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

[DarkOwl57]

14. Now.. Quick disclaimer. This is probably the darkest I've ever written. I've always captured this as a nice, laid-back, easy experience. Until Chapters 2 and 3. But this.... This is the darkest I've ever gotten. I took a lot of this off of Romeo and Juliet (The Shakespeare play; duh). And... Ugh. When I wrote this, I felt a huge tingling feeling in my gut.. So just a disclaimer; if you're not okay with this, I'd recommend not reading it.

 

Chapter 14

Sorry

Time: 9:35 pm (2 and a half hours ago)
Location: Christina’s Apartment; Bahmuto City

    Christina clapped as she watched the bomber spiral down to the ground. Hurriedly, she jotted down some notes for the article before looking back up at the fight. She saw a fighter dive down to intercept something, and cleared when it leveled out. Ball of smoke and flame.. Gotta add that. She cheered as the 4 other planes formed up on the diving plane, watching them fly off into the night sky.
    “Well that was fun,” She aid to no one, brushing off her legs and taking the notepad inside. She began reviewing the draft article, and got lost in the words. “Smoke and flame.. Warriors of the Night… blah blah bla- WHOAH!!!” A huge, white, blinding light turned night into day, and a large mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rose up into the sky almost 2 kilometers into the air. “That was a nuke!” She sprinted inside and watched as the explosion slowly faded out. Just as she was about to check her computer, 4 F-22 Raptors blazed overhead, making everything in the house rattle a bit as they blasted by at 0.9 mach speed. She recognized the insignia on one of the cockpits as Val’s. Tark was with them… She was about to do a face chat, but then remembered that if that was the KSC squad, then they wouldn’t get back for 3 or 4 hours.
    She sat down on the couch, and waited..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Time: 12:30am; Technically the next day
Location: KSC

    Val was still sniffling as she went upstairs to Tarkin’s room. This was the worst thing about the job of Squad Leader. The pay was great, but the responsibility… of this… With a sudden realization, it hit Val. This is the first time I’ve had to do this. She’d almost done it when Jeb was shot down in the First Great War. But she’d never done it fully before. Wiping a few tears out of her eyes, she walked in and took in everything at once.
    On the walls, there were posters of famous musical artists, River FC (A famous sports team in River City over in Kruola’s Celrepan state), and numerous pictures of him and Christina. Over on his desk, there was a laptop with its screensaver running quietly; clouds billowing past as if he was flying in a plane. Next to his bed was a guitar, with a stack of papers laying disorganized all over the quilt.
    “Okay. Get the personal items, get out. That’s it.” Val exhaled and waved her arms in a circle, her heart rate speeding up. As the was about to grab the guitar, the laptop began freaking out. Val went over, and waved her finger around on the trackpad. The screen came to life, and she was temporarily blinded by a blue screen of an incoming Kype call. She read the caller name and… Oh no….. No. I can’t do this.. Christina’s name and picture was right in the center of the screen. She’s got to know! She argued with herself. Nervously, she tapped the “Accept” button. A couple seconds later (which had felt like an eternity), Christina’s face came through the screen.
    “Tar- Oh…. Val? Uh.. Hi, I guess. What..?” Christina cocked her head in confusion. “Hey C.. Uh.. Listen.. I’ve got some.. news.” Val wrung her hands nervously. “Did you see that explosion?!” Christina asked. “That was massive! I hope no one got hurt..” Val felt like someone had punched her in the gut with a brick.
    “That’s actually….” Val started, before she sighed. “Tarkin… Tarkin didn’t make it. I’m sorry.” Christina sat there, stunned. “What… What do you mean, ‘He didn’t make it?’” She asked. “EAARS alerted us a rogue bomber was going to hit Bahmuto. Me, Jim, Thompberry, Triop, and Tarkin all volunteered. We.. We shot the bomber down, and…. Jim caught the bomb. He was going to sacrifice himself to save us, but..” Val sighed and looked up to keep the tears from falling down her face. “Tarkin took it from him. He sacrificed himself to save everyone. He’s a hero.” Christina remained silent. Her face went from stunned, to devastated.. And then, quicker than Val could blink her eyes, she snapped; her expression furious.
    “You…. You promised.” She kept her voice calm, though it was shaky with a barely-controlled rage in it. “You. You said you would keep him safe!” She clenched her fist, and slammed it on the table, shaking the cup that was on it and making the screen go blurry for a moment as the camera tried to re-orientate itself. Uh oh.. Val prepared for the outburst. 
    “YOU PROMISED ME YOU’D KEEP HIM SAFE! YOU SAID HE WOULDN’T GET HURT! YOU PROMISED ME!!!” She threw a glass as hard as she could, shattering it against the wall. Val felt a wave of emotion, and tried to calm her down. “There wasn’t anything I could do!” Val protested, but Christina was hearing none of it. “LIAR! FILTHY, STINKING, LIAR!!!” Christina slammed the computer shut, and severed the connection.
    Val sat in the chair for a moment, shocked. Then, with the pale blue light illuminating the entire room, Val just sat, and sobbed.

…

    Christina was a tornado, whirling around and punching, kicking, and body-slamming everything in sight. By the end of it, it looked like her apartment had been hit by a drone strike. Anger and adrenaline gone, she fell to the ground and cried. Then, she thought something. If he’s gone.. I’m gone too. She hurriedly finished the article she was writing before, and then made a new document. Then, she quickly typed up another note, and printed both of them off.
    Setting the two papers down and putting them under her computer, she went out onto the balcony. The night was clear; the nuclear blast had already dissipated, and by now, the city was back to its bustling self. Taxis honked in the traffic below, supercars revved their engines to grab attention (Not that they need it of course), and a couple pedestrians were either going to work on the night shift, or checking the shops for any last-minute deals. Christina leaned on the railing, and savored the cool air 35 stories above the ground. Then, she climbed up and over the railing, and stood on the ledge.
    One…
    Two…
    Three.
    She jumped off, and let gravity take her down.

