totm october 2019 Beyond Hope Travelling Circus -- Episode 10: The Show Must Go On

[Gameslinx]

  On 7/23/2019 at 2:01 PM, Geschosskopf said:

Those of us with gimpier computers would greatly appreciate this  Love your work, BTW.

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/c91g8pubj3p877n/glows.cfg?dl=0&m=

Put this in BeyondHome/EVE. It works when scatterer is not installed. Should save you some frames

edit: just realised you're using it!

I suppose that means I did a fairly good job of accurately replicating the atmospheres!

Edited July 30, 2019 by Gameslinx

[obney kerman]

It's back!

[Geschosskopf]

  On 7/30/2019 at 9:19 PM, Gameslinx said:

I suppose that means I did a fairly good job of accurately replicating the atmospheres!

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Yeah, Episode 4 is all using those EVE patches.  Especially note the last few pics in low orbits of Lua and Rhode.  Works great!  Thanks muchos!

Edited July 31, 2019 by Geschosskopf

[Geschosskopf]

EPISODE 5: I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The Boffins and Scientists of the Honorable Beyond Hope Home Trading Company, together comprising Mission Control, humbly apologize that the only explosions in the previous episode were of the emotional, non-pyrotechnic variety.  Given one last chance to rectify this failing prior to meeting the gallows, Mission Control has gone overboard on the pyrotechnics this time.  However, as the title of this episode suggests, nothing of great moment happens.  This is all about preparation.

With this disclaimer out of the way, on with the show....

==========================================================

First, there was some paying of bills.  A probe to study Rhode's magnetic field for quite a while and a (probably-never-to-be-used) station around Armstrong.  But hey, 2 explosions in 1 pic!

But then the Boffins looked at their Almagests and realized that a window for Hydrus, the next planet in from Rhode, was coming up in only a couple months.  Thus, they hammered out this Circus' 1st interplanetary flotilla, the 1st Hydrus Expedition (HE-1).  It would comprise 5 ships.  Given that this was the 1st interplanetary mission and there was no Delta-V map to consult, the Boffins heavily over-engineered these ships, at least to start with, so their lifters still had plenty of fuel when reaching their parking orbit, so would be used for the transfer burns as well,.  Thus, not many explosions here.

So, 1st up were a pair of relays destined for highly eccentric polar orbits of Hydrus itself (left image below).  Both Hydrus and its moon Hydron would get a combination orbital science probe and a probe lander (right image below).  The orbital probes would serve as relays for the lander probes .  The only difference between the Hydrus and Hydron ships was that the Hydron lander doesn't have a parachute so launched with a slightly shorter fairing and had a bit more excess dV.  This was before the Boffins realized the transfer to Hydrus only required a bit less than 900m/s.

So that's 3 of the 5 ships of HE-1.  The 4th ship of HE-1 was a SCANsat-Ore-Sniffing mapping probe.  While they were at it, the Boffins sent an identical probe to Rhode's 3rd moon, Ash, which hadn't yet been visited by the Circus, as the dV was about the same.  Ash proved to be a mix of boiling lava, slightly cooler lava, and just-cool-enough-to-not-glow lava.  According to pre-this-Circus legend, Ash only recently formed from the mysterious desire of a Rhodean ring or asteroid belt suddenly deciding to all congregate at 1 point.   Perhaps future missions will determine the truth of that, assuming the lander legs don't melt.

The main attraction of the 1st Hydrus Expedition, however, was the 5th ship, HE-1 PHESTER (Plane, Hydrus, Electric, Soaring To Extend Reconnaissance), as Hydrus' atmosphere, while quite dense, is devoid of O₂.  This is the 1st mission-capable use of robotics in Circus history since its very 1st Mun landing way back in 0.20, and its 1st serious use of stock props ever as opposed to using them simply to illustrate their violation of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and Conservation of Energy.  But the Boffins have since learned to adjust their conceptual framework of the Laws of Physics and to "roll with the changes" (BONUS B-SIDE MUSIC TRACK!!!!!)

Then it was time, finally  for another shift change at the Rhode MOLE station.  Its inmates were needed for greater things, experiments needed replacing, and such things.  The Boffins took a moment to admire the outstanding IVAs provided by Wild Blue (absolutely no foreshadowing intended).

