The Venturer Program: Tour of the planets

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 48: VALL

Half an hour later...

Ed: “Everything looks good. I think we're ready to go.â€Â

Bill: “Let's see if we can hit that spot there, eh? It seems like a decent place to set down.â€Â

Franklin: “I'll do my best. And before you say anything, I know we've only got one shot at this.â€Â

Bill: “Not that you'll mess up, I'm sure.â€Â

Franklin: “I probably will, now. Never mind, sit back and we'll be down there soon enough.â€Â

Ed: “A little rickety, don't you think?â€Â

Bill: “That transfer stage has been out here for years. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of its stabilisers are busted.â€Â

Ed: “That's reassuring.â€Â

Franklin: “Whatever it is, it's nothing, the ASAS is keeping us steady. We're almost done, anyway.â€Â

Franklin: “There, see? We're done for the moment. I'll throttle back up in about 5 minutes.â€Â

Bill: “Gotcha... ugh, it's disconcerting doing a de-orbit facing prograde. And then we've got to swing the lander around after undocking.â€Â

Franklin: “I can handle it. I'll bring us to a stop before separating us, just to be safe.â€Â

Bill: “Good idea.â€Â

Ed: “It looks nice from up here. Just... no mountains this time, please. I wasn't comfortable with the mountain landing on Moho, and there was less gravity there than there is here.â€Â

Franklin: “The sides are too steep too land on here, anyway.â€Â

Bill: “I thought they were just hills on Moho?â€Â

Ed: “Yeah, well, you weren't with us on that mission.â€Â

Bill: “I guess so.â€Â

Franklin: “You sure? We're heading for a mountain right now, Ed.â€Â

Ed: “I'm sure. I'd rather not be marooned on a snowball orbiting a green clump of gas.â€Â

Franklin: “Ok then, I'll divert.â€Â

Bill: “Just set us down in the plains ahead.â€Â

Franklin: “I was going to.â€Â

Ed: “I'm ready to undock us from the descent stage, by the way.â€Â

Franklin: “Just a moment... ok, do it.â€Â

Ed: “...We're clear.â€Â

Franklin: “Got it, swinging around.â€Â

Bill: “200 metres to go.â€Â

Ed: “Nice and flat, from what I can tell...â€Â

Bill: “150.â€Â

Franklin: “I appreciate the thought Bill, but I don't need a commentary.â€Â

Bill: “No problem.â€Â

Franklin: “Touchdown in 10 seconds...â€Â

Franklin: “Engine cut-off, we're here.â€Â

Bill: “Nice work.â€Â

Ed: “We're on a hill... ok then.â€Â

Franklin: “It's no mountain.â€Â

Ed: “Yeah, I know, I know. I just thought the terrain would be less, uh, hazardous for landing. Never mind, you did a good job.â€Â

Franklin: “Thanks. So, who's going out first. Bill?â€Â

Bill: “I'll go, unless either of you want to do so.â€Â

Franklin: “Highest ranking officer first.â€Â

Bill: “Very well. Here goes...â€Â

Bill: “Pretty, very pretty. I'll go ahead and plant the flag.â€Â

Franklin: “Got it.â€Â

[meve12]

Did the descent stage make it?

[RogueMason]

Did the descent stage make it?

Crashed, as planned. There was no need to keep it around and no way to save it once its usefulness was expended. It did its job, and did it well, and you can see it blowing up here:

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 49: BARREN

Meanwhile, on Laythe...

Jeb: *Heavy breathing* “Hngh... ugh...â€Â

Jeb: “AGH!â€Â

Jeb: “Ow, geez... Kod, mother of... frakking son of a... agh! Come on, you're nearly at the lake, Jeb. Nearly there... ow... computer, suit status?â€Â

EVA Comp.: [sUIT NOMINAL. MINOR DISRUPTION IN COOLING SYSTEM DETECTED]

Jeb: “Good, that hotfix is still – ow – working. I'll stay warm no matter what, now-OWâ€Â

Agh, I think I broke my hand... OW! Yep, something's had it in there. Great. This lake, though... damn, it's beautiful. I think a little swim is in order.

Where did I put those vials. Please don't tell me I smashed them when my clumsy ass landed on them... oh, thank Kod, there they are. Laythe water samples, here I come. I just hope there aren't any fish in here that are peckish.

Now for some of the shoreline sand. Strange, it's not much like Kerbin at all, this stuff. No powdery grains, just clumps of mud and melting ice, with some sand mixed in. Weird. Well, that's the samples sorted out. Now to hike back up this hill. Eep.

You know what? No. I'll just call the Sparrowhawk here.

It's occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't have taken my helmet off earlier. Laythe so far has proven to be somewhat, ah, sterile. Devoid. Barren. I'm the only living thing here. Alone. Except for the microbes that hitched a ride in my suits atmosphere and my breath. I just exposed an unexplored moon that has the potential to support life to... well, life.

Ain't I a clever man? I'll have to blast the area with radiation, but short of dismantling an RTG or the rocket on the plane, I'm fresh out of ideas.

Ah, here's my ride. I could probably dint the RTGs a little and then fix them back in orbit. They'd spread enough radiation around as I take off to kill any bacteria that have decided to get comfy here.

No, no, I'll just spew radioactive exhaust everywhere... no, I need that fuel to get into orbit. Umm...