[MiffedStarfish]

Oh god...

Please tell me she landed on her head...

That chapter was painful to read, this story is so good! Assuming that they caught the bomb on the top of one of their planes, couldn't they have just pulled a Batman and flown it out over a sea then dropped it? I could be reading it wrong though.

Edited October 6, 2017 by MiffedStarfish

[DarkOwl57]

21 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

Oh god...

Yeah...

21 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

Please tell me she landed on her head...

Uh....

21 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

That chapter was painful to read, 

Glad to see my work was successful... ish

21 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

this story is so good! Assuming that they caught the bomb on the top of one of their planes, couldn't they have just pulled a Batman and flown it out over a sea then dropped it? I could be reading it wrong though.

Well the thing was jammed onto the wing. See, with my raptors, I'm using the air RCS ports from Quiztech. The bomb can roll onto the wings of other planes, but it can't roll off due to the port. Plus, dropping the bomb onto solid ground would cause the fallout to drift into highly populated areas (like Bahmuto City) from the wind. In this universe, the water sort of dulls the fallout effect from a suicidal [insert nuclear particle amount here] to a barely sickening [insert much less nuclear particle amount here]. The water basically catches the nuke, and absorbs most of the particles like a big, blue, wet sponge. 

[MiffedStarfish]

5 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Uh....

Kerbals have invincible heads, they can survive a drop from orbit headfirst! I’m really interested to see how this affects val,

Spoiler

Maybe she’ll follow Jeb into exile?

 

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Yeah...

Uh....

Glad to see my work was successful... ish

Well the thing was jammed onto the wing. See, with my raptors, I'm using the air RCS ports from Quiztech. The bomb can roll onto the wings of other planes, but it can't roll off due to the port. Plus, dropping the bomb onto solid ground would cause the fallout to drift into highly populated areas (like Bahmuto City) from the wind. In this universe, the water sort of dulls the fallout effect from a suicidal [insert nuclear particle amount here] to a barely sickening [insert much less nuclear particle amount here]. The water basically catches the nuke, and absorbs most of the particles like a big, blue, wet sponge. 

Go over water, and flip the plane inverted! No rolling off the wing needed.

[DarkOwl57]

24 minutes ago, dundun92 said:

Go over water, and flip the plane inverted! No rolling off the wing needed.

I actually tried to replicate it with NKD, and it was physically impossible to drop the bomb over water and get the raptor out of the area in time. Even if the initial impact didn't kill the -22, the fact it couldn't get out of the 30km blast radius would

[MiffedStarfish]

Yeah, we should probably stop nitpicking and just enjoy the story.  Do you know when the next chapter will come out? 

[DarkOwl57]

Depends on school. I'm working on 15 but the pursuit of learning could change that. All depends really. My best guess says... maybe a week? Maybe less

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

I actually tried to replicate it with NKD, and it was physically impossible to drop the bomb over water and get the raptor out of the area in time. Even if the initial impact didn't kill the -22, the fact it couldn't get out of the 30km blast radius would

30km. That must be a really big nuke... 

[MiffedStarfish]

Ah, first day of the October holidays for me.

[qzgy]

On 10/6/2017 at 12:11 PM, DarkOwl57 said:

This is the darkest I've ever gotten.

Okay....

On 10/6/2017 at 12:11 PM, DarkOwl57 said:

I took a lot of this off of Romeo and Juliet (The Shakespeare play; duh).

Well, I haven't read it yet (as of writing this.) Given that, I expect self immolation

(Post reading)

Well. Damn. That was .... a bit darker than normal. But good.

No offense, I for some reason am a little apathetic (ok, a bit saddend) to the loss of two characters in 2 chapters. Maybe I don't have enough context.

Spoiler

Also, if you really wanted to kill us with pity, maybe make the suicide more hesitant? Like, have her think more carefully about this literally life changing decision. IDK, just some ideas from a random person on the internet. (Though I think I'm around your age...)

Also, following off of @MiffedStarfish, I think a 20 to 30 m/s fall is okay, maybe even 40 m/s. Doing the math (w/ online calculators), it seems that impact is at 47.5 m/s. Might live, but probably dead.

Edited October 8, 2017 by qzgy
wth forums....

[MiffedStarfish]

Oh yeah, it would a great twist if she survived... (crippled) Val did survive a 80m/s car crash in one of the earlier chapters I think.

[DualDesertEagle]

On 28.9.2017 at 5:18 PM, DarkOwl57 said:

Klathu pedant Germany

So this explains why u ignored my job application as a fighter pilot...

 

I'M A FRICKIN' KLATHUIAN 

[DarkOwl57]

6 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

Oh yeah, it would a great twist if she survived... (crippled) Val did survive a 80m/s car crash in one of the earlier chapters I think.

Well she did have a military-grade carbon fibre/steel roll cage...

[MiffedStarfish]

Good point. But then again, Christina did have a military grade Calcium skull...

[DarkOwl57]

9 hours ago, qzgy said:

Okay....

Well, I haven't read it yet (as of writing this.) Given that, I expect self immolation

(Post reading)

Well. Damn. That was .... a bit darker than normal. But good.

No offense, I for some reason am a little apathetic (ok, a bit saddend) to the loss of two characters in 2 chapters. Maybe I don't have enough context.

  Reveal hidden contents

Also, if you really wanted to kill us with pity, maybe make the suicide more hesitant? Like, have her think more carefully about this literally life changing decision. IDK, just some ideas from a random person on the internet. (Though I think I'm around your age...)

Also, following off of @MiffedStarfish, I think a 20 to 30 m/s fall is okay, maybe even 40 m/s. Doing the math (w/ online calculators), it seems that impact is at 47.5 m/s. Might live, but probably dead.