But Mission Control had another major project going---seeing what was up with the Only Wave base on Lua and maybe getting it back up and running.  After all, it would obviate the need for expensive lifters.  To that end, Mission Control sent another probe to Lua for additional recon prior to committing a major expedition.  Plus, it provided a nice contract payout and yet another gratuitous explosion.

With that mission accomplished, it was time to launched the 1st Lua Base Expedition (LBE-1).  This is going to be a 3-ship mission but, as Lua is so close to Rhode, it's silly to send them all there at once so for now they're all just in parking orbit at Rhode.  The 1st ship was the LBE-1 EBOLA (Experimental Base Of Lost Antiquities), which is hopefully going to provide the computer wherewithal to synch with the Only Wave mainframe and activate the base.  It was intended simply to land but can also take off and maybe return to LRO if needed as an emergency evacuation vehicle.  But it can't land back on Rhode due to having neither parachutes nor heatshield (both useless on Lua).  Thus, it was launched without crew.

NOTE:  The Boffins had previously not bothered to put self-destruct charges on side boosters as they wouldn't clutter up space.  However, in an effrort to make up for lost explosions, they added some to this rocket and discovered the falling boosters created awesome chains of explosions due to their forward and outward momentum.  Thus, such charges have now become standard practice.

The 2nd ship of this "flotilla" was LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH Pack (Mk2 Aerodynamic Rover of Lua Base Observation, Reconnaissance, Opening, and Unlocking with Great Headroom).  It's main purpose is to move crew around the Only Wave base and between LBE-1 EBOLA and the crew lander/return ship.  It's 2ndary purpose is to land first and then drive to advantageous points for the other ships of LBE-1 to land, serving as a target for MJ's landing routine.

Finally, up went LBE-1 SCLEROSIS (Science Crew Lander for EBCDIC Reboot or Suffer In Silence) carrying the crew of LBE-1.  This comprised 4 sciencemates to crew LBE-1 EBOLA, and 2 expendable "redshirts" (aka pilots) to discover any Only Wave boobytraps left behind, all under the command of Junior Boffin (and nob) Megbrett..

The sciencemates of LBE-1 were:

• Jersted, who had orbited Lua and spent about 100 days aboard the Rhode MOLE station
• Vasya, who had spent about 60 days aboard the Rhode MOLE
• Tisted, the Most Recent First Kerbal To Have Landed On Another World (Armstrong)
• Nelford, who hadn't done anything yet

The Redshirts were:

• Piper (alert @Just Jim that she's AWOL)---no prior experience and thus exendable
• Ormin (no prior experience) and thus expendable

So, the Circus has 8 ships parked in LRO.  LBE-1 will leave at the 1st opportunity.  HE-1 has about 45 days still to wait.  But then Great Things (TERRIBLE, but Great) will happen.

 

Tune in next time for more of the slow spiral into damnation

Edited August 11, 2019 by Geschosskopf

[Speeding Mullet]

What a fantastic idea to set your posts to music!  I loved reading episode 00, and apart from the slightly jarring well known make up advert half way through it just all went together so nicely.  Unfortunately Episode 01's link is "unavailable", presumably in my country (Australia)....could you kindly tip me off as to what to search for to get the right music?  I am very keen to read the rest of the thread, but now you have opened my eyes to the wonder of accompanying composition, I simply refuse to read further without the correct music.

EDIT - Is it Alestorm - Set Sail and Conquer?

SM

Edited August 9, 2019 by Speeding Mullet

[Geschosskopf]

  On 8/9/2019 at 9:03 AM, Speeding Mullet said:

What a fantastic idea to set your posts to music!  I loved reading episode 00, and apart from the slightly jarring well known make up advert half way through it just all went together so nicely.  Unfortunately Episode 01's link is "unavailable", presumably in my country (Australia)....could you kindly tip me off as to what to search for to get the right music?  I am very keen to read the rest of the thread, but now you have opened my eyes to the wonder of accompanying composition, I simply refuse to read further without the correct music.

EDIT - Is it Alestorm - Set Sail and Conquer?

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I'm very glad you noticed and like the music idea.  I've been doing that for all my Circus threads since about 2016, often spending as much time trying to find just the right theme song for episodes as I do designing and flying the ships.  I've always wondered if anybody ever listens.

