Shadows of the Kraken: Remastered & The Lost Chapters

[Ethanadams]

Well now I know what happened to Richard Kerman I thing

also ghost busters reference I've been slimed

[vsully]

Aww you killed Chadvey… why you couldn't have killed Burdous and his "pointy sticks"…. *sobbing*

Great Story + that bonus cliffhanger...

[Ten Key]

. . .there will a bit of a hiatus. . .The final half dozen or so chapters. . .will probably be a few days.

I'm getting a bit jealous at how fast you can crank these out. "A few days" wait on half a dozen chapters is not a hiatus.

Excellent, as always.

"STOP!" Yelled Burdous, shoving a finger in Chadvey's faceplate, "not. Another. Word. It's bad enough I'll have to clean this stuff out of the pod now, Hurky McBarfsalot here does NOT need to hear that little gem."

Love it. Not only is this funny, but stuff like this adds life to a character quickly and efficiently. Very well done.

And incidentally, my cat now has a new nickname.

[KSK]

Agree with Ten Key on all counts. Well except for the bit about the cat.

Looks like Chadvey's 'tears in the rain' monologue in the last chapter was a harbinger of things to come though.

[monophonic]

There is no sound in space. No medium, to carry the vibrations. So it was a cruel twist of irony, that Chadvey Kerman, who had always lived so loud, died in silence, his body slowly toppling over backwards in the diminished gravity.

I know. I now know it all. It's Derpy, he came after Chadvey to avenge his trying to steal the role of the talkative one of the story. And showing him out of the capsule, too. But mostly the other bit.

The evil rdous manages to release the Kraken, but it summarily commits suicide after hearing Derpy talk for a split second.

Edgas, the good rdous and Derpy make it back to Kerbin.

Derpy continues his career to become the manager of the space program.

The good rdous becomes a hermit and never speaks a single word again.

Edgas goes insane and is committed to the same room Billy-Bobrim died in the asylum. All he does for the rest of his life is to repeat the same four words over and over.

"Just... Shut... Up... Derpy."

[Ethanadams]

That's not true

[Windspren]

Noooooooooooo......

[CatastrophicFailure]

I know. I now know it all. It's Derpy, he came after Chadvey to avenge his trying to steal the role of the talkative one of the story. And showing him out of the capsule, too. But mostly the other bit.

The evil rdous manages to release the Kraken, but it summarily commits suicide after hearing Derpy talk for a split second.

Edgas, the good rdous and Derpy make it back to Kerbin.

Derpy continues his career to become the manager of the space program.

The good rdous becomes a hermit and never speaks a single word again.

Edgas goes insane and is committed to the same room Billy-Bobrim died in the asylum. All he does for the rest of his life is to repeat the same four words over and over.

"Just... Shut... Up... Derpy."

Curse you and your sudden but inevitable determination. You've figured it all out. No sense posting the rest I guess.

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No but seriously, I have a soft goal of presenting the conclusion this weekend, probably in the middle of the night since it'll take about 3 hours to properly chapterize so as not to aggravate my OCD.

But if anyone has some mad photoshop skillz (or just angry ones), I could use some help with a tweak to a little image sidebar I'd like to put together. Should be pretty simple, but unfortunately I have the graphical talent of a damp sponge. Just need a quick turn around.

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 40: Betrayer

Chadvey's lifeless body fell backwards, twitching slightly, for a moment a jet of vapor escaping from the tiny hole in the center of his faceplate. Jerdous then swung the bulky laser at Burdous, mouth agape, face uncomprehending. Jerdous's brow was pinched in hate, a toothy snarl carved on his lips. Burdous realized the danger, but too late. He hit his suit thrusters the same moment Jerdous fired. Burdous screamed, his limp form tumbling away slowly across the dark, airless sky. Jerdous brought the laser to bear on Edgas, who could do nothing but stare helplessly, frozen in place.

"You," Jerdous leered, "youuuuuuuuu! You have been a thorn in my side for years now," his face was a rictus of anger and cruel glee.

Edgas just stared, his mouth moving wordlessly.

"Don't you get it yet? I am he, I am him, I'm the villain, I'm the bad guy. I am the good, and faithful servant, who shall herald the coming of the Dark Lord of Chaos!"

"You..." squeaked Edgas, "you're the Hand of the Kraken?!"

Jerdous looked confused, "the hand of the...?" Then he laughed mirthlessly, "the Hand of the Kraken? Yes, I rather like that. I suppose I'll need a proper title. After all, I have served my master well, and I shall be rewarded."

A voice crackled, "Edgas! Don't say anything!" It was Burdous. He sounded hurt. "I've hacked your comm link (ugh), he can't hear me. Keep him talking, I'm gonna (grunt) try to circle around behind him (gasp)."

"But why??" cried Edgas to the foe, "why would you do such a thing?"

"Why? Power, of course. And survival, survival is a big thing. Chaos is the natural state of reality. To resist it is folly. I shall merely hasten the inevitable, and in so doing, secure my own survival. I have brought the Dark Lord a chariot! It will convey his essence back to Kerbin, and then," he grinned horribly, eyes wide, black specks streaming across them, "all will be chaos."

"You're insane!"

"I am the only sane Kerbal that that has ever lived!" Jerdous sneered, then chuckled, "it was supposed to be you, y'know... all that time ago, it was supposed to be you. You were to be the Shadow Bearer of the Dark Lord, to carry his shadow from the Mün to Kerbin to begin the Good Work. I searched for years to find just the right weak, fearful mind... Those other two were just supposed to be insurance. Edmund hid his little problem well, I didn't even know about it, but at least he proved useful. As for the dummy--"

"You son of a--!"

Jerdous brandished the laser at him and smirked, "no, a feeble mind like that would never do. But his resistance to the Dark Lord's influence was... impressive. All he had to do was pass the Shadow on to you, and the Dark Lord would have released him... or simply killed him quickly out of convenience. But instead he resisted, and was driven mad by the effort! It must have been excruciating. That's inhumane even by my rather lax standards. And when he could bear it no longer and our victory was at hand he stopped his own heart."

It felt like a kick to the gut. If not for the low gravity, Edgas might have collapsed. All around, reality shimmered and cracked.

...Billy...

"But in the end, all such a waste. Pity. I have worked, and schemed, for years, here in the shadows. I sent Chadvey to the Mün, I sent you to the Mün. And you derailed all my careful planning with nothing more than luck, and a fool. But you can't stop me. I am the grandmaster! You merely hastened the inevitable! It would have taken many years to disseminate the Master's Shadow enough on Kerbin to bring a ship here, instead you forced me accelerate my plans, and now the end is at hand. The Dark Lord will be weak after his long imprisonment. That ship will carry us back... and then he shall feed."

