The Sky is Not the Limit - UPDATE: NEW THREAD OUT!

[TwoCalories]

11 hours ago, ggerrronimo said:

Very cool and high quality photos. Were they in the public domain when you saved them?

I'm not sure what you mean. They're my own screenshots that I took in-game, and the flags I made are my own as well.

11 hours ago, Maria Sirona said:

In other news, I really like this new storyline with the anomalies! Keep it up!

Thank you!

On 1/7/2024 at 4:20 PM, Kimera Industries said:

Kerbin in the background, the Mun in the foreground, and a star on the surface representing the location of the anomaly.

11 hours ago, Maria Sirona said:

There's a blue planet, that might be Kerbin, and a big planet, which could be Jool.

Is KASE planning to go to the green giant?

I am not at liberty to disclose certain information...

***

Also, hopefully a new chapter this weekend! I'll probably be getting the Roadhouse-2 crew home.

Edited January 11, 2024 by TwoCalories

[Kimera Industries]

23 hours ago, TwoCalories said:

I'll probably be getting the Roadhouse-2 crew home.

Do you just use the stock alarm clock to know when?

[TwoCalories]

21 hours ago, Kimera Industries said:

Do you just use the stock alarm clock to know when?

Since SS Roadhouse and Roadhouse-2 were launched within a day of each other, I've been using the elapsed time to keep track.

Admittingly, I never thought to do this, and it's probably a good idea once I start having several bases and stations to keep track of. Also, I use the Alarm Clock mod because I've found the stock one to be inaccurate and unreliable at times.

[Kimera Industries]

2 hours ago, TwoCalories said:

Also, I use the Alarm Clock mod because I've found the stock one to be inaccurate and unreliable at times.

I probably should too, I've never fully trusted the stock alarms for anything important.

[TwoCalories]

Sorry, the chapter that I promised won't be here this weekend. I haven't really been in a KSP mood recently, as the game has really been laggy for me these days, especially in the VAB and loading times. Also, I just haven't been in a real KSP mood recently.

[Kerbalsaurus]

1 hour ago, TwoCalories said:

Sorry, the chapter that I promised won't be here this weekend. I haven't really been in a KSP mood recently, as the game has really been laggy for me these days, especially in the VAB and loading times. Also, I just haven't been in a real KSP mood recently.

We understand . After all, if you don’t have fun playing the game, why force yourself to play it?

[Kimera Industries]

On 1/15/2024 at 3:39 PM, TwoCalories said:

Sorry, the chapter that I promised won't be here this weekend. I haven't really been in a KSP mood recently, as the game has really been laggy for me these days, especially in the VAB and loading times. Also, I just haven't been in a real KSP mood recently.

I feel ya. After that Jool 5, I've had trouble motivating myself to do anything in KSP as well. I've just sort of been aimlessly building half-working ICBMs as usual.

[Kimera Industries]

On 1/16/2024 at 6:48 PM, Kimera Industries said:

I feel ya. After that Jool 5, I've had trouble motivating myself to do anything in KSP as well. I've just sort of been aimlessly building half-working ICBMs as usual.

I've found a neat hack to getting back in the kerbal mood: I made a new science save at max difficulty. So far only Jeb has died, but we replaced him with Jedteb.  It's really satisfying to get more science, upgrade the preexisting craft, and go get more science.

[TwoCalories]

Guys, I'm kind of split about this.

I had an idea to retcon the whole "Kerbal countries" thing, as in, instead of having Earth countries, I make up my own Kerbal countries with their own flags. Retconning this this late into the story will have some cons, like continuity issues, and all the old screenshots having vessels with "United States" and American flags on them.

However, there are several pros to this change, including:

• Makes more sense: How can the Kerbals, who have had a pretty different history on a completely different planet, have the same nations with the same names as Earth's?
• More original and fun: From a story perspective, having original country names and flags is a bit more fun, and less unoriginal.