Thanks. It was like 35 stories up.. I was in an apartment complex once in Florida that went up for 25 stories.. Biggest moment of Vertigo in my life; just sitting on the balcony! 35... eh.......

 

3 hours ago, DualDesertEagle said:

So this explains why u ignored my job application as a fighter pilot...

 

I'M A FRICKIN' KLATHUIAN 

 That and I just didn't see it until too late XD

[DualDesertEagle]

Well I'd still like to join the allies, I don't wanna fight for such a bunch of war mongering monkeys such as the Klathuians. That would just be a waste of my talents.

Whenever u feel the need of employing another fighter pilot, I'll be ready to kick some S.

In the mean time I'm gonna apply for a green kard so I can at least move to Bahmuto City. Being an inhabitant of one of the aggressors' countries I feel like I'm not gonna get one tho, unless I get the job.

 

 

[qzgy]

17 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

Oh yeah, it would a great twist if she survived... (crippled) Val did survive a 80m/s car crash in one of the earlier chapters I think.

Having tested it in game... it is possible. Unlikely, but possible.

[DarkOwl57]

So Chapter 15. Never said this was gonna be easy, but here we go. Also, the music that's used is the following. Madden 18's Longshot Theme Song, and House of the Rising Sun by The Animals. Now, on to the last sad (for a while at least) chapter.

 

Chapter 15

Goodbye

Time: 9:55am, 1 Week later
Location: KSC

    Jim quietly strummed the guitar, and scribbled down some lyrics on the paper. Tark was good.. Really, really good… Jim thought as he replayed the notes. As he strummed on the strings, he muttered some lyrics. Then, as he was writing some more stuff down, Val came in and knocked on the doorframe. “Come in,” Jim said, staying focused on his music.
    “Hey,” Val said, sitting on a chair. “You doing okay?” Jim sighed and stopped playing. “I.. I think. The music’s helping a lot. Wanna hear the song I'm finishing for Tark?” Val nodded, and Jim began playing; this song sounding upbeat, and a bit like a country song.

“Trucking down the Midwest Highway
Chasing down the city skyline
Brothers in arms heading to the Combine
As the day turns into night

I always knew we’d be back here
It’s gonna be different this time
Forget about all our past years
No more watching from the sidelines
Clock ticks down one minute to play
One last chance and I’m on my way

It’s a long shot
It’s a longshot ooooohh
Yeah I’m ready for the big time ligh-“

    He accidentally hit the wrong note, and he muttered a curse and set the guitar down. “Gahdangit. Been a while since I played this thing..” He flexed his hands and looked over the paper. “That’s beautiful. I wonder what he meant by "The Combine”…” Val racked her brain. I know I’ve heard that somewhere…
    “The Combine is kind of like a trial before the IFL Draft. College and some stud High School athletes test themselves in Celrepan in the hope that one of them are gonna get drafted. Tarkin was one of those studs. I swear he could catch passes better than some pros…” Jim trailed off, remembering their numerous games. “He had one heck of a future… He was special..” Val nodded, and the room was silent. “I’ve got one more; wanna hear it?” Val nodded, and Jim started strumming. There were a whole lot of chords making a fairly minor sound, but then Jim started singing.

“There is a house
Down in New Kerleans
That they caaall the Rising Sun.
And it’s been the ruin
Of many-a poor boy.
And Gods I know I’m one.

My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new blue jeans
My father was a gamblin’ man.
Down in new Kerleans.”

    Jim continued strumming an incredible guitar solo, and when he was done, he finally set the guitar down, and exhaled. “What do ya think?” He asked, looking at the music to make sure everything was good. “You ever consider a career as a musician?” Val joked, looking at the squiggly mass of notes and words and squiggles on the page. After about 5 seconds, she’d given up.
    “Any other songs?” Val asked. “Yeah. Talking about his inner demons and struggles. I’d play it, but this sheet music is really advanced.. And I’d need a piano. But I’ll get it.. Eventually.”  Jim checked over the page, and Val looked around. “Funeral’s today, right?” Jim asked, finally setting the guitar and music down on the stand.
    “Yeah. I think we’re going to be forming a caravan down the highway on the way to the City. I know that me, Gene, Paddy, and I think Bryson are going to be doing it. Not sure about everyone else..” Val got up and started walking out. “I’m going to get dressed. See you there.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Time: 1:20am
Location: Bahmuto City Cemetery, UK

