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World War K (Conclusion: "The Return": An introduction to The Final Stand, and The Authors Note)

DarkOwl57

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DarkOwl57

DarkOwl57

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Prepare yourselves.... For the slight image dump of Chapter 1. Enjoy! (Note: Thanks to @adsii1970, @Triop, and @Just Jim for letting me use your characters. (Tarkin is from Adsii, Triop is (Obviously) Triop, and Jim as well as Thompberry are from Just Jim.) I promise not to kill you off in the first battle without your permission!)

 

Chapter 1

Calling in the Cavalry

 

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     "Buck, if you drop out of line one more time I'll shoot you down. Clear?" Val said. They were on patrol, and so far everything was smooth sailing. Even though the war was only a couple days old, there had already been a couple skirmishes and battles. The USS Jeffrey was wiped out by a dive-bomber, and the NSS Reliant was downed by torpedoes.

     "Sorry," Bryson said, wriggling the plane back into line. The F-21's were extremely fun to fly. Shame they were only used for training and some patrols. Of course on second thought.. They weren't that maneuverable. Maybe it was a good idea they weren't put into combat. As Val contemplated how effective the Blue Jay would be in a battle, the group of 3 flew behind the KSC Mountains, touching the tip of Mach 1.

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     "Wasn't this where the Dakar was held?" Triop asked, looking down at the treacherous landscape. "Somewhere around here, yeah," Val replied. The challenge was immense fun. Unfortunately Val's team went out on Stage 3... Stupid hill. As Val prepared to make a turn, a loud buzzing noise went by, and a plane shot the group of planes. Val's head shot up, trying to figure out what the unknown plane was doing there. What the..

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     Even though it blended into the mountainside a little bit, Val was able to see it was a propeller plane.. Small.. Similar to the T-100 that the UK used for training. In fact.. it was the T-100! Probably just a crop-duster, Val thought. But this was a millitary-designated no-fly zone. And there wasn't a farm for almost 50 miles. Crap. "Escort Formation Delta! Bryson, take the left wing! Triop take right. I'll peg him," Val shouted, whipping the plane around to get an aim. "On it!" Triop said, kicking the afterburner to catch up to the plane. Val hit the radio switch and began attempting to contact the aircraft.

     "Aircraft, this is a no-fly zone. Please state your purpose and destination, over," Val commanded. No response. She repeated herself, but still didn't get a response.

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     "Gene, we've got an unknown aircraft here. Looks civilian but it's heading towards the KSC pretty fast," Val radioed in. "What's the problem?" Gene asked. "He's not responding." Val explained. "Try again." After a couple seconds, Val tried a different approach. "Aircraft, you're flying in restricted airspace. Divert now or state your purpose." Again, no response. They passed a gap in the mountains and saw the KSC. Time's running out. "Look man, I've got a 20 millimeter cannon aimed right at your tail. Now tell me what's going on here or your day's going to go from good to bad real freaking quick," Val said, again switching tactics.

     "It's not working!!" Val shouted to Gene, panic slowly creeping in. "Permission to engage?" Triop asked. Before Val could reply with "Yes," Gene yelled "DO NOT SHOOT DOWN THAT PLANE," Possibly breaking everyone's eardrums. "Uh.. Okay," Triop said, obviously a bit shocked at the volume of the yell. Normally Gene was quiet, so the radios were turned up when he spoke.

     "So we can't talk to it, we can't shoot it, what are we supposed to do here?" Bryson asked, trying to get alongside the plane to see the pilot. "Knock it off course?" Triop suggested. "What did I-" Gene started, before Triop interrupted. "Nono listen. We tap it's wings and steer it in the direction we want it to go!" It was a good plan, but Gene denied it. "You're way to close to the KSC."

     He was right. Already Val could see kerbals on the ground staring up at the 4 as they blazed over at subsonic speeds.

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     "He's going in for landing!" Bryson said, pulling back to let Val lead them in single-file. the 4 planes landed flawlessly, and Val couldn't wait to find out what the actual heck this guy was doing. The pilot got out, smiling and obviously unaware of the amount of heart attacks were caused and how close he was to going SPLAT! into the scenery.

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     "Hello everyone," He said, hopping down from his plane to get intercepted by a fairly p-d off Val. The kerbal was older, with greying hair. Still though.. He looked familiar somehow.

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     "Are you freaking insane?!" Val demanded. Triop and Bryson were running over, but Tarkin and Christina got there first. "You could have gotten shot down!" The kerbal seemed unphased. "Ah Val. I've heard a lot about you," He said. "What's going on here?" Christina asked. "This maniac flew dead towards the KSC without even listening to my warnings to get out. He just stayed silent the whole time!" Val replied. "Now I have an excuse for th-" He said, before Christina interrupted him. "Idiot," She muttered, while Tarkin followed up with "Suicidal might be a more fitting word." By this time, both Bryson and Triop had made it over to the group, saying nothing.

