The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[Just Jim]

<snipped>

Stand by...

Edited December 6, 2017 by Just Jim

[qzgy]

7 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

<snipped>

Stand by...

Eh?

Standing by...

[Just Jim]

Well, this was weird...

The power came back on, but my Internet signal was dead... again. Called the company, only to go through the exact same runaround as last week, and then they said they were sending a new modem... and it would be a couple days...

20 minutes or so after we had hug up, the internet came back on... strange...

So hopefully it was something on their end after all... not sure. I just hope it's still working in the morning.

As for the apparent accident that caused all of this, believe it or not there are still all sorts of emergency vehicle lights flashing down the road... It's pretty obvious someone hit a pole... But after this long... I'm just hoping it wasn't anything fatal.  

So back on-topic... I had a chance to play with the Kerbal Joint Reinforcement mod a little this evening, and while I don't know yet how it will effect the asteroid rebuild, I was all sorts of impressed when I went to Minmus station, where one of the raptors is docked, and spun it around a few different directions with no bending or flopping around at all between the station and Raptor!

And no bouncing when I switched it to the Minmus colony base.... sweet!!!

I just feel a little stupid for not checking this out before now!

 

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, obney kerman said:

Temporary base? Staging ground? Research lab? I am so confused!

Temporary base is close enough... 

[CatastrophicFailure]

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

As for the apparent accident that caused all of this, believe it or not there are still all sorts of emergency vehicle lights flashing down the road... It's pretty obvious someone hit a pole... But after this long... I'm just hoping it wasn't anything fatal

Exact same thing happened to me a couple summers ago, guy hit a pole and the power was out for a good 12 hours... cuz it started a small fire and the FD had to have the whole thing locked down before the linemen could even go near it. They can actually swap those poles out pretty darn quick. 

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

So back on-topic... I had a chance to play with the Kerbal Joint Reinforcement mod a little this evening, and while I don't know yet how it will effect the asteroid rebuild, I was all sorts of impressed when I went to Minmus station, where one of the raptors is docked, and spun it around a few different directions with no bending or flopping around at all between the station and Raptor!

And no bouncing when I switched it to the Minmus colony base.... sweet!!!

It’s an addicting little mod.  Pretty soon you’ll find yourself building ginormous rockets held together with little .625 parts and not even thinking about struts anymore. 

[Avery616]

I think i figured out a way to keep thomberry mobile on planets where his RCS system doesn't work.

One of the monk brain droids from jabbas palace

[HeroBrian_333]

3 minutes ago, Avery616 said:

I think i figured out a way to keep thomberry mobile on planets where his RCS system doesn't work.

One of the monk brain droids from jabbas palace

I know that BhatumoDynamics mod has a little half-sphere with legs that pop out and work... I'm intruiged. I'll try that even I'd @Just Jim doesnt. BTW, could he post the craft file for Thompberry's brain pod?

[Geschosskopf]

19 hours ago, Just Jim said:

As for the apparent accident that caused all of this, believe it or not there are still all sorts of emergency vehicle lights flashing down the road... It's pretty obvious someone hit a pole... But after this long... I'm just hoping it wasn't anything fatal.  

Well, speaking professionally, there are 3 main reasons for many emergency vehicles to remain on-scene a long time:

1. The scene isn't safe so they're there to mark the perimeter and keep the uninformed out.
2. The scene is still active, as in they haven't finished putting out the fire, extricating the victims, and whatnot.  Which also means the scene isn't safe.
3. There's some sort of investigation going on.  This can be any kind where the authorities are not yet willing to relinquish control of the scene and give up whatever evidence might still be there.  As in fire cause, wreck cause, death cause, etc.

Nobody in emergency services wants to be on-scene any longer than necessary because we'd rather get paid the pittance we get for sleeping or watching TV than actually working,.  Also, those of us who have leadership roles always have more paperwork to do than actually helping folks, and the longer we hang around on-scene, the more doing paperwork eats into our time for sleeping and watching TV.  So there's always a strong pressure to go home as soon as possible, which we rationalize as wanting to return the scene to normal for the civilians as quickly as possible, so they also can get on with their sleeping and watching TV, even if they don't get paid for that.

So, if there are lots of blinky lights there for a long time, it's usually because something bad happened.  And it's usually because those with law enforcement powers or who might be deposed or called as witnesses had to exercise due diligence with evidence.  Many things we get called for end up in civil and/or criminal court, after all.  Somebody's going to sue everybody who had a finger in the pie, or maybe somebody should go to jail.

[Just Jim]

37 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

So, if there are lots of blinky lights there for a long time, it's usually because something bad happened.  And it's usually because those with law enforcement powers or who might be deposed or called as witnesses had to exercise due diligence with evidence.  Many things we get called for end up in civil and/or criminal court, after all.  Somebody's going to sue everybody who had a finger in the pie, or maybe somebody should go to jail.

This one pole has always been a bad spot. It's right where our road takes an ever so slight turn and rise, and more than one time someone has come barreling down our road and slammed right into it.  My guess is there were downed wires they had to take care of... plus whatever injuries there might have been. 

18 hours ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

It’s an addicting little mod.  Pretty soon you’ll find yourself building ginormous rockets held together with little .625 parts and not even thinking about struts anymore. 

Yeah... I have to admit, what free time I had today I was playing, and not writing... 
This mod changes everything... I have several ideas already.

1 hour ago, Avery616 said:

I think i figured out a way to keep thomberry mobile on planets where his RCS system doesn't work.

That reminds me of the robot spy Thompberry's first drones were loosely based on:

 

[Geschosskopf]

16 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

This one pole has always been a bad spot. It's right where our road takes an ever so slight turn and rise, and more than one time someone has come barreling down our road and slammed right into it.  My guess is there were downed wires they had to take care of... plus whatever injuries there might have been. 

Depends on the color of the blinky lights, which varies by state.  I have no idea of the rules in Florida.

We have a bar near where we used to have a ferry crossing the Mississippi River.  Just before the road from this bar reaches the city limits, it makes a 90^ right turn about as sharp as a street intersection as opposed to being a highway curve.  On the outside of this turn is the borrow pit from which the dirt of the roadbed between bar and town was collected.  After all, this whole area is seasonally flooded by The River so the road had to be above that.  Anyway, a surprising number of bar patrons forget about this curve at 0200 when the bar closes.  And the pit is always full of water and alligators, so we call it the "Gator Pit".  This happens several times each year and the blinky lights often remain there for a couple hours.  Surprisingly few folks die this way; it just often takes a while to fish them out. The alligators normally don't interfere, they just come out to watch from natural curiosity.

