Mission Accomplished, maybe?

[Nivee~]

Hello! I had this idea for the longest time, and I decided to make it tangible. Please ENJOY!

Chapter 1

Planet-sized Disruptions! And World's First Society is weird?

The Space Survey Satellite looked like a crumpled foil roll in illustrations. It was irradiated with light from all sides, a pale soothing blue contrasting with a bright powerful aura. The SSS had been the flagship space observatory for KSC for 15 years now, well past its service time of 5 years. When it was launched into orbit, the first Kerbals to land on Mun had just returned, with loads of scientific data and bragging rights. And today, 15 years later the ageing telescope would witness the first Krewed mission to Duna.

The sturdy SSS had seen all that it could with its eyes in the kerbolar system. The next object of fascination would of course be another star. So when the clock struck midnight in KSC, and the Duna Mission commenced its pre injection burn check, it received instructions to point to Valentine, a dim star that might have planets in orbit. No thorough research had been done, and presence of planets on any star other than Kerbol was merely a hypothesis.

And two hours later, when the Duna mission was halfway through its burn, SSS recorded several megabytes of information, which would be the single most important discovery in Astronomy in over 2 decades.

******

Darya was your typical little know-it-all, and rest assured, that was meant as a compliment. She had graduated from Kerbin institute of Space studies at a age when most lil kerbs and kerbelles first encountered, and subsequently surrendered to Calculus. Her knowledge and thirst for a challenge were put to good use at the High Altitude and Higher Attitude Space observatory (HAHASO), where she had a two hour space telescope time reserved, all for herself and her 'assistant', Jonas.

Well, Jonas was a prodigy as well, graduating top of class at the same university as Darya, two years prior. He held academic records that made him the object of envy for many kerbs.

That is, until those records were broken by Darya.

He was not bitter at her for that, he was initially glad that the jealous good for nothing stuck ups had found someone else to be jealous of. Then he smacked himself for taking pleasure in somebody else's misery.

He conveyed his concerns to Darya, along with a subtle message that he would make sure that no one wrongs her.

"BWAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" was her dismissive, candid response, and he was okay with it.

But he was not OK now. He had celebrated a lot the previous midnight, when the Dunian mission completed its Injection burn successfully. All that hydrazine in his system was not taking well to any forms of light. And a little witch slapping him with a flimsy water bottle and shouting in his ears was not helping either.

"Jonas!Jonas!! Wake up, you Gosh-Danged kerb!" Without waiting for a response, the kerbelle went back to her workstation, gulped her remaining coffee and kept taking notes.

"Ugghh.. it's morning already??" Jonas' got rid of his brief state of delirium when Darya stuck a Computer tablet close to his eyes. "Look! Look at this! I cant believe I did it!! After decades of hardships, I finally..."

"Shut up, drama queen, you are barely two decades old..Now what's it that you are babblin... Oh..OOOHHHHH!!!!" Jonas' eyes widened in shock as he started making sense of the information he was being presented with.

"This..This is way too big for us!! You realize that?" Now completely sober, Jonas glared at the tablet screen and Darya alternatively.

"I know, its not everyday you discover planets on another star systems now, do you??"

The Astronomical Conference next month was total chaos, after Jonas and Darya wrecked up a major storm by presenting and publishing their findings. There were talks about launching more advanced telescopes to exclusively study the planets and planetoids in the Valentine system.

Darya and Jonas were kicked out of the HAHASO, on charges of acting without official permission when they published their findings, but it was ok! KSC hired them almost immediately as they stepped out of the observatory.

******

Their first day was quite mundane, being stuck in the tracking station.

"From discovering extrakerbolar planets to tracking satellites..." Darya sighed, "What a fall it is, my kerbs! Then I, and you, and all of Kerbin fell down!"

"Reference to Julius Kaesar aside, we are lucky to have a job. The Director at HAHASO blacklisted us from joining any other observatory! That cheapskate..."

"None of it matters now.. Guess we just have to suck it up and track..ugh... satellites.."Darya said

The next few days were excruciatingly.......boring. However a week into the job, they had their first reprimand

"We have a geo-synchronous satellite out of it's orbit! 3 weeks, 3 weeks will be all that it takes for the network to fail! Do you have any idea what your negligence has cost us?" Their boss, Rekudo Kerman was going ballistic on them!

"Hmmph...as if there is anything to neglect in here..."    Darya murmured.

"What was that? What did you say?" Rekudo's skin turned less greener in anger." Now listen, both of..." His tirade was interrupted by a phone call. His facial exrpression shifted from angry to feeble when he saw who was calling.

"G..good Morning Mr. Mortimer..Umm..yes, th-they are right here, I am writing their termination letter as we speak..You want to sp-speak to them? Oh of course sir, I will send them to your office.."

Pale and sweating, he looked back to Jonas and Darya. "You two have done it now, the Boss wants to terminate your careers personally! Well, good luck in your future endeavours. Now excuse me while I try to save the satellite.."

