"It's an issue now.  KHI long-range planning states that construction of a facility at the Valles Marineris is to begin in twelve years.  I do plan to stay on schedule.  The rocket and associated launching facilities will be ready in only three years."

Wilhelm sipped his drink while he fetched his PDA and paged through some documents.

"Your NASA could be on Mars already if you had not cut the funding in the seventies."

Turning his PDA around, Wilhelm displayed a series of stills and videos.  The plans for the Saturn C-5N, the test videos for the NASA's prototype nuclear engine:

https://picasaweb.google.com/l...ktFQ?feat=directlink

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...layer_embedded#at=39

Wilhelm had spent quite a lot of money on purchases from the archives of various retired scientists and engineers.

"I have, of course, made a few upgrades to the designs before you.  The early NASA prototype you see in this video only developed 334 kilonewtons of thrust.  I'll be testing a prototype shortly that develops 7.8 meganewtons of thrust.  An altogether more satisfactory amount."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:54, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

Kitten looks thoughtful, "Not sure how much help I'd be, even on the moon. I mean, sure I'm nimble, but I'm not really that strong or anything." Her tail swished behind her as if to emphasize her next point, "I'd need a customized space suit, too. Hehe."

The cute was beginning to wear on Comstock.  He smiled at Kitten in his best big boys are talking give us just a minute sweetie sort of way.  Turning back, he addressed Kraken.  "Wait, are you saying your company is going into space regardless of funding?  Or did you already secure a cashflow from someplace?"

"Do you have any idea the sort of money there is just in lifting 55 tons to geostationary orbit?  KHI will make back ten times what it puts into the project just off of NRO SIGINT contracts."

Wilhelm paged through the documents on his PDA until he came upon a photograph taken from a suborbital space plane.  It showed a satellite consisting primarily of a giant, circular high-gain antenna.  A scale on the photo indicated that the disc measured 130 meters across.

"That's Advanced Orion 2, an NRO SIGINT bird.  Around 5.2 tons with a 130 meter antenna.  That's about the best they could lift into a geostationary orbit as recently as 1998.  Just think what could be done with a 400 meter antenna.  As soon as I loft a satellite of that size there will be no problem in finding funding for any other space project I desire.  What they propose here will merely accelerate matters further."

Quentin examined the images Hell Kraken produced with some amount of interest. He'd either heard of or seen (often first hand) most of the satellites in orbit, but pictures were worth a thousand words. Often tens of thousands where novas were involved. "A lunar colony would require regular re-supply runs. Just needing to do things like that regularly will ensure a general advancement of space technology - particularly if its all privatized. They'll be looking to do it faster and cheaper." Clearly he was less interested in actually making money with such a venture. He had the money he needed, at least in general.

"I've always sort of fancied the idea of mining asteroids, too," he added. "There's a bit of overhead involved in getting out to one and getting back, but a good chunk of the asteroids we've cataloged are extremely rich in nickle and iron - some of them are almost nothing but that."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Mon 07 Mar 2011.

"Faster and cheaper is all well and good, but I can count the number of serious players in this business on one hand.  It's a seller's market."

Wilhelm held out one arm and started to make a list.

"Yours truly, Orbital, ISAS, Alliant, RKK Energia, Yuzhnoye, Khrunichev, Lockheed-Boeing-McDonnell Douglas, CALT, Mitsubishi, EADS, Arianespace, ISRO, Progress, and IHI."

He obviously needed more than three fingers, so he produced some more, in a fractal fashion, from his finger tips.

"Add on any freelance novas that have the skills to carry or teleport things around and can be suitably persuaded.  At least until they get bored.  Discount CALT.  I don't think the Chinese will be in the mood to help out.  Ditto with ISAS, Mitsubishi, and IHI, but for different reasons.  And, between you and me, ISRO really doesn't have the wherewithal to make any great advances with any great speed.  At least the Russians will go wherever the money is.  That totals, what, ten companies including KHI?  Maybe three realistic heavy-lift projects in the lot?"

Collapsing his grasper back to its usual configuration, Wilhelm paged through a few documents on his PDA until he found the appropriate photo.

https://picasaweb.google.com/l...ktFQ?feat=directlink

"Energia's the closest with the Vulkan-Hercules.  That's actually supposed to fly this year.  I should know, we're both buying parts from the same people.  For scale, each of those eight boosters is a Zenit, like they launch at Baikonur.  They do think big.  It's supposed to lift 175 tons to LEO.  Enough to get at least a few tons to your asteroids and back, for a price.  I'll believe it when it doesn't tip over and explode on the pad.  No, unless you've got some secret warp gate, reusable and big enough to drive a truck through, hidden in your back pocket, real space exploration is going to run on money.  Lots of money.  However much you've got, you're going to need more."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:13, Wed 09 Mar 2011.

