The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[Just Jim]

2 minutes ago, GarrisonChisholm said:

You guys have buried the lead-  "thar be a pla' een Kerbin cay'd Scootland!" 

(somewhat sincere apologies to anyone of Scottish derivation who might pronounce such a sentence in a more Manley manner)

((...and to any of my Old World ancestors I may need to now deal with in the afterlife...))

Roughly 500 km NE of the space center, a small island approx. 32.69 lat. by 10.55 long..... known for it's beautiful highlands...

[GarrisonChisholm]

6 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Roughly 500 km NE of the space center, a small island approx. 32.69 lat. by 10.55 long..... known for it's beautiful highlands...

...aw, Nuts Jim.  Now I'm going to have to build a tracking station there. 

[Just Jim]

12 minutes ago, GarrisonChisholm said:

...aw, Nuts Jim.  Now I'm going to have to build a tracking station there. 

I landed on it a while back, when I was practicing pin-point landings on islands... it's actually very pretty.

[Parkaboy]

@Just Jim Nope! The only answer I expect will be in the story itself!

[TopHeavy11]

She is to be our queen?!?!?! ALIENS! I KNEW IT! YOU TOLD ME THERE WAS ANOTHER OPTION, BUT IT'S ALIEEEEENSSA!

[Crystal_Mace]

It can't be Ming the Merciless..........can it....?

[Andem]

This excrements deserves a loveing pulitzer... you should have these short stories published... maybe not as KSP things, but still... holy excrements...

[Just Jim]

13 hours ago, Parkaboy said:

@Just Jim Nope! The only answer I expect will be in the story itself!

Speaking of which........ yeah........
Late last might I had a sort of half dream.  You know what I mean, when your only about half awake and half asleep?  One of those.... and when I woke up this morning I immediately wrote it all down, because it's both insane.... and very, very do-able!!! 
I need to make a couple more ships.  Once they're done I should be able to wrap part 2 up with a fun little twist....  bwaahahahahahaha 

13 hours ago, TopHeavy11 said:

She is to be our queen?!?!?! ALIENS! I KNEW IT! YOU TOLD ME THERE WAS ANOTHER OPTION, BUT IT'S ALIEEEEENSSA!

There is always another option... 

8 hours ago, Crystal_Mace said:

It can't be Ming the Merciless..........can it....?

I wish!  I love Ming!

5 hours ago, Andem said:

This excrements deserves a loveing pulitzer... you should have these short stories published... maybe not as KSP things, but still... holy excrements...

holy excrements.... hehehe..... OK, I have to remember that one!
And thanks!

[Just Jim]

Chapter 18
The Crossing

 

Late in the afternoon Gene held another top level meeting, this time bringing in every department head, as well as a few others, including Thompberry Kerman, who was scheduled to leave the next morning.

"People," Gene began, "By now I'm sure most of you are aware of what occurred this morning. For those that aren't, we lost contact with Kerenna Kerman early this morning, and it is believed she may have been attacked, and possibly shot down, by the saucers located near the old Zaltonic Space Center."

There were gasp around the table, but surprisingly it was Thompberry who spoke up the loudest. "But that can't be possible..."

All eyes turned towards him, and he hesitated a moment before continuing, "I apologize for my outburst. It's just... well.... please don't laugh, but one of my hobbies is studying old stories and legends of visitors. And I can tell you, there are countless stories and myths, with all sorts of different ships and beings, thru out the ages to be studied. But despite all the differences, almost all of them have one thing in common, the visitors are almost always benevolent, not violent, and here to help Kerb-kind. This... this just doesn't fit the pattern."

Dr. von Kerman spoke up next, "I have heard my share of visitor sightings thru the years, and I have to agree. Something is out of place here."

"Consider this," Thompberry continued, "What if these aren't attacks? What if it's actually just an attempt at communication, or perhaps more likely they are trying to simply scan our ships, but with something much more powerful then our instruments can handle."