******

"Goodness, we really screwed this one up, didnt we?" Jonas sighed while they walked down the hallway to Mr. Mortimer's office. "Guess we should start practicing how to live like homeless people,huh Darya?"

"Oh don't worry Jon! We are prodigies, PRO-DI-GIES! A once a generation phenomenon!" Darya tapped his shoulder symphatetically "We will work something out. So don't worry."

"Ha! You truly believe your own hype, dont you? Well, let's see what Mr. Mortimer has to say."

The knocked on the door and on hearing a "Come in.",they walked in the room.

"Darya and Jonas, I presume." Mortimer did not even look up as he continued sorting out the paperwork. "You messed up royally, didn't you?"

"Yes sir, and we have no excuses for this. We were negligent in our behavior." Jonas had never bent the knee to anyone, and he was not planning to, even if it meant saving his job.

"You were negligent...hmm... even though this job might be your last shot at a relevant career?" Mortimer let out a low chuckle. "What are you planning to do after this? Work at DarkBucks?"

"We will work something out 'sir'." Darya replied. "Please hand us our termination letters and get it over with."

"Oh I am going to terminate your job contract with the tracking station, rest assured. But first, let me tell you a story."

******

World's first Society.... it is not as mundane as you think.

Long ago, when Kerbin was still at it's 'medieval' age, it was commonplace for businessmen and merchants to use shady means to achieve their goals. Backroom deals, blackmail, threats...you name them. Such an environment only beget hate, distrust and violence. A few decades of feuds led to Kerbin's societal structure on the brink. It was then, when the new ruler of Kerbin summoned the members of the merchant faction at the core of the problem and issued one simple directive to end this violent conflict.

"If you have problems with each other, battle it out fair and square!"

This statement led to the formation of the World's First Society. Whenever a dispute arose, the society would establish a venue of competition and the results would be absolute. Conflicts would be resolved by means of a race between representatives hired by opposing merchants. As such, merchants entrusted their wills to the representatives.

Ironically, the first World's First Conflict(WFC) took place not between the merchants, but to chose the next ruler, after the sudden demise of the *present ruler* The competition was 'The First to climb Mt. Kemoga'. From that day onward, World's First Conflicts were viewed with respect in the political circles as well.

******

"Do you know why I am telling you this?" Mortimer turned around to face Darya and Jonas.

"I dont think so sir.." "Nope!"

"Because KSC has been issued a World's First Conflict by the *Eastern Space Agency* for the rights to colonize Eeloo."

"But..Isnt space technically free waters? Anyone can build anything anywhere, right?" Jonas cautiously interjected.

"That Space Treaty is not even worth the paper it's written on. The only reason it has stayed in effect for so long is because of the backing of World's First Society. However," Mortimer paused for a moment, completely pensive, "it's president has showed interest in this WFC when ESA first proposed it. As of right now, Eeloo is up for grabs. Any one can colonize and own it now."

"Oh krud.." Jonas groaned."This will be one heck of a mess to deal with."

"Will you guys be going to the Sarnus system?"

"Not yet. For now, we will be visiting the Mun. And as for your contract...." Mort tapped his pen on the desk and then signed two documents. "There you go, you are fired from the tracking station. And, I would like to welcome you to the Kerbonaut Korps!"

"WHAAAATTTTT??!!"

 

 

~The End? NAH! You haven't seen anything yet!

[RealKerbal3x]

@Nivee~ Nice story! I will be following

[Nivee~]

@RealKerbal3x There are no pics yet, my savegame borked up... but it will be back and running soon!

[Nivee~]

Chapter 2

Orbital Shenanigans! And is ESA up to something?

At Mortimer Kerman's office, two kerbals were staring at him, slack jawed. "Wait a minute, please back up." Jonas said. "So, we borked up at the tracking station, and now we get to be kerbonauts. Why?"

"My best Kerbonauts are at the Duna missions. I needed two scientists, and here you are! Just falling into my lap."

"You do realize that we can refuse this offer, dont you?" Darya said.

"Yes, yes I do. All you have to do, is to get out of that door. Then it will be all over. Your acaedemics, your achievements, none of those will matter anymore." Mort glared. "But you know what you will lose the most? The acknowledgement. That you crave so much." He looked at Sarya. "There's the door right there, Ms Darya."

Tension was thick in the air, one could cut it with a butter knife. Sarya turned to the door, took one step forward. 

And it was then when the door opened.

"You called for me, Mortimer?" Valentina Kerman walked in

"Oh, Val! Nice of you to join us! We have new potential recruits I would like you to coach. Although one of them is pretty unsure still."

"I changed my mind!" Darya squeaked."I want to be a kerbonaut too."

"Well, that was quick. What do you think Val?" Mort asked.

"Nothing, not yet." Val looked at the two young scientists."If they dont run away after the first few days of training, they are good in my book."