Edgas felt despair crushing down upon him, pulling and tearing him with the inevitability of a black hole. He fell to his knees. Jerdous laughed.

"Only now, at the end, do you understand. This is all your fault. You have lost. Light is such an arrogant thing, it thinks it travels faster than anything, but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first... and is waiting for it."

Burdous's voice crackled through that darkness, "almost there (grunt), just keep him talking, keep him distracted! (gasp)"

Edgas pushed back against the anguish, willed words from his mouth, speaking to the ground, "it wasn't you, it was the Company. You're just a pawn."

"Layland-Wutani?" Jerdous howled with laughter, "Layland-Wutani is my plaything! It is my bauble, my trinket! It is a trained monkey doing tricks at my command! I own a 67% share! All prudently distributed across a dozen people who never existed. But I needn't have bothered with such minutia. It turns out when you simply tempt already rich executives with ridiculous sums of money, they're only too happy to lie, cheat, and steal. They're really quite good at it. And it encourages them to plug the inevitable leaks themselves, in the name of self preservation. All except the girl, of course."

Edgas looked up, "what?"

"The dummy's nosy sister. Started asking the right questions of the wrong people. Had to dispose of the problem before she found the right ones. I suppose I could have just let the company deal with her like all the others, but I felt like seeing to her personally. It was..." he inhaled as if remembering a favorite scent, "...exhilarating"

"You monster..." Edgas felt like his head would explode, his mind slipping away.

"Oh come now, Edgas. You're no stranger to being covered in another's warm blood. You can't tell me you didn't find it enticing."

"Why don't you throw that laser away and we'll find out?!" Edgas snarled through clenched teeth.

"You would kill me out of petty vengeance? Tear me open?" Again he laughed, "oh how it warms the cockles of my black little heart to hear you say that! To know that here, at the end, I have not only beaten you, I have destroyed you, and everything you thought you were. Well, have at it then!" Jerdous tossed the laser aside,

"Come at me, bro!" he sneered mockingly, "join the dark side! I'll give you a cookie."

Edgas was frozen. He tried to will himself into motion but it was just no use. It was over, he was done. He fell on his hands.

...my fault...all my fault...

That's... not logical.... the Scientist in him struggled to say.

He lies.... the Practical Kerbal in him strained, he tempts you... and he lies...

"Loose your nerve?" Jerdous leered, black flecks now swirling and rushing in his eyes, "you couldn't have harmed me anyway. I am under the Dark Lord's protection! And besides, it would be a shame to go through all the trouble I have to bring you all the way out here just to kill you myself. No, I have bigger plans for you. Chadvey at least played the worthy opponent, but he was outmatched. I let him go quickly, but you..." Jerdous pulled the intact disk from his pouch.

...no....

"You will have the privilege of being first witness to the conclusion of all things," Jerdous held the gleaming white disc between his hands, then raised it reverently over his head, "witness! Your world's end. Let the Lord of Chaos reign!"

He snapped the disk in two.

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[Starwhip]

Jeez, no! This is going to turn into the Grand Tour all over again with me not keeping up!

Must... resist... urge... to read... new chapter....

[CatastrophicFailure]

Jeez, no! This is going to turn into the Grand Tour all over again with me not keeping up!

Must... resist... urge... to read... new chapter....

wow you're quick, I hadn't even edit that one yet. But um, yeah, if waiting for the last chapter of a story drives you nuts (like me), might want to wait about 3 hours or so...

[Dres]

Must. Follow. Shiny. Words! You Sir, are incredible!

Edited April 27, 2015 by Dres

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 41: The Kraken

It snapped. Edgas heard the disc snap.

Jerdous laughed and laughed. The ground shook, the already fragile sun grew dimmer still and took on a sickly crimson cast. Stars dropped from the black sky like rain while Jerdous danced and spun in revelry.

"Messenger of Fear in sight! Dark deception kills the light!"

The ground ripped open, undulating waves casting house-sized boulders around like pebbles in the surf.

"Crawling Chaos underground! I summon thee, O Twisted Sound!"

The vision of Jool, low in the sky, began to twist and distort, then the planet tore in half.

"Not dead which eternal lie! Stranger æons, death may die!"

The halves tore again, then joined the cascade of crumbling stars.

"Fearless wretch! Insanity! He watches, outcast from the timeless sea!"

Jerdous bounced and cavorted amidst the chaos, black flecks swirling and churning across his eyes, blotting out the white. Edgas could do nothing but watch in horror. He was petrified, frozen in place, his eyes fixed on the twisted visage of the dead squid.

"Great Old One! Forbidden sight! Hunter of the Shadows is rising!"

The ground ripped open beneath it, then it cracked. Edgas heard it crack in the airless void.

"Immortal!"

The sky, the ground, reality its self fractured and heaved.

"In madness we dwell!"

The squid cracked again, and again, debris tearing loose and falling into the gash. Then something... something...

Jerdous rounded on Edgas, reaching out for him, "drain you of your sanity. Face. The Thing. That Should. Not. Be!" His eyes.... his eyes!

Something stirred.... it was nothing, yet it was something... It emanated out from between the pieces, tumbling, swirling.

"Arise! Arise! I bid thee, ARISE!"

It was not darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of light. From out of the collapsing form came the antithesis of light. It radiated not-light, it pulled the light in and annihilated it like a dying star. It rose steadily, blacker than the black sky, roiling, seething, churning from shape to shape.

It's not real, said some part of Edgas's mind that still functioned, none of this is real, it's not really there!

No, it's not, said something else, what's really there is far, far worse.

Edgas collapsed to the ground, tried to pull his eyes away from the nightmare before him that with each passing moment grew only more horrifying. Futilely, desperately, he pawed at his faceplate, trying in vain to claw his own eyes out and end the vision. He tried to scream, but nothing came out but a thin, reedy keening sound.

Jerdous laughed and laughed and laughed. He cackled, chortled like a cheap movie villain. It should have been funny, it should have been hilarious. It should have been. Again he turned to Edgas, clawing at his own faceplate. His eyes had become sickening, bulging back orbs protruding from his face. As Edgas watched, they collapsed in on themselves like death-throes of an ancient star, became sucking, twisting pools of nothing, and Jerdous laughed all the louder.

"Do you see it now, Edgas? Do you see it? Do you see? DO YOU SEE??"

Edgas felt his mind crumbling, collapsing, decaying as he lay helpless and spasming on the ground, still staring with wide, burning eyes. The Darkness grew, shifted, coalesced, towering far into the airless sky. It was formless, yet it had form. Soundless, yet it had sound. Arm-claw-tentacle-appendage-things jutted from its not-flanks nearly randomly, always shifting, changing. Its not-skin was the agony of a thousand faces, and hideous visions torn from the nightmares of a trillion slumbering beings. And this horror had a face, where the Darkness grew darker still, two empty pits of unfathomable nothingness that raped the land as they scanned across it. It floated....

