The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[SpaceplaneAddict]

carlenna kerman, zombie engineer.

Yeah, that sounds pretty BadS.

[The solid fuel chemist]

Ok, so if carlenna and the zombie squad are salvaging ships, then put homing devices on all craft they may salvage. (Adjusts Sherlock Holmes cap) 

[Just Jim]

So this was an interesting morning. I'm running a little late on today's chapter because I went to get a couple last minute screenshots and encountered a rather, shall we say, dramatic bug. It's nothing game breaking, and I have no idea what caused it. It also seems to have fixed itself when I used F9, and now I can't reproduce it.

However... and this is the fun part. I've been doing this long enough to know a good bug when I see it, and this was a big, fat, juicy one. So instead of panicking and immediately hitting F9, I let it play out first and got as many screenshots as I could. More than enough to take full advantage of...  

I'll still have the next chapter done today, I just need to adjust it a little so this bug fits.

9 hours ago, The solid fuel chemist said:

Ok, so if carlenna and the zombie squad are salvaging ships, then put homing devices on all craft they may salvage. (Adjusts Sherlock Holmes cap) 

That may work later down the road, but right now no-one really knows what Carlenna is up to, or that she has... shall we say.... minions.

11 hours ago, Andem said:

Hmm... I notice a few new mods added to the save... namely, KIS and TST. Interesting choices, and an extremely interesting chapter!

Yup. When I saw TST I realized it was exactly what I needed. And I'm starting to really love KIS.

13 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

Also, where is Michone when you need her?

I had to google her, and it sounds like she's much to OP for Carlenna's bunch... lol.

[Just Jim]

All these broken pieces left unglued
Should never find their way
Into the hands of someone like you
                                                                                     The Birthday Massacre: "In The Dark"

 

Chapter 64
  In The Dark  

This chapter is dedicated to one of my favorite bands ever: The Birthday Massacre.
And their amazing lead singer: Chibi.

 

The day after Captain Kuzzter and his crew made their startling discovery on Minmus Colony, Dr. von Kerman's "Project-E" capsule reached the Mun and maneuvered into orbit exactly as planned, and his team was ready to depart.

Down on the runway, Piper was settling into the cockpit of the Diamondback-D alongside the Rocklady and preparing for the long mission ahead.

Behind Piper, in the passenger section, was the most brilliant team they could assemble. Werhner von Kerman was in final command of the mission, and also senior engineer. Piper was honored to be chosen as pilot, and both Harfield and Jandolin were co-senior scientists, with the Rocklady assisting in any way she could. Also accompanying them was Emiko Kerman, who seemed to have grown quite attached to Werhner, and was very hesitant to leave his side. 

Behind them, in the secondary passenger section, rode Jedsy and Erman Kerman, who would act as back-up pilots. Erman would take command of the Diamondback once von Kerman's team departed, and Jedsy would pilot the Raptor transporting the team to the Mun, and then remain in orbit in case an emergency pick-up was required. 

And yesterday Billy-Bobmin rejoined his refueler and headed to Munar orbit to act as support. He couldn't use Emiko Station to refuel, but there was more than enough fuel stored at the Mun Station to complete this mission, so it wasn't an issue. And quite honestly, Billy-Bobmin was excited to get back into space for any reason.

All the pieces were in place, and Piper was anxious to get going. She loved flying at night, and was thrilled at the prospect of flying a completely different kind of ship.

Checking her instruments one last time, Piper grinned viciously, slammed the throttle to full, and felt a sudden rush of power surge thru the Diamondback as it roared down the runway and into the night sky.

In the back, Emiko was having the time of her life, and couldn't stop laughing. But next to her, Werhner was trying desperately not to pass out.... or get sick, or just die of fear. 

Seated in front of Emiko and Werhner, Harfield and Jandolin weren't faring much better. True, they both loved being in space. Getting there, however, wasn't exactly their favorite part. But Harfield was quite surprised when he looked back and saw von Kerman looking just as scared as he was.

