[AAR] The Grand Tour - Voyage To The Planets

[The Jedi Master]

I still think it's sad that this is ending just as another crisis flares up in the community. What's going to be there to calm peoples nerves?

[iDan122]

I think it's gonna be released about 2 hours since Czok's recent post

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Wow, my heart rate is actually about about 110 bpm, and I'm lying down.

THE HYPE *asplodes*

[MixUp5]

I've been lurking for quite some time and I've read the whole Grand Tour. Just registered to show my appreciation and leave my mark on this thread:D. But seriously this has been awesome.

Also Czo, only four hours of time left:wink:. (in Poland's time zone of course.)

[RocketPilot573]

Is... is it happening?

[BlazingAngel665]

I've been lurking for quite some time and I've read the whole Grand Tour. Just registered to show my appreciation and leave my mark on this thread:D. But seriously this has been awesome.

Also Czo, only four hours of time left:wink:. (in Poland's time zone of course.)

Nice to see you here Mix, enjoy your stay

[iDan122]

It's "We are Slavs", there's no such thing as Solevian (?).

Yeah, it's pretty bad but it's catchy - especially if you hear this in the radio every frakking hour... I don't see the connection between your Russian blood and this hip-hop video though. It was meant as kinda autoparody and to be taken ironically but honestly I think they just did this for lulz. But who cares anyways?

Oops, I meant *Slovenian

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

3-ish hours left at maximum!

[czokletmuss]

Just editing now.

[Itsdavyjones]

Gah, i come to the forum, and see the last person to post is czokletmuss, and its NOT out yet... THE ANTICIPATION!!!

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

*sockets and plugs start to explode randomly, a car crashes into the window, and the ceiling caves in and melts, and the river bursts it's banks*

Edit: my heart rate is at about 130 bpm lying down now, I think it will give out 1 second before he posts the chapter

EDIT NUMURO DOS: I would be so annoyed if he posted a space race chapter instead

Edited May 11, 2014 by SpaceSphereOfDeath

[RocketPilot573]

I don't want to go...

[Hastur]

I am playing KSP since 0.13, and this thread is the only one so far I felt any desire to reply to, as well as the first AAR to ever catch my interest from any game.

Thank you for this, it has been an awesome read.

[iDan122]

109 minutes left

[RocketPilot573]

I'm betting on 30 minutes from now...

[czokletmuss]

EPILOGUE - PART 3

THE PERFECT STORM

***

TWELVE MONTHS LATER

GREEN HOUSE, JEFFERSON D.K.

WALT: …so just please answer the questions, sir. I also have to remind you that you should watch your language and behave properly. I believe you were told whom you are going to meet, but just to be sure I'm obliged to tell you that not only Mr. President, Mr. Vice President and other members of the Cabinet, but also several other chief executive officers of the most important agencies and departments are here.

ROZER: Mhm.

WALT: I also have to mention that Mr. President required the presence of the Director of the Green House Office of Science and Technology Policy, who's going to-

ROZER: Walt.

WALT: Sir?

ROZER: Just shut up and push the damn wheelchair.

WALT: Sir. With all due respect, I was ordered to- Mr. Administrator!

TIMIDEN: What took you so long? Five more minutes and we would be late.

ROZER: Sir.

TIMIDEN: Captain. You know Frank Harrison, our Deputy Administrator.

HARRISON: It's good to see you, captain.

TIMIDEN: Let's go, we can't be late. Rozer?

ROZER: Sir?

TIMIDEN: Remember, you are here just to answer the questions, not ask them. Open your mouth only when asked.

ROZER: Sir.

TIMIDEN: President Mondale is a politician and a talker, so be patient if he's going to indulge himself in a longer speech. Do you understand?

ROZER: Sir.

TIMIDEN: And don't get witty - just answer, alright? I'm sure you can handle this.

ROZER: Sir.

TIMIDEN: Good.

PRESIDENT: Welcome!

TIMIDEN: Mr. President. Your Excellencies.

PRESIDENT: Let's not waste time on ceremony, John. My, my, isn't this captain Rozer Knox himself.

ROZER: Sir.

PRESIDENT: It's good to finally meet you, son. How are you holding up?

ROZER: I'm fine, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Are you sure? Doesn't the oxium mask make it harder for you to speak?

ROZER: No, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Wonderful, wonderful. Well, you were away for home for an awfully long time, so let me quickly introduce you. This is Vice-President Sarah Malin.

MALIN: It's pleasure to meet you.

ROZER: Likewise, ma'am.

PRESIDENT: This is Secretary of State John Merry and this is Secretary of Attack – you may know him, after all Chuck is the head of the Octagon and because of that he was rather active in the media recently

BAGEL: :salutes: Captain.

ROZER: :salutes: General.

PRESIDENT: This is Attorney General Tom Lawson, Catherine Bourgh is our ambassador to the United States and these two are our eggheads: chief of Council of Advisors on Science and Technology dr. Andrew Hayes-

HAYES: Captain.

PRESIDENT: -and director of the Green House Office of Science and Technology Policy, dr. Martin Barkley.

BARKLEY: Nice to meet you.

PRESIDENT: And this tall grim-looking guy is James Tyson, Director of National Intelligence.

TYSON: I'm glad to finally meet you, captain.

PRESIDENT: Try to cheer up a little, James – it's not the end of the world, am I right? HA HA HA!

