Shadows of the Kraken: Remastered & The Lost Chapters

[CatastrophicFailure]

TheAdversary238 said:

I think horrifying realization. Reality is not what it seems. Must not post anymore if fear of being right.

As a reader, you can speculate about whatever you'd like here. I will neither confirm nor deny anything. Except Derpy. I take no responsibility for Derpy. He just kind of.... happened. You'll meet him shortly.

DMSP said:

This just gets more and more interesting.

Anyhow, back on topic, this fan work is very cool. The chapter when Dr. Kerman burns up (or does he?) gives me an incredible mental image of a rocket with 4 BACC SRBs and a Flt-800 with a 10 thruster Ion probe. Nice work!

Nothing that grand, I'm afraid. Forgot to add this to the original post. Based (very) loosely on the Japanese Mu launcher. Jeb with Awesome BroStashBeard for scale.

Next chapter getting split up a bit after all.

Edited June 7, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 22: Buford T. Kerman

Buford T. Kerman stared up at gleaming white rocket towering above him. He stood at the base of the crew tower next to Chadvey Kerman, his helmet under his arm. Buford T. Kerman was a wealthy industrialist from Exast, a propellium baron whose disposable income could pay the national debt of a rather large country. So vast was the fortune of Buford T. Kerman, that if it were all gathered into one spot and placed in a bin, Buford T. Kerman could swim through it like a short, pudgy, green dolphin. Even the laws of physics that said doing so would actually be quite impossible could be made to look the other way for Buford T. Kerman.

So it was really a fairly simple thing for Buford T. Kerman, or rather his concierge, to arrange a private tour of the space station, on extremely short notice, and with none other than the legendary Chadvey Kerman (no middle initial) along as his guide. It turns out administration officials could actually move quite quickly when obscene quantities of money were not only waved in their faces but also used to slap them around some. The flight had been arranged in only a few days, a few days before Buford T. Kerman had even been aware he was taking it.

There were only a couple of problems. First, Buford T. Kerman's truly ridiculous wealth existed only on paper; and even then only because of math so fuzzy one could amass a comparable fortune selling it to small, wide-eyed children around a certain spring holiday, after which it would end up in a shelter and appear in heart-wrenching commercials featuring washed up musicians. Second, until he showed up at the Space Center with Chadvey, no one had ever actually seen Buford T. Kerman, despite his signature being all over several important documents. Buford T. Kerman looked an awful lot like Edgas Kerman (middle initial J) with a truly awesome but fake mustache.

Buford T. Kerman had been advised to say as little as possible during the lengthy check in process at the Kerbonaut Center, while ID's were examined, documents were verified, extremely accelerated training on Kerbonaut things was administered... and large wads of real money surreptitiously changed hands. The staff had likewise been admonished that Buford T. Kerman was a Kerbal of few words, that he shouldn't be pestered with matters of such banality, and any questions should instead be directed towards his highly respected and quite infallible chaperon, Chadvey Kerman, who was after all still the Deputy Director of Flight Operations, and pestering him might be deleterious to one's career at the Space Center. Chadvey himself was all smiles and handshakes, of course, hi-how-are-the-kids-grow-up-so-fast-don't-they-say-hi-to-the-missus-for-me and other such banter like a politician on the campaign trail. By the time Buford T. Kerman and his escort had passed through any room, no one was quite sure what had just happened. At long last the pair were dressed down, suited up, and shuffled off onto the short bus that would take them to the launch pad. By the time he was looking up at the massive white rocket, Buford T. Kerman was looking decidedly green...er.

A cadre of white-clad technicians with hair nets checked them over, checked them again, then crammed them into the small elevator for the slow ride up. Buford T. Kerman watched the rocket's smooth flank slide by. MUL/Colossus-R5. It was the old workhorse of the space program. Over many dozens of launches, the Colossus booster had launched everything from Kerbals to interplanetary probes, and had received only minor revisions since its inception back in the early days of crewed flight. Not to be confused with crude flight, which was also quite common at the time. The Manned Utility Launch spacecraft, affectionately called the "mule," had been the first KSA craft to carry more than a single Kerbal. It was cramped, utilitarian, and dated, but reliable as the dawn.

As the elevator reached the final level, they were surprised by the sight of a lone helmetless Kerbal in a space suit coming at them with an outstretched hand and very eager face.

"Hi guys!" He said, with a high-pitched, nasally, slightly gravely voice, "I'm Captain Kerman and I'll be your pilot today, ayuh!"

Pilot? Buford T. Kerman, not knowing what else to do, took the stranger's hand. "Um, hi...." He glanced at the name patch, "Derpy Kerman?"

In less than an instant, that friendly, eager face was replaced by a heavy-lidded frown, with the chin just slightly raised, the voice several octaves lower.

"It's prrrronounced..," a hint of trill on the 'r', "...Door-PAY. It's Dachlandish."

Ah, Dachland. Land of cheese, wine, and unnecessary letters.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry," said Buford T. Kerman, feeling quite red, "you don't sound Dachlandish." The grip on his hand suddenly increased to crushing levels.

"I'm not, the name is." Then, quicker than an electron changes orbitals, the eager, happy, ear-grating voice was back, and Derpy was shaking Chadvey's hand like a small, furry quadruped might shake a favorite chew toy, "oh and I'm ever so glad to meet you sir ayuh its a real real honor I'm your biggest fan really I am I've read all your books overnovernover again even the ones without pictures and I can't believe I'm really here shaking your hand such an honor sir..."

Buford T. Kerman stood there for a moment, his hand sticking out into thin air and throbbing, not quite comprehending. Derpy didn't seem to breathe. And Chadvey looked... troubled. More troubled than one should look with a small, obnoxious pest viciously attacking one's hand, that is. It was subtle, but it was there. With difficulty, Chadvey finally managed to free his brutalized extremity while remaining diplomatic.

"Well now, the honor's all mine lad, always glad to meet a reader," he managed to cut in, "tell me, er, Captain, memory's a bit foggy after bein' b'hind a desk so long, er, how many flights is this for ya?"

"Oh this'll be my very first flight I'm so excited I've been with the corps forevernevernever but never made an actual mission my crewmates always got sick right before launch and never made it through a countdown but I dunno why I've never been sick a single day in my life ayuh I always show up for training every single day and I know everything so don't you worry I'll be the very bestest pilot you ev--" he stopped in mid screech without slowing down first and looked at his watch.

"Ohboyohboyohboy almost time now I gotta go start getting ready don't worry the Q-tips will you get you guys all taken care of and then we're all going to space today ayuh WOO HOO!" And with that he disappeared through the outer hatch in the launch shroud and into the capsule.