"Well, it is set then. Your training will begin tomorrow. Don't be late!" Mortimer then shooed them out of his office, except Valentina.

"I thought you would leave, honestly." Jonas asked Darya, once they were outside.

"I dunno, I just thought it would be fun to try it out." Darya replied, but her eyes were fixated on Mort's office door.

******

The following days were a flurry of activities as Darya and Jonas were introduced to kerbonaut training regimens. Since they were short on time, Valentina modified their training. Instead of the mandatory 2 year training program, it would be a 4 month of gruelling, back breaking, sheer torture.

At least that's how both scientists were feeling as they limped out of the centrifuge.
"My bones are jellyyyy...." Darya groaned. "My arms, legs, back.. my everything hurts!"
"That's 8 gees for you. Training will only get harder from now on." Valentina said, ignoring Jonas' groans of 'You always say thaaaaaaaattttt...'

Thereafter, it was the turn for pilot training, followed by weigtlessness simulations. After the fundamentals were covered, it was soon time for an actual mission to LKO!

"Your mission will be to do some orbital assembly on the space station grind. It is a relatively simple one. All you need to do is to attach power and communication modules at the space station." Valentina said. "There is already a crew aboard Grind, you will be assisting them. Now, any questions?"

"Yes Ma'am, if I may?" Jon raised his hand. "According to the manual, we are supposed to be working on the simulator and train for weightlessness in the ocean?"

"We are on an accelerated time table, cadet! And I, for one, believe that hands on experience is more practical! Any other questions? " When she did not receive any response she concluded the meeting and sent the cadets packing.

The next day, an Epsilon class Rocket was on the launchpad with the Crew Transport Vehicle. Aboard the crew were Jonas, Darya and Valentina. Their mission: Train on Space station Grind. 

The rocket took off at night. There's not much to say about the launch, side from the fact that it was routine.

The rocket carried a docking node as well. This would allow further expansion of the Space Station Grind.

The Crew Transport Vehicle, along with the docking node, rendezvoused with the station.

and then reoriented itself to dock with the docking node.

It went on to dock the node at the right position, and then separating from the now secured docking node.

...and docked at the opposite end of the station.

"Now, there is a custom whenever a crew boards the station." Valentina grabbed a mallet from the airlock wall and banged it on a bell. "HEYYY!! WAKE UP!! WE ARE HERE!! OPEN THE DOOR, !!" She screamed into the microphone.

"Good Kraken, I am here, I am here..." The gang heard an exasperated voice from the other side of the airlock. The door swung open and two kerbs welcomed the crew.

"Sarya, Jonas, meet Maxton and Sidcott. Their is a high probability that all of you will be crewmates in near future. So try to get along." 

"Wait, where's your spaceship, I didn't see anything docked there." Darya asked.

"Oh, it is floating in space somwhere. The docking pins of the ship failed, and it got detached. Now it's floating around, dead in LKO."

"It's dangerous in space, now keep that in mind and take some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

******

A little boy was surrounded by a couple of kerbals."Oh, you little mulch! You think you are hot stuff, don't you?" The ringleader cracked his knuckles. "He's a traitor, Chaddorf. Not worth your time." One of the kids chimed in. "Regardless, I think I should teach him a lesson." The little boy raised his hands, trying to shield himself, but it was too la...

*Bleep**bleep**Bleep*

Jonas woke up in cold sweat, his hands pushing against the restraints of his wall mounted bed. He switched off the bleeping alarm, breathed a sigh of relief, and freshened up.

"Hey, Jonas! We will be fixing up the docking node now! Val said told us to do the assembly on the node and the power truss. Mardoff had assembled and commisioned the station, so they are off duty for now. " Darya told him.

"Sure, let's get on to that."

Jonas manually undocked the docking node, and removed one of the docking ports and fit it on the station.

He then removed the docking port of the Nadir side of the space station, and fit the docking node at the free node. No docking ports, no wobbly stations.

The truss sub-assembly, which was already loitering near the station, got close, and Jonas joined them with thick KAS struts. 

Then he fixed the truss components on the docking node. By the next sunset, the refurbishment was done 

The power truss and docking node was finally installed, and it was time for them to return. 

******

Meanwhile, on the ground, things had become more interesting. 

"Hmm, intriguing, very intriguing." Mort looked over the papers that he received from the Intelligence Wing. These were snippets of conversations between the newly appointed director of ESA and the Grand Citizen of the Eastern Union. They were mostly uninteresting, just ramblings of an old kerb, and a younger kerb dealing with him patiently. But a few things caught his eye.

Apparently, ESA had some other reason to get to Eeloo, not just one upping KSC . More often than not, there were mentions of a 'mineral' and satellite settlements. Were they discussing mining towns? On Eeloo ? What have they found on Eeloo that they don't have on the Mun  or Minmus? 

There were several question, but Mort was pretty sure he would find the answers. All he needed was a good night's sleep.

 

~The End? NAH! You haven't seen anything yet!