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     "Gene!" The kerbal exclaimed. "You know this crazy guy?" Val exclaimed to Gene. "Well yeah! He's J-" Gene started, but the kerbal raised his hand in a "Stop" gesture, pulling out a business card. "Jim's the name. Just Jim. No need for Sir Jim, or Mister Jim; One time I had someone call me 'Royal Jim' if you could believe it," He chuckled. Val's mouth dropped. "No. Way. The Just Jim? The TV producer? The one who made Saga of the Emiko Station?!"

     "Inspiring!" Christina clapped, a full reversal from before. Tarkin however was even more of a reversal. "More like genius!" He said, rushing over to shake Jim's hand. "Huge fan, sir," He said. "One question; How'd you shoot the scenes on the Mun?" Jim smiled. "CGI is a powerful thing my friend." Mind obviously blown, Tarkin backed off, pondering this latest development in his life. "Hang on," Gene began. "I thought Emiko Station started before you were a producer!" Jim chuckled. "Yeah. My dad was the original producer, and so when the war ended, he gave me the job," He explained. "In my opinion, it got like a hundred times better after that." Just then, another civilian plane shot over the KSC. "That's T," Jim said, waving.

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     "Who'd you call?" Gene asked. "Oh let's see.. Paddy, Davis, Adam, T- I even managed to get a hold of Hans if you'd believe it. And. You-know-who." At the last name, Jim wiggled his eyebrows. "No. Oh kerb no. Please tell me you're joking. Anyone but her," Gene begged. "Too late. Her plane took off about 90 minutes ago from the USK," Jim replied, a mischievous smile on his face. "Filthy little matchmaker," Gene muttered, looking like he was going to be sick. Before Val could ask who "You-know-who" was, though, the plane that had flown overhead rolled to a stop right next to the group, and another kerbal around Jim's age stepped out.

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     "Thompers!" Jim exclaimed, giving the kerbal a hug as he went over to the group. "Hey man! I got y- What's the matter with Gene?" He asked. "Hey Thompberry," Gene said, still looking like he had eaten a bad piece of sushi. It doesn't matter what anyone says; raw fish is just plain nasty. "Thompberry?!" Christina asked in shock. "But you're alive.. And not evil.. And uh.... er.... um...." She stammered. "A brain in a bowl?" Thompberry smirked. "Yeah," Christina nodded, looking a tad embarrassed. "Jim got the idea after my ex and I fought in the studio. She said that if it weren't for my brains I wouldn't have any talent, and I guess he heard it and it stuck. I get a free soda for the bubbling noises though," He laughed.

     "You know, Tarkin's a big fan of the show," Jim slipped in. "Oh? How'd you like to meet the whole cast?" Thompberry asked. "That would be awesome!" Tarkin replied. First the bombshell of CGI and now this! Best. Day. Ever. "Awesome. I'll call them first thing tomorrow. I'm sure they'll love it." Gene smiled, and asked "Wanna see what's new?" Jim glanced around and said "Sure, why not." Val turned to Bryson, Triop, Tarkin, and Christina. "You guys hit the sims. Work on that formation. I'll catch up later." The 4 scurried off, each one anxious to be the first one in the simulator.

     While the group was walking past the VAB and discussing changes that had occurred, a plane skipped the runway entirely and landed about 10 feet from the group. There's a runway for a reason! "Top 'O the morning," The kerbal waved with a big smile. "Paddy!" Gene exclaimed, running over.

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     "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Jim said, giving him a high-five. "You guys really really can't keep your country together, can you?" Paddy laughed. "First it's fighting against 1 enemy and now it's the entire planet! What are you guys doing to make them so mad?!" Gene chuckled. "You got me," Gene laughed.

     Throughout the day, there were similar greetings. Some happy ("Hey man, it's been forever!"), some sad ("Why can't there just be peace?"), and some monetary ("I told you I shot down more planes than you! Fork over the 5 funds."). Eventually, Hans came.

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     "Gene!" Hans shouted as he jogged over to his friend. "Hans!" Gene yelled back, meeting him on the runway. "How have you been old-timer?" Hans asked. "'Old-timer'? I'm younger than you!" The 2 bantered around before Paddy joined the group. "Ah mister Burns, this is Colonel Hans Kerman, one of the best pilots I know," Gene introduced. "And Hans, this is Patrick Burns Kerman, the second-best pilot I know." The two shook hands, and then Paddy exclaimed, "Hey! Who're you calling second-best? I won the KARC 3 years in a row!" Paddy exclaimed. They joked around a little bit more, but then a plane landed right next to them. "Uh oh," Hans muttered as the pilot stepped out. "Who called her here?" Paddy whispered. "Jim," Gene replied, nervously tapping his toes.

