The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[Just Jim]

4 hours ago, RocketSquid said:

I, for one, prefer the 1.1 wheels (with the possible exception of the Ruggedized ones... they seem to be secretly made of tissue paper), as my rovers can typically recover from spinning out or popping a tire then they can from capsizing. In particular, the really big wheels finally became far more practical for me as they now have a far larger practicality range.

So far I'm having great luck with the really large wheels on the Mun. Just keep it around 20m/s or so and they're doing fine.  They're rated for 30m/s, but I find if I do much more than 20m/s I end up off the ground a lot. 
But honestly, I haven't done much with the others since 1.1.

 

7 hours ago, Crystal_Mace said:

Jim, love how you worked the flag thing into the story, and so great to hear you're getting to circle the Mun at last!  Judging by the Steam forum you're the only one not having their game destroyed by the 1.1  wheels...lol.I shouldn't laugh...I've had software bugs noone else could identify before...and as we all know, the Kraken sleeps lightly....

I gave up on the steam forum a while ago.  Too many mean people lurking about there.

As for the road trip, a nice thing about doing it now, strictly from an author's POV, is I have more or less 100 days before Harfield gets to Eve, and twice that before the Dresperado gets home.  
Driving around the Mun is a great way to kill gametime until then, as well as advancing the mystery of the floating rocks...  

I have most all the screenshots ready for the next chapter, but I'm thinking I still need to add something.  IDK... maybe a new ship?

Edited May 2, 2016 by Just Jim

[Mister Dilsby]

'Munquake'-- good an explanation as any for going to 1.1  

[Cydonian Monk]

11 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

'Munquake'-- good an explanation as any for going to 1.1  

Agree. If I didn't have something better in mind I might "borrow" that idea. Still bothers me that flags fall over when nothing obvious changes.... There has to be a reason and a way to fix it.

[Mister Dilsby]

Fortunately 'persistomancers' are a thing in my 'verse, so we'll know when  Kerbfleet changes versions because of all the dropped lampshades that will have to be re-hung.

[Just Jim]

11 hours ago, Kuzzter said:

'Munquake'-- good an explanation as any for going to 1.1  

 

10 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Agree. If I didn't have something better in mind I might "borrow" that idea. Still bothers me that flags fall over when nothing obvious changes.... There has to be a reason and a way to fix it.

A Munquake seemed plausible enough.  I had to try to explain fallen flags, buggy landing gear, and having the new computer change all my graphic settings and ground scatters around.  Plus it gave me an opportunity to start the road trip.  

@Cydonian Monk, if you want to use munquakes, go for it.  I'm sure folks will understand we're trying to explain 1.1.  
Unless you already have something better in mind, that is.  

[RA3236]

Hmmm... How 'bout looking at the...

Spoiler

Armstrong Memorial

For us???

[Just Jim]

8 hours ago, RA3236 said:

Hmmm... How 'bout looking at the...

  Reveal hidden contents

Armstrong Memorial

For us???

Hmmmm... I'm still needing something to fill out the next chapter a little more... OK, I suppose I can go there next.   

Edited May 3, 2016 by Just Jim

[Just Jim]

Can someone help me out?  What is the name of the mod that lets you change how the Kerbans look?  And is it updated to 1.1?

I don't want to go crazy and change everyone around, but it bugs me because I've made Gene a main character.  In the game he appears to have sort of light brown or blond hair, but so far my screenshots his hair is black.  I would like to correct this, and maybe make dr. von kerman and the rest of the canon npc characters, so to speak, a little more accurate.

Thanks!

[Kerbart]

I'd say texture replacer. You can change the looks of kerbals on a name-by-name basis. I have it working. I think it's a 1.1.2 version but if not, it works with it anyway.

Edit: and here's the release thread.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Kerbart

[Just Jim]

42 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

I'd say texture replacer. You can change the looks of kerbals on a name-by-name basis. I have it working. I think it's a 1.1.2 version but if not, it works with it anyway.

Edit: and here's the release thread.

That looks like it will work, thanks!

[Just Jim]

I got all the screenshots I need to do another chapter tomorrow, but I also discovered something odd.  While the Chariot rover is still performing amazing on the Mun, it's now garbage on Kerbin!  
I guess you win some, you lose some... lol.... but now on Kerbin, the chariot has no hill climbing ability, and seems far too heavy for even six X-large wheels.