 

16 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

 

 

The best cartoon them song ever, and one of the best show theme songs ever from an era that saw the high point of that music genre.

[obney kerman]

2 hours ago, Avery616 said:

I think i figured out a way to keep thomberry mobile on planets where his RCS system doesn't work.

One of the monk brain droids from jabbas palace

Perfect! Just give the legs a docking port on the top and good to go!

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

The best cartoon them song ever, and one of the best show theme songs ever from an era that saw the high point of that music genre.

I'm telling ya! And this is so on-topic, because Emiko Station really was inspired by Jonny Quest's Robot Spy episode! 

Go all the way back to Chapter 3... Honestly I wasn't sure what I was doing, or where I wanted to go. But I had just seen that episode, and the idea of the creepy robot spy inspired me to make that very first spy probe... which eventually led to others, and finally Thompberry himself as a sort of "Super-Villain" character... and the rest is history...

All because of one Jonny Quest episode I never really forgot... 

 

 

[Geschosskopf]

5 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

All because of one Jonny Quest episode I never really forgot... 

I can't forget any of them.  Even today when I catch them on some obscure channel and bring in the niblings and great-niblings to watch.

But then, I also greatly enjoyed the Venture Brothers spoof on the whole concept.  Especially the cameos of Johnny, Hajji, and Race  

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, Geschosskopf said:

I can't forget any of them.  Even today when I catch them on some obscure channel and bring in the niblings and great-niblings to watch.

But then, I also greatly enjoyed the Venture Brothers spoof on the whole concept.  Especially the cameos of Johnny, Hajji, and Race  

Hehe, yeah!

Anyway, I should have some more free time to write tomorrow.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure about the last big forum change, but it does a much, much better job of saving what I've already done from one day to the next... even when I stop and post something different... Thanks @Darth Badie.... and please pass that on to the whole gang there!  

Edited December 7, 2017 by Just Jim

[DualDesertEagle]

used to waiting that I barely check if a new chapter's come out.

 

But realizing how long it's been has just made me WANT MOAR NAO!

[adsii1970]

18 minutes ago, DualDesertEagle said:

used to waiting that I barely check if a new chapter's come out.

 

But realizing how long it's been has just made me WANT MOAR NAO!

I have it on very good authority that the next chapter is coming out sometime in the next 12 hours.  @Just Jim's work is like a fine wine, you don't want to take short cuts in the aging process or you'll end up with a mess...

[DualDesertEagle]

Damn, the first part of my post is only half of what it should've been, so lemme correct that:

 

"I dunno what's worse, the fact that it's been over a month and a half since the last chapter or the fact that I've become so"

2 hours ago, DualDesertEagle said:

used to waiting that I barely check if a new chapter's come out.

Now it makes sense

[Just Jim]

6 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

I have it on very good authority that the next chapter is coming out sometime in the next 12 hours.  @Just Jim's work is like a fine wine, you don't want to take short cuts in the aging process or you'll end up with a mess...

I'm not gonna make it... I know I told ya earlier I'd be done today, but this afternoon got a little... weird. 

I'm about 80% done writing, but I'm getting sleepy, and I'm really misspelling stuff...

I'll wrap it up in the morn...

 

[HeroBrian_333]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[qzgy]

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

I'm not gonna make it... I know I told ya earlier I'd be done today, but this afternoon got a little... weird. 

I'm about 80% done writing, but I'm getting sleepy, and I'm really misspelling stuff...

I'll wrap it up in the morn...

 

That's okay. I'll be happy to wait.

[HeroBrian_333]

Every day, I hope to see an email with the header, "The Saga of Emiko Station - Chapter 89." But have I seen it yet? NOOO. Will @Just Jim hurry up please? I can't take much more of this! 

[Just Jim]

3 minutes ago, HeroBrian_333 said:

Every day, I hope to see an email with the header, "The Saga of Emiko Station - Chapter 89." But have I seen it yet? NOOO. Will @Just Jim hurry up please? I can't take much more of this! 

hehe... I'm working on it as we speak... been working on it most all day. I thought I'd have it done by now, but I re-wrote a couple parts....

ETA... maybe an hour or so more, then half an hour to proofread and correct any major goofs...

One way or the other, it will be done and posted before I go to bed tonight... barring any more freaky sonic booms and all that... lol.... 

[HeroBrian_333]

1 minute ago, Just Jim said:

hehe... I'm working on it as we speak... been working on it most all day. I thought I'd have it done by now, but I re-wrote a couple parts....

ETA... maybe an hour or so more, then half an hour to proofread and correct any major goofs...

One way or the other, it will be done and posted before I go to bed tonight... barring any more freaky sonic booms and all that... lol.... 

Have a title yet? If not, here's one (maybe if the chapter is about what I think it is): "It's a rover and a boat!"

[Just Jim]

3 minutes ago, HeroBrian_333 said:

Have a title yet? If not, here's one (maybe if the chapter is about what I think it is): "It's a rover and a boat!"

Oh, it's got a title... 

Chapter 89: Smoke on the Water...  

bwaahahahahaha......

 

 

 

[Just Jim]

Chapter 89
Smoke on the Water

 

 

Dawn was slowly approaching as the crew of the Platypus finished their first cups of coffee and strapped themselves in for an early morning swim out to the mysterious Crater Island, located in the middle of the Implodium Sea... where their new found friend, Bridgett, had said the night before there might be ship-wrecked survivors of the long lost Reliant!

But unlike their usual routine, Emiko would not be sitting up front. It was clear she did not trust this Bridgett... and Chibi feared her best friend might not be able to hold back her temper if she believed she was being lied to. So Emiko agreed to go back and sit with Theo in the hydroponic section, promising Theo she could help with his withering plants.

Chibi, in the meantime, invited Bridgett up front with her, to see if she could learn anything more about this mysterious Kerbette.

As the sun rose behind them, the sound of Emiko singing rang out over the ships intercom, and back in the hydroponic section, Theo was astounded as his garden suddenly began coming back to life right before his eyes!!!