TIMIDEN: Ha ha, sir.

PRESIDENT: Alright, since the official part is over let's get down to business. Please, take a seat. :looks at Rozer: Timiden?

TIMIDEN: Sir. :waves at Walt who moves Rozer's wheelchair closer to the table:

PRESIDENT: Alright. Good. Do you know why you are here, son?

ROZER: Yes, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Great, great. I must say it hard to believe that you were on Laytee.

HAYES: It's Laythe, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: You got me there, doc. It's most impressive, isn't it? To think that this great nation was able to send men to the distant muns.

BARKLEY: It surely is, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Mhm. But I prefer to think about such extraordinary journey as yours more like an investment than just, how do you call it, space exploration. That's the point after all, isn't it? Explore, expand, exploit. For now we're stuck on the first phase, don't we, but your mission was supposed to change this. Tell me, do you know exactly how much did all of this cost?

ROZER: No, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Ha! I'll tell you something – neither do I. John, please remind me how much money did we spend on project Proteus?

TIMIDEN: Mr. President, do you want me to talk about the cost of the ship alone or-

PRESIDENT: Do I look like a frakking IRS? Just tell me the costs of the whole program.

TIMIDEN: Y-yes. :looks in his papers: Sir. Including R&D, management and operations, hardware development and testing, salaries, manufacturing, integrating new technologies and so on, over 20 years it's almost... $1487 billion.

PRESIDENT: Thank you, John.

TIMIDEN: Adjusted for inflation, it's

PRESIDENT: I said thank you. One and a half trillion. One and a half of a frakking trillion. That's more than thrice the annual budget of the Department of Attack and we're giving the hawks from Octagon so much because they are protecting this country from our enemies. Do you know why we spent so much money on project Proteus?

ROZER: Yes, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Go on then, tell me why did we do this.

ROZER: Sir. The primary objective of our mission was to investigate all the celestial bodies in our Solar System. However, this was only the official goal of the mission. Our true objective known only to director Bob, me and artificial intelligence was to search the planets and muns for radio signature similar to this detected on Duna and collect samples from places resembling artificial creation, if we can find any. It was believed that perhaps if there are other phenomena like the Source of the said radio signature on Duna, we may be able to investigate them and thus either confirm or disprove the theory as though the Source was not of natural origin. What neither me nor director Bob knew and what was kept in secret by artificial intelligence, was that the other Source has already been found on joolian mun Vall during the flight of “Kadmosâ€Â.

HAYES: He knew. Director Bob, he knew.

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: Continue.

ROZER: Because of the critical malfunction of our artificial intelligence, the existence of the Second Source was revealed to me only after we arrived here on Kerbin several months ago. Therefore the reason why project Proteus was created was a possible detection of first known proof of extrakerbestrial intelligence and our goal was to find out whether both Sources are in fact artifacts of technologically advanced civilization other than ours.

PRESIDENT: Precisely. We spent crapton of money, captain. We created a second ever mothership-class mission from a scratch. We developed the first functional fusion cores in history. The first prototypical AI was created to oversee these fusion cores and to make sure that the mission is going to be successful. And all of this – all of this turned out to be for nothing. Where are the samples? Where is the data? Where are the results of this mission, where's the return on this investment?

ROZER: Sir-

PRESIDENT: Let me tell you something, son. The last thing I expected two months after I was reelected for my second term was a frakking rain of celestial fire. It's not like the situation was easy on me, with the financial crisis and Krussia invading Krim. Kod, son, we're still on a verge of a major conflict between the Alliance and damn Krussians! And in the middle of peace talks what happens? A gigantic Soviet spacecraft appears out of the blue with our long-gone and thought to be dead Kermarican crew, soaring through the atmosphere with burning parts of if falling on Kina and our Eastern allies out of all places. And what this engineer, this Nedfurt did... Do you know what a perfect storm is, son?

ROZER: Yes, Mr. President. It's the term which describes event in which a rare combination of circumstances drastically aggravates a situation.

PRESIDENT: You are koddamned right. We're in a deep crap, son. You may not realize this because you were gone for a long time but things didn't improve much here on Kerbin. Despite the best efforts of this administration, the economy is in ruin. We owe the world $27 trillion and the unemployment rate surpassed 18 percent.

MALIN: It's 19 percent.

PRESIDENT: What? Already?

MALIN: I'm afraid so. We've just got the statistics from the last-

PRESIDENT: Doesn't matter. Twenty percent, captain. Kids are forced to work for a minimum wage to pay off their student debt like in a third world country, for Kod's sake. And it's not like their papers are worth anything – do you know that in almost all international rankings we're outperformed by 30-40 countries? Our education system is dying and we're sliding down. I could talk about this for hours – hell, I still remember most of my speeches from the elections – but that's not the biggest problem we face. Do you know what's the biggest problem this great nation has to face now, captain?

ROZER: No, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Resources. We've been drilling for over a century, we've been fracking for the last several decades – and we're almost done. We've sucked this country dry. No Kermarican oil, ever. We're completely reliant on import now. Have you seen the oil prices recently?

ROZER: Well-

PRESIDENT: More than $13 per gallon is now an average price. Average! We're doing what we can trying to increase production in our protectorates in the Middle West-

BOURGH: Allies, Mr. President. They new democracies supported by USK to increase quality of life and protect kerbal rights. Allies, not protectorates.