"Evil Master!" Jerdous fell to his knees, his arms wide, his face a mask of twisted ecstasy, "your humble servant welcomes you!" He pressed his faceplate to the regolith.

He's completely lost his mind... mused the sliver of Edgas that was still Edgas.

The Kraken looked down with its awful, empty, not-eyes, and appeared to regard Jerdous as one might an unpleasant stain on the ground.

"Have I not done well, my Lord?" Jerdous grinned childishly up at it.

With no thought or effort, the Kraken reached out with an arm-tentacle-appendage-thing, plucked Jerdous from the ground, tore the helmet from his head, and tossed him away like so much refuse. It then shuddered off in the vague direction of the lander, ignoring Edgas as he lay twitching and sobbing on the ground.

Darkness. Everywhere was darkness. Closing in, consuming, crushing. His mind fractured, collapsed in on its self, shattered. Anguish, fear, hate, anger... they trampled across his crumbling psyche like conquering horsemen, neurons and memories firing off randomly as he writhed and cried.

...explain to this commission...the principal has decided...you just don't have the stomach for this...gassy Edgas...justify your actions...wouldn't go out with you...you're being expelled...application rejected...neeeeeeeerd...results unsatisfactory...last Kerb in the world...final notice...decide to press charges...loser...performance unsatisfactory...the commission finds...sissy...for not less than one year...haaaaa-haaaaaah...judgement for the plaintiff...official reprimand...as if...behavior unacceptable...revocation of flight status...all your fault...

Reject!

Failure!

Looser!

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Edgas screamed, futilely clapping his hands to his helmet. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Chaos... endless chaos...

So this is madness....

What're you gonna do about it? Gassy Edgas the gassy?

What're you gonna do about it?

What're you gonna do?

What?

What?

In that final, defeated, desperate moment, Edgas cried out. To the universe, to Creation, to anyone...

Anyone...

You're not crazy...

Edgas gasped...

...ya have to just believe...

...he drew a deep, ragged breath...

...you're a good friend...

Somewhere in Edgas Kerman, deep down in the part of his being that made him, him, was a tiny seedling. It was pale, sickly, and yellowed. It longed for light. But its roots had been growing. Patiently, gently, unnoticed they had spread. Now at last, at long last, they found fertile soil.

Life exploded.

It raged through Edgas, washing over him, filling him with green leaves, fragrant flowers, nourishing fruit, and all manner of Good Things. And light, purifying, refining light that drove the Darkness before it like a scourge. Before that light, the darkness that only moments ago had seemed so undefiable was powerless. Before that charge, it broke and fled, like a routing army in panic and chaos. The darkness fled. It fled in defeat. It fled in disbelief. It fled in fear.

"Hey..." Edgas groaned, pushing himself up on his hands, "hey..!" He forced himself to his knees, still slipping in his Goo-covered suit.

"B... Burdous!"

"Sorry Edgas, can't help you right now. I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought."

Wonderful, where was the Great Spoon Stabbist when he needed him?

Edgas rose shakily, fired his suit jets, and pursued the Kraken.

"Hey! HEY! Don't you float away from me, I'm not done with you yet!" He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, just... something, "Burdous, where are you?"

"Um, here..." Edgas finally spotted him, behind a mass of boulders just ahead of the Kraken.

Edgas neared the massive, shifting, horrible form, "hey! You! Your mama was a snowblower! Your grandma sucks eggs! Hey!"

He fired his thrusters again, darting in front of the abomination, landing right in its path and holding his hands up in warding.

"You! Shall! Not--!"

The Kraken stopped, and towered over him like a massif. It lowered its enormous, distorted, not-head to him, only inches away, its not-flesh a twisting mass of worms in carrion, and stared down into him with those abyss-like pools of nothing.

Crap.

In his mind, for an instant there was pressure...then it burst like a bubble before the torrent. Words, sounds, not-sounds, all flooded through Edgas's mind, a billion tongues in a trillion voices, scouring at his psyche. He was sure they would tear him away at any moment, but then...

KERBAL.

Edgas blinked.

I AM DARKNESS. I AM DECAY. I AM DESTRUCTION. I AM BITER, BASHER, GNASHER, BEATER; CHARMER, HARMER, DEFILER, EATER! I AM UNMAKER OF LIFE, I AM SCOURGE OF KNOWLEDGE, I AM DEATH OF TIME, I AM SHATTERER OF WORLDS! I AM MIND RIPPER, SOUL BREAKER, HAND TREMBLER, SIGHT BLINDER! I AM FATHER OF LIES, FONT OF DECEIT, ROOT OF DECEPTION, ATTACKER OF TRUTH. I AM CONFLICT, I AM CONTENTION, I AM STRIFE, I AM SHOCK! I AM ANIMOSITY, I AM MISTRUST, I AM RANCOR, I AM ENMITY. I AM RESENTMENT, ENVY, JEALOUSY, SCORN. I AM HATE! I AM THE ACCUSER! I AM THE ADVERSARY! I AM THE NEMESIS! I AM THE PLAGUE!

I AM THE GREAT LORD OF CHAOS, AND THE MASTER OF OBLIVION.

YOU. DARE. STAND. BEFORE ME?

Edgas stared, slack jawed. The monstrosity loomed over him like a building, a mountain, a planet. Terror threatened to freeze him in place and sap his will. So he did the only sensible thing he could do in that situation.

He punched the Kraken in the face.

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[Dres]

Once again, we meet at the solution to every problem every sapient being has ever faced.

"If you have a problem, punch it in the face."

Words that the very concepts that define humanity are based upon, and at least used to operate it in its entirety.

Seriously though, this is powerful writing, and you must be an actual writer or something to produce this stuff.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Dres

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 42: Edgas Kerman

The Kraken recoiled, shuddered, and collapsed to the ground with an impact that would have knocked Edgas clear off his feet if not for the low gravity. A cloud of brown dust rushed away, then all was still. Edgas stared in disbelief. Where he punched the rubbery not-flesh, a small grayish circle smoked slightly, cracked like a dried mud puddle.

It couldn't be that easy...

Burdous peeked out from behind his refuge, "did... did you just punch out the Kraken?!"

Edgas stared.

It couldn't be that easy, it couldn't...

No, it couldn't.

The immense, dark from lurched, and rose... its nothing-pools glaring and pulling at Edgas. Where there had been nothing but indistinct, writhing darkness a moment before, a putrid, rot-filled gaping maw opened, filled with teeth and... things of every description, defying description, defying reason.

The Kraken swelled for an instant and ROARED.