Edited December 26, 2018 by Nivee~

[Kerbinchaser]

OooOooOooHHhhhHH!

I likey! 

[Pretorian28715]

ok, yet another fantastic story to follow......

Awaiting MOAR.

[Nivee~]

Author's notes:

Hi! It's me again! Since this is a story of two groups in conflict with each other, it would be more interesting if the groups had different construction styles, be it landers, launchers, spaceplanes, etc.... 

I primarily build in a bare-bones manner, I don't really have that artistic flair. (I have the artistic perception of a Mountain Gorrila!)

So, I would love it if someone, who build crafts in a visibly different art style, make the crafts for ESA. Those who are interested may contact me!

Thanks!

[FleshJeb]

@Nivee~ Still looking for an ESA builder? I have about 5000 hours of experience, specializing in spaceplanes and indestructible rovers. I can also do subs, boats, and plain-old spacecraft.

Do you have an idea of what you’d like ESA’s design philosophy to be? Brute force, or finesse? I can do either, and I guarantee it will work reliably and have an operations manual attached to it.

Great story, BTW.

[Nivee~]

@FleshJeb Yes, yes I am looking  and Thank God you are here! My chapters were stuck because I wanted ESA to have a noticeably different style in my story. So the viewer just needs to take a look at a ship and think "Hey, I wonder what the ESA is up to now...". 

I will PM you soon with all the details, I am a lil bit busy at the moment..

13 hours ago, FleshJeb said:

Great story, BTW.

Thanks

[FleshJeb]

On 1/2/2019 at 4:09 AM, Nivee~ said:

@FleshJeb Yes, yes I am looking  and Thank God you are here! My chapters were stuck because I wanted ESA to have a noticeably different style in my story. So the viewer just needs to take a look at a ship and think "Hey, I wonder what the ESA is up to now...". 

I will PM you soon with all the details, I am a lil bit busy at the moment..

Thanks

This sounds like great fun! Also, you're the boss; don't worry about offending me. If you think something sucks, feel free to say so.

No rush. I won't have a lot of time until Saturday.List of ideas to cover in your PM:

Spoiler

• KSP version.
• KSP difficulty settings (commnet, etc).
• Required mods (especially ones that change gameplay significantly.) I have Making History.
• Will you be piloting manually or MechJebbing? You can design a lot closer to the edge with computer piloting, so my craft tend to be hard to fly manually, and I'll have to step it back a bit.
• Part count limits (I'm used to playing on a potato).

• Design philosophy:
  • Brute force or finesse.
  • Resuability.
  • ISRU usage.
  • Cost limits?
• Aesthetics:
  • Sleek/Squat.
  • Symmetrical/Asymmetrical.
  • Color Palette / Lighting colors.
  • Futuristic/Known time period.
• Cultural philosophy: Evil/Good, Communal/Individualistic, Silly/Serious, High risk/Low risk, etc.
• Roleplay rules:
  • Habitation space per Kerbal.
  • Keep nuclear engines away from habitation space.
  • Debris in space.
  • Limited number of RTGs.
  • Other tech restrictions.

• Specifications:
  • Craft types required: Landers, Mothership, Station, etc.
  • Operating environment: High/Low gravity, Vacuum/Atmo, Aerobraking capable.
  • DV needed for mission.
  • Minimum TWR for transfers.
  • Launch location.

 

•  

 

Edited January 10, 2019 by FleshJeb
Spoiler for space

[4472TJ]

I want more!!! This stuff is dynamite! Completely hooked, waiting to try and recreate the mission in KSP!

[Nivee~]

Chapter 3

On the other side of the Curtain

The worn down wooden stairs creaked under his feet as Kovos climbed them. Apparently, the kerb who hired him had very simple tastes, which was odd considering his status.

He was escorted into the room by heavily guarded kerbs. An old, genial,maybe a little crazy kerbal was sitting on a stylized sofa.

"Who are you? Did I call for someone?" The old kerb looked at Kovos inquisitively. "Oh! You seem like a bright child, did I call for you?"

"Yes, Grand Citizen. I am Director of ESA, Kovos Kerman. You called for me to discuss about our latest space endeavors."

"Ah yes... about the World's First Challenge.. Why did you issue it, young kerb?"

"We have beaten KSC at almost every turn ever since the space age began.But the last administration was a great disaster. They beat us, the Glorious East to the Red Planet! Morale and confidence have been at an all time low, nation wide. I want to set things right."

"He he he.." The Grand Citizen chuckled. "You are a spirited young kerb. And is this why you pushed for the Eeloo mission?"

"Of course, Grand citizen. To restore and maintain our technological supremacy over the west, to regain the lost glory and honor!"

"Do you think I am senile?" The old Grand Citizen's voice started losing it's gentle tone. "If you really cared about one-upping KSC, you would have gone for Jool. Much easier to reach, and has a moon that can be colonized. No child, no..you are hiding a lot from me, I don't like that."

