Chapter 13

Kerbalis Novae

Watching the bloated green giant slide by, Dagos Kerman was in awe at what he was seeing. In spite of the thick atmosphere, details on the surface could be seen. If it weren't for the heavy gravity, he thought, there could be kerbals living down there.

They were passing less than 500,000km from the planet on their way to the innermost moon. Kerbals had apparently seeded the surface of the first moon, and some complex life had been detected by earlier probes.

As Dagos looked in the direction they were headed, he saw their destination. Looking somewhat fuzzy, it sported the characteristics of an object with an atmosphere. No detail was really visible yet, but they would find out soon. Gadwin had several surface capable probes attached to his ship, which was named the Archangel. He was going to drop one into the moon's atmosphere and find out.

It was almost two hours later and they were in orbit of the moon. Looking at the surface through binoculars showed something on the surface, but to Dagos they looked like oversized mushrooms. They could be geological formations, not life.

As Dagos was in constant contact with the control center of the ship, he was able to tell everyone what he was seeing. His binoculars even had an imaging system built into them, so he could send his images right up to them. That was how he knew that the 'mushrooms' could be geological in origin; they would still send the probe to find out. Several orbits of the moon would provide enough observational data for sure.

A few orbits later, and the main monitor in his observation pod showed the launch of the probe. A simple lander design, it carried sensors to record surface conditions as well as an imager that could rotate all around. The imager could zoom in as well, letting everyone see what they were looking at.

Watching, he saw as the imager showed the entry into the moon's atmosphere. Generating very little heat on entry, it eventually slowed down and the imager seemed to jerk slightly. A message told everyone that the probe's parachute system had successfully deployed and opened. Dagos watched with interest as the 'mushrooms' showed better detail.

As the probe got even closer to the surface, the imager showed the surface seeming to slow down. It was actually the probe's main engines firing up to bring the probe to a safe landing speed. A cloud of dust rose up the meet the probe, then after a few moments more, blew aside to show the probe resting on the surface.

Dagos had had enough of sitting on the sidelines, so he left his observation compartment and headed for the main science labs, where the data would first arrive. He was interested in whether the 'mushrooms' were genuine life or not. Entering the main science labs, he saw the wall monitors showing the surface of the object, and in some cases, a wider view surrounding the probe.

One of the scientists looked up and saw Dagos, then hissed. Another scientist, the chief scientist in fact, looked up and saw him as well.

"May we help you Dagos?" asked the chief scientist.

"I was only concerned," replied Dagos, "About the identity of the mushrooms-shaped objects on the surface. Are they life?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." said the chief scientist. "We were using sensors other than visual imaging to scan the mushrooms, and we have confirmed they are life."

"What kind of sensor is that?" said Dagos. "I have never heard of such a device."

"Then we are proud that you have never heard of it." said the chief scientist. "If the orthodoxy had heard of it, we would have been branded as heretics. As to the device, we call it a Kerlian energy sensor. In essence, all life emits a certain type of energy that the device can detect, then our computer and display systems translate that data into a visual image we can see."

"The energy looks up close like blue lightning dancing on the surface of the life, a sort of radiation effect if you will. From a distance such as we are to the mushrooms, it appears as a blue-white 'skin' on its surface. On you or even a leaf picked from a plant, the 'lightning' is more pronounced. Only on a picked leaf, the processes that maintain life have been interrupted, and thus over time the lightning fades and ends. And as a result, the object's outline can no longer be detected by the instrument."

"That's incredible!" said Dagos. "And, you're saying that I have this field effect surrounding me right now?"

"That's right." replied the chief scientist. "Would you like to see it?" Dagos nodded.

"Then step onto this scanning platform." said the chief scientist, pointing to a circular platform. After Dagos had stood on the platform indicated, the chief scientist turned and said to one of the scientists present, "Activate the interior Kerlian scanner and focus it on the scanning platform Dagos is standing on." The scientist looked at Dagos sourly, but eventually complied. "Place the image on the monitor directly in front of Dagos, number 33." added the chief scientist, and a flickering on a monitor above and in front of Dagos got his attention. What he saw amazed him. A vague shape like a kerbal's, outlined in blue, was displayed.

Dagos pointed at the monitor and started to say, "Is that really me? ... Woah! Its arm moved with mine!"

"Yes." replied the chief scientist. "That is your Kerlian field which surrounds you. As you pointed, your Kerlian field changed its shape relative to the sensor, and the real-time display changed to the new shape in the sensor."

Dagos smiled and giggled at the idea. "Think of what I could do if I could master this power." he mused.

"Indeed." replied the chief scientist. "There are stories from ancient Talia of persons who could move objects by pointing at them. Those persons were found guilty by the ancient orthodoxy of heresy. Since the only punishment for that in those days was death by being burned alive at the stake, you can tell what happened to them. Take into account what they do today, and ask yourself if you'd really want that power for yourself."