The blast slammed into Edgas like a hurricane wind, assaulting his every sense. Hot breath seared his flesh, tore him backwards, the funk of forty thousand years defiled his nostrils, horrible visions of suffering within that maw of chaos burned his eyes, a maelstrom of wails besieged his ears, he could even taste... taste the flow of bile and blood and rot that spewed over him.

That can't happen! It's not possible! It's not logical! the Scientist in him screamed. The Practical Kerbal in him was curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth and sobbing about finding a happy place.

And hate, burning, unquenchable hate for everything, for anything, cascading unwelcomed through his mind as he held his hands up, leaning into the gale, trying desperately not to be swept away.

WhyamInotdeadIshoukdbedeadbutImnotdeadhowcanInotbedeadIshouldbedead...

At last the torrent stopped, but before Edgas could react the Kraken reared, and slapped him aside with a tentacle-claw-appendage-thing. He slammed hard into a boulder, stars dancing across his vision, his helmet HUD lit up with red lights. Something in his chest cracked, and just drawing breath brought stabbing pain. The Kraken moved on.

Edgas gritted his teeth against the pain, tried to blink away the tears in his eyes. Memories of his friends, and all they had sacrificed for this, flooded through his mind. He wouldn't let it be in vain, he wouldn't, but he didn't know what else to do. He tried to get back up. Even in the minute gravity, it was excruciating from the pain in his chest, he kept slipping in Goo. If only...

His eyes shot wide open, he gasped, oblivious to the pain.

Goo.

Edgas looked at the Kraken. Where the tentacle-claw-appendage-thing had smacked him was a vaguely Edgas-shaped gray mark, cracked like dried mud and smoking slightly.

Goo!

The final piece clicked into place.

GOO!

Dammit, he was an idiot! It was so obvious!

...cast the Servants out... ...distilled some of their power... ...gave it in a vessel...

Edgas fired his suit jets, flew right at the Kraken.

"Burdous! Throw me a flagpole!"

"Do what?"

"Throw me a flagpole!"

Burdous didn't argue. He unfolded a flagpole, took just a moment to aim, then hurled it like a javelin with everything he had. It sailed straight and true, not even slowing in the pitiful gravity.

Edgas watched it come, watched the Kraken loom before him... damn, too far, his aim was off, he reached out, stretched his arm, almost--

The pole impaled its self halfway through his right hand, only stopping from an errant bit of cartilage.

Edgas screamed, the Kraken filled his view, the sharpened tip of the pole glistened with Goo and blood, the latter rapidly evaporating in the frigid vacuum. He grabbed the other end, gritted his teeth, torqued it against the shattered bones in his hand, thrust it out before him like a spear, and somehow fired his thrusters again.

The Kraken sensed his approach. It rounded on him, reared up, and too late, realized its mistake. The Goo glowed, then it shone, then it burst into cold flame. A blinding flash, Edgas streaked across the black sky like a meteor; inexorable, unstoppable, straight at the Kraken's not-chest.

I AM EDGAS KERMAN! he thought at it, "and this is for Billy you squid-licking son of a--"

The impact knocked him senseless, but only for a moment. Bright, searing pain brought him back. He was pinned against the Beast's flank by the pole through his hand, and the Kraken thrashed and flailed, throwing him back and forth like a rag doll, slamming him against its flank again and again. Bone snapped, muscle ripped, and tendon tore.

Knob... have to turn the knob...

Warnings flashed and beeped in his helmet.

...have to turn...

And all the time, the Kraken was screaming in his head, bellowing with spite, sending a billion frightful images through his mind.

...knob...

Darkness danced around the edges of his vision.

...must turn...

Hate, such hate.

...have to...

His vision narrowed, collapsing to a point.

...knob...

Edgas flailed helplessly.

...must...

Fear, pain, suffocating, consciousness began to disintegrate.

...knob...

The Kraken sensed his weakening, now it shrieked with laughter and triumph inside his head.

...have to...

FOOL! INSECT! VIRUS!

...the knob...

DEATH IS NO BAR TO MY CALL! I WILL EXILE YOU TO THE FARTHEST, DARKEST, COLDEST EDGE OF THE MULTIVERSE!!!

...must...

THE COLD SHALL SEAR YOUR VERY SOUL!!!

His hand found the knob.

"The cold never bothered me anyway."

Edgas turned the knob, there was a whump, something in his arm tore loose and he was going up... and up... and up...

The Kraken shrieked louder than ever before. Edgas was sure his head would explode. He hoped it would be soon. The Beast screamed in rage, it screamed in disbelief, it screamed in fear.

DESTINY! YOU CANNOT! DESTROY! MY! DESTINYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.....!

Its shriek trailed off, thin and reedy, then the Kraken winked out of Edgas's mind, darkness took him, and the rest is silence.

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 43: The Place He Arrived At (Reprise)

Edgas....

Edgas was... somewhere. He drifted, formlessly. This place... it was empty and yet... full. Everything the Kraken was not, this place was.

Edgas....

It was warm and bright and pleasant. And familiar. He sensed others... so many others. He knew them and yet... not. This place was strange to him, but there was no fear here. Only welcome. This was a Good Place.

Edgas...

Out of the everythingness, a face began to form. It was smiling, and beautiful... so beautiful... and familiar. He knew that face! It was...

Edgas...

It was...

Something was on his face.

Choking, something was in his--

Oh no.

Oh NO!

Not that!

Not that again!

ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Edgas's eyes shot open, bright lights stinging them. Waves of dull pain washed over him. Confused, disoriented, he flailed helplessly.

"Edgas! Calm down, you're all right, you're all right." It was... Burdous? "You've got a breathing tube in, just calm down... calm down... there you go... let's get this out..."

Edgas looked around groggily. He was in the medical bay back on the ship. Removing the tube was... extremely unpleasant. Burdous offered him a chilled bag of water as he coughed.

"What... what happened?"

"You did it. I'm not sure exactly what it was you did, but that... thing is gone. Sucked back into the ground. I didn't stick around long, had to chase you down in the lander."

Edgas blinked. Everything felt fuzzy.

"It is gone... right?" asked Burdous with a tinge of apprehension.

Closing his eyes, Edgas stretched out with his mind... listening... and found nothing. He smiled. For the first time in, well, forever, he was the only one there. For the first time in forever, reality felt truly real.

"It's gone." His mind was so foggy though, "how long have I been out?"

"A few days. Welcome back."

"Did... did I go somewhere?"

"Very nearly," Burdous actually smiled, "you were in pretty bad shape. There's not much in the rack for pain, so I had the machine keep you out for a while."

Again Edgas tried to blink away the fuzziness. He was floating, strapped loosely to the bed. His right arm was heavily bandaged, but still looked... less.