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     The pilot stepped out, and shook her head. "Long flight," She muttered, stepping down from the ladder. She was a little older than Gene- around Hans's age- but had one of those timeless faces that you see on movie actors. (You know, the ones that are like 60 but they look at most 30? Yeah. Those actors.) "Meg," Gene curtly said, saluting her. "Gene," Meg replied in a similar tone. After a couple minutes of silence, Meg gave Gene a huge hug. "I missed you so much," She said. Paddy whistled loudly, and Meg rushed over. "How're you doing ya idiot?" She laughed, hitting Paddy's arm. Just like old times...

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..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Time: 7:00pm, The next day

Location: KSC

     The crowd murmured anxiously. The cast was supposed to have come on about 15 minutes ago. Did something happen backstage? Was there something wrong? Finally, Thompberry went up to the stage with a mic. "Ladies and Gentlekerbs.. This is the moment you've been waiting for. I present to you... The cast... of Saga of the Emiko Station!!" The crowd cheered as the cast members walked onstage. Piper laughed when someone threw a rose to her and took some 'selfies' with the fans on the first couple rows, Angelo flexed his muscles and did a dance, and Emiko herself even came on, waving to the fans and answering some questions. Then, Jim walked up to the stage and grabbed the mic from Thompberry.

     "Uh this is nice and all, but I think we're missing one small thing. Crew?" He motioned to backstage, and the brain jar that Thompberry "lived in" was rolled out on a cart, bringing a round of applause and Thompberry laugh. Throughout the night, the group answered questions, re-enacted their favorite scenes, and signed autographs. The whole night was a great distraction from the fact the world was probably about to end due to the war. But the war was coming. And it wasn't taking no for an answer.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Time: 8:00pm, The next day

Location: KSC

     "That was really fun," Piper said as they got on the jet back to Bahmuto City. "It really was," Jim agreed, giving Emiko a snack package for the ride. "Come again soon, okay?" Val asked. "Oh yeah we'll come again. In fact, how'd you like to see the set?" Angelo asked. "If it's cool with the boss-man over here." Jim waved. "Ah do what ya want. I'm taking a sabbatical from writing. Got a war to fight over here!" Angelo was about to reply, but saw a smoke trail in the sky. "What's.." Piper asked, shielding her eyes against the early morning sun. "I see them too," Emiko answered. "Fighters," Jim commented. "And they're not ours," Val said. Immediately, pure, white-hot adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her heart started beating about 20 times faster than before. "You guys might want to stay here," Val pointed to the actors, and grabbed her radio. "ALL PILOTS, SCRAMBLE! 3 CONTACTS 75 DEGREES WEST. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! LET'S MOVE IT!"

Edited by DarkOwl57
5 seconds in and I spot a typo. Even though I proof-read at least twice. *sigh*
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DarkOwl57

DarkOwl57

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Just now, Just Jim said:

Oh... wow..... I just blew coffee out my nose!!! :sticktongue:

That was hilarious!!! Thank you!!!!!!  

That sounds painful! Good luck with the cleanup lol

You're welcome. I've got some drivers ed to do, then I'll work on the next chapter's screenshots. Oh and if anyone wants them, I'll show you some bloopers and pics that didn't make the cut. (There's like 2 or 3 where I forgot to F2 and messed up.)

Spoiler

Oh also, in this shot:

kTcCVNd.png

I had a problem where even though I was at 0% throttle, the plane moved forwards and knocked Meg onto the floor. I had to catch up to the plane, Toss Meg in, shutdown the engine, Vessel Mover it all the way back to the original position, and then snap the screenshot again before the plane took off. #ADayInTheLife

 

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MiffedStarfish

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2 hours ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Immediately, pure, white-hot adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her heart started beating about 20 times faster than before,

and the blood surged to her brain, the massive influx of oxygen overloading her cognition, devolving her to a beast of primordial instincts and super-heightened senses. The normally comforting chirping of the KSC's unseen resident birds hammered white hot daggers of pain and noise into her brain, and she fell to the ground screaming. Her lungs, unable to keep up with the insane oxygen demand of her pumping heart, failed to circulate loaded blood vessels to her organs, and everything went a relieving black as Val fainted and died on the taxi strip.

...

"What!?" Said Jim.

 

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DarkOwl57

DarkOwl57

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Just now, MiffedStarfish said:

and the blood surged to her brain, the massive influx of oxygen overloading her cognition, devolving her to a beast of primordial instincts and super-heightened senses. The normally comforting chirping of the KSC's unseen resident birds hammered white hot daggers of pain and noise into her brain, and she fell to the ground screaming. Her lungs, unable to keep up with the insane oxygen demand of her pumping heart, failed to circulate loaded blood vessels to her heart, everything went a relieving black as Val fainted and died on the taxi strip.