"But what about the tracking station, and the abductions?" countered Piper thru her radio from Emiko Station, "What about Jandolin and Harfield?"
Thompberry was silent, and von Kerman shook his head,

"That is the biggest mystery. But if there is even the slightest chance this is a misunderstanding.... I urge caution, Gene."

"Agreed," Gene said quietly, obviously weighing his options heavily, "I say we try one last attempt at contact; try to reason this out.  Obviously going by air is too risky, but Jeb and his team will be back the day after tomorrow. That just gives us just enough time to load up the chariot. It will take several days, but going by land is the safest route I can think of at this point."

 

*          *          *
 

After the meeting von Kerman caught up with Thompberry in the hallway. "Are you sure you don't want to stay on with us? I could use a bright, inventive, young mind like yours on my team."

"Thank you, doctor, I am honored at your offer. But I have a family back home I have to get to." He sounded worried, "I've been gone far too long."

"Is there anything I can help with," von Kerman asked.
Thompberry smiled, "No, it's alright. I have three children, and the oldest is going thru a sort of... identity crisis."

"Rebellious teenager?" von Kerman smiled sympathetically, "I totally understand."

"Something like that, yes," Thompberry then changed the subject, "About these scanner beams, if that's what we're dealing with. I have a few hours before I have to leave, perhaps we could devise some sort of deflector? Something to help protect the rover from another... incident?"

"I would welcome any assistance you can offer, Thompberry, thank you."

 

*          *          *

Two days later, after successfully docking with a VIP lander, Jeb and the Mun team splashed down off the coast of the space center.

But within hours of their return, they were boarding the Chariot and heading to [location classified]

The first leg was uneventful, but as they turned and headed towards a great river, they realized they were being followed.

Fearing the worst, Jeb tried to stay in the densest trees he could find. But despite his best efforts, it seemed they were still being tailed somehow.

Then, as night began to fall on their 5th day, they came to a small land bridge across the river. It was a terrible risk, and would leave them exposed and vulnerable, but it was also the only place they found that the Chariot could safely cross. And so, with little other option, the crew decided to brave the crossing.

At first it seemed they might have given the saucer the slip. But as soon as they reached the narrowest point of the bridge, Val screamed,

"Kill the lights!!!"

But it was too late. Just ahead of them hovered the saucer that had been following them. And before they could react, it landed just scant meters in front of the Chariot.

"Turn around, get us out of here, Jeb!"

But then an eerie voice rang thru the intercom,

"No, Valentina Kerman, I would not advise that. Look behind you"

And to her horror Val looked, and saw not another saucer, but a sight much, much worse.

A rover very much like the one they had encountered on the Mun, the one that had nearly fried their ship and left them stranded. Only this one looked bigger and much more sinister.

For what seemed an eternity, no-one moved, no-one spoke.... it was as if time had stopped. The Jeb's voice came over the intercom in a whisper, "Something is happening in front of us, I see movement."

And as they all watched in amazement, a hatch slowly opened underneath the saucer...

 

 

The Saga of Emiko Station is far, far from over.....

Go to Chapter 19
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim

[KSK]

On 8 January 2016 at 1:53 PM, Just Jim said:

On 8 January 2016 at 0:09 PM, KSK said:

Hey Just Jim,

I'm a bit late to the game here as I've just started following your story, but Chapter 2 was great! Heartwarming and very very kerbal. Makes me glad I have the office to myself so that I don't have to explain my goofy grin.

 

yeah... I let my romantic side off the leash for that one. 

  Moving on a few chapters to the Emergency Comms Array, enquiring minds need to know - was Wernher using positively charged ore tanks? In which case,  clearly all Thompberry had to to was to reverse the polarity. Which as we know is the guaranteed way to fix anything!

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, KSK said:

  Moving on a few chapters to the Emergency Comms Array, enquiring minds need to know - was Wernher using positively charged ore tanks? In which case,  clearly all Thompberry had to to was to reverse the polarity. Which as we know is the guaranteed way to fix anything!

Worse!  They totally forgot to invert the phase inverters.... d'oh!!! 

[KSK]

58 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Worse!  They totally forgot to invert the phase inverters.... d'oh!!! 