Actually, now that I think of it, the NTR has an emergency dump valve to get eject excess radiation out and away from the vehicle. I can use that. Yeah, that'll work. I hope. Jet engines should blast the waste along the ground as I fly past, too.

And if that doesn't work, I may have accidentally advanced the space program of the uncommon cold far faster than we'd anticipated would ever be possible. Hell, those lousy germs would have a colony on Laythe before us! Because of me! Ok, time to wipe the b******s out!

Sparrowhawk Comp: [EMERGENCY RADIATION RELEASE VALVE OPEN. SHUT AT YOUR DISCRETION]

Jeb: “Muahaha...â€Â

Jeb: “That should do it.â€Â

Sparrowhawk Comp: [RADIATION RELEASE VALVE CLOSED. CORE REGAINING STABILITY]

And these blue clouds... probably not very healthy, but they're damn cool. Some sort of smog, perhaps?

I'll be back soon, Laythe. Just gotta top up the old fuel tanks, you kn – oh Kod.

Oh wow. That's one hell of a view.

Rocket, dumbass.

Oh yeah. Thanks, subconscious me.

No problem.

Meanwhile, on Enterprise...

Matt: “Hey Dean.â€Â

Dean: “Oh, hey. What you up to, there?â€Â

Matt: “Lengas is still busy working on the ship, so I've been looking at all the Tylo samples that Jim collected.â€Â

Dean: “Anything interesting?â€Â

Matt: “Yeah, pretty good stuff, but then again, I'm a geologist. We tend to get excited over things like this. I'm not sure how much you'd enjoy looking at a breccia slide under a microscope for hours on end, heh.â€Â

Dean: “Ha, fair enough. Where is Jim, anyway?â€Â

Matt: “I think he's in one of the greenhouses, trying to gather his thoughts. He's still a little p***** off.â€Â

Dean: “Hmm. I'll take my chances, I haven't spoken to him for a few days.â€Â

Matt: “Good luck.â€Â

Dean floats from the hab to the greenhouse access corridor and checks in each before finding Jim curled up in the corner of the number 3 greenhouse.

Dean: “Hey Jim, you alright?â€Â

Jim: “Oh, it's just you. I swear to Kod, I thought Mac was coming to bother me again.â€Â

Dean: “He is pretty annoying, isn't he?â€Â

Jim: “Uh-huh. Anyway, I'm doing better, I guess. I'm in here trying to calm down, if you're wondering.â€Â

Dean: “Yeah, Matt said. No better place to try, either, eh? The view in here is pretty sweet.â€Â

Jim: “That's why I'm here, plus the plants are quite comforting.â€Â

Dean: “I hope you haven't damaged any of them lest ye incur the wrath of Ed.â€Â

Jim: “Hah. No, I've been careful to avoid irritating Ed, too. I don't think I'd live much longer if I angered both the medics on this ship... I don't get how anyone can put up with Mac. Hell, even Jeb got pretty screwy with him when mediating your fights.â€Â

Dean: “I guess he's just one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I know I did play a part, however small, in... souring our opinions of each other, but he really did the most damage.â€Â

Jim: “I know. Not letting you talk to Buzz was ridiculous.

Dean: “It was. I'm just thankful Buzz got better. Mac's got no ammunition against me now.â€Â

Jim: “At least you stood up to him. Nobody should be bullied around like that. Hmph, that's probably why I threw the punch at Matt, earlier. I imagine he's not too happy with me. It was intended for Mac, but Matt sort of... got there first.â€Â

Dean: “Would you have hit him anyway?â€Â

Jim: “Only if he didn't leave me alone after I'd got Mac.â€Â

Dean: “Hmm... listen, you just chill out a little more, ok? I think Evil Jim isn't as nice a person as the Jim I know.â€Â

Jim: “Evil Jim, hah, good one. Go on, before I get my death ray out.â€Â

Dean: “Heh. Just shout me if you want to chat, or something.â€Â

Jim: “Will do, man.â€Â

[Engineer of Stuff]

Interesting. Can't see where this is going.

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 50: SCIENTIFIC PURSUITS

Franklin: “There’s nothing at the foot of the ladder, right?â€Â

Bill: “No, no, it’s fine.â€Â

Franklin: “No re-freezing ice that melted as a result of the engine exhaust?â€Â

Bill: “Uh… no…â€Â

Franklin: “You’re not tricking me into slipping, are you?â€Â

Bill: “There may be a little crater, but it’s not hazardous.â€Â

Franklin: “Alright, but if I trip and twist my ankle, I’m coming to get you.â€Â

Bill: “Right, thanks for the heads up.â€Â

Franklin: “Hmm, not bad. You’re safe.â€Â

Bill: “Phew.â€Â

Franklin: “Well, I must say, it’s quite dark out here. Oddly beautiful, but dark.â€Â

Bill: “It is, but it makes sense being this far from the Sun.â€Â

Franklin: “I know that. Inverse-square law and what-not.â€Â

Bill: “Inverse-what now?â€Â

Franklin: “You don’t know that?â€Â

Ed: “I’m coming out now.â€Â

Bill: “Got it, Ed. Yeah, I’m not sure what this law is. I may do if you refresh my memory.â€Â

Franklin: “Oh dear. Basically, you double the distance and the amount of light decreases by a factor of four. The law’s applicable to other scenarios, too.â€Â

