My Kerbal Fan Fiction

[Fizzlebop Smith]

 I've largely kept myself amused through creative storytelling.
 Coming up with specific missions to engage in has always been a challenge for me. In the absence of missions, I often resort to fabricating narratives.
 Rather than pondering about the agency, my thoughts revolve around the individuals within it.

What was Jeb's routine this morning?
How did Simeen become interested in STEM?

Not everyone may share these musings. I believe this stems from the significance once placed on a single Kerbal and their current perceived expendability. The notion of a limitless supply of replacements is unappealing to me. I cherish the idea that each Kerbal is significant.
This perspective has inspired me to craft stories for the members of my rival Space Programs.
 

Glimpse in the Life of Kip Kerman

   Kip's morning misery knew no bounds, compounded by the ungodly hour and the blaring wail of the alarm through the 4th generation “Somno-Toob,” an outdated relic from Zipko Industries. Toggling the switch for the 50th time only served to heighten his rising frustrations. In a fit of pique, he kicked furiously at the small port where the induction pads were mounted, but his blows were reduced to muted thuds in the viscous water of his sleeping cylinder. Finally, the pneumatic hiss of the pump mechanisms signaled his release, and Kip emerged, dripping and disoriented.
   He barked a throaty cough and scratched places better left to the imagination before he finally removed the crust from around his eyes. He took a half-dried ink pen and scribbled across today's date. The sight of the calendar dredged up bitter feelings: a prominent picture of him above the "KERBAL KOMETS" banner. A hollow reminder of his glory days and the treacherous nature of friends. Scratching the days of the calendar had the added effect of reminding him of recent incarceration, the relentless ticking of days toward an uncertain future.
   He struggled to bring his thoughts back to the present. He thought he would never truly feel excitement again but only ten more days until he would be back in a cockpit. "Ne-Ferious Enterprises" seemed unconcerned with his past or his penchant for questionable habits, a fact for which Kip was extremely grateful.

  A stray thought sparked an eager smile. Nothing was quite as exciting as flying at Mach 5 or passing the Karman line, however, Slinky's did offer its own brand of excitement and danger. Yea, he would miss Slinky's, with its garish neon lighting, and the ecstatic shrieks of middle-aged cougars tossing bills on the stage.  His smile faded as thoughts turned from shallow meetings in dark alleys to the only one that ever really mattered and the heartbreak that lingered still.
  Valentina Kerman: his love, his muse, his co-pilot in life.  Everything had changed on that fateful day in Joon. He still remembered the acrid smell of smoke, choking him in the cockpit as both engines of his K-11 Skibble flashed and he took a dive into the crowd. Sadness filled him. That K-11 was such a beautiful plane. He and Val had shared their first kiss in that cockpit.
 But, like his love and those three Kerbals near the crash site, his K-11 Skribble was burned beyond any recognition.

   Bitterness tried to swallow him as he pushed those thoughts aside, his eyes instead narrowed as he steeled himself to focus on the path forward.
   In ten days, he'd be airborne once more.
   For now, he would endure the dregs of his current existence, dreaming of the roar of engines, the rush of air, and the thrill of the skies, where he hoped to reclaim his lost glory. The final countdown had begun, and Kip knew he would succeed. That despite the losses, the indictments, the insurance scandals, AND betrayal by the hands of his best friend, he had ten days to prepare. Prepare for his return to the heavens.

Edited April 30, 2024 by Fizzlebop Smith

[Fizzlebop Smith]

The Brave Firsters

  Leeboo Kerman was an adventurer, or so she told herself ten thousand times that day. She would repeat it to herself every time the frigid bone numbing cold threatened her grip, she repeated it every time the bitter wind would howl up from the deep chasms below. The damnable wind was a dogged foe, one that did not rest.
  The mountain was resolute and domineering but totally indifferent to her plight. It cared not if she reached the summit or failed miserably. The wind, however, was a nasty and bitter enemy determined to pluck her from the cliff and see if she could fly. Though it had never been proven, she was pretty certain she couldn’t. She took each gust she faced as a challenge, a dare to ascend higher. With every shiver and icy step, her resolve hardened like the permafrost beneath her boots.
  Minutes bled into hours before Leeboo spied a suitable spot. A jagged section of stone protruded out beyond a crevice in the rock wall. With a grunt of effort she leveraged her body against the immutable cliff face and up into sheltered recess. There within the barest of sanctuaries, Leeboo took out a bar of Flooyds Crunchy Crunch and let her mind wander.

  She thought of legends like Kirby Mckerman and the famous Kinity Kermin. These individuals are what Leeboo liked to think of as the “Firsters”. The Illustrious vanguard of the incredibly brave. Pioneers who etched their names into the annals of history with the ink of audacity.
  With the vigor of her idles coursing through her veins, Leeboo clambered out of the crevice and set her eyes toward the summit. The peak loomed as a silent sentinel against the cobalt sky. Its apex was a beacon to her unyielding spirit. Eeach meter she scaled was a testament to he tenacity. This was a dance with danger that only a TRUE kerbal would perform.
  Eventually, Leeboo crested the ledge and her vertical ascend was through. All that was left was a short but steep path of uneven ice and loose scree. Shortly upon the path to the tippy top, Leeboo Stumbled. Her foot slipped on some loose rocks and she tumbled into a drift.
  As she stumbled to her feet and began to regain her bearings, she noticed a translucent veil of frost. Something had been uncovered when she disturbed the loose rocks. She gasped and she noticed a weird face beneath the ice, a tentacled face. There were hands, and arms! It looked like the famed Kerakaen of old myth and legend. One of the Sky People documented through cave painting by neolithic Kerbals!
  In that moment her heart beat like a thunderous drum. Leebo realized her name would go down in those books next to her heroes. With eyes wide and excitement granting renewed vigor, Leeboo search for her pick.

[Vanamonde]

This work of a fan has been moved to Fan Works. 

[Fizzlebop Smith]

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