Well no wonder it didn't work! Really, Wernher should have spotted that - although he was under a fair amount of pressure at the time.

 

[Just Jim]

21 minutes ago, KSK said:

Well no wonder it didn't work! Really, Wernher should have spotted that - although he was under a fair amount of pressure at the time.

 

yup, stress.....  lol....

[Scotius]

1. You can't injure a Kerbal. They're either perfectly fine, or a cloud of gray dust Like green Shroedinger cats Kerbals exist, or do not exist at all.

2. WE ARE BORG. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

3."Then another horse probe went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take peace from the earth Kerbin and to make men Kerbals slay confuse one another. And he was given a great sword strut."

Spoiler

And the rider's name was Harfield. And a mass confusion followed in his wake.

 

[Just Jim]

Chapter 19
The Saucer

 

High above Kerbin on Emiko Station, Piper was hard at work pulling parts from various storage compartments and lugging them into the science lab, where she had room to work.  

On her last transmission, she had convinced Dr. von Kerman to let her assemble a secondary KLAW unit, and replace the docking port of the Emiko Shuttle with it, her logic being the Kraken ship may now be confused by the shuttles two cockpits, but if it realized one cockpit had a docking port and the other a KLAW, it may be able to correct it's mistake. And despite feeling it wasn't really necessary, von Kerman gave her permission to proceed, secretly hoping it would give her something to do and keep her mind occupied.

But if he could hear her muttering to herself now, he may not have granted her permission so fast...

Meanwhile, back on Kerbin, the crew of the Chariot waited with nervous anticipation as a lone figure emerged from the saucer sitting before them.

Basked in the red glow of the saucer, it was hard to make out who or what was standing in front of the saucer, until a familiar voice rang out over the intercom, "Rrrrrgghhhhhhhhhh........  there is just no room in there."

Inside the chariot Val squealed, and clambered for the hatch. Not waiting for the ladders to deploy, she leaped from the front of the Chariot and ran up to the saucer...

And breathless, but overjoyed, she stood in front of the smiling face of Kerenna Kerman!!!

"What...... what are you doing here? I.... we... thought you were dead! Oh, Kerenna..... "

And Val threw her arms around her friend.

"Val, it's OK, I'm fine," Kerenna laughed, "But we need to get inside, OK? I'll explain everything, but not out here." Kerenna then looked back at the saucer and said, "It's OK, you can power down now."

And to Val and the rest of the crew's astonishment, the saucer and rover did just that!

Once they were back inside the Chariot, Kerenna told them of the amazing events of the past few days.

"I suppose it was my own fault it found me to begin with. I had been on that hill for almost three days, and nothing happened, and I got overconfident, and fell asleep out in the open. And when I woke up, the saucer was sitting there, not three meters from me... just sitting there."

Kerenna continued, "At first I was more than a little scared, I am not ashamed to admit. But it made no move against me. In fact, for the longest time it made no move at all."

"Then it began... talking to me... asking me questions."

"Wait..." Bob interrupted, "Are you saying you've talked to.... an extrakerbestrial?"

"No, sir..... I'm not. That's the point, there was no pilot, no alien at all! It was the ship itself that was communicating to me! For two days and nights we sat and just... talked."

Bob and the crew were stunned.

"So you're telling us you've... what??? Made friends with a flying saucer???"

Kerenna sat silent for a moment, then her next words sent chills down each and every one of them. "Sir..... it's not a flying saucer.... I don't know what.... It doesn't know what it is!!!" The crew sat speechless.... "There is something terribly wrong happening... or something incredibly amazing.... I... I don't know what to make of it."

Kerenna paused a moment while the gravity of what she was saying began to sink in. "Sirs, Ma'am, tomorrow, when the sun comes up, you need to go take a very, very close look at it.... then, well, you need to talk to it!"
 

 

The Saga of Emiko Station is far, far from over.....

