The Rescue

[KSK]

Sorry that they are so short, but I will be needing some help with the next chapter, does anyone have any good fictional news stations that I can use? As always any feedback is welcome. Also sorry if I confused anyone with that jumble of words. I am most certainly not a writer at all

It's not terribly original but I use KBS News as my fictional news station, as a small tribute to CBS News. Likewise, Leland Kerman is a tribute to a certain well known anchorman.

[team.leit]

It's not terribly original but I use KBS News as my fictional news station, as a small tribute to CBS News. Likewise, Leland Kerman is a tribute to a certain well known anchorman.

Thanks, but I will be needing something more like 6 or 8 different news stations. I will be using your suggestions

[team.leit]

Chapter 6: Mercy’s Strength

A female Kerbal reached me first, thrusting her mic into my face, she breathlessly said. “This is Rachelle Kerman from news channel Five. How did you make it back, Jebediah? How do you feel? What happened?â€Â

As she was questioning me, several others came sprinting up. One of which shouted above the noise,

“This is Leland Kerman from KBS, what do you have to say about your boss declaring you MIA?†Before I was able to answer any of the questions, Mandie shouldered her way through the growing crowd.

Urgently demanding, “What happened out there Jeb? You look like you saw the kraken himself!â€Â

Every Kerbal there gasped in shock over what she had declared so frankly.

“I might have, if it weren’t for my boss!†I state, jerking my chin towards my boss, who is standing a little distance from the crowd. Looking at me like he was staring at a ghost.

“Thanks to my boss, I was able to notice that some-Kerbal had sabotaged my craft. If it were not for the training he made me go through, I don’t think I would have made it back to the KSC, let alone this continent.†Jebediah stated confidently. “Once I had noticed the problem, I attempted to turn the aircraft around and go hell-bent for leather to get back here.â€Â

“However, as I was turning around, the aircraft spun out of control and I was unable to recover until I reached about 6 km in altitude. Once I had regained control of the aircraft, I realized that my current fuel situation would not allow me to reach the space center. Thus I risked another sub-orbital hop to see if I could make it back. At the end of that hop, I was at about 6-8 km above the sea and noticed land off to the side. Turning off my current heading towards land, I landed about 70 km from the space center. There I got rid of unnecessary weight, and placed a flag with a homing beacon to mark the spot. After that, I took off again and ran my engines until they ran out of fuel. You all know what happened after that.†Answered Jeb simply and quickly.

After the press conference was over, Daniel Kerman (my boss) took me to his office for the debriefing. We did the usual debrief then at the end, he set down the paperwork and asked me a question which was most certainly not on the debriefing paper.

“Jebediah, why did you protect me out there instead of blaming me?†He inquired.

“Well sir, it’s like this. You are my boss and I respect that. To put it simply, if there is someone in a position of authority that I do not like as a Kerbal, I still respect them because of the position they hold. Thus I respect you because you are my boss.†Jebediah stated flatly and coldly.

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit

[team.leit]

There you all go. A new chapter for some more feedback

[briansun1]

jeb... he's he's nice?

[team.leit]

-snip-

“Well sir, it’s like this. You are my boss and I respect that. To put it simply, if there is someone in a position of authority that I do not like as a kerbal. I still respect them because of the position they hold. Thus I respect you because you are my boss.†Jebediah stated flatly and coldly.

jeb... he's he's nice?

Look closely Maybe, maybe not

Edited October 21, 2013 by team.leit

[team.leit]

Just an update, a new chapter will be coming out in the next few days once I have it setup to my satisfaction. The main reason that they are taking so long is because I have kinda lost my motivation to play KSP, since at the moment I am unable to update to the latest version. Thus the chapter after this might be the end of this series, unless I can find the motivation somewhere other then getting 0.22, sorry

team.leit

[team.leit]

Chapter 7: Reuniting Old Friends

“Easy, easy there K. Bring her in gently.†cautioned Jeb. “We don’t want to ruin these million credit crafts when we have barely left Kerbin's surface!â€Â

“Listen gramps,†Jokes K “I’ve been training to do this for the past five to six years!â€Â

“Distance one hundred and fifty five meters.†broke in Bob, who had managed to assign himself to this flight, for a routine status update.

