Chapter 7

Debriefing

Arriving at the office, Gadwin stopped off to pick up his messages from his secretary. Taking them into his office, he read them one by one. It was when he read the one from LOO-1 base that piqued his interest. It read: "Have encountered slight problem with reactor 4. Need specialist assistance immediately." Gadwin knew this to be of major importance since LOO-1 only had two reactors.

It was a special message requiring his personal presence.

Just then his secretary walked in with a cup of java for him. "Begging your pardon, sir," she said, and Gadwin looked up at her, "But I didn't know LOO-1 had four reactors." Gadwin nodded and said, "After adding the ore processing hardware, we found the need to add two more for thermal safety." The secretary nodded.

"Clear my immediate appointments and have my personal interplanetary ship prepared." said Gadwin. The secretary nodded and walked out.

Gadwin was on his way to LOO-1 within the hour.

KSPTT

Gadwin's secretary still found it hard to believe that LOO-1 needed the extra reactors, so she looked up the rated specifications for the station and the reactors. She found that LOO-1 really didn't need the extra reactors, until she spotted the specifications for the smelter system. That made more sense.

Nevertheless, being a good member of the orthodoxy meant she still filed her findings with her local tremin, do she did.

When her tremin got her report, he too found it interesting, so he sent it on up to the regional tremin.

When the regional tremin got the report, he found it interesting enough that he made a certain call to a certain pilot friend of the orthodoxy, and gave him his instructions.

The pilot was on his way to LOO-1 within the hour as well.

KSPTT

Two days later, Gadwin's personal interplanetary ship arrived at LOO-1. Looking at the station from his personal viewport, there wasn't enough light from Suthe to illuminate the station. But by using his personal light amplification visor, Gadwin could see the entire station in detail.

Including what was berthed at the south end, the Last Hope.

Although Gadwin considered that he might not see the ship again, he was elated. It meant that Athena had returned, and Kerbalkind's long night of tyranny at the hands of the orthodoxy might just be coming to an end.

He watched as his ship maneuvered into position and docked with the station. After securing the airlocks, the all-clear was given to transfer to the station. Gadwin even maintained his own personal quarters on the station, just in case.

Entering the station, Gadwin met with the station's commander, Jared Kerman, as well as captain Greldar Kerman.

"Where's Athena?" asked Gadwin.

"In our main conference room." replied Jared. "She's still giving us a full debriefing on her journey." They started moving in the direction of the conference area.

"Is there anything of interest?" asked Gadwin.

"What's not of interest?" replied Greldar.

"The important thing is," added Jared, "Is that she found a habitable world about twelve light years away. It's orbiting a dead gas giant core remnant, and has enough objects in orbit of the remnant to keep us busy for years!"

Gadwin nodded at that. "And Kerbin and Kerbol?"

Jared sighed. "Both dead. Kerbol erupted almost a billion years ago, and took most of the inner system down. Kerbin is a blasted planetary core remnant, and the entire system has been shot down as well."

"Athena did, however, establish contact with another branch of Kerbalkind in Kerbol's neighbor system, called Tempus. The Kerbals there settled on the reddish world of Rhode. However, a military-controlled society almost stopped Athena from coming back. We're lucky that didn't happen!"

Gadwin nodded as they arrived at the main conference room. Opening the hatch and walking in, they heard a familiar voice speak.

"There's no way," said Athena, "That the core remnant could have anybody on it. There's too much gravity, no surface atmosphere; how could anybody live there?"

"Good question." said Gadwin. Athena turned, and her face lit up. She jumped up from her chair and ran over and hugged Gadwin.

"Did you just get in?" asked Athena, and Gadwin nodded. "I just docked." he said.

"As for your last question, Athena," said Gadwin, "An airless, high-gravity body might have some sub-surface settlements, perhaps even some surface dome structures. Did you get close enough to spot anything visually?"

Athena shook her head. "I only got in, checked out the system for the basics, found and measured the green-and-blue object, then explored the B stellar component for good measure, then left."

"What lead you to think someone might be there?" asked Gadwin.

"Back at Rhode," replied Athena, "The head of the Rhodian Space Agency, James Kerman, conducted a study for an alternate location. After sifting through the records from Old Kerbin and later the Duna/Solitude colony, they found out about the U.S.C. Manifest Destiny. It was headed in that direction, and they wondered if it had made it to the F7 system. To be honest, it might have failed entirely, or gone to another star system nearby."

"How much data did you collect on this blue-green world?" asked Gadwin.

"A lot." confirmed Athena. "A full sensor suite package was used, including images from orbit that can be used for mapping."

"Good." said Gadwin. "Let's have a look at what we have so far."

For the next few hours, they poured over the data for the world. They even liked the name proposed by Athena.

"Kerbmun seems to be the right name, the Kerbin Moon." said Greldar, with the other two nodding in agreement. "And, based upon your data on the entire system, we'll have our work cut out for us exploring our new home. Once we get there, of course." he added with a wink. Everyone snickered at that last part.

"What about the Kerbol sector?" asked Gadwin.

"Kerbol itself is a dead system, mostly it is a scientific treasure house." replied Athena. "The nearby system of Tempus holds the only other known branch of Kerbalkind. Its claim to fame is its extensive star system, which rightfully belongs to the Rhodians. Rhode's government is democratic, but highly influenced by its military command. We might be able to put a diplomatic station there, but it would most likely cost us the full data on the Alcubierre drive, maybe the Bussard drive as well."

"Giving the Rhodians the Alcubierre drive wouldn't be a problem," replied Gadwin, "Since we're trying to unite all of Kerbalkind. The Bussard drive would, understandably, have to go along with it because of its unique properties."

"But the first thing," added Gadwin, "Would be to establish our colony on Kerbmun as soon as possible. We've been preparing for years now, moving our assets into place to move at a moments notice. While you've been away, "I've 'rehabilitated' more incarceratees from the institutions as recruits for the colonization program. We're all set to begin moving everything and everyone right now."

"How do you intend to move all those people?" asked Athena.

"While you were away," replied Gadwin, "We've developed a cryogenic preservation process for kerbals called glycol. We can, theoretically, keep kerbals on ice as it were, almost indefinitely. When we get there, we just thaw them out as needed."

"Since the Last Hope has the necessary tools, I should keep it once I get there for detailed system survey work."

"Agreed" said Gadwin. "And, in order to have the most data on the F7 system, you should leave as soon as possible and finish the system work so that we'll have what we need to perform long-range planning when we arrive. How soon can that be done?"

"We can have her ship ready to go in a week." said Jared. "She can remain with us in the meantime to help with colony planning."

"At least until she leaves." said Gadwin. "Then, she'll be on her way."

KSPTT

The pilot spent the time since arrival gathering as much data as possible. Taking images of the station from all angles, he didn't recognize anything, but that wasn't his job. He just gathered data.

A week after his arrival, he logged and noted the departure of a small craft which was docked to the south port. Two days later he departed the station's vicinity carefully, then sped for home to make his report and transfer his data.

The time spent doing this proved costly for the orthodoxy.