Project Farpoint: The Leap to Eeloo

[Captain_Doug]

With that fusion engine, I would not be surprised if the escape-burn caused atmosphere to form on the planet.

What I was thinking in the first place. That or a new type of Laythe.

[RogueMason]

what i was thinking in the first place. That or a new type of laythe.

Mini Laythe?

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 6: THE WRECKAGE

Jeb: “Lander team, our sensors show the rover is on its way to you now, it will probably be just a few hours before it reaches you. Also, it's getting some wicked air, or whatever stands for air in a vacuum...â€Â

Bill: “Maybe a vacuum stands for air in a vacuum? Anyway, thanks for the update Jeb.â€Â

Jeb: “The guys at control are mighty proud of what we've managed to do here, just so you know.â€Â

Bill: “Umm, yeah, we have spoken to them too, you know. Sure, our communications equipment is not as sophisticated as on Lonestar, but still.â€Â

Lengas: “Hey umm, Bill? You might want to have a look at this.â€Â

Bill: “Hmm?â€Â

Bill: “What the...?â€Â

Handorf: “We weren't expecting any supply drops, were we?â€Â

Lengas: “Supply drops on a space mission? Only the lucky ones at Duna get that treatment, and even then it's only the odd occasion.â€Â

Bill: “Uh, Jeb, you didn't accidentally fire the laser cannons at the surface, did you?â€Â

Jeb: “I've locked the fire control for now, so unless it was a malfunction – “

Malrick: “Which it wasn't.â€Â

Jeb: “... Anyway, you'll have to check it out, we're moving out of sensor and comms range again.â€Â

Bill: “Alright then, I'll go and take a look.â€Â

Handorf: “Be careful.â€Â

Lengas: “And don't slip.â€Â

Bill: “Ha ha, very funny Lengas...â€Â

Bill: “Well, there's definitely some debris here, so it wasn't the laser cannons.â€Â

Lengas: “Unless they uncovered some rocks.â€Â

Bill: “I don't think these are rocks...â€Â

Bill: “It looks like some sort of probe, but I don't recognise it.â€Â

Lengas: “A probe, huh? Any pictures I can look at?â€Â

Bill: “One sec... there's one for you.â€Â

Lengas: “Now, let's see her--â€Â

Bill: “Lengas? You alright?â€Â

Lengas: “Umm, get closer and give me a good description, now.â€Â

Handorf: “Lengas, what is it?â€Â

Bill: “Ok...â€Â

Bill: “Looks like there's some sort of camera aperture with a red lens in the middle. There was a light, but it completely faded just a moment ago.â€Â

Lengas: “Bill, tell me, does the arrangement of the landing legs around that aperture remind you of anything?â€Â

Bill: “Does the arrangement remind me of... Oh frak, oh frak no.â€Â

Handorf: “What is it guys? I'm here too!â€Â

Bill: “Contact KSC now, get them to tell Jeb what we've found!â€Â

Lengas: “On it!â€Â

Handorf: “GUYS?!â€Â

Bill: “Handorf, it's the Kraken, they're up to something.â€Â

Handorf: “The... The Kraken? Like, THE Kraken?â€Â

Bill: “The very same. I forget, you were on Mun during the first incident we had.â€Â

Handorf: “I read some reports, but I thought it was a load of rubbish. You're telling me these things are actually out here?!â€Â

Bill: “It seems that way, and if so, we're in deep trouble.â€Â

Lengas: “I've got word out, I just hope it reaches home.â€Â

Bill: “Yeah, me too. Now, I've moved around to the side of this thing and it's a mess, must have crash landed. I see no power sources to keep the central processing unit ticking over, which is probably why the light faded out.â€Â

Lengas: “Send another picture for me.â€Â

Bill: “Dum de dum de... done, one more picture for Lengas Kerman.â€Â

Lengas: “Thanks, I'll send this off too.â€Â

Bill: “Now, I'm pretty sure this thing is safe, so...â€Â

Lengas: “What are you doing?â€Â

Bill: “I'm standing on top of it.â€Â

Lengas: “Why?â€Â

Bill: “I could give my scientific and tactical reason by saying I'm gauging how tough its hull is, but really I just wanted to climb on top of it.â€Â

Handorf: “As long as you don't twist your ankle and fall off, I'm fine with that.â€Â

Bill: “Alright, enough is enough, I'm coming back now.â€Â

[Code.Denial]

Return of the mechani kraken maybe?

[Captain_Doug]

Mini Laythe?