"I... I don't believe it..." he whispered over to Emiko in awe.

"Plants are living things..." Emiko sang back... "Theo must talk to them, sing to them... let them know he loves them..."

Meanwhile, in the briefing room, Bob, Harfield and Jandolin invited their new guests, Dr's Frank N. Kerman, Herbert, and Froderick to join them. 

"Gentlekerbs," Bob began. "We have recently encountered something... quite fascinating. It's about our friends Emiko and Chibi..."

And then Bob shared with the three scientists their amazing discovery about Emiko and Chibi having 99.94% shared DNA... and then they divulged what they could of Chibi's strange history, and the fact she was from another planet completely.

"Fascinating!" Dr. Herbert spoke for the three... "And you're sure these... ET's... they have the ability to alter their DNA structure?"

"Apparently," Jandolin answered. "All we know is what the girls have told us so far... I know there's more, but they seem... reluctant... to tell us everything. I fear they're hiding something... something really bad."

Down below then in the smaller office, Fritz was smiling and trying his best to sing along with Emiko, but across from him, Pappy Kerman was grumbling... he couldn't put his finger on it... but something was bothering him... something just didn't feel quite right.

Up front Bridgett smiled over at Chibi.

"That's... lovely...." she whispered, listening to Emiko over the intercom.

"Yeah... that's my girl," Chibi smiled back, then sat up and pointed. "Oh... is that the island?"

"Yes..." Bridgett sighed. "That's it."

"Are you all right?" Chibi looked over and asked softly.

"Yeah... yeah...." Bridgett shook her head. "Just a lot of bad memories..."

Then Chibi gasped as they drew up close, and the rusted carcass of the Reliant came slowly into view.

But then Chibi looked over and spotted something in the water... and slammed on her intercom...

"Boulder floating at about 11:00..."

"11... what?" Val and Gem both asked at the same time, and Emiko laughed...

"Too many hours, Chibi dear," Emiko giggled, then called up to Val. "Left of the wreck... Emiko sees it out her window, too... Boulder... floating in the water!!!"

"Woah..." Val whispered, as much in awe of the wreck as she was with the idea of a boulder that floated in water. "Let's give that some room, shall we?"

"Agreed," Gem nodded as she slowed the Platypus engines and brought her up close to what appeared to be a small hut near the huge shipwreck. And as they drew closer, Val saw a lone figure standing next to the grungy old shack. Then a huge grin filled the scruffy Kerb's face, and he ran back into the hut with excitement.

"Wow, chops pretty bad," Gem called over to Val. "And I'm not liking the look of that boulder, either... I'm going to bring her up alongside the beach, so we can get out of here quick, if need be."

"That sounds wise," Val smiled back. "I don't know why, but I have a weird feeling it might be best to stay in the water..."

And so Gem drew the Platypus up parallel to the beach, and just close enough so Val could extend her ladder and not have to swim more than a meter or so.

By this time the scruffy Kerb was back out, only now he was wearing a battered helmet, and looking sadly over at the Reliant. Not wanting to waste any time, Val climbed out, along with Bridgett, to greet the apparent lone survivor, and get him on board as soon as possible.

But as they waded thru the approaching tide, Val was stunned to hear the bearded figure call through his helmet.

"Lieutenant Yolanda... by the gods... Yolanda???"

"Captain, it's good to see you're in one piece," Bridgett/Yolanda started to reply, but was cut off by Val's startled exclamation.

"Yolanda???"

"Yes... I... I am truly sorry for the deception," Bridgett/Yolanda turned and smiled sadly at Val. "But... I was afraid if I told you my true identity... well... I was afraid you'd laugh and call me crazy... the others did..."

"Ahhh.... OK, we can discuss it later." Val then turned to the captain. "Sir, I am Valentina..."

"Yes... I am quite aware of your identity, young lady," the bearded figure smiled. "And let me tell you what an honor it is to be rescued by such a noted celebrity. Captain Lodwell Kerman, at your service."

"Cap.... Captain Lodwell?" Val stammered a moment. "Sir... this is indeed an honor! We all thought you had... well, poofed."

"Nope... still in one piece," The Captain chuckled. "But I have to ask, if you are here to rescue me, perhaps we should be going? The tide can be pretty vicious, and I fear my suit is leaking!"

"Yes... yes, sir!" Val laughed. "But you won't need your helmet inside."

Then, for just a brief second, Lodwell turned very serious.

"It's all I have left..."

Once everyone was back aboard, Gem pulled the Platypus away from the beach, careful to give the floating boulder plenty of room. But despite her concerns, the boulder never moved... even in the strong tidal currents.

In the back, Harfield and Jandolin were giving Captain Lodwell a quick check-up, only to find him in both excellent health and spirits. 

"So you see," Lodwell explained to Jandolin. "I salvaged plenty of snack-packs from the wreck, and was able to put together a small hut... My biggest problem was boredom! In fact, I'm still half-convinced this is all some dream..."

"No, sir," Harfield laughed. "We are quite real. I'm just glad Bridgett..."

"Yolanda," Lodwell corrected.

"Yes... Yolanda," Harfield started again. "I'm glad we ran into Yolanda, or who knows how long you might have been out there."

"She has always been a loyal first-officer," Lodwell beamed. "I knew if anyone was to come for me, it would be her.... Speaking of which, might I see her?"

"Yes... absolutely," Jandolin nodded. "You seem fine physically. How about I ask Jeb to let you two ride in the back, so you can get reacquainted."

"That, ma'am," Lodwell nodded back. "That would be outstanding!"

To accommodate Captain Lodwell, Jeb moved up to the hydroponic lab with Theo, while Bill crawled up to the office area to sit with pappy, who was still grumbling that something felt... off.

"There... wait... there!" Pappy kept mumbling, but for the life of him, Bill couldn't feel anything over the vibration of the mighty tornado engines.

"Should I have them stop?"

"No... no," Pappy growled. "I'm not sure... haven't been on this vehicle long enough. But I want us to inspect everything when we stop for the night. We're overdue as it is."

"Agreed," Bill nodded. "PM inspection it is."

In the hydroponic lab, Theo was gushing to Jeb about Emiko's singing, and the almost magical effect it had on his garden.

"I'm telling you, Uncle J... it was unbelievable," Theo beamed. "Once Emiko started singing to them, it was like watching a time lapse video. I could literally watch the leaves perking back up."