Buford T. Kerman and Chadvey Kerman both stood there looking dumbfounded. A moment later, the elevator returned carrying the white-suited technicians with their white hair caps. Chadvey leaned in next to Buford T. Kerman's ear, "stay in character this time," and immediately took one of the technicians aside and began speaking to him very animatedly. Buford T. Kerman was shortly swept up in yet another flurry of activity as he was herded into the pod.

He had some idea why Derpy's former crewmates came down with such sudden illnesses. He was starting to consider kicking Derpy out of the hatch as soon as the opportunity presented its self.

Edited June 7, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 23: 'So Much Universe, and So Little Time.'

 

Dedicated to Sir Terry Pratchett

April 28, 1948 - March 12, 2015

AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buford T. Kerman actually did know the procedure. Even after all these years, having done it over and over again in training, it never left. But he was supposed to remain inconspicuous, as inconspicuous as a multi-bazillionaire foreigner with a Truly Awesome but Fake mustache could be, anyway, so he sat back, and let things happen to him. He was wedged into the couch farthest from the hatch, away from the most important buttons. Hoses were connected, lines were purged, straps were fastened, and cords were plugged, all by a swarm of technicians who somehow managed to move with otherworldly grace and ease in the claustrophobic capsule. Finally his helmet was secured, then with a rap on the top and a 'thumbs up," they moved on to Chadvey in the center couch.

Chadvey, however, would have none of it. Buford T. Kerman couldn't hear a thing through his helmet, but he saw hands batted away, connections made slowly and awkwardly, and someone lecturing someone on telling someone how to do someone's job. With a tap on the top, another 'thumbs up,' and a slightly forced smile, the technicians simply... left. A moment later, Derpy swung in with feline fluidity, plopping into the couch next to the hatch. His mouth was moving, but Buford T. Kerman very thankfully could not hear. To his continued shock, however, Derpy seemed to flow like liquid. He moved with an agility and precision that made the technicians just look, well, derpy. Within moments, all his connections were secured, most without even looking, and the tense-looking technician just outside the hatchway breathed a visible sigh of relief once Derpy's helmet was on and the foul emanations ceased. This also marked the end of Buford T. Kerman's comfort, however, as a moment later the intercom sparked to life.

"...wow this is so cool can't believe this is finally happening oh yeah oh yeah feel it unh unh we're goin' into spa-ace we're goin' into spa-ace..."

A surprising relief came shortly, as the radio now crackled to life from Launch Control, "good afternoon, gentlekerbs, radio check please."

And once again, quick as a quantum state change, Derpy changed, his voice becoming calm, professional, and several octaves lower.

"Pilot Door-PAY Kerman, on radio, five by five."

"Good copy pilot."

And just as quickly, Derpy was back to his incessant, nasally banter.

Chadvey followed, "Chadvey Kerman, on radio, five by five."

"Good copy Chadvey."

Stay in character this time.

Buford T. Kerman reached deep down, spoke from the back of his throat in a deep, loud voice, and did his best Exast drawl.

"Byoooofawd Teeeeeee Kehrman, awn the radioo."

Chadvey and Derpy both sat up slightly in their seats to stare at him, open mouthed, one lip slightly curled. Each raising an eye... bulge.

Buford T. Kerman turned a new and previously undocumented shade of green.

A technician quickly appeared and saved him any further embarrassment. The tech pointed at his wrist, raised a single finger, gave a final 'thumbs up,' then disappeared out the hatch. A moment later it was shut with a thud that could be heard even with helmets on, and just after that, the outer hatch in the launch shroud was bolted closed, shutting out the last bits of daylight. The capsule was now lit only by its interior lights. Buford T. Kerman looked out his small, round window, seeing only the textured inner surface of the composite shroud. He laid his head back on the headrest of his couch and took a deep breath, now feeling very much like canned seafood. He'd forgotten how much he hated space travel. He glanced at the mission clock.

T-1:00:00. One hour till liftoff. Buford T. Kerman strained and looked over at the checklists Derpy was loudly and madly running through. Callsign for the day was 'Bounty'.

He rolled his eyes. Yesterday was "Plenty." Though he supposed it could be worse. Tomorrow was "Cornucopia." Engineers. Pfft.

The radio crackled to life, "this is Launch Control. Mission control at GNN reports online. We are ready to begin."

"This is Bounty," replied Derpy with his bizarre pilot voice, "preliminary checkout complete, ready to proceed." shift "ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy...."

"The clock is running at tee minus one hour. Launch crew reports pad clear, gantry clear, Bounty you are go to arm EDS, set abort mode zero."

From somewhere, Derpy produced a bright red T-shaped handle. He inserted it into a hole in the control panel, turned it 180 degrees, pushed it in slightly, flicked a small lever next to it and turned a knob.

"EDS is armed, mode zero." He said, then leaned over and also armed the emergency hatch release. The Emergency Detection System constantly monitored a multitude of the rocket's systems and sensors. Out-of-spec numbers on any one of them would cause the EDS to activate the large launch escape tower mounted to the shroud over the pod, pulling it away from the failing rocket to safety. Well, hopefully. Or the crew could pull the handle Derpy had just installed. Buford T. Kerman noticed it was conveniently just out of his reach. Chadvey could reach it easily enough if he had to, and-- wait, was Chadvey sleeping?

"Commencing fueling, confirm flow rates Bounty."

"Flow rates look good," Derpy said, watching gauges and flicking switches. Buford T. Kerman licked his dry lips with an even dryer tongue. At least that meant he couldn't taste that blasted... thing for now. Through his couch, he could feel the rocket groaning and pealing as its structure began to bear the weight of thousands of liters of highly explosive fuel. The core stage, in particular, burned an unorthodox mixture of liquid oxium and propellium hydroxide, instead of the more common pure propellium. This gave it a moderate boost in efficiency but was known to be... unstable. There had never been an in flight failure from it, but still. Buford T. Kerman again looked longingly towards the abort handle.

T-46:00

Derpy was demonstrating himself to be a surprisingly competent pilot, at least. Everything he did, he did with authority and confidence, no hesitation, before returning to his incessant blabbering during lulls in communications. Buford T. Kerman was just along as a passenger, he had no role to play, all he could do was watch and pray for deafness. But maybe he was being too hard on the guy. He did seem to know his stuff after all. Maybe--

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Derpy, waving his arms rhythmically in front of himself and gyrating in his couch, "doalittle dance! UHN! UHN! Goininto space! UHN! UHN! Go up tonight! UHN! UHN! Go up tonight!"

Nope, Derpy was going out the hatch. First chance. Right out the damn hatch.

"Bounty, verify guidance alignment and MechJeb AGAP to engage."

"Confirmed, guidance aligned, AGAP to engage."