    Val looked up at the sky, which was slate grey as far as the eye could see, and the threat for rain was almost definite. Thunder rumbled a bit in the distance, which basically summed up what everyone was feeling.
    After everyone had arrived, the entire occasion was somber at best. Off to the right was Tarkin’s family, while Christina’s was just behind them. A few whispered, but most just sat in the chairs, dabbing their eyes occasionally. A couple of musicians sat off to the side, and finally a pastor came up. He said a few words, and then invited everyone a chance to speak if they who wanted to. Val was the first to go up. As soon as she walked up, she saw a picture of Tarkin and Christina, together on a beach boardwalk. Oh why did I do this.. She mentally pushed down the fear, and went on.
    “Tarkin.. Tark was one heck of a kid. He never shied away from the dangers.. Always volunteering when no-one else would; even if he had just come off a mission or a 5 hour sim session. But as a kerbal.. he was 10 times better. Kind.. Sweet.. He was what all of us strived to be, and more. And the same goes for Christina. Even though I didn’t get as much of a chance to get to know her, every moment was a special one. Caring.. Wonderful.. She was the best pilot I’ve ever had the privilege of training, and watching her rise up. The world lost two great kerbals, and two even greater friends. I know I’m going to remember them for a long time.” Val stepped down, and sat down, trying to keep her emotions from exploding out. Jim walked up to the podium next.
    “Tarkin was one of a kind. He was selfless, caring, and a great friend; and one hell of a pilot to boot. Even when the going got tough as nails, he got tougher than all of us ever could. He was one of my biggest fans.. Amazing kid. He’s a hero. He sacrificed himself for me… And that’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay.” Jim looked down at the photo. “So long, buddy.”
    Everyone started speaking, and about an hour later, everyone felt thoroughly cried out. As the pastor began giving the final goodbyes, 4 kerbals skittered into the area. “Are we late?” Emiko asked, bending over and panting to get air. “Just.. Whew! Just wanted to say.. bye..” Piper added, flopping into a chair.
    After the minor interruption, and the final goodbyes said, the coffins were slowly lowered into the ground, side-by-side. As the ceremony ended, everyone went up to the head stones to place objects. Val put a fighter helmet on both stones first. Then, Jim gave a miniature guitar for Tarkin, and a flower for Christina. Piper went to Tarkin’s headstones, and placed an autographed photo. Bryson and Triop both gave a small diecast of a fighter jet. And finally, as if Mother Nature could feel the mood, thunder rumbled, before rain began sprinkling down.
    “We should get going..” Haydi said, grabbing an umbrella. “Same for us. I would ask if you guys want to come with us, but we’d prefer to be meeting under.. Happier conditions.” Piper shivered a bit as some wind made the rain extra-cold, and she walked over to Val. “You messed up the brakes,” Piper whispered. It took a while for the statement to register with Val. “What?” She asked.
    “Some knucklehead messed with the brake wires. Every time I brake, the horn goes off.” While the two tried to figure out what was happening, Angelo was off quietly laughing, bent over. Then, Piper looked at him. Her face switched from confused to absolutely furious. “ANGELO!!!” She shrieked, running after him; forgetting the rain. Realizing the dangers associated with sticking around and chatting, he sprinted for the parking lot; skidding and sending up gravel as he sprinted around corners and almost flattening a priest.
    “Well that was exciting,” Jim commented, walking up. “Yeah.. Let’s get home..” The tune of 10 V-6 engines lit up the parking lot, and the cars went out, on the way home. 

[MiffedStarfish]

<Starts high pitch coughing>

[DualDesertEagle]

On 19.10.2017 at 7:10 PM, DarkOwl57 said:

 ...as he sprinted around corners and almost flattening a priest. 

No matter HOW dark and sad any chapter of any story may be, stuff like this will ALWAYS make me completely lose it and burst out in laughter!

There should be a kerbal literally ROFLing for occasions like this!

[DualDesertEagle]

Ok, hopefully I'm not becoming too much of a nuisance by now, especially double-posting to get u notified about this, but since I'm so much into flying I don't wanna leave anything untried to make myself appear useful enough to become a character in the story.

Today it just hit me that since I'm apparently a would-be Klathuian there might just be a way to make use of some of my real-life talents within the story. Talking about talents I should probably mention a few, which would be first and foremost being able to speak english quite well (and not like some very lazy germans would say "zhe vater is vet"), then of course flying fighter jets as my video hopefully more than adequately proves and last but not least I'm a walking lexicon when it comes to hand-held weaponry.

My idea for a possible introduction of my char at a convenient point of the story would be to appear as a klathuian ace pilot who eventually gets shot down by the squad with some effort and captured alive by the ground troops and is then questioned back at the base for information. At some point he somehow earns enough trust to be allowed to join the squadron (perhaps as a replacement for Tarkin?) and gets to fight for the good guys.

 

@DarkOwl57, it's of course completely up to u wether or not and in which way u make me a char in the story and provided u don't give me a totally ridiculous name I would even be fine with re-naming, but IF u design a character after me I have to ask one thing from u: PLEASE don't make me sound like "zhe average djerman" coz in reality I DO actually take serious care to not butcher the pronounciation like I wasn't even trying.

*Suddenly remembers a video of a water ingestion test done by airbus in which the french guys spoke english but with 100% french pronounciation*

*CRINGES*

No, seriously, I'm nothing like that!

[DarkOwl57]

Alrighty everyone, so I've got a bit of a surprise. So you all know how I've been working hard as can be? Weeeeeeelllll... I may or may not be working on Chapter 19  Enjoy 16!!!

@DualDesertEagle: Don't worry: Let's just say that in 18/19, you've got a bit of a surprise coming. Not gonna say more

 

