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We Who Witnessed [Chapter XIII - "New Beginnings"]


Kerbinchaser

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We Who Witnessed

A KSP Novel

Written by Lo var Lachland

The Lord Kraken tooketh the Kerbal and putteth on Kerbin to worketh it and care for it.   
 And the Lord Kraken Commanded the Kerbal, "You art free to roam Kerbin, but if 't be true thee enter the Garden of Nat'peh,   
 may the Kraken forsooth strike thee down, for thou has't disobeyed the Lord thy Kraken.  

But the Kerbal didst enter the Garden of Nat'peh, and lo, that Kerbal wast cursed by the Lord the Kraken, and banished to the surface world  
 to serveth the rest of his life in loneliness and fear of the mighty Lord his Kraken, for the Kraken rules all. 
Coequal after that Kerbal hadst been warned of the trembling power of the Lord his Kraken,
the Kerbal didst not obey and wast therefore still ill-fitted to the Kraken. From that day on,
the Kerbal wast looked on with distain by the other creatures and the Kerbal wast hath used as an example of obedience to the Lord thy Kraken.  

 

Table Of Contents: 

Prologue
Chapter I - Discovery
Chapter II - Awakening
Chapter III - Arrival
Chapter IV - Thoughts
Chapter V - Rift
Chapter VI - Juliet
Chapter VII - One Week Later
Chapter VIII - Aftermath
Chapter IX - USS James E. Williams
Chapter X - UKSS Edlu
Chapter XI - Lucy
Chapter XII - Creature
Chapter XIII - New Beginnings

Edited by Lo Var Lachland
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Prologue

In an old corrugated metal shack, about 75 miles from the nearest town, sat an old dog and his master. The smell of cherry tobacco filled the air as the heavy set man blew out two nicely shaped smoke rings. The "residence" they were in was about the size of a small bedroom. The man's belongings were strewn everywhere, with pots, pans, dishes, and other small objects resting in every open space. 

The small space was made even smaller by a large chest, like the one used at sea, which was sitting prominently in the middle of the room, being used as a table. The person sat on the floor to eat, and his dog ate outside from a small metal pan. Hanging from a peg in the roof sat a shortwave radio, which was on.

"This is the national weather service update for parts of the highlands. High winds and rain expected throughout the day. Temperatures will be in the upper 50s and winds will be 5 to 10 miles an hour. There is a small craft advisory for the coast of the Atlantic ocean near Virginia, Maryland, and parts of the District of Columbia. Wav..." *click*

The man switched off the radio and groaned, then very slowly set himself back in his chair. Puffing his last bit of tobacco, he ruffled his dog's fur, who was sleeping next to him, and put his smoking materials away. Yawning lightly, he set his head down on the back of the chair and slept.

 

near a large building, hundreds of miles away, stood a young man and his companion, a young woman. Standing together, they watched the sun set over the ocean. Surreal in color, the couple, hand in hand, watched as the star "dropped" before their eyes. The young adults, barely in their twenties, were drinking, which was illegal for their age. The male was also smoking, a legal activity but not a very smart one. 

The area around them was a very busy place, with people walking along the boardwalk late at night to take in the salty spray of the waves. However, to avoid detection from people and the police, the duo stood beneath the wooden structure, on the soft sand. Barefoot, they let the waves envelop their toes and wash them clean. 

Besides the drinks and cigarettes, the twosome were very happy with their current lives. They both had apartments, they were living in the middle class, they lived on a very nice stretch of beach, and they were madly in love. 

As the waves began to roll in with the tide, the two people dropped their drinks and ran into the water. Above them, other people, oblivious to the beauty going on below their feet, watched the waves, took pictures, and some even painted or drew the scene. It was a beautiful night, with the moon glistening over the sea. As the rough waves crashed onto the shining sand, the shore-birds ran along the beach and put their beaks into the soft seashore. Pelicans swooped in to catch the evening meal, and seagulls retired to their nests. It was a perfect day to recite the old saying. "Red at night, sailors delight."

The two lovebirds were scheduled to take a boat ride on the man's boat the next morning, so the sunset was a good sign. 