As Hell Kraken continued on his discussion with Gravitas, Kitten couldn't help letting her mind wander.  Her eyes glazed over as she stared in complete incomprehension.  After a few minutes, she started glancing around the room for an escape.  A nearby conversation between two scientists and a nova regarding string theory caught her attention and she wandered over, mumbling "Ooh, I like string..."

Phantasm turned to look at Hell Kraken as he went on about money.  A contemplative look overtook her features.  "So, little tangent here, but worth bringing up while you're around.  I'm a civilian nowadays, and money is a bit more of an issue.  You've got a whole lot of that.  You need advertising, beyond you're lovely carapace that is?  I'm quite popular these days, or at least that's what the kids are saying.  I've also got other abilities, if you're looking for nova employees to work on sciencey stuff..."  The last bit, with it's complete lack of technical expertise was a manipulative technique to draw Kraken into conversation, but overall her interests were quite sincere.  The money would be nice, and new venues to work in were always welcome.  And a job with Kraken would serve the secondary purpose of further networking herself into the rest of the nova community.

"I believe KHI is going to stick with its present ad campaign, thank you.  I certainly wouldn't want a repeat of the Chiat\Day debacle."

It turned out Ridley Scott's rates had increased since 1983 without a concomitant increase in skill.  Wilhelm had been hoping for The Duellists or Blade Runner and all he'd got was G.I. Jane.  $8 million straight down the hole.  It was as they said, you knew the thieving bastards at the ad agency were stealing half your money, you just didn't know which half until after the fact.  Paging through notes on his PDA, Wilhelm had another thought, though.

"It says here you can put on quite the light show.  I recently managed to outbid the conniving shysters at NYU and acquire the Manhattan Palladium.  Conversions should be nearing completion in a matter of weeks.  The old structure was a bit too "Gay Man's Pleasure Dome" for my tastes."

Wilhelm made the air quotes despite the fact that his graspers only had three fingers.  Advertising materials bearing the moniker had been found when the club was cleaned out and the claim had apparently, for certain values of "Gay Man", been true enough.  It had taken all of Wilhelm's nova skills just to devise a sufficiently thorough way of sanitizing the Palladium's bathroom floor, at least a sufficiently thorough way that didn't involve plasma incineration.  The club was now back in the form it bore when Frank Zappa, Iron Maiden, and the Ramones played it, albeit with greatly improved sound and lighting.  An altogether more pleasing state of affairs.

"I've decided that the grand opening shall also be the unveiling of KHI's new lighting division."

The division had been operating on secret projects for years, but Wilhelm wasn't going to mention that.

"If you can reduce your powers to technology, you've got a steady job available at KHI Lighting.  Even if you can't, I would like the grand opening to be ... impressive.  I've managed to hire Martin Phillips off of Daft Punk for the two week affair.  Bill Viola is supposed to be making a series of video triptychs for it as well.  I'm certain your abilities would be of use to the both of them.  Suitable remuneration could be negotiated."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:14, Sat 21 May 2011.

"Sounds totally within my expertise, it's what I do every time Green Women! plays.  I'm certainly not there for my pretty singing voice.  That's assuming you want 'creepy lights' and not 'care bears on ice' though.  I don't do happy shiney light shows."  Pausing for a moment of dramatic thought, Phantasm contemplated whether it would be worth it to create nova-tech for Kraken industries, then planned a couple of lightshows over the course of the remaining 2 seconds.  "I've never really tried my hand at nova level engineering, but if you're willing to foot the bill and pay my salary, I've got some ideas for a holo generator that I've been rolling around for years.  One that provides more freedom and larger images than the current ones being played with right now."

Discussion was interrupted by announcements for seating.  The crowd slowly hushed, as people returned to their places, and an air of expectation and excitement filled the room.  The next presentation was set to detail the first major project goal of the organization.  As the initial speaker returned to the stage, whispers filled the room as people ventured guesses; would it be asteroid mining, a base on Mars, a moon base, a space elevator?