"I wouldn't think too much on that if I were you," Burdous said gently, "this thing can do some amazing stuff, but it's programmed for emergencies, not reconstruction. We still have a long trip home."

"Oh... you're hurt too," Edgas said, noticing a bandage poking out from beneath Burdous's shirt.

"Bah, I'm all right," he said, "didn't need that kidney anyway, it was always kind of a slacker."

Memories slowly began to trickle back, "but... I saw him... how did you..."

"Had a self-healing mechanical counterpressure skin on under my suit, top secret Ussari prototype. I thought things might go bad, but..." he trailed off.

"I'm... not sure what to say..."

Burdous chortled, staring at the wall, shaking his head, "my own brother. Seems so obvious now, of course. I guess these things always do. He was never the same, after the temple in the desert. Became obsessed with finding the Kraken, or whatever he was calling it that week. I just saw a chance to get my engine built, I was as blind as anyone. And then Chadvey found that seal, or whatever, and--"

Chadvey. "Wait, Chadvey," Edgas struggled to make a coherent thought, "we have to go back. We can't just leave him there..."

"Lander's out of fuel. I used up every last drop and then some getting you back. I'm not much of a pilot. I suppose I could rig it to run on hydrogen, but--"

"No..." Edgas said softly, thinking. ...Ah've so little concept of home anymore... He looked out the window at Jool. It seemed sad now, lonely. "No, I... I think Chadvey would be happy to be where he is."

Burdous smiled at him.

"That's something you don't do much," Edgas said.

"What? Huh, I mean..." Fumbled Burdous, looking abashed.

"So... you don't hate me anymore?"

Burdous rolled his huge, rather bloodshot eyes, "I've seen you stand toe to toe with an eldritch abomination from outside reality, and punch it in the face. If it's all the same, I'd prefer to stay on your good side. Only logical."

Edgas just smiled.

"Jerdous was always fond of that Gerinish scripture quote of his, but he always left out the next stanza. I never understood why, until now."

Edgas raised an eye... bulge.

"Again the voice said, 'come and see,' and I saw, and behold: from among the people, a Challenger stepped forth! Though he was weak of arm, his spear was like fire; and though he was frail of heart, his shield was like gold; and upon it were inscribed the words, QVIS VT LVX. Betrayer did speak lies unto him, to tempt him, but he was not swayed. I saw him stand alone before the Beast, and speak his name unto it, and with a mighty blow he struck it down. And for this, he was called Champion. And for this... he was called Hero."

Edgas felt distinctly redder. His mind was going all fuzzy again. "But... there's something I still don't understand."

"What?"

"Why a spoon?"

"Huh?"

"You said you'd stab me with a spoon."

"Er, yes, well, it's dull. It'd hurt more."

"Ah..." Reflected Edgas, "you're pretty demented, you know."

A wicked grin cracked Burdous's face, "only a demented mind could conceive an engine like this!" He shot his arms out wide... and promptly winced and grabbed at his bandaged side. "Ow! Owowowowowowwwwww!" He tumbled weightlessly, grimacing. "Can... can we go home now?"

Edgas opened his mouth to speak, and paused. He was very tired, and it was getting hard to think. Finally he said, "no, not yet. There's some place we have to go first."

"Where?"

He grinned broadly, "to the Mün, Burdous."

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 44: Homecoming

Edgas watched from his bed in the medical bay as Jool slowly, ever so slowly, faded in the distance. The ship was quiet now, after the transfer burn. The lights were dimmed, Burdous had turned in and was (presumably) sleeping in his bunk. It had always impressed Edgas just how quiet this ship could be. Six months home. It seemed like such a long time, but even now they were moving incredibly fast. The phase angles were all wrong, the transfer orbit horridly inefficient, but even six months from Jool to Kerbin was incredible. Stopping once they reached Kerbin would be another challenge, of course, but Edgas thought they could handle it.

Six months. Chadvey had been right, a little vacation seemed spot on right about now. Edgas could use the rest. He looked down at the tangle of tubes and wires still attached to various unpleasant places. The machine indicated he was healing remarkably well, but the two Kerbals had agreed it was best if he spent a few more days in the medical bay. He glanced at what he assumed was the twisted wreck of his right arm, under all those bandages. Healing remarkably well, except for that. That was... not. Edgas knew there would be some adjustments in the future.

Adjustments. That went for everyone, of course. Even if they didn't know it. Edgas sighed. No one would ever really know what had happened up here. They couldn't. Edgas hated the notion, but none the less agreed with it. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that reality was a fragile shell over the truth. Break that shell, show people what was really underneath... and bad things happened. It was trite, but most people couldn't handle the truth. That didn't make them bad people, it just made them...human. Maybe one day they could, but not today. And not in six months. There were things beyond that shell that would try people's souls. Here, there be monsters. But there were also heroes. And that was the most important.

Heroes. Yes, there were heroes. Chadvey. Dr. Kerman. Edmund. Burdous. Anastasia. Billy. People who were willing to stare into the darkness, to peek beneath that shell, to go seeking the monsters, face them, fight through the fear, and doubt, and uncertainty, and need for space-diapers... and punch them square in the face. Edgas didn't think he was a hero, but, he supposed, real heroes never did. There would be more darkness ahead, he knew that, and he would face it. But the darkness would do well to be afraid. Be very afraid.

Darkness. Jerdous had said, darkness was faster than light. And he wasn't wrong. The darkness would always be there first, waiting, abiding, scheming. Darkness was faster. But the light was stronger. No matter how deep and choking the darkness became, it could never extinguish the light. No matter how fast it moved, the darkness could never stop the light. And when the darkness was at its worst, when heroes failed and hope died, that is when the tiniest and most insignificant light blazed the brightest of all. In the end, darkness feared the light... because it had nowhere to hide. Edgas still didn't understand it all. But he believed. He had seen. He thought people like Chadvey... and Billy, who believed, but had not seen, were fortunate indeed. Edgas had a lot to think about, he was glad for the long trip home.

Home. No happy homecoming awaited them. There would, of course, be hell to pay. There would be inquests, and commissions, and hearings. Fingers would be pointed, blame would be thrown, excuses would be proffered. Answers would be demanded, careers would be destroyed. There would be wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Oh yes, there would indeed be hell to pay.

Edgas would see to that.

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[CatastrophicFailure]

Chapter 45: Shadows and Mündust (Reprise)

Six months later...

"What do you think it is, Ed?" Asked Burdous.

"I don't know, Burdous. I do not know."

"I'm afraid..."

"It's just a thing, nothing to be scared of..." Edgas was sure, now. They were standing at the base of a massive cubic structure that loomed over them. Whatever was on top, he couldn't make out. What was it made of? Stone? Metal? He couldn't tell. It seemed solid, eternal, lifeless.