This next one is a bit difficult to explain as a bullet point but is equally important to note as a pro to this option. I don't want to offend anyone by portraying certain countries or groups badly. I've tried to avoid this, especially with the space race, but it's been kind of hard, given how much politics and nationalism are involved in the space race, here and IRL. Having fictional countries give me a little more freedom as an author, as countries don't have to follow or act like their real-life counterparts. I probably didn't phrase that well, but I hope you understand what I mean.

I'll be putting a poll up shortly after posting this. Make sure to put your opinion in there, as this is a pretty significant change!

[Kimera Industries]

"If yes, should I change the city names to original names, or keep them the same?"

What part of this are we answering to? 

[TwoCalories]

53 minutes ago, Kimera Industries said:

What part of this are we answering to? 

Oh, I should have phrased that better. Yes means to change the city names, and no means to keep them the same.

[TwoCalories]

Alright, the poll seems to have slowed down, and the majority of you want me to change the countries. I'll be closing the poll soon after posting this. Thanks for your input, and sorry for all the radio silence recently. It'll probably be a bit longer before a new chapter comes out, since I have to start making the countries and their flags, plus retconning the chapters that feature old country names.

[TwoCalories]

Well, I did have a small update to give about the progress on making new flags, but it seems Imgur has soiled the bed. All it does when I go there is pull up a blank white screen. I'm not really sure what to do.

[TwoCalories]

Now that Imgur has finally started working again, I'd like to share some updates on the countries and flags.

First off, the new names for the continents:

• North/South America --> East/West Vankadia
• Europe --> Echolahn
• Asia --> Jetohan
• Africa --> Ovanha
• Oceania --> Azzinhe
• Antarctica --> Chilades

And for the oceans:

• North/South Pacific Ocean --> West/East Kalau Ocean
• North/South Atlantic Ocean --> North/South Koloan Ocean
• Indian Ocean --> Eledean Ocean
• Arctic Ocean --> Colodei Ocean
• Southern Ocean --> Chilodei Ocean

And some countries. This is an incomplete list. Some countries may or may not have real life counterparts as time goes on:

• United States of America --> Democratic States of Vankadia
• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics --> Socialist Union of Zolosten
• European Union (still working on the actual European country names) --> Echolaean Union
• People's Republic of China --> Socialist Republic of Kalestia

Remember, these names are subject to change.

As for the country flags, I've gotten one done, and it's the flag of the US's new Kerbalized self, the Democratic States of Vankadia. Vankadia for short.

Here is the new flag of Vankadia, too.

Also, since the color of the flag has gone from America's red, white, and blue to Vankadia's teal and white, I've made a slight change to the KASA wormball to make it fit in a little better. It's subtle, but I like it.

We've also got the Vankadia Air Force symbols, in both high-visibility and low-visibility variants.

And with the new flags up, retconning the original chapters will begin today!

EDIT: Also, Houston will become Koaington.

EDIT x2: Chapters 1-3 retcons are done!

EDIT x3: Chapters 4-17 retcons are done as well!

Edited June 14, 2024 by TwoCalories

[Kimera Industries]

We've always been at war with Azzinhe...

Edited March 6, 2024 by Kimera Industries
Good job if you get the reference.

[TwoCalories]

On 3/6/2024 at 1:55 PM, Kimera Industries said:

We've always been at war with Azzinhe...

Everybody gangsta till- ONE MILLION! ONE MILLION LIVES!

Spoiler

I've never actually played Ace Combat, but I've been looking into it, and have done a fair bit of research into the lore.

 

[Kimera Industries]

4 minutes ago, TwoCalories said:

Ace Combat

I was actually alluding to 1984, "We've always been at war with Oceania," but I just replaced it with the kerbal versions you made. Just looked it up, and Aced Combat looks fun, though!

[TwoCalories]

1 hour ago, Kimera Industries said:

I was actually alluding to 1984, "We've always been at war with Oceania," but I just replaced it with the kerbal versions you made. Just looked it up, and Aced Combat looks fun, though!

