Our Roots, our Destiny (Chapter 5)

"Skurb, wake up," said Gilbe.

"Huh? What? Huh?" Skurb said. "Did I nap too long?"

"No no, you're fine, it's just, I was taking a look at the proposal from the Destiny Awaits and I think I have a way to streamline the mission plan. I want to get a sanity check."

"Uh, right, right, let me see," Skurb said, unstrapping his pajamas from the wall and pushing towards the computer on the wall.

"Computer, display proposal underscore vee two," Gilbe said, and the screen lit up with text. Skurb squinted at it as he read it.

"Looks like your engineering and mathematics works out fine, but I can't say anything productive about your sanity," Skurb said at last. Gilbe rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't want to be the poor Kerbal who has to execute your plan. You're talking about 10 Gees of deceleration."

"They exercise in five gees, Skurb."

"Did you actually SEE their exercise room?" Skurb said.

"If I did I'm not sure I'd have come back," Gilbe said.

"Ok true..."

"So can you do it?" Gilbe said.

"Wha--me? It's your idea!"

"Skurb, I don't have the experience to put this capsule's guidance computer back together. The wiring is totally alien. I'll need help."

Skurb sighed. "So we'll rip out the guidance computer. I was looking at the schematics for the science instruments that the Destiny sent. It's like a museum piece, centuries out of date. They're used to doing things manually."

"How will they fly without a guidance computer!"

"Stability Augmentation System. It's a legacy system supported by all command systems on the satellites we've inspected. It's a very simple system so it should be easy to fix. Hell, we can probably emulate it with a nanochip."

...

"They want me to fly a salvaged Kerbin command pod on a ten gee unpowered descent with a computer no more powerful than a Kaputnik?" Genefrod said.

"It would save time and energy, they wouldn't have to fly Entreprize up to pick you up, and you could join the KSC expedition," Hudble said.

"It sounds like they're trying to kill me," Genefrod said.

"You're a skilled pilot Genefrod," Hudble said.

"I've never manually flown a spacecraft in my life!"

"Yes but you're very good in the simulator! Besides, very little actual flying would happen, you just need to fire the engine at the proper time according the the Maneuver Node, which we can calculate in advance."

"What about landing? These plans don't seem to refer to a parachute."

"Paragliders are standard issue for SLIPPIST-Echo space suits, and they're willing to lend us one," Hudble said.

"There's just one small problem with that Hudble. I don't know how to use a paraglider." Genefrod said.

"You'll just have to learn!" Hudble said.

"Easy for you to say!"

"Do you want to visit the old KSC or not?" Hudble said.

Genefrod grumbled. "I guess we can't let the Echoes have all the fun."

"That's the spirit! You have two fortnights to train." Hudble said, and he walked out the door.

...

Genefrod went on EVA, and drifted the four kilometers between Destiny Awaits and Roots. He was welcomed aboard in the airlock by Gilbe.

"Your food doesn't have any arsenic in it, does it?" Genefrod said.

"Genefrod, Gilbe. Of course not. Over."

"Good," Genefrod said.

Inside Roots, Genefrod was struck by the smell. He didn't want to be rude, but it was... pungent. It reminded him of the exhibit at the Refuge Museum on Mesbin replicating the early days of the Mesbin habitat. Roots looked quite unlike what Genefrod expected. A warm orange glow filled the station as if lit by candles or incandescent lights. It was warm enough he wondered if it indeed was. The entire station was built with an obvious floor in mind, but neighboring modules disagreed about which was was up. A computer monitor panel filled the majority of the wall in the storage module.

["You people aren't ones for interior decorating, huh?"] Genefrod said under his breath.

"What?" Gilbe said.

"Nothing," Genefrod said.

Genefrod and Gilbe helped eachother take off their space suits.

"How about a tour?" Gilbe said.

"I'd like to get straight to your simulator," Genefrod said, "the tour can wait."

"I understand," Gilbe said, and she frowned. "Computer?"

A panel on the wall lit up.

("Load test program Gilbe-34 in simulator 2.")

("WARNING: Water Tongues Dot Executable is rated Occupational Hazard. Are you sure you wish to proceed?")

("Ah! Hahahaaa, nooo. Load test program Gilbe-43")

"Is your computer talking to you?" Genefrod said.

"Oh that? Yeah. It's (quaint) to use a (verbal interface instead of neural but--)"

"That is fascinating! Our text-to-speech sounds like a dying robot, hah!"

"You're in for a big surprise in the simulation chamber," Gilbe said, opening the hatch to the small chamber on the wall of this central station module. Gilbe and Genefrod climbed in.

"Oh my goodness!" Genefrod said. "you've put the Mk1-TMA Command Pod into the station? How?"

"Configurable surfaces and direct-beaming of images into your eyes. It's a tactile simulation. Of course, none of the forces involved will be accurate, but at least you'll get an idea of how to control this spacecraft."

"Fascinating, truly fascinating. Alright. Can you show me how to boot up the Command Pod?"

Gilbe pointed at a switch, and Genefrod flicked it. The dim red lighting in the pod was replaced with a bright white glow. The computer panels had been seemingly ripped out and replaced with a dark blue box containing some controls for the Manuever Node Computer and a row of switches to control Stability Augmentation System modes. A plastic joystick was bolted to the control panel.

"The Mk1-TMA is really very simple to fly. S.A.S. was designed for non-pilot astronauts to use for manual flight control, so it must have been easy enough. I was able to take it on a short hop from the recovered uhhh--re... dacted, um. I was able to fly the original unit around after just a few hours of Skurb messing around with the PID values."

Gilbe introduced Genefrod to each control system and its purpose. She didn't know how many of the systems worked, which didn't instill Genefrod with confidence.

"What's this button do?" Genefrod said.

"That's the--don't press that!" But before Gilbe could stop him, Genefrod had pressed the button. It was the abort button, and it flung him out of his seat, out of the simulator, and right into the far bulkhead of the module.

"Ah. Ejection seat. Good to know," Genefrod said.