Unknown to them, on the boardwalk above their heads, stood an elder gentleman dreaming. Staring at the rising moon, he sketched a historic moment, and dated it July 20th, 1969. Finishing the drawing, he replaced his pen in his coat pocket and closed the notebook. Breathing in deeply, the man walked to the end of the boardwalk, where the ocean's spray misted anyone standing there. A "steady stream of salt," is how one visitor described the boardwalk's edge. Sitting down on the bench at the boundary of the wooden walkway, he wrapped his arms around the surface of the seat, which had been warn smooth by years of use. 

Setting his notebook beside him, the older gentleman settled down for an evening rest.

 

About 3 miles from the boardwalk, a middle aged man drove home after a Long day of work. He had been at the office for 12 hours that day, and driving home was a challenge. The radio played in the background.

"Another one bites the dust, another one bites the dust..." 

Rounding a corner in his corvette, the business man blinked and passed out. Suddenly, a large crunching sound and a horrible screech woke him as he slid into a ditch. 

Edited by Lo Var Lachland
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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

Chapter I
"Discovery"

 

The air smelled like sulfur. He rose and felt his head. A thick sticky liquid spilled onto his hand, and he quickly brought it in front of his face. He was alarmed to find blood covering his fingers and palm. He also felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, and realized that his vision was also being blurred by blood. Stumbling around he felt his seatbelt latch, and unclicked it. The car was completely crushed, the roof caved in all the way to the rear seats, the entire hood crumpled like a piece of paper, and the steering wheel was bent in half. His prized possession, a Corvette Stingray, was more than totaled. 

Grunting, the man reached behind him and groped for his phone. It had fallen between two seats, therefore making it impossible to reach. Slumping back into his seat, the man looked up at the broken roof and began yelling for help. Unfortunately, he had crashed on a winding country road, where only locals and the occasional lost traveller venture. He knew he had to stop the bleeding, or he would die from blood loss. Taking his shirt in his hands, he ripped it in half and using one hand and his teeth wrapped it around his head. 

As he began to tie an old napkin on his arm, he slipped into unconsciousness. What he would discover in his deep sleep would change his life forever. 
 

He awoke in a white room, resting on a bed. Nearby sat a man wearing a white suit, writing on a pad of paper. His head and arm were covered in bandages, and an IV line was in his wrist. Glancing around the room more, he noticed a dresser with multiple drawers. One was labeled "Snacks," while the other was labeled "Things." 

He groaned and glanced at the unknown figure, who looked up from his clipboard and grinned. "Aha! So he wakes!"

Trying to talk, the patient opened his mouth. "Gffh eefhh flurmenfork" 

Chucking, the suited gentleman signed his name on the clipboard and left the room. Now the poor victim was left alone to survey his surroundings more. He noticed that the main door had two handles, one slightly above the other. Taking note of this, he also spied a uniform hanging in a closet where the door was slightly ajar. Leaning over to get a better view, he realized that the clothes were much smaller than a normal human's, and it was also not proportionate, so it couldn't be a child's costume. Curiosity almost got him out of bed to investigate, but he was too weak to move.
 

Closing his eyes, he went back to sleep, only to suddenly wake up again, this time in a different room. This room was moving, and bumpy. Hearing faint sirens, the realization set in that it was an ambulance. Leaning over him a paramedic tried to get a good blood pressure reading, all the while reassuring the chap that he would be okay.

"Hold on fella. We'll get you out of this. Steven! I need 50 CCs of Morphine! This guy has gotta be in so much pain!"

Another paramedic appeared. 

"Alright buddy, we're gonna stick you real quick. This'll make the pain go away, all right? Hold on. Theeeere we go. It's in. Don, hand me that radio, will you?"

As the blood-covered patient began to feel numb, he was able to hear a final conversation. 

"Dispatch, unit 4-56." 

"Go ahead 4-56."

"We got a victim of a 1 car MVA, multiple lacerations to the head and leg. We'll be at Mercy Gen. in about...15 minutes. Have them prepare an OR and get a doc out at the Ambulance Bay, will you? This guy is a Stage 4 at this point. According to his driver's license, he's Darryl Whitman, 26 years old. He's an organ donor. Make note of that to the surgeon in case this guy doesn't make it. The police will fill you in on the Accident report."

"10-4 Unit 4-56. I'll advise the ER for you. Anything special you want me to mention to the doc?"

"Yeah. He has a compound fracture of his tibia. This thing Is bad. Bone went straight through. We managed to stabilize it but I can't believe how this guy is still alive. Also, there's some shrapnel lodged in his shoulder. Not that deep but it could have caused nerve damage. That's all for now. 4-56 Out."

