a BTSM! story of bad design, courage and the commitment to let no Kerbal die...

[Pusteblume!]

Greetings.

I ran into FlowerChild's splendid mod Better Than Starting Manned [bTMS], and it proves to be THE challenge, the career mode should pose. As I tried to enrich this wonderful puzzle solving plug-in with more role-playing elements (FinalFrontier, Texture for Heads, ScanSAT-science disabled) I started to grow fond of my little Kerboys and Kerbgirls. Now I run into a nice problem, having just made my first Münar landing, which resulted in a rather harsh hitting the Münar ground. With no engines left to take off- they blew up in the crash- I have 2 Kerbanauts , boy and girl, stranded on the Mün. With only 2:30 hours of life-support.

Generally I would just say: oh damn, I screwed up, they die, I design a better ship and return to the Mün. And then just grab the science points on the second attempt.

But something must have happened along my constant enhancing of this game. All this new mods, the nice images, the two genders, the tracking of personal Kerbanaut's achievements - they did something to me...I fell in love with my Kerbanauts, I feel responsible. I put two Kerbals on the Mün and their lander is broken? Well, I better get them back, alive! They did the science for me on that barren rocks surface, and they deserve to bring it to the Kerbal Science Society! Outside of horrible accidents (for science!) no Kerbal shall die on my watch!

So I will stage a rescue mission- the greatest task undertaken by [my] Kerbals so far - and thought, I will make a little story out of it. I hope you enjoy it

2 Kerbanauts, 1 Lander - 0 means to return!

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[TD]Technical info[/TD]

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[TD=align: right] I PRESENT TIME On the Mün

II ONE YEAR AGO On Kerbin

III PRESENT TIME Around the Mün

IV 6 MONTHS AGO On Kerbin

V PRESENT TIME On the Mün [/TD]

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[TD] A

B

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UPDATE:

Normal replies will be this font

Story parts will be this font

technical info to shed light on the situation will be this font

Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!
table of contents update

[Transits]

Ok! I look forward to how you will get there fast enough.

Seriously though. How are you going to get the the Mun in less than 2 and a half hours?

Well, i'll see I suppose.

[Pusteblume!]

... to get the the Mun in less than 2 and a half hours?

Well, i'll see I suppose.

Well, we'll see

Edited May 20, 2014 by Pusteblume!
typo

[Godit]

2.5 Hours is plenty of time. In fact, you can even go back in time. All he has to do is launch a ship retrograde to Kerbin and stay in the atmosphere while he accelerates fast enough to slow and eventually reverse the rotation of the planet. Pretty simple stuff really, it worked for Clark Kerbin.

[Pusteblume!]

All he has to do is launch a ship retrograde to Kerbin and stay in the atmosphere while he accelerates fast enough to slow and eventually reverse the rotation of the planet.

I probably will never be able to do the crazy

he did...Do you know how much dv that would cost?

[Pusteblume!]

PRESENT TIME

On the Mün

A flash.

A bang.

Then nothing.

A memory...

>>But why can't I go to the Mün, pops?<<

>>The Mün, little Jacky, is too far away. We can't just go there. No plane can fly that far. And no building reaches high enough. Your grandpa will take you the Münar Park tomorrow, if you promise to go to sleep now<<

>>I will go to the Mün, pops, and you can come too!<<

Darkness. Mechanical Humming.

Slowly Jacky Kerman slid back into consciousness. She kept her eyes closed shut and tried to orientate. The first thing she noticed was the silence. No alarm sounded, no structural components creaked, nothing - just the faint humming of the lander's life support system. Jacky was surprised. She did not know what to expect, after their Münar lander had set down. At least setting down was what should have happened, but the terrible bang and crushing sound a few minutes ago was what they learned back at KSA to be the kinetic-to-elastic-energy-transformation. Or simply: a crash. Her back hurt, she had difficulties to breath. Yet her body seemed to float, the weight of the deceleration GEES all but vanished and Mün's gentle pull was all she could feel. And her heavy breath. And her hurting back.

Through the observation window she saw the sloped planes of the Farside Crater opening in front of her. She made it, they made it. The first Kerbals on the Mün...

She suddenly realized, where she was, what had happened. And who else was supposed to be there. In panic she turned around but could not make anything out in the dim light of the Münar lander's emergency illumination.

In panic one thought raced through her mind:Henbrett is dead!

>>Henbrett...O my FSM...please, please no...o please FSM, no....<<

No response came from the science and flight officers console.

>>Henbrett, are you there? Henbrett? HENBRETT! O my FSM! Answer me!<<

>>Mhhmhhmmhhhh?<<

A groaning came from behind her, roughly from the direction of the East-Kerbian's seat.

>>Oh thank FSM! You are alive! You are alive- WE are alive!<<

A seemingly confirmatory grunt came out of Henbrett's part of the lander.

