The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[Pretorian28715]

15 hours ago, Just Jim said:

And to keep this on topic... you've given me an idea for the next chapter, thanks!

wwwwhhhhhhyyyyyyyy!!!!!!............Why, Why, Why, Why, Why has no-one realised how dangerous this is yet????????????

[lol]

@Just Jim that sounds ominous......

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, Pretorian28715 said:

 that sounds ominous......

naaaa, just a little fun. There's already more enough ominous stuff in this next one.... 

But I may have to stop early today... there are lots of rain blips coming straight at us... which is really good, we need it. But last good rain we lost power for about half an hour... so we'll see what happens.

[Just Jim]

Well, I got a lot more done today, but then decided I needed to add one more layer to really ramp up the drama.... so it's looking more like Monday now.

A small teaser? Sure, why not...  

Spoiler

 

[FireKerb]

Spoiler

Judging by the fact that the object is vertical to the Baikerbanur VAB, that's no accident.

 

[Just Jim]

15 hours ago, FireKerb said:

....that's no accident.

No.... no, it's not.... 

Edited May 22, 2017 by Just Jim

[MaxL_1023]

A launch from Zaltonic??!!

[53miner53]

Spoiler

You are not going to space today.

 

[Commander Zoom]

Your Head Asplode

[Just Jim]

I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
                                                       U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

Chapter 81
The Fall of Zaltonic Electronics

 

Through out the dark night, perched high atop the summit of mount Salvager, Emiko Kerman laughed and joked and cried and laughed again with her long lost friend, now calling herself Chibi Kerman, and appearing anything but human. But it was definitely still her.

"How???" Emiko wept in amazement. "How Chibi here? Did ET Queen lady bring you, too?"

"Yes, they brought me here the same way they brought you back, sweety," Chibi smiled back. "Is it so terribly hard to believe?"

"No..." Emiko mused. "No, ET Queen lady awful smart... but why?"

"Well, as simple as it sounds..." Chibi began, but paused as a horrible expression crossed Emiko's face... "Sweety, are you alright?"

"No... NO!" Emiko screamed, reaching down to slap the intercom button. "Must go back... must go back NOW!"

"Emiko... dear," Chibi knew her friend well enough to understand something was terribly, terribly wrong. "What is it?"

"Emiko... Emiko doesn't know," Emiko whispered.... "Emiko just know something horrible has happened.... happening... might happen.... horrible..."

Up in the Buffalo cockpit, Gem and Angelo Kerman heard the urgency in Emiko's voice, and immediately began to fire up the air compressors.

"Miss Emiko," Angelo called back. "We'll be airborne in just a minute. And I promise we'll see just how fast a Buffaloon can go!"

This time Gem needed no instructions. She had already snapped into what her brother, Theo, called "Gem-mode" and was totally focused on getting them back as fast and safely as possible. And within seconds she lifted the Buffalloon off, swung her around and slammed the turbo-fans to full power.

"ETA 5-minutes," Gem announced as she pushed the Buffalloon past 130 meters per second, and smiled... just a little.

It was actually closer to 4 minutes when Gem touched down, and as fast as possible lowered the Buffalloon into the hanger bay.

Once inside, Werhner, Emiko and Chibi raced down to the Gondola while Angelo quickly tied down the Buffalloon and followed as fast as he could, calling out behind him to Gem.

"Start the post flight inspection, I'll be back to help as soon as I can."

But when Angelo reached the Gondola office, he paused, and felt a cold chill run down his back when he saw the face of Gene Kerman on the main monitor, and quite obviously weeping. Gene???

"My... my friends... Oh, Gods..." Gene faltered, then tried to regain his composure. "My friends, something... truly monstrous.... has happened."

"About an hour ago several of our seismic stations around the planet registered a somewhat strange event, and at that same time we lost all communication with Zaltonic Electronics at Baikerbanur Center. At first we feared a large Kerbquake...." Gene tried to keep his voice steady. "But our Kerbnet system was monitoring the Center at the time, and managed to obtain these images from a remote security camera before we lost all contact..."