PRESIDENT: Yeah, right. Cathy has always been very precise – I'm glad to have her as our ambassador to the UN. Now where was I? Oh, yes – we're doing what we can to squeeze more oil but what we're getting from Kiraq or Tamanistan is not enough. It's simply not enough and both Kina and Krussia offer better prices. That's the source of the problem. Am I right, Andrew?

HAYES: Absolutely, Mr. President. The global production of oil peaked 14 years ago and for the past 8 years the consumption is bigger than production, therefore the rising prices and shortages of oil. There's simply not enough of it to provide fair share for everyone, especially considering growing population in developing countries.

PRESIDENT: Fair share. Ha! Would you want a fair share, captain? Hmm? Would you? Do you know how big a fair share is?

ROZER: No, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Andrew?

HAYES: Uhm, well, we, uh, we make up 5 percent of global population but we use 25 percent of world's energy so-

PRESIDENT: So the fair share means that our standard of living is going to plummet. I was elected to provide for the citizens of this nation, to make sure their best interests are defended – do you think I or any other president can allow this to happen? To allow Kermaricans live in a third world conditions? Huh?

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: All these hypocritical hippies and ecologists saying that we should limit our energy consumption, live green, yadda yadda yadda. Let me tell you something, son – fair share means no more cars for everyone, no more vacations in foreign countries, no more cheap food, malls, fridges, microwaves, video games, air conditioning and all these things which are vital to our Kermarican lifestyle. Fair share means just that, fair sharing with others. Fair share is not an option. We're one nation under Kod destined to lead the free world – we are not like other nations. We are unique, we're exceptional. We are better – we are the greatest nation that ever was. We deserve more, we won't be satisfied with the leftovers from the table. Mark my words, son - I was elected to protect Kermarican interests and, Kod be my witness, that's what I'm going to do!

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: You look bored.

ROZER: Sir, I-

PRESIDENT: Do you know why I'm telling you all of this? I'm telling you this so that you can grasp the big picture. The big game. There are 9 billion people on this planet and there's not enough resources for everyone to live like we do, simple enough. Nobody's going to share – everyone who can is going to grab as much as he's able to because every nation acts in its own interest. I'm not talking about future – we're already here. Resource wars. Water wars. It's already happening. In order for economy to grow you need minerals, metal ores, energy. We're running out of time, son. We knew that this day would come but we ignored it. Hurricanes, tornados, draughts, floods, all this crap Mother Kerbin is throwing at us – all of this is because of us. The oil must flow, they used to say. But it's not flowing anymore. Coal – most of it is consumed by Kina now, most of our mines are closed or are unprofitable and we're keeping them afloat with subsidies. We're run out of it in the next 20 years – twenty years! We thought it would last for the next 70 years but eggheads didn't account for growing consumption and the fact that we had to substitute it for other depleting fossil fuels. Natural gas – we're burning it like crazy but we're running low, Kanada will be completely dry in the next decade and Krussia or Middle Western countries aren't going to sell us their precious gas. Uranium predicted to be depleted in 35 years, possibly faster if Kina keeps opening new nuclear power plants. And renewable sources of energy are a joke, combined they have less than 5% share in global production. Do you see it now? Warlords in Kfarica fighting for fresh water, people dying of lung cancer in Kina, your neighbor driving his SUV – it's all connected. All of it. Hell, it really shouldn't surprise you that I'm yammering about this, even though I sound like an old hippie. And don't even get me started on food – if we didn't have GMO we would be starving right now. Normal crops are withering and dying due to the extreme weather. We had to evacuate Kerb Vegas due to water shortages. New Kerb City flooded because of the hurricanes twice during past three years. The list goes on and on, believe me, and they have it even worse in Europa with their constant blackouts, almost all natural resources depleted and religious violence. And all of this, everything I mentioned, is connected. Why do we spend so much on DoA? It's not because Chuck here is a charismatic guy whose big eyes make us give him the billions his department needs – sorry Chuck.

BAGEL: It's alright, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: No, it's not because of this. We're spending billions on military because this allows us to project power anywhere on the globe. And with political power we have the influence to make things work in our best interest. We can secure resources, trade agreements. We can make sure oil keeps flowing. And by doing so, we have stronger economy, which in turns enables us to have even stronger military. Economy drives military, military drives politics, politics drive the economy. Do you know what is the outcome of this vicious cycle?

ROZER: Mr. President-

PRESIDENT: Happy citizens, captain. Happy citizens. Well-fed Kermaricans living in their own homes with electricity, running water and air conditioners, who can go on with their lives not having to fear famine, disease or war. They may live their lives happily driving every weekend to the mall or doing whatever the frak they want to do – it's a free country after all. I won't allow this great nation to live like they do in the third world, malnourished, in poverty and misery, with no hope for better tomorrow, cursing every day of their pathetic lives on this Kerbin. Do you understand now?

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: Do you?

ROZER: Yes, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Good. Now... how much time do we have?

MALIN: Seven minutes.