Yes, the song for Episode 01 is Alestorm "Set Sail and Conquer".  I'm rather a fan of Alestorm and that seemed like a good song for the 1st real mission of this yarn.  The complete soundtrack for the BHTC so far is:

• 00:  Kansas, "Dust in the Wind"
• 01:  Alestorm, "Set Sail and Conquer"
• 02:  Ozzie Osbourn, "Bark at the Moon"
• 03;:  Louis Armstrong, "Ezekiel Saw De Wheel"
• 04:  Mojo Nixon, "You Can Dress 'Em Up (But You Can't Take 'Em Out)"
• 05:  Fats Domino"  I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday"

The lower deck of the Circus has also been known to compose ditties by putting their own words to popular tunes.  Occasionally these find their way into the stories as well.  Here's a list of most of them:  

 

 

[Geschosskopf]

EPISODE 6: Neuromancer

  Reveal hidden contents

 

NOTE:  The theme song for this episode is an homage to the guy who coined the term "cyberpunk", William Gibson, in his series of the same name.  If you haven't read those books (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona LIsa Overdrive, and the shorts/prequels Burning Chrome, you should).

Anyway., on with the show....

Naturally, the next thing on the Circus' agenda was to explore and maybe activate the Only Wave base on Lua.  So LBE-1 immediately left Rhode for Lua.  As the trip was only a few hours, the 3 ships left individually and captured into parking orbits before the next left Rhode.  LBE-1 SCLEROSIS and MARLBOROUGH Pack finished off their lifters during their escape burns so produced gratuitous explosions.  LBE-1 EBOLA had already shucked its last bit of lifter so did not, but that enabled it to show off the Boffins' experiments with the newfangled engine plates.  When LBE-1 SCLEROSIS departed, Sciencemate 3rd Class Jersted, the senior kerb aboard, led the jolly crew in a traditional capstan shanty (BONUS B-side music track!).  

Once all 3 ships were safely in Lua parking orbits, retrograde to come in over the crater lake east of the base instead of the mountains immediately to the west, the 1st thing to land was LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH Pack, to test the physical defenses of the base.

LBE-1 MARLBOROUIGH Pack having landed without opposition in the so-called "air" of Lua, LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH detached from its lander and set out to see if there were any landmines, pop-up machinegun turrets, or other defenses against ground assault.  Its secondary mission was to get a good look at the base, if it lived to tell the tale.  

Having encountered no opposition, MARLBOROUGH returned to the landing zone to await further developments.  This involved landing LBE-1 EBOLA, now that it was assumed safe to do so. 

This ship also landed without opposition, which meant it was OK to send down the LBE-1 crew in SCLEROSIS.

This accomplished safely, the jolly crew of LBE-1 posed for the obligatory landing picture.  This was spoiled somewhat by the camera drone being unable to maintain steady flight in Lua's thin air so the actually level ground looked angled in the best of a scant few pics taken before the drone crashed.

Then it was time to get the mission started.  LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH drove over and picked up the whole crew, then drove about 800m to LBE-1 EBOLA to drop off the 4 sciencemates.  These hands were charged with hacking the Only Wave base's cyber security.  Fortunately, this was all done via virtual reality neural taps and looked like an FPS game with various icons and emojis scattered about (see video of title song), so the illiterati hoi-paloi crew could manage this after having seen a few instructional videos.

Then, just as in the book Neuromancer, the hacking had to be combined with physical activity.  Megbrett took LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH and her 2 redshirts to the base to do the dirty work.  Moving towards the Tracking Station as the most obvious target, the hackers encountered serious cyber security.

Fortunately, these defenses had been aimed at enemies as tech-savvy as the Only Wave.  Thus they completely overshot the less-advanced Circus.  The hackers detected the defenses reconfiguring to deal with primitives but couldn't yet detect the pattern or how to cut it off.  So, there was nothing for it but for LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH to continue its advance.  Eventually, it reached the Tracking Station and was faced with a choice, both of how to proceed and who do proceed with.  Piper lost the coin toss with Ormin.

This brought LBE-1 up against the 1st real layer of physical defenses.  As soon as Piper started to turn the doorknob, she was yanked violently upwards.  Fortunately, the hackers were on the job and limited her ascent to the roof.  Piper quickly jumped and jetpacked back to LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH.  That door being closed, Mebrett decided to try the other.  And now it was Ormin's turn.  And the same thing happened.  But nothing worse.  This led Megbrett to attempt to exploit the situation.  Apparently, the Only Wave defenses had over-corrected and aimed too low this time.