“Gramps, it sure is good to meet you again after all these years.†commented K as he grinning massively.

“Yes it is, you young whippersnapper.†chuckled Jeb.

They lapsed into silence, concentrating on their respective jobs as the distance between the two crafts steadily decreased. All you could hear in the background was the life support systems hissing along with the steady hum of the onboard computers. Every once in awhile over the course of the next half an hour, Bob would transmit a situation report to Mission Control and to K.

“Distance three point two meters and closing.†was the latest transmission from Bob.

“Thanks for the update Bob.†replied K quietly. “Almost there, aaaand there, we have a successful docking ladies and gentle-kerbals!†Exclaimed K gleefully!

“Equalizing the airlocks now†Errick Kerman, who had remained mainly silent during the flight, quietly informed the rest of them.

“Thank you Errick, I am suiting up for an EVA so that I can inspect our ships.†acknowledged K curtly, since he was preoccupied with suiting up.

“Stay safe out there.†cautioned Jeb “I don’t want to have to explain to your grandma what happened to you.â€Â

K chuckles quietly before replying, “I see who really runs your household.â€Â

“Yeah right†retorts Jeb as his mind wander to his wife, wondering how she is doing….

“It looks absolutely beautiful out here!†exclaims K, rousing Jeb from his thoughts. “I wish the politicians could see this, and then they would stop fighting each other and start fighting for the planet.†He pauses before quietly continuing, “I wish my mom could see this, I miss her terribly.â€Â

Jeb answers even quieter, “I know son, I know, I miss her too.â€Â

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit
Putting the Chapter back up

[briansun1]

um where did you get those gauges?

[team.leit]

um where did you get those gauges?

From Bucky's instruments pack

[team.leit]

Chapter 8: Memories

K shook his head slowly at the rush of memories.

"I wonder where that old geezer is right now." K mused aloud as he floated in his cabin on the space station far above Kerbin.

Last he had heard of Jebediah, he had been piloting an experimental craft exploring the Kerbol System. KSC had lost contact with him after he exited the Kerbin sub-system. It was a complete loss of contact instead of the loss of visual and audio contact that was expected. That fact did not sit well with him. As K thought about it, he came to the conclusion of requesting to head up a mission to search for his friend and mentor. Once he was rotated back to Kerbin he would go to the director of the Space Program, Jeb's old boss, explain the situation to him and request his assistance.

Having reached this conclusion, K turned and stared down at Kerbin, who was resplendent in all her glory. After gazing down for awhile, his gaze focused upon his reflection. It reminded him of his father, Lancott Kermen.

"The father who was never there." K thought bitterly.

So that he would be able to get some rest this rest cycle, K focused his gaze back onto Kerbin. Willing his breathing to slow down, a childhood memory stole to the forefront of his thoughts. It was a memory of one of the many fights that K and his father had. This particular one had started on a calm sunny day after K came home and found his father waiting for him at the front door.

"How was your day son?" inquired Lancott, since his son was not the most communicative Kerbal’s on the planet.

"Fine." K replied hesitantly, because he did not trust his father. "I have been accepted into the Astronaut Training Program at the Kerbal Space Center."

"Why do you insist on throwing your life away like that?" questioned Lancott, his voice low, cold and bitter.

"Because it is MY life to do with as I please father. It is mine to live and die the way I want. I am old enough to make my own decisions. I am sick and tired of you micromanaging my life, second guessing my choices, and making my life miserable!" K shot back hotly. "I will be leaving for the Space Center in a couple of days and I do not know if I will keep in contact with you dad!"

K blinked pulling himself back from the past, finding his eyes swollen and full of tears with his throat dry. "I miss you Dad, I am sorry that I never bothered to tell you that I loved you. And that I have always loved you!" K sobbed quietly through his tears.