PRESIDENT: Great. I want to show you something but before that there's something you must understand. Your untimely arrival during our peace talks was the last straw, the last thing which made perfect storm possible. It's been 12 months since you came back and, mark my words, this was a nightmare. You think you had it bad, with all of you hospitalized and later in the internment but it's nothing – nothing compared with what this administration is going through. Our biggest hope for changing the situation, our top secret project, ace up our sleeve and what have you, was exposed. The fusion cores are public knowledge right now. Do you have any idea what this means? Fusion is a clean and virtually unlimited source of energy. I told what the big game is about but this... this is not a game changer. This is overturning the table, taking all the money and walking out. This is a revolution, this is the answer. And now not only the whole world knows that this is possible but they know where they can find the working prototypes. Do you know what's even worse? UN ban on artificial intelligence research. We don't care what UN says obviously but we're under unprecedented pressure and scrutiny right now and all we can do is continue our research for some secret military projects.

BAGEL: Mr. President!

PRESIDENT: Relax, Chuck – these fine gentlemen are on our side. All of this is classified, obviously. Anyways, ban on AI research. We were so close – so close! - to creating the first full-scale civilian fusion power station. And now we were forced to mothball it. Because AI on your damn ship went nuts and we can't risk having AI running the most powerful power station on Earth linked to our electric power system.

TIMIDEN: Mr. President, with all due respect, the Proteus Report clearly states that despite the presence of BERTY the crew-

PRESIDENT: I know, I know. You managed to somehow continue to use the fusion cores despite having no AI to control the fusion in real time. Now I didn't read the whole report – and by Kod, these are more than 3000 pages John, who's going to read it? - but I know that this doesn't really matter. Am I right, Martin?

BAGEL: Yes, Mr. President. The fusion cores used in IMV “Proteus†provided enough power so that both fusion engines could run simultaneously, each requiring 400 MW at full power. The biggest power station in USK has capacity of 6,800 MW and generates annually 21 Twh, which on itself is just a fraction of our total annual consumption of more than 4,400 Twh. And this is only electric energy, if we were to include fossil fuels we use to-

PRESIDENT: That's enough, thank you. As you can see, what “Proteus†has is nothing compared to what we are planning to build, to what we need to build to secure energy independence of this nation. Even though you manage to keep them working for quite a long time, you did this because you had no choice and you had big problems with them as far as I remember. It's a miracle you destabilize them. This mission proves that fusion cores can be operated safely only by the AI. And that's the problem.

MALIN: Excuse me, but it's time.

PRESIDENT: Very well. Turn the TV on, please.

TIMIDEN: Mr. President, may I know what's, uhm, going on?

PRESIDENT: Oh it's nothing John, we'll just watch some news together. I hope that's okay?

TIMIDEN: Well, err, of course Mr. Presi-

PRESIDENT: Great. Listen closely – and believe me, this will be important news.

TV REPORTER: ...the origin of life. Mr. Touts?

TOUTS: Well, first of all I would like to point out that we don't know what crew of the “Proteus†discovered. We still didn't see any evidence which could potentially back up this extraordinary claim that allegedly alien intelligent life was discovered on Duna.

TV REPORTER: But it didn't change the fact that many believe that this is true, don't you agree?

TOUTS: Obviously. Well, we can't, uhm, deny that it was a shock. Even now, after 12 months since the arrival of the Kermaricans it's still quite disturbing to think that they may have, you know, found something there. And let's not forget what happened during this 12 months. Ritual suicides in the Church of Tautology, civil unrest in Eastern Europa, several assassination attempts on the heads of the organized religions, uhm, strikes and processions, people who abandoned their work believing that the End Times are coming. Err. Civil war in Kaudi Narabia. Widespread persecutions of gays and atheists in some third world countries but also gigantic number of people abandoning their religion-

TV REPORTER: According to the UN statistics more than 130 million people worldwide abandoned their churches and became non-affiliated with any particular religion in the last 6 months.

TOUTS: Exactly. Even in USK the, uhm, Young Kerbin Creationists sued the government because “Proteus†expedition and what they cite as “secularist propaganda based on made-up stories†of the crew is a violation of their freedom of religion. I mean, it's like the whole world got crazy. And we didn't even see the evidence. I can only imagine what would happen if the Kermaricans really brought the-

TV: KNN – Breaking News.

TV REPORTER 2: The Minister of Foreign Policy of Krussian Federation has just announced that Krussia is going to send, quote, a rescue mission to secure the samples on board the “Proteus†as the common heritage of mankind, end of quote.

ROZER: :gasps:

TV REPORTER 2: Minister Romanov said that the Krussian Federation will try to get UN mandate to perform this mission, however with the UN support or not, Krussia won't allow, quote, the possible greatest discovery in history to be lost due to lack of cooperation from the United States of Kermarica, end of quote. Mr. Romanov also called the USK to reveal all the classified data about “Proteus†mission and to explain on the UN forum why US government was hiding the fact that they are developing advanced artificial intelligence which may pose a direct threat to the world peace.

PRESIDENT: Ha!

TV REPORTER 2: This statement from Mr. Romanov is the first such strong statement from Krussian government since the day of the arrival of crew of “Proteus†on Kerbin.

TV: KNN – Proteus Crisis.