Isn't Eeloo bigger than Laythe? So instead it would be a mini Kerbin. Great chapter. The photo of the rover getting some sick vacuum is great.

[Mekan1k]

Bwahahaha!

[RogueMason]

Isn't Eeloo bigger than Laythe? So instead it would be a mini Kerbin. Great chapter. The photo of the rover getting some sick vacuum is great.

Laythe is much larger than Eeloo. In fact, Eeloo is only 10km wider than Mun, whilst Laythe is 80% the size of Kerbin, so it would be a Mini Laythe

[Captain_Doug]

Laythe is much larger than Eeloo. In fact, Eeloo is only 10km wider than Mun, whilst Laythe is 80% the size of Kerbin, so it would be a Mini Laythe

My mistake. Only ever managed to get a probe to Eeloo. And actually never actually looked up how big the planets are. Thanks for saying.

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 7: THE FINAL SHIPMENTS

Several days earlier, in LKO...

Nelsted: “Control, we're ready for Eeloo transfer in the next half-orbit.â€Â

KSC: “Understood, good luck guys.â€Â

30 minutes later...

Nelsted: “Here we go guys!â€Â

Nedbree: “Onwards, to Eeloo!â€Â

Aldmon: “Yeah!â€Â

Bursel: “Woo!â€Â

KSC: “I bet you won't be like that in a few days.â€Â

Nedbree: “Probably, but let's live in the moment,eh?â€Â

KSC: “Umm, yeah...â€Â

Meanwhile...

AARV: [COMMAND INPUT: TEI. COMMENCING]

KSC: “There, the fuelling vessel is en route now, too. It's going to arrive at Eeloo a few days earlier than Farpoint.â€Â

Nelsted: “Ok, beginning rotation. Guys, if you want gravity, go to the ends of the greenhouses, the rotation should help out.â€Â

Bursel: “Good, we'll be needing that while we're out here.â€Â

Several weeks later...

Nelsted: “Beginning inclination change.â€Â

Nelsted: “Alright, we have an encounter, 265 days to go guys.â€Â

Aldmon: “Could have been worse, I suppose. Lonestar had to wait over two years to get from Duna to Eeloo.â€Â

Nedbree: “Must have been rough.â€Â

Nelsted: “I'm sure we'll be living relatively comfortably, especially with the amount of fresh air in those greenhouses.â€Â

Half a year later, aboard Farpoint Base...

Nelsted: “Well I'll be damned. Hey guys, check this image out.â€Â

Aldmon: “Wow, that's pretty.â€Â

Bursel: "You can even see Laythe, Vall, and Tylo!"

Nedbree: “We're really this close to it?â€Â

Nelsted: “Well, if you come up to the cupola module, I've got some binoculars that you might be wanting to use.â€Â

Bursel: “Well, I'll definitely be coming up then. Just be warned though, my lunch made me a little, umm, flatulant...â€Â

Nelsted: “Umm, maybe if I open the shutters on one of the greenhouses and throw the binoculars down to you instead...â€Â

Bursel: “That works I guess.â€Â

Several months later...

KSC: “Alright, AARV is in the SOI of Eeloo, let's hope our commands work and we get orbit.â€Â

AARV: [COMMAND RECEIVED: DECELERATION COMMENCING]

KSC: “This is good, things go well.â€Â

AARV: [EELOO ORBIT ATTAINED. BEGIN CIRCULARISATION AND PREPARATION FOR LONESTAR RENDEZVOUZ.]

KSC: “Woo, good job guys.â€Â

A few days later...

Nelsted: “Ok, we're a fair distance out here. Beginning deceleration burn.â€Â

Nedbree: “This is it, Eeloo orbit. This is exciting!â€Â

Nelsted: “That it is, Nedbree.â€Â

Aldmon: “We'll need to decouple the outer tanks momentarily.â€Â

Nelsted: “Yeah, decoupling... now.â€Â

*Loud bang, alarms*

Bursel: “What the?!â€Â

Nelsted: “Can't check now, we're still decelerating, but once we're in a decent orbit, I'll have a look.â€Â

Nedbree: “We've lost some electrical power generation. It's not looking very good, really.â€Â

Nelsted: “There, we have Eeloo orbit, good job guys! We'll all do some scouting for landing sites, but I think I'll check the damages.â€Â

Meanwhile, on Eeloo...