"Emiko is... amazing," Jeb whispered, astounded himself at the difference in the plants. Last he had seen, the garden was dying, and Jeb wondered to himself if the project was worth the effort. But now... it was like a whole new garden! In fact, the plants looked more alive then ever. Then Theo leaned over close to Jeb.

"Can I tell you something?" he whispered over softly to Jeb. "I love Aunt Emiko... I really do. But just between you and me, sometimes she's... well... a little scary."

"Between you and me," Jeb whispered back just as softly. "I love her, too... We all do... But yes... yes, she is a little scary."

Up front in the VIP gondola, Chibi looked over and smiled at Emiko.

"So you were right, dear," Chibi shook her head in awe. Once they were underway Val stuck head up and informed Emiko and Chibi that Emiko had been quite correct, and apparently Bridgett had, in fact, been concealing her true name, which was Yolanda.

"Emiko a little embarrassed now," Emiko smiled meekly. "Yolanda/Bridgett had good reason, not just trying to lie to Emiko and everyone."

"Oh, it's OK..." Chibi smiled warmly. "No harm done. Oh, look, I think I see the shoreline!"

And in the back, Captain Lodwell and Lieutenant Yolanda/Bridgett were laughing and having a good time... All the while Lodwell was looking over the control console, and liking what he saw... a lot!

"I have got to get me one of these!" Lodwell whistled. 

"I thought you'd like her," Yolanda/Bridgett smiled back. "Imagine what we could do with a vehicle like this..."

"I am," Lodwell smiled back. "I am..."

It was already mid-day when the Platypus reached the southern edge of the great Implodium crater, only to climb over and find another stretch of water before them. 

"Well, we could try and drive along the edge," gem said with a frown. "But I'm not liking that slope. Maybe driving up it, but not parallel... I say we head back into the water and swim the last 50 klicks... We should be back on land by nightfall."

"Agreed," Val nodded. "I'm not sure my stomach wouldn't like driving sideways for so long. Let's get her back into the water."

Through the afternoon and into the evening they swam, until Kerbol began to dip below the horizon, and the distant shore came into view.

It was getting late, but Gem had called it right, and the Platypus crawled back onto land just as night began to fall.

"I'm just going to find a nice flat spot to set up camp," Gem said and surveyed the landscape as best she could in the dying light. "I think I see some trees just ahead... how about there?"

"Sounds good to me," Val smiled back. "Just hurry, please. I'm dying for one Emiko's grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Oh... those are good," Gem giggled. 

But just as Gem pulled the Platypus to a stop, there was a tremendous groaning... and the entire vehicle seemed to lurch to the right... 

Pappy screamed over the intercom...

"Gem... NOOO!!!  Don't hit the br..."

Kaaa-BLAMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suddenly the entire right front side of the Platypus was engulfed in a massive fireball. And for just one brief second, Val thought she saw the wheel outside her cabin go flying off... Then the flash temporarily blinded her, and it was several minutes before she saw anything again...

20 minutes or so later Pappy Kerman was inspecting the damage, while Bill explained to Jeb and Val what they think happened.

"Brake fire... bad one," Bill shook his head. "It's my fault... Pappy thought he felt a vibration... I should have stopped then and there and..."

"Bill, stop," Val said softly. "It's no-one's fault. I just don't understand how it created such a huge explosion... I'm still seeing stars."

"Well, to put it simply, the brake that caught fire locked up as Gem pulled to a stop, and in those few seconds generated an incredible amount of heat... enough to cause one or more of the lines to burst. Which, in turn, sprayed oil and brake fluid under high-pressure right onto the already white-hot brake-pad... and Boom!"

Ahhh, I think I get it," Val nodded. 

Then Pappy turned and walked over to Jeb and Val with his diagnosis.

"Well, I can fix it," Pappy grumbled. "If I had access to a machine shop... But out here, in the middle of no-where... No. The entire assembly needs to be replaced, and that wheel over there is useless. No, I'm 'fraid we're not going anywhere."

"OK," Jeb said slowly. "We'll just have to get what we need."

"And how are we going to do that?" Val asked a little whimsically.

"I don't know," Jeb smiled back. "I'm going to call Gene and let him figure that part out. In the meantime, why don't we set up camp for everyone? And Pappy, I'm going to need a complete list of everything you'll require."

"Roger," Bill smiled as he turned to unpack the temporary base equipment. "Oh, Gene is going to love this!"

 

It was just past midnight back at the KSC when Angelo Kerman was yanked from his bed to attend an emergency meeting to come up with a way to get the Platypus crew what parts and equipment they would need to effect repairs as soon as possible. 

Quite obviously the easiest and fastest way would be to send one of the older cargo planes. But the region was mostly wooded hills, and there were no open areas long enough to land a large cargo plane within a hundred kilometers of where the Platypus broke down. 

They could send the airship Annabel Lee... She was more than large enough, and Angelo had even been toying with the idea of a sort of "Drop-pod" that could be used in emergencies to parachute supplies down from the airship to a remote area. But the Annabel Lee was slow, and it would take much too long just to get her back to the KSC, let alone halfway across the planet to the Platypus.

Then Obney Kerman... almost half-joking... said the most outrageous thing.

"Why not just shove the drop-pods out the back of a cargo plane?"

For a brief, awkward second there was complete silence... then the entire room broke out in great guffaws of laughter.

... all but Angelo Kerman, that is, who looked at Obney, then Gene, then Obney again....

Then Gene saw a slow smile begin to cross Angelo's face... and he suddenly stopped laughing as well as he realized Angelo was taking Obney quite seriously!!!

And sure enough, less than an hour later, Angelo was out on the runway, ground-guiding two makeshift "Drop-Pods" onto a skid he had his team quickly welded to the floor of an older cargo transport.

The last hour had been an absolute mad-house flurry of activity, and Angelo couldn't be more proud of the engineering team. Everyone dropped what they were doing to chip in... welders attaching small wheels and a command seat, in case the pods landed far from the Platypus, while other attached parachutes, and the mechanics assembled and began packing all the parts and tools needed. It was a sight Angelo would remember for along, long time.