Kovos let out a loose laugh. "I am fighting for the honor and glory of the Motherland, I have no idea why you don't have faith in me?"

"That's because, little kid," The Grand Citizen's voice was no longer that of a genial grandpa's. "Because, boy.. Honor, glory, faith, these are all outdated concepts from the last century.. Greed and power are the only motivations for kerbals in this country, in this age!"

"You forgot to add 'fun' to the list." Kovos quipped, smiling ear to ear, all of a sudden.

"This is amusing to you?"

"Oh, in some ways. I think it's like a game. That way, I don't stress myself out, but still focus on completing the goal." He leaned back on his chair. "I admit, I have a selfish goal in all of this, but the fact that I am doing this for the Motherland, can not be stressed enough."

"Then why, why do you shy away from telling us?" 

"Part of the fun, I guess?" Kovos shrugged. "I know it will leave a bitter taste in your mouth, that one of your sub-ordinates is not following you blindly. But I can tell you this, what I am after, involves lots of mining, lots of resources, that will let our philosophy flourish even in the farthest reaches of the kerbolar system."

Both men stared at each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the Grand Citizen broke the silence. "Oh , you kids and your puny games. Very well, I will indulge you, for the time being. But should you take one step against the Glorious East, the consequences would be.... excruciating.."

"Noted~" Kovos nodded. "By your leave, Grand Citizen."

"Wait, come again, what was your name?"

".... Queen Mary Ann." Kovos sighed. 

"Ah yes.. gentlekerbs, please accompany Queen Mary Ann, he would need body guards at such crucial times." The Grand Citizen's genial demeanor returned. The two guards who had ushered Kovos in, escorted him to his vehicle.

******

"Give me a situation report, Engineer!" Kovos barked as soon as he got in the mission control room.

"All systems are nominal and ready to go, Director!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" On Kovos' instructions, the rocket engines were ignited and the 'die Macht' rose up on a pillar of flames.

The 'die Macht' was the latest iteration of the series of rockets. These side loaded launch vehicles were unusual to look at, and required more complex algorithms to launch, but they had a great track record so far.

This version could launch about 50 tons to LKO and tonight it's abilities would be tested to the fullest.

After the side boosters gave away, the center core continued to burn, increasing the apoapsis to about 109 kms before it burnt out.

The fairing opened up, revealing the contents of the payload.

A 53 m/s circularization burn was completed by the payload's own engines.

After the Minmus injection burn was scheduled, the ground crew took a break.

******

Unfortunately for Kovos, his day had not yet ended. One of the security guards who had been on his tail since his visit with the Grand citizen knocked on his office door. "Mr. Director, it is time for the press conference."Kovos sighed and made way for the media room where a handful of reporters were waiting for him.

"Good evening, everyone. ESA launched a Minmus ISRU plant for acting as a refuelling station and fuel depot for future ESA interplanetary ship. The launch went off without any issues, bar a slight loss of control of the launch vehicle on takeoff. The Minmus injection burn has been scheduled for tomorrow. Any questions?"

"Sir, I am Kanakos from Union Daily.What does this mission to Minmus mean for the future of ESA?"

"We will be able to acquire fuel cheaply for our future missions, crewed or uncrewed. This will reduce our operational costs in the long run."

"Krestana from KNN news. How long until the operational costs break even?"

"The next important mission will, all by itself, justify this mission to Minmus."

"And would that be the Sarnus mission, Mr. Director?"

All heads turned towards the reporter from KNN. "Our sources have confirmed that there would be a crewed mission to Sarnus. More specifically, to Eeloo. How do you wish to respond, Mr. Director?" She asked.

"That mission is at planning stage at the moment. It will be sometime before all preparations are complete. We will most likely miss the next launch window. Next question ple.." Before Kovos could finish the media room erupted in chaos as everyone started shouting their questions at the top of their voices.

"Mr. Director, why were the media not informed about the mission?"
"Is ESA hiding something from the people?"
"The nation wants to know..."

"QUIET!!!!" Kovos blared on the mic."The ESA is under no obligation to reveal it's internal matters to anyone not affiliated directly to the Grand Citizen's Office. The details about the planning of Sarnus missions would be made public within a week or two, they have been granted approval. Good night everyone."

Kovos lumbered backstage with his two 'body-guards'. "That reporter from KNN, find her 'source'! I do not want a mole in our midst, not at this crucial point."

 

~The End? NAH! You haven't seen anything yet!

Editor's Note: All the crafts in this mission have been made by @FleshJeb, who will be making all ESA crafts from now on. His crafts are excellent!

Edited January 9, 2019 by Nivee~

[FleshJeb]

9 hours ago, Nivee~ said:

Editor's Note: All the crafts in this mission have been made by @FleshJeb, who will be making all ESA crafts from now on. His crafts are excellent!

Holy crap! I can't believe you flew that thing to orbit on one rocket.  And I thought the engineers at ESA were crazy!