...

"What!?" Said Jim.

 

hahahahahahaha. For that, you get a shoe

http://www.nbcsports.com/video/league/f1

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Just Jim

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21 hours ago, DarkOwl57 said:

I promise not to kill you off in the first battle without your permission!

That's fine.... you can kill me off on one condition... I want to out in a really big blaze of glory!!!  :D

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adsii1970

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21 hours ago, DarkOwl57 said:

I promise not to kill you off in the first battle without your permission!)

[Edited by adsii1970]

 

11 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

That's fine.... you can kill me off on one condition... I want to out in a really big blaze of glory!!!  :D

I agree... make it something big! Oh, and quick and painless... I don't want to have Tarkin have one of those Shakespearean death scenes.  Make it quick and be done with it, if you're going to do it. #NoSlowKerbalDeaths!

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Just Jim

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6 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

Oh, and quick and painless... I don't want to have Tarkin have one of those Shakespearean death scenes. 

I do!!!!  Slow and painful is fine.... or tragic!!!  Especially if it's Shakespearean!  hehehe

 

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DarkOwl57

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2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

That's fine.... you can kill me off on one condition... I want to out in a really big blaze of glory!!!  :D

 

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

 

I agree... make it something big! Oh, and quick and painless... I don't want to have Tarkin have one of those Shakespearean death scenes.  Make it quick and be done with it, if you're going to do it. #NoSlowKerbalDeaths!

 

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

I do!!!!  Slow and painful is fine.... or tragic!!!  Especially if it's Shakespearean!  hehehe

 

hahahahahahaha. Don't worry. Right now I'm thinking about one of you guys sacrificing yourselves to keep a nuke from hitting the capital (It lands on the wing of your plane and you have almost no choice, etc.) but it's so far not made it to my notebook of doom.

Oh and preview to the next chapter. 7 kerbals go to battle. 4 will remain. Also, during a party, PTSD and insanity are going to get the best of one kerbal. Who will it be? Oh and Sidney (From M*A*SH* (That dude in the mustache that's really funny?)) is gonna show up! Stay tuned!

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DarkOwl57

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It's literally a 2-year-old 5 section notebook I've had since the 6th grade which is used for writing excerpts, planning stuff, and a whole bunch of gibberish.

Oh also, when getting KSP warmed up for the screenshots, I had a "HOLY ----" moment when my PC said "You PC is at 10% battery". Apparently I forgot to turn on the power strip so I almost lost it

 

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DarkOwl57

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Alright everyone, status update. KSP bugged out so I'm restarting the game. If the thing is still bugged out then there are 3 explanations.

1. A mod is causing a bug and I need to do the Purge,

2. KSP's just being mean,

3. The save is corrupted and I have to start 100% from scratch.

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DarkOwl57

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1 minute ago, MiffedStarfish said:

Could you go more in depth on the bug?

Well there were 2 bugs. The first was a smoke trail being emitted about 20 or 30 meters below the plane and to the right. It wasn't that big of a deal (I.e. didn't crash the craft) but it would really screw up the screenshots which I can't have.

The second bug was a little more worrying. I set out the three enemy planes (#BehindTheScenes) but when i went to the Space Center, the things regestered as one big debris pile. I click on the "Debris", and I can't do anything. So I launch another plane. All 3 planes are fine, but then there's the tab where you see the crew in a ship from the space center (Ship name, crew, etc.). Only problem? The tab was visible mid-flight. There was no ship name, the entire crew roster was on there, and there were a bunch of capital N's everywhere where I think there were numbers. (Lucky me, I forgot screenshots). Oh and I couldn't get rid of it. I clicked recover, fly, everything. No bueno. So hopefully it's not there after I restart it. If it is....... I may have to either get a new save or try my hand in the Persist file.

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1 minute ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Crap.. It's a persist error. I'll try to shoot the scene (It's not showing up in F2) but after that I'll have to make a new save file. GAH

zoFsQPc.png

Wierd... Do you have any good gamesaves?

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DarkOwl57

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1 minute ago, dundun92 said:

Wierd... Do you have any good gamesaves?

Well this is an entire save dedicated to the story. I guess I'll just have to copy the craft files onto the new save and then manually spawn in the new kerbals

Just now, MiffedStarfish said:

Go in the persist file, and delete the original three craft debris. (BUT BACK UP FIRST)

How many mods are installed in your game? Have you checked you don't have multiple versions of some mods?

Good Luck :)

I'll try to work around the problem for this scene before getting a new save. I don't want to break everything

Note: GOSH DARN IT IT'S EVEN IN THE FLIPPING SPH

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