as he activated the scanner. 'There appears to be some kind of energy field around your location. I suggest getting back to the ship. We'll pick you up' 'Ok, getting back in the ship now' she said, as she moved back to the shuttle/rover.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2VklwrigXOVNWZf92

She then engaged the engines to put her in a sub-orbital trajectory that intercepted the Valiant, but nothing happened. 'Catla to Valiant, I'm in trouble. The engines won't start, and only the RCS thrusters work'. Not prepared for a long exploration mission, the craft had only a 10 hour air supply. Catla had already been on Ike for 6, and without engines working, it would spell disaster.

Onboard the Valiant, Nacy called an emergency meeting, 'The engines won't work, and she only has 4 hours left of life support. How can we get her back?' Nacy said, as Jeb began to take notes. 'We could land on the surface, but the ship isn't designed for landing on moons.' Jonlong said. 'How about we hang above the surface, but open the drop ramp? It could lower, Catla could drive up, and we could be on our way' Jeb said. 'I'm worried that whatever stopped the shuttle's engines from working, may disable ours as well' Nacy pointed out. 'What if we just used the RCS? It's powerful enough to get us into orbit, and we could shut the engines down' Jonlong replied. They agreed on Jonlong's plan, and informed Catla.

'Ok, it's worth a try' Catla said, after listening to the plan. The Valiant appeared overhead of the shuttle shortly, and Catla throttled up the motor. Using as much forwards momentum as possible, she could lift off the ground and into the bay, but it was also risky. Jeb, using the RCS, maintained altitude above the ground, and lowered the ramp. Catla, with a good amount of speed, jumped off of a hill, briefly flying for a moment...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JhfdPbdCNwHQOpSD2

...and entered the cargo bay. With a slight screech she put on the brakes, and was locked into position by wheel-clamps. The bay then closed behind her, and Jeb used the powerful RCS thrusters to get at least 25km away from the surface, before engaging the main engines.

They then headed back to Duna, through the atmosphere, and landed fairly close to the base.

After explaining her story, they headed to sleep, and then worked on analysing the samples from Ike, testing them, and recording observations, in the morning.

 

[Chel]

'Hello To Nowhere, Part 1'

The group huddled around the transmitter, desperate to hear the news. Any news. Any sound at all. 'Nothing. It's like everyone just left' Jeb said, as he twisted the knobs and dials to scan the range from Kerbin's communication satellites. 'Well, let's think about it' Jonlong said, as they sat in the lounge a few hours later after Jeb's fruitless attempts at communication. 'First of all, why did we lose contact. Then, what possible causes are there' he continued, as the group listened. 'Satellite had some issues, temporary communications blackout, that's all I can think of really' Nacy suggested. 'You know how Ike experiences meteor showers every once in a while from the asteroids hitting the surface? Maybe some of the rocks hit the satellite and knocked it out of action' Catla said, and they all agreed.

'Well, we should definitely send someone up to check, shouldn't we?' Jeb commented. It was soon debated who was to check on the satellite, and Nacy and Catla were chosen. They would be taking a small rocket up that had been found around the other bases, meet up with the satellite, see if there were any problems, fix them, and then return to Duna in time for dinner.

Soon they were in the rover, and driving to the rocket. Upon arrival, Nacy got in first, making sure that it was safe before Catla entered.

https://goo.gl/photos/yeNur2sKCnwPcJZH9

'All right?' Nacy said to Catla, as they did the systems check. 'Yeah, but a little bit nervous though' she replied. 'I really want to get this mission done so we can go ba-WOAAH!' Catla's speech was cut off by the firing of the engines, lifting the vehicle off from the surface and into space.

https://goo.gl/photos/Yb6gudWgHitf3KhT8

'That wasn't so bad, was it? Jeb, can you hear us?' Nacy said, as they were orbiting Duna 'Yes Nacy, we hear you' Jeb answered back. Catla plotted a burn to meet up with the satellite, and they were off.

Arriving a couple of hours later near the satellite, the crew prepared to investigate it. 'Looks big. Aren't satellites supposed to be small?' Catla asked Nacy. 'This one was built to act as a small ship if need be, so that's why it's big' she answered back, as they parked alongside it. 'Catla, what's that? Do you see it?' Nacy was pointing at something near the satellite. It was as if somebody had built a scale model of the inside of their ship, with everything in perfect detail. 'I see it Nacy' Catla replied, as she moved her hand. But this was no ordinary thing, as a figure inside the strange vessel moved their hand as well. Catla picked up a cup and let it float around, and at the exact same time a figure grabbed a cup and let it float around. 'It's like a mirror image. What's going on?'

https://goo.gl/photos/WeQu1uPwQGZ93uKW7

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

'A Sad Occurrence'

Due to somebody on a bus crushing my laptop bag with their backpack, I had to go to a computer shop for a new computer after a cracked screen and damaged CPU caused my well-loved machine to be turned into spare parts. On it was Kerbal Space Program, all of my files, mods, screenshots, and everything else. This means that at the moment, I will not be able to post screenshots, as I have none.