"Is Werhner alright?" Emiko looked over at von Kerman with concern, "Emiko doesn't understand, once Werhner loved to fly."

"I.... I did.... once....," Werhner tried to keep his voice from shaking, "But that was many years ago. When KASA... oh... hold on...... When KASA was founded, I went back to school and got my engineering degree." Just then a massive sonic boom ripped thru the Diamondback, and von Kerman prayed he wouldn't be sick in front of Emiko.

"I..." he tried to continue, "I've only been to space once... with..... with you.... oh, I'm sooooo sorry.... urpppppppp" 

As the Diamondback roared faster and faster into the night sky, Emiko smiled and reached over and held an airsickness bag for poor Werhner.

"It's OK... Emiko take care of Werhner.... Emiko promise."

And just minutes later the roaring and shaking stopped, and a strange calm came over the ship as Piper announced from the cockpit, "Ladies and gentlekerbs, we are now in orbit at an altitude of 97 kilometers. Raptor ETA in 25 minutes."

From her seat, Emiko gave Werhner a sly look and giggled, "See, Werhner safe and sound." 

Von Kerman smiled sheepishly and tried to regain his composure, "Thank you, Emiko."

The next few minutes passed quickly, and before he knew it, Werhner heard of two docking ports connecting, and realized the Raptor was already here.

Once everyone had crawled into the waiting Raptor and strapped themselves in, Jedsy, who assumed command of the Raptor at this point, pulled away from the Diamondback and set course for the Mun. 

In the passenger section, Jandolin looked looked behind her. 

"Professor Emiko, now that we have some time, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Jandolin Kerman," Emiko beamed, "Ask Emiko anything. Emiko will try to answer."

"Before we left, Doctor von Kerman showed me your last book, the one about the Kergyptian writings, and I noticed you mentioned saucers in several places," Jandolin paused for a second, "Professor, if I may, do you think they're the same saucers you.... saw... and is this somehow connected?"

Seeing a sudden look of frustration on Emiko's face, and knowing how hard she would struggle to try and answer, Werhner stepped in quickly.

"If I may," he began, smiling at Emiko, "I believe there may be a connection, at least in one of the translations. It has to do with the Early Kergyptians, and an even earlier, more advanced civilization far to the west of Kergyt. This civilization was called Katlantis, and was said to have been wiped out by a great cataclysm called 'The Great Burn'. The interesting part is whether the Kergyptians witnessed it or not, this area does bear the scar of a horrific asteroid impact estimated to have occurred some 10,000 years ago." 

"Now, according to Kergyptian legend, some of the Katlantians were rescued by "gods from the sky" and taken to a place of safety in the mountains far to the east of Katlantis, and here these so-called gods taught the earliest Kergyptians to live underground, and to fashion suits to handle the harsh surface environment in the decades after the great burn. And it is also said in those following years, these so-called gods also helped the Kergyptians to erect the very same temple Emiko found, which is said to mark the spot where Kerbins first moved underground."

"Doctor von Kerman," Jandolin interrupted, "You said so-called gods. So-called?"

"Yes, my dear," Werhner answered, "So-called because I now believe they weren't gods at all. You see, the hieroglyphic symbol for these particular gods was, in fact, fashioned to look just like a saucer!"

"Ahhh, I see," Jandolin smiled, "So whoever made these saucers may have been the same ones that saved the Kergyptians!"

"Exactly. In fact, they may have saved all of Kerbanity," von Kerman paused and then frowned, "But if this is true, it begs another, more terrifying question. If these saucer beings saved the Kergyptians, then was someone, or something, else trying to exterminate them?"

"Doctor, you're not suggesting.."

"Yes, Jandolin, in light of recent events, I'm afraid I must. If the saucer beings knew of the impending asteroid disaster, then was it just a horrific accident? Or did someone, or perhaps more accurately, something, purposely send it crashing into the Katlantians?"

After that the crew drifted off into deep thought about what had been said, and spent the next few hours in silence, especially Piper and the Rocklady, who just stared at each other in silent understanding.