"10-4, 4-56."

Now knowing his condition, the injured man passed out. 

 

 

 

Authors note:

Well this was the most fun I've ever had writing a chapter. I took from my knowledge of EMS and Medicine and supplemented it with the current plot. The little about the "uniform" is important though, so take note of that. Other than that, I'll see you in the next chapter!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. @kingstevenrules;) 

 

Edited by Lo Var Lachland
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Chapter II
"Awakening"

This time, the man awoke in a grass field. It was windy and cold, but the sun beat down on his face. A cold breeze whisked his hair and entered his nostrils, filling his head with chill. While this was happening, the ground began to shake. Startled, the fellow sat up sharply as it shook more and more. At the same time, he heard a faint rumbling, which got louder and louder. Looking south, he saw a pillar of smoke and flame rising from behind a mountain. Reasoning that it was a rocket, he observed it further. As it ascended, separate boosters began falling back towards the ground. 

Shielding his eyes from the sun and peering towards the dot in the sky, Darryl noticed that it was shaking quite hard, and as it began to disappear from sight, a massive fireball and a loud bang erupted in the cloudy sky. Startled, Darryl staggered back and watched with intrest, but worry, as hunks of metal began falling from the sky. Multiple smaller explosions started up as deposits of fuel in the shrapnel were lighting on fire. Out of the smoke came a small capsule with all three parachutes open. It slowly drifted while everything else settled. Hearing a faint "fhoop fhoop fhoop," Darryl turned to see a helicopter flying towards him at high speed. As it flew over and blew grass and dust everywhere, he noticed it had orange and white markings, which Darryl took as a coast guard machine. 

He decided to try and walk in the direction of the explosion. If this was a dream, why was he feeling cold and the breeze? Was it just his imagination? Would he be able to walk? Taking a deep breath, Darryl sent a signal to his brain to move his legs. Surprisingly, he began walking. Proud of himself, the long trek began towards the crash site. 

All the while, Darryl tried to remember what had happened before this. Unfortunately, he couldn't recall anything that happened since before he woke up. He knew that he was experiencing some sort of amnesia, but without a doctor to diagnose it, he didn't know how serious it was. Suddenly, the man stopped and reached into his back pocket. Pulling out his phone, he quickly went to his "photos" folder. As he went through his photos from the last week, his memory slowly returned. 

"Yes, that's me...At the bar...There's A..Al..Al..C...Alice...I see Jack...Oh! Here's a picture of my house..."

Darryl smiled at his genius. His phone. Of course his phone. That could get him out of this if it wasn't a dream. He checked. No service. Kinda cliche, but he had other options. He would have to find some sort of building. The smoke ahead was getting thicker and thicker as he approached a hill. 

Cresting the hill, he could now see the entirety of the rocket crash. Debris was strewn everywhere, and fiery hunks of metal lay al over the valley. Various helicopters and off-road vehicles were maneuvering around the scene, and various dots, which Darry took as people; were moving about. 

Taking his phone out again, Darryl lay down in the dirt, and using his elbow as a bipod began zooming in using his camera. He noticed a few odd things. First, the "people" looked more like children than actual adults. He snapped a few pics of one of them, the closest to his position. The figure was wearing an orange vest over a camouflage uniform, and he had a flying helmet on. At the present moment, the 'soldier' was writing in a clipboard, while another uniformed official took pictures of the site next to him. Above them both an army-green helicopter hovered, occasionally changing it's position ever so slightly. As Darryl continued to snap photos, he heard another chopper arriving, this time much lower. Turning around, he was alarmed to find a helicopter hovering about 500 feet away from him. Looking at the open door in the side, a gleaming barrel of a rifle met his gaze. Scared and surprised, he dropped his phone and shot up his hands. 

The helicopter came almost directly over him, and members of the military began to rope down to him. As they approached, Darryl noticed that the soldiers were about 3 feet tall, and had...Green skin? He took a harder look. Yup, that's green skin. The higher ranking of the two soldiers watched him with a rifle slung over his chest, while the other bound his hands. Darryl could do nothing but watch, but after a minute he couldn't contain himself. 

"Who...Are you?"

The sergeant in front of him just checked his watch and said one word. 

"Kerbals."

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