Departe Kerbol - A story of exploration

[Poryy]

PROLOUGE:

It is the year 489 K.E. The Kerbal race has spread to every planet in their home solar system, and have self-sufficient colonies on Laythe and Duna. Only one area remains unexplored. The stars beyond Kerbol. This is the story of the imterstellar craft Krakensbane.

CHALTER ONE:

"Are you sure you read these star charts correctly?" Andan said as he looked at the Navigator's viewscreen.

"Yes,yes, I am sure." The Navigator, Sonbo Kerman said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because on the map Kerbol is North, and we're supposed to be heading away from it, but the computer says we are traveling North."

"Do you even read?"

"Yes. I have read Kerman, and even some Kermol."

"That was rhetorical. What I was actually going to say was that there is no North in space. Look out the window. We passed Eeloo a day ago. Do you honestly think that we could even see Kerbol from here?"

"No, but..."

The Captain, Ronbart Kerbwin, ducked into the habitat module.

"Ladies, ladies. You're both pretty. Now sit up and help Sigly. He's detecting an anomaly on Sensors."

Andan and Sonbo got to their feet and walked into the short, transparent tube connecting the Engine module and the Habitats. Andan quickly dodged a thrown spanner when he entered the Engineering sphere.

"Hey! Watch it! You scared the almighty Kerb outta me!" Yelped Sigly. "I was just on Sensors. I saw some kinda negative space wedgie on the screen, but it's gone. Musta just been an asteroid or some other ball O' dirt."

Sonbo shrugged and turned to leave. Andan and the Captain had both vanished, leaving him alone in the sphere. "Not so fast. I heard ya guys arguing. You gotta take it easy. We're on a twenty-year mission and the last thing we need is drama between crew members." Sonbo opened his mouth to argue, but Sigly cut him off again. "I'm serious. If you keep arguing the Captain'll stick you in Storage for a week with nothing to eat but blue mush. And I know you hate blueberry."

Sonbo fled the Engineering sphere as fast as his legs would carry him. Behind him, Sigly frowned and began working on the Warp engines.

A hundred light years distant, Palinev slept, the numbers repeating themselves constantly. 43, 17, 92, 84, 116... 43 17 92 84 116... 43179284116. He awoke with a start from his dream, a dream of a starship named Krakensbane and her crew. He suddenly felt hungry and crossed the hall to an order port. "Blueberries." He clearly said. Within a minute, the slot near the port spat out a plain gray bar. He popped it into his mouth. Blueberry. "Altogether too mushy." He thought, and went back to sleep.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Poryy

[NASAFanboy]

PROLOUGE:

It is the year 489 K.E. The Kerbal race has spread to every planet in their home solar system, and have self-sufficient colonies on Laythe and Duna. Only one area remains unexplored. The stars beyond Kerbol. This is the story of the imterstellar craft Krakensbane.

CHALTER ONE:

"Are you sure you read these star charts correctly?" Andan said as he looked at the Navigator's viewscreen.

"Yes,yes, I am sure." The Navigator, Sonbo Kerman said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because on the map Kerbol is North, and we're supposed to be heading away from it, but the computer says we are traveling North."

"Do you even read?"

"Yes. I have read Kerman, and even some Kermol."

"That was rhetorical. What I was actually going to say was that there is no North in space. Look out the window. We passed Eeloo a day ago. Do you honestly think that we could even see Kerbol from here?"

"No, but..."

The Captain, Ronbart Kerbwin, ducked into the habitat module.

"Ladies, ladies. You're both pretty. Now sit up and help Sigly. He's detecting an anomaly on Sensors."

Andan and Sonbo got to their feet and walked into the short, transparent tube connecting the Engine module and the Habitats. Andan quickly dodged a thrown spanner when he entered the Engineering sphere.

"Hey! Watch it! You scared the almighty Kerb outta me!" Yelped Sigly. "I was just on Sensors. I saw some kinda negative space wedgie on the screen, but it's gone. Musta just been an asteroid or some other ball O' dirt."