When the Mun finally loomed in front of the Raptor, and Jedsy established orbit and plotted a rendezvous with the "Project-E" capsule.

Once he had reached a distance of 200 meters, Jedsy matched the capsules speed and waited while the "Project-E" remote systems rotated it into position and then ejected the fairings and booster stage. Before now Jedsy didn't have the clearance to see what all the fuss had been about, but when he got his first real look, his jaw fell open in awe.

"Holy Kraken krap...." was about all he could get out.

In the back, Emiko giggled and Werhner smiled in pride. "Captain Jedsy, may I officially present "Project-E" - the Eagle science lander."

"Wow," Jedsy whistled, "That sure is pretty, Doc."

And as carefully as he could, Jedsy brought the Raptor up close and docked with the shiny new Eagle.

One by one the team crawled aboard and assumed their designated positions. As Piper settled and the the Rocklady moved forward to the cockpit, Emiko and Werhner climbed into the secondary command center, and Jandolin and Harfield entered the science lab, then nearly fell over themselves at thesight of all the available equipment.

From the command center, Werhner and Emiko brought the power and lights online, as well as deploying the solar panels and antennas, while Piper and the Rocklady ran a test of the engine systems, and Jandolin played with her new telescope!

Once the ships systems were checked out, Piper plotted a landing at their first target, the buried Monolith. This monolith was closest to the equator and easiest to land near, so despite being buried it was hoped valuable information could still be gathered. 

"Now remember, Captain Piper," von Kerman reminded her for the hundredth time, "We have a very limited amount of fuel, just enough to land once and get back into orbit, so exercise caution, my dear."

"Yes, Doctor," Piper rolled her eyes, while next to her the Rocklady did her best to stifle a giggle. Then as her target came into view, she turned serious, decelerated the Eagle over her target, and engaged the VTOL landing engines.

The landing engines worked perfectly, and Piper was so thrilled at the Eagles performance she didn't notice what was in front of her until they were nearly on the ground.

"Oh my.... Dr. von Kerman, the monolith isn't buried anymore!"

One landed, Piper looked over at the Rocklady and grinned. 

"Now the real fun begins." she laughed, reaching down and engaging the Eagles most top-secret feature, next generation retractable landing/roving wheels!

Then, as carefully as she could, Piper drove the Eagle up along side the monolith, making sure to retract the solar panels on that side.

Once in position, Piper retracted the wheels, while Harfield and Jandolin readied their equipment, most importantly, another top secret device nicknamed the chem-cam, and designed by Werhner and Thompberry to try and determine what exactly the monoliths were made of.

Once the chem-cam tests were complete, Harfield cautiously went outside and examined the other test equipment. 

Jandolin was horrified for her husbands safety, but nothing happened, and soon he was back inside with her, and Piper was pulling away to what she hoped was a safe distance while von Kerman and Emiko collated the data they had collected.

Piper was quite unnerved at the change in the monolith she knew had been buried not so long ago, and wanted to move on as fast as they could, but Werhner and Emiko wanted to take one last look before they left.

"Werhner," Emiko whispered, "Emiko really missed you."

"Emiko," Werhner smiled and whispered back, "I really missed you, too.."

Once Emiko and Werhner were inside, Piper lifted off and brought the Eagle back into orbit to await refueling before moving onto the next destination, the northern monolith. Piper wasn't eager to return to the gloom of the poles, but the northern monolith was far easier to get to than the near the south pole, the monolith in the pit. Piper shuddered to think about that one, and focused instead on refueling the Eagle.

The docking and refueling was textbook, and before she knew it, Piper was coming in for a landing near the Northern monolith.

Just like before, Piper brought the Eagle in close while Harfield and Jandolin ran all their tests, and Werhner and Emiko began processing the incoming data. There was no real sense in trying to analyze it all now. Instead they focused on safely storing it, then transmitting it back to KASA when they were clear of the Monolith's influence.

Once they had completed their tests, Piper lifted off and was beginning to establish orbit when von Kerman came over the cockpit speaker.