The russian man resumed speaking once more. "Comrades, we have much work before our diverse goals are met.  Though profitable, space mining requires base of operations and more technologies.  Those hoping for exploration want to settle mars, but we need working prototype closer to home.  Space elevator is good idea, and seems logical piece of the infrastructure... but in an age of novas is waste of resources that might delay other goals.  All these things are important, but they are not appropriate first step." A dramatic pause, as the screen behind him lit up with schematics, and pictures of terrain.

"Moon base.  This is first step.  We develop technologies here, close to home.  We see how people adapt to space, to other worlds.  We explore, we perfect our techniques.  We use novas to bypass the massive waste of resources on infrastructure to support project, then we build infrastructure after we perfect space technologies and mine astroids for cheap materials."  A drink of water, a pause to change slides.

"We have rough schematics, we have location, we have money.  But we have gaps that only large organizations and novas can fill.  We need more money, we need technology and resources.  We need nova minds and nova bodies.  Most of all we need cooperation.  We can build a future together, if we try."  The Russian is replaced by a staffing expert, who begins explaining the various roles required to complete the project.  Corporate interests fill a major role, providing resources, manufacturing, and proprietary technology for guaranteed access to the base for their own operations (within certain guidelines) and a share of profits.  Individual experts from a vast array of fields are in desperate demand, as the project is a huge and complex undertaking. Most of all, novas are required to perform delicate technical tasks, provide transportation, move massive objects, and create specialized devices, all of which allow the project to bypass an incredibly expensive and bulky infrastructure and avoid decades long delays.  After a breakdown of the specialized roles intended for the various parties in attendance, the russian returns to the stage.

"Those interested  in working to build greater future, I welcome you.  This afternoon we sign initial contracts.  The details will take longer, this is just promise to work on project, provide certain resources.  You have demands of your own, yes?  Our lawyers will work out specifics with your lawyers, but is senseless to delay months or years while that happens.  And you will need to know what you are working on, yes?  Once initial agreements in place, we break into smaller groups, discuss specific needs and assign tasks.  For now, go to lunch, eat, call your people, decide.  We reconvene in 3 hours."

The rush was unheard of.  Major corporations don't make decisions that quickly.  Some were outraged, and left quickly.  Others made hurried calls or emails.  Many quietly discussed the reasoning as they left their seats, speculating that it was to ensure only those enthusiastic about the job participate, or to keep the upper hand in negotiations or pressure large firms into signing lest their competitors gain an advantage.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
I would like to see a some more discussion here, but after that I'm closing this up and skipping it ahead to the actual project for anyone that actually agrees to sign on.  And grav had some stuff he wanted to work on in this thread as well i think.

---

As the announcements directed people toward their seats, Wilhelm selected a few entries out of the contact book on his PDA, then returned the device to its socket.  Three plain, white, plastic chits popped out of a port in the right palm of the carapace, each bearing only a name and a QR code.  Herr Phillips, Herr Förster, Herr Lothar.  Wilhelm presented the chits to Phantasm, simultaneously using his mind to combine carbon dioxide and water from the air to make the high density polyethylene required to refill the chit printer's hopper.  He vented a puff of oxygen from a nozzle on his suit as a side effect.

"You'll be in contact then, I trust."

Opening up a compartment on his leg, Wilhelm withdrew a stack of metal cards.  Some of the cards were copper colored, some a shiny silver, others gold, and a very few iridescent.  All of them had an RFID tag in one corner, but were otherwise unadorned.  Wilhelm took one of the copper cards from the stack, handed it over to accompany the chits, and returned the rest of the cards to the compartment.

"That will allow you to withdraw 50000 pounds from a numbered account at Conister Bank, my banker in Doolish.  That ought to suffice until LAWBOT-5900 can draft a more permanent agreement.  Don't spend it all in one place."

His business transacted, Wilhelm watched the remaining portion of the presentation dispassionately.  He was getting more and more suspicious of the motivations of the people involved in this enterprise.  It was probably the involvement of Russians.  He bought military hardware from them and, inevitably, the more you dealt with the Russians, the less you trusted them.  Well, there was an easy way to find out if he was being too paranoid or just paranoid enough.  With a regular clicking gait, Wilhelm walked out to where his helicopter was parked, taking up several dozen spaces.  He had filmed the entire proceeding.  It was time to see if the facial recognition/data mining system he had paid so much for was worth it.  If all had gone according to plan, KHI's computers should already have spat out identities, credit reports, Amazon purchase lists, Google search histories, checked out library books, and the like for everyone in attendance.  It really was amazing the breadth of information available if one subscribed to the right databases.  The KHI computers had access to everything this side of a stool sample from 65% (and counting) of the world's population.  If one's hospital kept its electronic records on KHI Power Obelisks, even the aforementioned slender restriction could be disregarded.  Wilhelm would need this information to evaluate the trustworthiness of the Russian's proposition.  He'd also need to speak to his attorney.  Fortunately, he always traveled with a sub-drone of LAWBOT-5900 on-board for just such an occasion.