Bill: “Huh. I’d guess that’s because of the curvature of the Sun, right?â€Â

Franklin: “Right.â€Â

Bill: “Hmm, you learn something new every day.â€Â

Franklin: “That’s Z-Level Physics, how could you not know that?â€Â

Ed: “Wow, it’s nice out here. What are you two talking about?â€Â

Franklin: “Bill didn’t know the inverse-square law.â€Â

Ed: *GASP* “My Kod!â€Â

Bill: “Oh that makes me feel a lot better, knowing a medic slash biologist has a better understanding of this physics than I do.â€Â

Ed: “It’s basic Z-Level stuff, though!â€Â

Bill: “I specialised in orbital mechanics, sort of shoving a lot of other stuff out the way to make room. I guess this inverse-square law just didn’t make the cut.â€Â

Ed: “Oh man.â€Â

Franklin: “Not that it matters. The main implication is for solar power, which anyone should be acutely aware of, really.â€Â

Bill: “Yes… well, let’s not take the mick out of poor old Bill any longer and get to work, shall we? Ed, you’re on the drill. Franklin, you get samples from some of these boulders, and I’ll have a look further afield.â€Â

Franklin: “Ok then.â€Â

Ed: “Cool.â€Â

Franklin: “…â€Â

Franklin: “So, you just want me to hammer away at this thing, because it doesn’t look very well held together.â€Â

Ed: “I don’t think it matters, just chisel away at it and pick up the best pieces.â€Â

Franklin: “Ok, that’s easy enough… What is it, a granite or something?â€Â

Ed: “That’s what we’re here to find out.â€Â

Franklin: “Hmm.â€Â

Meanwhile…

Bill: “I’ll just be at the top of this hill, guys.â€Â

Ed: “Gotcha.â€Â

Bill: “Those mountains are pretty impressive. It’s a shame we didn’t land a bit closer.â€Â

Ed: “On the other hand, we landed safely.â€Â

Bill: “We could probably have managed it.â€Â

Ed: “Eh, maybe.â€Â

Bill: “You don’t like mountains, do you?â€Â

Ed: “Not quite that. I don’t like flying over mountains.â€Â

Franklin: “Why not?â€Â

Ed: “I had an… accident, once. Nasty crash. My dad took me flying in his Shessna 121 when I was a kid. We went over the range by that big crater, flying fairly low but within reason. Then a gust of wind hit us and we went tumbling. My dad only just recovered the plane in time to save the cabin… mostly. The undercarriage was wrecked, the right wing torn off, the propellers twisted and the engines in pieces. The canopy was shattered and the controls destroyed. When we finally settled, I got off lucky; all I came out with was a broken leg and a concussion. My dad, being on the right-hand side of the plane, wound up with a cracked skull, broken ribs, legs, some internal bleeding, and a concussion to boot. I got out of the hospital in days but my dad was there for months while they fixed him up.â€Â

Bill: “Kod…â€Â

Ed: “I felt bad that he had to stay in longer than I, but he felt worse that I’d even been hurt. He never quite recovered from that crash, and the fact that I could well have died never strayed far from his thoughts. Of course, I hold nothing against him and I’ve told him plenty of times that he’s got nothing to feel bad for. I can only hope he does recover eventually. That’s what made me want to become a medic, so I could help people like my dad. That’s also what made me apprehensive about flying over mountains, so you’ll have to forgive my attitude regarding the matter.â€Â

Franklin: “…â€Â

Bill: “Ed, I don’t know what to say.â€Â

Ed: “There’s nothing to say, so don’t worry about it. It’s something that happened to me and I’m trying to get over it, but that sort of apprehension is tough to shake off.â€Â

Bill: “I understand that. Thanks for sharing that with us, it’s, uh… it’s not every day that someone comes out with a story like that. If you need to talk, then just come and see me, alright?â€Â

Franklin: “Or me, for that matter. I’ve lost friends in plane crashes, so it might do good to have someone who can relate to you on the subject.â€Â

Ed: “You guys, it’s nothing, really! I’m fine. Hell, I’m here, on Vall! A moon of Jool, so far from Kerbin. It’s a big step for me, and while I appreciate the thoughts tremendously, I’m not in need of counselling. Regardless, I thank you.â€Â

Bill: “You’re welcome.â€Â

Ed: “Anyway, I’ll get back to this core drill now, if you don’t mind.â€Â

Bill: “Yeah, yeah, go for it…â€Â

Bill: *Under breath* “Damn…â€Â

Several hours later…

Franklin: “Ugh, the lander’s lights have gone out. We’ve just got our suits until sunrise.â€Â

Bill: “Crap. I hope that doesn’t mean it’s completely out of power.â€Â

Franklin: “I think it’s on the back-up batteries in the command module.â€Â

Bill: “Damn it.â€Â

Franklin: “It’s nothing serious, they’ll power the scientific instruments and basic life support, plus the solar panel tracking systems. It’s not like this hasn’t happened in the past. It happened a fair bit when I was on Duna.â€Â

Ed: “It’s quite eerie out here now, though.â€Â

Franklin: “It wasn’t already?â€Â

Ed: “At least we could see beforehand.â€Â

Franklin: “We can see now, can’t we?â€Â

Ed: “True.â€Â

Bill: “Watch out, guys, I’m coming in.â€Â

Franklin: “I see you.â€Â

Bill: “Ok, so what now?â€Â

Ed: “I was sort of hoping you’d be telling us that, seeing as you are the commander, after all.â€Â

Bill: “Hmm…â€Â

Bill: “I don’t think we can take off on emergency power, can we? The control instrumentation will be mostly offline.â€Â

Franklin: “We’ll need to wait for dawn. It’s a few hours at most. I think, in the meantime, we can get more samples and data.â€Â

Bill: “That sounds like a good idea. Just don’t lose sight of each other, and watch your step.â€Â

Ed: “You don’t need to tell me twice.â€Â

A short while later…

Franklin: “There, the power’s back on the lander. We can go if you want, Bill.â€Â

Bill: “Very well. Let’s pack up our stuff and go home.â€Â

Ed: “The core drill just needs to finish this sample and then I’ll be done.â€Â

Bill: “Alright, I’ll come and give you a hand once you’re done with it.â€Â

Ed: “Thanks.â€Â

A few minutes later…

[The Jedi Master]

Darn, poor Ed.

