Kernelle

I swam for some time in my own subconscious. I thought about my life. I wondered if this sensation was how things ended, how it felt to die. Regret suffocated me. While despair had its plans for me, though, fate in that moment was much more kind. A warmth surrounded me and registered a soft glow coming from above.   "Jerrod? Jerrod! Wake up!"  

The Burning Wreckage of The Return

I sat up slowly and let his eyes refocus. A small blue blur hovered over him. The blur spoke as it sharpened into a familiar image.   "You're alive! I can't believe you're alive!" Blizz floated down and gave me a hug.   I looked around during the embrace. Heat emanated from nearby flames. When Blizz let go, she began tearing up. "Everyone on the ship, they're, they're..."   I was back the bridge. But that couldn’t be right, could it? I strained to remember what happened. "Did you see that thing?" Blizz sniffled. "What?"   "It was huge, all over the place.” How much should I really say? “You were there.”   "No. We’ve been here the whole time,” she said. “You hit your head hard. I was so scared you wouldn't wake up."   I struggled to my feet.   "We need to see if anyone's still alive," I said.   "Jerrod, don't push yourself."   "I'm fine. Come on, let's find a way out."   As the flames died down, I wandered the halls of the ship. Corpse after corpse was strewn about. Most were familiar faces. I tried to maintain my composure, but each one stung just a little bit more. Eventually, I turned the corner to the navigation room.   "Israel, are you there?"   He was slumped on the floor by the star map, broken, surrounded by scattered pages. I knelt down and checked his pulse.   "He's alive. He's not going to stay that way for long, though.”   Israel opened his eyes and started coughing. My eyes locked on him.   “...I...heard that....”   “Israel! Hey, hey, we’ll get you some help,” I stammered. “...this...all my fault...my job to navigate...”   “Don’t say that. You couldn’t have known,” I said.   Jerrod was not about to let a dying man blame himself for his own inaction, let alone the man who brought him in and tried to give him a new life after he left home.   I turned to Blizz, feeling desparate for information.   “Where are we? What planet is this? Is there anywhere we can take him?   "...I...don't know."   “Any buildings nearby?"   She began to tear up again.   "...this place isn't on any star logs. Nothing! I don't even know how far we are from home!"   I found myself getting annoyed. "Do you pick up any life forms outside the ship? Anything at all?"   "I can't do this! I can't! I want to go home!" She cried.   "Fine, then shut up! Sheesh, I need to focus."   Blizz whimpered. I winced, then tried that again.   "It'll be okay Blizz. I'll watch out for you."   "But..."   I feigned a smile. "And you said you were going to keep an eye on me too, remember?"   She sniffled. "Yeah, I remember."   "Atta girl. Alright, do you pick up any life on your far-field sensors?"   "No, nothing."   Israel rasped. “Such a beautiful girl. Is this what she looked like, Jerrod?”   “Save your strength for now, Israel. We’ll talk more once you’re taken care of.”   Blizz’s eyes kept searching as though she was looking past the walls of the ship. "Hold on, I'm picking up something by the airlock. But it's not organic."   "A structure of some kind? Something we could take cover in?"   "No, it's too small for that. And it’s moving."   Crap, he's going to bleed out, I thought.   I took the navigator in my arms and motioned to Blizz that we were going to look.   As we approached the airlock, we noticed a series of loud noises coming from outside.   clack…CLACK…CLACK!   I paused. Is it attacking the ship?   Still carrying Israel in my arms, I poked my head out of the exit...    

The Village of Kernelle

 

As I walked through the village, I passed dozens of other robots. One appeared to be forming clay pots and sticking them in the mouth of a large, scaly creature to cure. Another was feeding wood to a furry monster that looked vaguely mammalian, but whose serrated teeth rotated like a chainsaw. On the other side of the saw-toothed creature was a pile of neatly cut wooden blocks, ready for construction work. Other robots were running about, playing like children.

 

I tried to keep pace with Ephraim, passing a robot that looked like it was feeding the lamp posts. I glanced up and noticed little blob-like creatures sitting atop the wooden poles, with bits of glowing debris floating around them. Then I looked over at Blizz, who was zipping back and forth between the robots with interest, head simultaneously filled with understanding and questions. She wasn't the only one.

 

As Ephraim led us on, Blizz and I began to draw stares from the villagers. Ephraim stopped at the center of the main square, by a large church building. There was a sign:

    Ephraim walked inside the chapel.   "Chief, have you seen Eli around? We're going to need his skills."   The chapel was mostly empty aside from a few robots in green robes carrying books between rooms. An old, rusted up robot sat at a small desk towards the front of the chapel. He rolled up the scroll he was writing in, then tucked it away with the dozen or so others sitting in the corner.     "Ephraim! My boy, I began to wonder where you'd gone!"   "I'm fine, but my these hominids here need a hand."   Ephraim took me by the back unexpectedly and shoved me forward. Israel coughed up blood from the sudden motion.   “Chief, this is Jerrod. Jerrod, meet Adam. He’s the Village Chief.”   The chief looked puzzled. “What a curious sight...”   “Now chief, I know what you’re going to say. ‘Hominids are an affront to the Creator. They’re acts of heresy that fly in the face of—’"   The chief turned to look us. The lenses on his optical sockets narrowed a moment, then expanded. “This one needs a mechanic right away,” the chief said.   “But I promise, I didn’t make them, I just want to—what?”   “Well, they need help, right? What are you doing standing around here for?”   “Oh.” Ephraim blinked. “Well, in that case I’ll just go take him to my brother, then. If he’s not here he’s probably with the engineers.”   “Hurry,” the chief said, gesturing to Israel, “I’m not sure this one will last much longer.” He continued. “If it’s alright, I’d like to speak with Jerrod a moment, though.” He turned to Jerrod. “Would you mind leaving your friend in Ephraim and Eli’s hands for the time being?”   I eyed him. On the one hand, I thought, I know nothing about these robots. What if they just want to dissect us? But on the other hand, there's not a lot I can do about it even if that was the case.   "I know you don't have a reason to trust us. But I just need a moment to talk. I give you my word as a man of God, your friend is in caring hands."   That doesn't mean much to me, I thought, but if that's true, then this seems like the kind of people Israel would trust. And without help now, he'll die for certain. “...Alright." I turned to Ephraim. "Please hurry.”   Ephraim took Israel into his arms and rushed off.   Throwing his stole over his shoulder, the village chief sat on the front pew and patted the spot next to him. As Jerrod walked over to join him, Blizz phased in where he gestured, catching them both off guard.   “So, are you like a robot priest or something? Do robots have priests? Is that why you’re living in a church? Ooh, is that why you have long robes?” She said.   The chief chuckled. “Spirited, this one!”   I sat down next to Blizz. “Yeah, that would be my handiwork.”   “Neither robot, nor creature. Truly curious! So then, Jerrod, I suppose you’re the one behind the explosion from last night?”   I flinched.   "We...crashed. Our ship fell off course and here we are...wherever we are.”   I tried to shift the topic...  

Dialogue Tree

(In games, it’s extremely common to have conversations where the player can choose from a number of optional topics. It’s often used as a way of letting the player decide whether they want to dig deeper into the world or jump straight into the next major plot point. As such, you can often get away with much more exposition than in a book or movie. The drawback is that the story must still make sense if the player chooses to skip optional dialogue.)

   

Moving On

“Is Israel going to be okay?” I asked.   “Eli is one of our best engineers,” the chief said. “Your friend’s in capable hands.”   “Well, I guess we owe you and Ephraim our thanks.”