Go to Chapter 20
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim

[Scotius]

When the sun comes up? It's solar powered? Hmph. I thought technology so advanced would come with an RTG installed

[Just Jim]

17 minutes ago, Scotius said:

When the sun comes up? It's solar powered? Hmph. I thought technology so advanced would come with an RTG installed

Oh, no...... darkness doesn't bother the saucer or rover a bit.
Kerenna just wants to make sure everyone can see them very, very clearly....

[Just Jim]

Chapter 20
Alpha-77

 

The next morning Kerenna left the Chariot, poked her head into the saucer's hatch for a few minutes, them motioned to Jeb it was safe to move closer. Without it's usual distinctive red glow, the other rover also moved in close and took position near the saucer.

"Only Bob for now.. Please." Kerenna said as she climbed into one of the chariots rumble seats to observe, but not disturb.

Slowly, cautiously, Bob left the Chariot and walked over to inspect the strange rover first.

Back in the chariot, all the team could hear was Bob murmuring to himself,

"How very odd.... Fascinating.... hmmmmmm...... hmm.....  interesting..."

Obviously nervous, but driven with a scientists curiosity, he then slowly walked over and around the saucer, making only one very startling comment, "By the maker... why didn't I see this before??? These.... vehicles..... these ships.... Why, they aren't alien at all! These were manufactured here on Kerbin!"

Then, summoning all his inner resolve, he crawled under the strange saucer, and disappeared into the hatch.

Nervously the rest of the team waited as morning turned into afternoon, and not a sound was heard from Bob, or the strange saucer. Evening crept on, and as dusk turned to night and the stars began to shine, Bob finally emerged and slowly walked back to the Chariot.

But instead of going inside, he sat down next to Kerenna atop the Chariot and was silent for a long while. Then thru the intercom the team heard him whisper, "My God.... Kerenna.... that poor thing out there..... How could this have been allowed to happened?"

Bob then switched his radio to private, and sat in silence with Kerenna until long past midnight, and the Mun swung low in the sky. Kerenna never said a word. Then silently they both rose and crawled back inside the Chariot.

Once inside Bob chose his words carefully, "My friends.... my dear friends. We are witness to something truly amazing. That saucer out there, it's... it's.... it's a child!!!"

Simultaneously everyone gasped, except Kerenna, who just smiled and kept her thoughts to herself. 

Bob continued, "Somehow, thru some miracle of both technology and luck, that saucer, which calls itself Alpha-77, is slowly becoming self aware!" 

"Wait, Bob," Bill interrupted, "Are you talking about an artificial intelligence? No-one on Kerbin possesses that kind of technology, and you know it"

"That is true, my friend, no one on this planet has designed a successful AI.  Nor does this saucer possess a true AI, not as we understand it. It's more like a kernel, a... beginning of sentiency." He paused, thinking of how to proceed, "From what it's told me so far, I think I can guess what may have occurred. But it is hard to understand what Alpha-77 is trying to convey sometimes, and it's memory is limited. So this is only a theory at best. Alpha-77, and several series of probes before it, were apparently designed to covertly explore Kerbin and collect whatever data they could accumulate, and return to their makers with this information. It was two of these probes we encountered on the Mun, but much earlier versions than Alpha-77. I have not yet been able to determine who actually built them, but I have my suspicions. I can tell you none of the probes were even close to sentient. Cleverly designed, even ingenious, but not sentient. That, I believe, happened by a million to one chance."

Bob paused and took a deep breath.

"You see, Alpha-77, along with the support rover accompanying it, had the unique distinction of studying that very same ancient saucer we found near the North Pole. In fact, I now wonder if that old flag we found up there was planted by Alpha-77's designers, whoever they may be, when they discovered it."

"For years it sat up there, probing deeper and deeper into the saucer, with a patience only a computer possesses, until somehow, by some miracle, it apparently tapped into something deep inside the saucer's own programming. It may be that saucer was, in fact, sentient in some way we don't understand when it came to Kerbin and crashed into that lonely hillside, who can say? All our scanners showed was a solid object, which we know can't be right. But somehow Alpha-77's more advanced and powerful scanners were able to penetrate it. And once it established contact, it began to download the ancient alien code into it's own memory. And in doing, it's own programming began to change, alter... grow... until Alpha-77 also began to show signs of self awareness, along with other traits only seen in an intelligent being."