With the hackers (backed up by Mission Control) now fully penetrating the Tracking Station, the rest of the cyber defenses quickly fell.  Thus, when Piper arrived at the VAB (it was her turn again), she faced only a physical barrier.  But this was quickly overcome.

This got the hackers looking deeper, no longer at subroutines intended to kill but at more mundane things like electric door locks.  Thus, when LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH got to the SPH, the hackers had the doors open for them.

LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH then drove all over the rest of the base, checking each structure to see if it resisted or needed unlocking.  Nothing did.  Meanwhile, Mission Control had sorted through all the data so far collected and, with the help of the now-cooperative Tracking Center, had finally found the switch to activate the whole facility.  It was a dream come true, a fully automated shipbuilding and launching facility ideally placed to get things out of Rhode's SOI.  All that needed importing was Kerbals.

By now the twin suns of Destiny and Fate were starting to set so Megbrett brought LBE-1 MARLBOROUGH back to LBE-1 EBOLA to pass the night.  On the way, however, she stopped to admire her new domain.

With that, LBE-1 and Mission Control shut down for the Lua night.

And then the universe imploded.

 

Tune in next time, if it ever happens, for more of the spiral that seems, finally, to have reached damnation.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Geschosskopf

[Just Jim]

  On 8/9/2019 at 2:20 AM, Geschosskopf said:

Piper (alert @Just Jim that she's AWOL)---no prior experience and thus exendable

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Wait.... Piper's in your universe, with no prior experience??? And I'm assuming no prior memory either???

yeah... I think I know what happened.... watch out for a large round probe, with glowing green eyes, lurking about nearby... lmao.... 

[Speeding Mullet]

  On 8/9/2019 at 1:25 PM, Geschosskopf said:

I've always wondered if anybody ever listens.

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Yep - You took the time to make the pairing, so I took the time to read and listen.  It worked really well and thanks for listing out the rest of the songs for me! 

Uh oh - I hope the Universe implosion is just a flesh wound - Waiting on tenterhooks for the next episode!  Meanwhile the Von Brauncano needs an update so I better get back to the slog of uploading!

SM

[Geschosskopf]

  On 8/11/2019 at 1:12 AM, Just Jim said:

Wait.... Piper's in your universe, with no prior experience??? And I'm assuming no prior memory either???

yeah... I think I know what happened.... watch out for a large round probe, with glowing green eyes, lurking about nearby... lmao.... 

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A totally random but happy circumstance.  The name of Piper Kerman is indelibly linked with Emiko Station so lends some cred to my pathetic drivel   But what's her backstory?  I honestly can't remember all the tangled kinship links and origin stories of all the many characters in the Emiko saga and  I don't recall Piper's origins being discussed.  I just remember her as a total BadS willing to use any means necessary.  Wasn't it Piper who flung a chunk of Emiko Station at Thompberry in what we might have thought at the time was the final boss battle of the story?  I seem to think so but can't be sure.

Anyway, assuming that you didn't flesh out Piper's backstory, perhaps she might have started here, WAY in the future of the Emiko saga.  If this is the case, then she'd likely have grown up as a street urchin gravitating into 1%er biker gangs before being pressganged into the Circus and sent off to Lua.  This has made her rather tough and adaptable.  And then she's somehow swept away into your universe, perhaps via that "Princess of Duna" story you've been quite remiss on updating

Piper's work on Lua is done.  She can disappear from this universe without a tear shed although the Circus recognizes she's got the makings of a Chief Bosunsmate.  She's probably already has a tattoo of the crossed anchors on her right knuckles and has a belaying pin in her hip pocket.

But if this is not the same Piper, then I'd be happy to keep her  

 

  On 8/11/2019 at 1:33 AM, Speeding Mullet said:

Yep - You took the time to make the pairing, so I took the time to read and listen.  It worked really well and thanks for listing out the rest of the songs for me! 

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Episode 6:  Billy Idol's version of "Neuromancer", official video.

 

  12 minutes ago, Speeding Mullet said:

Uh oh - I hope the Universe implosion is just a flesh wound - Waiting on tenterhooks for the next episode!  Meanwhile the Von Brauncano needs an update so I better get back to the slog of uploading!