They'd had to "borrow" a lander to get down to the surface. It hadn't been very difficult. The Ussari crew wasn't inclined to argue. It seems, that when you had at your disposal what amounted to a half-kilometer-long nuclear-powered death ray, no one really felt like arguing with you. There would be some explaining to do, of course, but... they could get in line. The crew had happily petered off back to Kerbin in their odd little orbiter. Convincing MechIvan to change the landing coordinates, now that had been hard.

The Ussaris, the Administration, and the Company wouldn't be too happy about another stolen spacecraft, but they would shortly have other concerns. The encrypted thumb drive Burdous had finally decoded turned out to be the lynchpin. Records, names, account numbers, all leading back to Jerdous's shadow identities. And the missing data that tied them back to Jerdous himself. It was a sloppy mistake to leave it with all the others. Jerdous hadn't been in the habit of making sloppy mistakes. Getting that thumb drive where Edgas could find it, well, someone must have pulled some strings.

The powers that be might not be in the mood to listen. Edgas would make them listen. It was always said that Edmund Kerman had a lot of friends. Well, Chadvey had a lot of friends too. Edgas had a certain suspicion that Chadvey had left word with the right ones about exactly what they should do if an agitated, wide-eyed Kerbal showed up with a stolen space ship and crazy stories about space-beasts and grand conspiracies. The right people would listen. Edgas was sure of it.

And if not, there was always the half-kilometer-long nuclear-powered death ray.

For now, one task remained. The Münbase was exactly as it had been when Edgas and the others left it nearly four years ago. Even their footprints were still there. And Isfjell 1, still fighting its endless, desperate battle against the darkness. It was short a solar panel now, probably from a micrometeoroid, but its floodlights still kept their solemn vigil. Edgas and Burdous didn't enter the base its self, there was no need. That was a labor for another time. They had come for the rover, and it still worked. Edgas had had no doubt. When Billy fixed something, why, it stayed fixed, by gum!

So now they stood, in the same place Billy-Bobrim and Edmund had stood so long ago, before a massive structure on another world. Edgas was very tired. Even the low Münar gravity was taking its toll on him after so long in space. The empty right arm of his suit ballooned out from his side, and bounced comically as he moved.

"So... what now?" Asked Burdous.

"Come on," Edgas said. Using his suit jets was difficult with only one hand, even after Burdous had modified the controls, but he managed to fly up to the top of the strange, cubic structure.

"Hey..." said Burdous, "does that look an awful lot like a flag to you?" He was pointing to... something on top of the structure. There was an odd, dome-shaped object as well.

Edgas just smiled, "let's be done with it."

Burdous nodded. He took out the flagpole he had brought, and unfolded it. Then he opened a container of Mystery Goo, gave the tip of the pole a good coating, and gripped it tight with both hands. With a final nod from Edgas, he jammed it with all his strength down into the anomaly. There was a tremor, Edgas felt... something... in his mind, but it was weak and feeble.

"Quickly now," Edgas said. Burdous turned the knob on the flagpole. There was a whump, the flag popped out, and a puff of dust from the base. For a moment, just one fleeting moment, Edgas felt a scream, but then it was gone. It was angry, and hateful... and defeated. Then the two saw in amazement the flagpole slowly turn brilliant white from the base up.

Burdous poked at it hesitantly, "it's... it's the same material as the seals! And look..." He pointed. Where the flagpole met the structure was a disc of pure white, inscribed with angular writing.

"I... I can read it..." Burdous whispered, "and there's a second line..."

"Well?" Just moving was difficult enough for Edgas, he couldn't bend over.

"Not dead which eternal lie, not ended but at an end." Burdous was about to say more, when he pointed in amazement, "your feet! The surface!"

"Huh?" With difficulty, Edgas looked down. Where they had been treading, the surface of the structure was broken and swept aside. Beneath it, was more pure white.

Burdous swept more away with his hand, "dust... it's covered in Mündust... the whole thing must be more of that material!"

Edgas moved to the thing that looked like a flag, and brushed more dust from it. It did, indeed, look like a flag, with an odd, repeating pattern etched in it.

Burdous looked at the ancient flag, the at the dome, "what do you think it all means?"

"I think," Edgas said smiling, feeling very, very tired, "it's a story for someone else."

Burdous looked up at all the worlds of the sky stretched above them, "so... now we just have to put a flag on all those?"

"Someone does," Edgas looked up at Kerbin, shining brilliantly like a beacon above them.

"That'll be a big job," Burdous smiled at Edgas.

"Aye," said Edgas, "might have to pull some strings."

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[CatastrophicFailure]

Epilogue: A Memory of Light

Four years later...

A frigid wind blew across an endless expanse of white. Over crevasses, across flat shelves, along towering cliffs, and past ephemeral drifts, until it reached a lonely collection of modules glazed in ice. The sun wandered low, just above the horizon, casting the modules in a pleasant twilight. The sun was always just above the horizon, it was never truly dark here.

Edgas Kerman sat in his small, spartan room, in a comfortable chair, with his feet propped up on an overstuffed turk, which was sort of like an ottoman but different, watching the wind blow through his one window. He rubbed absently at his right hand, at the little spot beneath the crescent-shaped scar in his palm where the bones had never been broken. His hand always ached when the wind blew like this, which was most of the time, but he didn't mind. It turns out, six months in zero-G did wonders for healing... that, and an infusion of Mystery Goo. It had taken a long time to regain strength in that arm, though. His door was closed, as it always was this time of the duty day. Stamped on the outside were the words:

BILLY AND ANASTASIA KERMAN MEMORIAL POLAR OUTPOST

EDGAS J. KERMAN, COMMANDER

There was a large display case on the wall. It was filled with various medals, commendations, and certificates. At the top, since Edgas was quite fond of it, was one small medal. It said, ЋЄЯФ ФҒ ЦSSДЯЇ  ЦИЇФИ, in their odd, not-quite-right script. Edgas had been more than a little surprised at that one, after everything. He'd been surprised that Billy's sister, Billy's adopted sister, had been some sort of Ussari royalty. Bringing them the truth, and closure, well, it had made him a lot of friends there. Friends that helped keep the... contention of the past few years from becoming something much more unpleasant.

Next to the display case was the mission clock, and next to that was a whiteboard covered in times in Edgas's precise hand. He looked over them now, it was almost time. Just enough to check the news feed. He picked up his tablet, little more than a thin sheet of glass with rounded edges, and pulled up the first article.

TRIAL OF THE CENTURY CONCLUDES!

Layland-Wutani executives convicted on over 1000 counts of corruption, fraud, murder! Cumulative sentence may reach 17000 years, still face multiple extradition requests.