Buford T. Kerman let his mind wander. The further it wandered from Derpy the better. The frayed reality sensation still followed him like a distant cloud. Was any of this really real? This morning he was in jail, now he was in a... rocket? He wondered if he was really sitting in a padded cell back at the Sanatorium having a psychotic episode. Chadvey seemed... too perfect. Showing up just in time to talk him back, but not soon enough to help Edmund. Or Billy. It all seemed very convenient. And now he was on a rocket to the space station? Dr. Kerman had warned him there was an adversary. A cunning one. And an advocate too. An angel in his pocket, a devil by his side. But which one was Chadvey? Or is this what madness felt like? There was Derpy too. Surely only a delusional mind could come up with him. Chadvey seemed surprised at his presence, like he'd been thrown in at the last minute by... someone else.

"Tee minus thirty minutes, weather?"

A different voice, "weather is go, skies clear surface winds calm, light high altitude clouds, winds aloft three two at one three zero. Less than twelve percent chance of exceeding flight constraints."

"Oh yeah! Oh yeah! No rain! No rain! Wootwoot!"

Buford T. Kerman felt like the already close walls of the pod were closing in. This had always been the worst part, this awful waiting. It had been bad enough when he'd had tasks and checklist to occupy his mind, with nothing at all to do, it was maddening. If he hadn't been crazy before, surely this would make him so. And to make matters worse, the taste was coming back. He thought Chadvey was snoring.

"Tee minus 10 minutes, clock is holding for final launch status check. Attention all stations, standby for final launch status check."

"BOOSTER?"

"GO"

"RETRO?"

"GO"

"FIDO?"

"GO"

"GUIDANCE?"

"GO"

"SURGEON?"

"GO"

"EECOM?"

"GO"

"GNC?"

"GO"

"CONTROL?"

"GO"

"INCO?"

"GO"

"FAO?"

"GO"

"CAPCOM?"

"GO"

"OTC?

"GO"

"TBC?"

"GO"

"PTC?"

"GO"

"ILA?"

"GO"

"ZILA?"

.....

"ZILA...?"

.....

"ZILA need you to report station readiness."

"ZILA is go."

"LRD?"

"GO"

"OMG?"

"GO"

"LOL?"

"GO"

"ROFL?"

"GO"

"GNN?"

"GO"

"RSO?"

"Range is clear, range is clear, you have a go"

"CDR?"

"Bounty is go!" shouted Derpy.

"All stations report 'GO' for launch."

"This is launch control, you have permission to launch. Terminal countdown has resumed at tee minus ten minutes.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Derpy's voice seemed to be reaching new levels of obnoxiousness as the count lowered, "IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! DANANANA, DANANANANA!"

Out the hatch. Right out the bloody hatch. If they lived that long.

Edited June 13, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[Ten Key]

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Derpy, waving his arms rhythmically in front of himself and gyrating in his couch, "doalittle dance! UHN! UHN! Goininto space! UHN! UHN! Go up tonight! UHN! UHN! Go up tonight!"

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

[KSK]

Likewise! Although I was giggling at:

"OMG?"

"GO"

"LOL?"

"GO"

"ROFL?"

"GO"

And yeah, this bit, together with the very... stilted guard when Chadvey turned up, sums up my thoughts - and reasons for my last post :

Chadvey seemed... too perfect. Showing up just in time to talk him back, but not soon enough to help Edmund. Or Billy. It all seemed very convenient.

[Ethanadams]

We is mission co trol messing with them and derpy Able to pilot even after swallowing the ratsquirrelthing?

yes he swallowed one that's why his breath is bad

swallowed it within 3 days to

might have something to do with the extreme by polar

if the other guy swallowed it to is he by polar like he went brain dead after killing the other guy.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Ethanadams

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 24: Lighting the Candle

"SEC to flight arm."

"SEC, check."

Eight minutes. Buford T. Kerman could feel the old familiar panic roiling in the back of his throat. He never let it overwhelm him, just Kerb'd up and dealt with it. But it was still unpleasant.

"Oh yeah! Gettin' real now!"

And not the only thing unpleasant. Derpy was getting more and more wound up. As soon as...

"Tee minus seven minutes, begin auto sequence start."

Derpy began laughing maniacally. The launch sequence was nearly fully automated from this point. Derpy had nothing else to do but make more and more noise and occasionally press a button. How on Kerbin could Chadvey be sleeping though that??

"Booster LOX purge."

"Booster purge.

"Core LOX purge."

"Core purge."

"Upper LOX purge."

"Upper purge."

"Tee minus five minutes, spacecraft to internal power."

Buford T. Kerman saw lights come and go on the control panel, felt the rocket groan and whine as fluids and gasses changed places. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Fuel tanks to flight pressure."

"RCS purge, nozzle check, tanks to flight pressure."

"Batt heaters off."

"Cantwaitcantwaitcantwait!"

"Firing command enable."

"Firing command on."

"We have the firing command."

"Tee minus two minutes."

"YES! YES! YES!"

Crap! Crap! Crap!

"Pull Q-ball cap."

"Terminate LOX replenish."

"Close topping valves."

"Closed."

"Close vent valves."

"Closed."

"Tee minus one minute."

Buford T. Kerman crossed his arms over his chest and grabbed his restraints tight. Derpy was punching at the air and ululating. Chadvey was snoring again. Loudly.

"Tee minus thirty seconds, abort to mode one."

Derpy reached up and turned a knob next to the abort handle another click, "it's happening! It's really happening!"

It's happening! It's really happening!

Let me out!

"Tee minus twenty seconds, start engine gimbal test."

"Tee minus fifteen seconds, activate sound suppression water."

"Tee minus ten seconds."

"YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

"Ignition sequence start."

Any further coherent thought from Buford T. Kerman was drowned out as the massive clusters of engines below roared into life. The sound was indescribable. Every atom in his body seemed to resonate and shudder like it would tear him apart. His hands, his feet, his jaw, every part of him trembled uncontrollably, whether or not it was from fear no longer mattered. The sheer power raging beneath was transcendent, the world drifted away and was consumed in noise and shaking and fire.

"Five"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Four."

"SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!"

"Three."

"GOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNG!"

"Two."

"Express elevator to heaven, boys!" Derpy somehow yelled above the din.

"One."

"GOING UP!"

"Liftoff."

One hundred and seventy meters below, pyrotechnic bolts detonated, separating the lugs that held the rocket to the launchpad against the tearing force of its twenty mighty engines. Microseconds later, as the beast crept a centimeter off its rests, more bolts fired, severing the umbilical cables, the arms then swinging and slamming into their bunkers with bone shattering force. Finally free from the surly grip of Kerbin, it lurched upwards with a shudder.