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I might have managed to resurrect the game.  It's taken quite a bit of conjuring ghosts and listening to whispers but I THINK I've got things back.  Having hung up my hacking guns around 1990, I rely on necromancy, not neuromancy, these days.  We'll see.

[Just Jim]

  On 8/11/2019 at 2:30 AM, Geschosskopf said:

A totally random but happy circumstance.  The name of Piper Kerman is indelibly linked with Emiko Station so lends some cred to my pathetic drivel   But what's her backstory?  I honestly can't remember all the tangled kinship links and origin stories of all the many characters in the Emiko saga and  I don't recall Piper's origins being discussed.  I just remember her as a total BadS willing to use any means necessary.  Wasn't it Piper who flung a chunk of Emiko Station at Thompberry in what we might have thought at the time was the final boss battle of the story?  I seem to think so but can't be sure.

Anyway, assuming that you didn't flesh out Piper's backstory, perhaps she might have started here, WAY in the future of the Emiko saga.  If this is the case, then she'd likely have grown up as a street urchin gravitating into 1%er biker gangs before being pressganged into the Circus and sent off to Lua.  This has made her rather tough and adaptable.  And then she's somehow swept away into your universe, perhaps via that "Princess of Duna" story you've been quite remiss on updating

Piper's work on Lua is done.  She can disappear from this universe without a tear shed although the Circus recognizes she's got the makings of a Chief Bosunsmate.  She's probably already has a tattoo of the crossed anchors on her right knuckles and has a belaying pin in her hip pocket.

But if this is not the same Piper, then I'd be happy to keep her  

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Hmmm.... it's entirely up to you, but if you wanted to use my Piper, the explanation how she got there is really easy. 

Piper is absolutely my biggest BadS, yes.... think Susan Ivanova from B5.

And for the longest time she hated Thompberry more than any kerb. But in one of those ironic twists of fate, they ended up inseparable by the end of the Saga.

This opens up a couple interesting possibilities... perhaps she got caught in one of Thompberry's experiments. Or Thompy being more or less immortal, they were experimenting with ways to extend Piper's lifetime.... but it's also partially fried her brain?

Or it's just a happy coincidence... You are more than welcome to use (and abuse) them if you want, but that's totally up to you.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Just Jim

[Geschosskopf]

  On 8/11/2019 at 12:32 PM, Just Jim said:

Hmmm.... it's entirely up to you, but if you wanted to use my Piper, the explanation how she got there is really easy. 

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I could never use YOUR Piper, the fully developed character and utter BadS.  I was just proposing an origin story for her if you didn't have one already.  My idea was she's originally from this Beyond Hope universe, where she grew up tough on the mean streets and was further hardened by the rigors of Circus service.  Then some mysterious event (Krakens, Thompberry, UFOs, Magic Boulders, whatever) snatches her across time and space into one of your universes, where you continue the story.  This event changes her biology as necessary, which we know is possible for such journeys   

Basically, I'm asking you to tell a Piper origins story.  Such a BadS must have had an interesting life prior to the events of Emiko Station.  I want to read that.  And it's pretty much expected that you do this, based on the precedent set by the movie industry  .  First you have an adventure with a group of characters, but that adventure ends eventually.  To keep milking money from the by-now huge fanbase while you think up a whole new story arc, you go back and tell the origin stories of the various characters from the 1st group of movies.

So, to get this started, I'm providing the basic seed.  Piper began as a street urchin and outlaw biker, then become a Circus bosunsmate.  But before she got very far along with her new career, she got swept off into your universe(s), where her development really begins.

[Just Jim]

  On 8/11/2019 at 2:48 PM, Geschosskopf said:

I could never use YOUR Piper, the fully developed character and utter BadS.  I was just proposing an origin story for her if you didn't have one already.  My idea was she's originally from this Beyond Hope universe, where she grew up tough on the mean streets and was further hardened by the rigors of Circus service.  Then some mysterious event (Krakens, Thompberry, UFOs, Magic Boulders, whatever) snatches her across time and space into one of your universes, where you continue the story.  This event changes her biology as necessary, which we know is possible for such journeys   

Basically, I'm asking you to tell a Piper origins story.  Such a BadS must have had an interesting life prior to the events of Emiko Station.  I want to read that.  And it's pretty much expected that you do this, based on the precedent set by the movie industry  .  First you have an adventure with a group of characters, but that adventure ends eventually.  To keep milking money from the by-now huge fanbase while you think up a whole new story arc, you go back and tell the origin stories of the various characters from the 1st group of movies.