Right after K spoke that the Mun passed in front the Sun, Kerbol. The eclipse filled him with a peace of sorts. Finding himself strangely comforted, K drifted over to his bunk and slipped peacefully into a deep, dreamless sleep with a smile on his face

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit
Putting the Chapter back up

[team.leit]

Not sure how much longer I will be continuing this story, I might just end it after the next chapter or two. However I will be leaving this up to you, my readers, do you want me to continue this story? If not then I will be ending it off in the next chapter or two. Either way, I will be working on another story for a career

Until next time,

leit

Edited November 9, 2013 by team.leit

[team.leit]

Sorry about it being awhile, but I do have another chapter in the works. It will be a little bit shorter then usual, but in my opinion it breathed new life into my mind and story. I will try and post it in couple of days

[team.leit]

Chapter 9: Lost

Fifty years later:

As K slowly returned to consciousness, he heard a low hissing sound, vaguely reminding him of dangerous animals. With a painful, groggy sensation in his head, and a weird lack of feeling from below his torso, he tried to regain his thoughts.

As his eyes slowly opened, he spotted a crack in his helmet visor. Startled into full awareness, he realized that he was being pressed against his harness. His head was hurting as he then looked down at the monitor readouts, which told him that his suit had over-pressured to keep any pathogens and bacteria out and that the capsule had not been breached. Shutting off the airflow to his suit, he removed his helmet. As he bent his head over to remove the helmet, K realized why he could not feel his legs. They were bent at an unnatural angle underneath his seat.

In surprise he exclaimed "Bloody H***!" even though nobody could hear him.

He bent over to have a closer look and noticed that his suit, thankfully, had not been compromised even though both his legs were broken. As he slowly turned his head, K faced the comm.’s system in preparation for a ship wide broadcast.

Anticipating the worst he stated "This is K, status report!" in his most commanding voice, trying to hide his fear.

As the time slipped by steadily, he realized that he very well could be the only Kerbal left from his crew. With a feeling of incredible loss, K activated the emergency beacon even though he was well aware that the only ships in the area were from Hanland, because he had checked before nearing Laythe.

"Attention all ships within broadcast range; this is Captain K Emerson, commander of the UKSC Artemis. My ship has crashed on Laythe. Coordinates: currently unknown. Both my legs are broken and I have reason to believe my crew is dead…" K choked up for a bit with tears and had to clear his throat a few times before he could continue. "I have enough supplies to last about two days. To whoever receives this message, if I am dead please find my father, Lancott Kerman and let him know that I love him and regret not being able to tell him that myself. Farewell." K stopped the recording then and stared impassively at the screen for a moment, unable to decide, before punching the transmit button.

He realized how lucky he was, managing to strap into his seat and don on his helmet seconds before the crash. His crew did not seem to be that lucky. Relaxing in his seat, K pondered over the events of the past few months while he gazed out at the barren landscape.

Two Months Earlier:

K’s eyes wandered over his crew. Tay Kermen, Irwin Kermen, Kane Scott, Lief Jackson, Delilah Reece, Ziggy Zane, and Sven Efrain were all seated around the crew cabin. His heart flickered as he briefly thought about his ship, the UKSC Artemis. The ship was about 200 meters long and about 75 meters wide. She was in his eyes a thing of beauty. K felt heartbroken for what he was about to do to both his ship and his crew. It was time he told his crew who he really was!

"If you will excuse me for a moment, I will be back in a few minutes." K mumbled before turning to leave the cabin. Tay caught his arm, inquiring of him with a worried look on her face.

"Are you alright love? Don't do anything rash darling."

K felt even worse for he was about to do to the woman he loved. He had also promised himself that he would tell her about himself shortly after he fell in love with her. But he did not want to lose her since she meant so much to him. So he never told her his deep, dark secret. His true name.

