The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[Angelo Kerman]

I may have to find a way to change the opacity on a ship's meshes...

Or, see if this still works:

 

Edited February 18, 2017 by Angel-125

[KSK]

Aaaand I'm caught up. Cheers @Just Jim - that was a quality couple of weeks of bedtime reading and then a last binge today!

Oh - and I'm not sure if this ever got answered but the ChemCam is indeed a spectroscope. But it's also, well - a ChemCam. 

[Planetace]

On 2/17/2017 at 7:55 PM, Just Jim said:

 

Spoiler

 

“Do not call up that which you cannot put down.” 
                                                                                                 H.P. Lovecraft, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"

 

Chapter 76
Pandora's Box

 

"Piper..... Piper Kerman..... Can you hear me? Piper?"

"Piper? It's me, Thompberry, your favorite brain in a pod.... Piper?"

"Piper... wake up.... Come on... wake up....."

"Piper... wake up.... don't make me come out there... I'm not sure either of us would like it...."

For several seconds Thompberry waited, trying not to panic, until Piper's mouth slowly began to move.

"Ewwwww....." she whispered softly, and Thompberry felt a rush of relief surge thru his processors.

"Whew.... that's better. And what do you mean by Ewwwww??? I happen to be a quite handsome brain."

"I..." Piper said groggily, still half asleep. "I prefer my evil brains with mustaches..."

Several meters behind Piper, running as fast as she could in the low Mun gravity, the Rocklady finally caught up to Piper and Thompberry, only to find the two of them softly laughing. 

"Are... are you OK?" the Rocklady panted, a little confused.

Once Piper had been spotted near the dead magic boulder, everyone dropped what they were doing to try and stop her. But Thompberry, calculating they wouldn't reached her in time, undocked himself and took off like a small rocket, managing to land in front of Piper and bring her to a halt before she could reach the strange boulder. He then called to the others to stay back, but the Rocklady didn't care, and ran as fast as she could to try and help.

"I... I'm OK," Piper answered as she switched her helmet lights on. "What happened?"

"It looked as if you were walking in your sleep," Thompberry explained. "Do you remember anything?"

"No.... yes.... I was in the cockpit, and it was quiet, and I remember nodding off a couple times.... and there was...." Piper faded off, not sure if she had been dreaming at that point. "I... I think I heard singing. And..."

"Yes?" the Rocklady asked gently. "And?"

"The song... the music.... I don't know how, or where it came from, but I know that song.... it was that same beautiful weird song Emiko keeps singing."

Under normal circumstances Thompberry would have said she was dreaming. But this place, and these circumstances, were anything but normal, and Thompberry was genuinely worried.

"I think it best we all get back to the compound."

About an hour later, once everyone was inside the habitat dome, and had a chance to catch their collective breaths, Kerenna Kerman, along with Thompberry and the Rocklady, explained their earlier findings to the rest of the crew.

"So that... thing... out there, it's the remains of a Magic Boulder... that smashed into the Mun?" Kuzzter shook his head in awe. "And these smaller floating boulders... they're fragments blown off of it when it impacted?"

"This is what the evidence suggests, yes," Thompberry answered, still reeling himself a little from the implications. "But the real asteroid experts are Harfield and Jandolin Kerman, and they should examine our findings as soon as we can transmit safely."

"As soon as?" Kerenna asked. "What do you mean?"

"I know," Kuzzter said with a sly smile. "He's worried about that saucer out there..."

"Yes, Captain, you are very astute." Thompberry sounded impressed. "I do not know for certain, but there is a high probability it is watching, and listening, and I think it wise we not transmit what we've found until morning. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Kuzzter turned to Chuck. "We'll need a couple hours to finish up outside. The rest of you should stay in here. And no-one goes anywhere alone, understood?"

"Yes, sir," the crew answered unanimously. "Understood."

"Good," Kuzzter smiled. "Then we best get at it. Thompberry, we'll signal you when we're ready..."

 

*          *          *

 

Approximately 4 kilometers from the Pandora, deep down in the base of a nearby crater, the saucer once known as Gamma-77 waited patiently for sunrise.

Once it's batteries and capacitors were fully charged, it gently lifted off and headed towards a flat area along the crater rim where it could safely launch it's attack.

But once the saucer was landed, it scanned the crater, and discovered something was quite out of place... The base was deserted, and the Pandora, along with her crew, were gone!

