[AAR] The Grand Tour - Voyage To The Planets

[Designer225]

The Magic Boulder is coming...

[tom1499]

ITS LIKE CHRISTMAS! Two chapters in two days! Or three, I'm not too sure.

[The Error]

*Khristmas?

Ermahgerd, moar Grand Tour! Ermahgerd!

[czokletmuss]

CHAPTER 2

1961: FIRST IN SPACE – PART ONE

***

3rd APRIL, 1961

WERNHER: …this brave men to the sky and beyond vith the Redstone rocket This marks the beginning of the Project Mercury. And know time for questions. Yes please?

JOURNALIST 1: Mr. von Braun, is it true that the Soviets are currently planning to send one of their own to space?

JAMES: :whispers: Touchy subject.

MAX: :whispers: Be quite, James.

New chapter of the Space Race is out!

(CHAPTER 2) 1961: FIRST IN SPACE – PART ONE

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

I have a feeling the magic boulder will DESTROY EVERYTHING

Or they'll see it and abort at return to 'Prometheus'

[czokletmuss]

(...) Or they'll see it and abort at return to 'Prometheus'

Dude, it's "Proteus" "Prometheus" reminds me of a certain terrible written sci-fi movie

[czokletmuss]

CHAPTER 29

EVA OPERATIONS: DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

***

NED: Just like I suspected.

JEB: Could you elaborate this professional assessment please?

NED: Some of the unfolding mechanisms seem to be damaged. This may have caused problems during aerobraking since heatshield couldn't be set against the atmosphere with sufficient accuracy.

JEB: Hmm. BERTY, do you have something to say?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: I'm sorry, commander. The readings I was getting didn't indicate that there could be any problems.

NED: It shouldn't be a surprise – I can see that some sensors are completely fried.

JEB: Crap. Can we fix this?

NED: Probably. We're gonna need that shield, that's for sure. Luckily we have enough spare parts to build several heatshields, am I right BERT?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: This statement is incorrect, Ned.

NED: :sigh:

JEB: All right Ned, take a look at the hull near the fusion cores, it was hurt the most during the aerobraking.

NED: Hey, I know that, there's no need to tell me that, boss.

JEB: Right, right. Just check it out, okay?

NED: Damn!

JEB: Ned?

NED: It's bad. The thermal protection insulation is badly damaged. It looks that in few places there are just few centimeters of it left. One more aerobraking like this and it will take only several second for the plasma to burn through it, Jeb. And than…

JEB: Holy crap…

NED: Superheated ionized gas makes it to the fuel tank and boom, we have a beautiful flower of radioactive debris descending with a hypervelocity speed on the planet.

JEB: Is he right, BERTY?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: Affirmative. The probability of such scenario during aerobraking without the protection of the heatshield equals to 95,784%.

JEB: Can it be fixed, Ned? Tell me we can do it.

NED: Well, we still have these tiles made of sweet carbon fibre-reinforced carbon just for such an occasion. I think we can patch it up, the graphite in this composite should…

JEB: All right, spare me the details. So we can't risk aerobraking unless we repair the heatshield.

NED: Yup. Which is one more argument against going to the Jool, Jeb.

JEB: Mhm. Okay, check the engines now.

NED: Roger.

NED: Huh.

JEB: What is it now?

NED: Well, nothing actually. They look surprisingly good. I mean, you know, for the engines the size of a bus blowing out the zeta pinch plasma hotter than the surface of the Sun.

JEB: So everything is okay? No external damage, no micrometeorites?

NED: Nope. Everything is okay. The cooling unit…

JEB: Ned?

NED: …

JEB: Ned? Do you copy?

NED: …

JEB: Talk to me, pal. Is everything all right? Ned!

NED: Yes. The cooling unit is undamaged too. I'm returning to the “Proteus' now.

***

NED: Jeb, we have to talk.

JEB: Yes, I understand that – wait a second, Ned – I get this Sid. You can investigate this asteroid but let me know before you attempt landing or anything, okay? Good luck. Okay Ned, what is it?

NED: Our mission. Are we going to abort and return to home or continue this madness?

JEB: Hey, it's up the the crew. We're all in this crap and we will vote on this issue, don't you remember?

NED: Damn right I remember. But here's a thing, Jeb – most of us want to abort. I talked with everyone.

JEB: Really?