Sonbo shrugged and turned to leave. Andan and the Captain had both vanished, leaving him alone in the sphere. "Not so fast. I heard ya guys arguing. You gotta take it easy. We're on a twenty-year mission and the last thing we need is drama between crew members." Sonbo opened his mouth to argue, but Sigly cut him off again. "I'm serious. If you keep arguing the Captain'll stick you in Storage for a week with nothing to eat but blue mush. And I know you hate blueberry."

Sonbo fled the Engineering sphere as fast as his legs would carry him. Behind him, Sigly frowned and began working on the Warp engines.

A hundred light years distant, Palinev slept, the numbers repeating themselves constantly. 43, 17, 92, 84, 116... 43 17 92 84 116... 43179284116. He awoke with a start from his dream, a dream of a starship named Krakensbane and her crew. He suddenly felt hungry and crossed the hall to an order port. "Blueberries." He clearly said. Within a minute, the slot near the port spat out a plain gray bar. He popped it into his mouth. Blueberry. "Altogether too mushy." He thought, and went back to sleep.

I like it!

Keep going. I'm going to assume that First Contact is on its way!

[Poryy]

I like it!

Keep going. I'm going to assume that First Contact is on its way!

I will, and I won't spoil anything.

[Poryy]

CHAPTER TWO:

The Krakensbane came out of Lightspeed with a sound like tortured metal. The lights flickered once and turned on. The primary engines activated, pushing the venerable ship into an intercept course with it's target.

"Alright. Listen up. Our target is a planet called Terrue. We have achieved intercept course. Sigly. Start transmitting the test pattern. Andan, start sciencing. Sonbo, start navigating." Ronbart shut his mouth and moved a meter, allowing the crew to make their hasty exits from the central hab.

Sigly began to set up the high-gain antenna. He unspooled a length of wire and plugged it in, then stepped backwards. Andan was standing behind him.

"What is the 'test transmission' Ronbart was talking about?'

"Kerb! It's just a sequence of numbers. Emm... 43179284116."

"That's what I thought." Said Andan, and left the Engineering sphere.

The transmission started. The numerical sequence played in all directions, traveling further and further each milisecond.

A transmission was received back.

"cine esti tu? de ce ești pe această frecvență?"

"Greetings from Kerbin. We are Kerbals. We are peaceful."

"Repet, de ce folosind acest canal?!? confirma identitatea!"

Sigly shouted in exhilaration. "Yes!" This was it! He had found alien life! Would they be like the comics? Would they...?

A figure appeared near him, ripping a hole in time and space. The figure held out it's hand and Sigly looked at it, unsure of what to do.

"I am Palinev."

The figure explained in perfect Kerbalese.

"They cannot hear you. The time is not right. Remember this, Sigly Kermol. All actions have consequences."

Reality warped and twisted along some fundamental line, using time itself to open a space between universes. The figure disappeared, leaving nothing but a sharp stink of ozone.

Palinev returned to his dream, the numbers flowing through his head like a flood. 43179284116. 43179284116. 4317928411643179284116. The figure on his dream turned directly towards him. "Remember, Irsain Palinev, all actions have consequences.

Reality warped and twisted along some fundamental line, using time itself to open a space between universes. Sigly Kermol disappeared, leaving behind only a sharp stink of ozone. Palinev sat up, thrashing as blood poured from his nose onto the gray carpeted floor.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Poryy

[Poryy]

"Crazy story, huh guys?" Sigly said after repeating what had happened the last night. He chuckled weakly, but stopped when he saw everyone else staring at him, mouths open in shock.

"Stop." A quiet voice spoke up through the stunned silence. The Captain stood up.

"We aren't ready for first contact. Prepare to return to Kerbin. Andan, run the last tests. There was never any life here, got it?"

"But Sir..." Andan began.

