Jeb's Dream

It was a cool clear night, not a cloud in the sky. Jebediah pondered the Mun. "Is there anything up there? Could I go there?" he wondered. The mystery was overwhelming. Jebediah had lived his life as a simple man. Never did he really think he would do anything great. Tending to his kows was all he knew. But this night everything changed...

Kerbin was a world of many opportunities. War, hunger, poverty, and all the other ailments of the Kerbin States had been solved. Some were even heard to say there were no more problems to solve. Kerbals were so dedicated to solving problems on Kerbin, many had failed to realize there was more out there, more to explore, to find, to enjoy.

The next morning, Jebediah sat at in front of his Kerbovision. The morning show was on, but the signal was weak this far from New Kuark. Jebediah, frustrated with the poor quality of the program and still enlightened by the previous night, made a call to his dear friends Bob and Bill. Bob was an entrepreneur. He had amassed a small fortune with his invention of a food synthesizer. While he was not the best with people, he could make just about anything you could dream up. Bill was a handy man Jebediah grew up with. They would play when Bill's dad would come to Jebediahs farm to fix the farming equipment. Jebediah invited his friends over to talk about an idea he had. It wasn't easy to pull Bob away from his work, but he knew it would be worth it.

"I want to go to the Mun" Jebediah said as he topped off Bill's cup of koffee. Bob, mid drink, choked out "Why in Kawd would you want to do that!" Bill had a look Jebediah had never seen him have before. Bill had many looks. Jebediah would often tell stories about the many looks of Bill, but this look made him a little uncomfortable. Jebediah fired back, "I think it's what I am supposed to do! What if there is something there, waiting for us to find it? What if by going there, I don't know, we can make all Kerbals lives better? I think it's worth a try. It's not like I want to met Kawd. I just want to see whats out there! See if there is more than just Kerbin!" After an few hours of back and forth debate, a little bit of yelling, and many pots of koffee there was a consensus.

The night was dead cold. So cold, the few kows Jebediah hadn't sold yet were even quiet. In the field, stood three little green men poised against the background of the heavens and a 3 foot tall cylindrical tube with a small little piece of glass extruding from the side. It had been three months since that morning. Bob had taken an extended leave from his company. Bill didn't have much work in the winter and Jebediah just stopped caring about his farm. There was finally a passion his life. Bob put his eye to the glass. He panned around, trying to focus on the blurry target the three had chosen. "You are not going to believe what I can see," said Bob. His voice was timid, not the usual commanding voice his usually had. He could see another thing out there. There was more than just the Mun. There was another Mun, except this was much smaller and if Bob's quick jots of math were right, this was much further away. Jebediah almost threw Bob to the ground as he forced his way to the skyscope. As he peered in the looking hole, time seemed to stop.

The goal was set that night. They finally all agreed. They were going to get something up there. Many months went by. Bob's fortunes were dwindling. Many launches failed. They didn't know how to get something to stay once it got up there. They knew nothing of orbits or burns. Unsure of how to proceed, the three decided to take a break from their endeavor.

One night, while Bill and Bob were off on other duties, Jebediah snapped. He was just going to do it. He was going to go to space. He had never felt so alive. It was like all his fears slipped away. The rocket was no where near ready. Half the panels in the pod where not even welded on yet. Jebediah didn't care though, he climbed the ladder and got in. His eyes attentively flicking from panel to panel, making sure everything was powering up. "Green, green, green" his said in his head. Everything was working. He was too hopped up on adrenaline to really comprehend what was about to happen. He pressed the fire button. The force of the rocket was overwhelming. Jebediah couldn't even pull a breath in, but he didn't care. "Faster, faster, faster" he yelled aloud. The next thing Jebediah knew Kerbin was falling away. The sky turned from blue to black. The view was amazing. He pulled his Kamera from under the harness and snapped a picture before he realized that he was falling back to Kerbin. It didn't even seem to phase him. Calm as could be he hit the stage switch and the sudden jolt let him know that it was just him and his pod. As he tumbled back to Kerbin he was in bliss. Nothing could ruin this. He hit the chute and slowly floated back down. From that day forward, Jebediah would be a changed Kerbol.

Jebediah sat next to the only tree in his fields. The Sun was low, just starting to break over the horizon. This was his least favorite part of the day as the wonders up there would fade away until the night returned. He could hear footsteps approaching. He assumed it was Bob but as the man got closer he saw a Kerbal States seal. "Jebediah Kermen?" the man questioned. Jebediah nodded. "The Kerbal States have taken notice. We have been watching your progress and feel we can help. We have man who thinks he can get you to the Mun."

That man? That man is you. The Kerbal States have given you a stupid large budget. Your goal? Show Jebediah the universe.