NED: Yup. Cambo, Harsen and Neilgas are for abort, just like me. Sid and Johndon think that we should continue – that's four versus two. Than we have Danrey and you, undecided. And we have 6 crew members on Duna – I strongly believe that they will vote for abort once we tell them what's the situation with Rozer. By the way, have you contacted with them BERTY?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: Negative. Duna Base doesn't respond. As I stated before, they may be following captain Rozer's orders to cease all communication until few days before the transfer burn when they have to return to the “Proteusâ€Â.

NED: Right. Anyways, I think that our option will have majority.

JEB: You don't know this. What if folks from Duna decide that they want to continue? And you forgot about Rozer.

NED: Are you kidding? You want him to vote? No way – this bastard should be happy that we didn't threw him out of the airlock.

JEB: He's done what he's done, but he's still one of the crew. He will vote.

NED: I don't get it, Jeb. If he were in your position, he wouldn't treat you in such chivalrous way.

JEB: Than he's lucky that I'm not like him.

NED: Yeah. Whatever Jeb, my point is that we shouldn't continue the mission.

JEB: The crew will decide about it.

NED: Oh, screw the crew.

JEB: What?!

NED: I mean, screw the voting Jeb. You are the commander and we're on spacecraft in deep space. It's not a democracy, it never was.

JEB: But you've just said that the majority is for abort!

NED: Yes, but if they vote for continuing the mission… I think you should take responsibility and protect them from their own stupidity. I'm just saying.

JEB: You can't be serious.

NED: Well, I am. Really Jeb, how many more have to die for you all to understand that this mission is a complete failure?

JEB: :sigh:

NED: But it is, Jeb! Yeah, we've done some science, went where nobody has been before and so on but for what cost? Do you want this to end like “Kadmosâ€Â, a radioactive shipwreck torn into million pieces and half the crew dead? Frak, Jeb, what happened to Orson? Rozer frakin killed him just so he and KSC can be sure who can be selected to whatever they are doing on Duna.

JEB: …

NED: And what about Bob? Yeah, he was a bloody idiot and soulless bureaucrat, but even he didn't deserve this.

JEB: You don't know him.

NED: Oh come on Jeb! I know you were friends once, but it was decades ago. He made foolish decisions and paid with his live for it. And frak him, I say – but we have to think about the rest of us. We can't -

JEB: Shut up, Ned, I said you don't know him.

NED: Yeah, sure, now you're going to defend him, right? You're such a moron sometimes, you know that? He's a victim of his own ambition. Besides, he was never an angel. And he never cared much about you either. Hell, everybody knows that when you were on that munar station he and your wife…

JEB: I SAID SHUT UP! GET THE FRAK OUT OF HERE!

NED: Crap. Jeb, I didn't want to -

JEB: Frak you, Ned. Go.

NED: Jeb, I'm really sor -

JEB: Leave. Now.

NED: Oh, frak you and your survivor's guilt, Jeb! Put yourself together, for Kod's sake – there are living people here who need you and you're still thinking about the past! Kod! Am I the only sane man left on this frakin ship!?

JEB: GET OUT!

***

NED: Jeb?

JEB: …

NED: I, uh, I want to apologize. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry.

JEB: :sigh:

NED: I am, really. It's just – frak, I just have this feeling that all of this will end like “Kadmos†unless we do something about it, you know? I'm old, Jeb. I don't have kids, my parents are gone and my sister, well, we didn't talk in years. Hell, all I have now is you and Sid. And we're stuck here. Frak, man. I would like to see the night sky on Kerbin before I die, you know? Breath deeply while looking at the sunset by the ocean. Eat some seafood, you know, some calamari with fries and salad. And drink something else than a frakin processed urine.

JEB: :smiles:

NED: I'm sorry, Jeb. I'm just really worried about all of this. You feel me?

JEB: I do, Ned. Apologies accepted – and I'm sorry too, my reaction was completely over the top. :sigh: It ain't easy, is it pal?

NED: Like sunbathing on Eeloo.

JEB: Huh, something like this.

NED: So we're good?

JEB: We're good.

NED: I'm happy to hear that, Jeb.

JEB: Don't worry, Ned, we'll deal with all this, one thing at a time.

NED: Yes. I talked with BERTY and it seems that we only need more or less two months to repair the ship and check every system and subsystem to make sure there won't be any malfunctions during interplanetary transfer.