"Computer.  Display conference attendee identities.  Brief view."

Scanning the list, Wilhelm waited for alarms to go off in his head.  Who were these people?

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Let's see what 4 successes does for total information awareness, though it's probably mainly fluff, so it probably doesn't matter.
21:55, Today: Hell Kraken failed (no successes) using 1d10 with the Target Number system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5. Mega Int for Computers.
21:54, Today: Hell Kraken rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the Target Number system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,10,4,4,10,6,8,1. Computers.

---

This message was last edited by the player at 03:52, Tue 07 June 2011.

Hell Kraken's search resulted in a long list of names.  The organizers of the event are primarily multi-billionaire philanthropists and innovators, with varied pasts.  Though none are saints, and many made fortunes off of less than savory actions ranging from insider trading to outright theft, they seem on the whole to be acting in good faith.  Most bankroll several other charitable organizations, and stand to gain little direct benefit from their actions (though there are side benefits; for example, Bill Gates gets every computer on the moon running Microsoft products, but the gains are long term and might never pay for the money invested).

The secondary investors are not nearly as benevolent as the organizers however.  Even a perfunctory scan of the names and organizations reveals a complicated list of industrial and manufacturing giants, transportation and communications mega-corporations, and individual investors with a reputation for making incredible profits at the cost of the companies they invest in.  As Kraken reads further, analyzing money trails, documented contracts, and the already revealed plans for the project, it is apparent that these secondary investors were cleverly manipulated and balanced against one another to prevent any of them from having any real control in the project, and placed in a position where the benefits they will reap from a the project's successes will be limited by the other investors.  Either a nova manipulator, or an incredibly clever group of baselines, were responsible for organizing this project.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Anyone else have anything to say, and is anyone interested in joining?

---

Organized crime was what Wilhelm had come to expect of Russians.  He could deal with that.  Deal with it quite profitably as it turned out.  The possibility of manipulation, though, was an entirely different matter.  Wilhelm had a not-entirely irrational fear of Cartesian demons.  There were only two possible solutions.  One, turn the helicopter on and flee without finding out what was going on here and whether or not he could turn it to his advantage.  Two, render himself immune to manipulation and go back inside.  He chose option two.  Approaching the sub-drone of LAWBOT-5900, he activated its power of attorney mode with a duration of 4 hours and disabled its overrides.  Now he'd be unable to enter into any legally ill-advised contracts.  Gut, aber nicht gut genug.  Turning his attention to the chemical soup that filled his suit, Wilhelm started synthesizing phencyclidine.  He'd need enough to kill three elephants for it to have much of an effect on him, so that was how much he assembled.  In no time at all he was feeling good and paranoid.  He synthesized up a bit of lorazepam to control the convulsions then exuded a thin layer of aluminum over the outside of his carapace to keep out the mind control rays.  He hadn't thought of doing that before taking all the phencyclidine, so it must be working.  Taking hold of the sub-drone of LAWBOT-5900 by its noodly appendage, he directed it toward the door back into the auditorium, said "Guten tag" to the snakeman at the door, and swayed into the auditorium in the sub-drone's wake.  Time to sign contracts!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:27, Thu 16 June 2011.

Comstock noticed dozens leaving and realized that his skin was showing.  He swallowed, trying to force the metal back down.

Given his endurance and unique talents, it would be almost criminal not to show up.  Though the additional demands on his time could prove more than a little troublesome.  Still: he could accomplish in zero-atmosphere and zero gravity what entire armies of astronauts could not, and work without stop.  Even draw raw materials out of the moon itself to complete the task.

And money could very soon be a real concern.  He still had big plans for his city.

And what if it were a plot?  Being near the villains would give him opportunity and foresight to strike.  That was, if he even understood what was going on.  No, he reminded himself.  You have an agent and friends that handle this kind of thing for you for a reason.