Oh well, no big deal, guess it just means I need to design a new rover for the KSC... awwww darn.... lol.  

[Just Jim]

It's been a while since I made everyone mad at me... let's fix that...

Chapter 45
      The Nightmare     

 

 

Several days had passed since the unexplained Munquake, and Piper and her crew set forth across the surface of the Mun. Back on Kerbin, as the Sun rose over the eastern sea, Gene Kerman looked onto the KASA launchpad with no small amount of dread. Before him was a huge hodge-podge of rockets and boosters, and despite the assurances of Dr. von Kerman, Gene was privately convinced this one was never going to lift off.

As the countdown neared zero, Gene thought back to the meeting a few days ago when he had to slam the breaks on the recent flood of expectant tourists. In many ways it was his own fault, having instructed Walt Kerman in public relations to bury any evidence of Thompberry Kerman's reappearance to the public, and instead spin recent events in the best way he could.

Unfortunately, Walt had done his job a little too well, and when news of Piper's Mun-trek, as it had come to be called, got out, people began clamoring to go visit the Mun for themselves. The Diamondback was making trips every few days, and before he knew it there were no less than 36 tourists and 2 VIP's on Emiko Station.

The worst part is several wanted to visit Duna, which caused Gene no small amount of concern. How could he send innocent tourists into Thompberry Kerman's lair? So he called a temporary halt to any more tourists, stating Emiko Station had reached her capacity. But it was only hours when this simple statement came back to haunt him, and calls went out among the senior staff, as well as visiting VIP's, to expand Emiko Station, as well as the KASA fleet, to accommodate the increasing tourist trade.

This morning's launch was the first of that expansion, and across the center's loudspeakers the countdown rang out:

"Threee....  Twooo..... One....."

Much to Gene's relief, the massive assembly held together, and the launch pad didn't explode, and soon the ship's boosters were peeling away with no complications, and the monstrous ship was safely in orbit and ejecting it's final boosters.

There, hidden beneath the vast array of boosters, lie KASA's new flagship and long range shuttle: The Starbird.

Once her solar panels and antennae were unfurled, the ship's autopilot set course for Emiko Station, where pilot Maryin awaited anxiously it's arrival. Because of it's great size, two days earlier an auxiliary docking port had been sent to Emiko to accommodate the mighty ship.  

Several hours later the Starbird reached Emiko Station and docked to it's new port with ease, while excited tourists and crew alike rushed to view the event from their windows.

It was said later when Maryin first saw her new ship, her screams of glee were heard by all in Emiko Station, and a vast and silly grin remained on her face for days.

 

*          *          *

 

Meanwhile, on the Mun, Piper and the Rocklady had decided they could learn no more from the buried monolith, and the time had come to move on.

But before they left, they decided to try communing with one of the nearby floating rocks, and chose a large one they could get close to.

Like the last time, as the sun was beginning to fall, Piper felt herself being drawn into a soft, relaxing sort of dream, and this time submitted to it completely.

Minutes turned to hours, when Piper quietly turned to the Rocklady and said softly, "It's like day-dreaming..."

"Yes, child," the Rocklady replied, "Can you remember any of it?"

"It's..... fuzzy.  Like remembering a dream when you wake up the next morning. But I remember... something near here. There's something north of here, not far.  I think... I think we're supposed to go there.."

"Can you remember the way, child?"

Piper was silent for a moment, then looked up in amazement. "Yes... yes!  I don't know how, but I do know how to get there."

 

*          *          *

 

And so, when the sun had risen the next morning, Piper and her crew packed up their gear and headed north into a much more rugged and mountainous area.

As they got close, Piper stopped and surveyed the area. It was treacherous to say the least, but she was convinced they should go down there.

Slowly, carefully, her foot never leaving the brake, Piper guided the chariot into the vast crater, and soon spotted an object in the distance that appeared to tower over the nearby rocks. And she instantly knew this was the object she had seen in her rock-dream.

As she drew the chariot close to the object, Piper let out a gasp. "It's some sort of..... statue. Or a monument??? And there's writing on it!!"

As the three looked up in awe, Frannie asked softly, "But who are Neil and Armstrong? Is this... is this a.... oh my.... a memorial? Could someone possible be....  buried here?"

"I don't know," Piper answered, "But I"m going to look on top of it for clues."