Derpy Kerman screamed with unbridled glee.

Buford T. Kerman just screamed.

"The clock is running, yaw program."

"We have yaw." Said Pilot-Derpy.

"Yeah baby! Go! Go! Go!

"Tee plus eight seconds, Bounty has cleared the tower. Handover to GNN."

Buford T. Kerman was trying very hard not to hyperventilate. Everything was noise and motion.

"Mission Control GNN has the ball," said a new voice on the radio, "telemetry looks good. Bounty, go for roll."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Now safely past the launch tower, the rising rocket slowly rolled to the proper attitude for the gravity turn.

"You spin me right round baby right round like a record baby...!"

Gaaaaaaaaaaaah, he was sitting in the loudest place in the world how could he possibly still hear Derpy?! That singing was not natural!

"Roll complete, pitch program."

"We are pitching." shift "Poyekhali!"

Acceleration began to build. Buford T. Kerman could feel himself getting heavier, being pushed down into his couch.

"Tee plus thirty-eight seconds, altitude five kilometers, downrange distance one kilometer, Bounty is supersonic."

The shaking was getting worse, increasing in frequency.

"Tee plus forty-two seconds, abort to mode two, all systems nominal."

Derpy turned the knob again, "it's nom-in-al it's nom-in-al wootwoot!"

"Tee plus fifty four seconds, altitude ten kilometers, downrange distance four kilometers, max Q at Mach 1.5."

"Fasternfasternfaster!"

The shaking and noise just kept building and building, crushing Buford T. Kerman against his couch.

"Tee plus one minute, twenty-six seconds, altitude twenty-five kilometers, downrange distance twenty kilometers, speed Mach 3.1, trajectory on course, twenty seconds to BECO."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! This is it!"

Buford T. Kerman could barely see the mission clock through the shaking, the press of acceleration was becoming painful, even his eyes felt heavy.

Just a little longer, just a little longer...

...44...45...46

There was a thunk and a jolt, and suddenly the noise and shaking dropped off to a low rumble. Outside, as the four giant PropelOx boosters neared the end of their fuel supply, they shut down in unison. Explosive bolts severed their struts to the core stage and small rocket motors pushed them away from the ascending stack. They briefly formed a cross shape behind the rocket before tumbling away as Bounty continued on her four main engines.

"Tee plus one minute, fifty three seconds, staging is good, boosters clear, altitude forty-two kilometers, downrange distance fifty kilometers."

"We're almost to space! We're almost to space! Yippieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Acceleration was starting to build again. It would reach over four and a half gees before the main engines cut out. Buford T. Kerman concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths. The propellium hydroxide main engines ran much smoother than the boosters. As long as they didn't explode. He could see the displays again. Now Derpy was singing something about a magic carpet ride. The scientist in him was morbidly fascinated. Surely the sounds coming from Derpy's mouth were a violation of the laws of acoustics, let alone the biological limitations of vocal cords. The practical Kerbal in him, however, was making a mental list of sharp things within easy reach he could jam in his own ears.

"Tee plus two minutes, forty-eight seconds, altitude seventy-nine kilometers, downrange distance one hundred fifty-seven kilometers, thirty seconds to MECO."

"Almost there! Almost there! Woooooooohoooooooo!"

Almost there. One more terror to endure before they made orbit. Or exploded. Buford T. Kerman looked out his window at the wall of the launch shroud.

"Tee plus three minutes eight seconds, ten seconds to MECO, mode three arm, jett arm."

"Copy, mode three arm, jett arm," said pilot-Derpy.

Just a little longer. Six seconds after MECO and staging. Always scared the life out of him. Then it would get better. Buford T. Kerman closed his eyes tight and ground his teeth.

"MECO in five... four... three... two... one...."

It felt like an explosion, the rocket lurched again. Half a second before the main engines shut off the upper stage engine fired with core stage still attached. Primacord then detonated the instant they did shut down, slicing the interstage apart and letting the upper stage fly free.

"I'M GONNA SEE SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!"

"Bounty, MECO and staging is good, set abort mode three prep for tower jett."

"Copy, go for jett." Derpy confirmed.

"Tower jett on my mark, Bounty. Three... two... one... LET IT GO!"

Buford T. Kerman's eyes shot open.

No...

Noise, fire, shudders.

NO.....!

Derpy opened his mouth.

Not that!

Derpy took a deep breath.

ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Sound.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Buford T. Kerman screamed the rest of the way to space.

Edited June 13, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[Ethanadams]

It floats

[Ethanadams]

What happened to that shiny rock that he gave to his daughter?

[HippieGold]

"ZILA?"

.....

"ZILA...?"

.....

"ZILA need you to report station readiness."

This reminds me of a launch poll video I watched where MILA wouldn't check in during the launch status check. We're we watching the same video?

[CatastrophicFailure]

What happened to that shiny rock that he gave to his daughter?

'tis not forgotten And that would be sister

This reminds me of a launch poll video I watched where MILA wouldn't check in during the launch status check. We're we watching the same video?

Yup that's the one. Came across that looking for launch polls and just couldn't pass it up. I mean seriously, WTH MILA??

(Zaroeka Island Launch Annex is the large island east & slightly north of KSC. Looked like a good place for a radar range.)

Edited March 16, 2015 by CatastrophicFailure

[billbobjebkirk]

Yup that's the one. Came across that looking for launch polls and just couldn't pass it up. I mean seriously, WTH MILA??

(Zaroeka Island Launch Annex is the large island east & slightly north of KSC. Looked like a good place for a radar range.)

Which video would that be?

[CatastrophicFailure]

Which video would that be?

Lesse here.....

About 14 seconds in... then they skip it, keep going, and MILA finally wakes up and chimes in like half a minute later.

Edited March 17, 2015 by CatastrophicFailure
Can we not embed youtube vids or something??

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 25: Space Oddity

"Tee plus four minutes, twenty seconds, SECO in twenty seconds, set abort mode four."

Derpy seemed to have finally run out of steam with that last note. That, or he had just crossed into the ultrasonic. Either way, Buford T. Kerman couldn't hear him anymore. Probably had permanent hearing damage. Might not hear anything ever again. Forget kicking Derpy out the hatch, he was gonna kill him. Wrap his fingers around that scrawny little neck and just squeeeeeeeeze until no more sound came out. Ever.

His thought was interrupted when the upper stage engines cut off. The push of acceleration was replaced by the unnerving sensation of weightlessness. Despite spending weeks on the space station, he had never really gotten used to it. It made the uncomfortable spot between his shoulder blades itch, feeling like he was falling and constantly bracing for an impact that never came. Chadvey's arms floated listlessly in front of him like a bad movie monster. He was still snoring.

"Telemetry looks good Bounty, go for staging."