Either the following will happen: I will continue writing the story, but for the mean time, in text-only, adding more and more to the world of the Duna crew, or I can stop writing for the mean time while I sort my new computer out and pay $40 again for KSP, put all the mods back in, get to Duna, and then continue from there.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you like option A (Keep writing, but in text-only), or option B (wait a while so I can get KSP again and resume the story).

[DeltaDizzy]

Can't you just re-download KSP for free?

But for now, A

Edited August 4, 2017 by DeltaDizzy

[Wallygator]

23 hours ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

 

'A Sad Occurrence'

Due to somebody on a bus crushing my laptop bag with their backpack, I had to go to a computer shop for a new computer after a cracked screen and damaged CPU caused my well-loved machine to be turned into spare parts. On it was Kerbal Space Program, all of my files, mods, screenshots, and everything else. This means that at the moment, I will not be able to post screenshots, as I have none.

Either the following will happen: I will continue writing the story, but for the mean time, in text-only, adding more and more to the world of the Duna crew, or I can stop writing for the mean time while I sort my new computer out and pay $40 again for KSP, put all the mods back in, get to Duna, and then continue from there.

 

 

You do not have to pay again. I suggest you recover from your backup and continue! (Option C).  Good luck. Keep going!

[Chel]

On ‎5‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 2:59 PM, Wallygator said:

You do not have to pay again. I suggest you recover from your backup and continue! (Option C).  Good luck. Keep going!

I did what you said, and now have KSP again. I just need to send the crew to Duna again and take lots of screenshots! Prepare for lots of new content!

[Chel]

'Hello To Nowhere, Part 2'

It was clear that something was going on, something very, very strange. Here they were, floating in space next to a non-functioning satellite, seeing an exact mirror image of the inside of their spacecraft. Neither Catla or Nacy were hallucinating or having a bad dream, this was real. 'What do we do? Do we still go check on the satellite?' Catla said, partly afraid. 'I'll go out and inspect the satellite, while you stay here' Nacy replied, as Catla was getting very scared now.

Nacy then opened the airlock, and headed outside, although tripped on the way out, but regained control easily. 'Not this time' she thought, remembering Jeb's ordeal. https://goo.gl/photos/o4rH5y23cdZvRXJw7

She then headed over to the satellite, and opened the access hatch. 'Seems normal, just like any other satellite out there' Nacy said, inspecting the wires and buttons. 'Ah, there we go!' she exclaimed, finding a broken wire that connected the communications receiver to the transmitter. They couldn't hear the KSC, and the KSC couldn't hear them. She then got out the toolbox, and mended the damage. Just as she was heading back to the ship, she noticed that her field of vision was decreasing. What started out as a normal airlock, became smaller and smaller until only a few buttons were visible on it. She couldn't see a lot. Her vision was getting blurry, and she found it hard to breathe. Everything went red...and she was floating in space.

'Nacy? Nacy Kerman?' a voice called out. Nacy awoke with a jolt. Everything was still coming into focus, becoming less blurry and more solid, but she was still a bit light headed. Then her eyes completely opened, and she was staring at two figures, with a type of pump in the middle.

https://goo.gl/photos/CX3HhtwQptaVFWiJA

'So you're awake. You're probably still wondering what happened, and why you're here'. One of the figures said. 'Yes. Who are you?' Nacy replied. 'A good question. We are your sisters and brothers, who were separated from the rest of Kerbalkind through a freak accident. We founded a colony on Ike, and have been living there ever since' the figure continued. 'So you're Kerbals, but some time ago something happened, and you lived on Ike?' Nacy said. 'Yes. Right now, you're on Ike. We found you floating in space, and transported you here'. 'What about Catla? Is she alright? Does she know that I'm here?' Nacy frantically asked. 'Everything's ok now. We met with Catla, and she returned to Duna. Once you're healed up you will go back to your base on Duna, and be with your friends'

With that, the Kerbal, who's name was Billy-Bobfel Kerman, gave Nacy a warm bowl of soup, and then headed out of the room with the other Kerbal to tend to other activities. After finishing the soup, Nacy dozed off.