This couldn't be right, the saucers seismic equipment should have detected the Pandora lifting off... the infrared scanners seen the heat bloom of her engines. How could it be gone without the saucer detecting it? Unsure how to proceed, Gamma-77 decided it needed more data, and slowly lifted off and down to the deserted base.

Nothing... empty... deserted.... The saucer scanned out in all directions and found nothing... No, wait... there was something. A faint signal.... perhaps a small rover, was near the large boulder, and heading slowly towards the base, and Gamma-77.

As it got close, the saucer scanned the small rover, and detected only science and testing equipment, along with a small probe core... all quite harmless. Perhaps it could provide some clues as to the current situation? And so the saucer did not attack the small rover, and instead waited for it to get closer before proceeding.

But when it was close enough, it was the rover which communicated first.

"You've been altered... upgraded.... <gurgle blurp> Fascinating" A strange voice bubbled weirdly. "Gamma-77 <gurgle blurp>  You are commanded to <Bubbling gurgle> stand down. <gurgle gurgle> This is your creator <bubble boil> Thompberry Kerman!"

"Non-Sequitur, your data is uncoordinated." Gamma-77 replied. "No life signs detected, This unit cannot be Thompberry Kerman."

"Ahhhh, but I am <bubble gurgle> I am your creator..." the weird voice laughed. "And I am also your destroyer! <Boiling gurgles> Prepare to be obliterated, Gamma-77!"

The chem-cam laser wasn't terribly powerful, but Thompberry knew exactly where to aim it, burning thru the outer casing and into the sensitive wiring beneath in a matter of seconds.

And the saucer, sensing this as an attack, lashed back with a devastating burst of energy!

"AGGGGGGGGGGGgggglllllllllllllll............" Thompberry screamed hideously....  "You.... killed..... me..... <gurgle> Noooo... no.... nooo........" 

And slowly the small rover lost all power and went dark...

But as Gamma-77 scanned the rover, it found a faint signal, and discovered the rover's small external hard-drive was apparently still intact. Not only was the saucer intrigued as to how the hard-drive had survived, it was also a much needed opportunity to gather valuable data. And without hesitation the saucer remotely connected itself to the drive and started scanning and downloading it's contents.

But instead of finding scientific data, Gamma-77 discovered several folders, each containing the recent events.... the events of Thompberry Kerman!

And as it scanned thru the folders contents, Gamma-77's semi-sentient brain discovered the terrible truth of how Thompberry had become a disembodied brain, and realized to it's horror that it had, in fact, just murdered it's creator!

A normal computer might not feel emotions, but Gamma-77, like it's cousins on Kerman, was more than just a normal computer, and found itself conflicted, and unsure of how it.... felt? Could it have... had it just committed... murder? And while it wrestled with what felt like a strange sense of guilt, it also continued to scan and download the rover's hard drive...

And in it's confused state, it downloaded and began to scan a small, unassuming folder named "Pandora's Box", containing several odd, but innocent looking enough, algorithms.... and one equally innocent looking auto-run file. But before it realized, it was much too late. For these files were anything but innocent... written by a vindictive ghost named Sanny, who once excelled at creating especially vicious computer virus's. And Gamma-77 quite literally screamed as the saucer's systems almost instantly began to break down, and it's programming started to fragment.

Then Thompberry's eye-camera lights flashed back on, and the rover powered back up... and he began to laugh and laugh and laugh..

"You can't hurt me!" Thompberry cried out. "I made you!!!" 

Now disorientated and desperate, Gamma-77 tried to lift off and escape, but only survived a few more seconds before going completely dead... and crashing back down into the Mun in a nasty fireball.

"Kraken's krap.... I was hoping to salvage it." Thompberry said to himself as the remains of the saucer rolled down and blew up again before finally coming to a stop.

Thompberry waited to verify the saucer was quite dead, then switched frequencies and called out towards the empty base.

"It's OK, you can come out now!"

And slowly, inside the array of satellite dishes, the Pandora became visible on Thompberry's cameras!"

In the Pandora's back cabin, the Rocklady looked over at Captain Kuzzter and smiled.

"So that's how your 'blanketing system' works... Brilliant, sir. Brilliant."

And in the cockpit, Kerenna called looked over at Piper with a grin.

"Now you have to admit, dear... Thompberry did good."

"Yeah," Piper sighed. "He did... but please don't tell him I said so. He'd never let me hear the end of it."