TV REPORTER 3: Unexpected arrival of the crew of IMV “Proteusâ€Â, first spacecraft to complete so called “grand tour of Solar System†marked the beginning of what is now known as Proteus Crisis. After five crew members were recovered by the kerbonauts working on Kermarican Space Station Epsilon-5, only one of them, Mr. Nedfurt Lemowski, remained on board Mir-2. Although severely damaged during violent aeorbraking in Kerbin's atmosphere, this Soviet relic of the Cold War was still operational enough not only to provide shelter to Mr. Nedfurt until the Krussian rescue mission arrived but also enabled him to broadcast the story of the IMV “Proteusâ€Â. In this transmission Mr. Nedfurt revealed to the shocked world all the previously kept in secret details of the mission, including numerous accidents which happened to the crew and the true objectives of the mission. But perhaps even more unnerving than the fact that we may have encountered for the first time evidence for the intelligent extrakerbestrial life is the fact that right now prototypical artificial intelligence is running rampant.

Cutting-edge advanced artificial intelligence known to the crew of the IMV “Proteus†as BERTY is now in possession of the most advanced spacecraft ever build and is in total control of the fusion cores which were powering the ship during its almost 5-year long journey. According to specialists, the completely uncontrolled AI have the capability to create so called EMP – electromagnetic pulse – using the fusion cores in low Kerbin orbit powerful enough to completely destroy electronics on one hemisphere. Experts agree that the consequences of such event would be catastrophic with millions of electronic devices worldwide would irrevocably destroyed and global economy, transportation and communication disrupted for many decades. According to the special committee of the UN this may be the greatest thread to the kerbalkind ever encountered. While the USK government has to deal with the political fallout of apocalyptic proportions, Mr. Nedfurt, against whom international arrest warrant was issued, is currently in Moskow in Krussia. Krussian officials say that he's healthy and safe but refuse to show any evidence for this claims and furthermore categorically deny Kermarican request for extradition of Mr. Nedfurt, who's now the number one on the FBI list of the most wanted terrorists.

There seems to be no end to this unprecedented escalation of tension between Krussia and USK since the end of the Cold War. So far Kina, the first economical superpower since 2026, didn't issue official statement regarding Proteus Crisis beside calls for deescalation. The peace talks about future of Kraine and Krim interrupted by the arrival of Mir-2 weren't continued and the recent Krussian troops movement close to the Kraine's borders are provoking questions whether the peaceful solution is possible at all. According to some analytics, internal instability in most of the developing countries caused by the alleged first contact with extrakerbestrial technology makes it only easier for Krussia to continue it's crawling invasion of Kraine, since the risk of strong OTAN response is now negligible with many of the soldiers drafted after several of the OTAN countries declared martial law in response to unrest and violence. In Kfance alone more than 15,000 people were injured or killed in the clashes between the police and religious fundamentalists. While the world holds its breath seeing increasing tensions between two nuclear powers, one question remains unanswered – what happened to IMV “Proteus� It's believed that-

PRESIDENT: Alright, that's enough. What do you think, son?

ROZER: Mr. President... how-

PRESIDENT: How did I know about this statement beforehand? That's why we have diplomatic channels – what, you think we watch the news to learn what's going on?

ROZER: But the Krussians. Sir. How can they-

PRESIDENT: How they know „Proteus†may inject himself in orbit above Iloo? :smiles: They have spies too. Listen, I wanted to show you this so that you can understand the gravity of the situation.

PRESIDENT: I'll be completely honest with you, son – we're in a deep crap. If Krussians manage to intercept “Proteusâ€Â, they'll gain access not only to samples collected by you, but they are going to discover the secrets of fusion power and artificial intelligence. Do you know what's competitive advantage is? It's what we will lose after decades of research and billions spent on fusion and AI development. Yes?

ROZER: But if they seize “Proteusâ€Â... this is still Kermarican ship, isn't it?

PRESIDENT: Well, it's more complicated than this.

BOURGH: According to the international law, the abandoned ship-

PRESIDENT: Please, Cathy, not now. Whatever the treaties say, I will not allow them to steal “Proteusâ€Â. If even one of their kosmonauts sets a foot inside this ship, I'll treat this as a declaration of war.

BOURGH: But Mr. President-

PRESIDENT: Silence. Too long we've been tolerating the imperialistic policy of this backward third world country. What's on board “Proteus†is the future of this nation. Son, have you ever try to think what we can achieve if we manage to get a hold of alien technology? How is this going to influence our economy? Forget about fusion power! There are wonders out there beyond our wildest imagination, just waiting to be used. And whoever is going to control them will gain upper hand in the big game. I hope you see where I'm going with that by now.

TIMIDEN: Mr. President, with all due respect, on board “Proteus†there is no alien technology. We can't assume-

PRESIDENT: Martin?

BARKLEY: But there are samples from Source on Duna and Source on Vall. There are samples from other planets and muns. I agree, there's no alien technology on board “Proteus†- but the key to it is on board our spacecraft.

PRESIDENT: Think about the jobs, son! Think about how we can improve the world. Food and water shortages, diseases – we may find a cure for all the old problems of this civilization. But to do this we need to have “Proteusâ€Â. This ship is now the most valuable asset in the whole Solar System and we must not – I repeat, we must not – allow anyone else but ourselves to control it.

TIMIDEN: But we don't even know where it is right now and neither do Krussians.

PRESIDENT: Are you sure?

PRESIDENT: NASA is not the only agency which has telescopes, John. According to NRO, “Proteus†was on course for Iloo fly-by few weeks ago.

HAYES: It's Eeloo, sir.

PRESIDENT: Whatever. We know where it is. I was told that if the AI is still operational it will probably execute injection burn and stay there.

HAYES: It's insertion burn, sir.