Chapter 16
Lifesaver

Time: 5:30 pm
Location: Near the small farm community of MkFarland

    Down on the ground, Jim, Thompberry, Haydi, Val, Gene, Meg, and Paddy were heading back to the KSC, safely adhering to the 30m/s speed limit. “When the sun goes down.. On my side of town..” Val sang along to the radio, which was playing nice and soft. “How far away are we from the KSC?” Paddy asked over the radio. Val picked up the walkie-talkie, but Gene answered first. “I’d say 45 minutes. Maybe more depending on traffic.” Val looked ahead on the road, and saw nothing but open road. 45. As they passed under a bridge, Jim shouted “STOP! STOP THE CARS!” And slammed on the brakes, sending up white smoke as the brakes locked. The other cars slowed to a stop, and pulled over.
    “What’s up?” Thompberry asked as everyone got out of the cars. “I think I saw someone about to jump..” Jim turned and began walking up the embankment, towards the bridge. The 6 followed Jim up, and sure enough, someone was sitting on the railing, looking down. Jim waved in a “Get back motion” and continued walking towards the railing. “Call 911,” he whispered. The jumper didn’t look that old; less than 20. There were a few freckles on his face, with the wind tossing around some sandy hair. Jim slowed, and finally stood in the middle of the road.
    “Hey,” He said, waving. The kid gave a mild jump, and grabbed the railing. “G- Get away,” He stammered, his face looking terrified. “It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. Mind if I come over?” Jim put out his hands in a “I’m unarmed and if you kill me you’re a total jerk” motion. “One more step and I jump!” The kid looked pale, and his hands turned white as he gripped the metal bar.
    “Well if a truck comes along then I go splat, so..” Jim went over to the railing, looking out at the highway which was empty. He yawned, and pulled out a package of gum. “Want some?” Jim asked, offering the kid a package. “Gives me a headache.” He shook his head, and Jim put the package back in his pocket. “Good kid. Absolutely kills your teeth.” The kid coughed back a laugh, like “I’m about to jump onto a highway and your worries are my teeth?”
    “So what’s your name?” Jim asked, slowly inching closer. “Thomas. I live out in MkFarland about 9 or 10 miles out.” Jim nodded, impressed. “I don't see a car,” He said, trying to kill time. Where are those damn officers? “Ran. I’m on the Cross Country team.” Thomas glanced suspiciously over at Jim.
    “Good sport,” Jim nodded. “Why’re you out here?” Thomas asked, looking suspiciously at Jim. “First you tell me what you’re doing out here, all alone, sitting on this railing.” Jim had stopped about 2 or 3 feet away, just waiting for his chance.
    “My life sucks. Everything.. I’m working in the fields every waking moment.. And when I’m not in the fields, I’m failing school. My family’s just barely able to pay rent on the house. I’ve lost my touch.. No girl would even look at me unless someone told them to.. There’s just no point.” Jim nodded sadly. "I know how ya feel,” Jim said, leaning over the railing. “You want to know why I’m here?” Thomas nodded.
    “I just came back from Bahmuto. I’ve seen more than anyone should ever have to, and I’ve killed enough to make a watchlist or two.” Thomas asked, “Assassin? Gun-for-hire?” But Jim shook his head. “Pilot. And TV producer. You watch much TV?” Thomas smirked. “The only bit of entertainment we get is when Old Kerb Javi gets himself drunk on Saturday nights. Even if we did have TV service, no-one around here can afford it.”
    “That stinks. Well, I’ve had the privilege of working with a great bunch of kerbs; top notch. I’ve got it all, it seems, right? Well, this last week, I’ve been thinking about doing the same thing you are. You know why?” Thomas again shook his head. “Last week, my biggest fan in the whole world and one of my best friends saved me. He killed himself so that I could live.” Jim felt his throat closing up a bit. “Daang man.” Thomas’s eyes began to tear up a bit. “But you know how I’m getting through it?” Jim began inching closer.
    “I think of all the good that’s left in this world. Now there’s not that much now days mind, but I dig deep, deep down. I think of my parents. My friends. And I remember that they need me. Just like your friends and family need you.” Thomas began crying, and Jim was at the point where he could put his hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “Now I know you might think life’s not worth it. You might think that there’s nothing good left for you. But if I know anything, it’s that anyone who can run 9 miles without breaking a sweat has a gift.
    “Now, there are 2 ways this is going to end. One, You come over here with me and we talk where I’m not scared. Or two, you end up jumping.” Thomas’s sobs continued to shake him. “Now if you jump, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll live; it’s not that far down. But there’s no chance you’re ever going to run again. And right now, I think ruling’s all you’ve got left.” Thomas didn’t respond, but instead continued his crying. “So let’s get over on this side.”
    Jim started to lift Thomas up, but that did it. Thomas, with reactions like lightning, latched his foot to the gap between the railing, and clung on. Jim kicked Thomas’s foot as hard as he could, and the foot unlatched itself and the two tumbled to the ground, thankfully on the right side of the rails. Just then, a police car and an ambulance pulled up, red and blue lights illuminating the scene. The other pilots ran over to Jim, who was hugging Thomas and gently rubbing his back. “There there,” Jim whispered in a soothing tone. “It’s okay.. It’s okay.”

[DualDesertEagle]

3 hours ago, DarkOwl57 said:

 

@DualDesertEagle: Don't worry: Let's just say that in 18/19, you've got a bit of a surprise coming. Not gonna say more

K then, can't wait to see whatcha got in mind for me...

[DarkOwl57]

So Chapter 17. 3000 words.. References to video games. Everything a person could ask for! Oh, and of course the reoccurrence of a character  Hope everyone enjoys!

 

Chapter 17
Revenge

Time: 9:00am, 1 Week later
Location: The Lounge; KSC

    “LET’S GO!!!” Paddy exclaimed as he scored yet another goal in ISA Elite. “Dystrios 4, Celrepani United 3,” He smiled. “1 minute left,” He continued as play resumed. “It ain’t over yet..” Val muttered. The play restarted, and Val immediately went on the attack. Dodge here, Juke there.. She feinted left and cut back right to get past the second to last defender. She sprinted past, and-
    “COME ON!” Val shouted as a defender (controlled by Paddy) tackled her from behind. A loud whistle sounded from the speakers, and the clock stopped. “Haha penalty!” Paddy groaned and got ready. 5 seconds on the clock. All or nothing. Val lined up the shot, selected the placement, made the kick..
    “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!” Val danced around as the score went 4-4, and the penalty shootout. First up was Paddy. A beautiful strike placed the ball straight into the goal. 5-4. Now Val took the shot, which bounced off the post but into the goal nonetheless. Way too close. 5-5. Paddy made yet another, 6-5. Val sunk it right into the center between the keepers legs; 6-6. On this shot, Paddy missed; a beautiful dive from the Keeper. No Pressure. Val aimed for the top right corner. The kick… IT’S GOOD!
    “HAHA!!! CU 7, DYSTRIOS 6!!!” Val began doing a victory dance while singing “Championes, Championes, ole ole ole!!” At the top of her lungs. Just then, Gene walked into the room and took in the scene in front of him. “My guess is that she won?” He asked Paddy, who was holding his face in his hands in disbelief. “7-6! How?! I had a 3 point lead going into the half,” Paddy groaned in reply. “So that means me and Haydi are going up in the finals, right?” The KSC had been having an impromptu gaming tournament, and this had been the semifinal match. “I guess. But first, we’ve got a mission.” Everyone’s head shot up. The first mission since Tarkin… “Mission?” Val whispered. “So… Soon?”
    “Yup. A group of bombers is heading out to a city called Blackheart to bomb out some industrial factories. We’ve been assigned to provide air cover.” That name sounded familiar… Then, Val remembered and her face twisted into a half-evil grin. “Blackheart.. Isn’t that the place where-“ She started, before Gene cut her off. “Sush. Just…. No. Bad memories.” Gene smiled a bit, but Val could tell he was nervous about the whole thing.
    “Get ready. Mission briefing in 10 minutes.”