"Bounty copies, staging..." said Pilot-Derpy.

Another thunk and jolt, and Bounty was at last flying freely. With no cargo carried beneath her on the upper stage, it would be left to drift back into the atmosphere and burn up, and Bounty would continue into orbit on her own tiny engine.

"Solar panels deployed, comms deployed, OGLE deployed, all lights green."

"Copy you Bounty. Set EDS to disarm, greens across the board, you are go for orbit. One minute twenty-six at tee plus six minutes thirty-three seconds."

Derpy started babbling again, turned a knob, flicked a lever, removed the big red abort handle from the console, and stowed it. A few moments later, he entered the numbers into the computer, and fired the small LV-909 engine, pushing Bounty the last bit into a stable orbit.

"We read OME cut at tee plus seven minutes, fifty-six seconds, orbit is good."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Derpy, reaching new levels of volume and ear damage, "THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!!!" He pounded his fists against the armrests of his couch, "I'M IN SPAAAACE!!!"

Chadvey suddenly snorted, "well, are we there yet?" He looked up, grinning widely.

"This is awesome, Mr. Kerman!" Derpy shouted, unbuckling his harness and smacking his faceplate loudly against the small window in the hatch, straining to see out, "this view is fantastic! We're just passing the terminator to the night side!"

Buford T. Kerman sighed, and started unbuckling his own harness. Chadvey put a gloved hand on his arm, gave the slightest shake of his head, loosened his own harness but did not remove it.

"I can't believe I finally made it! Ohboyohboyohboy! And to be here with you, Mr. Kerman," Derpy blathered, turning slightly towards Chadvey, "you've done it all and back over again and been to the Mün and Minmus and that was so cool I've always wanted to see Minmus man I wish I coulda been there with you--"

"So do I, lad, so do I," Chadvey cut in.

Derpy stopped in mid derp. "Really?" he said, looking confused.

"Aye," Chadvey reached past him, "then Ah wouldna haveta do this," and pulled the emergency hatch release.

There was a whump and a rush, and Derpy was just... gone... the end of his umbilical pointing accusingly out of the open hatch.

Buford T. Kerman stared in wide-eyed, open mouthed horror.

I... I wasn't actually going to...

"Bounty? Bounty respond... We read loss of cabin pressure, what's your status?"

Chadvey turned to him and placed a gloved finger against his faceplate over his lips. Shhhhhhhhhhh. He reached over and shut off the radio, then began quickly and methodically flipping switches and pulling circuit beakers.

He's.... He's powering down the ship? Why?

Finally he switched the main buss breakers, and the lights went out, leaving the pod illuminated only by small red emergency lights hidden away somewhere. To Buford T. Kerman's continued shock, Chadvey then switched off his own suit life support. He brought his face in close, mouthed the words, breathe shallow, another click, and then, utter silence.

Buford T. Kerman was surrounded by silence the likes of which he had never imagined. Without the annoying, familiar whisp of air over his face from the circulation fans, the only sound in the world was his own light breathing. He just stared at Chadvey, too shocked to even move. From somewhere, Chadvey produced a small, black box with two red-covered toggle switches. He flipped the cover on one, flipped the switch, and a small red light came on, glowing brightly in the darkness. He flipped the cover on the other, flipped the switch, there was a tingle, then even the emergency lights went out, and darkness swallowed the pod. It was a thick, heavy, constricting darkness like he'd known back on the Mün.

Buford T. Kerman tried to swallow with a dry throat. He could feel the darkness pressing in all around, squeezing him, choking him, trying to steal the breath from his lungs. He was sure he was about to panic, flail and scream use up the tiny bubble of air left in his suit, when Chadvey ever so gently gripped his helmet and moved his face to the small, round window next to him. Buford T. Kerman's breath did stop.

Shining there in the darkness outside the lonesome pod, the stars blazed like eternity. In their thousands upon thousands, they seemed to swarm down upon the ship like the beacons of an Army of Light, arriving in the last desperate moment to rescue the fortress defenders when the walls had fallen and all seemed lost. He had seen stars before, of course, had spent long hours observing them from the space station, but always sullied by light seeping in from somewhere. Never like this. Never with such power. They exploded before him with color and life. The thought occurred to him, that only in the darkest times could the light shine the brightest. For that fleeting moment, he lost himself, and for the first time in a very long time, the hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth.

Then the interior lights came back on, and Buford T. Kerman was drawn back to reality. Chadvey was quickly powering the pod's systems back on, obviously avoiding the radios and telemetry. Finally he dragged the floating umbilical back in, leaned out and pulled the hatch shut, and quickly disabled the emergency release. He turned some knobs, the reedy sound of rushing air indicating that cabin pressure had returned. Chadvey finally pulled his helmet off, then motioned to Buford T. Kerman, who suddenly realized he hadn't had any oxygen in quite some time. He quickly yanked his own helmet off and was left panting and sweating.

"Well, he was sure annoying, want he?" Said Chadvey with a grin.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Buford T. Kerman, waving his arms wildly in frustration, "I am sick! And tired! Of things just... happening! To me while I sit here with with a stupid look on my face! Just what in the five moons of Jool is going on here?!?"

"Now calm down, lad, I'll explain--" began Chadvey, holding his hands up in placation.

"You just killed Derpy!"

"Someone will be along for him sooner or later, it's a busy orbit y'know--"

"That was just a flight suit, he doesn't have any thrusters!"

"He'll be fine, lad, that suit's got enough air for a good day or two. 'Long as he shuts up."

"But why?!? You just..." kicked him out the hatch. Right out the bloody hatch.

"Wasna expecting him. Was supposed to be just us, someone must have thrown him in at the last minute. It was a sloppy thing to do, hurried, but Ah think that means we're actually ahead for once. Caught 'em by surprise, we did."

"Caught who?! What?! Why?!"

"Calm down lad, Ah'll explain what Ah can," Chadvey said as he began punching rendezvous numbers into the MechJeb terminal. Buford T. Kerman tried very hard to get his breathing under control.

"Ok, ok. Can... can I stop being Buford T. Kerman now?" He said, absently feeling at his Truly Awesome but fake mustache.

"Yes!" Chadvey said emphatically, firing the thrusters, "and take that ridiculous thing off!"

Edited June 22, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[monophonic]

I wouldn't really trust this Chadvey fella.

[CatastrophicFailure]

I wouldn't really trust this Chadvey fella.

Hmmm. The TvTropes are strong with this one.

[Ethanadams]

Derpy reminds me of squirt from finding nemo.

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 26: Revelations

Chadvey sighed, "Ah suppose a little knowledge is the least Ah owe ya at this point." Edgas gave him a blank look and crossed his arms. "Ah hardly even know where ta begin."