>>Mhmhmm...where are we?<<

>>Henbrett – we did it, we really did it, we are here! Henbrett- WE ARE ON THE MÜN!

Pops...I made it!<<

BACK TO CONTENT

Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!
formating the story parts

[AlexanderTeaH]

PRESENT TIME

On the Mun

A flash.

A bang.

Then nothing.

A memory...

>>But why can't I go to the Mun, pops?<<

>>The Mun, little Jacky, is too far away. We can't just go there. No plane can fly that far. And no building reaches high enough. Your grandpa will take you the Munar Park tomorrow, if you promise to go to sleep now<<

>>I will go to the Mun, pops, and you can come too!<<

Darkness. Mechanical Humming.

Slowly Jacky Kerman slid back into consciousness. She kept her eyes closed shut and tried to orientate. The first thing she noticed was the silence. No alarm sounded, no structural components creaked, nothing - just the faint humming of the lander's life support system. Jacky was surprised. She did not know what to expect, after their Munar lander had set down. At least setting down was what should have happened, but the terrible bang and crushing sound a few minutes ago was what they learned back at KSA to be the kinetic-to-elastic-energy-transformation. Or simply: a crash. Her back hurt, she had difficulties to breath. Yet her body seemed to float, the weight of the deceleration GEES all but vanished and Mun's gentle pull was all she could feel. And her heavy breath. And her hurting back.

http://i.imgur.com/YYgAo6D.jpg?1

Through the observation window she saw the sloped planes of the Farside Crater opening in front of her. She made it, they made it. The first Kerbals on the Mun...

She suddenly realized, where she was, what had happened. And who else was supposed to be there. In panic she turned around but could not make anything out in the dim light of the Munar lander's emergency illumination.

http://i.imgur.com/Ns7EX2f.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/HNMhRIJ.jpg?1

In panic one thought raced through her mind:Henbrett is dead!

>>Henbrett...O my FSM...please, please no...o please FSM, no....<<

No response came from the science and flight officers console.

>>Henbrett, are you there? Henbrett? HENBRETT! O my FSM! Answer me!<<

>>Mhhmhhmmhhhh?<<

A groaning came from behind her, roughly from the direction of the East-Kerbian's.

>>Oh thank FSM! You are alive! You are alive- WE are alive!<<

A seemingly confirmatory grunt came out of Henbrett's part of the lander.

>>Mhmhmm...where are we?<<

>>Henbrett – we did it, we really did it, we are here! Henbrett- WE ARE ON THE MUN!

Pops...I made it!<<

http://i.imgur.com/HWyI5li.gif

Beautiful.

[Transits]

Well, we'll see

Dun Dun DUN!!!

[Godit]

Took me quite a while to understand what FSM was all about. Then it finally dawned on me and I felt so stupid, especially considering I of all readers should have gotten it instantly! Well done sir, that made my day. Looking forward to the rest!

[Pusteblume!]

Took me quite a while to understand what FSM was all about. Then it finally dawned on me and I felt so stupid, especially considering I of all readers should have gotten it instantly! Well done sir, that made my day. Looking forward to the rest!

I like your avatar

[Pusteblume!]

Technical Update (A)

time: Y1 D67 8:50:03 **STOP** location: 3° 45' 43'' N 427° 56' 40'' W **STOP** "manned study for Mün lander" crash-landed on Mün in Farside Crater **STOP** pilot + science officer alive **STOP** engines destroyed **STOP** electricity at ~ 3000 units ~ 3:03 hrs **STOP** life support at 142 units ~ 2:33 hrs **STOP**

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BACK TO CONTENT

Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!

[Pusteblume!]

ONE YEAR AGO

On Kerbin

Adam as every child knew, was the first Kerbal.

In space, that is.

Since his historical flight only one year had passed, his fame however never declined. You could outright say it orbited Kerbin.

In every aspect he was the KSA's poster boy. So the political authorities made him the lead instructor for the

upcoming and most important of the projects of the KSA: The manned Mün landing.

And though he felt himself having shortcoming when it came

to training others - which would have normally made him refuse the position - it came with some enticement. As the academy's Director put it:

<<Make a small step into that classroom, and you will get to make the giant leap onto the Mün>>

Well, this he knew, was something he very well could do.

For FSM sake, that is what he wanted to do!

But the teaching of those cadets? He felt more pressure on himself than any centrifuge test ever exerted on him.

He glanced around the classroom, when his eyes fell on the red-haired Kerbal.

<<And you? What do you think you are doing here?>>

<<I'll be the first Kerbal on the Mün>> Jacky said.

You don't know squat about politics, little girl, Adam thought with some sadness...

BACK TO CONTENT

Edited June 19, 2014 by Pusteblume!

[Pusteblume!]