Gene paused again, and swallowed hard, then reached down and pushed a button on the console...

... and cries of sorrow, rage and horror rang thru the Gondola office as the tragic scene unfolded before their eyes.

For several seconds no-one said a word. Val tried to look away, while Emiko and Chibi both broke out in wracking sobs, and Werhner could only whisper softly.

"How many poofed?"

"We... we don't know." Gene answered softly. "Hundreds.... we.... we can't get near it yet."

"Donnerwetter," Werhner whispered, knowing what Gene would say next. "We shall leave immediately."

"Yes, get back at once" Gene whispered. "Angelo, I want you to push those engines as hard as they'll go."

Angelo was more than confident Gem could handle the Annabel Lee, and instructed her brother Theo to act as co-pilot while he attended to the turbo-fans. And while Theo wasn't exactly a pilot himself, he had spent more than enough hours in various cockpits with his sister to fill in just fine.

Werhner, in the meantime, wanted to look in on Sanny before they lifted off, and told Emiko he'd meet up with her and Chibi as soon as he was finished. 

"I want to go, too," Val said, still shaken by the tragedy. "I... I need to walk around..."

But when they checked the hanger deck, they found it was empty, as was the conning tower, and flight deck... and the lab... the hydroponics bay... the sleeping quarters... all empty. Then Werhner heard a faint noise, and followed it to one of the flight-deck op's rooms, where they found Sanny floating in front of a large monitor, and watching the Zaltonic disaster play over and over...

"I... this isn't my fault, Boffin," Sanny whispered, the horror clear in her voice. 

"No, no-one is accusing you," Werhner said gently.

"No..... Boffin....." Sanny was clearly distraught. "This isn't my fault... is it???"

"No, Sanny," Werhner shook his head. "Absolutely not. But I have to ask you, do you believe it was... them? The ones that took your monolith?"

 Sanny floated in front of Werhner for a second, then drew in close and whispered.

"Boffin, do you really believe it wasn't?"

Before Werhner could respond Sanny reared back and screamed, "In the name of the Goddesses, I WILL NOT LET THEM HURT SPARKLES!!!" 

And in a flash she vanished into the walls, her screams echoing up and down the hanger deck.

"Wow," Val whispered. "At... at least she's on our side."

"Thankfully, yes," Werhner whispered back. "But for how long?"

Down in the cockpit, Gem had brought the mighty airship up to buoyancy, and slowly lifted her off the ground while her brother monitored the screens for any sign of trouble. But all systems were green, and soon Gem had brought the ship to an altitude of 2,500 meters and was turning it towards home.

"Altitude 2,500 meters and holding." Gem called out. "Bringing turbo's to full throttle. Angelo, how are we looking up there?"

"I'm re-routing power from a couple unessential systems to the turbo's now," Angelo called back. "I should be able to boost the efficiency by 10-15%."

"Roger," Gem replied. "Just don't electrocute yourself."

"Yes, ma'am." Angelo laughed and switched off.

For a while no-one said much of anything, until the sun began to rise behind them, the coast stretched out before them, and Gem looked over to see her brother stuffing his mouth with veggies and that... blechhhhh.

"Oh, yucky, how can you eat that... ranch.... stuff?"

"Mmmmffff....." Theo tried not to laugh with his mouth full. "It's good! You really should try a bite."

"Ewww, no!" Gem cringed. "I can't even look at it! And why are you eating in the cockpit, anyway?"

"I'm sorry," Theo said, his voice suddenly lowering, "I'm... I'm just a little freaked out is all. You know I eat when I'm scared"

For a few seconds Gem said nothing, then answered softly.

"Yeah, me too. OK, this one time I'll let you slide." Gem tried to smile. "But try not to get any on the monitors, OK?"

Below them, on the observation deck, Emiko and Chibi sat and said nothing for the longest time, until Chibi looked at her friend and smiled.