"How about at the beginning?" 

"Aye," Chadvey said, suddenly looking very tired, "the beginning. What do you remember about mah Mün landing?"

Edgas raised an eye... bulge at the older Kerbal.

"Humor an old Kerb," Chadvey said.

Edgas sighed and rolled his eyes. He could already feel the familiar threads of nausea creeping in. He hated microgravity. And the taste was coming back...

"Tranquilitis Planitia, on the far side. Chosen to give you the biggest, flattest area possible for such a dangerous one-Kerb landing. Geologically pretty boring, created communications difficulties, but was the quickest way to get someone on the Mün before the Ussaris did."

"Aye, that's what y've bin told, and the best lies always have a good helping of truth in them."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah wanted to land 250 clicks to the northwest, where it was even flatter. Insisted on it. Planned for it. But someone at the Agency was dead set on putting me down where Ah wound up. Documents were changed, others went missing, so by the time we actually got there it looked like that was the plan all along. Ah talked to a dozen different administrators after Ah got back, not a single one would own the change, everyone pointed somewhere else and had the paperwork ta prove it."

Or maybe you just landed where you wanted to, and covered it up later. "Ok, so what's the point?"

Chadvey rolled his eyes, "point is, as you pointed out, it was all about the competition back then. Had to get boots on the grounds before the other fellows did. There was a lot of secrecy, and secrecy makes it easy to hide more secrets. Nothing was broadcast live, it was all recorded and released after the fact once they were sure nothing had gone wrong. Far side of the Mün 'communication difficulties' makes that very convenient. So the point is, when Ah actually stepped out of the lander, only half a dozen people actually knew anything about it."

Edgas nodded him on.

"Jorrigh, the--" Chadvey's breath caught in mid-sentence, his eyes wandering, "he was t'be married, y'know," he said to no one in particular, "to a delightful Ussari gel. Used his flight mass allowance to bring along this little bear on a keychain. Said if he couldn't give her the Mün, he'd at least give her something that'd been round the Mün, When he--"

Chadvey tensed, as if realizing Edgas was there for the first time. It took him a moment to continue, "er, anyways, Jorrigh was the MUL pilot in orbit, relaying the signals. Then there was Jerdous and Burdous, as representatives of the corps, Gene, the Chief Administrator--" his voice tried to catch again, sheer will seeming to be all that prodded him on, "and the acting Flight Director, and a Robert Kerman from Layland Heavy Industries, who had provided the hardware under contract."

Wheels in Edgas's head began to turn. A year after the landing, Layland Heavy Industries merged with Wutani-Kokuki to become the mega-conglomerate Layland-Wutani. Who financed Edgas's own mission to the Mün.

"Gears clicking, aren't they?" said Chadvey with a wink, "bet this'll stop up the works. Right about the time the merger became official, Jorrigh died in the malfunction on the space station, and Gene died in a plane crash. A very convenient coincidence. Which, incidentally, set a policy in motion that, also very conveniently, prohibits the Flight Director, or any of his deputy staff, like yours truly, from being on the active roster..."

"...and if you're not on the active roster, even a deputy Flight Director needs a pilot," said Edgas, his eyes growing wide with realization.

"Aye! And guess when that policy just happened to go into effect, all the right paperwork in place the whole time, just 'overlooked.'"

Edgas didn't need to. "But wait, so what happened on the Mün then?"

"Ah found something. Two somethings, actually, but Ah brightened up b'fore Ah told anyone about the second. There on the surface, not far from where Ah landed, was a small pedestal. It was either very big, or very heavy, 'cause it was firm in the ground. No Kerbal could have put it there. Aye, Ah can see ya doubt mah word."

From somewhere, Chadvey produced a small object wrapped in a cloth, "this is what Ah didna tell them about. Sitting on that pedestal, Ah found this."

He handed the object to Edgas. He unwrapped it, so amazed he let the cloth float away. It was actually two objects, that looked like they had once been one. A pure white disk, about the size of Edgas's hand, perfectly smooth yet not shiny. It was broken in two by a jagged, random line with many sharp edges. Other than the crack, it looked absolutely pristine and perfect. It felt extremely light, which was an odd thing to think in microgravity, but there it was. What was it made of? Porcelain perhaps? And some sort of strange, angular markings etched along the rim of one half.

"What....?" Edgas wondered absently, turning the objects over in his hands.

"Ah took it to the lab, and the machine shop. Tried every drill bit, abrasive, cutting agent, chemical, multi-gigawatt laser, even a furnace that can melt titanium. Nothing so much as scratched the surface. Ah canna tell ya what's its made of 'cause Ah canna even get a sample to analyze. But Ah do believe what ya have in yer hands there, is absolutely indestructible."

Edgas moved it around in his hands. It felt so fragile.

"Ah ah, dunna try t' break it, you'll only hurt your thumbs. Dunna ask me how Ah know."

Edgas looked at him, then looked back at the jagged, broken edge. He considered running a finger along it, then thought the better. Instead he took one piece, reached out and dragged the broken edge against one of the titanium ribs of the pod. It cut a small gouge, just enough to draw up a long curl of metal.

"That's.... impossible...." Edgas said, still looking at it.

"No, that's just improbable," Chadvey said with a wink, "the truly impossible is yet t' come. You've noticed the writing there?"

Edgas looked more closely, "so it is writing? And you have no idea what it says, right?"

"Oh, but Ah do," Chadvey retorted, "took me years to transliterate it, because at first Ah didna believe what Ah had. Ah've scoured the historical record, that script does not exist anywhere, from any era. You're familiar with the ancient temple half buried in the desert?"

Edgas looked at him, confused. The Temple of Nahtdahtunkhamun, the Boy King, and his bride, Queen Ahmahoyep the Fertile. According to legend, she bore thirty-three sons, none of whom bore the slightest resemblance to Nahtdahtunkhamun. The succession crisis upon his death was... interesting, to say the least. But what did that have to do with...?

"When they were excavating the place," Chadvey continued, they found a stone tablet that had been used as building material, much older than the temple itself. Written on it was the same inscription in half a dozen different ancient languages. Nobody paid much attention to what was written on the back, since that one was already a dead language when the tablet was made."

Edgas ran his finger lightly over the straight, angular markings. Why did they seem so familiar?

"The script on the tablet, and on that disk, are similar, but not identical. But it was enough for me to glean the basic phonemes, to read the sounds, as it were. Ah thought Ah'd made a mistake, what Ah had transliterated couldn't possibly be right. Spent years tryin' prove meself wrong."

A connection kept floating around on the edge of Edgas's consciousness, like a light so dim it disappeared if you tried to look directly at it. He'd seen these shapes somewhere before. Wait, why did Chadvey keep saying...