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Time: 9:15am
Location: Mission Control, KSC

    “So you won?” Haydi asked Val as they waited for Gene to get set up. “Yup. 7-6 on penalties. I wouldn’t have won if he wasn’t so desperate to keep me from scoring.” The two talked for a bit more- as did everyone else in the room- and finally Gene was ready. “Alright everyone, so you all know why we’re here. HQ has us escorting 10 bombers with 10,000 pounds of ordinance each to Blackheart City. We’re going to need as many as we can get. Volunteers?” Everyone raised their hand, including Jim. Gene counted off, but paused before getting to Jim. Then, he just skipped him.
    “Eleven should be enough. We’ll be flying the K-1's for this one; nothing too fancy. Anything that they’ll put up shouldn’t be a problem. Suit up. We take off in an hour.” The pilots dispersed, and Jim stomped over to Gene, fuming. “How. Dare. You,” He hissed. “You know I can do this. I’ve got to avenge Tar-“
    “That’s why I dropped you. Look. You’re a great pilot; everyone knows that. But your mind’s got to be in this! You can’t be thinking about Tark every second you’re up there!” The statement, which was supposed to calm Jim down, only made him angrier. “MY MIND IS FINE,” He spat. “I can focus just as well as you, just as well as Val, just as well as Ben. I can do this!” Gene looked down at his shoes.
    “I’m sorry buddy. But I can’t take that risk. If you’re not up to it, you’d get someone hurt or maybe even killed. I’ll see you after the mission.” Gene trudged out of the room, and Jim stood still, in the center of the room, alone.

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Time: 11:00am
Location: Deep in the heart of Klathu; About 10km away from Blackheart City

    “How far out are we?” Ben asked as they flew along. “Less than 20 minutes. Probably 15 or 16.” The fleet of fairly well-aged fighters seemed to float through the sky, where wings just a couple away from those of much larger bombers. “I think-“ Meg was about to say, before a spark pinged off her cockpit. “Ground fire?!” She exclaimed diving down and performing evasive maneuvers. “I think we’ve been spotted,” Val noted as they continued on, getting back into formation.
    “Attention all pilots. We’re preparing to begin the bombing run. Please stand clear of the bomb bay doors.” The fighter pilots watched in awe as 200 bombs released from the planes, falling down at over mach speed. “Contacts below,” Thompberry called out, and 11 fighters spun over and dove down to intercept the other planes.
    Val immediately caught onto the rear of one fighter. It was a 11 v 9 fight, but with the skill of the KSC pilots it might as well have been 111 v 9. Instantly, a missile had incinerated an enemy fighter, and one foolish enough to engage the bombers was shredded by the 3 .50 cal turrets. “Come here you…” Val aimed the gun, and the plane dove in evasive maneuvers. Here we go again.. Val caught up, and dove down to strike it like a falcon catching prey. She fired off a brief burst from the 20mm cannons, and the right wing was shredded off in a glorious shattering of bits and pieces on the fighter. It rolled over, and slammed into the ground, sending up a massive smoke cloud and fiery explosion.
    Meanwhile, Meg and Hans were teaming up on another in a fight that was now 11-6. Hans had fired off a quick burst and shattered an elevon, but Meg had done the critical damage; destroying an air intake and destroying most of the plane’s speed advantages. Closing in, Meg fired off a missile to quickly end it, and it severed the cockpit from the remaining fuselage.
    The rest of the fight had turned into a stalemate with the remaining 5 pilots proving an equal match to the K-1’s. 15 minutes into the standoff, Gene started taking some heavy fire. “I’m hit!” He spiraled away, assessing the damage. Just as things were looking hopeless for the team, a single plane stormed in at well over Mach speed. It descended on the lead fighter, spraying bullets and ripping off a wing. It fell to the ground in a massive, chest-rattling explosion almost a hundred meters high. Then, it blew out the second fighter with a missile; slicing it into bits, sending the enemy plane into the ground in two crumpled messes. Performing loop and dive and much more acrobatics, it ripped the remaining 3 apart; slugging them again and again without any fear.
    “YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHOOOOOO!!!!!” Jim shouted, spiraling down to deliver the final blow. “Jim!” Gene shouted over the radio from about a kilometer above them. “I told you to stay back!” The pilots formed up, and turned back home. “Uh.. Gene?” Val asked.
    “You’re kinda leaking fuel. Bad, actually. My windshield wipers can’t hardly keep up.” Val pulled away and instead climbed 5 meters above Gene’s newly ventilated plane. “You’re kidding me!” He shouted. “Ugh. I’m not going to make it. Actually… I can’t make it at all. I’ve got to ditch! Goddangit!” Gene handled down and aimed for a field. “We’ll send a chopper for you and the plane,” Meg said as they continued on. “Good luck, pal,” Hans added as the planes shot away. “Hey bud, I’m really sorry. But it just didn’t feel right.. you know?” Jim tried to apologize. “Ah it’s fine. You did a great job. Now get out of here before reinforcements show up.” Gene was about a hundred meters above the ground now, and preparing for landing. At 50 meters above the ground, he deployed the landing gear.
    But the plane refused to cooperate. Unbeknownst to Gene, the bullets from the enemy fighter had not only ruptured the fuel tanks, but it had also ruptured the Hydraulics Canister, which controlled landing gear, the RME system, control; everything. As soon as Gene touched the gear button, the last of the hydraulic fluid dripped out of the plane and without any of its control systems, the plane dropped to the ground. It dug into the ground; shooting up dirt and mud clods. Then, just because it was Gene’s luck, the plane went straight into a barbed-wire fence. The air intakes gobbled it up, and, of course, the rear of the plane erupted into flame as the final drops of remaining fuel and fluid ignited in a massive ball of flame. Flames shot out of the RME RCS ports, and the engine itself. Flames trailed out of the plane, looking like a car that had blown up and sending up a fairly massive smoke cloud. Gene activated the Engine Extinguisher, and black smoke was replaced by a white cloud trailing out of the engine and RME RCS ports. Finally, the plane finally slid to a smokey halt. Another happy landing, Gene thought as he popped open the canopy, and clambered out, stumbling over the lip of the cockpit. As he fell, a cow let out a loud “MOO!!” And bolted away through the jet-sized hole in the fence. “Sorry!” Gene called out, but the cow was long gone.
    The exterior was a mess. Almost every square inch of the fuselage’s bottom half was covered in mud. The RME ports were emitting a light black smoke, as were the air intakes. As Gene looked around, the battery canister fell out with a loud crash, which made Gene jump. As he spun around, he saw a small child. She couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12, and her mouth was open in shock. “Hi,” Gene said, putting his hand up in a wave. She stood there for a second, and turned around, screaming “MOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!” At the top of her lungs as she ran. 10 minutes later, while Gene was getting everything checked over and shutting down the cockpit systems, the kid came back with a kerbal about Gene’s age. “I told you he was real!” The child exclaimed, pointing at Gene. The older kerbal looked at him.
    “I swear to Kerbol, you again?!” She sighed in an exasperated tone. Gene turned, and hit his helmet on the canopy. As he was taking off the helmet (And associated radio cables), he had a mega flashback to his days in the NSKAC so many years ago. “Amanda?!” He gasped. He was smiling, but her face looked like he had punched her grandma.
    “What are you doing here?” She demanded. “Well if I had a choice I’d be up there.” Gene was definitely getting a “I hate your guts,” vibe instead of a happy, “Oh, come in you might be hurt,” from Amanda. “Look, a chopper’s coming in about 45 minutes. Could I hang out in your place until it gets here?” Amanda seemed to juggle the thought in her head, and finally sighed. “Fine. But keep your head down.”