So, to get this started, I'm providing the basic seed.  Piper began as a street urchin and outlaw biker, then become a Circus bosunsmate.  But before she got very far along with her new career, she got swept off into your universe(s), where her development really begins.

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Oh, I see what you're saying... Yes, go for it! 

Piper has no back story, and fits into this nicely. She is utterly fearless, very street-smart, and tough as nails. And she's known to have one of the foulest mouths on the planet when she loses her temper. 

Also, she was the character in my Saga most sensitive to visions from the the boulder fragments... and was the victim of Sanny's pranking a couple times.  I never really explained why...

Yes, go for it if you want... have fun!  

 

 

[Angelo Kerman]

I read those William Gibson books back in the day... I vaguely recall a video game called Neruomancer too.. My favorite of the genrera is still Shadownrun, though the first edition had really bad game mechanics. Now, if the Circus ends up meeting Dunklezhan...

[Just Jim]

Just as long as there aren't any Necroscopes.... 

(let's see if anyone else has read Brian Lumley...)

[KerballingSmasher]

  On 8/11/2019 at 5:10 PM, Just Jim said:

Oh, I see what you're saying... Yes, go for it! 

Piper has no back story, and fits into this nicely. She is utterly fearless, very street-smart, and tough as nails. And she's known to have one of the foulest mouths on the planet when she loses her temper. 

Also, she was the character in my Saga most sensitive to visions from the the boulder fragments... and was the victim of Sanny's pranking a couple times.  I never really explained why...

Yes, go for it if you want... have fun!  

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YAY FOR ORIGIN STORIES!

[greenTurtle1134]

  On 8/11/2019 at 2:48 PM, Geschosskopf said:

I could never use YOUR Piper, the fully developed character and utter BadS.  I was just proposing an origin story for her if you didn't have one already.  My idea was she's originally from this Beyond Hope universe, where she grew up tough on the mean streets and was further hardened by the rigors of Circus service.  Then some mysterious event (Krakens, Thompberry, UFOs, Magic Boulders, whatever) snatches her across time and space into one of your universes, where you continue the story.  This event changes her biology as necessary, which we know is possible for such journeys   

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I mean, it's established that things can warp between the Traveling Circus and Emiko Station universes. Sanny did. (Which raises a question, what transferred her? The Emiko ETs have that capability, and the Monolith Network was also used to transfer between Kerbfleet and Plan Kappa. The Kerbfleet Monolith mentioned that it was aware of Emiko Station and Forgotten Space Program, and Sanny was worshipping a Monolith before she got warped, so that's another possibility.)

It would be interesting to see a full Traveling Circus/Emiko Station crossover at some point. The Boffins would probably try to dissect Thompberry.

[Geschosskopf]

  On 8/11/2019 at 5:10 PM, Just Jim said:

Oh, I see what you're saying... Yes, go for it! 

Piper has no back story, and fits into this nicely. She is utterly fearless, very street-smart, and tough as nails. And she's known to have one of the foulest mouths on the planet when she loses her temper. 

Also, she was the character in my Saga most sensitive to visions from the the boulder fragments... and was the victim of Sanny's pranking a couple times.  I never really explained why...

Yes, go for it if you want... have fun!  

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OK, I'll get her started then arrange for her tragic disappearance   But after that, it's up to you to finish the backstory in your universe.  AND/OR get on with that Princess of Duna yarn.

 

  On 8/11/2019 at 6:02 PM, Angel-125 said:

I read those William Gibson books back in the day... I vaguely recall a video game called Neruomancer too.. My favorite of the genrera is still Shadownrun, though the first edition had really bad game mechanics. Now, if the Circus ends up meeting Dunklezhan...

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My favorite cyberpunk author is Neal Stephenson, especially Snow Crash.  I figure daily life in my Kerbal society is a cross between that, Charles Dickens, and Mel Brooks  

 

  On 8/11/2019 at 7:48 PM, greenTurtle1134 said:

I mean, it's established that things can warp between the Traveling Circus and Emiko Station universes. Sanny did. (Which raises a question, what transferred her? The Emiko ETs have that capability, and the Monolith Network was also used to transfer between Kerbfleet and Plan Kappa. The Kerbfleet Monolith mentioned that it was aware of Emiko Station and Forgotten Space Program, and Sanny was worshipping a Monolith before she got warped, so that's another possibility.)