But for now his main concern was loading the pods so that they would fall away from the plane without difficulty. The floor was corrugated, and not designed for something like this, and Angelo was concerned the wheels might get caught, so he had the skid welded to the floor, so the pods could slide back and out, and hopefully not touch the floor whatsoever. 

Once everything was ready, Angelo had just enough time to grab a quick breakfast before heading out to the runway, where the plane was now fully fueled and waiting. True, they could have left as soon as the plane was ready, but Kerenna Kerman would be piloting, and had already timed their take-off so they would be reaching the Platypus just as the Kerbol was rising at the drop location.... and much to Angelo's delight, there was just enough time for a cheese danish and cup of coffee first!

On board for the airdrop were Kerenna Kerman, Obney, and of course Angelo. Kerenna was by far the most experienced pilot, and tried her best to hide just how anxious she was to get back in the air. She choose Obney as her co-pilot because he desperately needed the flight hours, and because it was his idea to use the cargo plane. And Angelo insisted on riding along to oversee the drop itself.

But as Kerenna throttled up the old C-300 Cargowing's huge J-90 engines, and the massive old plane began to accelerate down the runway, Kerenna and Obney made a somewhat startling... and slightly humorous... discovery.

True... Angelo Kerman loved to fly... if it was in something he had designed and built himself... but when it came to old, somewhat rickety cargo-plane built by someone else... well... that was a different story entirely!

But despite Angelo's fears the wings would fall off at any moment, Kerenna brought the plane around to a heading of 270° with ease, and began to climb to an altitude of about 8,000 meters. And with Kerbol at their backs, she and Obney sat back to enjoy the flight, which Kerenna had estimated to be approximately 2 hours to the Platypus drop-point.

 

And right on schedule, exactly 2 hours later, the Platypus camp was within 50 kilometers, and Kerenna was preparing to make their final approach. Because the Cargowing had traveled west, Kerbol had actually dipped back down a little, and was now on the horizon once again, making it almost impossible for the crew on the ground to see the incoming plane, until Kerenna's voice called out over the Platypus speakers...

"Did someone order a Sea-bug Pizza???"

Once they were within 20 kilometers, Angelo hit the switch to open the rear cargo doors, while Kerenna began to count down. She had never even dreamed of doing such a thing before this, but spent the last two hours trying her best to imagine how the pods would descend before deploying their parachutes, and doing her best to work out when best to drop them...

"OK, Angelo, get ready... in five... four...." Kerenna called out...

"Three... two... one.... Now, Now, Now!!!"

"And.... " Angelo waited for an agonizingly long second.... "Pods away! I'm closing the rear hatch.... parachutes should be deploying in 5..4..3..2..."

Once Kerenna got a green light on her panel indicating the cargo hatch was closed, she brought the now much lighter Cargowing around in a slow banking turn, while Obney looked out his side window for the pods...

"Wait... yes, there," he called out with excitement. "I see one... and two parachutes! Repeat, I see both parachutes! And they look like they're almost right over the camp!!! Hoo-Raa!"

"Platypus, this is Cargowing, pods have been deployed... Obney says they're close." Kerenna called into her mike... then added one more thing. "Stay safe, my friends... I already miss all of you so much!!!"

"Cargowing, this is Platypus," Val called back. "I have the parachutes in sight... they're right over us! Nice aim, Kay-Kay!!!"

Above her the Drop-Pods slowly drifted down, landing just a hundred meters or so from the camp!!!

Once they were on the ground, Jeb and Val ran out to see what they were dealing with, and were both pleasantly surprised to find each pod fitted with wheels, a makeshift seat and steering controls!

They weren't pretty, and guaranteed to be a little awkward to turn... but with a little care, they could be driven right back to the camp!

"Jeb," Val called over as she lowered the ladder and climbed aboard the pod, "I have to admit, I'm impressed!"

"Agreed, dear," Jeb called back. "This Angelo is rather... inventive, isn't he?"

"Oh, check it out," Val laughed. "They even have little solar panels! Wanna race???"

"Oh, no," Jeb called back. "Not fair, you're much closer... Besides, I doubt these were built for speed."

"True..." Val sighed, then laughed. "But I'll still get back first!"

And with that she swung the drop-pod around and headed back to the Platypus camp.

Back at the camp most everyone was still eating breakfast, except for Bill and Pappy, who were already eager to get to work, and anxiously awaited the parts they needed. But when Val got close with the drop-pod, Pappy Kerman did a double take and whistled out loud...

"Boy..." he said softly over to Bill. "Y'all have got to tell me more about this Angelo character..."

The Drop-pods were essentially just huge buckboard cargo-containers with wheels, and once Val and Jeb locked the wheels in place, Bill started unpacking and assembling a new addition to the base camp... much to Pappy's continued amazement.

"You requested a machine-shop, sir. May I present the Hacienda IMF, or Inflatable Multipurpose Factory," Bill smiled at Pappy. "Would you like to see the inside?"

"Show me," Pappy growled... but through a smile that was hard to hide.

"All this... is inflatable?" Pappy looked around with no small degree of awe.

"Angelo prefers the term "Pneumatic", but essentially, yes. The material is some weird new carbon-nanofiber material, so he says, that becomes super rigid when inflated... yet is quite compact and storeable when deflated."

"Remarkable," Pappy shook his head. "Well... we got work to do, boy... Let's go see if they remembered everything."

Outside Jeb and val were already hard at work unpacking the next thing they would need to assemble: a winch.

Pappy was a little leery of the harpoon hook, but Bill assured him it would work for what they needed, then set to work on something for his best friend, Bob... a lab dome. While he didn't know what they were up to, Bill knew Bob and the rest of the scientists were hard at work on some obscure experiment or theory or some other sciency project, and he had made sure Gene included a lab dome in the Drop-Pod inventory so they could make the best of the time they had here.

Once it was up, Bob stood and smiled over at his friend.

"I... wow... I am so glad you thought of us," Bob grinned. "I know we haven't had a lot of time to hang out recently... and I'm sorry I can't really tell you what we're working on..."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Bill laughed. "Half the time I don't know what you're talking about anyway. I just figured we were going to be stuck here a day or two... and they were sending the factory dome anyway... why not include a science dome so you and the others can split some atoms, or whatever it is you're working on..."

"Would you believe me if I said splitting an atom would be easy compared to what we're trying to puzzle out?" Bob asked with a sarcastic grin

"Yes... yes I would," Bill laughed back.