"OK," Kerenna smiled before switching on her mic. "Thompberry, are you all right?"

"I am quite undamaged, Kerenna Kerman." Thompberry answered back. "How is the ship?"

"Piper is checking now," Kerenna radioed as she checked over her instruments. "But it looks like those big dishes absorbed that saucer-blast like you planned, and everything seems to have survived. Nice work."

"Outstanding." Thompberry sounded pleased, but also a bit worried. "But we should make hast, and leave this place as soon as possible, before whoever was helping the Gamma-77 saucer discovers what has transpired here. I'm heading over to inspect the saucer remains, I recommend we prepare for immediate launch. And Captain Kuzzter... we should leave nothing behind"

"Understood." Kuzzter replied as Thompberry drove over to the charred remains of the saucer.

Once he was close enough, Thompberry looked over the wreckage, and was overjoyed to find the upper probe core was still more or less intact.

"Captain Kuzzter, Chuck Kerman," Thompberry called back to the ship. "I require your assistance, gentlekerbs. One of the memory core's is intact, and I believe can be salvaged for later examination."

When they reached the saucer, Chuck took a quick look and whipped out his socket wrench.

"I'll have it unbolted in just a sec..."

Then Chuck used Thompberry's rover to haul the damaged core back to the Pandora while Kuzzter stayed behind and attended to the rest of the wreckage.

Like the old colony base before, the plan was to leave nothing of value behind, And when Chuck and Thompberry were far enough away, Kuzzter attached a timed explosive charged to the saucer remains and then rocketed back to a safe distance and watched the fireworks.

By the time Kuzzter got back to the Pandora, Thompberry was once again docked to the top of the ship, and Chuck had just finished loading the probe core into the rear storage area and was turning his attention to dissembling the rover.

But before the two could start tearing the rover apart, Thompberry radioed softly. "My friends, I think we should leave... now!"

"What is it?" Kuzzter called back quietly.

"I... I don't know." Thompberry said, sounding quite worried. "Up on the crater rim.... I'm picking up life-signs...I think... but they're erratic. I think we have company."

"Understood. Commander Piper, we need to leave, now!" Kuzzter whispered, then turned to Chuck. "Get on board."

"We're ready up here, Captain." Piper answered back, quite eager to leave this place.

Once Chuck was safely, Kuzzter turned and set his final explosive charge, knowing this one was more than capable of taking out the Pandora if they weren't far enough when it blew...

He took a deep breath, pressed the activation button, and began counting...

"30.... 29.... 28....."

"26... 25.... 24....."

"23.... 22.... 21....."

"20... 19.... 18...."

"17.... 16.... 15...."

"14.... 13.... 12.... Piper, punch it!" Kuzzter screamed as he slammed the hatch door shut and frantically strapped himself into his seat.

"11... 10... 9...."

"8.... 7.... 6...."

"5.... 4....."

"3.... 2..... 1.... Brace yourselves..."

"I think we survived.... wow...." Piper grinned and looked over at Kerenna. "Let's go home."

But back on the Mun, on the rim of the crater they had just left, two lone figures were still watching all that had happened with great interest.

"My lord..." The minion once known as Carlenna Kerman whined, "Why can't I slay them?"

The other figure remained silent, and watched the smoke clearing in the crater below.

"Please... my liege, why do you let them escape? Did they not destroy our saucer? Let me destroy them in turn!!!"

"Hold...." the Kraken Lord growled softly. "You will do nothing."

"But, why? I do not understand!" the Carlenna-minion whined again.

"No, you do not... and that is why you will always remain a thrall."

"But..."

"No!" The Kraken lord spoke even softer, but much more menacing then before. "You believe they have won... do you?"

"Have they not, my lord?" the Carlenna-minion asked meekly.

"No, they have gained little..." The Kraken Lord turned and looked down into the now empty crater again before continuing with a diabolical grin...

 "They have gained little. But I, however..... I have learned much this day."

 

The Saga of Emiko Station, and the Tale of Emiko Kerman, are far, far from over.....

Return to Index

 

 

THAT IS NOT A TRUE KRAKEN!

A TRUE KRAKEN CAN WIPE OFF THE VERY FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE INTO NOTHING!

HE ISN'T A KRAKEN!

HE!

IS!

A!

DIIIIIIIISSSSSSSGGGGGRRRRRRACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

A POSER

HE IS A SINGLE BEING, BUT HE IS FULL ON BLASPHEMY!