It would be interesting to see a full Traveling Circus/Emiko Station crossover at some point. The Boffins would probably try to dissect Thompberry.

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IIRC, Sanny got dragged along when the Krakens were at Sarnus.  They spotted a free-range soul and thought it might be a good snack during their next trip   

I'm not entirely sure what a "full crossover" is but I'm sure I'd suck at it.  I have a hard enough to coming up with my own drivel so would certainly fail miserably when attempting to write for the characters of others.  But yeah, about Thompberry.  As his brain is already in a can, the Scientists would just push the PUREE button the base  

[greenTurtle1134]

  On 8/11/2019 at 11:57 PM, Geschosskopf said:

As his brain is already in a can

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His brain is in a neutronium can.

And forget dissecting Thompberry, the Boffins would try to dissect a Kraken. And fail miserably.

  On 8/11/2019 at 11:57 PM, Geschosskopf said:

IIRC, Sanny got dragged along when the Krakens were at Sarnus.  They spotted a free-range soul and thought it might be a good snack during their next trip   

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Still raises the question of how she got from Traveling Circus's Sarnus to Emiko Station's Sarnus. Maybe she went through the monolith by accident.

---

Speaking of which, what exactly is the difference between a Boffin and a Scientist?

Edited August 12, 2019 by greenTurtle1134

[Geschosskopf]

  On 8/12/2019 at 12:07 AM, greenTurtle1134 said:

His brain is in a neutronium can.

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Which still has a PUREE button on it.  The Krakens' little joke  

 

  4 hours ago, greenTurtle1134 said:

Still raises the question of how she got from Traveling Circus's Sarnus to Emiko Station's Sarnus. Maybe she went through the monolith by accident.

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The various non-Kerbal entities in that story were able to cross between universes.  Remember, Emiko when to the Sims universe and all  

 

  4 hours ago, greenTurtle1134 said:

Speaking of which, what exactly is the difference between a Boffin and a Scientist?

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Well, for starters, they're separate castes of Kerbal.  In my universe, Kerbals are like Moties---the species is divided into a number of castes that breed more or less true.  And like ants and termites, the higher castes regard the lower castes as expendable :).

The Scientist caste evolved the most curiosity and imagination of all the Kerbals, always wanting to take things apart to see how they work and not really caring if they can put them back together.  They seek knowledge for its own sake and are responsible for like 99% of all Kerbal innovations since fire-making, although usually other castes figure out how to put these discoveries to practical use.  In the space program, Scientists pick where to go next and what to look for, and making sure the Kerbals gather the Science! correctly.  But they also tend to experiment with Kerbal tolerance to Space Madness, (which they insist on writing in large, green comic sans) which can jeopardize missions.  More usefully, they continually refine the methods of chemically indoctrinating astronauts.

The Boffin caste are the practical tinkerers.  While they sometimes enjoy letting their hair down and making huge, impractical things just to watch them explode, they're usually all business.  They plan the missions, design the ships, and make sure they get where they're supposed to.  No nonsense tolerated although they do throw in as many gratuitous explosions as they can.  Boffins also usually get to pick which tech node to do next, to better do the next job.  From the astronaut's POV, Boffins are hard taskmasters but at least consistent and always wanting the mission to succeed.  Scientists, however, often jack with the cabin thermostat just to see if they can drive the crew insane.

Boffins and Scientists are at equal level in the Kerbal pecking order and hate each other intensely, which is why MIssion Control is bicameral.  Disagreements are often settled with food fights spiraling into all-out brawls in the control room.

[greenTurtle1134]

  On 8/12/2019 at 5:32 AM, Geschosskopf said:

<loud difference explaining sound>

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Oh, I see. So the Scientists would be the ones making Thompberry puree, the Boffins would be busy working out how to steal his gravioli drive. And in general, the Boffins are more practically minded whereas the Scientists do science for science's sake. That's a nice piece of worldbuilding, have a rep.

[KSK]

  On 8/11/2019 at 6:16 PM, Just Jim said:

Just as long as there aren't any Necroscopes.... 

(let's see if anyone else has read Brian Lumley...)

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If any of the Circus crews see a locker with 'Dragosani' written on it, I suggest they run. Very, very fast.