But just then the two were joined by Captain Lodwell and his first officer Yolanda/Bridgett.

"I'm sorry... are we interrupting?" Lodwell said with a cheerful grin.

"Oh, no," Bob smiled back. "Not at all! Is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually," Yolanda/Bridgett answered. "We were going to ask the same of you."

"It's just everyone else is so busy," Lodwell continued. "We were felling like a couple of 5th wheels, so to speak, and were wondering if we could lend a hand in some way?"

"I'm sorry I'm not much of a mechanic," Yolanda volunteered. "My specialty is electronics... if there's anything..."

"Yes!" Bob cut her off excitedly. "Yes, actually... if you don't mind. My colleagues and I have been busy on... well... it's complicated. Anyway, a few days ago we were at what's left of Baikerbanur Valley... I don't know if you've heard."

"Yes..." Lodwell shook his head sadly. "Your friends were just telling us... monstrous..."

"That's a good word for it, yes," Bob nodded grimly. "The thing is, my colleagues and I haven't really had the time to go over the scanners and test equipment properly... and... well... if you don't mind."

"Mind?" Yolanda laughed. "Dear sir, I would be delighted to give everything a good looking over! Beats sitting around waiting for this... Platypus??? Platypus wheel to be fixed.."

"And I'm not much of an engineer," Lodwell grinned. "But I'll gladly do what I can to help her."

"Oh, that would be great!" Bob smiled. 

"Think nothing of it," Lodwell chuckled. "Like my first says... it beats sitting around watching everyone else do all the work."

Now the team was able to really get to work repairing the Platypus, but for the most part they just stayed out of Pappy Kerman's way and watched as he began to disassemble the undercarriage like he'd been working on the Platypus all his life.

Yolanda/Bridgett and Lodwell checked, and in many cases, cleaned and did some minor repairs to all the test equipment and material lab... and even did a quick inspection of the communication array for good measure.

And inside one of the camp domes, Jandolin was trying to explain to Emiko and Chibi, as gently as she could, what she and Harfield had discovered about them.

"Sisters???" Chibi could barely speak... "I... I think... what???"

"Emiko knew..." Emiko whispered... "Not know how... But Emiko always knew..."

"Now, please understand," Jandolin tried to explain. "We don't necessarily think you two are actual sisters, born from the same parents... That's clearly impossible."

"But ET hive-queen did something," Emiko interrupted. "Changed Emiko and Chibi..."

"Yes," Jandolin nodded. "We already knew that much. But this newest discovery suggests they not only altered your DNA... they changed it in such a way as to be nearly identical..."

"But why?" Chibi asked with awe.

"That, my dear..." Jandolin answered, equally awed. "That is the real mystery."

 

So on through the afternoon and into the night the crew took turns assisting Pappy and Bill in any way they could. Most of the undercarriage was a wreck, and Pappy was glad to see Angelo had decided not to try and salvage it, and instead just sent replacement parts for everything.

But as the stars came out, and the Munkrickets began chirping all around, young Fritz Kerman, who was standing and watching Pappy, and hoping to help in some way, looked over to see Yolanda/Bridgett leaving her dome and heading out behind the Platypus. Obviously infatuated with the somewhat mysterious Kerbette, Fritz clumsily excused himself and ran after her, much to Pappy and Bill's amusement.

"Bridgett... I mean Yolanda... wait up!" Fritz called out, causing Yolanda/Bridgett to pause and look back.

"Fritz!" she smiled. "How are the repairs coming along?"

"Oh, good... good," Fritz stammered. "Hey... is your name really Yolanda?"

"Oh, yes..." Yolanda/Bridgett frowned. "I am so sorry about that... you see, I have this crazy jealous ex-husband..."

"Ex-husband?" Fritz seemed dejected. "So.... does that mean you and this Captain Lodwell are... are.... well, you know..."

"The Captain and I," Yolanda let out a loud snort. "Oh... Oh, heavens no!"

"No?"

"No..." Yolanda laughed. "The Captain's heart belongs to only one woman, his ship!"

"But... he doesn't have a ship," Fritz seemed a little puzzled. "Does he?"

"Not now," Yolanda explained. "No, not now... but he will, and soon, if I know my captain. And when he does..."

"Ahhh... I think I understand." Fritz smiled, then awkwardly tried to change the subject. "Sooo... whatcha doing out here? I thought everyone was heading for bed."

"Well, it's a little embarrassing," Yolanda lowered her voice. "But I seem to have misplaced my new K-pad."

"Oh, I'll help you look!" Fritz smiled.

"No!" Yolanda cut him off. "No.... you... you need to help the others get this vehicle fixed. And... well... I don't want the others to know I lost it."

"But why? I'm sure everyone will help you find it."

"Yeah... but... well... You see, I've always looked up to Valentina Kerman," Yolanda looked around as if she were afraid Val might be listening. "Val's sort of my... well... my idol, and... and I just don't want her thinking I'm a... well, a klutz..."

"Oh... being a klutz is something I definitely understand," Fritz giggled. "Your secret is safe with me, Yolanda."

"Thank you!" Yolanda purred, then reached over and gave Fritz a quick peck on the cheek, causing his to turn a violent shade of dark emerald.

"I... I think I better get back now..." Fritz stammered, and nearly tripped over himself running back to the repair sight.

"Cute kid," Yolanda chuckled to herself as she climbed atop the Platypus, looked around quick, then hit the button to open the material-bay doors and pulled out a wrench.

"OK... let's have some fun..."

 

The next morning Kerenna was back with the Cargowing for a second airdrop... this time a trailer rigged to transport the first two drop-pods once the Platypus repairs were complete. 

"We gotta stop meeting like this," Kerenna laughed over the radio as the drop-pod trailer fell free and deployed it's parachutes.

"Just don't tell Jeb," Val laughed back as she spotted the parachutes, and estimated the trailer would land only about a kilometer or so from the Platypus camp.

Once the trailer had landed, Theo jumped up and volunteered to go fetch it.

"It's a bit of a walk up that hill," val warned.

"Who said anything about walking?" Theo laughed back, then headed to the platypus's rear storage compartment.

"Oh... yeah, I should have known," Val laughed. "Just be careful."

"Yes, ma'am," Theo answered back as he pulled out one of the small jet-wings stored in back, and got a fix on the trailer with his tracking scanner.