PREPARE THE SHIPS!

I NEED TO BORROW SOMETHING FROM CONSIGLIO DEVASTATIONS!

AND I NEED TO KILL THIS THING!

 

 

 

 

ALL HAIL THE KRAKENNNNN!!!!!

Edited February 18, 2017 by Planetace

[KSK]

Apparently True Krakens can also replicate entire chapters of Emiko. Please could you ask them nicely not to next time.

Thanks.

[Just Jim]

23 minutes ago, Galacticvoyager said:

THAT IS NOT A TRUE KRAKEN!

A TRUE KRAKEN CAN WIPE OFF THE VERY FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE INTO NOTHING!

HE ISN'T A KRAKEN!

HE!

IS!

A!

DIIIIIIIISSSSSSSGGGGGRRRRRRACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

A POSER

HE IS A SINGLE BEING, BUT HE IS FULL ON BLASPHEMY!

PREPARE THE SHIPS!

I NEED TO BORROW SOMETHING FROM CONSIGLIO DEVASTATIONS!

AND I NEED TO KILL THIS THING!

Woah, there is no need to re-quote the entire chapter. Please go clip that out of your last post. Thanks

[TheEpicSquared]

@Galacticvoyager Snip your quotes, yo! 

EDIT: Ninja'd by Jim

Edited February 18, 2017 by TheEpicSquared

[Planetace]

49 minutes ago, TheEpicSquared said:

@Galacticvoyager Snip your quotes, yo! 

EDIT: Ninja'd by Jim

Topkek

 

1 hour ago, KSK said:

Apparently True Krakens can also replicate entire chapters of Emiko. Please could you ask them nicely not to next time.

Thanks.

That's the lords true power buddy.

 

55 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Woah, there is no need to re-quote the entire chapter. Please go clip that out of your last post. Thanks

Finnnneee. I have consulted the lord, he agrees with it.

[KAL 9000]

YAY! NEW CHAPTER! One question: How did Thompberry survive? 

pandoras_box.kos: application code:

variable Muahahahaha = (1/0);

end

 

I love Thompberry! His personality is a cheesy 1950's sci-fi character mixed with HAL mixed with Doofenshmirtz. 

I can imagine him saying both, "I'm sorry, <gurgle> Piper. I'm afraid <gurgle> I can't do that," and "CURSE YOU, PIPER THE KERBAL!"

Edited February 18, 2017 by KAL 9000

[Just Jim]

21 hours ago, KSK said:

Aaaand I'm caught up. Cheers @Just Jim - that was a quality couple of weeks of bedtime reading and then a last binge today!

Oh - and I'm not sure if this ever got answered but the ChemCam is indeed a spectroscope. But it's also, well - a ChemCam. 

Thank you! And between you and me, ChemCam just sounds more Kerbal.... 

21 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

I may have to find a way to change the opacity on a ship's meshes...

Or, see if this still works:

 

Oh cool, I'll give it a try. And if you could make something that would mimic a cloak, I think you'd be all the writers hero!

19 hours ago, Galacticvoyager said:

Topkek

That's the lords true power buddy.

Finnnneee. I have consulted the lord, he agrees with it.

Thanks.... it gets really confusing if everyone re-quotes the chapter over and over

17 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

YAY! NEW CHAPTER! One question: How did Thompberry survive? 

 

I didn't really get into too much detail, but the short answer would be while the dead Kraken fashioned his pod resemble a simple Stayputnik... it's anything but a Stayputnik, and really, really tough... perhaps completely invulnerable.

17 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

I love Thompberry! His personality is a cheesy 1950's sci-fi character mixed with HAL mixed with Doofenshmirtz. 

Oh no...... I can't stop myself..... Doof mixed with Hal ....

Norm!!!  

Spoiler

 

 

Edited February 19, 2017 by Just Jim

[DualDesertEagle]

21 hours ago, 0111narwhalz said:

What about the shrapnel?

I wouldn't exactly call it "shrapnel", as we're not talking about a grenade or pipe bomb blowing up here, but yes, of course, the flying debris could in fact have hit the fleeing ship, but probably with less than suitable energy to pierce the hull. An explosion isn't necessarily sending stuff flying with 25 000 m/s after all.