"This is a trap, P," he murmured mechanically.  "What do you make of it?"

Phantasm smiled politely at Hell Kraken as money changed hands, then nodded.  "I think this will be an interesting project.  I'll stay in touch."

After the exchange, she sat down with Comstock to watch the remainder of the presentation.  Worry warred with hope in her mind as she sat with an appreciative smile on her face.  The work, the organization, the nature of the project itself, all suggested beautiful orchestration and the potential for incredible abuse by those orchestrating it.  Even with the best intentions, organizing this many major corporations and financial figures to work on a single project, and placing them in close contact with one of history's most important financial and scientific achievements once the project was done... well, that was a disaster waiting to happen.  But still, there was so much promise...

Her eyes flickered to Comstock as he whispered to her, then to all the people leaving.  "I think you're right.  Even if it's legitimate, the organizers will find themselves in a trap of their own design.  The question is whether the reward is worth the risk though.  I... Think it might be.  I think I'm on board for this."  She stood and turned toward the exit, then seemingly as an afterthought Phantasm mirrored Comstock's unvoiced opinions.  "And of course, the closer we are to the project, the better we can deal with any fallout, and more likely we are to catch the people behind this if it's not as happy-shiney as they're making it out to be."

Moon colonies, huh? Quintin thought. It could work. At the very least, it'd keep baselines busy and off of Mars for another decade or so. He still had business there to wrap up before he wanted people all over the place. The project organizers weren't wrong, it would be a good chance to test a lot of the technology they were developing. It was mostly stuff he'd already developed for his Mars facility, of course, but it was good to let people figure these things out for themselves. He wasn't hungry for more patents or anything - no harm done.

"I may help a bit," Quentin put forward to the people near him, "but not too much. There's a lot about this that baselines need to understand without my help if they're going to maintain the facilities in question without a nova presence. Unfortunately the aperture size of the bridges I make are generally going to be too small for useful materials transport." He was quiet for a brief moment, more to let what he said be processed than to give him time to think. He didn't really need the later.

"It is a worthy goal, though. I'm not really sure that there's wealth to be had on the moon, per se - most of that's going to be in asteroids - but such a colony would be scientifically useful."

Dillon nodded.  "Alright.  One of us should be in.  The other shouldn't.  That makes sense, right?"  He considered things for a moment.  "You should be on the outside, P.  Anything goes wrong, you're smart enough to do something about it."

"Seems reasonable.  As long as you're sure you want to do this, I'll support you and provide some perspective."  She turned, looking at Quentin.  He'd likely heard everything she'd said to Comstock, so she didn't bother being evasive.  "Someone like you would be good to have in this program.  Not just for them, but in case anything goes wrong and the program needs... special attention.  You wouldn't want to do everything for them, that's true, but there's a lot going on here that you could help with.  Even if it were just working in space.  You're probably one of the best nova's in the world for that sort of thing."

"I'll offer some limited assistance. It is better, in the long run, if they figure most of it out for themselves. They can save on costs by using nova abilities, but they cannot execute any sort of large-scale colonization unless they can figure out how to do it without nova help. There aren't enough novas for any sort of large scale venture," his stared upward for a few moments, as if considering. "I may be one of the best for space operations, yes, though I think they may be better served by soliciting my advice for R&D work. If they can come up with a cheaper surface-to-orbit system than rockets, that'd reduce their costs drastically." He made a slight motion that might have been a shrug, "In any case, I'll keep in contact with them enough to be able to keep tabs on them, at least."

"Okay."  He took a deep breath.  "Time to sign some paperwork."  With a nod and a reassuring smile, Dillon made his way to the tables to find himself a contract and a pen.  With any luck, I won't sign away my ass and I might make some money on this.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:52, Mon 11 July 2011.

Following the break in the day's activities, the much reduced crowd of returning novas and corporate interests settled in for several more hours of business.  The contract signing was an uneventful, boring litany of legalese and formalities.  After it ended, more lectures followed. The responsibilities of those joining the project, the way in which the teams would interact, the organizational structure of the project, separate group meetings to discuss scheduling and other logistics.  The evening wore on, until several of the baselines were nodding off.