"Your planet is... so very lovely!"

"Emiko told Chibi she would love it." Emiko smiled back, then turned more serious. "Chibi? Emiko... Emiko heard something... earlier"

"Yes, on the mountain. I saw it in your face," Chibi answered softly, recalling the moment Emiko said they needed to go back. "Was in your mind? Did you hear something in your mind?"

For a long while Emiko said nothing... then she shuddered and whispered softly.

"Yes... in Emiko's mind..."

"Can you... can you describe it?" Chibi asked as gently as possible, knowing things like this were often hard for Emiko. But not this time... this time Emiko knew exactly what she heard, and knew it happened the exact moment Baikerbanur Center was obliterated.

"Emiko heard laughing... laughing, Chibi! And worse..... Emiko knows laughing voice..."

Suddenly the room seemed much, much colder, and Chibi knew exactly what... and who.... Emiko was referring to... or so she thought.

"Not... him?" she whispered.

"No, Chibi," Emiko tried to hold back her terror, but it was clear in her voice. "Emiko not hear him.... Emiko heard... her! HER!!! And she... she was laughing!!!"

"It... it can't be... how?" Chibi recoiled in horror. "How?"

"How Chibi here now?" Emiko snapped back.

"No......" Chibi couldn't hold back her own terror now. "I... I thought she was... dead?"

"No... no, not poofed," Emiko shook her head sadly. "Emiko not sure until now... but Mary-Annette monster definitely not poofed."

It was a couple minutes before either could say anything, until Chibi whispered sadly to her friend.

"They don't know, do they? You have to tell them the truth, Emiko."

And thru her tears Emiko whispered back, "Emiko.... Emiko knows."

Meanwhile, countless millions of kilometers away, the Kraken possessing Carlenna Kerman was still laughing and howling in hideous glee!

Oh, she knew the Kraken lord was furious with her, but she didn't care anymore. True, she would have preferred an enemy that fought back, it still felt so good to annihilate the parasites before her and be a true Kraken warrior once again. And what a display of power! Not only did she completely obliterate her target, her crimson slayer kept a wormhole opened just a millionth of a second before the blast, and confiscated all the equipment she required before falling thru it and escaping into the void, while still laying waste to the entire valley!

And, of course, the Kraken Lord was furious with her... again! Had he not given her permission to make one last raid for the equipment she so desperately needed to continue her hunt? What did it matter if a few of the parasites were vaporized in the process? Since when did he care about parasites?

This was just another sign... another sign she might have to take action against him soon. But before she could continue her train of thought, she heard the soft banging of her minions, hard at work assembling the last of the stolen equipment to the ZESTY space telescope they had confiscated days earlier.

They were more or less brain dead, but at least they were still efficient, Carlenna-Kraken thought, then turned her attention back to her lord... or was he anymore? Something was... distracting him, turning his attention from their true objective, something to do with his trice damned dead father on Bop.

But what??? Could... could it be possible the son was following in his fathers footsteps? This terrifying thought had crossed Carlenna-Kraken's mind several times now, and if it was even remotely true, then....

Then she needed to obliterate him next!

But for now he had ordered her as far from him as possible, and she was more than willing to oblige, and journeyed to the edge of the Kerbol system, where she discovered, much to her surprise, and small, frozen moon around the purple ice giant that supported a thin, but definite atmosphere, and what appeared to be a freshwater ocean below the ice.

Now this was interesting, Carlenna-Kraken thought to herself. During the great war they hadn't ventured this far out... was it possible the Kraken Lord might not know if this? Oh, this was a delicious discovery! 

And slowly, carefully, Carlenna-Kraken began to formulate her plan for insurrection against her long hate mate and master, the Kraken Lord.

But on Bop, the Kraken Lord was much too consumed with trying to contact the mind of his dead father to care what his minion-mate was up to, so long as she was far, far away from him. He would deal with her later. For now he was trying desperately to concentrate all his mental ability into making contact with any lingering essence of his fathers mind, but to no avail.