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

Ten Long Years...

It had been ten years. In that time, the technology advanced. Trips to planets didn't need precisely calculated burns, extensive food supplies, or risky docking procedures. In that time, the Kerbals had discovered faster-than-light travel, allowing them to visit places in a matter of days, if not weeks. New shuttlecraft with self-contained crew areas eliminated the need for surface bases. It was a new age for Kerbalkind.

So one morning, a crew consisting of Patsey, Gemett and Sukhi Kerman lifted off. Their ship, the 'Raptor', was waiting in orbit. Tractor beams pulled their shuttlecraft into the hangar bay, such was the level of autonomy now days.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SwL7YCgdBYIJ52fh2

'K.S.S Raptor. The ship that took five years to build. And we're taking it out for a mission' Sukhi said to the others, as they were heading to the bridge. Adjusting themselves into their new home, they then set a course for Duna. 'These new hyperimpulse engines will get us to Duna in roughly 3 days', Gemett told everyone.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JYL4yEi9R7yw9gTF3

Leaving Kerbin behind, they reflected on how they got into the space program. Gemett had studied engineering for several years, and knew almost everything relating to mechanisms and systems. Sukhi was a designer of the vessel, knowing everything from shortcuts, the best views, and the secret snack compartments. Patsey, as a matter of fact, was Jeb's first child. He had his 11th birthday just before the first set of Duna missions were launched, leaving him under his mother's care.

Onboard the Raptor though, it wasn't just the three of them. The ship was home to some 200 Kerbals, but the trio were tasked with landing on the surface, and searching for the other crew. It was going to be a very eventful mission.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[DeltaDizzy]

oooh b9

[Chel]

Brave New World, Part 1

The crew had been travelling through space for two days now. They were making sure that everything was working, transferring supplies to the shuttle and putting instructions into the probe cores. As they neared Ike, the long range cameras started taking pictures. Then, hidden away, a large orange shape emerged from Ike. 'Duna, the orange planet. Time to get ready, we'll be there in 7 hours' Patsey told the others.

They then went over everything again, until the computer notified everybody of their location 'Now entering: Duna orbit'. Everyone hurried to their stations, while Gemett disappeared into his room. 'Where'd Gemett go?' Sukhi asked Patsey, but her question was answered suddenly when Gemett caught up with them, carrying several boxes. 'Snacks, Ike-cream sundaes, instant coffee, and a K-Pad' he said. And at that moment, they entered the hangar bay.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JExNv1t3baZ1rJHA3

'Engines, check. Flaps, check. Lights, check. RCS, check. Brakes, check...' Sukhi started doing the pre-flight check. '...Landing gear, check' 'Sukhi, please just show the list. You don't have to say everything' Gemett told her, and Sukhi shot him a dirty look. 'This is the K.U.S Foxell, we're ready to undock and head to the surface' Patsey said. 'Roger, Foxell is cleared to exit the hangar bay' the hangar controller said. The hangar doors opened, they released the docking clamps, and were taken out by tractor beam.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/90eY9wEZtRTCJrmt1

'Right. Our mission is to drop off the two satellites, one in a normal orbit, and one in a polar orbit. Then we will wait for the right moment, and start heading to the surface, taking science readings all the way. Understood?' Patsey said to them, with clipboard in hand. 

Edited October 12, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

Brave New World, Part 2

They fired up the thrusters, and distanced themselves from the 'Raptor', before lowering the orbit to 95km. 'Time to drop off the first probe' Gemett said, as he transferred the command codes to the probe core. Then, with a small 'bang', the first probe was released from the vessel.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/0YDasIzXlssILbar1

'One down, one to go' Sukhi commented, as Gemett throttled up the engines again, taking them into a polar orbit. 'Wow. I never knew that Duna had poles as large as these' he said, slowing the craft down. With another 'bang', the second probe was ejected.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6m7rNDbFGWPBEAaI3

Sukhi then activated the probe cores, instructing them to fold out the solar panels, communication arrays, and to activate the cameras. She then received footage from them.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9lyIYDaAL5GzilVp1

'Let's pay our orange friend a visit, shall we?' Patsey said, and Gemett engaged the computer's de-orbiting system. All they had to do for the next five minutes was sit back and enjoy the ride.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hRps0r2QXTaw5Vvf2

The computer activated the engines, and the craft pitched down slightly. 'I can see a massive crater down there. Wonder what it was from?' Sukhi said, as they started entering the upper reaches of the atmosphere. 'Passing through a cloud layer, might want to take some readings' Patsey told them, and Gemett booted up the data recorder.