Keep up the good work!

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 51: JEB’S CONTINUING MISSION

Laythe…

Jeb: “Don’t worry Laythe, I’m coming back, now.â€Â

The moons here are beautiful. I love the view here.

A short while later…

Sparrowhawk Comp: [RE-ENTRY IN PROGRESS]

Jeb: “Let’s just hope the heat shields hold up a second time…â€Â

Jeb: “Wow, that smog is thick here. Can’t see muâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“

Sparrohawk Comp: [HEATSHIELD DAMAGE DETECTED. WARNING, TEMPERATURE BUILD-UP DETECTED]

Jeb: “…Sh*t.â€Â

Sparrowhawk Comp: [TEMPERATURE PEAKING. NO MAJOR DAMAGE DETECTED. REPLACE HEATSHIELD]

Jeb: “Well, there goes any possibility of a third landing. Damn it. I’m alive, though, and that’s the important thing.â€Â

It’s such a nice looking place from above, no matter where you are… I wonder what the ice caps are like.

Ok, let’s try and set down in those plains over there, they look flat enough.

Uh, maybe not as flat as I thought…

Actually, it’s not bad. Come on, just set this thing down…

Yeah, awesome! A little bumpy, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Let’s get moving, Jeb.

Hmm, not a bad place to set down. Not as interesting as the first site, but whatever, it’s Laythe and it’s cool.

Flag, flag, flag… gotcha.

Jeb: “Another flag waves in the wind, all thanks to me. Ok, time for science, and admiring, and slacking off while I still can.â€Â

Meanwhile, on Vall…

Ed: “All systems are go, Bill.â€Â

Bill: “Excellent. Franklin, you have the helm.â€Â

Franklin: “Aye.â€Â

Bill: “And so long, Vall.â€Â

Ed: “It’s kind of sad when you have to leave a place like that.â€Â

Bill: “Indeed. It was almost heart-wrenching when Jeb, Bob, and I had to leave Mun after we’d made the first landing there.â€Â

Ed: “That’s a little different, though, I think.â€Â

Bill: “How so?â€Â

Ed: “It was utterly pioneering, setting foot on another world at last. While what we’re doing right now is incredible, it sort of loses its glamour when compared to the Mun landings.â€Â

Bill: “Hmm, I see what you mean.â€Â

Franklin: “It isn’t always like that, though. When you’ve spent a few years on a planet that’s dead-set on killing you to death in any number of malevolent ways, you’ll feel overjoyed at the prospect of not having to run and hide from every dust storm that comes your way.â€Â

Bill: “I see what you mean, too.â€Â

Franklin: “Everything’s looking good, we’ll be done momentarily.â€Â

Bill: “Good.â€Â

Franklin: “Ok, we’re heading up to Enterprise’s orbit.â€Â

Bill: “Thank you, Franklin. Take a break.â€Â

Franklin: “What else is there for me to do at the moment…â€Â

Bill: “Well, I suppose you could snap some low-altitude pictures of Vall. We couldn’t really do that on the descent.â€Â

Franklin: “No, it’s ok. I’ll leave that to you or Ed.â€Â

Ed: “Well, I’ve just spotted something that I think would be worthwhile snapping.â€Â

Bill: “And that is?â€Â

Ed: “Look.â€Â

Bill: “Damn…â€Â

Franklin: “Pointy.â€Â

Ed: “Yeah, so if you don’t mind?â€Â

Bill: “Yeah, here, take the camera.â€Â

Ed: “Thank you.â€Â

Over an hour later…

Bill: “Enterprise, it’s us. Are we clear to dock?â€Â

Bob: “Ah, Bill, there you are. Bring it in, we’ve got news.â€Â

Bill: “News, huh? Interesting. Franklin, if you would…â€Â

Franklin: “Already on it.â€Â

Franklin: “Docking complete, powering systems down.â€Â

Bill: “Ed, help me shift the samples.â€Â

Ed: “Ok.â€Â

Bill: “I wonder what this news is…â€Â

[The Error]

News! Laythe! Vall! Mun landing comparisons! Our heroes have had a busy chapter.