PRESENT TIME

Around the Mün

Jedwin felt guilty. She felt guilty since the lander module test on Kerbal failed 3 months ago. For she thought it was her fault. Of course she knew she wasn't really responsible - and Adam Kerbal, hero of all Kerbalhood, already took the blame for this failure. But she felt that she missed something, that it wasn't a piloting error. And moreover that she missed the one opportunity to point out her suspicion. That this whole mission was too hastily conceived, too much powered by political ambition and not grounded on scientific and engineering necessities. For FSM's sake, they still called the whole mission vehicle a „study“. Now she circled the Mün in the command capsule of the „manned study for Mün“ - well semi-circled since the mission protocol specifically asked for an elliptical orbit. Only a few moments ago the the lander departed and her heart sank into her boots. She missed the opportunity to spot the wonderous sight of the Kerbin-rise, and she would have been the first person to experience it. All she could think about was the catastrophe that occurred a few minutes ago.

<<Command Module, this is Münar Lander, please come in!>>

<<Münar Lander, this is Command Module. Jacky? Henbrett? Did you make it? Are you on the Mün?>>

<<Command Module, this is Münar Lander. Jedwin, we made it. It is so beautiful.>>

Then her voice faded, and when she continued her voice was filled with desparation<<...but Jedwin, we have a problem.>>

<<Wait, wait...what? Don't tell me the lander broke?>>

<<We have a problem with...for FSM's sake what did you you say? How could you know?>>

<<Jacky, this mission was doomed from the beginning, it never was a piloting error by Adam. Jacky, the lander was never properly designed to land>>

The com went silent.

<<Jacky, I am so sorry...>>

BACK TO CONTENT

Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!

[Pusteblume!]

Technical Update (

time: Y1 D67 8:55:03 **STOP** location: orbit around Mün **STOP** "manned study for Mün command module" **STOP** NO landing gear **STOP*** commander alive **STOP** electricity ~ 9:00 hrs **STOP** life support ~ 1:02:33 days **STOP**

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Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!

[Pusteblume!]

6 MONTHS AGO

On Kerbin

<<...is why the directorate and the scientific council of the KSA come to the conclusion that though agreeable important your proposed experiments can not be included to the „new manned study for Mün“. We deeply regret and again refer to the decision and statement of the council from...>>

Henbrett let the letter glide through his hands.

<<Those...those...imbeciles!>>, he shouted loudly.

How could they? He began to tremble. O, he very well knew how the council came to their decision. He was not unaware of how the system worked. All members were in one or many way associated with the big five scientific organizations, and each had their share of experiments, which conveniently were deemed „scientific sound“ and „important enough“ to get a ticket for the mission.

So the report says. But his research really was. Recent analysis of the

suggested, that Mün and Kerbin were quite similar in the way there core was behaving. His experiment meant to find a conclusive answer to the most pressing question of how earthquakes could be predicted- and for someone from Eastern Kerban where in the last decade hundreds of thousands died due do not being warned this was not just of academic value. This was for saving lives.

But this was not going to happen.

He was not scheduled for the primary mission - and now his science was neither.

BACK TO CONTENT

Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!

[Ninjatsu]

Enjoying this story. Nice to flesh out the background.

More Desperation Required!

[Pusteblume!]

PRESENT TIME

On the Mun

The cabin's intercom filled with Henbrett's commentary.

<<All three engines are gone. They compensated our crash energy so the lander took no additional damage...>>

Jacky felt strangely comforted by his off the book approach to dealing with his duties as the flight engineer and science officer. Then he continued with energy levels. With RCS fuel values.

And then he came to the state of the life-support system.

<<About two hours...>>

He did the calculations, Jacky knew, right after he checked the damage on the lander. In his technical voice his report stood in strange contrast to the direness of the consequences this message meant.The voice kept repeating in Jacky's head. Like a verdict in some absurd court, the engineers voice merging with the harsh bellowing of an uncaring judge.

<<...^{about two hours}...about two hours..._{about two hours}...>>

She felt like blacking out, all sounds fading. The image of her grandfather appeared before her inner eye, and she looked at him for what felt like ages. Then a smile appeared on his face. And something happened to her.

She snapped out of her vision, and her mind was filled with a strange clarity.

<<We are going to die here, aren't we, Henbrett?!>>

<<That is what will happen when life support runs out.>>

Jacky breathed in heavily, then exhaled with a long sigh. She made it to the Mün. This was her life long dream. She always wondered what would be left of her life once she achieved it. Now she knew: Two hours.

BACK TO CONTENT

Edited June 18, 2014 by Pusteblume!

[Transits]

Awesome!

10char

[Pusteblume!]

Enjoying this story. Nice to flesh out the background.

More Desperation Required!

Thanks, I enjoy writing (and playing!) it

Awesome!

10char

Thank you kind sir

[Axela]

Hey, thank you for the great story but.. no updates?