JEB: Two months? BERTY, when do the transfer windows open?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: Hohmann transfer to Kerbin will be possible in 137 days 5 hours and 37 minutes. Hohmann transfer to Jool will be possible in 129 days 17 hours and 58 minutes.

NED: You see? Plenty of time. We have all the materials and some really brilliant engineers here. We'll be good.

JEB: Yeah. I just hope there won't be more surpri -

SID: â€ÂProteusâ€Â, this is LAMGML Alfa.

JEB: I'm listening, Sid. Have you investigate this asteroid?

SID: Jeb, this… this is hard to explain.

NED: No. Not again.

JEB: What is hard to explain?

SID: Well, uhm.

NED: Please, not again!

JEB: Sid? What is it?

SID: I – I think you should see this for yourself.

***

MISSION STATUS

***

[Cooly568]

Ohhhh, snap son.

[Jacob01]

You always like leaving us on cliffhangers, don't you? Great chapter, keep up the good work!

[MinerEdgar]

*DUN DUN DAAAAAA*

Wonder what it could be.

[Itsdavyjones]

i didn't read this for some time, and this last chapter ends on a high cliff..... GAAHHHH great read none the less.

[The Error]

Hah. Payload B strikes again!

[gumwars]

We need MOAR!!!

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Dude, it's "Proteus" "Prometheus" reminds me of a certain terrible written sci-fi movie

Sorry, spell check on iPad

Great new chapter btw

[czokletmuss]

We need MOAR!!!

And there will be MOAR, pal

Ohhhh, snap son.

You always like leaving us on cliffhangers, don't you? Great chapter, keep up the good work!

*DUN DUN DAAAAAA* Wonder what it could be.

i didn't read this for some time, and this last chapter ends on a high cliff..... GAAHHHH great read none the less.

There is nothing bettter than the smell of cliffhanger in the morning

Hah. Payload B strikes again!

OR DOES IT?!

Sorry, spell check on iPad

Great new chapter btw

Yeah, iStuff autocorrection can be hilarious Thanks!

Edited September 15, 2013 by czokletmuss

[czokletmuss]

CHAPTER 3

1961: FIRST IN SPACE – PART TWO

***

14th APRIL, 1961

MAX: Is this on? Okay, it's recording. Ahem. Gentlemen, we've assembled here to…

JAMES: Cut to the chase, Max – Soviets have won and we still have nothing.

MAX: Err, I don't think that this is a fair judgment, James.

JAMES: Fair judgment, huh? Listen, they have bigger, more complex and more powerful rocket. That's one. They launched it the day before yesterday with a pilot above the Kerman line, thus sending him to space. Two. Not only he went to space, but he also made one full orbit. That's three. And we? We've just killed a bunch of monkeys and blow up some laughable small boosters. Are you happy with my judgment now, Max? Is it fair enough?

New chapter of the Space Race is out!

(CHAPTER 3) 1961: FIRST IN SPACE – PART TWO

[czokletmuss]

CHAPTER 4

1961: WE CHOOSE THE MUN

***

25th MAY, 1961

MAX: Good afternoon, James. Nice office. And the nameplate – James Kebb, Administrator of the KASA. Nice indeed.

JAMES: :sigh:

MAX: What's up? You've succeeded, man – von Braun is limited to the design bureau and you are the new KASA's Administrator. Kod only knows how you did it but nobody can say that you aren't good in personal games. You should rejoice!

JAMES: Very funny. You know damn well in what position this puts me now.

MAX: What are you talking about?

JAMES: This frakin address to Kongress! Are you living under a rock or what?

MAX: Well, I find it very inspiring.

JAMES: Inspiring my butt. This is madness – von Braun's lunacy was substituted by this madman's so called “planâ€Â. To go to the Mun before the end of this decade… This is disastrous.

New chapter of the Space Race is out!

(CHAPTER 4) 1961: WE CHOOSE THE MUN

[czokletmuss]

CHAPTER 30

DERELICT SHIP

***

JEB: Sid, could you just tell me what is it that you-

SID: It's – it's a ship. A fraking huge ship.

JEB: Ship...? But – but it's impossible! There are no spacecraft here other than ours!

NED: Are you sure it isn't some long forgotten probe or something like this? Maybe a jettisoned fuel tank?