"Not me, Frannie said, "You two go on, I'll... look to the refueling.. yeah, refueling. That's where's I'll be.. refueling."

And she quickly turned and hurried back to the chariot while Piper and the Rocklady strapped on their jet-packs and headed to the top of the strange memorial.

Piper looked around in puzzlement. "This thing, it looks like one of our old landers, but I don't recognize the flag. And it looks like it was carved the surrounding stone. How could someone have carved this here and no-one else know about it?"

"I don't know," answered the Rocklady, "It's all very mysterious."

"Well, if it is a memorial.... if someone, somehow, was here long ago, then maybe we should honor them? I'm going to add our flag in remembrance of... well, of whoever Neil and Armstrong were."

The Rocklady said nothing, but smiled in pride at Piper's suggestion.

For two Mun-days they stayed at the strange memorial, but were unable to learn much, other than it was not only old, but analysis showed it was ancient, on the order of hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years.

And like the site of the buried monolith, they tried communing with the nearby rocks, but here they found none to be receptive.

As the sun rose for the third time, Piper and her crew decided they could learn no more here, and it was time to move on once again, this time to the second of the great arches.

On one occasion, when they had stopped to drill and refuel, Piper and the Rocklady walked to the edge of a vast cliff and looked at the vista below.

"It's so lovely," Piper whispered.

Finally, after hours of travelling the rugged terrain, Piper spied the second great arch looming in the distance.

But like the first arch they had visited, they found very little, other than it was stone, and like the weird memorial they had just left, it appeared ancient. Other than that the Chariots instruments picked up nothing unusual in the area. And none of the rocks were co-operating either. Feeling a little frustrated, Piper decided to try something a little reckless, and looked at the Rocklady with a sly grin.

"I'm going up on top. Wait here for me, I won't be long."

"Are you sure it's safe, child?" the Rocklady asked, concerned.

"Sure, piece of cake," Piper grinned, strapping on her jet pack, "I've done much worse."

Slowly, carefully, Piper lifted herself up, and spying a decent sized flat area, she came to rest on the top of the gigantic arch.

The view was breathtaking, and Piper could only guess how far off she could see. She tried lying down, to hear or feel any vibrations, but got nothing.

With a sigh, she rolled onto her back and stared at the sun overhead. The view was again amazing, and she soon felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Minutes passed, and the Rocklady began to grow concerned, when suddenly Piper's terrified scream ripped thru her headset speakers.

"Ahhhh!!! No... NO.... EWWWWWWWW........  What are you??? No, get back!!! Don't touch... don't touch meeee.... AHHHHHHH... Help, Help!!! It's got me... it's got... MEEEE! NOOOOOOOOOOOO...."

And to her horror, the Rocklady looked up just in time to see Piper tumble over the edge of the arch and begin falling to the ground so very far below her.

Helpless to anything but stand and watch, the Rocklady began crying and shouting, "Piper... PIPER!!! Oh... Frannie, get out here, now!"

Now screaming, the Rocklady watched in horror as Piper tumbled and finally hit the ground with a sickening crunch.  

"Piper... PIPER," the Rocklady cried as she drew near. But Piper lie motionless in a broken heap, and the Rocklady began to sob hysterically.

 

*          *          *

 

Millions of kilometers away, atop Duna Station, Thompberry Kerman had been spying on Piper's journey for days, monitoring each discovery, as well as adding some very "special" modifications of his own to Piper's Chariot.

And like some sick cosmic voyeur, when he witnessed Piper's fall from the great arch, Thompberry Kerman began to giggle...

Then he laughed hysterically.... 

 

The Saga of Emiko Station is far, far from over....

Go to Chapter 46
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim

[spacebrick3]

Very nice story. But what did Piper see? And what are these "special modifications"?

Edited May 4, 2016 by spacebrick3

[RA3236]

Noooooo.... Excellent turn of events. I'm guessing you have been planning this for a while ?

[Crystal_Mace]

I LOVE THE STARBIRD!!  ummm...pardon me...not meaning to deafen everybody...:ahem:...   REALLY great reveal, burying it in boosters like that.....:D

At first I thought dealing with all those tourists was the nightmare the title referred to.....

(Alternatively, I wondered if that huge collection of parts might detonate on the pad taking the entire Space center with it, and then Gene would spring up in bed screaming....)