It was frustrating... The mind and essence of a Kraken of his mental ability surely would linger beyond death for millennia... was he purposely blocking his own son out?

"Father... please... I must know..."

It was this Thompberry... thing... his father had created that had the Kraken Lord so worried. A living brain, encased in a sphere of near pure neutronium, then disguised as a simple parasite device? Did it even know the extent of it's abilities?

Probably not...

"Father, what game are you playing at?"

Nothing... silence... the silence of the grave. But he would wait... he was patient... if there was anything, anything at all, of his father left in the bloated corpse, it would eventually reveal itself. And when it did, the Kraken Lord would make it answer... and perhaps pay... 

As for Thompberry, he was still attached to the Pandora, in orbit high above Kerbin, and having a dreadful time grappling with the images he and the crew were now receiving of the Zaltonic disaster. Below him, watching on the large Monitor, Piper screamed in horror, and the Rocklady wept for the poofed.

But it was Thompberry who was weeping the loudest, and to Piper's surprise, began to... well... rant.

"Who... what??? What kind of abomination could do such...." Thompberry bellowed...  "Mother... father... was it... could it be.... were YOU INVOLVED??? My God... what... what does that make me???"

"Thompberry?" Piper asked, for once feeling genuinely concerned. But she was cut off before she could continue.

"No.... Piper, NO! Don't you see??? I... I almost did this exact same thing, all those years ago.... I nearly destroyed your space center... just like... like.... Oh, mother, father, no!!!"

"Now, Thompberry, stop," the Rocklady said in her sternest voice. "I want you to listen carefully to me. One, you did NOT poof anyone when you attacked the space center. In fact, if my ailing memory serves, you did nothing to disguise the incoming attack, giving everyone plenty of time to evacuate, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am" Thompberry answered meekly. "It was not my intention to slaughter them, only to blind them, and perhaps scare them a little."

"Exactly," the Rocklady continued. "And more important.... the mere fact that you're so upset tells me more than anything else that you are NOT AT ALL like those that did this! Do you understand me? You hurt and grieve with the rest of us, it's clear... This tells me while you may not have a body, you most certainly still have a soul...."

The Rocklady grew silent, and no-one said another word for several seconds until Thompberry softly whispered.

"Parents or not, those that did this... they have no souls."

Just a few hours later, back on the surface, as Kerbol began to set behind the western mountains, the Annabel Lee was at last coming into visual range of the KSC, and home. 

It had been a long flight, and Gem was exhausted, but insisted she do this herself as she maneuvered the ship into position over the well lit runway, and put her down with amazing grace and precision for such a large craft.

"Just like a downy feather," Theo smiled at his sister with pride.

But the real thrill came when the tower radioed to the now powering down airship. Never before had the other pilots acknowledged Gem as one of their own... always as a child or cadet... until now.

"Annabel Lee, this is KSC tower. Welcome home.... Captain Gemgella Kerman!

The next morning Gene held what was probably his most important briefing, but this time not with his usual staff. Instead present was his fiance Kerenna, Dr. Werhner von Kerman, Emiko and her new found stranger calling herself Chibi, Kuzzter and Geschosskoph Kerman, and finally Angelo Kerman. It seemed like a somewhat odd selection, but he made this selection carefully, knowing the stakes were much more deadly than before.

Looking around the table, Gene tried to collect his thoughts, but fell short. Never did he have to face such a devastating loss of life.

"I... I'm not sure where to begin. We still don't have a full causality report.... and it might be weeks before we can enter the area. It's as if the whole area was irradiated.... the blast... it was terrible."

Across the table Chibi shot a stern look over at Emiko, but said nothing... yet.

"What I can now confirm is this was no accident, no failed launch. The incoming object seemed to just appear out of no-where, exactly 5 kilometers above Baikerbanur Center, already moving at a speed of well over 3000 meters per second... straight down!"

Across the table Kuzzter whispered grimly. "That damned Red Boulder..."

