On a Stormy Sea: The Genisis of the Kerbal Spirit

[TheDataMiner]

On a Stormy Sea: The Genisis of the Kerbal Spirit

Prologue

"The King is ready to see you" the man said with his head just barely peeking through the glossy wooden door. I sat by myself in a small room on a large chair. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of fine marble bricks. On my left was a small window; it cast a golden beam of light onto the door and scattered into so many fragments that I had to constantly squint to not be blinded. A chandelier decorated with gold leaf was mounted onto the ceiling, but as the sun wouldn't set for a few hours, the candles were unlit. I stood up and pushed the heavy door open further and walked through into a wide corridor. Directly in front of me was a set of doors, twice as tall as me and half as wide. Without saying a word, the finely dressed man pulled open the left half of the door. He gestured for me to enter. I quickly walked across the hallway and into the expansive court. I audibly gasped at its size, and with my always analytical mind I began to estimate the dimensions. The ceiling must be at least 50 feet high, those arches aren't just decorative, he needs them to hold it up. I quickly decided that the walls must be 50 feet apart and 100 feet long. I did all this before I even started to look at the man sitting in the throne. I looked down, and saw him sitting there, as interested in me as I was at the architecture. I reflectively fell on my knees, "your majesty" I said, trying hard to hide the nervous tremor in my voice "I am Martin Thomas, chief chartographer. You summoned me here to discus my proposal." The king faintly smiled and said "rise." I got to my feet and stood straight in front of him. He began to speak "I've been looking over your past positions in the government, you've got quite an impressive resume. You compiled all the most current maps of the known world and created the most detailed and accurate city map the world has ever seen." "I suppose so, your majesty, I wasn't the only one working on the project-" he raised his hand and cut me off "still, you led the whole project. Very impressive, especially from the youngest chief cartographer ever, only 28 years old." "Thank you, your majesty." "But what you've proposed is incredibly ambitious, almost to the point of absurdity. I had to read it three times to make sure that I really understood it. Could you please explain it to me again, be as bold as you like, I could tell that you were restraining yourself in the letter." "Certainly, your majesty." I said. I cleared my throat quietly and began to speak "Ever since the first civilizations began, the great sea and the lands that border it have been the extent of kerbal explorations, they are the only places we've settled, they are the only places we have maps of, they are the only places we know anything of at all. For most of history our technology prevented us from traveling far from our homes, eventually we created ways to travel long distances but inability to travel and was replaced by superstition and blind fear of the unknown, those superstitions have faded as well but it seems like nearly all Kerbals feel nothing but apathy towards exploration, our natural curiosity has been suppressed for so long. But I think we should explore; who knows what is out there, precious metals and gems, miracle cures, fertile lands to colonize, there could be anything out there and what there is could be very profitable to the kingdom, if not all of Kerbalkind. What I am asking for is a ship, a crew to run it, supplies for several months of travel, and permission to take a few of my colleagues with me. We have the largest navy in the world and most of it is just sitting in our harbors, waiting for the next war, so I think this is a reasonable request, especially with all you stand to gain." I finished and the room was silent. The king seemed deep in thought, I could see it in his eyes. Finally he spoke "I'll grant your request, on one condition, you keep a logbook and record everything you see on it, weather it is on board or anywhere else; when the voyage is over I'll read it myself." My heart kept with joy and I could barely contain my self as I said "yes, your majesty, thank you, your majesty." The kings sly grin came back "I think our time is up now, I have other business to attend to; expect a letter within a few months with the details on your ship." "Thank you your majesty." I said and slowly backed out of the doors and into the hall. The possibilities were endless and as I walked down the palace halls I could already see the hazy image of a new land in my minds eye.

To be continued....

PS: if anyone who reads this is good at graphic design and has extra time on their hands, I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me with creating an old-timy looking map of my world.

Edited December 10, 2014 by TheDataMiner

[KSK]

Ohhh - this is a bit different! A kerbal story that doesn't look like it's going to involve space at all. I'm no good at graphic design but I hope you find someone who is.

Looking forward to chapter 1!