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit
Putting the Chapter back up

[team.leit]

Chapter 10: Recollection

K shrugged off Tay’s hand, whispering. “I am fine Tay, it’s you that I am worried about. Like I said, I will be back in a moment.â€Â

Before she could respond, K dashed off heading back to his cabin. Once in his cabin, K locked the door behind him and retrieved a briefcase that he had sworn that he would never open again after he had met Tay. Punching in his access code, K hesitated a moment before opening the case. Immediately upon setting his eyes on his armor, K’s mind flashed back to a day about twenty years ago.

K was standing on the bridge of a large strike-craft, with several cruisers surrounding it. He ordered a targeting solution be drawn up for the largest of the ships. He then went over to the side of the bridge into a circle of sorts. Once he was standing in the middle of the circle, it came to life and started placing armor around him. When it was finished, it handed him his helmet. Donning his helmet, K returned to the center of the bridge just in time to receive the targeting solution. He then opens a comm. channel to the largest ship. He spoke in a digitally altered voice. “This is Shock Trooper Kaos-1, surrender your ship immediately or be destroyed!â€Â

The response was incredulity in its finest.

“What!?!?!†spluttered the captain, “I have 8 fully armed battle cruisers, your strike craft does not stand a chance against us! The only captain that would be able to use such a craft against us and be victorious would be the legendary Shiva and you are most certainly not him†Sneered Captain Kasson, ordering an attack on the strike-craft.

The dear old captain soon found out that Shiva was not the most dangerous captain in the system. Kaos-1 had been waiting for the strike. He jinxed away from the dumb missiles, unleashing the newest variant of guided missiles on all of the crafts.

K snapped out of his flashback to a roar. He realized instantly that it was his voice that the roar was coming from. He immediately quieted down. As he gazed upon his old combat armor, he came to the realization that he missed wearing it. Disgusted by his own reaction, K rapidly donned his armor before he backed out of what he was planning to do. He sat for a moment in his cabin before getting up and unlocking the door to his cabin.

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit
Putting the Chapter back up

[Sesni]

Ooooh I herd u like invisitext

[team.leit]

Ooooh I herd u like invisitext

Thanks for replying with your thoughts

Edited December 8, 2013 by team.leit

[team.leit]

Hello everybody,

I have taken the story down for a couple of days until I have a chance to check for continuity with the new chapter that I am/have written. Sorry for the inconvenience, I will be working as fast as I can on this.

Thanks,

team.leit

[team.leit]

Okay, for those of you how have been waiting breathlessly for the story to come back. I have put up the chapters I have taken down. I will also be sticking up the chapters that I wrote while the story was down

[team.leit]

Chapter 11: The Truth comes out

Once K seated the helmet onto his head, a voice spoke.

“Welcome, please state your re-activation code."

K responded stating. “This is ST-1, re-activation code: bladestrike5079reaper “

“Welcome back Kaos, it has been quite awhile.†exclaimed K’s AI, Artificial Networked Linguistic Intelligence (ANLI) happily.

“ANLI please retract my armor into the smallest possible piece.†Kaos requested.

Kaos then walked over to the cabin door. Unlocking it, Kaos paused for a brief second before walking out and heading over to his crew to inform them of both their new security clearance and the armor that they would be receiving to assist them in helping surviving working with him. ANLI interrupted his thoughts inquiring.

“You really like this Tay Kermen, don’t you?â€Â

Kaos blushed slightly at the question, answering. “Yes I do like her, I like her a lot actually, ANLI. I would also appreciate it if you didn’t sift through my memories like that.â€Â

“Well then, sorry.†ANLI shot back impishly, trying not to giggle.

Just before Kaos reached the cabin door, he reached up and removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. Entering the cabin, Kaos encountered a heated conversation concerning what they had been gathered there for. Kane was thinking out loud that they had been gathered for some top-secret mission.

“You're not that far off, Kane.†Commented Kaos as he came to the head of the table. “ANLI, please lock down this cabin and let us know if anything gets within 100 Km.â€Â

“Who are you talking to and what do you mean by saying that I am not that far off? And why have you locked us into this cabin?†Kane demanded suspiciously, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen thickly when Kaos arrived and spoke up.