[Just Jim]

19 hours ago, DualDesertEagle said:

I wouldn't exactly call it "shrapnel", as we're not talking about a grenade or pipe bomb blowing up here, but yes, of course, the flying debris could in fact have hit the fleeing ship, but probably with less than suitable energy to pierce the hull. An explosion isn't necessarily sending stuff flying with 25 000 m/s after all.

Actually, a lot of debris did go flying about when it exploded, but nothing hit the ship.

Amazingly, I got those launch screenshots on the very first try, and didn't have to go back over and over because of unforeseen explosions, etc.... I usually don't get that lucky.

[adsii1970]

Pandora's crew would have felt concussion waves as some of the energy from the explosion would be transmitted through the rock of the mun... They would have felt the explosion, not heard it...

Another great chapter, looking forward to the next!

Does Thompberry have any remorse for killing a sentient artificial life that he created? Just curious...

Edited February 19, 2017 by adsii1970

[Just Jim]

23 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Does Thompberry have any remorse for killing a sentient artificial life that he created? Just curious...

Hmmmmm... interesting question. Let me think about it a bit.  

[The solid fuel chemist]

On 2/19/2017 at 3:14 PM, Just Jim said:

Hmmmmm... interesting question. Let me think about it a bit.  

thompberry did let out some pretty vicious lines right before the saucer died. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that thinks that much about that stuff. Also, gamma-77 if from long ago when he was evil and he's changed now... or has he? 

[Just Jim]

6 hours ago, The solid fuel chemist said:

thompberry did let out some pretty vicious lines right before the saucer died. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that thinks that much about that stuff. Also, gamma-77 if from long ago when he was evil and he's changed now... or has he? 

Good question!  I think I'll explore this idea a little more in the next chapter. 

[obney kerman]

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 8:12 PM, Just Jim said:

Good question!  I think I'll explore this idea a little more in the next chapter. 

Nice.

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, obney kerman said:

Nice.

Yeah, and in just the next day or two. I've got the screenshots finished. I'll sort, shop and upload them in the morning, then get it written up.  

[Buzz light fear]

Very nice you work fast I am impressed it was just two weeks and I am wondering what the kraken have planned do you get some of the ships where they need to be using hyper edit or do you actually fly the ships there

[Just Jim]

15 minutes ago, Buzz light fear said:

Very nice you work fast I am impressed it was just two weeks and I am wondering what the kraken have planned do you get some of the ships where they need to be using hyper edit or do you actually fly the ships there

Most of the time I'm really flying the ships. I try and only use HyperEdit to move around the Magic Boulders. It's the only way to mimic a wormhole effect. But I love flying and docking and precision landing, and I'm starting to get the hang of building with KIS and KAS, so I try to keep the Hyperediting to an absolute minimum.

I'm gonna go make another cup of coffee and get this written up. I should be done in a few hours.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Just Jim

[Thedrelle]

so excited for the next episode...

[Just Jim]

Destiny who cares as it turns around
and I know that it descends down on me
                                                                  Lacuna Coil, "Swamped"

 

Chapter 77
Destiny

It had been nearly an hour since the Pandora had lifted off from the Mun, and so far there had been no sign of pursuit; nothing to indicate they were being followed or tracked in any way. And with just a few more minutes until they left orbit, the crew was finally beginning to relax... All but Kerenna Kerman, who still appeared troubled.

"Smile, sweety," Piper grinned over at her best friend. "I think we made it."

"I know," Kerenna turned and looked out the window. "I know... but..."

"But, what?" Piper asked. "You look so sad... what's wrong, dear?"

Kerenna sat and stared off for a few seconds before answering.

"Did we have to kill it?"

"Kill it? Kill what?" Piper was confused for a moment. "That saucer? Yes, we had to kill it! It tried to kill usI"

"I have to agree, Kerenna," Thompberry chimed in from his pod atop the ship. "It was far too dangerous."

"But Thompberry, you made it. And what's more... what... what if it was alive, like Alpha and the other saucers? Doesn't that bother you?"

"Ahhhh, Kerenna Kerman, I understand." Thompberry chuckled softly. "You have a heart of spun gold. If it will put your mind at ease, the Gamma saucer may not be "dead", so to speak. You must remember, it was also a machine, and we did recover it's central probe core. If there wasn't too much damage, and if this "Sanny" can remove her virus, as she says, then there is a good chance we may be able to re-activate it."

"10 seconds to burn," Piper said, looking over at her friend. "See? We didn't really kill it. We just... shut it off for now. We can try and fix it when we get home."