"Interesting... interesting. Captain Piper, I have some good news for you."

"Yes, doctor?" Piper replied.

"While it may take weeks to analyze all this, I can easily confirm one thing. Both the central and northern monoliths have increased in the exact same size the same as the one's on Kerbin. Therefor..." von Kerman paused, knowing this was going to make Piper's whole day.

"Therefor???" Piper asked suspiciously.

"Therefor, in light of this data, I see no reason to attempt landing near the southern monolith."

Grinning, von Kerman immediately switched off his receiver and listened to Piper scream thru the closed cabin door instead.

"WoooHooooo!"

After she had a couple minutes to celebrate, von Kerman chimed back in, "OK, our next objective is to investigate at least one of the arches for any signs of changes. Piper, I realize you've had bad experiences at two of these arches, so I suggest we avoid those and focus instead on the third, agreed.?"

"Agreed," Piper replied, while in the back lab Jandolin looked over at Harfield and desperately tried to bite her lip and not scream when she realized where they were headed.

A couple hours later, having refueled, the Eagle came in for a landing near the arch where they were first married, and Jandolin began to openly sob when Werhner's voice came over the intercom, "Happy 10th Anniversary, Jandolin & Harfield."

And once again Piper maneuvered the Eagle up to one of the legs of the great arch so the team could run their tests, then moved off to a safe distance so Jandolin and Harfield could get out and enjoy the view.

"Happy Anniversary, darling," Jandolin whispered.

"Happy Anniversary, my dearest," Harfield whispered back.

Then Jandolin looked down, saw Werhner and Emiko standing side by side below them, and smiled at her husband.

"How long do you think it will take them?" Harfield whispered.

"I think it's already happened," Jandolin grinned, "They just haven't quite figured it out yet."

Once the team was back inside, and the early results began to roll in, Werhner was able to confirm there had been no change in the arch, and this being the case, a simple fly-over from low orbit should be able to confirm if the other two arches were unchanged as well.

That left one more secondary target to investigate. It had been agreed on long in advance they would not approach the buried Mun saucer, especially not with Emiko on board.

"That just leaves the weird monument you found," von Kerman called up to Piper. "i don't recall you having any problems there. Any objections to having one more close look?" 

"The one to Neil and Armstrong? No, I don't have any......."

But just then Emiko screamed, "A monument to WHO???"

A little stunned at Emiko's outburst, the Rocklady gently replied, "There is a large plaque on the front with the names Neil and Armstrong. And below that some numbers that may be dates."

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH... Werhner... please... we have to go see... Emiko MUST SEE!!!"

For the next few hours, while the Eagle was refueled one last time, Werhner and the crew did their best to try and calm Emiko down, but with little success. It wasn't that she was upset, quite the opposite, she seemed positively giddy, and was practically bouncing off the walls screaming "Emiko not broken.... again!"

So happy was she that when Werhner tried to get her to sit down for the landing at the monument, Emiko reached out, pulled him up to her, and kissed him... hard! When she finally let him go, Werhner just stood there in complete shock, trying desperately to catch his breath, while Jandolin and Harfield watched from the back, and Emiko stood there grinning.

"Well..." Werhner finally gasped, "Emiko... I.... I.... at least we're the same age now."

At this point Piper laughed from up front and announced they were about to land, Werhner took Emiko back in his arms, and in the back, Jandolin spun around, punched Harfield in the arm and squealed, "I KNEW IT!!!"

Once they had landed, they followed the same procedure, and Piper brought the eagle in close so they could run tests on it before determining if it was safe to disembark.

This time Werhner was surprised when the chem-cam analysis came back almost instantly with a result of simple granite, and no more than a few hundred years old. This was totally different than the monoliths or arches, and seemed to be just what it looked like, a simple monument or statue of some sort.

Deciding it was safe enough, Werhner accompanied Emiko outside while Harfield checked his mobile science lab and Jandolin saw to her pet goo.

