[Writing/Artwork] Orchestrating a War

[James510]

Because the Fanfiction subforum needs an Epic-fic.

(Spoilers for Formatting)

Written by - James510 and Misterspork

Artwork by - James510

Special Thanks to the people who proofread

Orchestrating a War

A tale of heroes, legendary beasts, and Kerbals.

Prologue - Ages pass, snow falls

~~~

Amidst the eternal waves of time

From a ripple of change shall the storm rise

Out of the stars peer the eyes of a demon

Behold the Harvester, its wings of black sheath

~~~

_________

It sat at the edge of Heaven, it\'s unwavering eyes laying judgment upon the small blue orb.

_________

The inhabitants of the small planet stared back. Every day it came closer. The monstrosity could be seen by the naked eye. Warships lined the coast. Main Battle tanks sat on the once busy highway. The combined airforces of every nation on Kerbin waited patiently. The politicians hid in their bunkers and slowly anticipated their final decision. Kerbals of every nationality stopped fighting and joined together for the first time in history. And so they waited.

_________

The sun slowly appeared on the horizon, bringing with it the apocalypse. Alarms blared as soldiers rushed to their posts, a maneuver that they\'ve practiced for several Munths now.

The command center waited intently. The timer on the main screen flashed zero. Today the Harvester was in range for attack.

'Systems check,' the commanding officer demanded.

'Comm links are good.'

'89th Anti Air Task Force is Go.'

'Tac-Com, Silos 1-150 are on standby.'

'Emergency Units Green.'

'5th Combined Air Wing is in the air.'

'All ships accounted for.'

Satisfied with the results, he nodded to the room.

The waiting ships fired their salvos of rockets into the sky. One by one the aircraft pointed their noses up. One by one Flak cannons filled the air with 30mm autocannon rounds. Silo doors burst open and let fly the nuclear tipped missiles. The sky lit up with a chorus of explosions. It was a full display of Kerbal might, even in the face of death their ingenuity was unmatchable. Crafts of every type filled the skies, seas, and land. Generals from every country came to command the greatest battle in all of history. The battle that could also be the last, one not written in our history.

________

It descended through the smoke and radioactive ash with a blinding light. Its charred wings spread. It roared in anger. Flaming projectiles erupted from its back. They arced in the air before descending down onto the airforce, pummeling several unlucky pilots.

'Fire! Fire everything!'

The tanks took aim and fired at the beast before the entire highway was decimated by several large pods ejected from the wings of the monster. A sharp hiss was audible as a beam of light erupted from its red eye, splitting the aircraft carrier, the KFSS Kestrel, in half. Crew members spilled off the decks. Several tons of molten steel poured off the deck onto the desperate Kerbals. Their inaudible screams stopped as the sinking ship pulled them into a downward spiral, taking countless souls to the depths of the ocean. The demon pushed forward. Coastal guns were brought online and started firing their harmonious 16'/50 cannons one by one. The beast cried in agony as several attacks caused several lacerations to appear its sides. It opened its maw and bellowed forth a curse of desolation and horror.

As if on cue, the white pods burst open and released a swarm of what were called ‘Lightspawn’. The unfortunate soldier investigating it was devoured instantly. The fleshy creatures then turned and charged towards the group of soldiers. One by one the Kerbals lined up at the barricade. The general raised his hand and pointed. Complying, the group opened fire, tearing apart several lightspawn. Slowly the streets were flooded by a mass of abominations. Refusing to retreat, the soldiers fought until the barricade was overrun. Panicked, the Kerbals scattered. One by one they were hunted down and stabbed to death by the lightspawn’s razor sharp incisors. A row of tanks rolled up and fired their main cannons, into the crowd, killing both soldiers and lightspawn. Through the smoke, a new wave emerged and rushed the tanks. Their appearance had changed. Their mandibles were now gleaming in the sunlight, as if sharpened. With one quick swipe, the lightspawn stabbed into the closest tank, decapitating the driver and severing a fuel line. It caught fire and exploded, killing the crew, and igniting several of the new creatures. Firefights raged in every corner of the fortress city dedicated to stopping the Harvester. A loud crack was heard, and several skyscrapers collapsed. Several tons of concrete and steel fell on the crowd of lightspawn, flattening them. The firefight would continue deep into the night, as artillery lit up the sky. The clouds opened up overhead, and brought down pouring rain. The already miserable soldiers trudged through debris and corpses, ammunition low, moral even lower. Hundreds of thousands were dead with even more missing in action. It was difficult to track every unit, as fighting broke out everywhere. Back on the street, Kerbals fought hand to hand with the lightspawn after running out of ammunition. A determined lieutenant pulled out his combat knife and jumped on a spawn’s head, stabbing with all his might. It fell over in pain, and screamed. He stood back up, smiled, and died as several other lightspawns shredded him apart with their mouths. The hungry beasts drank the blood, and shuddered. Their spines hardened, and armor began to form on skin. They adapted, using the genetic material of living beings. A single brave Kerbal opened the shelter doors and looked out. He died instantly. The screaming began moments after. Soldiers found that standard assault rifle rounds weren’t effective, and as such switched to grenades and their heavy pistols. A VTOL hovered overhead. It dropped several metal crates. The pilot saluted and flew off. The lids popped off with a hiss. Inside were several jet-black large assault rifles. A single soldier picked it up, examined it, and fired at the closest spawn. The kickback nearly knocked the unsuspecting Kerbal off his feet. Shrieking through the air, the shell tore through the lightspawn and exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere.