At 22:00, the Russian came out once more to talk to the crowd, now small enough that no microphone was required.  He walked out, shirt sleeves rolled up, and approached the gathered project members.  "My friends, you see we burn candle at both ends.  This is way it should be, like old space program.  We aren't here for money, or for comfortable 8 hour shifts with paid vacation.  We are here because this is a calling, the next great step for humanity!  This project will drain you, when you join it you go... What is the phrase?  All in.  You go all in.  But it will be worth it, we will create something of lasting value.  I am happy that you all will be with me in this."  And he does seem genuinely happy.  Smiling, he continues. "But for now, go home.  We must process all the contracts, requisition the materials, and a hundred other things before we can get started on the work.  We hope to begin in 2 months.  2 months, and then the race is on!"

With that, he and the rest of the staff began ushering people out.  In the days following, all those that signed on recieve packets detailing their roles in the project, as well as their copies of the contracts.

Gravitas and Hell Kracken each are expected to serve multiple roles.  Both of their help is requested in creating some of the necessary technology that will make the entire endeavor possible, while their powers are also in high demand for use in actual construction and placement.

Gravitas is key to moving sensitive equipment into place and transporting materials, as he is one of the most accomplished teleporters in the world, and his gravitational abilities are uniquely suited to the job. Hell Kraken is expected to provide manufacturing support via Kraken Industries, and play a key role in providing equipment and workers.  Apparently, they have yet to find out that the signing was invalid. 

Comstock's power suite is invaluable, in that it allows for complex material construction without advanced equipment; additionally, his powers make him capable of surviving in space, and moving large pieces of equipment with ease.  He is expected to be a mainstay of the construction phase of the project.

---

On Mars, The quantum probe notes the increase of the solar system's background quantum levels and sends out noetic pulses warning of the growing danger.  The pulses, distorted by quantum fluctuations and blocked by the walls of the secret Martian base, go unnoticed.  For now.

Comstock loyally showed up for work, spending five days out of every month laboring in the cold void of space and collecting pay commensurate with his contributions.  It was rewarding to work with Gravitas again, and doubly rewarding to see Earth from afar once more.  A tiny orb, a speck he could conceal behind his thumb-nail.

Hard work.  The new novas knew nothing about hard work.  But Comstock knew.  He put in 120 consecutive hours, minus transit times, and thanks to experience on Mars and the abundance of ferrous minerals on the moon he and his team had the foundations and reinforced frame of a subterranean complex assembled by June.

"Just like making a swimming pool," he smirked as he checked the joins on the lowest level one last time.  Metal bonded to metal, as though it were always one whole piece.  No technology yet existed that could replicate his particular nova miracle.  "Control, this is Comstock: you can tell the Kraken team this place is ready for them to begin equipment installation and application of final sealants.  I'm riding the lift up-top now."  He still wore a mask to supply atmosphere for speech.  And though he trusted his imperishable form, the flesh was still weak: the reliable presence of the mask was somehow reassuring.

The lift deposited him on the surface of the moon.  "That's my shift.  Control, heading back now.  Forward my office a list of the elements you need for next month and in what quantities.  And tell the designers to get me updated blueprints, I can't keep up with all the changes they're penciling in at the last minute.  Out."

So far, so good.  Nothing duplicitous and a minimum of Russian language being used.

Wilhelm checked the latches affixing him to the floor of the Silbervogel.  The antipodal transport's scramjet had a poor thrust-to-weight ratio, but Wilhelm had solved that problem by directing his workers to attach a blister of twelve rocket boosters to the craft and the boosters were ... vigorous.  Safely battened down, Wilhelm pushed the big red go-button and the autopilot took over.  2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane ignited in a flash, throwing a cloud of faint white smoke out behind the Silbervogel.  It was traveling at 620 miles per hour before its thin steel wheels left the tarmac of Mercury Spaceport.  Seven minutes later and running out of unoccupied desert due to the unfortunate placement of Battle Mountain, Nevada, the transport had reached 3,700 miles per hour at an altitude of around 300 feet above ground level.  Pitching up, the spaceplane entered a near vertical zoom climb in order to trade its remaining rocket propellant for altitude.  The flight plan leveled out at 200,000 feet as the rockets burned out, the scramjet ignited, and the Silbervogel's mirror-finished Inconel 718 skin assumed a ruddy incandescence.  Finally able to safely move about the cabin, Wilhelm unfastened himself from the deck and jetted about by taking in air at the head of his suit and expelling it out from the rear.  He wasn't traveling quite fast enough to experience complete weightlessness, but what microgravity there was did make movement about the cramped cabin considerably easier for the Teflon Giant.  A little less than two hours from now and the Silbervogel would be back at this very spot to allow Wilhelm to observe the inaugural launch of the Super-NERVA Minor.  The Super-NERVA Minor was less than half the size of rocket eventually needed, but it would serve to prove the concept.  Wilhelm wanted to make sure of its proper functioning from the best seat in the house.