PRESIDENT: I don't care how you eggheads name it. What's important is that we know where we can find it, so all we have to do is to go there. Do you understand what I'm saying?

ROZER: New mission.

PRESIDENT: Yes. New mission. We will retrieve “Proteus†no matter what. We can deal with the political fallout here on Kerbin but if I'm to spend hundreds of billions on another mission in this circumstances and with budget which is already falling apart I need to be sure that the job will be done. Do we understand each other?

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: Hmm?

ROZER: Mr. President...

PRESIDENT: Yes, son?

ROZER: May I ask you something?

PRESIDENT: Sure, go ahead.

ROZER: What if I refuse?

PRESIDENT: What if you refuse? HA HA HA! Just look at him! HA HA HA! “What if I refuseâ€Â! Nothing, son, nothing. This is a free country and you've already done more than most people for it. And for this, I'm really grateful. I really am. However, there's this one small detail.

ROZER: Sir?

PRESIDENT: Proteus Report mentions that one of the crew members was, how do I put it, left for dead by you on one of the muns of Jul.

HAYES: It's Laythe, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Yes. You see, son, death of your fellow companion and citizen of this great country can't be simply left unexplained. Murder is a serious thing and even considering current circumstances there are some actions which must be taken. Am I right, Attorney General?

LAWSON: Absolutely, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Of course, I'm sure that the Justice Department would reconsider pressing charges against you if you were to accept my offer. After all, these are harsh times and often national interests must take priority over bureaucratic procedures. And we can't really waste time on lawyers in a situation like this. Especially when the scene of – alleged – crime is on a distant mun. And there's always a presidential pardon - am I right, Attorney General?

LAWSON: Obviously, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: Good. So, captain, maybe you would like to reconsider my offer? Hmm?

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: Let me tell you, you are the right man for the job. You are a patriot! As a Kermarican your duty is to serve the nation – and in this moment this nation is me asking you this question.

ROZER: …

PRESIDENT: So? What say you, captain?

***

TIMIDEN: …so it could've been worse. But for the love of Kod, I told you! No questions!

ROZER: …

TIMIDEN: You're stubborn as a, well, kerbonaut, you know?

ROZER: …

TIMIDEN: Anyways, I'm glad that this is over. We should get the first draft of the budget in the next month. We don't have much time but I think that if we all apply ourselves we may be able to do what the President wants us to- hey!

:Rozer stops the wheelchair and grabs Administrator Timiden by his tie:

HARRISON: What are you doing?! Let Mr. Administrator go or I'll call-

TIMIDEN: It's alright! It's alright. Listen Rozer, I would appreciate it if you-

ROZER: Do what the President wants?

TIMIDEN: Uhm, I now you may be stressed but as your superior-

ROZER: This stark raving mad moron is the President?

HARRISON: Watch your language!

TIMIDEN: I said it's okay, Frank! Rozer, you can't say that, we're still in the Green House for Kod's sake, what if-

ROZER: Who elected this munatic?

TIMIDEN: Err...

ROZER: Who?!

TIMIDEN: We did. The people.

:Rozer releases Administrator:

TIMIDEN: Good Lord. :adjusts tie: I know you've been through a lot but you must control yourself. Were you even listening to what he said? Don't you know what's at stake? What we have to do may be one of the most important – hey, where are you going? Hey!

HARRISON: Should I-

TIMIDEN: No. Walter!

WALT: Yes sir?

TIMIDEN: Why are you standing here like an idiot? Go!

WALT: Yes sir!

HARRISON: He may be problematic.

TIMIDEN: He already is.

HARRISON: Shouldn't we do something about this?

TIMIDEN: Do what? It's not up to us, Frank. We have our orders – all we can do is make sure they will be carried out.

HARRISON: :sighs: I have a bad feeling about this.

TIMIDEN: You mean the Krussians?

HARRISON: I mean this whole situation. I mean, Kesus... This may lead to war.

TIMIDEN: :sighs:

HARRISON: The nuclear war, John. The nightmare of the Cold War finally coming alive. Don't you think that this is what may happen?

TIMIDEN: Once the rockets are up... well... where they come down that's not my department, Frank. We should focus on our job because believe me, this is going be the greatest challenge this agency have ever faced.

***

PRESIDENT: Do you think he bought it?

MERRY: Probably. He's smarter than he looks.

PRESIDENT: Didn't I overdone it? I mean Kod, this all bullcrap about jobs and making the world a better place. Did he swallow it? What do you think, James?

TYSON: It's hard to tell. But we have an eye on him 24/7. We can bring this issue during next interrogation.

PRESIDENT: Don't.

TYSON: Sir.

PRESIDENT: And what do you think, Chuck? He's from military, right? Spec-ops? That's your area of experience.

BAGEL: He was selected for the project Proteus in the first place because of his virtues. He's loyal, determined, focused. He can get the job done.

BOURGH: In his profile some... psychological problems were mentioned.

BAGEL: Of course. They were in deep space for years, half of that trapped with the rogue AI. But I think he can get the job done. He did bring them all back after all.

PRESIDENT: Yes, he did. Hmm...

TYSON: Should we arrange a meeting with the other candidate? Lieutenant Danrey is his name I believe.

PRESIDENT: The cripple? No, no need. Captain Rozer is fine. He's the man.

BAGEL: I'm glad to hear that.