Dagos looked at the chief scientist. "Wouldn't you?"

"Not at all!" replied the chief scientist. "Since I'm a scientist, I deal with nature's facts. Simple slight of hand is not my interest at all. I seek life in all its forms where ever I go. Its diversity fascinates me."

"What ever." said Dagos. "What does the surface look like in this energy?"

"Show us the surface." said the chief scientist to one of the techs, and the display showed a black screen, with blue patches.

"Doesn't look like much." commented Dagos.

"Wait for it Dagos." replied the chief scientist. Turning to a tech, he added, "Boost the gamma by a factor of three." The tech nodded and made an adjustment. The display then showed the outlines of the mushrooms, clearly defined this time.

"Nice." said Dagos.

"Unfortunately," added the chief scientist, "We can't show much detail at this level. For that we use visual scans. Turning to the nearest tech, he began consultations.

Movement on the Kerlian display caught Dagos' attention. The outline was of great interest. After watching it for a few moments, he said, "What is that?"

Looking back, the chief scientist said, "What is what?"

"Something is moving on the monitor." replied Dagos, pointing at the monitor.

The chief scientist walked over and looked at the monitor. He inhaled sharply and turned to the tech. "Get me a visual on that section on monitor 32." The technician nodded and made the adjustments. Again, the image showed made everyone pause at what was shown. It was green, roughly anthropoid, and naked.

"Is that a kerbal?" asked Dagos.

"It would seem so." replied the chief scientist. "Only three times its height for its width." Turning to the tech, he added, "Take a still of the creature. Determine its distance, then overlay a size grid based on the distance." The tech nodded and made the adjustments. A size grid appeared on the monitor, and several techs clicked.

"If I'm reading this correctly," said Dagos, "That 'kerbal' is six times the height of a standard kerbal and twice its width."

"You are reading it correctly." replied the chief scientist.

"But how did a kerbal get to be there and get to be that size?" asked Dagos.

"As to the latter part of your question," replied the chief scientist, "The size is determined by the gravity factor the creature is standing on. This object has zero point eight the gravity of our standard. Hence, it can grow bigger. As to the former part of your question, I can't answer that yet."

"Skin cells." said one of the techs, and chief scientist brightened.

"That's it." he admitted, nodding. Turning back to Dagos, he added, "Kerbal skin cells are known to last several centuries after they have fallen off the parent body. But how did they get here? ..." he thought about that for a bit.

After a few more moments, another tech said, "They must have been in the seed shipments sent to the surface."

"They fell off of kerbals handling the seeds." said the chief scientist. "In the new environment, they must have survived somehow and evolved to produce this new kerbal."

"Incredible!" said Dagos. "Do you have a new life term for it? Maybe Kerbalis Sapiens Two Point Oh?"

"Too long winded." replied the chief scientist. "More like what I called it a few moments ago. A new kerbal, hence Kerbalis Novae."

"That'd work." conceded Dagos.

"I'll put the naming proposals, both of ours, in my report of our findings."

"Because it's shorter, they'll probably accept your name." said Dagos.

"Maybe, but they might lean your way. That's why I'm willing to place your name proposal in as well. I believe scientists have to be impartial. I believe it's the innate greed of all life that marks the worst of any species. So I try to avoid it."

"Tell me," mused Dagos, "Does that kerbal look intelligent?"

"Unlikely." replied the chief scientist. "It hasn't developed any apparent concept of clothing, hence no intelligence is possible at this point in its development."

"Oh well." replied Dagos.

"One thing is for sure," added the chief scientist, "This will cause quite a frenzy once it gets around."

KSPTT

"This is an amazing find!" said Gadwin. "New kerbal life!" He looked up from the report. "Who actually spotted it first?"

"Dagos." replied the chief scientist. "I had turned away to consult with one of my assistants, then turned back after had asked about the new object in the Kerlian scanner display."

"Well then," added Gadwin, "You can both share; you get the naming credit, and Dagos gets the first discovery credit. That's fair."

"Agreed." replied the chief scientist. "Actually, Dagos has come a long way. Do you think you can trust him after all this."

Thinking for a few moments, Gadwin replied, "Not yet, at least not all yet. He still has a long way to go to get by me and Athena. We both must be in total agreement on this. But the work he has done here will go a long way. Can we say we are done here?"

"As much as can be done, we have done." replied the chief scientist.

"All right then." said Gadwin. "After few more orbits, I'll have us break orbit and head for the Verna base. They should have more information on the situation on Rhode, which we'll need to successfully interact with them."

"Then we take the next step; finding everyone else and achieving unity."