"It's hard to tell from the footage, but the evidence is pointing that way,' Gene answered just as grimly. "The big question is did the blast also destroy the Boulder?"

"No... no," Emiko said in a voice filled with sorrow.... "She would not destroy Red Boulder so carelessly... Evil Boulder survived."

"Emiko," Gene tried to be as gentle as he could. "Who do you mean... she?"

But Emiko was so horrified she couldn't speak....

"Emiko... sweety," Chibi reached over and held Emiko's hand. "Emiko, let me.... OK?"

Still Emiko said nothing, but a tear began to run down her cheek.

"Emiko.... please... They have to know what happened... they need to know the truth. Please, sister, I promise.... I promise not to tell them what you forbade me to speak of... But for their own safety, they have to know what they're really dealing with."

Still Emiko said nothing, and silently began to weep... but then her head slowly moved, and she nodded sadly to Chibi.

Gene looked over with grave concern... Oh, he had wondered several times why Emiko always stopped where she did when telling her tale on this weird planet Earth, or whatever it was called. But he didn't suspect until now she was actually hiding something... something that seemed to truly terrify her.

"Emiko, I am so sorry... for whatever it is, I truly am," Gene said to her softly. "There is nothing I respect more than your privacy. But if your.... adventure... on this other planet is in any way connected to what's just happened at Baikerbanur..."

"It does..." Emiko cried... "Emiko so very, very sorry... can't speak of... only remember parts... but it's her... IT"S HER!!!  Emiko not know how, but Emiko is sure... Emiko heard her.. heard her in her mind!!! Laughing!!! She is evil horrible Mary-Annette monster lady that tried to poof Emiko on Earth!!"

Gasps echoed around the room, and Chibi reached over to comfort her friend.

"Emiko... sister... it's all right... don't torture yourself. I remember... everything."

Emiko nodded and meeped softly thru her tears.  

"Thank you..."

"Mein Gott..." Werhner whispered softly, falling into his native language twice now in two days. "What happened to her?"

Chibi took a few seconds and tried her best to think of how to say as little as possible to the wonderfully gentle aliens she was rapidly coming to love dearly. She had promised Emiko long ago, totally unaware it would actually come to pass, that she would never, under any circumstances, mention different.... dark... aspects of Earth history.... never!!! They must remain as innocent as possible.

But what they now faced.... they also had to be prepared. The danger... the danger was now lethally clear.

She must find a way say as little as possible... She loved and respected Emiko far too much to do otherwise.

"Emiko has told you of how she was taken to my world, Earth," Chibi began. "But she has told you only of the first few weeks, correct?"

"Yes," Werhner answered, "Twice she's began, and both times ended at something called a "Halloween party..."

"Yes...." Chibi paused again. "I suspected as much."

"What Emiko has been so afraid to tell you is these... what do you call them, Krakens? These very same Kraken beings... they were on my home-world nearly 1000 of your years ago... and one of them, a truly terrible female then calling itself Mary-Annette. She was also possessed, and later known as Mistress Marionette... And this.... fiend... she tried to kidnap and later murder... I'm sorry, poof... she tried to poof Emiko!"

"And I am so very, very sorry, but it was her voice Emiko heard right before the catastrophe yesterday.... This... Kraken... that destroyed your Baikerbanur Center is the very same creature that tried to poof Emiko on my planet so very long ago..."

Chibi waited for the room to settle down before continuing. 

"Let me start from the beginning," Chibi thought back for a moment, then continued where Emiko kept leaving off...

"In the days after the Halloween Party, Emiko and I, and a few of our friends, began looking for answers to the mystery of the missing ET's that might have been able to help Emiko get home...."

 

The Strange Tale of Emiko Kerman is about to continue!

Go to Chapter 82
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim
fixing a somewhat comical goof on my part...

[SaturnianBlue]

The Strange Tale of Emiko Station? I must say, this chapter's got a great many revelations!