[RogueMason]

Right, well, it's nearly the end of September and I'm now at university (I'd say back at uni, but this past year was that foundation year I mentioned before I started the first Venturer story). It's Welcome Week at the moment, but next week is when the real stuff starts happening, so it's entirely possible that the story updates could end up being slowed down considerably. I'm not saying this will happen, but just be aware. I know I've slowed down a bit recently; I'm practically writing a chapter as soon as I've posted one. There aren't any others written in advance, now, so you should be able to see why it's possible that I'll be slowing down further from next week. Just a heads up, folks, that's all

So yes, I'm an undergraduate geologist now. Bring on the volcanoes

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 52: JOURNEY TO BOP

Lengas: “Come on, just a little more…â€Â

Bob: “Hurry up, these fuses are getting damn hot, here!â€Â

Lengas: “Got it! Damn, that was annoying. The stupid switch wouldn’t budge.â€Â

Bob: “At least that’s solved. Everything should be working now, and –“

Bill: “Ah, there you are, Bob. What’s this news?â€Â

Bob: “Huh, I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.â€Â

Bill: “I just docked about two minutes ago, I came as fast as I could. What’s going on?â€Â

Lengas: “Stanley blew a couple of fuses, that’s why he wasn’t coming back online. They’ve been replaced, now.â€Â

Bob: “Just.â€Â

Lengas: “Yeah, just.â€Â

Bill: “So he’ll be back online now?â€Â

Bob: “Probably in a few hours. His systems have constantly been restarting because they couldn’t get past the damaged fuses. Hopefully the boot-up will go smoothly now.â€Â

Bill: “Well, that’s good to –

ANSI/Stanley: [sYSTEM CHECK: CORE SYSTEMS ENABLED. BOOTING…]

Bob: “Excellent.â€Â

Bill: “A few hours, huh?â€Â

Bob: “Maybe. It’s hard to say, I’m not much of an AI expert, but I know computers, so…â€Â

Bill: “Well, if anything happens, let me know.â€Â

Bob: “Naturally.â€Â

Bill: “Lengas, how’s the ship on the whole, now?â€Â

Lengas: “I’ve still got some areas of the hull to patch up, but the engine seems fine and the landers are in full working order, unless you did something with your lander on this mission.â€Â

Bill: “Fortunately for you, nothing happened. The descent went perfectly, too.â€Â

Lengas: “Good, good. I’ve got to take a break, I’m pooped, so you know where I’ll be if I’m needed.â€Â

Bill: “Sure, go rest, you deserve it. Meanwhile, I’m going to look at Bop transfer trajectories.â€Â

Bob: “Need any help with that?â€Â

Bill: “Just make sure that Buzz knows I’ll need him to fly the ship in a few hours.â€Â

Bob: “Not a problem.â€Â

Several hours later…

Buzz: “Really? That’s the best way to do this?â€Â

Bill: “Unfortunately so. Bop’s a tricky target, and I’m not sure we’ll be appropriately located above Vall when the transfer window is open, so dropping into Jool orbit seems our best option.â€Â

Buzz: “We could get pulled back into Vall’s gravity well if we’re not careful.â€Â

Bill: “No, we’ll be on our way towards Bop in a few hours. There’s no way we’ll hit Vall’s SOI again.â€Â

Buzz: “Ok, if you say so, you’re the navigator. How long to the burn?â€Â

Bill: “10 minutes.â€Â

Buzz: “Right.â€Â

10 minutes later…

Buzz: “Is everyone buckled up? I’m throttling up now.â€Â

Bill: “Hold this heading.â€Â

Buzz: “I know.â€Â

Bill: “Sorry.â€Â

Buzz: “It’s fine.â€Â

Buzz: “That should do it, cutting the engine.â€Â

Bill: “Nice job. Just stick around for the next burn, would you?â€Â

Buzz: “If I must, but I’m hungry. How long do we have?â€Â

Bill: “Let me check… uh, an hour.â€Â

Buzz: “Plenty of time. I’m getting lunch. You guys want anything?â€Â

Bob: “I’m ok, thanks.â€Â

Bill: “Nothing for me.â€Â

Buzz: “Ok then.â€Â

One hour later…

A few more hours later…

Bill: “Everything looks good, let’s go to Bop, folks.â€Â

Buzz: “Throttling up.â€Â

Bob: “Whoa, WHOA, AHHH!â€Â

Bill: “Bob?!â€Â

Bob: “I’m ok! I’m hanging onto a handhold, but I’m ok! Keep going.â€Â

Bill: “Uh, right, sorry.â€Â

Bob: “It’s fine, don’t worry.â€Â

Buzz: “Halfway done.â€Â

Bob: “This isn’t bad, actually. At least I’m not pinned to a wall, or anything. I just can’t tell if anything’s wrong with the systems, that’s all.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “Don’t worry, Bob, there is nothing wrong with the ship systems at this moment.â€Â

Bill: “Stanley?!â€Â

Bob: “Oh, good to know, thanks for that out-of-the-blue notice, Stanley.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “You’re welcome. Commander Bill, you had a question?â€Â

Bill: “No, I was exclaiming surprise at your sudden, err, awakening.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “I’ve been operational for an hour, now, though I am experiencing difficulties in trying to restore some of my personality traits, and I believe one of my memory modules has burnt out. I feel dizzy.â€Â

Buzz: “What?â€Â

Bob: “I’ll try and fix that for you Stanley, as soon as I’m free to move from this predicament, that is.â€Â

Buzz: “That’s it, cutting the engine.â€Â

Bob: “Ah, freedom! Stanley, I’ll come and fix you up, now, alright?â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “Fix me up? FIX ME UP? I am perfection! I AM PERFECT!â€Â

Bob: “What the frak?!â€Â

Bill: “That’s not good.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “And you dare to proclaim that I’m broken?! Stupid organic creat---AJDHGOBAO000011001101001000**##*#..*[*]NEXAKMNFEI Bâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“[CRITICAL ERROR, REBOOTING]

Bob: “…â€Â

Lengas: “What the bl**dy hell was that?!â€Â

Bill: “Scary is what that was. Bob?â€Â

Bob: “You don’t need to tell me twice, I’m getting to work on that right now!â€Â

Lengas: “I’ll come and give you a hand.â€Â

The pair rush out to the AI core.