KSC: “The rover is still on its way to the lander, but it's passing through a region with a lot of that force around.â€Â

Bill: “Copy that.â€Â

Plan-Ex Hybrid Rover: [WARNING: FORCE LEVELS CRITICAL. SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINeeeeeeenttttttt...---.....1111111111100100011001...------zzzzzzzz?~#////////.---]

KSC: “What the?!â€Â

KSC: “Well, frak. I bet camera footage is going to degrade when it hits the ground again...â€Â

KSC: “Damn it, the rover is completely gone now. Someone notify the Lonestar landing team, and, err, we might want to tell Plan-Ex that their rover is gone.â€Â

[Scotius]

Force, eh? I bet it has tentacles. Anyways, space around Eeloo is getting crowded Nice ship's you've sent there. How much fuel is left in that tanker?

[The Error]

So how loudly will Jeb b*tch at KSC when they send a frigate out to protect the base and ships in orbit?

[Captain_Doug]

Why are they sending greenhouse's? Have I missed something

[RocketPilot573]

And that's what happens when you use the "Ruggedized" rover wheels...

[RogueMason]

So how loudly will Jeb b*tch at KSC when they send a frigate out to protect the base and ships in orbit?

Lonestar is armed, remember? Four laser cannons, one on each nacelle

Why are they sending greenhouse's? Have I missed something

That is Farpoint Base, the ultimate goal of the mission

And that's what happens when you use the "Ruggedized" rover wheels...

That was actually caused by Eeloo's bugged terrain loading. Eeloo acts weird when loading; you'll see the terrain shifting about all over the place, getting to where it should be. In some places, this displaces vehicles and other craft, causing them to load in the ground, and explode

It wasn't the wheels that did this, although they did result in the flipping of the rover several times on the surface

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 8: DESCENT

Nelsted: “Damn, we lost a solar panel in that decoupling. One of the outer tanks must have knocked it off.â€Â

Bursel: “We are coping. I've cut power to non-essential systems though.â€Â

Nelsted: “Non-essential systems including?â€Â

Bursel: Well, for one, the microwave is offline, and another would be the seat warmers.â€Â

Nelsted: “Oh boy, what is it with our space program and cutting power to the seat warmers all the time?â€Â

Bursel: “Not a clue. Anyway, should we not be searching for a good place to set down?â€Â

Nelsted: “Yeah, I'm heading back in now that I've done my checks out here.â€Â

Nelsted: “Hmm...â€Â

Nedbree: “May I recommend a site?â€Â

Nelsted: “Of course, you are going to be staying here for a while, so...â€Â

Nedbree: “About 90km to the east of that crater. It's relatively close to a rock surface but not on a steep gradient.â€Â

Aldmon: “Looks pretty nice down there, actually.â€Â

Nelsted: “Ok, we'll make a couple more passes and determine other locations, but that site does look like it's the one, so good find Nedbree.â€Â

Nedbree: “Not a problem.â€Â

Aldmon: “Also, Nelsted? I took the liberty of modifying the wheels on our rovers. Those larger ones would have rendered the vehicles useless, according to my simulations.â€Â

Nelsted: “That's fine, so long as they're useable.â€Â

Several orbits later...

Nelsted: “Alright, we're beginning our descent in a few minutes, so strap in while I notify Control.â€Â

Bursel: “On it.â€Â

Nelsted: “Control, we're beginning our descent now.â€Â

KSC: “Copy that, we read all systems are Go for the descent.â€Â

Nelsted: “Confirmed, all systems are Go.â€Â

Nelsted: “Sub-orbital trajectory confirmed, here we go guys.â€Â

Aldmon: “Should be good.â€Â

Bursel: “I hope you're not dropping us on top of where the fusion engine is crashing.â€Â

Nelsted: “No, I'll head east a bit more before descending further. Besides, we'll need to remain inside the base anyway until 20 minutes have elapsed to ensure all the radiation has dissipated from there anyway.â€Â

Bursel: “True, but still, this seems not-so-thought-out to me.â€Â

Bursel: “Transfer stage away.â€Â

Nelsted: “Copy that, final descent commencing.â€Â

Nelsted: “Decoupling descent engines!â€Â

Bursel: “They're clear!â€Â

Aldmon: “OOF.â€Â

Nelsted: “Touchdown!â€Â

Nedbree: “Yeah!â€Â

Bursel: “Good flying, Nelsted.â€Â

Nelsted: “Thanks. Now, we just need to wait for that radiation to dissipate, and then we'll go for a wander around.â€Â

Bursel: “I'll deploy everything now.â€Â

[Scotius]

Wow, nice landing. I was wondering how will you bring this base to the surface.

[Captain_Doug]

I've said it once and I'll say it again. Why the seatwarmers. Whatever you do don't tell Jeb.