SID: I know what I see. It's definitely a ship – here, I'm sending the data from the camera. And it's enormous: it looks like it's almost as big as “Proteusâ€Â. I think I can also see… dear Kod…

JEB: Talk to me Sid, what do you see?

DANREY: Sid, could you- oh crap…

JEB: For frak sake, what is it?!

SID: Hammer and sickle… it has hammer and sickle on the fairings. Sweet mother of Kod, it's a Soviet spacecraft Jeb!

NED: Holy crap. Holy frakin crap.

JEB: No fraking way! The Reds never made it to Ike's orbit. Am I right BERTY?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: Affirmative, commander. The last manned missions to Duna was Kinese landing almost ten years ago. Since year 2019 there were no manned flights beyond Mun orbit.

NED: So how is it possible that they can see the fraking ship out of the fraking window?!

BERTY v.2.0.8b: I'm afraid I don't know, Ned. I must admit that this discovery is very puzzling. It means that we are forced to reevaluate what we know about space program of the former Union of Kerbal Socialist Republics.

SID: Jeb? What shall we do? Try to contact the crew?

DANREY: If there is any.

JEB: No. Move close to get a better look but do not try to dock. And be careful – Kod only knows what the hell it's doing here and why it was sent here.

DANREY: Copy that. RCS online. Approaching the spacecraft.

SID: How come they put something so big here? Unbelievable.

DANREY: Hmm. I think I saw these modules somewhere.

SID: You did?! Where? When?

DANREY: I'm not sure, it has to be a long time ago, but I think that-

SID: What?

DANREY: “Proteusâ€Â, this is LAMGML. I think I know what this spacecraft is made off.

JEB: Go on.

DANREY: These modules – I saw them in study published by KASA in the middle of the nineties or so. You know, this proposed international space station we never build? It was to consist of some Krussian parts, including few modules of the Mir-2, which…

NED: Which was to be deorbited but instead they put it on Minmus orbit!

SID: No, they tried to put it there but the engines failed during insertion burn and the whole station escaped Kerbin's SOI and drifted… into… space…

NED: Frak me. Is it possible?

JEB: Let's not jump to the conclusions so easily, alright?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: I must agree with the commander. We do not posess enough data to determine the origin or the nature of this object.

DANREY: But if this is Mir-2, than it had to be heavily modified: I can see a 2,5 meter docking port, not to mention whatever is inside the fairing. I think that – wow! Can you see this?

NED: Well I be damned: they have LKs too?

JEB: Not one but two landers actually -look.

SID: There is also a Soyuz – or is it Progress? - docked to the ship. Damn it, it's so surreal to see this so far from Kerbin…

DANREY: “Proteusâ€Â, we're moving by the fuel tank. It, uhm, it has a cluster of four engines. I think its from one of their heavy boosters. It was, err, Electron?

JEB: Proton. Incredible – they must have utilized all leftovers from the Cold War space program to build this.

SID: So what do you want us to do, Jeb? Should we try to dock?

JEB: No. Try to contact the crew.

NED: Crew? What if it's unmanned? I mean, they couldn't have sent people here, right? And if they did, it was decades ago, even before “Kadmos†flight. I don't think we-

JEB: We won't assume anything. If there's anyone stilll alive on board, there's nobody coming to help them but us. Do it, “Alphaâ€Â.

DANREY: Roger. Okay, we're transmitting on all frequencies, we should-

BERTY v.2.0.8b: Warning. Communication with the LAMGML “Alpha†will cease in 30 seconds.

JEB: What? For how long?

BERTY v.2.0.8b: 56 minutes and 34 seconds.

DANREY: Oh, that's just great.

SID: What are we supposed to do Jeb?

JEB: Dock to the ship and investigate! We'll contact you when ######

SID: Jeb? Jeb?!

DANREY: It's pointless, there is a whole planet in between us now. We'll have to wait.

SID: Damn it all! Why we didn't synchronize our orbits so that we'll always be in range?

DANREY: We did? But now we're on a very elliptical and eccentric orbit just like this… station.

SID: :sigh:

DANREY: Shall we dock or try to contact them first?

SID: Well, you've heard the man – we're boarding the ship.

DANREY: And contact. Securing the connection… Good thing there was a standardization of the docking ports back during the Cold War.