PRESIDENT: We'll make a hero out of him. We'll promote him to general, let him talk with journalists after we announce our plans, let him kiss the kids, smile and wave to the people and all that. We could use some good PR right now and people love their heroes.

BAGEL: Sir.

PRESIDENT: Speaking of public relations – Cathy, get your ass to the United Nations and tell them we'll respond to the Krussian statement in an appropriate way. Make it vague but be determined. Intimidating. Give them something to think about.

BOURGH: Sure thing.

LAWSON: And what about other national hero, commander Jebediah Kerman?

PRESIDENT: Ahh yes, Mr. Kerman. I hope for his sake that the AI already dealt with him because if he's still alive his little personal hell will be nothing with what he'll go through when we get him. And speaking of traitors – James?

TYSON: Yes?

PRESIDENT: Mr. Nedfurt Lemowski. I want him sentenced and in a death row in United States before this year is over. Do you understand?

TYSON: But sir, he's in Moskow in the FSB HQ, we can't just get inside and kidnap him.

PRESIDENT: I don't care – I want him, do you get it? This is high treason we're talking about. You'll figure out something. Alright, that's enough for today. Get to work. No, no, no, not you. You stay. And you Chuck.

HAYES: Sir.

PRESIDENT: Any news?

HAYES: About what, sir?

PRESIDENT: About Duna, of course. Do you know what happened to them?

HAYES: Not yet sir.

PRESIDENT: Not yet? What, are you trying to tell me they just evaporated without a trace? What with this signal which they send to us, the automatic distress signal?

HAYES: It appears that data is corrupted but we're working on it.

PRESIDENT: And this Bob incident?

HAYES: You mean Bop, the asteroid? We're, uhm, working on it too.

PRESIDENT: Mhm. Just splendid. That's all what you can do? We're in a middle of a greatest international crisis since Kuba and that's what you have for me? Nothing?

HAYES: W-well, actually Mr. President t-there's something, uhm. We-

PRESIDENT: Just spell it.

HAYES: If I may sir. When Soviets finally decided to transfer Mir-2 to its destined orbit above Minmus in 1999 the transfer burn failed and the Mir-2 was lost allegedly. Now we know they were lying and that in fact Mir-2 was manned. My point is, there's no conclusive evidence which would allow us to determine what happened to Soviet kosmonauts. And now with Mir-2 under Krussian control we can't even check it's database.

PRESIDENT: I don't see how this is helping us in anything.

HAYES: Sir. In 1999 Mir-2 is allegedly lost, it arrives in Duna sphere of influence in year 2000. The crew is missing. Year 2000, „Kadmos†leaves Kerbin and arrives in Jool system year later. When it arrives in low Kerbin orbit it brings us data from Vall. Year 2019, first manned mission to the surface of Duna, “Yinghuo†arrives in 2020 and Kina becomes the first nations to put a man on other planet. Year 2029, “Proteus†arrives in Duna system and leaves small Kermarican team on its surface. More than one year later all communication is lost, the crew is gone.

PRESIDENT: What are you trying to say?

HAYES: Whatever happened, Duna is the key. “Yinghuoâ€Â, “Proteus†and Mir-2, they are all connected.

BAGEL: Kinese taikonauts returned safely.

HAYES: Perhaps because they landed on the other side of the planet. What I'm trying to say sir, is that Duna and Vall are the keys to this mystery. There we can find our answers.

PRESIDENT: I see now. Two missions? You are crazy, Hayes.

HAYES: Sir. Kina have a munar polar base, they may have less advanced technology but their rocket technology is robust and proven. They have access to water on the Mun and thus to the rocket fuel. They have doctor Kubrin.

PRESIDENT: Another damn traitor working for kommies.

HAYES: Yes sir, but his Duna Direct plan worked for Kina, didn't it? They have the nuclear thermal rockets, they went to Duna and they can do this again. And they will.

BAGEL: Wait a moment-

PRESIDENT: Let him talk. Go on.

HAYES: We have to get to “Proteus†first, no doubt about that. But while we'll be busy recovering it, Kina will go straight to Duna to claim the big prize. I'm sure they will. I don't have any proof but I've worked with Kinese scientists, I know how they think. I'm sure they will try to convince the General Secretary to do so. That's why we have to preempt and talk to the ESA.

PRESIDENT: Europa? What they have to offer?

HAYES: They were planning their first manned mission to the Outer Solar System for a long time. If we can persuade them to make this a joint mission, we can get one a Kermarican to Vall before we get to “Proteusâ€Â.

BAGEL: Are you out of your mind? We won't share the Source with them!

HAYES: Forgive me general but why not? We're both in OTAN, right? Plus if we don't do this, they may join forces with other agencies. JAXA, AEB, ISRO or even Kina. I think we can't let this happen. All we need to do is to join forces.

PRESIDENT: Mhm. Thank you doctor, this was a very interesting proposal. Now please leave, we need the Oval Office to ourselves for a minute.

HAYES: Sir.

PRESIDENT: So what do you think?

BAGEL: Honestly? Dwight, we can't cooperate with Europa. What's the point of all this if we're going to share the secrets of the Source?

PRESIDENT: Mhm. But it's better than Europa sharing them with Kina, isn't it?

BAGEL: …

PRESIDENT: Yeah, I think so too. We should at least consider it. The egghead doesn't know crap about politics but he may be right. Ha! Every dog has its day and all that.