[Angelo Kerman]

Wow, that was great! Poor Zaltronics though, they got nuked!

[insert_name]

Hmm so it sounds like the dead kraken secretly merged with thompberry?

[KAL 9000]

Get the KSC's air defense online, now! The Evil Boulder might come again!

Also, whaaaaaaaaaaat? Mary-Annette... Where have I heard that before... 

OH MY KRAKEN! 

The plot thickens! 

[adsii1970]

Good chapter. While it does answer some questions, each answer raises even more questions...

[ThatGuyWithALongUsername]

RIP Zaltonics... I hope the space center is stocked up on batteries.

 

That... was quite a chapter! Mary-Annette, huh? Can't wait to see chapter 82!

[MaxL_1023]

How is Thompberry's spayputnik made of neutronium? Does it have anti-gravioli properties built in? Otherwise, it would mass somewhere near Minmus.

[Just Jim]

10 minutes ago, MaxL_1023 said:

How is Thompberry's spayputnik made of neutronium? Does it have anti-gravioli properties built in? Otherwise, it would mass somewhere near Minmus.

That is a very good observation... in fact, how was it able to withstand a very unstable wormhole ride from Bop to Ike? There must be more to this... 

15 hours ago, SaturnianBlue said:

The Strange Tale of Emiko Station? I must say, this chapter's got a great many revelations!

 

2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

Good chapter. While it does answer some questions, each answer raises even more questions...

Thank you!  And yes, I've thrown out a lot of hints, both obvious and subtle... and hopefully raised some new questions as well.... 

Edited May 23, 2017 by Just Jim

[DarkOwl57]

17 hours ago, Just Jim said:

"No, Chibi," Emiko tried to hold back her terror, but it was clear in her voice. "Emiko not hear him.... Emiko heard... her! HER!!! And she... she was laughing!!!"

"It... it can't be... how?" Chibi recoiled in horror. "How?"

"How Chibi here now?" Emiko snapped back.

"No......" Chibi couldn't hold back her own terror now. "I... I thought she was... dead?"

Welcome to this episode of Emiko Station, where Chibi and Emiko play the pronoun game!

Mary-Annette..... The French queen that shouted something about cake?

[Just Jim]

1 minute ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Welcome to this episode of Emiko Station, where Chibi and Emiko play the pronoun game!

Hehehe.... yeah!  

OK, big spoiler,

Spoiler

...in the next couple chapters, somewhere, I will finally reveal why Emiko talks the way she does!  

 

[DarkOwl57]

Just now, Just Jim said:

Hehehe.... yeah!  

OK, big spoiler,

  Hide contents

...in the next couple chapters, somewhere, I will finally reveal why Emiko talks the way she does!  

 

THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING NEWS

[Just Jim]

5 minutes ago, DarkOwl57 said:

Mary-Annette..... The French queen that shouted something about cake?

No, Maroinette:

Spoiler

 

As in "The Puller of Strings...."

 

 

Edited May 23, 2017 by Just Jim

[DarkOwl57]

4 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

No, Maroinette:

  Hide contents

 

As in "The Puller of Strings...."

 

 

DUN DUN DUUUUUUU

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 3:28 PM, DeltaDizzy said:

Ranch Dressing... GOOD!?! How dare you! 

(I really don't like ranch)

You're dead to me

[Brent Kerman]

That round briefing room looks like its one of @Angel-125's, but I cant find it. And yes, I have the latest release of Buffalo, Pathfinder, Heisenberg, and MOLE. What mod IS it from?

[Just Jim]

5 minutes ago, Brent Kerman said:

That round briefing room looks like its one of @Angel-125's, but I cant find it. And yes, I have the latest release of Buffalo, Pathfinder, Heisenberg, and MOLE. What mod IS it from?

Good eye, it's from the one of his you're missing, DSEV  

Edited May 23, 2017 by Just Jim

[Brent Kerman]

9 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Good eye, it's from the one of his you're missing, DSEV  

Ah, thanks.