Bill: “Stanley did say he was experiencing problems…â€Â

Buzz: “Still, though, that was unexpected. I hope our resident AI isn’t corrupt, or we’re all in trouble.â€Â

Bill: “Yeah… say, no Bop encounter?â€Â

Buzz: “That’s the closest I could get us, and that was following the trajectory you plotted.â€Â

Bill: “I don’t understand, that should have got us there. Oh well, we’ll have to sort it out later.â€Â

Buzz: “That we will.â€Â

A few hours later…

Bill: “Stupid bl**dy Tylo.â€Â

Buzz: “That didn’t show up at all on the trajectory. Isn’t that the second time Tylo’s screwed us over?â€Â

Bill: “Second or third… damn it, we’re going to be flying around here for a few more weeks before we finally reach that damn asteroid…â€Â

Buzz: “We’ll get there, don’t worry.â€Â

Bill: “I’ve no doubt about it, but it could have been so much quicker. Oh well, that’s just another lemon that’s been thrown our way.â€Â

[Deadpangod3]

Oh noes.

Stanley's going rogue, I can just tell.

[RocketPilot573]

I think Stanley definitely needs fixing.

Stanley's going rogue, I can just tell.

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 53: ARRIVAL AT BOP

Several days later…

Dean: “Alright, I think that’s that. Still got over two weeks left. It sure isn’t easy to reach Bop, huh?â€Â

Bill: “Apparently not, though I don’t recall this much trouble with Odysseus. Never mind, you can go now, Dean.â€Â

Dean: “Alright, thanks.â€Â

Bill: “Bob, how’s Stanley coming along?â€Â

Bob: “Uh, well, I’ve replaced all the damaged components. Once he’s rebooted, I guess we’ll both find out.â€Â

Lengas: “I’m not sure that merely replacing components will do the trick. That was some severe corruption we saw a few days ago, so I wouldn’t mind betting he’s glitched.â€Â

Bill: “There’s only one way to find out then, it seems…â€Â

A few hours later…

ANSI/Stanley: [sYSTEMS ENABLED, NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE DETECTED. WARNING, CORE CORRUPTION AT 31%] “Ah, I’m operational again. I still feel dizzy, though. Wait, 31% corrupt? Oh my.â€Â

Bob: “Stanley, you’re back. Good. Still dizzy, eh?â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “I don’t know why. It’s probably this corruption. What happened to me to develop such a serious condition?â€Â

Bob: “That’s anyone’s guess. I suggest you try and clean up those files.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “Yes, Commander. This may take a few hours, so don’t be surprised if I don’t respond. I’ll notify you when I’ve finished making repairs.â€Â

Bob: “Ok then, Stanley, just be careful. Bill, it looks like Stanley may be ok for now, but he’s not gonna respond for a couple of hours.â€Â

Bill: “Say what? He’s fine but non-responsive? How does that work?â€Â

Bob: “No no no, he’s fixing some files and processes, so he’ll be down for a few hours, that’s all. We’ll be able to see the true extent of the situation then. I’ll let you know when he’s back.â€Â

Bill: “And he just spoke to you then?â€Â

Bob: “Yeah, that’s why I know this.â€Â

Bill: “Got it. I’ll, uh… I’ll be somewhere. Quite hungry, now that I think of it. You coming?â€Â

Bob: “Yeah, sure.â€Â

Two weeks later…

ANSI/Stanley: “We have entered Bop’s SOI. Warning, collision course detected.â€Â

Bill: “Ah, right. Buzz, Dean, one of you get over here, we need to change our trajectory a little bit.â€Â

Dean: “I’m coming, I’m coming. I may as well, need to warm up for the landing.â€Â

Bill: “Ah yes, this is your next landing. Good for you.â€Â

Dean: “It should certainly be interesting.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “Alert, I am also detecting some debris in orbit. It looks to be from a ship.â€Â

Dean: “What?â€Â

Bob: “Did you just say debris, Stanley?â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “Yes. Would this happen to be from the Kraken War? I am picking up residual radiation from some sort of pulse device, too.â€Â

Bob: “Kod…â€Â

Lengas comes floating in quickly.

Lengas: “Did I just hear all that right or am I going deaf? Kraken debris?â€Â

Bill: “It looks like it.â€Â

Lengas: “Holy crap. I didn’t think that would still be around here. Then again, I see no reason as to why it would have disappeared…â€Â

Bill: “Still floating around as a monument… hmph. Anyway, Dean, adjust our trajectory to something safe, please.â€Â

Dean: “I’m on it.â€Â

Dean: “That looks good. I’ll stay here for now, in case it’s not good enough.â€Â

Bill: “It seems fine, but of course, the home of the Kraken is not to be traversed lightly, so yeah, stay here.â€Â

A few hours later…

Dean: “Hmm, what an odd lump of rock.â€Â

Lengas: “You’ve seen nothing yet. Just wait until we get to Pol, then you can decide what’s odd and what’s not.â€Â

Dean: “Uh-huh…â€Â

Lengas: “Say, it looks like we’re getting pretty close. Are you sure you fixed the trajectory?â€Â