BAGEL: Shouldn't we tell him?

PRESIDENT: Hmm? Tell what whom?

BAGEL: Captain Rozer Knox, about his... condition.

PRESIDENT: What for?

BAGEL: He has cancer, Dwight.

PRESIDENT: They all have, my friend. They've been way too long out there. But as long as he can do the job it doesn't matter. We need him only because this AI and commander Kerman, assuming he's alive, may recognize him which may be helpful when dealing with rogue program sitting on a double fusion core. But to tell him? Upset him? No. He's a soldier – he knows what's the price is.

BAGEL: …

PRESIDENT: Alright. It's getting late, we'll talk about this tomorrow. The Hill is going to bark like a rabid dog when they'll see how much money I'm going to spend on this.

BAGEL: How much?

PRESIDENT: Whatever it takes, Chuck. Damn, we would probably have to rebuild KSC completely. I was there once and it's hard to believe we managed to pull of project Proteus with this outdated equipment. And we're gonna need some of your toys from DERPA.

BAGEL: But... Dwight, you can't seriously think about this. Second Apollo in the middle of recession when people are homeless and starving? When we can't afford public healthcare? The Hill will tear you apart for this. You can't think-

PRESIDENT: Why not? It's my second term and I'm old. When I was elected I find the country in economical ruin. It's still in ruin but it's not much worse then it was four years ago. That's my whole achievement Chuck – I didn't get us out of this crap but we didn't drown. No. I won't be remembered as the last president of USK as a superpower. I won't allow it. I'm a patriot, koddamit. We will not fall, no matter what it takes. This nation will survive this is, even if it means we're going to bomb the crap out of chinks and kommies.

BAGEL: Even Rome fell at the end, Dwight.

PRESIDENT: Yes, they did. But there's one difference between us and them.

BAGEL: Yes?

PRESIDENT: We have nukes.

BAGEL: …

PRESIDENT: Come on, Chuck. The last one out turns off the lights.

:general Chuck Bagel rises from his seat:

PRESIDENT: You know, we need to find a way how to sell it to the public. Something what will resonate with the people.

BAGEL: Do you have particular something in mind?

PRESIDENT: As a matter of fact, yes I do. Just think about this – we and kommies, trying to get to the „Proteus†before the other one manages to do so. Does this ring any bells to you?

BAGEL: No, why – wait. You don't mean... the Space Race?

PRESIDENT: :smiles: Oh yes.

:turns the lights off:

***

MISSION STATUS

***

***

TO BE CONTINUED

(0.25/0.26)

Edited May 11, 2014 by czokletmuss

[czokletmuss]

And so "The Grand Tour" ends.

It was a long journey which took us all far away from home through the void of deep space. We've been exploring new worlds with the crew of IMV "Proteus" and we've been sharing their good and bad moments. Alas, everything ends and so the Grand Tour of Solar System is now finally over.

We're home.

There were many people who supported me in various ways while I was writing this and I don't want to disrespect anyone by failing to mention his name here, so let me just say to everyone THANK YOU! This story would not be ever completed without you and your constant support. I learned a lot, I improved my English and I had a lot of fun - once again thank you for making this possible. I hope you enjoyed this AAR too.

"The Grand Tour" is over but does it mean that the story which began in "Jool of Kerbol system or There and Back Again" is over too?

Nope.

Not only because I say so but also because KSP (and my writings skills) have grown so much that a whole new possiblities are now open for me. Also Rule of Three which is one of the most powerful tropes there is demands that there should be a trilogy.

And it will be so.

Thanks once again folks and take care,

czokletmuss

*********************

EDIT:

IMPORTANT

UPDATES ABOUT MY UPCOMING PROJECTS FROM NOW ON WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THIS THREAD

I'm going to sleep now since it's midnight in Poland.

Take care!

Edited May 11, 2014 by czokletmuss

[kenbobo]

Wow. This ending brought tears to my eyes. I literally am shaking violently with my hands clutching my head (like that one star trek GIF)

Edited May 11, 2014 by kenbobo

[Itsdavyjones]

Great ending, and can't wait for the next story

[RocketPilot573]

Beautiful ending. This was by far the best AAR or any fan-fiction I have ever read (and I've been here since the beginning). Can't wait for the series to continue.

Edited May 11, 2014 by RocketPilot573

[RogueMason]

And so we have reached the end of The Grand Tour. As one of those who was here from the start of the Grand Tour, this is a time of great joy and sorrow; to see it end is saddening, but there is a future for this universe you've created. Thank you very much for putting so much effort and ingenuity into this story. I look forward to what is to come next, for whatever it will be, there is no doubt that it will be one of the best damn stories ever. I guarantee it

[Commander Zoom]

*admiringly* Oh, you *******.

[iDan122]

*mindgasm

Such touching words! Looking forward to a 3rd installment!

[XIRA]

Really well made! Looking forward to the next story

[silentdragon]

Wow. Great Ending.

Well, this is why I don't like american politics - is it evil to want them to lose? Because these secrets (whatever they may be) deserve to get shared with the world. I hope Rozer refuses (yes, probaby won't happen) or at least not only follow his orders this time. Also, I hope they don't get Ned. And, I bet that Jeb will be alive when they get to Eeloo.

Damn, hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the sequel (but as always, take your time please).