"What signs?" Val asked, fascinated by what she was hearing.

"Curiosity, for one. Cleverness, for another. It seems we are the reason it returned from the Polar region, not it's original programming. It's sensors detected our approach, and it cunningly hid itself until we had left. Then for a while it followed us, until something interrupted it.  I have not been able to determine what yet."

Bob looked around at the rest of the crew. "My friends... I... I don't know exactly how to proceed at this point. What I do know is that... machine... if you can even call it that at this point, has the mind and intellect of a growing child, and the moral implications of this discovery are astronomical to say the least. It is curious, but also apprehensive, and more than anything, it expressed a desire to leave Kerbin. It wants to learn, and to grow, and to discover what it has become, and is still becoming."

Bob paused, now knowing how to tell them the rest...

"And... and there's even more. There may be two more saucers, Beta-77 and Delta-77. From what Alpha-77 has told me, they aren't as advanced as it is, but it did transfer copies of it's new core programming to them when they were reunited, and there is every possibility they are also becoming aware. I need more time to explore this further, but I fear time is what we are quickly running out of. In my opinion, we have no choice. Artificial or not, no matter who built them, if they are in fact a new life-form, it is now our moral obligation to find, and protect, those other two saucers."

"OK, so where would these other two smart-saucers be?" asked Bill, already knowing the answer, "Oh wait... let me guess. The old Zaltonic space center."

Bob smiled grimly, "Precisely. And it's more important then ever that we get there and discover who is at the bottom of all of this!"

 

 

The Saga of Emiko Station is far, far from over.....

Go to Chapter 21
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim

[Crystal_Mace]

So the saucers, and their rovers are a dawning machine intelligence......MechJeb has someone to talk to now.... But is this a good thing or a bad thing....?   Time may tell.....

 

But who is behind the abdoction/ecjecduction oh

[Greenhornet553]

I WAS RIGHHTTTT, SENTIENT PROOOOBES EVERYWHERE!!!

Also, this is great to find 3 more chapters after a 3 day absence

I've never been to any of the easter eggs on Kerbin  there was this one time I tried landing on the old site using MechJeb but I used a Mun Lander to do that and it ended horribly.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Greenhornet553

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, Crystal_Mace said:

So the saucers, and their rovers are a dawning machine intelligence......MechJeb has someone to talk to now.... But is this a good thing or a bad thing....?   Time may tell.....

 

But who is behind the abdoction/ecjecduction oh

It is too early to say if it is good or bad. Time may tell, indeed....
As for the abduction, you will get your answer in just a couple more chapters... I think...

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, Greenhornet553 said:

I WAS RIGHHTTTT, SENTIENT PROOOOBES EVERYWHERE!!!

Also, this is great to find 3 more chapters after a 3 day absence

I've never been to any of the easter eggs on Kerbin  there was this one time I tried landing on the old site using MechJeb but I used a Mun Lander to do that and it ended horribly.

Ahhhh, not really everywhere.... as far as anyone knows, there are only three. This is why I've been saying both Yes and No...

And I would call them more semi-sentient.  They are definitely not the Matrix, or the Omnius Evermind from Dune.  These are more on the level of.... idk..... Mr. Roger's Robot Neighborhood??? 

I can tell you this much, they are just beginning to become sentient, to become aware of what they are.  And while they may be only the level of a 6-7 year old child, it's still far, far beyond what Kerbins technology is capable of, which makes them unique.  Bob has already realized just how unique they are, but still needs to study them further....

Edited January 11, 2016 by Just Jim

[Mister Dilsby]

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Bob has already realized just how unique they are, but still needs to study them further....

Oh yes, messing with completely unknown technology. This will certainly end well!

[Parkaboy]

Really like the direction the story is taking! Great job!

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, Kuzzter said:

Oh yes, messing with completely unknown technology. This will certainly end well!

We shall see.....  

2 hours ago, Parkaboy said:

Really like the direction the story is taking! Great job!

Thank you!  I'm loving yours as well, btw...