As they stood looking up at the plaque, Werhner whispered in awe, "But who were they? Who were Neil and Armstrong."

"Neil Armstrong," Emiko whispered back to Werhner's amazement, "One name. Neil Armstrong was the first to land on.... to walk on......"

Then Emiko screamed, grabbed her jet pack controls, and headed to the top of the monument.

Not knowing what to think, Werhner grabbed his jet pack and followed Emiko as fast as he could. And when he set down next to her, he found Emiko looking up at a strangely colored flag and sobbing hysterically!

"Emiko.... are... are you alright" Werhner asked gently.

"Americans," Emiko sobbed."Americans won the space race, Werhner.... Americans won. Oh Werhner... Emiko remembers! Emiko remembers it all!! Belladonna Cove, Werhner, Belladonna Cove..... basketball... grilled cheese... Oh, Werhner, Emiko loves grilled cheese!!!"

 

"And Chibi....  Oh, Chibi-San.... My dearest Chibi..." Emiko cried, "How I miss you..."

"Who was Chibi?" Werhner asked as gently as he could.

"Chibi... Chibi was Emiko's sister.... and my best friend.... Chibi helped Emiko get back home! Oh, Werhner... I... I remember it all now."

Then she reached out and hugged him as hard as she could.

"Emiko knows where Kansas is!!!"

But at that moment Jandolin screamed! "Ouch... OUCH....  OMG, I'm melting... melting!!!

"What???" Emiko gasped as von Kerman looked down just in tome to see Jandolin jumping off and running away from the Eagle, which was now overheating and beginning to glow red and then white hot!!!!

It only took seconds... seconds that felt like years for Werhner as he watched helplessly from above.

"Run... everyone, Oh hurry.... run!!!" Emiko cried in horror as steam and smoke began to billow from the smoldering craft.

The last thing Werhner remembered was Piper and the Rocklady emerging from the cockpit.... the Rocklady falling... Piper reaching to help her.... Jandolin screaming, and Piper howling above the din.  

"Thompberry.... if this is your doing... you son of a..."

Then a horrific flash of light.... a blinding moment of pain... and blackness engulfed Werhner von Kerman...

 

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

Go to Chapter 65
Return to Index

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim

[AviosAdku]

Wow!

Ok, let's go about this in a way that makes sense.

1. the Eagle, I never watched that show (save for some clips once) but I played a lot with an Orbiter add on replicating it, an impressive piece of hardware and exciting to see in action.

2. Emiko knowing of Earth means ... I didn't say it but I thought that was who was behind the saucers and monoliths.

Finally the sides make sense, save for the green boulder, it looks like Kraken tech but it's actions don't add up, hmm ...

[Just Jim]

Thanks, I've wanted to make an Eagle lander for a while now.

And nope, humans didn't make the monoliths or the saucers... 

Edited September 6, 2016 by Just Jim

[SpaceplaneAddict]

you, did NOT just killed the 6 i just got attached too *hysterical sobbing*

right?

[RocketSquid]

I really like the Eagle Science lander. I never really thought about using Mk2 and ground base parts together like that.

[Just Jim]

8 minutes ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

you, did NOT just killed the 6 i just got attached too *hysterical sobbing*

right?

I cannot confirm or deny anything at this point, but I suggest you look very carefully at the last screenshot.

[SpaceplaneAddict]

12 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

I cannot confirm or deny anything at this point, but I suggest you look very carefully at the last screenshot.

ooooohhh k. i see. so some survived. that's enoguh for me to forgive you

[Plecy75]

what mods did you use for the eagle? and can we have a craft download please?

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, Plecy75 said:

what mods did you use for the eagle? 

The Eagle is a combination of stock parts and parts from the Planetary base systems mod. And the chem-cam is from the Tarsier Space Telescope mod.

1 hour ago, Plecy75 said:

And can we have a craft download please?

I don't normally give up my special ships, sorry. Plus you wouldn't really want it. I wasn't kidding when I wrote it has a very limited fuel supply, especially for the Mun, and a couple times I came real close to having to cheat just to get it back into orbit. It's pretty, but not terribly efficient.