"Transliterated?" He asked, "don't you mean translated?"

Chadvey had an odd twinkle in his eye, "get ready to have yer mind blown, lad. The writing is ancient, but the words it spells out..."

Edgas looked at him.

"Are in Kerblish."

Edgas's mouth dropped, "wait, what?! That's..."

"...impossible?"

"Yes!" They were speaking Kerblish right now, it couldn't be, because... "Kerblish is only a few hundred years old. That tablet would be--"

"Thousands. And if mah hunch is right, what ya have there," Chadvey said, pointing towards the disk, "is much, much older."

Edgas stared at the broken disc again. Where had he seen markings like that before? "What does it say?"

"'That is not dead, which can eternal lie.' And no, Ah haven't the foggiest what it means."

Edgas rubbed his chin, turning the words now over in his head. His eyes lost focus, wandered about the cabin as he thought. Eternal lie, what could---

"THERE!" Edgas shouted, pointing at something on the console.

"What?! What's wrong?" Chadvey said, startled, "my gauges are all--"

"No, THERE!" Edgas wasn't pointing to a gauge, it was right there on the panel its self. "I knew I'd seen markings like that before! Look..."

"What?" Chadvey leaned in closer. Now it was his turn to stare wide-eyed. "By the stars," he said softly, "Ah must have seen that a thousand times by now, and never made the connection."

It was right there all along, staring up at them from between the gauges. It wasn't perfect, but once noticed, the resemblance was unmistakable. The thin, angular lines of the Layland-Wutani logo could have come right from the writing on the disc.

"You found this on the Mün?" Edgas asked. It didn't make sense. "No one could have beaten you there and planted it?"

"Ahm pretty sure we in the Kerblish-speaking world would have noticed if someone would have been to the Mün in the last few hundred years. Bit hard to hide footprints up there y'know," Chadvey said, "but there is a connection you're still missing."

"What?"

"Think about it... what were the coordinates of mah landing?"

"Oh that's easy, zero degrees forty minutes thirty-six seconds south, a hundred fifty-six degrees thirty-twoGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Edgas stared wide-eyed as the realization hit him. The fractured-reality sensation was pulsating.

Obvious, it was so obvious!

"Antipode!" he gasped, "it's the antipode, the exact opposite of the Mün from our landing."

"Almost," said Chadvey, "the antipode of the pedestal where Ah found that disc, is right in the center of the anomaly area near your landing. When I found it, it was still whole. Nothing could even scratch it. It broke, on its own, the day Edmund and Billy-Bobrim went there. And Ah'll bet mah ridiculous government salary it broke the very minute they stood before whatever is really there."

Edgas stared down at fractured white disc in his hands, suddenly very afraid.

"What is this?" He whispered to it.

"It's a seal." Said Chadvey.

Edgas turned to him, "what was sealed?"

Chadvey looked at him, utterly devoid of his usual humor.

"The Kraken."

Edited July 25, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[Dres]

As the mist seems to thicken around the story, it also seems to become more clear... At least that is my interpretation.

[CatastrophicFailure]

As the mist seems to thicken around the story, it also seems to become more clear... At least that is my interpretation.

Good, that means I'm getting it right.

UPDATE: Fixed a pretty glaring (NAME) editing miss, and made a continuity tweak. That's what I get for being in a hurry & posting from the road.

[Ethanadams]

I am just counting in till chadvy dies

(I know that will happen)

[billbobjebkirk]

UPDATE: Fixed a pretty glaring (NAME) editing miss, and made a continuity tweak. That's what I get for being in a hurry & posting from the road.

I was wondering why NAME's parents hated him so much.

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 27: Shadows of the Kraken

Edgas gave Chadvey a blank stare.

"The Kraken?" He said, "Bit old for fairy tales, aren't you?"

"Oh, yer never too old for fairy tales, lad," Chadvey replied, his grin returning, "they usually teach ya something worthwhile."

"I don't follow."

"Back in Gednalna, crusty sea captains spun yarns of the Kraken, a horrible sea serpent that tore ships apart and dragged Kerbs to their doom, until it was slain by the great hero Jebediah, and his fiery spear, Krakensbane. The legend translated so well to space it's become a cliché."

Edgas stared.

A twinkle came to Chadvey's eye, "the desert dwellers who lived on the temple grounds a thousand years after it was abandoned called it Shai'tan, an entity that sought to unmake the world until it was trapped outside of reality using its own power, by a Chief of Chiefs."

Edgas pinched his eye... bulges.

"In what's now Exast, Ram Abbalah sat upon a throne of skulls, and tried to destroy not just his own but every world, until O'lan, Knight of the Rose, did battle with him at a Dark Tower. The Roweleen of Zamoan recorded tales of a dark wizard called Voldemort on their pottery. To the Tolkeen people of modern Ussari, it was Morgoth, they wrote many, many books about that one. The Abenaki called it Malsumis. It's been called Mictlantecuhtli, Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Whiro, Set, Unicron, Tau, Angra Mainyu, Apep, Gozer, Azathoth, Tash, and Ah canna even pronounce the Ceriman word as it seems to be all consonants and mucus."

Chadvey leaned in closer, his face appearing to take on a sinister cast in the dim light of the pod, "every culture, every people, every community that has ever lived on this planet, tho' they be separated by thousands of miles and thousands of years, has had their own understanding of it. It has so many names, one is as good as any other."

Edgas was at last beginning to understand the enormity of what he was saying.

"It is the embodiment of chaos. The antithesis of life. It is will, devoid of thought, it is opposition, devoid of meaning. It is the darkness that's left, when every good thing has been stripped away."

"It's... evil?"

"Evil is s such a Kerbal term. It implies some sort of innate morality. 'Amoral' isn't even right, it is outside of morality. Hostility, aversion to existence. Ah could go on, but never quite convey it. It's...."

"Beyond our ability to comprehend?" 

"Aye, lad. No matter how bad ya think it is, the reality is much much worse," Chadvey said with a grin.

Edgas thought. For a moment, he let a piece of the seal drift and tumble slowly in front of him, until it reminded him he was shortly due for his traditional bout of post-launch space sickness. The scientist in him was screaming, railing about the ridiculousness of it all, of some fairy tale mün monster. The practical Kerbal in him was simply standing against the wall, arms folded, with a smug look on his face that said I told you so. Edgas closed his bulging eyes, and rubbed at the wide flat place between them.

"You sent us there," he finally said, "you chose the landing site, and the Company financed it. I remember your name specifically on the documents. You chose Edmund, Billy, and me specifically, yet you never gave us a word of warning. Why? You seem to finally be the one with all the answers, so why Chadvey?"