 

[Nivee~]

Chapter 4

First baby steps

A few days after ESA's launch of the Mimus ISRU to orbit, the craft was injected towards it target where it had a little bumpy ride to the surface. 

The pesky Mun got in the way of a nice clean transfer, so ESA had to make a few correction burns.

A flat, ore rich area was designated as the landing zone, and the ISRU plant, along with the tanker landed on Minmus. 

 

(Kerbin, Mun and Minmus in the same frame.. nice~~)

With a lil balncing act, the setup tipped over and landed in it's wheels, ready to mine the flat minty basin for some nice ore!

It was now time to send crew to the ISRU base. 

The Minmus Taxi in orbit :

The crew of 2 engineers was launched from the desert launch site aboard the Cenit launch vehicle. The Minmus taxi, which is a repurposed Mun lander promised a safe journey to their destination, and it delivered on that promise..

 

Another hop was made to get closer to the ISRU plant, before they realized that the ISRU plant had wheels! However, the presence of wheels did not stop the kerbonauts from 'flying' the base, taking immense advantage of that low Minmus gravity.

(Please ignore the random flying tanker in the background, nothing to see here!)

-----

Val and company had stayed at Space station Grind for a few more weeks after their EVA construction, letting Sidcott and Maxton use their Crew Transfer Vehicle to land back at KSC. A few days later a BRAND NEW CTV was sent to the space station.

"Hey Val, looks like our ride home is here." Jeb looked at the CTV floating about 200 meters from the space station. "It looks... different?" Darya said. "Wait a minute! That's not a Mk 1-3 pod!" 

The crew pod looked comsiderably different. A little elongated than usual, and had 'engine pods' of some sort. The CTV docked with the space station, and soon they all transfered to the crew cabin with its spick and span interiors. "Looks like we are returning in Business Class." Jonas looked around the spacious crew cabin. Twenty minutes of idle chatting and Val fawning over the new pod, it was time for the reentry burn and subsequent landing. (a rocket propelled one!)

As soon as the trio landed at KSC, they saw Sidcott running, waddling and tumbling towards them with a newspaper in hand.------

"Everyone!!!" He slipped and fell face first to the ground. Panting heavily he waved the newspaper. "They made their move!"

"Calm down, what did they do?" Val asked.

"A refuelling plant on Minmus. I am pretty sure they will be sending up more infrastructure up there soon."

"Woah gimme that!!" Darya snatched the newspaper and all of them peered onto it.

"Ha, we are safe, they are going to miss the launch window!" Darya smirked on reading ESA's director's statement.

"Nope, they aren't kidding. This Kovos fellow is just lulling us into a false sense of security. I am pretty sure they are going to send a mission quickly."

Val, however had a different train of thought. Was this the same Kovos Kerman? No, it couldn't be.. Luckily for her, she was shaken out of her thoughts by a radio dispatch.
"Why is the recovery vessel not here yet? Are you there, Val?" Linus' voice cackled through the radio. "We have another mission for you, hurry up."

"Another mission? Bu.. but we just got baaaacck!!" Darya and Jonas whined but they had little choice but to trudge to the briefing room.

-------

In the briefing room, Mortimer and Linus were waiting for them. Maxton was there as well. Linus picked up 2 chalks, one in each hand and tapped at the chalkboard. "Attention everyone!"

"We don't know much about Eeloo, our telescopes can only gaze that far. We have however approximated the radius of this moon using spectroscopy methods, and mass using Kreeplerian and Nuketonion laws and to our surprise, it is pretty similar to the Mun. Almost an identical twin!" Linus was drawing diagrams on the chalkboard with both his hands simultaneously.

"Hey, whats with that guy? He's extremely ambidextrous.." Darya nudged Sidcott.

"You seriously don't  know who he is? He's Linus Kerman, the protege of the legendary Werhner Von Kerman. He has won so many trophies, he melted them an..." A chalkpiece hit Sidcott square on the forehead and he yelped.

"I like hearing my praises, but I would rather have you pay attention." He took out a new chalk and continued drawing diagram.

"So, as I was saying, Eeloo is almost identical to the Mun, thus the Mun is a prime location for us to train and test new technologies before we set out to Sarnus. Any questions?"

"Sir, will we at Sarnus for a long time, or will it be a snatch and go?" Sidcott raised his hand.

"Once we claim Eeloo, there's little hurry to return. We will conduct all science possible before we return home."

"Hey Linus, we are supposedly missing a pilot." Maxton said. "If you really want to cover all of Sarnus system, I doubt Val could do it on her own." Maxton looked over at Valentina. "No offence hun~"

"Our second pilot is being... processed.." Mortimer said and Linus winced. "He will be here soon-ish. Maybe not in time for your Mun mission, but he is a veteran, he doesn't need training."

The meeting dispersed soon after, and everyone went back to get some rest and recovery before the next big mission.
 

~The End? NAH! You haven't seen anything yet!