[Cydonian Monk]

  On 8/11/2019 at 12:17 AM, Geschosskopf said:

And then the universe imploded.

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Cool!

Or not.... Seems standard fare for most of my saves.  

  Quote

I might have managed to resurrect the game.  It's taken quite a bit of conjuring ghosts and listening to whispers but I THINK I've got things back.

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F5 (or Alt-F5) must become a religious process. I also keep my saves on a version-tracking filesystem, so when things go super pear-shaped I can find where the problem started. Save corruption hasn't been a super serious problem for me for a couple versions though. Hope it all works out.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Cydonian Monk

[Geschosskopf]

  On 8/12/2019 at 5:56 AM, greenTurtle1134 said:

Oh, I see. So the Scientists would be the ones making Thompberry puree, the Boffins would be busy working out how to steal his gravioli drive. And in general, the Boffins are more practically minded whereas the Scientists do science for science's sake. That's a nice piece of worldbuilding, have a rep.

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Thanks :).  

To go further, Mission Control is both the Board of Directors of the Honorable Trading Company, and also effectively a Parliament with jurisdiction beginning on the surface of the homeworld and extending to the edges of the universe.  In this body, the castes function analogously to political parties.  Boffins and Scientists are the 2 main parties but there are also representatives from other castes:  Economists, Propagandists, etc.  Being a Member is the career goal of the most ambitious Kerbals--they have to work their way up through the bureaucratic ranks all their lives first.  It's all about personal gain, standing in Court, and having a longer entry in Who's Who than their rivals.  Needless to say, Kerbals with the gravitas to be Members don't dirty their hands actually running missions, building rockets, or dissecting Kerbals.  They're too busy buying their way into prestigious clubs and hunts, and ruining each other's careers, to be bothered.  Thus, these tasks are assigned to middle management castemembers who, in turn, are perpetually drunk and delegate them to underpaid, underfed, over-worked, sleep-deprived graduate students who are more interested in completing their theses than the missions they have to deal with.

 

  On 8/12/2019 at 6:12 AM, KSK said:

If any of the Circus crews see a locker with 'Dragosani' written on it, I suggest they run. Very, very fast.

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When a species can have its brains pureed (to strain any parasites, blood clots, alien implants, mental illness, or socially unacceptable ideas out of the resulting slop) and go back to work later that same day with no ill effects, it tends to be oblivious to most other species that prey on (or might cooperate with) psyches.  This doesn't mean Kerbal psyches can't self-destruct when given enough incentive, of course  

 

  On 8/12/2019 at 4:01 PM, Cydonian Monk said:

Cool!

Or not.... Seems standard fare for most of my saves.  

F5 (or Alt-F5) must become a religious process. I also keep my saves on a version-tracking filesystem, so when things go super pear-shaped I can find where the problem started. Save corruption hasn't been a super serious problem for me for a couple versions though. Hope it all works out.

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Oh yes, having been playing KSP for 6 years, my habit of hitting F5 before and after every step of the progress has become instinctual.  And while not quite as deep-seated, I've also got a strong habit of creating named saves every time the Space Center view comes around.  It was by these means that I resurrected this game.

The problem seems to be with using the base on Lua.  That destroys either the game (if you try to go to the Space Center afterwards) or the universe (if you try to go to the Tracking Center afterwards).  It seems to be a Kerbal Konstructs issue and I think it's in that mod itself as I see nothing in the BH KK files that would be responsible.  But even without that problem the base is flawed because it can't recover ships or store Kerbals.

So.......  Despite having just dropped $7.2M on that base, I can't use it.  For now, at least.  So, much to her disappointment, Megbrett and company will be coming home as soon as the MOLE experiments currently running in EBOLA finish up.  Or their Snacks! run out, whichever comes first. They've been there about 90 days so far, which I figure is them exploring the base and learning it's inoperative for complicated technical reasons they don't understand.

[greenTurtle1134]

  On 8/12/2019 at 9:35 PM, Geschosskopf said:

The problem seems to be with using the base on Lua.  That destroys either the game (if you try to go to the Space Center afterwards) or the universe (if you try to go to the Tracking Center afterwards).  It seems to be a Kerbal Konstructs issue and I think it's in that mod itself as I see nothing in the BH KK files that would be responsible.  But even without that problem the base is flawed because it can't recover ships or store Kerbals.

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It would appear that the Only Wave was better at cybersecurity than you thought.