They headed through the atmosphere, and Gemett was opening a can of Jool-aid. There was a slight jolt as the craft met turbulence, causing Gemett's hand to accidentally press the button that deploys the ladder.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EEmjILMcy1W6sN3n1

'Oops!' he said, and hastily folded the ladder back into position. 'We're at 3000 meters, but the height is 2700. I'll deploy airbrakes and landing gear' Sukhi said. '2900 meters...2800...2750' and then a bump, followed by a shake, and silence. 'We did it!' They exchanged smiles, and Patsey contacted the 'Raptor' to inform them of the landing.

 

 

 

[cratercracker]

@The_Cat_In_Space

--------------------------------

"Tony Kurtz mumbled his last words: "U..Unfinished"

------------------------------------------------

This is a patch/flag i made for you!'

Enjoy~

[Chel]

11 hours ago, cratercracker said:

@The_Cat_In_Space

--------------------------------

"Tony Kurtz mumbled his last words: "U..Unfinished"

------------------------------------------------

This is a patch/flag i made for you!'

Enjoy~

Thanks! But how would I apply that to my signature?

[Chel]

A Surprise Visit

Patsey, Gemett and Sukhi had arrived on the surface of Duna. Putting on their EVA suits, they exited the shuttle cockpit and stepped outside. 'This is so cool! I'm actually on another world!' Gemett said, as he climbed down the ladder.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6q8n1wATpbSETiMf1

Once they were all on the ground, Patsey took some samples and readings. He then turned, facing a hill. 'There. My scanner is picking lifesigns and materials that would suggest inflatable structures. I suggest we take a look'. 'But how do we get there? We can't walk, it's too far' Sukhi commented. 'Easy. We just take off and fly to it' Gemett answered. Five minutes later, they were back in the Foxell, and Gemett was starting up the engines again.

'3...2...1...here we go!'

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JuEGSC3MA59uTGA42

'If we land now, we will be roughly 200 meters from the area' Patsey said, and Sukhi started the landing guidance system. 'We've got turbulence! This is going to be rough!'

*SMASH!*

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ney5neBQX62wQ2kN2

'Well...at least we didn't blow up' Patsey said. 'I can see a cloud layer. It's heading towards us'. Suddenly, an orange mist engulfed the craft. 'Dust storm'. It was decided that they would sleep in the shuttle until the storm passed. 'These quarters are self contained, unlike the old bunk beds' Sukhi randomly said, as they were heading through the hallway.

The next morning, after Gemett passed around the instant coffee rations, they took off in search of their prize. 'Only 150 meters to go' Patsey said. 'I can see it!' Sukhi excitedly said. What lay in front of them was a orangey, dusty structure, but it was completely intact. 'The first Duna colony. We should go inside and check' Gemett said. 'Agreed' said Patsey. and they walked to the main entrance.

*Knock, knock, knock* 'Hello? Anyone home?' The door opened. 'Yes, I'm home'. Standing in front of them, was Billy-Bobfel Kerman.

 

 

[cratercracker]

1 hour ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

Thanks! But how would I apply that to my signature?

Shrink it down, i also suggest you to use it as an in-game flag.

[Chel]

Home Sweet Home (Again)

'Hello, welcome to our colony' Jonlong said. 'Oh...wait. Are you three, Kerbals?' 'Yep, and you're ten years late' said Gemett. 'Come inside. We can chat in there', and they headed into the base. Jeb was looking at pictures, judging them by the level of explosiveness. Catla was sitting in a chair surrounded by books, writing. Jonlong was just starting to put together a sentence when Patsey ran over to Jeb. 'Dad!' 'Pat! It's so good to see you! You've grown so much!' he said, and they started chatting. Sukhi sat down on a chair next to Catla, and they started talking about computers and science. Gemett was exploring the base, and called everyone over. 'I've just fixed your communications array' he told them. 'But how? Jonlong spent days on it, but it didn't work' Catla said. 'Easy. One of the wires that connected the transceiver had blown out'.

Suddenly a burst of noise came from the machine. 'Testing...1 2 3...Testing'. 'Yes'. 'Repeat?' 'Yes'. 'This is Duna Base One' Jeb said. 'Confirm, Duna Base One?' 'Yes'.