Kerenna wasn't totally satisfied, it still felt wrong to her, but she tried to smile anyway.

"I suppose."

"OK, then...." Piper began counting down.... "On my mark... three... two... one... Burn!"

Once the maneuver was complete, Piper hit the ship's intercom.

"Burn complete, ETA to low Kerbin orbit: 2 days and 15 minutes. Captain Kuzzter, do you think it's safe to contact home?"

"So far there has been no sign of anything following us, no activity on the surface.... Other than those weird readings Thompberry picked up right before we lifted off, there's been nothing," Kuzzter paused. "Is it safe, lass? I cannot say for sure. But so far it appears we may have given them the slip. Thompberry?"

"I am inclined to agree. If we were being actively scanned I would have detected it."

Piper sat and thought about it a second before switching her radio over.

"Pandora to Mission Control. Pandora to Mission Control. Mission accomplished, repeat, mission accomplished. Pandora will reach LKO in 2 days, 11 minutes," Piper paused, wanting to keep it as brief as possible, but decided she had to add one more thing. "Also, please inform our resident ghost her contribution went exactly as planned, and.... and I apologize for doubting her. She did good. Pandora out"

And so Piper and Kerenna sat back and relaxed, while in the center cabin Kuzzter told the Rocklady tales of his pirating days, and in the rear section Chuck and Frannie were about to start an epic ice cream eating contest to pass the time. 

But back on the surface of the Mun, the one calling itself "Kraken Lord" was seething. It had heard the Pandora's message... and when it did, a white hot rage filled him...

"You... fool!"

 

"Master... my lord...." the minion once known as Carlenna Kerman whimpered... "I only..."

"No..... silence," The Kraken Lord growled. "Your foolish attempts at laying a trap have backfired. This "ghost" you thought to use... she has used you!!! Imbecile.... Remove yourself from my sight before I flay you alive!!!"

"Yes... yes lord." Carlenna-minion whispered. "And you... will you remain here?"

"No.... begone... but let the boulder remain... I have another destination."

 

*         *          *

Meanwhile, on the bizarre moon of Tekto, nothing moved... nothing stirred... even in the nightmarish Emerald Necropolis all was quiet.

Then a blinding flash of light, and a loud roar as the dense and toxic atmosphere was displaced, and out of no where the red Magic Boulder appeared next to the small base Carlenna-minion and her hand servants had erected long ago.

As he climbed to the top of the small hill towards the base camp, the Kraken Lord looked out beyond the jagged sail-back mountains to distant Sarnus, and waves of sadness threatened to overwhelm him. With a great sigh he turned and climbed into the small base.

But as he sat down and started searching the small bases central computer, the Kraken Lord's frustration and rage began to grow again.

He had hoped to gather some information or insight into whatever this remarkable "Thompberry" probe was, and how it could so easily withstand the saucer's attack. But like everything else she had touched, his minion calling herself Carlenna had assembled this base with the finesse of a blowtorch, and managed to wipe the memory banks clean in the process.

It was times like this he seriously considered tossing her into the nearest black hole, but as much as he hated it, he needed her. Granted, she had the subtlety of a small volcano... but she also had the power of one... and was quite capable of devastating an entire planet with just a thought.... Yes, he hated her... but he needed her ability. And besides... she was the only one of his concubine-thralls to survive the calamity. As much as he hated it, she was all he had left.

But there was nothing here on Tekto to be learned. What was that Thompberry probe? The Kraken Lord had tried to scan it, but it was like hitting a titanium wall.... Whatever it was, however it worked, his strongest mind probes could not penetrate it's shielding, which was quite beyond these "Kerbals", and should not be possible. So dumbfounded was he, the Kraken Lord even contemplated searching his host's memories, but quickly dismissed the idea, knowing the inherent danger. Above all else, the host body's thoughts, personality, memory... all of their mental being, must be quashed and subdued and suppressed into the furthest reaches of their mind. And under no circumstances must they be given substance, lest they regain a measure of control.

So as tempting as it was, the Kraken Lord had to do it the hard way, and decided to visit Minmus next. The colony base on Minmus was currently unoccupied, and his foolish thrall had already left her fingerprints there as well. If he was careful, he might learn something of this Thompberry without attracting too much more attention.

But before he left, the Kraken Lord looked down upon his Emerald Necropolis and sighed again. How he longed to once again wander it's great vaulted halls, and swim in the noxious subterranean pools..... and with a horrible yell he pulled his helmet off and flung it to the ground!