Wilhelm wouldn't be idle while the Silbervogel completed its transit of the world.  One of the perks KHI offered to attract the most talented minds in the business was free Opnet service.  Even though the Moon was a great distance away, Wilhelm intended to fulfill his end of the bargain for the KHI employees now stationed there.  Besides, the network would probably prove useful in the future and KHI could charge obscene amounts to have access to it for so long as it was the only link.  The Super-NERVA Minor prototype would, if all went according to plan, loft the Moon end of the Interplanetary Opnet connection in short order.  A satellite was needed in Earth orbit as well, though, which was why the Silbervogel's internal ordinance equipment bay was filled with the fifty-foot-long bulk of a Bold Orion II rocket.  The rocket wasn't very powerful, but from this high up it should suffice to insert the modified Strela communication bird into a Tundra orbit centered over Erfurt.  At the appropriate time, Wilhelm made some slight adjustments to the Silbervogel's trajectory then directed it to perform a shallow dive followed by a steep climb to give the rocket the greatest possible boost.  At the peak of the climb, the rocket was jettisoned and slowed immediately despite the cigar-shaped aerodynamic shell that encased it and the relative thinness of the surrounding atmosphere.  Its sides splitting open like the petals of a flower, the aero-shell disgorged its contents.  The rocket fell for a short while further before igniting, shooting the satellite into its new, highly-elliptical orbit.  Now the moon was one step closer to being properly provisioned with pornography and cute kittens.  Truly it was a banner day for mankind.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:00, Wed 20 July 2011.

By August 2005, the stable Internet connection to the moon had changed the way the Western world looked at the stars.  The KHI engineers responsible for most of the construction efforts fed regular shows and interviews back to Earth, and regular portal activity permitted regular experimentation to take place in the developing Luna Colony.

Meanwhile, International Space Station 2, Icarus Station, continued to receive cash investment.  Only a year into his first term, President Brown of the United States reaffirmed the need for American innovation in science and technology and began calling in favors to get a funding bill for NASA passed through congress.  The space shuttles each were slated to receive an overhaul that would keep them functional into 2015; the United States' would double its presence on ISS Icarus, and put modules into orbit to further expand it; and rather than spend time on the moon, "the United States will press on.  By 2020, it is our ambition to have established an American presence within the asteroid belt.  A presence that will guarantee that people of the United States have the resources they need for economic security.  A presence that will allow us to lead the way into the settlement of space.  And a presence that tells the world that no matter the challenge, we shall overcome."

Meanwhile, the Chinese government, slowly coming out of its own internal political quagmire, vowed to redouble its efforts and place their own space station in orbit by 2010.  Ominously, the development of Tiangong-1 demanded the development of new ICBM quality rocketry.

In this environment, Icarus' science functions quickly became secondary to its role as a launching point for further incursions into space.  Economic interests expanded, and public excitement for space turned its focus toward the Luna Colony.  A New York Times editorial -- citing the role of private investment, Kraken Heavy Industries, and 'baseline science' in space's development in the past few years -- concluded that novas had "nothing to contribute to the exploration of space that baseline humanity hasn't already achieved."

Cyrus Katrak, in protest of these developments, resigned his posting to ISS Icarus.  Together with a group of like-minded nova space-hobbyists, he founded the Daedalus League, an organization dedicated to the expansion of scientific knowledge, the exploration of the frontiers of space, and the benefit of all humanity.  By January, 2006, the League numbered nine novas, all with powers ideal for the exploration of deep space.  All but one departed, vowing to return with clear evidence of the potential for novas to contribute to the exploration of space.  The last, Milo "Lumen" Rosenberg, maintains the Daedalus League OpSite and e-mail server and claims to have some ability to maintain communication with his counterparts.

Finally, within Gravitas' hidden Martian lair, the probe busily accumulated data and began increasing the intensity of its signal.

If unimpeded, by 2010 these developments will bring the total number of space settlements to six: the Luna Colony, ISS Icarus, China's Tiangong-1 Station, the Daedalus League's extra-solar relay station, the first construction efforts on US Starbase Lincoln in the Asteroid Belt, and the hidden T2M:A Martian Base.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:18, Thu 06 Oct 2011.