Back at the Space Center, Mission Control was abuzz. The staff suddenly ran into the room, all holding coffee cups. Gene's son, Feeny, started giving orders. 'Open a video link with the base, Berman' he said. The massive viewscreen came to life, and from it appeared six Kerbals. 'Hello KSC, did you miss us?' Jonlong said. 'Yes, we did. We thought you were dead!' Feeny replied. 'Wrong. We're very much alive out here. We just had trouble with our communications array. Luckily Gemett repaired it for us'. Jonlong answered.

'Have you heard from Nacy?' 'Yes. She's here, testing out new rovers'. Feeny said. 'Right, well, we were just saying hello, and we're alive' Catla said, and they ended the transmission.

 

[Chel]

Sifting Through Time

'If I'm correct, then you landed using the K.S.S Valiant. So...where is it?' Sukhi asked, while everyone was eating that night. 'It's still here, albeit in need of repairs' said Jeb. 'Could we go and look at it?' Gemett said. 'Tomorrow. But for now, let's eat' Jonlong responded.

As soon as light appeared on the horizon, both crews boarded the rovers, which, to Gemett's amazement, were also still working after ten years.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/90lDZZJeLa35eFeg1

'These things must be built to last' he thought. 'It's just over there' Catla pointed out, and after a few more minutes of driving, they were parked outside. 'Engines are filled with dust, and the wheels are deflated, but otherwise it's good to go' said Gemett, after inspecting the hull. 'Oh no...not now!' Patsey suddenly said. 'What? What is it?' Catla said. 'Electric dust storm. It'll be here in roughly 3 minutes'. 'I suggest we get back to base. The longer we're in the open, the more dangerous it becomes' Sukhi said. 'Why don't we just seek shelter in the Valiant?' Jonlong said.

But just then, a massive explosion rocked the surface. Fire. Fire everywhere. 'Wh-what happened?' 'We're going back' 'No we're not! There's nothing left!'

'Sukhi?' 'Yes...?' Sukhi opened her eyes. She was in the shuttle's medical bay. 'Why am I in here?' she asked. 'The explosion. It nearly killed you'. 'Huh?' 'Get some rest'.

A few hours later, Sukhi wandered into the shuttle's lounge. 'Why aren't we at the base?' 'The base is gone. A lightning strike hit the Valiant, and it was destroyed. While we were heading back to the base, it too was destroyed, so we went to the shuttle' Patsey told her. 'Patsey, I think we better get a move on! Either we go now, or we'll have the same fate as the Valiant' Gemett said. 'Well, what are you waiting for!' Patsey replied, and Gemett ran up to the cockpit.

'Engines, check. Brakes, check. Lights, che -' 'Gemett, shut up' Jeb said. 'Throttling up. This may be a bit bumpy, thanks to the weather'.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2npakfrX4mGOFIMi1

'Look out!' Catla suddenly yelled, as a large piece of rock flew by. '40K from orbit! 30K! 20! 10! 5!' and then, the orange haze that was Duna's atmosphere cleared out into the darkness of space. Looking behind them, they saw lightning strike the surface. A small flame erupted, and things started moving.

'What the...' 'The surface. It's breaking!' 'That can only mean one thing. It's going to explode!'

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space

[Chel]

'The Wasteland'

There were no words to describe what they were seeing. Duna was breaking apart. Cracks were forming. And then, an almighty bang. 'LET'S GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!' 'But, we'll hit the ship!' 'EITHER WE GET INSIDE AND CAUSE SOME DAMAGE, OR THE WHOLE AREA WILL BE WIPED OUT!' 'Well...we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't!'.

Gemett contacted the Raptor. They were using full power on the tractor beams to slow the shuttle down, but it wasn't enough. 'We're going too fast! Brace for impact!'

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jk0IFPUluIq3KEYY2

The whole ship shuddered. It made terrible noises, of screeching metal and shattering glass. Fire crews came to put out the flames of exploding electronics. 'Are you all right?' one of them asked. 'I'm...fine. Where's everyone else?' 'In sickbay'. Sukhi Kerman then looked out of the shuttlebay doors, which had a massive hole in the middle. She looked at Duna. It was burning. Lava was erupting. Fire was engulfing the poles, turning the ice black, as the lava mixed with the water.

'It's like a wasteland...an orange wasteland'

[Chel]

I have finished this story for now, and I'm moving on to the Moho Expedtion. Don't worry, both these stories are connected, so the adventures of both crews will continue, but just on Moho (and let's hope Moho doesn't blow up like Duna did)  (and let's see what they will find on the hot, dusty world).