"Stop it. We are DONE with this mission. I don't care how you fix the data, just make it look good."

"No. You're done. You clearly have no idea how important this mission is to the rest of us. You've done nothing but moan and complain for 3 months. I am proclaiming you unfit for command under KEF edict ten-ninety-two."

"I... I..."

"Chief Engineer, remove this sorry specimen from my sight. This mission will continue."

Ronbart Kerbwin, KEF ensign, panicked. He kicked Sigly aside and reached for the revolver he carried under his tunic. He raised it and in one deft gesture shot Andan. But Ronbart was no longer carrying the gun. Andan, with a practiced arm used skill gained from a thousand tests and dissections to snatch it. He spun it around, and with a colossal *BOOM* The .44 bullet smashed through Ronbart's face.

Andan looked down at the sad corpse of the disgraced captain. "Dismissed, ensign."

Palinev screamed in pain as the psychostigmatic wound appeared on his forehead. Only the numbers comforted him, and he stumbled out the door towards the exit of his home. He prepared to run, and stopped. The wound in his forehead was shrinking before his eyes, blood reversing it's course against gravity to flow back into his veins. Within a minute, he was completely healed. He took off in a sprint towards the spaceport.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Poryy

[Poryy]

Andan sat by the window, stating at the latest experimental data recorded by his experiments. He suddenly remembered the location of every particle in the universe, then forgot it instantly as his mind was scanned. He continued to stare out the tiny window. All he could think about was his first mission. He had flown by Jool, but after that brief moment of glory was never put on another mission. Except this one. This one was important. That was what Commander Geneny Kerman had said as he wished them Kermspeed before they lifted off in their crew shuttle.

It was important, because they were expendable.

The spaceport sat like a shining web on top of Vyrgyr Plateau. Above it hovered a massive white starliner, ready to accelerate into orbit. There was the sound of a massive gravity beam firing. The starliner shot upwards, pushed by the invisible lines of force being emitted by the pad below it. Within a minute it was out of Palinev's view. He walked through the perimeter wall of the 'Classifed' bay, and confronted a guard who was on station, nibbling on a grey food bar.

The guard stood up and raised his Beamer. "March! Out! This is Government property!" He barked. It was futile. Palinev teleported his heart 10,000 years into the future, instantly killing him. Palinev walked into the hanger, smashing more guards aside as they tried to stop him from reaching the hanger. Corposant crackled around his skin as he raised and lowered the speed of light around Beamer shots, and ripped holes in space-time to block projectiles. Within 5 minutes he was at the hanger bay. The latest and greatest starships awaited him. He chose one, and waited.

[KSK]

OK, colour me intrigued! A demi-god villain with some kind of psychic link to the Krakensbane crew and lots of odd coincidences between past and future. Very much looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[Poryy]

"Finally..." Sigly mused. "No negative space wedgies, no black holes, no ghosts."

After 3 days of staring at Sensors, he had finally made a map of the system, naming the star at the center Kenney, after a close friend of his. He had found 6 planets, including the one that the transmissions had originated from. He stared out the window at a small purple speck. Suddenly, Sonbo ran into the chamber, interrupting his musings.

"Sigly! SIGLY!"

"That's me."

"The planet with the aliens, a ship just left it's SOI!"

"Where's it going?"

"Right... Right here!"

The voice rang through the ship. It spoke High Kerbalese, with a Kechan accent.

"Hello, Andan, Sonbo, and Sigly. Goodbye, Ronbart."

Andan responded with steel in his voice. "Hello, alien. Dismiss with the theatrics."

"That's no way to greet me, Andan.

"Who or what are you?"

"I thought you were a scientist, Andan. I am disappointed. Well then. My friends call me Irsain, but you can call me Kerm."

"I disagree. You have not provided proof that you are inde-"

Palinev cut him off.

"I do the orders here. Now, you may know a certain Sigly Kermol...

Edited April 15, 2014 by Poryy

[Poryy]

Bumpski.

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