CEO: "the Kraken made me do it!"

Edgas nodded. Pity for them they hadn't taken the plea deal guaranteeing extradition immunity when it had been offered. The Ussaris had a funny idea of 'prison,' it involved blutonium mines and surface temperatures so cold they didn't bother with fences. And if you did manage to get out, there were always the skeeters... Edgas thought it highly unlikely, but... the Ussaris were very patient. He swiped to the next article.

KERBONAUT TURNED MULTIPLATINUM RECORDING SENSATION DØ®-P@¥ KICKS OFF SECOND WORLD TOUR IN DACHLANDISH CAPITOL OF GARISH!

"Let It Go Round on a Magic Carpet" dominates charts for over 157 weeks, shows already sold out!

Edgas put a palm to his face. Still... it was a catchy tune. It was amazing what they could do with autotune these days. He swiped...

MÜN BASE EDMUND WELCOMES TWELFTH CONSECUTIVE CREW, EXPANDS TO NINE KERBALS

Edgas smiled. He swiped...

GYTEP SIGNS TREATY OF KERMANGRAD, BECOMES PROTECTORATE OF USSARI UNION, WAR AVOIDED

Edgas frowned. Two years ago, a hydrogen pipe from a lot manufactured in Gytep had failed, leading to the loss of an Ussari rocket. The crew had aborted and survived, but the Ussaris were none too pleased. Several lots of hydrogen pipes manufactured in Gytep had been found to be structurally deficient, going back several years. There had never really been a risk of war, Gytep became quite agreeable to a new treaty when Ussari threatened to start exporting its winter. Edgas swiped...

GENTLE GIANT GRADUATES TOP OF CLASS, TO BEGIN INTERNSHIP AT NEWLY OPENED SIGMUND KERMAN HOSPITAL FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

Attends ribbon-cutting, classmates call him "great listener"

Edgas grinned. It must have taken several bedsheets to make academic regalia that would fit Marshmallow. He swiped...

Argh, damn popup ads!

SPACE AGE SUPERFOOD!

SPACE-MUSH latest celebrity diet craze!

Erases wrinkles, smooths cellulite, fades age spots, treats syphilis, and cures gout! Order now, only √ 19.95!

Edgas swiped... what the?!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

For only √ 199.95, you'll get the new variety pack! Featuring Tasty Original, plus other great flavors like Wallboard, Elmer's Glue, Playdoh, Spackle, and Bathroom Caulk!

Edgas frowned, and swiped... SONOFA--!!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Order within the next five minutes and we'll send you a case of New® Tangy Epoxy™ ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

Edgas let loose a string of curses that would make Burdous proud, and swiped...

Ah, here we go... speaking of which...

FIRST KERBALS ON BOP!

Landing team from R/V Chadvey Kerman grand tour ship touches down on lonely moon, Commander Burdous Kerman takes first historic step, "that's one small step for a... crap pushed off too hard... still going up... throw me a rope or something... put that damn thing down and help me...! Are you la--STOP LAUGHING! STOP LAUGHING!! I SWEAR BY THE BLACKENED BUNGHOLES OF MOHO I! WILL! STAB! YOU! WITH! A! SPOOOOON!!!"

Edgas smiled. He looked at the clock, it was time. He set his tablet down and looked to a small shelf opposite the window. On it were photographs of his friends, those still here and those who had moved on... and under a glass dome, was a small, gray, sparkly rock. It had taken a long time to track it down, packed away in a safety deposit box in a bank in Gednalna. He'd had to pull some strings. Now he looked at it... and waited...

Outside on the frigid ice sheet, the sun moved out from behind an obstruction, a sunbeam shone through the window and fell on the sparkly rock... and the small room lit up like a galaxy. A billion points of light danced, swirled, played across the walls, each one seeming to shine like a thousand suns, brilliant and beautiful. They swayed, and cavorted, and swirled, each one like a memory of light against which no darkness could stand, no darkness could hide. Edgas thought about his friends, how it was never truly dark here, up on the top of the world, and that had nothing to do with the latitude. Once you had seen that light, you could never be in darkness again. Against that light, darkness seemed a feeble and pitiable thing. The light was stronger. No matter how dark the darkness became, the light was stronger. And it could never be extinguished, not so long as one person was willing to stare into the darkness... and find the light.

Edgas believed, and understood. He watched the specks of light dance around the room, and he, Edgas Kerman, threw his head back and laughed for the joy of it. He laughed loud and heartily, like a person who was, perhaps, just a bit mad. But he knew, now. It was so obvious. He understood... and believed.

Out on the ice, the sun moved back behind something, and the specks faded away. Edgas knew they weren't gone, they would always be there. And they would return just a few minutes later tomorrow. He looked over at the portraits of his friends. He would be waiting.

Beyond the window, a cold wind blew past the outpost, over ice sheets and mountains, and onward towards the light. Edgas Kerman was happy. It was never truly dark here. It was always cold, but he didn't mind, the cold never bothered him anyway.

Edgas Kerman liked the cold.

 

The End.
...an ending...

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by CatastrophicFailure

[Ethanadams]

Good job

[teepee2345]

Six years later...

A frigid wind blew across an endless expanse of white. Over crevasses, across flat shelves, along towering cliffs, and past ephemeral drifts, until it reached a lonely collection of modules glazed in ice. The sun wandered low, just above the horizon, casting the modules in a pleasant twilight. The sun was always just above the horizon, it was never truly dark here.

Edgas Kerman sat in his small, spartan room, in a comfortable chair, with his feet propped up on an overstuffed turk, which was sort of like an ottoman but different, watching the wind blow through his one window. He rubbed absently at his right hand, at the little spot beneath the crescent-shaped scar in his palm where the bones had never been broken. His hand always ached when the wind blew like this, which was most of the time, but he didn't mind. It turns out, six months in zero-G did wonders for healing... that, and an infusion of Mystery Goo. It had taken a long time to regain strength in that arm, though. His door was closed, as it always was this time of the duty day. Stamped on the outside were the words:

BILLY AND ANASTASIA KERMAN MEMORIAL POLAR OUTPOST

EDGAS J. KERMAN, COMMANDER

There was a large display case on the wall. It was filled with various medals, commendations, and certificates. At the top, since Edgas was quite fond of it, was one small medal. It said, HERO OF USSARI UNION, in their odd, not-quite-right script. Edgas had been more than a little surprised at that one, after everything. He'd been surprised that Billy's sister, Billy's adopted sister, had been some sort of Ussari royalty. Bringing them the truth, and closure, well, it had made him a lot of friends there. Friends that helped keep the... contention of the past few years from becoming something much more unpleasant.