SID: I think so.

DANREY: So now what? We enter the ship, right?

SID: In our spacesuits – we have no idea whether there is atmosphere on board. It's quite probable that after all these years some micrometeorites punctured the hull.

DANREY: All right. Initiating depressurization. Huh.

SID: What?

DANREY: It's just like in these old sci-fi movies – mysterious derelict ship investigated by a small team. Funny, isn't' it?

SID: No, not really.

DANREY: Now when I'm thinking about it, there was always, well, something on the ship, you know? Weird artifacts, alien creatures, maybe some crazy robots… And blood. A lot of blood. And there was-

SID: Could you stop please?

DANREY: Sorry. Hey, you aren't afraid, are you? This is not science fiction you know – there are no aliens.

SID: Dan, we're in a spacecraft above Duna's moon.

DANREY: So? Oh, it seems that the connection is secured.

SID: Good. Let's go.

SID: Recording test. Three, two, one. Ahem. We're about to open the hatch to the unidentified spacecraft found on the low orbit above Ike. It's origin and mission is unknown, we believe it may be Krussian space station Mir-2 modified for a long-term habitation in deep space. Okay, open it Dan.

DANREY: Crap, it's heavy. Hmpf! The hatch is opened! I can, uhm, well, it's quite dark here despite the emergency lights.

SID: Check the atmosphere.

DANREY: Give me a second. Pressure is 836,78 Pa. Hmm. It's was breathable apparently, there are very low levels oxium, azot, some water vapor and C02, but I'm getting also traces of… what? What's H2NN(CH3)2 ?

SID: Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine. Proton's fuel, extremely toxic. Frak.

DANREY: Toxic and hypergolic. We're lucky that we depressurized – good call, prof... Sid.

SID: Luck has nothing to do with this. All right, since nobody can survive without oxium we shouldn't be expecting a welcome committee. Let's go.

DANREY: Wait. What could be in this plastic bags?

SID: Waste or broken parts. Why?

DANREY: Let me check. Oh my – look at this! Water, food, even some clothes… all intact.

SID: I don't like this.

DANREY: You think we could use these supplies?

SID: If there was a hydrazine leak I don't think this would be a good idea. Besides, this is still property of the Krussian government.

DANREY: They can already sue us for breaking and entering, you know.

SID: Leave it for now. Come on, we have to get to the command module.

DANREY: Copy that. You know what, I still don't understand one thing.

SID: Yes? Watch out for these pipes.

DANREY: There are two LK docked, right? But there is also a docking port we used because it was free – do you think there was another lander docked to it?

SID: Perhaps. So far we don't even know whether there was any crew here.

DANREY: Is Mir-2 even capable of a long term habitation so far from Kerbin's magnetosphere?

SID: Well, like you said it must've been heavily modified, but they wanted to use it as a Minmus station so I doubt reinforcing it a little bit more was a big problem. But there is something much stranger to all this.

DANREY: Crap.

SID: Careful, this may be toxic.

DANREY: Sure thing. It must've leaked from a cooling system, at least few hundred litres. Strange, it's the first time I see so much water out of the container since Kerbin. So what is it, Sid?

SID: What I don't understand is how come we didn't know about this? It's not like you can hide a rocket delivering cargo to orbit. And they must've performed at least one or two extra flights to prepare the ship. Unless…

DANREY: Unless we knew.

SID: …

DANREY: No, it cannot be. There must be some other explanat-

DANREY: Well I be damned.

SID: So there was a crew – look.

DANREY: So where are they? We didn't find any, uhm, remains – they couldn't just vanish in the thin air. And they didn't land, both LKs are still here.

SID: Can you see this pulsating light? I bet it's the communication systems console. Uhm.

DANREY: Of course, it's in Krussian. Do you…?

SID: Nope.

DANREY: Neither am I. Crap, I knew that I should've learn this language.

SID: Well, it's not like we cooperated with them after Apollo-Soyuz, so it's completely understandable. Hmm. Okay, I'll try to turn it off.

DANREY: And?

SID: Check the frequency.

DANREY: I can't hear anything.

SID: Hmm. Touch the wall, maybe it switched to the intercom.

DANREY: The wall? Oh, vibrations, sure.

http://youtu.be/nOyIO8CW0jo

SID: Good Kod…

DANREY: Do you know this signal?