Author's note : This chapter may look a little bit clunky, in terms of formatting, but I was trying to cram all of my screenshots into a small space. If it doesn't work out, I will revert back to the old ways.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Nivee~

[Nivee~]

Chapter 5

Comets Shineth upon Thee

Back then the world was much more divided, much more primal than it was today. Two factions were the most prominent. The Western Hegemony, and the Eastern Glory. Both factions had their own space programs, KSC and ESA. But the purpose of these space agencies was not the honest pursuit of knowledge, but to one-up each other.

"Atleast I am far away from that madness, even if it's for a short time." Dongan mused aboard his space station. Well, not 'his'. It was KSC's property, he just happened to be the only kerbal on board at the moment.

The SpaceLab was Kerbin's second space station, losing narrowly to ESA's Rising Tide. Both space stations were at the same altitude, but different inclination, after a malfunction of SpaceLab's altitude control system rendered it immobile. Both stations got within radio contact range twice a orbit.

Losing the race for the Space station was a terrible burn, but ending up in almost the same orbit as the Rising tide? Dead in space, until the next station reboost mission? That was just rubbing salt on the aforementioned terrible burn.

<BzzTT...> <SpaceLab, do you copy?> The radio cackled with life, all of a sudden. Dongan picked up the mouth piece. "This is SpaceLab."

<Oh, hey! So this is awkward..> A kerblle's voice, with a thick Eastern accent spoke up. <I needed a repair kit real quick. In all that hurry to launch this baby into orbit, we cut corners aaaannnddd...>

"You want a repair kit, huh? What did you darned Easterns mess up this time?"

<Hey, calm down. It's just a coolant pipe. Can you please please spare some Repairing Resin?>

Dongan put down the receiver and went back to his sleeping bag. If all she needed was some Repairing resin, then the leak was not life-threatening. And moreover, he was not under any obligation to help a ESA kerbonaut.

<Hey, how dare you hang up on me? I am in mortal danger here!> The Kerbelle continued, regardless.

<Fsssshhh..Oh no! The leak is getting worse, help!>

Dongan floated to the radio. "No, you made that sound with your lips."

<I did not!>

"Oh yes, you did. I am not hearing any of those 'Fsssh' noises now, when you are speaking." Dongan retorted. Victory for Dongan!

<Okay, you got me.. but can't you send a repair kit? Pretty please?>

'Oh I am so enjoying this' Dongan chuckled and promptly denied.

The next few minutes were hell for Dongan,however. The witch kept pestering him. He tried changing his station's receiving radio frequency, but that voice always found it's way.

<♪♪ SpaceLab, do you hear me, are you hiding?♪You were always in my orbit, beside me ♪. And I want your, and I need your repairing kits, I will thank you always! ♫>

'Ok, that's enough.' Dongan took off his earplugs, which did diddly-squat to prevent her voice from irritating his ear canals. 'She's not butchering the lyrics of my favorite Dracke song.'

"Hey, Witch. Stop that. You are a terrible singer."

<Bzzt... Hey, got you to respond, didn't I?>

"Aren't you supposedly a bit too cheerful for someone whose space station has cooling problems?" Dongan asked.

<Oh, its a minor problem, can wait a day or two.>

"Ha!!! Checkmate, witch!" Dangon chuckled in triumph.

< Talsha,my name's Talsha>

"Hmm?  I am Dongan. nice to meet you, Talsha"

The banter continued on for sometime, and then both of them retired to their sleeping bags. But this time they had taken an auxillary wireless radio to bed, so that they could talk some more.

"Hey Talsha, I don't like your singing."

<You are just jealous that I sing Dracke's songs better than you.>

"Oh? Why don't you sing in your mother tongue then?"

Talya  started singing a song, which Dongan could understand, only partially. Apparently it was a story of two lovers who were cursed to meet only twice a day, and only momentarily. After a while, he stopped trying to understand all of it, and just enjoyed the melodious voice, as it cackled out of existence, when the Rising Tide got out of shortwave radio range.

******

The half an orbit later, the stations once again got close enough for radio contact. 
"Hey Talsha, I am sending over a small MMU with some repair resin. Dont bother returning the box, just send back the MMU."

Dangon could *feel* the witch smile as he put the receiver down. After feeding the orbital details of the station into the MMU, he sent it off, with a basic repairing kit, and quite a bit of repairing raisin.

A complete orbit and agonizing minutes of radio silence later, he saw his MMU stationed outside. Then the radio buzzed to life. Dongan jumped over to the radio.

<Thanks for that, i fixed the leak. I have sent some stuff for you, since you helped me out.>

Without a second's delay, Dongan slipped into his Military self. 'Sent something? I explicitly told her to only return the MMU. Could it be an explosive? Bio weapons?'
With such morbid thoughts, Dongan EVA'd to the MMU. After docking it in it's place, he scanned the box it was carrying. Thermography, radiography.. all sorts of diagnostic tests. Once he had confirmed that it was not anything harmful, he opened it while still outside the space station.