Then Theo quickly strapped on the jet-wing, and with a yell took off up to the trailer.

"Weeeee....!"

But unfortunately for Theo, this was just a quick jaunt, and was over far too soon for his liking. But he knew this wasn't the time for sport flying, so after landing, Theo climbed onto the back of the trailer, secured the jet-wing with a bungee cord, and headed back to the camp.

 

As Theo was bringing the trailer to a stop near the drop-pods, Bill turned to Fritz, who had been hanging around most of the morning, hoping for something to do.

"Fritz,"" Bill instructed the young engineer. "I'm putting you in charge of disassembling these drop-pods, and get them refitted onto the trailer. I'll get Theo and his sister to assist you. With a little luck, and some hard work, we may be able to get out of here tomorrow."

 "Yes, SIR!" Fritz beamed, thrilled at the idea of being "in charge" of anything.

As the day wore on, Fritz, along with Theo and Gem, unbolted the seats, solar panels, and everything else from the drop-pod containers while Pappy and Bill went back to work on the Platypus, and inside, Bob and Harfield wrestled with trying to understand some of the other anomalies they were now discovering in Emiko and Chibi's DNA results.

But late that afternoon Emiko suddenly announced she wanted to got for a walk, much to Chibi's surprise and concern. And never wanting to be far from her best friend, Chibi followed along in silence, until Emiko stopped under a couple of nearby trees, and started looking around.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Chibi asked softly.

"Sanny ghost... has Chibi seen Sanny ghost?"

"No," Chibi answered. "I don't think anyone has seen her since we left ground-zero."

Emiko just stood and said nothing.

"I.... I believe Jeb said he saw Sanny, and that for some strange reason, she really liked it there..." Chibi said softly. "Maybe she's still there?"

"Maybe," Emiko whispered. 

"OK, spill it, girl," Chibi sighed. "What's the matter, really? Is it the DNA thing?"

"No... Emiko always knew she and Chibi were... were... space-twins."

"Space-twins," Chibi grinned. "I love it! But..."

"But..." Emiko frowned again. "But... why? What is ET hive-queen up to? Why make Emiko and Chibi space-twins? Has to be a reason..."

"Ahhh," Chibi sighed. "Now I understand... The hive-queen never, ever does anything for no reason... You're right to be bothered, it's quite a mystery."

"Murder-poof mystery?" Emiko smiled meakly.

"Ha... yes," Chibi smiled back. "Maybe... maybe that's how we need to start thinking... like we're in another murder-poof mystery...only..."

"Only this time it's for real," Emiko whispered back. "This is very, very for real..."

And sure enough, just like Bill had predicted, as Kerbol was setting, he and Pappy were inspecting the newly repaired wheel assembly, while Fritz, Theo and Gem were tightening the last of the re-assembled drop-pod trailers retaining bolts.

The Platypus was fixed, and in the morning they could break camp and continue on their journey!

"Great work, everyone," Jeb congratulated everyone. "Really great! Now, I suggest we get as much sack time as possible, so we can get an early start in the morning. We have a lot of time to make up."

And with a quick cheer, the crew all found empty bunks in the various habitat domes, and most were asleep the second they hit them...

 

The next morning everyone chipped in breaking down the camp, and were strapped in and ready to depart as the sky began to glow red with the coming dawn.

But as Val plotted their days' journey, she and Gem began toying with the idea of maybe taking an alternate route. The original plan was to journey south and west, then south around a major island chain, and finally back north to their next target destination:

But Val was thinking they could avoid the southerly loop, and cross the small sea instead, which could save them as much as a full day island hopping:

Gem agreed, and looking quickly at the map, was hopeful they could reach the west shore by nightfall... and maybe even do the crossing during the night, which could shave a few more hours off.

Val then threw the idea by Jeb in the back, who quickly agreed it was a good plan, and had no objections to a night-crossing, so long as Gem could handle the extra driving.

"Piece of cheesecake, sir," Gem replied. "Swimming is super easy. And look at how much time we're going to make up!"

"Agreed," Jeb replied. "I'll radio Gene and let him know of our course change."

 So the Platypus spent the day hopping from one island to the next, with no problems from the newly repaired front wheel. In fact Pappy seemed to be a lot less grumpy than he had been, and wasn't complaining of any weird sounds or vibrations, which Bill had now learned to respect and pay attention to.

Up front Emiko was in a good mood once again, and was singing some really comical Earth-song with Chibi about some fat king with the outrageous name of Henry, who ate his 8 wives... or something like that... it was hard for Val to tell for sure... Earth was so weird...

That afternoon, as Kerbol began to dip towards the horizon, Gem pulled the Platypus ashore of the last island before their night crossing, and looked over at Val with a proud smile.

"We should hit the far shore by nightfall..." she beamed. "Right on schedule!"

"Very good, dear," Val smiled back. "But eyes up front... let's get there in one piece."

"Yes, ma'am."

And an hour or so later, Gem pulled the Platypus to a stop on the western island shore, just in time to watch Kerbol sink below the horizon.

"Outstanding," Jeb called up from the back. "Are we still crossing tonight?"

"I'm good to go, sir," Gem replied smartly. "Let's do this!"

And with that she slowly let off the brake, and rolled the Platypus into the darkening sea...

 

Now about this time, back at the KSC, Gene Kerman was standing high atop the the towering Vehicle Assembly Building with his good friends and advisers, Kuzzter and Geschosskopf, awaiting what would be a rather auspicious night launch.

This was the tenth, and last, in a series of huge communication and scanning arrays that had been sent into orbit in hopes of perhaps tracking the movements of these mysterious Krakens if they should reappear, and maybe even gaining some insight into their motives.

There were already 4 such arrays in geosynchronous orbit above Kerbin, three more in orbit above the Mun, and this last was the third to be positioned in orbit over Minmus. And being the last in the series, Gene had invited Kuzzter and Geschosskopf to join him for the launch.

Truth be told, Gene also missed his new found friends, who had been cooped up with Angelo for days now, planning the huge upcoming rebuild of Emiko Station. While Angelo already had a myriad of plans and ideas, Kuzz and Geo had actual long-term experience in space from their journey out to Duna and back... And upon learning this, Angelo immediately started picking their brains for ideas and insights... which lead to a rather unconventional, but quite successful, working relationship between the three of them. 