“I am talking to my personal AI; her name is ANLI that stand for Artificial Networked Linguistic Intelligence. She helped me survive the worst years of my life.†Kaos then looked over at Tay before continuing. “You guys remember the stories about entire strike forces disappearing and the little data recovered pointed to a small ship, such as a large strike craft, and every piece of data recovered stated that the pilot of that craft was the infamous Shock Trooper-1.â€Â

The crew gasped in shock at the blatant use of one of the most feared Kerbal’s name. Kaos hurried on before they could do more than that.

“Those stories are true.†Kaos stated simply. “If you are wondering how I know this, it is because I was there.â€Â

Sven managed to find his voice and stuttered. “H-How d-did y-you s-survive m-meeting t-that m-monster?â€Â

Kaos’s face hardened as he replied harsher than he meant to. “I survived fighting that monster because I AM that monster! ANLI deploy my armor!†Kaos then added quiet enough that they barely heard him. “I am still fighting him.â€Â

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit

[team.leit]

Chapter 12: True Love

Tay just sat there in a stunned silence. “What is going to happen to us?†She fearfully asked, referring to her relationship Kaos.

“You will all be receiving body armor so that you will be able to assist me with my job. Also, everybody’s security clearance has been upgraded such that you have access to the information that you will need to do your job.†Kaos replied. “Oh and Tay? Could you please come with me into the hall for a moment? And so that everyone gets my name right, it is Kaos-1.â€Â

Tay nodded and fearfully followed him into the hall, because where could you run in space? Tay wondered what Kaos was going to do to her. Once they were clear of the door and it had shut, Kaos knelt in front of Tay.

“Tay, I don’t know how or why you would forgive me for not telling you earlier, I love you so much that I just wanted to protect from my past. Will you please forgive me? No matter what you choose, remember that I still love you.â€Â

Kaos begged of Tay, bowing his head in shame. Tay’s heart swelled with love at the fact that Kaos wanted to protect her because he loved her. But she was also incensed that he never told her this earlier. Thus Tay stood staring frostily at Kaos’s bowed head for a few minutes before just following her heart. Throwing her arms around his neck, Tay sobbed into his neck.

“I will always love you Kaos. I love you too much to stay mad at you, although I am grateful that you did this to protect me, I just wish you could have told me earlier.â€Â

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit

[team.leit]

Chapter 13: Kane's POV

As Tay and Kaos entered the cabin again, I inquired. “What is our mission?†Kaos removed his arm from around Tay’s shoulder before stepping to the head of the table.

“Okay everybody, here is the mission briefing. Recently there has been some attacks on ships sent by the Spiritwolf Corporation to Laythe. We have received news that Hanland has succeeded in a hostile takeover of the island base placed by Spiritwolf for the scientific community. We are to execute a search and rescue mission to retrieve the scientists that are still on the ground. We are to return them to Kerbin if possible; if not then we are to evac them to the nearest location where Hanland cannot get to them.†As Kaos spoke, he pulled up a holographic projection of Laythe, and then towards the end, he zoomed it out to show the entire Kerbol System.

“Kane, if I remember correctly you have experience with flying drop ships?â€Â

I nodded slowly wondering where he was going with this. “Good, you will be flying a drop ship into Laythe’s atmosphere from the main ship. Delilah, you're going to be flying the main ship. Whatever you do stay out of their weapons range, they will have no qualms about taking you out of the fight permanently.â€Â

Delilah nodded frightened. “Good, we should get some rest before we begin this mission.†Kaos stated.

Edited January 7, 2014 by team.leit

[team.leit]

There you all go, it's a bit to chew on.

[Sesni]

Just saying, I really think you should make a new paragraph when a new character speaks. Still good, just that makes it harder for me to read.

[team.leit]

Sorry about that, but if I did it that way it would ruin the story IMO. So I changed it so that the kerbals speaking is in italics and the AI is in italics and bold. Hope that helps.