Also, for the record, that final explosion was caused by the bug I mentioned right before posting that last chapter, and was not planned. Honestly, I don't know what caused it. One minute everything was fine, the next minute the entire ship began to overheat, and I was just lucky enough to get to F12 and turn the overheating off in time to take advantage of it and get the screenshots. Needless to say the explosion happened when I turned overheating back on.

But when I reloaded the backup, it worked fine again..... 

I suspect krakens.... 

[TopHeavy11]

Check out our old message chain, @Just Jim. You might find your next epiphany there.

Edited September 6, 2016 by TopHeavy11

[rlin]

Spoiler

It seems like Wernher and Emiko like watching real-time displays of Gene drinking his beloved koffee.

[max_creative]

ALIENS! SAUCERS! 

shoot them and blow them up? Who should I blow up? And why does Emiko know about America? Hmm...

[GDJ]

9 minutes ago, max_creative said:

And why does Emiko know about America? Hmm...

I hope there isn't something in this story about reincarnation.

[0111narwhalz]

5 hours ago, Just Jim said:

chem-cam

Sounds like a spectroscope to me.

[AviosAdku]

5 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Thanks, I've wanted to make an Eagle lander for a while now.

And nope, humans didn't make the monoliths or the saucers... 

Well, I'm stumped (and there was me thinking I was on to what was going on), awaiting to see how this pans out now.

Aku

[Just Jim]

13 hours ago, TopHeavy11 said:

You might find your next epiphany there.

Oh, I think I see where you're going, and it's an interesting idea. Let me think about it a bit, I may have a way to make it work.

11 hours ago, 0111narwhalz said:

Sounds like a spectroscope to me.

I think that's what it really is called, yes. But the game name for it is ChemCam, and I thought that sounded nice and Kerbal, so I used it. 

10 hours ago, AkuAerospace said:

Well, I'm stumped (and there was me thinking I was on to what was going on), awaiting to see how this pans out now.

Aku

Sorry. From the story's perspective, it would have been a little too easy. 

From a writers POV, I've been enjoying the conversation on here a couple days ago comparing saucers and such in KSP to the various alien UFO conspiracy theories in Earth, and how they are similar in some cases. And while I didn't chime in and comment, I did read them and pay attention. And I have to admit, I think I like the idea of having some fun with things like area-51... or maybe even Tunguska.

12 hours ago, max_creative said:

And why does Emiko know about America? Hmm...

 

12 hours ago, GDJ said:

I hope there isn't something in this story about reincarnation.

No.....  nothing like that.

Go back and read carefully....  Emiko said, and I quote:

"Oh, Werhner... I... I remember it all now."

[adsii1970]

@Just Jim: Great chapter... and now that I understand the reference to Chibi!  Great! Look forward to seeing how this plays out in the story line...

Spoiler

Did you really think I'd give away any of @Just Jim's plot ideas...? You've been bamboozled!

 

[Andem]

Nice space 1999 lander. 

[Just Jim]

On 9/4/2016 at 9:42 PM, Angel-125 said:

Looks like a stock version of a Space:1999 Eagle. I like it.

 

32 minutes ago, Andem said:

Nice space 1999 lander. 

yup, that's what it's based on!

Edited September 6, 2016 by Just Jim

[Kerbinchaser]

HOLY MOLY!! A whole lot of mods. Could you PM me your list of mods you used? I'm just curious. 

[Just Jim]

37 minutes ago, Lo Var Lachland said:

HOLY MOLY!! A whole lot of mods. Could you PM me your list of mods you used? I'm just curious. 

Not that many actually:

OPM
TST
KIS
PBS
Surface Lights
Texture Replacer
and
Chatterer  

I think that's all of them  

[Kerbinchaser]

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

Not that many actually:

OPM
TST
KIS
PBS
Surface Lights
Texture Replacer
and
Chatterer  

I think that's all of them  

Thanks!