Ohh. I googled the reference and it pulled up "We've always been at war with Erusea".

[Kimera Industries]

21 hours ago, TwoCalories said:

Ohh. I googled the reference and it pulled up "We've always been at war with Erusea".

Yeah, that's on me. Several factors resulted in me incorrectly quoting it, such as A. Eurasia was not on your list, B. At some point in the book the totalitarian government switches tracks, and since they control all information everyone has to accept what they say (They switched to telling everyone they were at war with Oceania, instead of Eurasia) and I got a little confused.

Edited March 9, 2024 by Kimera Industries

[TwoCalories]

Interlude Four: Commander's Log

Spoiler

KASA - KERBONAUT PERSONAL LOG

MISSION DAY 45 (5-30-1971)

CDR VALENTINA RIDE KERMAN

TRINITY-7 / ROADHOUSE-2

***

Forty-five days. That's over 1,080 hours on this station. With an orbital period of roughly 34 minutes, me and the crew have seen over 1,890 orbital sunrises. Suffice it to say, we've spent a long time on this station. It's nowhere near one hundred days, which was originally planned until the initial electricity problems. That caused the mission planners back at KSC to take a step back. Now we're going home in five days, making Roadhouse-2's stay fifty days long, only half the original one hundred. Either way, it's still the longest period of time spent in space at once, not just by Vankadian kerbonauts but any country.

I guess I could take this time to reflect on this mission's significance. The first station in Kerbin orbit. The longest time in space spent by any Kerbal. Lots of science done on the effects of long-term spaceflight exposure on the Kerbal body. Maybe I could even talk about how this mission has put me hundreds of hours ahead of Jeb in total hours of spaceflight. But there's no point in trying to get around that it's been quite uneventful in the day-to-day life on Roadhouse, dare I even say it's been boring.

Crew moral has been up recently, as Bob and Irene have been excited to get back home to their families. Even over the course of the mission, it was never really low, so I have to give credit to the psychologists on the ground who had a part in designing the crew module. It's still small, but it feels really good to be able to stretch out your legs, which you couldn't do in a Trinity CSM without kicking someone's face or a couple fuse switches. Using an actual toilet instead of those sketchy tubes and bags is a plus, as well. The food has seemed to improve too. What I'm saying is that the KSC engineers really put in the effort to make sure Kerbonauts could live here comfortably for a long time. This shift in ideology at KASA began all the way back in the late Trinity program, when they added the small hab module to the assembly.

The windows are pretty small, but if you get to the station's "bridge" and peek out of one of the two small windows to our retrograde, you can just barely see Eve against the Sun. If the lighting is just right, you can also spot Moho and Dres. To our prograde, you can see Duna, Jool, Sarnus, and even Urlum. The Mun and Minmus constantly loom above us to our retrograde and prograde, respectively. All these planets, and even our own moons, seem to glow in the blackness of space, beckoning to us, but just out of reach.

Occasionally, I look out to the Mun, and remember, over three months ago now, when Bob snapped those pictures of the weird... thing on the surface. In the first few weeks of Bob's "discovery", it was all the news at the KSC. After the federal agents dropped by Koaington, people started to wonder what was really up with those pictures. You can't even request to view those tapes anymore. But when anyone got the attention of the KSC admin, they were called up to the office, and one conversation with the G-men later, they were silent about it. Even Bob got called up there at some point. Heck, I may even get in trouble for writing this. But all I'm saying is that the whole incident has gotten to a point where everyone is too scared to bring it up. But I think about it occasionally.

Anyway, Day 45. Only five days left until we can all go home, bring back all our data, and see our friends and families. By the time we're back, KASA will probably be selecting the crew for Roadhouse-3, and maybe even designing an expansion to the station. And KASA engineers will be laying the blueprints for some new interplanetary probes to launch in a year or two. So KASA itself is running quite smoothly, and that's going to be life around here for the foreseeable future. And the Mun is going to be left by herself for a while...

...Probably.