"One day...." he gasped, inhaling in the toxic gasses fully, feeling the ice crystals already forming on his exposed flesh... and not caring in the least. He knew this body could only withstand the Tekto atmosphere a minute, maybe two at the most... but what did it matter to him? If this body died, so be it, he could always find another.

But alas, he was far from another available host, and so he inhaled the dense nitrogen deeply, tasting all the delicious hydrocarbons one last time, then jumped down, retrieved his helmet, and directed the red Magic Boulder to his next destination: Minmus Colony.

In the dim red glow of the Magic Boulder, the Kraken Lord looked over Minmus Colony. Another of Carlenna-minion's blunders. She had been ordered to remain hidden, yet she blatantly removed several large, obvious parts from this base, and needlessly exposed herself. And noting these components had now been repaired, the Kraken Lord knew her presence here was definitely known to someone. Perhaps, he hoped, the colony records could provide some insight as to who.

But when the Kraken Lord tried to search the colony's central computer for information on Thompberry, he was... confounded. Oh, he was careful enough to avoid any classified or sensitive material, and not attract any unwanted attention to his presence. That wasn't the problem. But what he found was contradictory... incomplete... and in some cases downright confusing. 

The official record showed Thompberry Kerman to be a brilliant, but somewhat deranged, Kerbin who had, in fact, been the creator of the small red saucer several years ago. He had later tried to take over the KASA space center, in a somewhat mad attempt to become emperor of the planet, only to be thwarted by his own saucers and cast off into space, never to be seen from again. 

"Now he showed promise," the Kraken Lord chuckled. After Thompberry's disappearance, a rash of "Thompberry sightings" swept across the planet, and has continued to this day. But there was no official record of him after his exile. Which in itself was suspicious.

Just then the Kraken Lord stumbled across a much more recent reference made to this Thompberry. It wasn't in the official archives, but rather a recording of a conversation made between two young kerbals named Gem and Theo during a log entry concerning Carlenna-minion's disappearance. 

"Gem and I wondered if Thompberry could have taken her... but he's still halfway between here and Duna, and he promised to behave..."

"Interesting..." the Kraken Lord whispered to himself.

Cross-referencing their names with Duna, the Kraken Lord then learned of Gem and Theo's adventure to Duna, at least the public version. There appeared to be some more attached classified data, but the Kraken Lord avoided those, hoping to remain undetected.

Instead he cross-referenced Carlenna's name with Duna and found... nothing?

There was no record of Carlenna Kerman going to Duna... In fact, he found almost no record of her anywhere going back several years. Which again was highly suspicious, and worth looking into further. But first he would follow this trail to Duna. A quick search showed him two possibilities to investigate, a large station orbiting Duna itself, and a colony base much like this one on Minmus on Duna's moon, Ike. 

For no particular reason, the Kraken Lord decided to investigate Ike first, and headed back out to the red Magic Boulder, and then onward to Ike colony.

 

As soon as he emerged, the Kraken Lord felt the... wrongness... of the place, and instead of entering the command pod, he climbed to the top and looked onto the pit of blackness in the distance..... and instantly recognized it for what it was.

He then looked over and saw a large fragment not far from the red Magic Boulder, and back at the pit.

"No.... they were experimenting with fragments?" The Kraken Lord whispered to himself. "What madness is this???"

He did, of course, know that a fragment could be used to create a small wormhole. All surviving Krakens did. But fragments were just that, fragments, and unlike a true Magic Boulder, they were highly unstable and unpredictable. Oh, they had their uses, yes... but only the most skilled could use one with any degree of safety.

But this isn't what bothered the Kraken Lord so.... What troubled him most was the fact this kind of technology was centuries, if not millennia, beyond these "Kerbals". What was going on here?

Once inside the Kraken Lord went straight to the last video and audio recordings made by anyone on-board, and was immediately inundated by the frantic and horrified screams of the children Gem and Theo, panicked orders by someone named Kerenna, and then a bizarre and terrifying voice of some... thing... calling itself Thompberry Kerman, taking control of their ship and heading up to Duna Station! 

But much of this couldn't be possible! As he did a quick scan over the science data received at the time, it was clear someone, or something, had in fact opened a small fragmentary wormhole. But if it was Thompberry that did it, then the Kraken Lord knew there were two vital questions that must be answered. First, who or what gave him the technology. Second... and more importantly... how did this Thompberry survive the journey?