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Time: 11:45am
Location: Outside Blackheart City, Klathu

    Gene opened the door, and skillfully avoided a flying metal pan. “Capitalist dog!” A kerbal shouted at him, grabbing another pan. She looked to be about Val’s age.. Maybe Haydi’s. She had a striking resemblance to Amanda. Except for the fact she looked madder than a hornet with serious anger management issues. Just as she warmed up for another throw, Amanda stepped in.
    “Would you stop that?!” She shouted as she grabbed the pan. “He’s.. You know.. One of them.” The other kerbal said “them” like you would “The Kraken,” or “The Plague”; as if it was this horrible thing you could catch and spread.
    “He’s also a friend. And no daughter of mine is about to cave in my friend’s head with a SuperCook Pan.” Amanda set the pan down on the counter, and sighed. “Gene, this is Lilly, my daughter. Lilly, General Gene Kerman- head of the KSC and crashing extraordinaire.” Gene waved, and hoped Lilly wouldn’t throw another Copper pan at his face. “I’m Daisy,” The kid said in a matter-of-factly tone.
    “We can’t let him stay here!” Lilly exclaimed, already peeking out the window. “They’ll find him, and they’ll find us!” Amanda sighed. “He’ll be gone in 30 minutes. Just-“ Lilly interrupted. “He’s a POW! If we turn him in, we won’t get arrested! I’m trying to save u-“ Amanda snapped, “JUST SHUT UP! Okay?! His ride’s going to be here soon. So just… quiet. Please.” Lilly huffed and stomped out of the house, muttering something about “Feeding the pigs.” Before she went out, her foot went up and kicked Gene in the shin, making him hobble over to a chair. With a triumphant smile, she closed the door.
    “So what’s the idea, wrecking our field?” 2 sets of eyes stared at Gene. “Long story..” Gene blushed a bit. “Basically, a fighter shot out most of my fuel. When I tried to land, I ran out of Hydraulic Fluid and the gear just stopped. So… yeah.” Daisy’s eyes lit up. “You mean that’s got retractable landing gear? Awesome!” Gene smiled a bit. “Oh it’s got way more than that! Have you ever heard of the ‘M’ Program? Or the K-1?”
    “She loves anything that flies, drives, floats, or basically moves. She knows more about the NSK’s planes than most adults do,” Amanda said with a happy smile. “My little engineer.” Gene looked down at Daisy. “You want to see the plane?” He asked. Daisy’s face lit up like a neon sign. “Really?!” She asked, bouncing up and down in excitement. “Ah sure, why not? I mean there’s not much of it left, but if you want..” Amanda nodded. “Go ahead. Nothing better to do around here anyways.”