SID: I – I think I do. It's impossible but… it's the “Kadmos†distress beacon.

DANREY: What?!

SID: …

DANREY: How come they have the same signal as “Kadmos†did anyways?

SID: I have no idea but hearing this after all these years… it's creepy as hell.

DANREY: Huh.

SID: What is it?

DANREY: So far from Kerbin it's useless anyway… what if it isn't what we thought it is?

SID: What are you talking about?

DANREY: Well, what if it isn't a distress signal but a warning?

SID: Come on.

DANREY: I'm serious now. Or maybe its purpose was not to draw mission control attention to the spacecraft but something else?

SID: Really, Dan?

DANREY: Hey, I'm just saying. Contact as a reason of why we are here was your idea anyways. Besides, there is one strong argument for my theory.

SID: Which is?

DANREY: Where's the crew, Sid?

SID: Let's get out of here.

DANREY: But the supplies-

SID: Frak this. Whatever happened here, it's not our business. We shouldn't have entered.

DANREY: Frankly, I didn't expect to hear that from a scientist. Are you not curious ?

SID: I'm but I have a bad feelings about this all. Let's go.

DANREY: Roger that.

SID: …

DANREY: …

SID: There is other explanation.

DANREY: You mean the signal?

SID: No. Well, yes, partially. KASA spent a lot of money and effort to make sure that we'll investigate Duna. But why Duna, why not Dres or Eve or any other planet? I suspect they discovered something, or to be more precise, they detected something. A signal.

DANREY: Wait, you can't mean that-

SID: Exactly. What if Duna is really just a dead wasteland and they just accidentally pick up the signal from Mir?

DANREY: …

SID: We can't tell them.

DANREY: What?

SID: Who knows what would BERTY do when he finds out? We'll report that the whole spacecraft was contaminated by hydrazine leak and that we couldn't get to the crew or what left of them because it was too dangerous. I just need to delete the recording on the EVE cam…

DANREY: I don't know, Sid. What if this derelict ship is somehow connected to our mission? We should investigate this.

SID: After all we've been through do you honestly believe we'll get any clear answer?

DANREY: Well…

SID: I bet that even if they know something about this all, they won't tell us anything. We'll be better off if we try to solve this on our own. What if Rozer or KSC have some hidden agenda concerning this ship? Hell, what if BERTY has some orders we don't know anything about?

DANREY: These are good points. Gigantic Soviet station above Ike somehow got unnoticed for all these years? It's kinda hard to swallow.

SID: Okay, recording deleted. Well, technically it's not a lie. Listen, just trust me on this, all right? We can always tell them what we really saw but for the time being let's pretend that we didn't find anything, all right?

DANREY: :sigh: Okay. I hope that we're making a good choice.

SID: We do, Dan. We do.

***

MISSION STATUS

***

Edited May 1, 2014 by czokletmuss
grammar

[czokletmuss]

AT LAST!

You have no idea how long the waiting for publishing this was for me And I did publish it few minutes before the Syrian hackers attack...

Expect MOAR during this week. After I deal with the broken links to all the chapters in all my AARs, that is :sigh:

In the meantime enjoy and please tell me in your comments whether there are any typos (there always are few!).

Edited September 24, 2013 by czokletmuss

[The Error]

...

Sweet Mother of [censored] with a bucket of [unbelievably censored], great [censored] chapter!

The suspense grows...

[BostLabs]

:Rubbing hands.: Oh excellent! very nice internals of the Mir.

[M.Wolfy]

The distress signal from kadmos is... creepy or eerie.

why do you ALWAYS leave us in suspense?

[czokletmuss]

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction. A cliffhanger is hoped to ensure the audience will return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma.

And there you have it

But seriously: I think there are three basic ways to end chapter in a story like this:

1. Resolution (of a previous conflict)

2. Cliffhanger

3. Transition (when the subplot goes for several episodes and first of them provide exposition)

Besides, cliffhangers are fun

Edited September 24, 2013 by czokletmuss

[silentdragon]

A Russian Space Station? Well that was rather unexpected...

[RogueMason]

And here I was for a moment thinking 'aliens'. Hmph.

So this station was intended for Minmus but the engines supposedly weren't working properly? Then how did they manage to get into Ike orbit if it was left to drift...? Something isn't right here.