"Aye, Ah did," he replied, staring very hard at nothing, "Ah wanted to go back m'self, do... something m'self. But then they promoted me. Made me an Assistant Deputy Director. Ah didna want it, not at all, knew Ah'd be stuck planetside. There's someone else, ya see. Dr. K. may have told you about him. He's been at this for longer than I have. Has his hand in everything. The more I realized the situation, the more he was able to cage me. It took years of research, chasing leads, following hunches, to glean what Ah've gleaned about that seal, and about what it had bound. Ah have a scarce few on mah side, Dr. K. was one. He knew what he was getting into with Billy-Bobrim, knew what it might eventually do to him.

"But Ah'm ramblin. It's been all move, and counter-move, for the last many years. Ah knew I couldn't get back there m'self, and honestly, I wouldn't have and still don't know what to do, not exactly. Ah picked you three deliberately. Edmund was a good friend, Ah'd flown with him many times, including right after the sabotage on the station that took poor Jorrigh. He was clever and cunning, but he'd never endanger his crew, not him. Ah didna know about his illness. It changed him, made him reckless, ambitious. Ah thought he would keep you out of trouble. But Ah knew you'd find trouble anyway, so Ah sent Billy-Bobrim. He could fix anathin, if anyone could get you out of trouble, it would be him. And he didna have a mean bone in his body. What better to play against the sum of all evil, than the incorruptible? And finally, there's you," he turned to Edgas, "you're smart, lad. Smarter than me, smarter than most anyone here, but you've got heart too, tho' yah may not ken it. Ah thought, if anyone could find a solution, without even knowing the problem, to put together everything Ah'd spent years figuring out together in just a short time, when it was most needed, it would be you."

Chadvey's face was now drawn, and contrite, "Ah was wrong. What was there, Ah understand it now, sort of. If you had gone with them, it would have gotten you too, then we'd all be lost."

"What??"

"Whatever was there wasn't the Kraken. More like a...a..." Chadvey waved a hand in the air as he searched for the word, "an essence. A distillation. A trap. It got into Edmund, and Billy-Bobrim, but because of their unique... circumstances, it couldn't do whatever it is it wants to do. If it had gotten into you, maybe even some of it has..."

Edgas's thoughts darted between a million places at once, "you mean Edmund... saved me?"

"Aye. Whether he knew was he was doing at the time, or it was just the innate discretion I've always admired him for, he did."

"But... he did all those awful things..."

"As Ah said, I don't think there was much of Edmund left anymore by then. Whatever got into him was more like a shade, a shadow. A shadow has no substance, it can't touch the world directly, only influence and guide. Edmund, in turn, was in a perfect position to spread that influence, he had the ear of many powerful people."

"But what about Billy?"

"Ah don't know lad, I really haven't the foggiest."

Edgas gave him a dirty look, but then a thought occurred as he mentally went back over Chadvey's words, something he'd missed. "Wait, you just said the station was sabotaged. Not an accident."

"Give ya three guesses who built the core module. And that wasn't the last time Layland-Wutani had an 'irregularity' with the quality of their hull seals."

"Go on..."

"You work in the contracts department, dig theirs up for the Münbase hardware, specifically the rover. Buried deep in the fine print is a stipulation that if the crew has to abandon the facility for a medical evac, or if they just happen to die on a sortie, the Company is immediately entitled to a very large sum of money to cover the loss of their 'assets' in situ. Several times what said assets actually cost to produce."

Edgas's eyes grew wide.

Micrometeoroid! ...put a hole in the hull somewhere too, but damned if I can find it.....

Had to make the trip back on suit ox... starting to run low....

Chadvey entered more numbers into the computer, fired the thrusters again. Edgas let the thoughts float around his head as he glanced out the window. Aren't we unusually high for a space station rendezvous?

"What does it all mean? I'm still missing the connection," Edgas said.

"Ah dunno, but the Company's mixed up in it somehow. On paper, they went there looking for magnetite. Magnetite has some value, but barely enough to justify going to the Mün to get it."

Edgas could feel that awful taste creeping back yet again, and grimaced. Chadvey noticed this.

"Ya dunna trust me, do ya lad?" he said with that constant, wry grin.

"Um, actually..."

"Well good," Chadvey said with a wink, "if Ah were you, Ah wouldna trust anyone. Especially me."

Edgas stuck his tongue out against the taste, scraped it against his teeth.

"Now what in the blazes are you..." Chadvey began, then his eyes widened, "ach, ya fell asleep by the lake didn't yah?" He shook his head incredulously, "never fall asleep by the lake, every first-year recruit knows that! You'll wake up with a RatSquirrelFish playin' kissy-face, they're frisky this time of year. Taste'll stay with ya fer days."

Edgas rolled his eyes, "do you have any gum?"

"Gum? On a space ship? Ach, hang on," he said, as he rummaged around wherever it was he kept producing odd things from, "here, chew on this." He handed Edgas a small, round, lump of brown... something.

For a moment Edgas though to question, but... he popped the lump into his mouth and chewed. "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! This is horrible! It burns! What on Kerbin is it?!?"

"Ah've absolutely no idea," Chadvey said, "it collects around the RCS ports some times. But you dunna taste the wee beastie any more do yah?"

Edgas didn't think he'd taste anything else ever again. And for the moment, wasn't complaining about it. He looked out the window again.

"Aren't we way too high to reach the space station?" he asked.

"Oh, we're not going to the space station, lad. That was just a pretext to steal the mule."

Lovely, Edgas thought, Murder, Accessory to Murder, and Grand Theft Space Ship. Throw jaywalking on that and I'll really be done for.

"Then where are we going?"

That mischievous wink again.

"To Jool."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere....

A small, white, lonely figure drifted silently above Kerbin. The sun was just coming up again. The figure hoped someone would be along soon, he was starting to get hungry. But you really couldn't beat the view from up here, you really just couldn't. Can't even. Oh well, might as well take it from the top again.

"Ninety-nine bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag! If one of those bottles shold happen to fall, ninety-eight bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall! Ninety-eight bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall, ninety-eight bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag! If one of those bottles should happen to fall, ninety-seven bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall! Ninety-seven bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag....."

Edited July 25, 2017 by CatastrophicFailure

[billbobjebkirk]

"Ninety-nine bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag! If one of those bottles shold happen to fall, ninety-eight bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall! Ninety-eight bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall, ninety-eight bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag! If one of those bottles should happen to fall, ninety-seven bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag on the wall! Ninety-seven bottles of non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage-in-a-bag.....

Your containment system for the non-alcoholic-carbonated-malt-based-space-beverage keeps changing from bags to bottles.

[Dres]

I see the Harry Potter reference you stuck in one of those paragraphs... I'm forever watchful .