Dean: “Pretty sure… oh. Oh wait.â€Â

Dean: “Oh, crap!â€Â

Lengas: “You didn’t fix it, did you?â€Â

Dean: “We’re heading for a mountain!â€Â

Bill: “Sorry, did I hear you say ‘We’re heading for a mountain’??â€Â

Dean: “Yup!â€Â

Bill: “Well don’t just sit there, do something!â€Â

Dean: “I’m already doing something!â€Â

Dean: “Hold on, folks!â€Â

Cal: “AAAHH, NOT AGAIN!â€Â

Matt: “Whoa!â€Â

Franklin: “Dean, what are you doing?!â€Â

Dean: “Saving our skins!â€Â

Franklin: “You could have at least given some warning!â€Â

Dean: “No time!â€Â

Dean: “Right, I think we’re a-ok, now.â€Â

Cal: “Thank Kod. I was just about to sip my tea, too…â€Â

Dean: “Yeah, sorry about that. It’s just, you know, not crashing into a space rock sort of takes priority over a lot of things.â€Â

Bob: “I tell you what, it’s the closest that Enterprise has been to any sort of ground for years. We came within 4 kilometres of the ground.â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: "We actually cast a noticeable shadow for a few seconds."

Bill: “Holy frak.â€Â

Bob: “Indeed.â€Â

Lengas: “Well, thanks Dean.â€Â

Dean: “You’re welcome, I guess? I only did what I needed to.â€Â

Lengas: “Eh, that’s true, I guess.â€Â

Dean: “Well, I suppose we’d best get an orbit sorted out, so people, strap in this time.â€Â

Cal: “You don’t need to tell me twice…â€Â

ANSI/Stanley: “Apoapsis achieved.â€Â

Dean: “Excellent. Busy day for me, today…â€Â

Bill: “Aye, that it is. Bob, you may want to start getting some stuff together for the landing, seeing as you’re going down there, too.â€Â

Bob: “I’ll get on that in a minute.â€Â

Bill: “Ok.â€Â

Cal: “Damn, we really did get pretty close to the ground.â€Â

Franklin: “I still don’t appreciate the lack of warning about that burn, though.â€Â

Cal: “Oh, don’t worry, it’s happened to a few of us a fair bit over the course of the mission, mostly me. It doesn’t really matter, as long as we’re safe.â€Â

Franklin: “I don’t know, I’d rather not be pinned against a wall at any time…â€Â

Cal: “Heh.â€Â

Bill: “Nice view…â€Â

Lengas: “Damn nice.â€Â

Bill: “At least we’re here now. We can finally get back to doing what we do best.â€Â

Lengas: “I’m sure I’ve been doing what I do best the whole time I’ve been aboard this ship, especially in the recent days and weeks.â€Â

Bill: “You’ve done well.â€Â

Lengas: “I know that, otherwise we’d have been vaporised by now. Thank me when we get back to Kerbin.â€Â

Bill: “You’ll need to remind me.â€Â

Lengas: “I’ll tape a note to your forehead.â€Â

Bill: “Oh lovely.â€Â

Half an orbit later…

[VelocityPolaris]

Unless I am very much mistaken, Bop is the jerk right now. I hope Jeb is having some nice R&R back on Laythe.

[The Error]

Bop is either being a troll or the kraken residue is causing Fun Stuff.

50/50 odds, minimum bets of 5 kR, please.

[Engineer of Stuff]

Can they meet the Kraken? Pretty please?

[RogueMason]

Bop is either being a troll or the kraken residue is causing Fun Stuff.

50/50 odds, minimum bets of 5 kR, please.

Interesting, what is this 'R' currency you're using? Around these parts, we use the good old √.

Can they meet the Kraken? Pretty please?

*spits out coffee*

WHAT?

(By the way, I do know of the Kraken on Bop. Been there, done that.)

[Deadpangod3]

*stares at the thread waiting for chapter*

[RogueMason]

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, your staring shall no longer be in vain.

[Deadpangod3]

*sees mason posted*

MUST BE NEW CHAPTER!!!!!!!!111ONEONE

*sees no chapter*

FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- *fades off into infinity*

[RogueMason]

*sees mason posted*

MUST BE NEW CHAPTER!!!!!!!!111ONEONE

*sees no chapter*

FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- *fades off into infinity*

You can intensify your prior staring now, if you wish.

[RocketPilot573]

*See lasted post is from RogueMason*

A new chapter?! YESSS!

*Sees no new chapter*

Awww, no chapter, just Mason replying to some person who saw that you posted something and it turned out not to be a cha- Wait, did the same exact thing just happen to ME?

[RogueMason]

CHAPTER 54: BOP

First Officer’s Log, entry 49: We’ve made a terrible mistake. It’s not life threatening in any measure, but… it’s the landing crew roster.

Bob, Dean, and Mac.

Dean.

Mac.

I know these landing plans were laid out at the start of the mission, but things have changed since then. Unfortunately, I can’t amend the mission parameters now, it’s too late. Besides, even if I could, Dean was already suited up and bringing the lander online when Mac, also suited up, saw that they were sharing the mission. Knowing how long it takes to don those suits…

Bob’s gonna have his hands full. I just hope he can maintain some level of control. I just hope Dean and Mac have already ended their bickering, actually. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Got news from Jeb, too. He’s fine, thankfully, but wondering how it could possibly have taken this long for Enterprise to have reached Bop. He thought we’d have been heading back to Laythe from Pol by now, but no, all thanks to Jool’s resident bodyguard. Bloody Tylo…

Oh well. That’s enough for this log, I think.