But it also meant Gene not seeing his friends quite as much... which, again, led him to inviting them to pry themselves from their drafting tables a moment and come watch this launch with him.

"OK, I can't deny," Geo whispered as the huge rocket roared up into the night sky. "I never get tired of watching these."

"Neither do I, old friend, neither do I" Kuzzter agreed, then turned to Gene. "So... you were saying before the launch... they made it in and out of Ground Zero?"

 

"Yes... yes!" Gene nodded with excitement. The radiation plating seems to have held, and they were able to get in and rescue Dr. Herbert, plus gather who knows how much invaluable data as well!"

"Remarkable!" Geo whispered. "Can you imagine???'

"Oh, and there's more," Gene continued. "You'll like this part... The day after they left Ground Zero, they took the Platypus out to the Crater Island, in the middle the Implodium sea... and would you believe... they found Captain Lodwell himself... stranded and still alive after all these years!"

"Wait... what?" Kuzzter's face suddenly turned to stone, and Geo seemed to grow even more silent than usual, if that was possible. "Say that again?"

"I said," Gene was worried now at the look on his friends faces. "I said they rescued... someone claiming to be Captain Lodwell, of the Reliant..."

"Impossible," Kuzz whispered, his face growing more and more serious.

"Why is it impossible?" Now Gene was getting worried...

"Because," Kuzzter said softly. "Because right after the Reliant was beached, my crew and I went out to... well, to see if we could salvage anything."

"You have to remember," Geo cut in. "We were still pirates back then..."

"But here's the rub...." Kuzzter said even softer. "We were there... Geo and I both saw... everything. And I'm telling you, on my honor as both a captain and a friend, they were all poofed... all of them. There weren't no survivors on that island."

 

30 minutes later, the Platypus was now well on their way across the small sea straight when Jeb unexpectedly asked Captain Lodwell and Yolanda/Bridgett to join him in the Platypus's office section.

"I am SOOO sorry to be bothering you at this late hour," Jeb said apologetically as Lodwell and Yolanda/Bridgett took a seat across from him. "But my boss, senior administrator Gene Kerman, has come across a... well... a clerical error, and has just a couple quick questions, if you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Lodwell grinned as Jeb switched on the central monitor and connected to the KSC. "How can we be of service, sir?"

"Captain Lodwell... it is good to meet you." Gene began... "I just have a quick matter to clear up, if I may?"

"I've been going over the last known Reliant crew manifest," Gene continued. "And I'm rather bewildered to find there is no record of a Lieutenant Yolanda Kerman, or a Bridgett Kerman for that matter.... Can you explain this, sir?" 

"Oh... well..." Lodwell seemed off balance for a moment "That's because... well... because..."

"Because her real name is Saffron Kerman!!!" The voice of Geschosskopf Kerman suddenly boomed over the speakers, and both he and Kuzzter appeared on the monitors along side Gene.

"Well, bless my hearts, if it isn't dear cousin Kuzzter," Lodwell suddenly laughed. "Long time, no viddy, me brother. How art thou?"

"I am NOT related to you!!!" Kuzzter bellowed, then took a second to regain his self control. "Gene, I was afraid of this. Lodwell here's real name is LoVar... Captain LoVar Kerman... scoundrel, rogue..."

"And a better pirate than you'll ever be, Kuzzter," LoVar sneered back, then laughed. "But dear cousin, where are our manners? We have a reunion to celebrate... isn't that right... Geschosskopf???"

For several seconds Geschosskopf just glared at Bridgett/Yolanda... or was it now Saffron???  Whoever she was, she just looked back with the most innocent grin on her face... a grin Jeb suddenly realized was anything but innocent.

"Captain Jebediah," Geo finally said, in a voice that could instantly freeze a supernova... "If you have any sense of self-preservation, you will throw her overboard now..."

"Why Geo... dearest... you do still care..." Saffron laughed.

"Jeb, I'm warning you... this one is far more dangerous than any Kraken..."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, love..." Saffron giggled... "Please, keep talking dirty..."

"Jeb!" Geo sounded almost desperate... "I'm serious, lock her up, throw away the key, or I promise, she will try to take your ship!"

 

"Opps..." Saffron sounded really amused now. "Too late, my love... I'm afraid I already took command of the ship the day before yesterday... they just don't know yet."

What? Jeb gasped. "What's this now?"

"Oh, yes... In fact, you are all in terrible danger..." Saffron giggled over at Jeb. "Perhaps you would like to see... hmmm???"

"Gem," Jeb slammed his intercom button. "All stop!!!"

"All stop, sir!"

"Now, what's this all about?" Jeb tried his best to remain calm, but his instincts were telling him that Saffron wasn't lying about one thing... they were indeed in terrible danger.

"Oh... you should have someone go outside and take a look inside the material bay..." Saffron seemed way too pleased with herself... "I left you all such a wonderful present!"

"Bill," Jeb called into the back. "I need you to go check the material bay, please... and Bill, use extreme caution..."

"Yes... that would be prudent," Saffron giggled.

"Aye, sir," Bill called back, then headed for the rear hatch.

The Platypus had just come to a full stop as Bill climbed out and up onto the roof. The stars were exceptionally bright over the water, and there was no land in any direction as far as Bill could see. Cautiously he pressed the material bar door latch, and peered inside. 

At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary... but then a bright red light suddenly flashed on... the red LED of a demolition pack that had been wired into the material bay controls... and was set to blow in just 20 short seconds!!!

"Oh.... Oh, no..." Bill froze for a second, then screamed into his mic. "She's wired an explosive pack... By the Gods... get off the ship... Everyone, you need to get off the ship NOW!!!"

Time seemed to slow... Bill remembered hearing the sudden panic screams from his friends inside as he turned and dove off the side into the cold, black water...

"Please... please.... get out... get out..." Bill gasped as he swam as far as he could, desperately trying to keep track of how long it had been... 14... 15 seconds already???

Then he turned, and in that last second watched as the Platypus was suddenly engulfed in a horrifying fireball...

...and a piece of debris came flying straight at him...

...and sent Bill spiraling into a merciful darkness...

 

The Saga of Emiko Station, and the tale of Emiko and Chibi Kerman, are far, far from over.

Go to Chapter 90
Return to Index

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim
Hopefully I got them all