Next to the display case was the mission clock, and next to that was a whiteboard covered in times in Edgas's precise hand. He looked over them now, it was almost time. Just enough to check the news feed. He picked up his tablet, little more than a thin sheet of glass with rounded edges, and pulled up the first article.

TRIAL OF THE CENTURY CONCLUDES!

Layland-Wutani executives convicted on over 1000 counts of corruption, fraud, murder! Cumulative sentence may reach 17000 years, still face multiple extradition requests.

CEO: "the Kraken made me do it!"

Edgas nodded. Pity for them they hadn't taken the plea deal guaranteeing extradition immunity when it had been offered. The Ussaris had a funny idea of 'prison,' it involved blutonium mines and surface temperatures so cold they didn't bother with fences. And if you did manage to get out, there were always the skeeters... Edgas thought it highly unlikely, but... the Ussaris were very patient. He swiped to the next article.

KERBONAUT TURNED MULTIPLATINUM RECORDING SENSATION DÛR-PA√ KICKS OFF SECOND WORLD TOUR IN DACHLANDISH CAPITOL OF GARISH!

"Let It Go Round on a Magic Carpet" dominates charts for over 157 weeks, shows already sold out!

Edgas put a palm to his face. Still... it was a catchy tune. It was amazing what they could do with autotune these days. He swiped...

MÃœN BASE EDMUND WELCOMES TWELFTH CONSECUTIVE CREW, EXPANDS TO NINE KERBALS

Edgas smiled. He swiped...

GYTEP SIGNS TREATY OF KERMANGRAD, BECOMES PROTECTORATE OF USSARI UNION, WAR AVOIDED

Edgas frowned. Two years ago, a hydrogen pipe from a lot manufactured in Gytep had failed, leading to the loss of an Ussari rocket. The crew had aborted and survived, but the Ussaris were none too pleased. Several lots of hydrogen pipes manufactured in Gytep had been found to be structurally deficient, going back several years. There had never really been a risk of war, Gytep became quite agreeable to a new treaty when Ussari threatened to start exporting its winter. Edgas swiped...

GENTLE GIANT GRADUATES TOP OF CLASS, TO BEGIN INTERNSHIP AT NEWLY OPENED SIGMUND KERMAN HOSPITAL FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

Attends ribbon-cutting, classmates call him "great listener"

Edgas grinned. It must have taken several bedsheets to make academic regalia that would fit Marshmallow. He swiped...

Argh, damn popup ads!

SPACE AGE SUPERFOOD!

SPACE-MUSH latest celebrity diet craze!

Erases wrinkles, smooths cellulite, fades age spots, treats syphilis, and cures gout! Order now, only √19.95!

Edgas swiped... what the?!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

For only √199.95, you'll get the new variety pack! Featuring Tasty Original, plus other great flavors like Wallboard, Elmer's Glue, Playdoh, Spackle, and Bathroom Caulk!

Edgas frowned, and swiped... SONOFA--!!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Order within the next five minutes and we'll send you a case of Newâ„¢ Tangy Epoxyâ„¢ ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

Edgas let loose a string of curses that would make Burdous proud, and swiped...

Ah, here we go... speaking of which...

FIRST KERBALS ON BOP!

Landing team from R/V Chadvey Kerman grand tour ship touches down on lonely moon, Commander Burdous Kerman takes first historic step, "that's one small step for a... crap pushed off too hard... still going up... throw me a rope or something... put that damn thing down and help me...! Are you la--STOP LAUGHING! STOP LAUGHING!! I SWEAR BY THE BLACKENED BUNGHOLES OF MOHO I! WILL! STAB! YOU! WITH! A! SPOOOOON!!!"

Edgas smiled. He looked at the clock, it was time. He set his tablet down and looked to a small shelf opposite the window. On it were photographs of his friends, those still here and those who had moved on... and under a glass dome, was a small, gray, sparkly rock. It had taken a long time to track it down, packed away in a safety deposit box in a bank in Gednalna. He'd had to pull some strings. Now he looked at it... and waited...

Outside on the frigid ice sheet, the sun moved out from behind an obstruction, a sunbeam shone through the window and fell on the sparkly rock... and the small room lit up like a galaxy. A billion points of light danced, swirled, played across the walls, each one seeming to shine like a thousand suns, brilliant and beautiful. They swayed, and cavorted, and swirled, each one like a memory of light against which no darkness could stand, no darkness could hide. Edgas thought about his friends, how it was never truly dark here, up on the top of the world, and that had nothing to do with the latitude. Once you had seen that light, you could never be in darkness again. Against that light, darkness seemed a feeble and pitiable thing. The light was stronger. No matter how dark the darkness became, the light was stronger. And it could never be extinguished, not so long as one person was willing to stare into the darkness... and find the light.

Edgas believed, and understood. He watched the specks of light dance around the room, and he, Edgas Kerman, threw his head back and laughed for the joy of it. He laughed loud and heartily, like a person who was, perhaps, just a bit mad. But he knew, now. It was so obvious. He understood... and believed.

Out on the ice, the sun moved back behind something, and the specks faded away. Edgas knew they weren't gone, they would always be there. And they would return just a few minutes later tomorrow. He looked over at the portraits of his friends. He would be waiting.

Beyond the window, a cold wind blew past the outpost, over ice sheets and mountains, and onward towards the light. Edgas Kerman was happy. It was never truly dark here. It was always cold, but he didn't mind, the cold never bothered him anyway.

Edgas Kerman liked the cold.

The End.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/49/49bd7440ec7c07183a676bf3f0182ee20621c20e5c3442d4bb451c76fe3529e9.jpg

I... actually did it....

It's 1:42 in the morning here and I'ma bout done. I have one more little post script to add in the next day or so.

looks like Edgas likes his mush so now pop-up ads are going up about it.

EDIT i just saw that the new sensation is Durpa. sounds like Derpy got a job XD

Edited April 27, 2015 by teepee2345

[billbobjebkirk]

Great job, CatastrophicFailure! I think it's time to reread the whole thing!

[KSK]

*bows down before CatastrophicFailure*

Fantastic story, great writing *and* you managed to reference an entire Metallica track! What's not to like. Seriously though, you did the most important thing - you managed to finish the story and finish it in style. Looking forward to that last postscript once you've managed to get some sleep!

Oh yeah - and I loved being completely and utterly wrong about the Goo. Guess that post gave you a laugh.

[monophonic]

That was... no... wait... there's no word that would not feel like understating it. So I'll just say that was neat.

"I think," Edgas said smiling, feeling very tired, "it's a story for someone else."

You hid in how you yourself feel now, didn't you?

[teepee2345]

The vision of Jool, low in the sky, began to twist and distort, then the planet tore in half.

you made danny proud. hes always been trying to destroy jool