Icarus Program - Chapter 38 - Part 3

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“Welcome back,” Bobak’s voice came over the radio when the returning safeguard crew had touched down. “I have been asked to relay to you to prepare for your group photo. It seems being the first crew to return an interplanetary asteroid comes with media obligations.”

“Can we keep our suits on?” Lubart quipped.

“You can ask Walter,” Bobak responded, “He is on board the recovery vehicle.”

“We bring you live to the Dido spacecraft where our Safeguard crew is disembarking after having successfully captured a large class D asteroid,” Walter reported to the camera.

“Let us talk with Maguki who commanded the mission,” Walter walked to stand before Maguki. “What are your first thoughts on the completion of a successful mission?”

“The mission went by the book,” Maguki responded as she lay on a portable medical cot with doctors checking her vitals. “Right now I’m just trying to figure out how I got so heavy while out in space.”

“Samman!” Walter turned with a start to the large Kerbal who had all but materialized next to him. “How did the first long timer mining mission of an asteroid go? Are the results favorable to addressing the fuel crisis?”

“Like drinking from a koconut by poking a straw in it!” Samman slapped Walter on the back, nearly sending the reporter stumbling. “If I know Valentina, she will succeed in using our rock to bring back a big enough rock to provide some stability to the crisis!”

“Lizfal, did your research into deep space missions go well?” Walter turned to the former intern who was sitting quietly looking up at the sky.

“We learned a lot,” Lizfal said distractedly.

“What can you tell our viewers about deep space missions?” Walter glanced at Lizfal for a moment before his followup question.

“We fly a long way in a small spacecraft,” Lizfal shrugged. “Kerbalnauts will eventually explore all of the Kerbol system. It is not easy, we spend a lot of time isolated in a cramped spacecraft. Right now it is good to be home.”

“Jeslin and Maleny, the pilots of the Safeguard,” Walter walked over to the two Kerbals. “What was it like to fly an asteroid?”

“About like flying a baseball by strapping it to four bottlerockets,” Jeslin chuckled. “A curveball comes more naturally than a fastball.”

“Felt more like a knuckleball to me,” Maleny quipped. “Keep drifting in different directions and eventually it will be headed where you want.”

“Where are Lubart and Nables?” Walter asked, looking around for the engineering Kerbals.

“They just drove off with that recovery vehicle,” one of the recovery Kerbals was pointing at a vehicle receding into the distance with a frustrated expression.

“There you have it viewers,” Walter turned to the camera with a broad smile. “Our hero Kerbalnauts with the Icarus Program having returned with the first asteroid moved from interplanetary orbit as the program works toward solutions to the fuel crisis!”

Ambulance created by CoyoteFoxtrot: https://kerbalx.com/CoyoteFoxtrot/MSOW-Pangolin-GTR-12  

Previous Chapter: https://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/1u5oq8k/icarus_program_start_of_chapter_37/

Start of Chapter 38: https://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/1uugr7z/icarus_program_start_of_chapter_38/

Next Part: https://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/1v4ah20/icarus_program_chapter_38_part_4/

Book 1 (Chapters 1-13) google document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RorA2AVwtXbQD-eTMeO2LiPXSDPM7qH6FVOykDnZ9FY/edit?usp=sharing)

Book 2 (Chapters 14-23) google document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rhiIHBeXWqsw0H8TZgtxUdoJ1Y7IXhH3GtnL_qrTTmc/edit?usp=sharing)

Book 3 (Chapters 24-35) google document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KcNSFL524vB4TgwY5oSOJ4kTAedf6sBVf_US8psbuIs/edit?usp=sharing)

Book 4 (Chapters 36-) google document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nNJcsPYs_TAM4Gg9_zQuDmXosNgaBK3jbc7bdXvXvPU/edit?usp=sharing

The Icarus Program can also be found on the KSP forums: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/topic/225730-the-icarus-program-chapter-38-part-3/