 

Edited March 10, 2024 by TwoCalories

[TheKspEngineer]

Amazing story can't wait for more

Edited March 17, 2024 by TheKspEngineer

[TwoCalories]

UPDATE: I've been kind of bugged that by the Global War II the Kerbals had technology that, by Earth's timeline, is fifty years ahead of their time. So, I've decided to put up yet another poll: how many years should I change the timeline by, if any? Once the results stop coming in, I'll begin retconning the previous chapters, if you guys want the timeline changed at all.

Sorry for most of my posts being retcons and polls, but a new chapter should be coming soon (for real this time)!

[Kerbalsaurus]

17 minutes ago, TwoCalories said:

UPDATE: I've been kind of bugged that by the Global War II the Kerbals had technology that, by Earth's timeline, is fifty years ahead of their time. So, I've decided to put up yet another poll: how many years should I change the timeline by, if any? Once the results stop coming in, I'll begin retconning the previous chapters, if you guys want the timeline changed at all.

I feel like it fits. Kerbals seem to advance technologically very quickly anyways due to their love of space, and military technology being more advanced than rocket technology makes sense in a real world context. Military technology today is at least 20-30 years ahead of its time. Meanwhile NASA’s still using facilities from the 50s.

Edited April 12, 2024 by Kerbalsaurus
Typos

[TwoCalories]

This Week at KASA: Roadhouse-2 Comes Home

Spoiler

After a total of fifty days on SS Roadhouse, the crew members, CDR Valentina Ride, Irene Aver, and Bob Collins, are returning home. They have made history on their record length voyage and broken countless records, but what matters most is that they're bringing home extensive science data that will help us lay out an in-depth plan for sustainable long-term spaceflight.

Note the old KASA logo. The insignia was revamped while they were on orbit.

A new addition to the Trinity-class command pods is a proper floatation collar and some buoyancy balloons. These will help make the capsule more seaworthy while they wait for the recovery vessel.

The three crew were eventually retrieved by the recovery carrier, the VDS Trailblazer II.

The crew safely made it home to the Kerbal Space Center, and the data is being studied as this article is releasing. We are expectttttttt

Spoiler

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Spoiler

Chapter Twenty-One: Forward Scouting - Part 1

Spoiler

After months of preparation, KASE is preparing for its first surface operation on the Mun around the "Gateway" or so many have taken to calling the artifact due to it's archlike appearance. The mission itself is codenamed Northern Wind-1. It consists of a small lander and drone package, which pushes the limits of even the venerable Dexterity-3 lifter. The booster is painted with Vankadian Air Defense Force markings because if the rocket is spotted or crashes, KASE cannot be traced to it.

"We have reached maximum aerodynamic pressure."

"Clean booster sep."

Orbit was reached soon after, and Northern Wind-1 was put en route to the Mun as soon as possible to prevent being spotted from the ground with a telescope.

Northern Wind-1 was placed in an elliptical orbit to conserve the Dexterity-3's upper stage's fuel, as well as to efficiently change orbital inclination to precisely land near the anomaly.

Onboard cameras observe a shining tiny speck on the surface...

Despite having extra fuel, the upper stage was dropped early to avoid dropping debris near the artifact.

Finally, Northern Wind-1 touches down on the Munar surface. Mission control eagerly awaits the full color cameras to activate. In the meantime, a hazard cam is spun around and...

"Oh... oh my God..."

The whole control room is astonished. Shocked. And a few are a bit annoyed we didn't notice it even earlier than we did. The anomaly is an in fact entire arch-like structure, sticking out of the surface. It's covered in regolith and rock for the most part, but an exposed area shows three strange lights.

Whatever the artifact and its existence's implications may be, we can say one thing for certain: after a whole year of observing the Gateway, we can finally truly begin our exploration.

 

Edited April 14, 2024 by TwoCalories

[TwoCalories]

Seeing as the poll results have slowed down, it looks like we've settled on keeping the timeline the same. Thanks for the input!