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 9: FARPOINT

Aldmon: “Rovers are away... Argh, they'll need tipping over.â€Â

Nelsted: “I'll handle that.â€Â

Bursel: “Just so you guys know, the microwave and the seat warmers are back online now.â€Â

Nelsted: “That's a first in the space program, and it's also good to hear. Now, time to head out, I think.â€Â

20 minutes later...

Nelsted: “Alright, here we go, eh?â€Â

Nedbree: “Don't slip. I heard Bill slipped over at the Lonestar landing site.â€Â

Nelsted: “I think I'll be fine.â€Â

Nedbree: “I'll get the bandages ready nonetheless...â€Â

Nelsted: “And there we have it, I'm safely on the ground guys, feel free to follow whenever.â€Â

Bursel: “Ok then.â€Â

Nedbree: “No slipping? None whatsoever?â€Â

Nelsted: “Apparently no – WHOA!â€Â

Nedbree: “Oh boy...â€Â

Nelsted: “Ha, fooled you, didn't I?â€Â

Nedbree: “Oh, oh, erm... no.â€Â

Nelsted: “Yeah, think whatever you want to think Nedbree, you got fooled very much so then.â€Â

Aldmon: “He did get you good.â€Â

Nedbree: “Ok, ok, so you got me, can we move on please?â€Â

Nelsted: “Hmm, it is quite nice out here. Calm, anyway.â€Â

Aldmon: “The rovers?â€Â

Nelsted: “Ah yes, one moment...â€Â

Nelsted: “That's one.â€Â

Nelsted: “WHOA FRAK!â€Â

Aldmon: “Everything alright out there?â€Â

Nelsted: “I think so. This rover took a bit of force to right again, and that knocked me over.â€Â

Nedbree: “If you need any medical attention...â€Â

Nelsted: “I'm only a bit winded, Nedbree, I'll be fine.â€Â

Nedbree: “Ok then. Who's the fool now then?â€Â

Nelsted: “Yeah, fair enough. Anyway, are you coming outside or not?â€Â

Nedbree: “Just securing my helmet.â€Â

Nelsted: “I'll meet you at the foot of the ladder then.â€Â

Nelsted: “Let's wait for the rest of them before planting the flag, shall we?â€Â

Nedbree: “Or we could steal the moment from them and plant it now.â€Â

Aldmon: “Hardly fair.â€Â

Nedbree: “Don't worry, it was just a joke.â€Â

Aldmon: “Of course it was...â€Â

A few minutes later...

KSC: “Now isn't that a sight for sore eyes, eh?â€Â

Nelsted: “Absolutely. The landing couldn't have gone better, actually.â€Â

KSC: “Well, good job, all of you. Take a break for a few days, you need and deserve it.â€Â

Nelsted: “I agree.â€Â

Nedbree: “Although, I think I'm going out to check the debris left by the transfer stage.â€Â

Bursel: “There might still be some residual radiation there.â€Â

Nedbree: “I'll be ok, I have my suit on; the radiation won't get through.â€Â

Nedbree: “There isn't much left, mostly trusses.â€Â

Bursel: “Yeah, those things are tough.â€Â

Nedbree: “I think I'll plant a flag here. This could be a popular tourist attraction eventually.â€Â

Nelsted: “Err, ok then...â€Â

Nedbree: “There, a nice new flag. Shame there's no wind on atmosphere-less bodies, it would be nice to see it flap around. Anyway, my search is done, so I'll come back now.â€Â

[Mekan1k]

What mod are those empty pipes from?

[SuperWeegee4000]

How are they communicating with the KSC in real-time? It must take tens of minutes for light to travel from Eeloo to Kerbin, and vice versa. Nitpicking aside, I love this series. Keep it up.

[RocketPilot573]

That base looks awesome, much better than any of my bases.

[Scotius]

How are they communicating with the KSC in real-time? It must take tens of minutes for light to travel from Eeloo to Kerbin, and vice versa. Nitpicking aside, I love this series. Keep it up.

Quantum Entanglement Communicators

[Mekan1k]

Hey, it's what my guys use. It's relatively cheap, faster than light, and allows for large amounts of action with no necessary time delay.

[RogueMason]

Right then, let's see here...

What mod are those empty pipes from?

I'm going to assume that you're talking about the greenhouse modules on the sides. If so, then here. Otherwise, I haven't the foggiest what you're on about

How are they communicating with the KSC in real-time? It must take tens of minutes for light to travel from Eeloo to Kerbin, and vice versa. Nitpicking aside, I love this series. Keep it up.