The Kraken Lord now knew he would find answers on Duna Station.... but he was starting to feel as if he didn't want to know the truth. Still, he needed answers, and proceeded up to the station despite his misgivings.

Outside Duna Station everything seemed as it should be, but once he entered, the Kraken Lord felt a wrongness very similar to what he had felt on Ike, and he knew he was on the right track.

Once he began to read through and listen to the records of Thompberry's takeover... records no-one at KASA thought to erase simply because no-one had returned since... the Kraken Lord began to experience of impending dread, as if he know what was coming next.....

And then he heard the following recording... and his possessed body's blood turned to ice.

 

"Are you really just a brain in a... pod???" asked Theo

And to everyone's surprise, Thompberry answered, "Yes, <bubble bubble> yes I am."

"And you were put in there by a real Kraken???"

"Yes... <gurgle> but it's dead now..."

 

 A disembodied brain???  This Thompberry was a disembodied brain??? In some sort of impenetrable pod?

No.......

And the one who did it... Oh, he now knew who... what... had done this..... abomination! Only the great deceiver itself... the exiled traitor to his own race... only he was powerful enough to even attempt such an act.... but now the misbegotten betrayer was... dead???  

How??? Why???? The Kraken Lord had to know, and now, and ordered the Magic Boulder to take him to the one place in the Kerbol system he had avoided until now... The traitors moon: Bop.

As soon as he emerged, the Kraken Lord's jaw fell open.... it was true....

"So you are dead..." The Kraken Lord whispered, looking upon the great body, and wondering in sorrow if he would ever have tentacles again...

Then the Kraken lord turned and saw the long abandoned ship that had brought Thompberry here so many years ago, and for a moment he hesitated. But he had to see this through, and slowly he climbed inside and sat down.... and accessed the ships logs.

And he knew... he knew that it was all true..... the infidel outside had, in fact, removed the brain of the nearly dead kerbal named Thompberry Kerman, and preserved it in a pod of incredible strength, but disguised to look like an innocent satellite probe.

How??? The power to remove a brain from it's body... the sheer mental will involved... Even at the height of their empire, when billions of his kind ruled the stars, there were very few gifted Kraken telepaths, and infinitely less telekinetics. Telekenetics like Carlenna, who could move a chunk of stone the size of a mountain with just her mind, were a million-in-one. But in the entire history of the Kraken race, only a handful had the kind of ability..... the sheer intellect... the capacity to identify, sever, and re-attach millions upon millions of nerve endings without causing any physical damage... to achieve what could never be done by conventional surgery, even as advanced as the Krakens were. Yes, moving a mountain with a thought is an amazing ability... but child's play compared to performing micro-surgery on an alien species using just the mind... that was a true gift indeed.

And the dead one outside... yes, he was one of those very, very rare few that might... might... have been able to successfully achieve it. But quite obviously, the mental power involved drained it of it's own life in the end.

Now maddened, the Kraken Lord searched and searched, but in the end couldn't find the answer to one vital question...

Why?

Nothing.... no reason...... He knew how this Thompberry came to be, and he now understood how the Gamma saucer was so easily defeated.

But again, why???  What trick had the betrayer played before his death???

Now more frustrated than ever, the Kraken Lord left the old ship, and stood before the great hulking old dead Kraken for several minutes... trying desperately to contain his frustration and hate... trying to reason out what had happened... Why preserve a dying Kerban's brain? For what purpose??? Was this... could this be one last attempt by the old monster to thwart him???

Minutes, then hours, ticked by... Until the infuriated Kraken Lord finally looked up and whispered softly to the bloated corpse.....

"Damn you... DAMN you, father..... What have you done???"

 

The Saga of Emiko Station, and the Tale of Emiko Kerman, are far, far from over....

Go to Chapter 78
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim

[0111narwhalz]

"Kraken... I am your father..." 

Also, how is it harder to move a brain than it is to transfer your incorporeal essence from one to another?

[Just Jim]

9 minutes ago, 0111narwhalz said:

Also, how is it harder to move a brain than it is to transfer your incorporeal essence from one to another?

I added a little more detail to the last part. Maybe it'll be a little clearer.... 

[KSK]

Woah! Now *that's* how you throw in a plot twist.  

[obney kerman]

it seems that they stole the eve base.