…

    “So this is the main wing right here,” Gene said, pointing to the fairly damaged, singed, beat-up wing. The RME ports were still slightly smoking. “So this is a RCS port. Now we’ve contacted a company called Quiztech, and they’ve supplied us with these ports. Now usually, RCS ports use monopropellant as fuel. However, these ports use the air. If you look up at the front..” Gene walked over and put his hand on the intake attached to the cockpit, which was pretty shredded by the barbed wire. “So the air comes in here.” Gene began running his hand over the side of the plane. “And then, inside the plane, the air is channeled through different passageways. Now if we don’t need the system, the air goes straight to the engine back there. But when we do need it, channels open and close, pushing the air to the ports. Then the air pushes the port down, which helps our control.” Daisy nodded, and asked “So why didn’t it work when you were landing?” Gene took her to the middle of the plane, where the hydraulic control box was. The side was shredded, and the box was visibly showing.
    “So normally, this box is full of fluid, which controls the wings, canards, elevators, the landing gear, and the RCS system. Now in a battle a few minutes ago, this box got shot, and it leaked. By the time I had gotten to landing, I was out of fuel. The gear didn’t deploy, RME stopped working; everything. Basically, without this fluid, I’m not going anywhere.” Daisy accepted the explanation.
    “You know, I get that everyone likes the K-1 and M-13 and everything, but I’ve heard that the guns and missiles like to jam something awful during High-G turns. Also, due to the huge amount of ammo, it’s super heavy; kinda similar to the A-11. And, due to the single-engine configuration, it’s really easy to cripple. Meanwhile, with double-engine fighters like the F-22, or the F/A-18, the planes have a backup in case of engine failure.” Gene smiled.
    As the two talked about different fighters and their pro/con list, a dull, loud thumping noise came in over the forest tree-tops. Gene looked up, and a massive CH109 helicopter burst up out of the forest like a majestic flying whale of a vehicle. The plane had 4 ginormous rotors, used almost all Mark 3 parts, and Daisy looked like she would pass out from surprise.
    “What is that thing?!” She exclaimed, her hair blowing around in the downwash. “That’s my ticket home,” Gene smiled, watching the thing larger than the Astronaut Complex extended the gear and touched down in the field, pushing down every blade of wheat and grass in a 500 meter radius. The rotors shut down, and the cargo hold opened up.
    “Afternoon, General,” the cargo manager waved, looking at the plane. “Everything alright?” He looked at Amanda and Daisy, and then over to the plane. “A bit dinged up, but I’ve been worse. Back in the Civil War, we had to ride it out all the way. I had my fair share of head troubles. I guess it speaks to the safety of these things..” They chatted some more, and a winch began pulling the plane into the massive bay. Then, without any warning at all, a frying pan flew inches over their heads.
    “Whoah!” A mechanic yelped as the pan rolled to a stop inside the bay. “I swear to kerb,” Amanda muttered, before shouting “LILLY!!” At the top of her lungs. “Die Capitalists!!!” She yelled, flinging pans all over. Gene dodged them all, but the manager bought one to the foot, making him limp behind cover. After Lilly was out of pans, Amanda went over. “You better now?” Amanda asked in a sarcastic tone. Daisy was trying really hard not to laugh.
    “Alright guys, let’s get this going..” After 10 minutes, the crumpled plane had been folded up into the bay, and the chopper was ready for departure. “Well.. I guess this is it..” Gene said, feeling like he had so long ago. “Oh no.. Not this time.” Amanda appeared to pull a bag out of nowhere. “I’m coming with you this time.” Gene felt stunned, and then Daisy said “Yaay!!” And clapped. “Let me get my things.” Lilly looked absolutely livid.
    “We can’t go with them!” She protested, looking like she would give anything in the world to have an infinite supply of steel pans. Daisy had now run back, and was carrying a small duffel bag. Quick as a flash, she had zipped into the passenger compartment and was strapping in. “They’re the enemy. You know, the side that’s been bombing the daylights out of our country?” Amanda rolled her eyes.
    “Get in the thing,” She demanded. After much struggling, yelling, scuffling, and some major improvisation, the group had managed to Duck Tape Lilly to the seat. However, just as the final cargo checks were being made, she began shouting out Klathu propaganda. “Tape please?” Amanda asked in a fairly peeved tone. Daisy handed her the roll, and Amanda began pulling.
    “YOU’LL NEVER WIN!!!” Lilly shouted. “THE GLORIOUS FORCES OF TW- MMMM! MUHHHMMM!!! MMMMMMM!!” Her voice muffled as the tape covered her mouth. The pilot walked back and made sure everyone was ready. “Everyone good here?” He asked after looking around to make sure there weren’t any issues in the cargo bay. Lilly shook her head so hard it looked like it might come off, but when everyone said yes, the pilot went back to the cockpit.
    He stopped before opening the door. Then, he heard a noise. It sounded like a soft whimper. Then, Daisy’s package wiggled. She immediately covered the opening of the box with her hands, and put on her best innocent smile. The pilot shook his head, and went into the cockpit. The engines fired, and began spinning. As the blades reached maximum velocity, the building-sized machine throttled up, and began lifting up. “This is so cool!” Daisy exclaimed as the craft turned towards home.

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Time: 1:00pm (1300 Hours)
Location: About 20km south of the Klathu Border; UK

    Gene looked down at the trees and rocks slowly passing underneath them. There was something special about flying at mach speed, but there’s definitely something to be said about flying slow and steady. Kinda like driving actually. Days was holding a package tightly, trying not to let it slip open. Then, it barked. Gene jumped back in surprise, and Amanda looked equally shocked.
    “Honey,” Amanda said in a sweet tone. “What’s in the box?” Daisy looked like she had just been caught sneaking cookies from the jar. “Uh… Clothes?” She offered. Just then, a spot of turbulence rattled the chopper, and Daisy dropped the box. It burst open, and a small brown puppy leaped out, yipping and bouncing around. Amanda glared.
    “I couldn’t just leave him!” Daisy said, blushing a bit. Gene tried to look back out the window, but then he was bombarded by a soft, brown ball of happy, slobbery energy. 10 minutes later, the pilot came over the intercom. “Alright everyone, we’re going to be landing at the KSC shortly. Please buckle in, and prepare for touchdown.” Daisy wrangled in the puppy, and Gene smiled. “So what’s going to happen to us?” Amanda asked as all horizontal velocity was stopped. “Well isn’t it obvious?” Gene smirked. “Welcome to the Kerbal Space Center.”