There would be time lag indeed. I think I did mention it at some point in the story too, so...

Anyway, it would be there, but for the enjoyment of the readers, I'm just leaving out any complexities like that

And to all who have praised it thus far, I thank you, it is appreciated

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 10: ENCOUNTER AT FARPOINT

Meanwhile, at the Lonestar landing site...

Bill: “Hey, guys? The rover was destroyed, about 2 hours ago. Control just contacted us now.â€Â

Handorf: “How?â€Â

Bill: “From the telemetry that has been received, it looks like it drove into a pocket of high-density force. Not to worry, we still have legs to walk around with.â€Â

Handorf: “A shame; looks like that extended expedition is going to be a bit more tough to complete now.â€Â

Bill: “Yeah...â€Â

Lengas: “Hey, what the hell is that?â€Â

Bill: “Looks like a targeting laser.â€Â

Handorf: “A targeting laser? We didn't bring anything to the surface that has a laser on it, did we?â€Â

Bill: “No, we didn't. Hold on, what's it doing...â€Â

Lengas: “It's pointing at the lander!â€Â

Bill: “Oh my god... GET DOWN, GET DOWN NOW!â€Â

Handorf: "What the FRAK?"

Bill: "Probe!"

Lengas: “Looks like it can't sustain fire, but it's still gonna wreck the lander if we don't do something!â€Â

Bill: “I'll try and disable it!â€Â

Lengas: “ARE YOU MAD? That thing will blast you out of the sky!â€Â

Bill: “I've got to try! Try and get Lonestar on comms, now!â€Â

*Probe hits Bill*

Bill: “ARGH!â€Â

Handorf: “BILL!â€Â

Bill: “I'm... fine...â€Â

Kraken Probe: “[TARGET: BILL KERMAN. COURSE OF ACTION UNKNOWN. QUERY----] Assuming direct control.â€Â

Bill: “What... the...?â€Â

Kraken Probe: “Bill Kerman. You flew aboard Odysseus, a ship that intruded our space. For this, you will not survive.â€Â

Bill: “ARGH, damn it!â€Â

Lengas: “Lonestar, come in, NOW!â€Â

Jeb: “We read, what's happening?!â€Â

Lengas: “Jeb, we need an orbital strike at these exact coordinates, and don't question me, just do it now!â€Â

Jeb: “Alright, I'm on it! Malrick, fire up the laser power supply!â€Â

Malrick: “Laser cannons armed and ready, sir!â€Â

Jeb: “Firing!â€Â

Handorf: “Oh no...â€Â

Lengas: “Confirmed hit, target is destroyed! Nice shooting, Jeb.â€Â

Jeb: “I need details, guys!â€Â

Handorf: “In a bit, I need to get to Bill now!â€Â

Lengas: “Let's go!â€Â

Lengas: “Bill? Bill, are you alright?!â€Â

Bill: *coughing* "I'm... ow, I'm... I've been better. Ow...â€Â

Handorf: “Frak, he needs medical attention now!â€Â

Bill: “My left arm is the worst... ARGH, damn it, that hurts!â€Â

Lengas: “Come on, let's get back to the lander and get the hell out of here.â€Â

Kraken Probe: “Not so fast."

Lengas: “So, you decided to show your wretched face again, did you?â€Â

Kraken Probe: “You ignorant fools have gone too far now. Your species will not survive the coming storm that you have aggravated.â€Â

Bill: “Oh please... you can't even... take out a lander that's just sitting there... helplessly. What makes you think that you can... ow.... can stop us?â€Â

Kraken Probe: “Lengas Kerman, you destroyed the first Mechani-Kraken. That was down to a misfortune and ill preparation on our part. We had no such misfortune this time round, and these forces present before you were irrelevant in comparison to the coming storm. You shall know punishment for your interference.â€Â

Lengas: “Is that so? Give it your best shot, we'll still prevail over you!â€Â

Kraken Probe: “You underestimate us, and that shall be your undoing. We will do what we must. We will... erase... you...â€Â

*Light fades from aperture, probe shuts down*

Bill: “ARRRGH!â€Â

Handorf: “We need to get back to the Lonestar now, or Bill may not survive!â€Â

Lengas: “Come on buddy, you can do it.â€Â

Bill: “I'll only be... holding you back... leave me here.â€Â

Lengas: “As if we're going to do that, now come on!â€Â

*Bill sighs*

Lengas: “Bill? Come on, we do have to go...â€Â

Bill: “I know... Just taking in this scenery... one last... time... Alright, I'm heading in now...â€Â