The interior of the three-man pod shook as the shuttle descended slowly, throttle decreasing as it sank into the docking port beneath it. Bob Kerman, the one in control of the spacecraft, flicked a few levers overhead. A screen flashed awake. He smiled. Right on target, he thought to himself.
"Throttle down 17 percent." A voice in the headset orders. Bob did just that. He gripped the throttle lever, and pulled down ever so carefully. A monitor aside the navigation display showed the craft's velocity decreasing further. 4 meters a second. Just then, the cockpit shook for only a moment as the docking port on the bottom side of the hull attached to another port. Bob quickly shut off the shuttle's four engines as the words SHUTTLE ATTACHED blinked in the monitor.
"ST-38, you are docked with Laythian Base One. A door will open momentarily. Please stay in your seat as the tower raises." A man instructed.
"Understood, sir." Bob replied.
Out the shuttle windows, Bob could partially see the moon base's tower raise to meet the cockpit doors. A loud banging clamp gave notice to Bob that the tower was now attached to the shuttle, and he was free to leave. He clicked free the belts wrapped around chest, zipping into its place in the seat. He reached for a handle, and climbed over, and out, the doors.
Without hardly a cloud in the sky, the sun shone brightly in Bob's eyes as he walked into the tower elevator. An automated system began to lower the platform once Bob was inside. As the elevator descended, Bob looked to the east. The large, green gas planet Jool loomed over the grey horizon. Its thin swamp-colored stripes could be seen wrapping around the gas planet in vivid color. Bob smiled. As many times as he had come to the green planet's moon, Laythe, the view was always something to behold. Nowhere else could anyone find a sight quite like this in the entire solar system.
It took Bob a moment after the platform stopped at the ground to realize that the elevator doors had opened. He walked out. A thin, black-haired man, accompanied by some of his staff, greeted him at the base of the tower.
"Ah! Bob! So nice to see you here at Laythe Base One again!" he smiled and extended a hand.
Bob took the hand and shook. "It's very nice to see you again too, Gerrim! What's been going on here since last year?"
"Oh, nothing really." He said, "Nothing much, except we got two new ports added here three months ago. But besides that, we've had out jaws dangling at Jool's beauty. "
The two laughed. Then, getting in a more serious tone, Bob remarked, "So I understand I've been brought he to be tested, right?"
"That is true. Here, let me take you inside. We'll start there." Bob nodded and followed Gerrim quickly inside. Though Laythe was the only moon in the solar system to have an atmosphere and liquid water oceans, radiation from Jool could be hazardous even with EVA suits. That's why as they neared the central building of the moon base, several Kerbonauts could be seen working outdoors, wearing bulky spacesuits.
"Come right in!" Gerrim motioned into the airlock chamber. They both stepped in. The heavy doors outside closed, and a slight mist decontaminated their spacesuits. Bob and Gerrim exchanged friendly looks as they waited for the process to end. When mist stopped, a green light told them it was safe for them to enter. They took off their helmets and approached the opening interior doors.
The airlock immediately opened into a fairly-well sized central area, with brightly lit electric lights imbedded in the ceiling. Some of the workers inside turned their heads to see Bob and Gerrim standing there. One of them approached the two.
She was thin, with jet black hair and administrator's badge on her uniform. "Gerrim, I heard that Bob has arrived, so I told the boys down at the simulation lab to warm up the test."
"Ah, yes. Thank you Leura for saving us the extra trip. Come on Bob." Gerrim and Bob walked off into a branching corridor.
"Simulation?" Bob asked. "Gerrim, I wasn't notified about any sort of simulation."
"Well Bob," he glanced at him, "this is part of the test."
"Alright then, but what is it about?"
"Sorry, Bob, classified information. You'll see when the time comes."
Well, that's great, he thought. "Nothing?"
"That's how Gene and the other administrators wanted it."
Bob sighed. It was one thing being forced to take tedious tests. They were usually on the most basic fundamentals on space travel and navigation, easy for him, though some of his colleagues thought otherwise. He could still remember how furious some of his friends were when they discovered they had gotten a failing score on the written exams. But Bob? He was doing great, better than he thought he could do. Writing formulas such as those used for interplanetary transfer stages were easy to write, but to execute them was no easy task. But maybe the simulation would be different
The two stood at the entrance to the simulation room.
"This is the place." Gerrim said. He put a hand on Bob's shoulder. "I wish you good luck in there." Bob only gave a nervous smile back. He looked at the doors, wondering what would lie ahead. Just then, the entrance opened. Gerrim motioned him in, and Bob did so.