It was a bunch of snacks. And a bottle of wine.

Dongan went in the station and tested the snacks and wines for toxins. After finding none, he picked up the radio. "Talsha, I was not in any particular need for supplies"

<Oh, I know. You are probably stocked for a month or something. I just sent some of ESA's ration. I know for a fact that KSC's ration tastes like protein-flavored sand.>

"Ugh... how gracious of you." Dongan quipped back.

<Regardless, there's going to be a comet sighting in a few moments.>

"Yeah, the Bailey's comet." Dongan chuckled. "Are you proposing a comet-lit dinner? Pretty bold for a Eastern Kerbelle."

<Hmm.. now that you put things that way..yeah sure! Comet-lit dinner for two, candles are so last century.> Talsha laughed from her end.

They bid each other farewell until the next time, and went back to their business. But Dongan's radio buzzed once again.

"Ugh.. what's it this time?"

<Major Dongan Kerman, this is Central High Command.>

Dongan sat ramrod straight and picked up the receiver. "This is Major Dongan, Sir!"

<Major, tensions have escalated here on ground. Our satellites have observed missiles being readied on Eastern territory, presumably to attack us.> the voice cackled.

"How can I be of service?"

<We need to deter them. A small show of force should be enough. Ground telescopes show that ESA's space station, the Rising Tide, is still crewed. Can you confirm?>

"Yes, it is." Dongan was not liking this conversation.

"Good. Your space station is equipped with Anti-Sat missiles. Central Command wants you to launch those on the Rising Tide."

"Bu...but I thought attacking kerbonauts was against the law?" Dongan could not believe his ears.

<No buts, Major. This would stop the East right in it's tracks when it realizes that we can shoot down all of it's space assets at our whim. As for the kerbonaut aboard, dont worry, she's just one kerbal sacrificed to save a million lives.>

"Yes, sir. Understood." Dongan put down the receiver. It felt heavy, very heavy. But such was the life of a soldier.

******

Half an orbit later, the Rising tide got into radio range again. Dongan had primed the missiles, and fed the orbital parameters it needed to strike the target. With his target this close to him, the Anti-Sats were unlikely to fail.

Dongan looked at the red button he was supposed to press to fire the missiles. Just as he was about to press it, the radio cackled again.

<Hey! Just checking in! The comet's due any minute now, make sure you have a nice view and your snacks ready." Talsha's cheerful voice disrupted Dongan's thought process like a lightning bolt.

'What am I doing? This is wro...no! This is the least of all evils. I must do this, for my people.' After a brief tussle with his conscience he regained his composure and reached for the red button.

<You know, my people say that auspiscious ties are made under the light of Bailey's comet. "Friendships and bonds formed last until the next time the comet appears.", thats what they say.>

"Witch..." Dongan mumbled. Not that she could hear her, he had not picked up the receiver.

<It appears once every 40 years, right? Will you even remember me 40 years later?> Talsha giggled.

"Witch..you little.." Dongan's resolved started to break, and then shattered. He powered down the AntiSat missiles and picked up the receiver. "I will remember your irritating voice, you can be sure of that."

<Ha, big talk.. You have your snacks and wine ready?>

"Yeah, just a minute.." A little while of tumbling around, and Dongan found all that he needed.

<Any moment now...> the radio cackled as both kerbonauts waited patiently for the comet.

And then they saw it. A faint light at first and then they could see it more clearly. They celebrated and gave a toast to their friendship.

******

"Dongan Kerman? You are a free kerb now." The prison guard opened the doors of his cell.

"Hmm? Who bailed me out?"

"The KSC. Heck if I know why. Their Financial advisor is waiting for you."

Dongan walked to the office, got processed and then escorted out of the Penetentiary. He was a free kerb, with certain conditions. A KSC vehicle was waiting for him.

"Mr. Dongan Kerman? I am Mortimer Kerman from the KSC. I must say, the years have been easier on you than they have been on me." a kerb in a suit shook his hand.

"Yeah, beating up restless punks in the pennetentiary and then getting some solitude in solitary confinement helps a lot."

Mortimer winced and soon they were driving back to KSC.

"I have personally seen to it that all treason charges against you are nulled. When you chose not to destroy the Rising Tide, you potentially prevented an all out nuclear war on Kerbin."

"How's Talsha?"

"Excuse me?"

"That Eastern Kerbonaut aboard the Rising Tide, all those years ago. How's she?"

Mortimer made a few calls and then told Dongan the bad news. "She is no longer with us, I am afraid. She passed away last week, due to illness."

Dongan leaned on the glass window of the car, looking up in the sky. "That wicked witch, couldn't wait for me." He could only stare at the blasted Bailey's comet, which streaked the sky with it's beautiful colors, for the second time in his life.

 

-The end? NAH! You haven't seen anything yet!

Edited January 25, 2019 by Nivee~