_________

Deep within the ground, a huge gantry lifts the prototype Devastator Super Railgun to the surface. The grinding gears halted with a thud as the ceiling opened up to the night sky. The fighting had gone on long enough. The Kerbals were showing their hand. The crane continued to pull the massive cannon out, and finally, it was ready. The giant war machine rolled off the metal grates with a sound clanging of steel against steel. It moved several meters away from the underground factory and deployed. Steam shot out of several ports as it transformed from a tank into a howitzer. Its barrel opened to reveal a single solid steel shell.

The Harvester had noticed it, and curiously approached it from a distance. Its skin flayed and its green blood dripping from the holes in its body. Against all the laws of nature, it still lived, and was still fighting. Tired soldiers march through the street carrying shoulder launched missiles. They pointed up, and fired as it crossed overhead. Whatever was left of the military was thrown at it to stall for time.

The Devastator, codenamed DSR-II, lowered its legs and angled itself at the target. Kerbals ran inside the small control center located within the reactor area, and braced for impact. Bright electricity sparked from the capacitors overcharging. The air itself seemed to become tense as the superweapon became alive. A freshly painted insignia shined in the moonlight. Underneath in bold military style font it read -

_________________________________

‘Mobile Task Force - Theta One’

~o~

Vastator gentium

nuntius inferni

~o~

_________________________________

The speakers buzzed before a quiet but authoritative voice came through. “Prepare for Sturias Launch. Five, four, three, two, one.†The sky darkened as a blinding light surged through the barrel of the cannon. The Harvester realized what it was, and began retreating. A huge shockwave knocked over trees and Kerbals alike as the explosion shattered eardrums. The missile flew forth from the mouth of the machine, engulfing the front end of the barrel in flames. It tore in front of it a blazing display of superheated air. It careened through the air towards its target, and in moments came to contact. The shaped projectile sliced through flesh and bone. Ligaments were torn and thrown in every direction. In an explosion of green gore the horrific monster came to meet its end. It plummeted from the sky, and landed in the ocean. A giant wave rose and crashed onto the beaches, capsizing several naval ships in the process. The rampant lightspawn froze in their place. With a cry of pain, they fell over and dissolved into the asphalt. The Kerbals exited their vehicles, and stared. They had taken on the works of God and survived. With a ceremonious roar, they cheered and cried. One by one the Kerbals inside the command center stood up and applauded. The commander smiled, and lit a cigar. They had really done it.

Until they looked up.

And saw the second one.

“Damnit.â€

_________

'Jeremy Russlin? Come right down this hall. Kerbanity needs you.'

'Welcome to Project Delphinus'

===

===

===

To Be Continued

[Misterspork]

Watch for more, this is still a work in progress so expect further chapters and improvements in the coming weeks.

[Salamander]

Ah, something in the vein of Clancy\'s new techno-thrillers I see? Interesting. Lot\'s of carnage and order giving. Very true to the genre.

'Fire! Fire everything!'

'Uh sir that is not a real command, what are you doing...'

'Wait a minute, how did a golden retriever sneak onto the bridge?'

'More importantly, how did it steal an officer\'s dress uniform?'

[Luigibro606]

Until they looked up.

And saw the second one.

“Damnit.â€

Brilliant. I lol\'d.

[Tankaa]

Iiiinteresting. I guess we\'ll be seeing the Kerbangelion units (among other experimental Delphinus Superweapons) sooner or later, eh?

[James510]

Iiiinteresting. I guess we\'ll be seeing the Kerbangelion units (among other experimental Delphinus Superweapons) sooner or later, eh?

-slow clap-

Nice observation, first one to get where I\'m getting my stuff from.

Yes.

To be honest though, I\'m taking my elements from alot of sources. Mainly Shinji and Warhammer 40k, but also with things like SCP, Mass Effect, Half Life, Starship Troopers, etc etc.

[Matzenino]

-slow clap-

Nice observation, first one to get where I\'m getting my stuff from.

Yes.

To be honest though, I\'m taking my elements from alot of sources. Mainly Shinji and Warhammer 40k, but also with things like SCP, Mass Effect, Half Life, Starship Troopers, etc etc.

The description of the 'Lightspawn' made it obvious that this was inspired by Shinji and Warhammer 40k (a realy good story! ) and I realy like your version of it.

Now I really want to see a kerbal version of EVA.

BTW

Did you take the Kestrel Carrier from Ace Combat? The Scene reminded me of the sinking of the kestrel in AC5.