OMG....Earth and the Apollo project in the Kerbin universe were "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."?  (and by the way, May the 4th be with you!   )

Good grief but Thompberry is creepy...I'm not TOO worried about Capt. Piper....a kerbal recently survived reentry and splashdown without a capsule after all....   She'll be alright.

Won't she...?

[SpaceplaneAddict]

Long live the Emiko Pilot...
*Determination.

[Angelo Kerman]

1 hour ago, spacebrick3 said:

Very nice story. But what did Piper see? And what are these "special modifications"?

It can make .5 past lightspeed.

May the Fourth Be With You...

[Mjp1050]

3 hours ago, Just Jim said:

There, hidden beneath the vast array of boosters, lie KASA's new flagship and long range shuttle: The Starbird.

My jaw:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THUNK

That is a truly beautiful ship.

 

[Andem]

Piper isn't dead! She didn't go *POOF*! At the very worst she's in a coma, and knowing kerbals, that is not a permanent situation!

[superstrijder15]

On 26-4-2016 at 8:09 PM, Plecy75 said:

If you want I'll build you a new pc

Well, I should probably just get a laptop of less than 6 years old, built for processing power instead of to be easy to take with me to school..

[Emperor of the Titan Squid]

Has anyone noticed that  the docking port is glowing red?

[RocketSquid]

53 minutes ago, Emperor of the Titan Squid said:

Has anyone noticed that  the docking port is glowing red?

Yes, when the kraken turned thompberry into a brain in a jar, it also installed the glowing ambience generator from Omega-77.

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, Emperor of the Titan Squid said:

Has anyone noticed that  the docking port is glowing red?

Oh wait...... you mean the lighting on the new docking port on Emiko Station?
That is an excellent observation, good job!  
But it's a coincidence, and actually a small mistake on my part.  I realize now I have to be more careful with my lighting colors.

 

27 minutes ago, RocketSquid said:

Yes, when the kraken turned thompberry into a brain in a jar, it also installed the glowing ambience generator from Omega-77.

Glowing ambiance generator....  or GAG for short... hehehe... I like that!  

 

On 5/4/2016 at 4:15 PM, Crystal_Mace said:

OMG....Earth and the Apollo project in the Kerbin universe were "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."?  (and by the way, May the 4th be with you!   )

I wasn't sure if anyone would catch that...  

[Geschosskopf]

On 5/4/2016 at 2:15 PM, Just Jim said:

And like some sick cosmic voyeur, when he witnessed Piper's fall from the great arch, Thompberry Kerman began to giggle...
Then he laughed hysterically.... 

I'm glad that Thompberry, despite the hand that Fate has dealt him, can still find things to laugh at, instead of just feeling sorry for himself all the time.  I find that inspiring.  Oh wait.....

Seriously, though, I have a feeling that Piper received a revelation that will eventually encompass the doom of Thompberry.  Climbing to a high place and having an out-of-body experience is classic shamanism.  No telling what the spirits rocks told her.

So, was the Munquake caused by the arches all doing jumping jacks?  They do walk around at night, you know  

 

On 5/5/2016 at 7:22 PM, Andem said:

Piper isn't dead! She didn't go *POOF*! At the very worst she's in a coma, and knowing kerbals, that is not a permanent situation!

Well, she could be a zombie.  I've seen it happen.

 

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

But it's a coincidence, and actually a small mistake on my part.  I realize now I have to be more careful with my lighting colors.

Yeah, I was wondering about that, too.  Good thing there's a mod out now that allows changing the colors of lights on ships after they've been launched.  It's for 1.1 but might work in 1.1.2.

[Just Jim]

11 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

Yeah, I was wondering about that, too.  Good thing there's a mod out now that allows changing the colors of lights on ships after they've been launched.  It's for 1.1 but might work in 1.1.2.

Oh cool!  I will try this out tomorrow!  Thanks!!!   

11 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

So, was the Munquake caused by the arches all doing jumping jacks?  They do walk around at night, you know  

There have been rumors...   

 

11 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

I'm glad that Thompberry, despite the hand that Fate has dealt him, can still find things to laugh at, instead of just feeling sorry for himself all the time.  I find that inspiring.  Oh wait.....

yeah, like most evil villains, he's got a slightly... warped... sense of humor...  

Edited May 6, 2016 by Just Jim