Ahead was a model of a spacecraft pod, one the crew of a shuttle would sit in during flights. Spotlights overhead illuminated the sliding-panel door on the hull. Everything else, however, was pitch black, like a night sky without the stars. The doors of the pod swung open as Bob approached. He clambered into a seat.
"Alright Bob," a voice said over the intercom of the pod, "this is the final part of your testing. In a few moments, the dark sky surrounding this pod will illuminate into a hyper-realistic simulation scenario. Further instructions will follow once the test has begun."
"What will it be about?" Bob questioned. But in response, the world around the pod lit up, transforming into a star-filled sky. Instantly, Bob found the pod looming before a large spacecraft, one used for interplanetary travel as far as the distant dwarf planet Eeloo. He noticed instantly due to its size and mass that the craft would have slow mobility, yet large thrust from the six-patterned nuclear engines. This knowledge, Bob knew, would be necessary to achieve whatever goal he may need to accomplish.
"Bob, to pass the test, prevent the spacecraft from colliding with Dres." The intercom came on again. "Good luck."
The panel of screens and buttons ahead of his seat instantly awoke, emitting bright lights on the cabin walls. Then, the screaming simulated voices of the pilots flooded Bob's headset. But Bob ignored them. Merely distractions, Bob thought.
He quickly dialed a few buttons. In a blink of an eye, the panel erupted with light. Everything there was to know about the spacecraft now lay before him. Thier trajectory, their speed, their fuel amount, even a full holographic blueprint of the spacecraft sat on the panel. Bob quickly examined and tossed aside the information. Skimming rapidly, something caught his eye. He tapped on the screen for the blueprints. Yes, that was it. Smiling, he ordered into the headset microphone, "Alright, listen. Do exactly as I say."
It was getting late that night. The stars visible through the windows shined brightly, forming a band of soft light across the sky. Nearing midnight, the space center was quiet. The Vehicle Assembly Building and Spaceplane Hangar were closed for the night, lights shut off. The trainee Kerbonauts were fast asleep in the barracks of the Astronaut Complex, and the Research and Development Center had been closed up tight. Only Mission Control still buzzed with activity.
Gene Kerman filed the papers neatly into the folder marked "Mission Logs", and put it into one of the many racks mounted on the walls. He filled out another forum and put it aside on the desk, reaching for another paper requiring his signature. Halfway through his last name, a light began flashing on the intercom console. He paused, and pressed a button to see who was there.
"Hello?" Gene asked.
"Hello, Gene. This is Kelrie. Just asking if I can come in and give you some forums I received from Laythian Base One." The person on the other side said.
"Come right in" Gene replied.
The panel door across from Gene's desk slid open, and Kelrie walked into the room. The two of saluted each other, and Gene sat down again. Without a word, Kelrie handed over a tightly packed folder with several papers lodged inside. Gene opened the folder, skimming the contents of the papers.
"You say these are from Laythian One? What do they have to report?' Gene asked after a moment.
Kelrie replied, "Bob Kerman arrived at the base about an hour ago, and they tested him for the Kerbin One mission."
"Did he pass?"
"Yes sir. And just like Jebediah, he passed with incredible skill."
Gene broke out with a smile. "Ha ha!" he clapped his hands together, "Perfect, just perfect! We have our three Kerbonauts for the mission. And just like clockwork, the Kerbin One spacecraft will hold exactly all three of them."
Caught in the moment, Kelrie said, "Yes, I think this may be one of the best crew arrangements we've had in decades. Each of them, Bill, Bob and Jebediah, are the best we've ever had."
"Say, how did Bob pass the test?" Gene asked.
"Well, the guys at Laythe used the simulation we wanted them to use, Simulation A-17."
"The one with the transfer shuttle on a sub-orbital trajectory to Dres?"
"Yes sir. They say Bob noticed the probes lining the shuttle's hull. So, he detached them all at once. And after finding where they would impact, he was able to perform a safe touchdown on Dres' surface."
"Brilliant."
"I know, sir. Would you like me to call them and tell them the news?"
"Yes- wait, no. Actually, tell Bob and Bill. I'll call Jebediah myself tomorrow morning."
'Why is that, sir?"
"Well, Jebediah is down in Kerbin City with his family. I think we ought to give him some time until he come and get him."
"I see." Kelrie nodded and gave a slight smile. Saluting, he left the room, the door sliding back into place.
Gene sat down in his chair. Crossing his legs, he smiled. After months of work, he thought, the mission was all coming together. Soon the question of whether they were alone or not in the universe would soon be answered. But the thought distracted him. He brushed the excitement aside, and reached for another forum.