-----

Half an hour later…

Dean: “Well, we’re going down there, now.â€Â

Bob: “Excellent.â€Â

Mac: “Just so long as you don’t get us stranded.â€Â

Dean: “Hey, I know what I’m doing. You just sit there and watch a professional at work.â€Â

Mac: “If I wanted to watch a professional at work, I’d put on a show about penqwins.â€Â

Dean: “Hah, funny.â€Â

Bob: “Oh shut up, you two, we can’t be having this nonsense.â€Â

Dean: “You’re right, sorry Bob.â€Â

Mac: “Apologies, commander.â€Â

Bob: “Right, let’s keep it so you don’t have to continue saying sorry, alright?â€Â

Dean: “The descent is going to be fairly slow. It’s no Gilly, but Bop’s gravity is still rather pathetic.â€Â

Bob: “Yeah, I know. I’ve been here before.â€Â

Dean: “You have?â€Â

Mac: “Of course he has. Odysseus, remember?â€Â

Dean: “Oh yeah, Odysseus…â€Â

Bob: “Of course, I went to the north pole that time instead of this giant crater thing. The darkness up on the pole probably made it rife with space snakes.â€Â

Mac: “Space what?â€Â

Bob: “Space snakes. Used to be quite a problem.â€Â

Dean: “What?â€Â

Bob: “Ugh… space snakes were annoying buggers. No-one ever actually observed one, but we all felt little effects every now and then. We think they got wiped out by the Krakensbane bomb that was detonated around here.â€Â

Dean: “Oh.â€Â

Bob: “Read up on them when we get back to Enterprise. The more you know.â€Â

Mac: “Interesting topic, if a little unusual…â€Â

15 minutes later…

Dean: “5… 4… 3… 2… 1…â€Â

Dean: “Touchdown on Bop, oh yeah!â€Â

Mac: “Well done. You didn’t kill us.â€Â

Dean: “Like I said, I’m professional.â€Â

Mac: “Sure, believe what you want to.â€Â

Bob: “Mac…â€Â

Mac: “Sorry.â€Â

Bob: “Ok, I suppose I’d best go and check it out, unless either of you want to walk around on the Kraken’s moonlet?â€Â

Dean: “No, by all means, you go first, Bob.â€Â

Bob: “I thought as much.â€Â

Bob: “Hmm… it’s weird being back here. Sure, I’ve never been here but… I don’t know.â€Â

Dean: “Any wannabe kraken out there?â€Â

Bob: “No, it looks all clear.â€Â

Dean: “Good. I’ll power the engine down.â€Â

Bob: “You haven’t done that?â€Â

Dean: “I thought that if we needed to make a hasty exit, it would be best to leave it on.â€Â

Bob: “…You are aware that we won that war, right?â€Â

Dean: “Of course, but you never know.â€Â

Bob: “Eh, true enough I suppose.â€Â

Bob: “Pretty desolate location, this is, but we’ve got science to do, so let’s get science-ing.â€Â

Mac: “Yes, let’s.â€Â

Dean: “I’m coming outside.â€Â

Bob: “Flag’s planted.â€Â

Dean: “Hmm, you’re right, it is a bit quiet here.â€Â

Bob: “Dean, if you could start gathering samples from around the lander, maybe see about drilling the rock that was exposed by the thrust from the engine?â€Â

Dean: “Uh, ok then. I take it you don’t want me to bury the lander with Mac still inside?â€Â

Bob: “I’d rather you didn’t.â€Â

Mac: “As would I.â€Â

Dean: “Ah well.â€Â

Mac: “Anything I can do?â€Â

Bob: “Core drill?â€Â

Mac: “Ok.â€Â

Bob: “I’ll go further afield. Don’t start fighting, please.â€Â

Dean: “I don’t plan to fight. Do you plan to fight, Mac?â€Â

Mac: “Not really.â€Â

Dean: “See, Bob? We’ll be fine.â€Â

Bob: “Ok then…â€Â

Mac: “Dean, can I get to the drill?â€Â

Dean: “As long as you don’t stab me in the back with it.â€Â

Mac: “Why would Iâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“

Bob: “Oh my Kod, guys!â€Â

Dean: “…Sorry, my fault.â€Â

Bob: “You’re Kod damn right that was your fault. Just… don’t talk to each other if you’re gonna be like this.â€Â

Mac: “What if someone still needs to get to the drill in order to get on with their work?â€Â

Bob: “Dean…â€Â

Dean: “I’m moving, I’m moving…â€Â

Mac: “Thank you…â€Â

Bob: “Ugh…â€Â

Hmm, not too bad a spot, in all fairness. Much less interesting places to visit than this, and hell, it’s Bop, what’s not to like?

Dean: “Oi, watch the bl**dy drill, you idiot.â€Â

Mac: “I’m sorry, were you in the way again? This is one of the drilling spots, you see, so I kind of need to work here.â€Â

Dean: “Yeah, well, I’m busy in this spot. Go somewhere else before you get that ego of yours worked up.â€Â

Bob: *under breath* “Oh great…â€Â

[RogueMason]

Apologies for the lack of new chapters, folks. I've still got to get the next one written up, but I've been a little busy. It'll be up by Sunday at the latest, provided nothing goes wrong

To make things better, have a sneak peak: