{"data":{"id":12752,"title":"Tales of Kid Crimson: Issue #2","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/12752-Tales-Of-Kid-Crimson-Issue-2","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/12752","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/12752","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Tales of Kid Crimson","images":[{"id":113,"name":"MysterySerial_FI_3Crop.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/zcrgqkm79nm2fr\/source\/MysterySerial_FI_3Crop.jpg","alt":"","size":1246218,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-19T05:28:35+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/113","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/113\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"The cold sea of space. Some people love it. Thrive in it. It weirds me out. They think of it as freedom. To me it\u2019s a prison, worse actually, it\u2019s an executioner standing above you, just waiting for that crack in the hull to take you out.\n\nFor some reason, I always get a little morbid when I\u2019m about to land. The Covalex Shipping Hub was coming up. A voice crackled over my squawkbox.\n\n\u201cReady for ID check.\u201d I sifted through my tags until I found a clean one and sent it. They chewed on it for a couple seconds.\n\n\u201cThanks Mrs. Bally-wa. Wing 2, Hangar Four, Bay 32.\u201d The dispatcher clicked off.\n\nSeveral Shipping Consortiums had banded together to open a bunch of these Hubs as layover points to transfer cargo and for traders and haulers who didn\u2019t want to deal with the hassle and physics of landing on a planet. In short, it\u2019s where I make my bread and butter.\n\n\u201cHey Ethan.\u201d Oh come on. I just got here.\n\nI slowly turned. Raj Benny. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s got a reason to be mad at me.\n\n\u201cHey Raj, here on a scope?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, you know, seeing how things tumble.\u201d\n\nAs far as thugs go, Raj wasn\u2019t too bad. He had a mean streak though. While that\u2019s generally the case with Tevarin, I\u2019ve seen that temper take him places that are unnecessary. Been the cause of some tension between us in the past but clearly not today. That being said, one of these days, we\u2019re probably going to kill each other. But until then, no reason we can\u2019t be civil.\n\n\u201cAnything promising?\u201d I asked as I turned back to the crowd. Raj shrugged and took a sip of HydroFroz.\n\n\u201cNot really.\u201d His pitch black eyes then locked on something and he gave a quick nod. It was an Advocacy Agent. Didn\u2019t recognize her. She wasn\u2019t trying to hide either.\n\n\u201cLater.\u201d Raj broke away and disappeared into the crowd. I did the same.\n\nThe Door was a dive for haulers, shippers, traders to grab a drink and a bite, maybe an hour or two of sleep in the single-occupant file cabinet bunk-bays in the back. It was fun to watch. See when you get a bunch of drifters with cash in one place it\u2019s like a magnet for opportunists, which unfortunately includes people like me.\n\nI got some RealWater and posted up in the corner to get a good view of the room.\n\nThree nursed glasses later and things weren\u2019t looking too good. Then a glass shattered. A couple heads turned, mine included. A hauler lurched to his feet, wasted six ways sideways. Veins in his forehead pulsed like they were trying to break free. It was a game of Trigger gone foul.\n\n\u201cI called you a cheat! You ask me to say it again, I\u2019ll carve it in your face, see if you hear me then.\u201d Security started circling. The other players stayed still, afraid the slightest move or reaction would incite him further.\n\n\u201cTake it outside.\u201d The bartender yelled.\n\n\u201cEat it, dreg. Unless you wanna dance too.\u201d Security snatched the drunk by the arms and dragged him to the entrance. He kicked a couple tables along the way, spilling the drinks. He giggled, enjoying being a disturbance.\n\nThis guy had promise. They poured him outside. He swung up to his feet and vented a steady stream of obscenities for about five minutes straight before he stumbled off.\n\nI followed him as if he wasn\u2019t barely conscious, just in case any other vultures had caught the show. He eventually wandered his way back to the ship bays. He climbed into a beat-up MISC Fiera, slipping twice on the ladder. There was a detachable cargo hold underneath. Its engines slowly started to rev up.\n\nRepeating the ship\u2019s reg number over and over, I jogged back to my bay and took off.\n\nI caught up to him just outside the launch-bay. The Fiera\u2019s main thrusters finally kicked in and the ship slowly accelerated. I kept my distance, again more concerned with any potential competitors than this idiot noticing me.\n\nIt took three hours to clear traffic. I don\u2019t know where he was heading but it was obvious he wanted to keep a low profile. Fine by me. Made my job a hundred times easier. I let him drift for a little while longer. Made sure it was nice and quiet. Then made my move.\n\nI swooped in front of the Fiera\u2019s cockpit, flicking the electroskin as I heated up my main guns. The paint on the body of my ship shifted to the blood splattered design by which I was known.\n\nI could see him in the cockpit, mouth dropped, in total shock. I hailed his comms.\n\n\u201cJudging by the look on your face, I can tell you know who I am.\u201d He was barely able to force out a nod. \u201cOkay, here\u2019s the rule. You run, you die. Can we agree on that point?\u201d\n\nHe nodded again. I quickly gave him a rundown of the rest of my rules. They all pretty much ended the same as the first rule. By the time I told him to release his cargo, he was completely docile. He disengaged the cargo and backed away.\n\nI maneuvered around and the cargo locked into place.\n\n\u201cNow drift.\u201d He blasted the hell out of there. I wasn\u2019t going to do a full-check in case he went for cops but I had to at least peek. It took a little bit for my ship\u2019s system to accept the cargo\u2019s computing protocol and then I\u2019d get access to visuals inside.\n\n\u201cCome on, payday\u2026\u201d\n\nIt popped up on my screen. I had to ramp up the gain to see. I finally saw what was inside\u2026\n\nPeople. Starving. Withered. Some humans, a few Banu, Tevarin, and a couple I didn\u2019t recognize. I saw red. He was a Sentient-Trafficker. Biggest scumsucking parasite bastards in the-\n\nI kicked the thrusters full and swung around. I could barely see the glow of his thrusters in the distance. He wasn\u2019t getting away. Hell with that.\n\nHe was getting closer. I\u2019ll take my time with this one. Cut on him so slow and for so long he won\u2019t remember a life without agony. First I\u2019m gonna-\n\nTwo missiles soared past me toward the trafficker. The first blasted his thruster, the other just behind the cockpit. The antimatter explosion flared up, incinerating the Fiera. My polarizing compensators kicked in. When they receded, the ship was gone. So was whoever did the shooting. There wasn\u2019t a trace of them on the scanners.\n\nSo there I was. Alone with a cargo full of slaves. My blood still boiling.\n\nRaj wasn\u2019t the only one with a temper problem. . . . to be continued","de_DE":"Das kalte Meer des Weltraums. Einige Leute lieben es. In ihm gedeihen. Es macht mich verr\u00fcckt. Sie betrachten es als Freiheit. F\u00fcr mich ist es ein Gef\u00e4ngnis, schlimmer noch, es ist ein Henker, der \u00fcber dir steht und nur darauf wartet, dass der Spalt im Rumpf dich herausholt.\n\nAus irgendeinem Grund werde ich immer ein wenig krankhaft, wenn ich landen will. Der Covalex Shipping Hub stand kurz bevor. Eine Stimme knisterte \u00fcber meine Quarkbox.\n\n\"Bereit f\u00fcr die Ausweiskontrolle.\" Ich habe meine Tags durchsucht, bis ich einen sauberen gefunden und verschickt habe. Sie haben es f\u00fcr ein paar Sekunden angekaut.\n\n\"Danke, Mrs. Bally-wa. Fl\u00fcgel 2, Hangar Vier, Bucht 32.\" Der Dispatcher hat sich angeklickt.\n\nMehrere Schifffahrtskonsortien hatten sich zusammengeschlossen, um einen Haufen dieser Hubs als Zwischenstopps f\u00fcr den Umschlag von Fracht und f\u00fcr H\u00e4ndler und Spediteure zu er\u00f6ffnen, die sich nicht mit dem Aufwand und der Physik der Landung auf einem Planeten befassen wollten. Kurz gesagt, hier mache ich mein Brot und meine Butter.\n\n\"Hey Ethan.\" Oh, komm schon. Ich bin gerade erst angekommen.\n\nIch drehte mich langsam um. Raj Benny. Ich glaube nicht, dass er einen Grund hat, w\u00fctend auf mich zu sein.\n\n\"Hey Raj, bist du in einem Bereich?\"\n\n\"Ja, wei\u00dft du, zu sehen, wie die Dinge sich entwickeln.\"\n\nWas Schl\u00e4ger angeht, war Raj nicht so schlimm. Er hatte jedoch eine gemeine Ader. W\u00e4hrend das bei Tevarin im Allgemeinen der Fall ist, habe ich gesehen, dass das Temperament ihn an Orte f\u00fchrt, die unn\u00f6tig sind. War in der Vergangenheit die Ursache f\u00fcr einige Spannungen zwischen uns, aber heute eindeutig nicht. Allerdings werden wir uns eines Tages wahrscheinlich gegenseitig umbringen. Aber bis dahin gibt es keinen Grund, warum wir nicht h\u00f6flich sein k\u00f6nnen.\n\n\"Irgendwas Versprechendes?\" fragte ich, als ich mich wieder an die Menge wandte. Raj zuckte mit den Achseln und nahm einen Schluck HydroFroz.\n\n\"Nicht wirklich.\" Seine pechschwarzen Augen waren dann an etwas gebunden und er nickte schnell. Es war ein Advocacy-Agent. Ich habe sie nicht erkannt. Sie versuchte auch nicht, sich zu verstecken.\n\n\" Bis sp\u00e4ter.\" Raj brach aus und verschwand in der Menge. Ich habe das Gleiche getan.\n\nDie T\u00fcr war ein Tauchgang f\u00fcr Spediteure, Verlader, H\u00e4ndler, um einen Drink und einen Bissen zu ergattern, vielleicht ein oder zwei Stunden Schlaf in den Einpersonen-Aktenschrank-Etagenb\u00f6den im Hintergrund. Es hat Spa\u00df gemacht, zuzusehen. Sehen Sie, wenn Sie einen Haufen Drifters mit Bargeld an einem Ort bekommen, ist es wie ein Magnet f\u00fcr Opportunisten, was leider Leute wie mich einschlie\u00dft.\n\nIch nahm etwas RealWater und postete in der Ecke, um einen guten Blick auf den Raum zu bekommen.\n\nDrei Pflegegl\u00e4ser sp\u00e4ter und die Dinge sahen nicht gut aus. Dann zerbrach ein Glas. Ein paar K\u00f6pfe gedreht, inklusive meiner. Ein Schlepper taumelte auf die F\u00fc\u00dfe, vergeudete sechs Wege zur Seite. Die Venen auf seiner Stirn pulsierten, als wollten sie sich befreien. Es war ein Spiel von Trigger gone foul.\n\n\"Ich habe dich einen Betr\u00fcger genannt! Du bittest mich, es noch einmal zu sagen, ich werde es dir in dein Gesicht schneiden und sehen, ob du mich dann h\u00f6rst.\" Die Sicherheit begann zu kreisen. Die anderen Spieler blieben still stehen, aus Angst, dass ihn die kleinste Bewegung oder Reaktion weiter anregen w\u00fcrde.\n\n\"Bring es nach drau\u00dfen.\" schrie der Barkeeper.\n\n\" Iss es, Dreg. Es sei denn, du willst auch tanzen.\" Die Security schnappte sich den Betrunkenen an den Armen und schleppte ihn zum Eingang. Er trat ein paar Tische auf dem Weg und versch\u00fcttete die Getr\u00e4nke. Er kicherte und genoss es, eine St\u00f6rung zu sein.\n\nDieser Typ war vielversprechend. Sie sch\u00fctteten ihn drau\u00dfen aus. Er schwang sich auf die F\u00fc\u00dfe und entl\u00fcftete einen stetigen Strom von Obsz\u00f6nit\u00e4ten f\u00fcr etwa f\u00fcnf Minuten am St\u00fcck, bevor er abst\u00fcrzte.\n\nIch folgte ihm, als w\u00e4re er kaum bei Bewusstsein, nur f\u00fcr den Fall, dass andere Geier die Show gesehen hatten. Schlie\u00dflich wanderte er zur\u00fcck zu den Schiffsbuchten. Er kletterte in einen ramponierten MISC Fiera und rutschte zweimal auf der Leiter. Darunter befand sich ein abnehmbarer Laderaum. Seine Motoren begannen langsam zu laufen.\n\nAls ich die Reg.-Nummer des Schiffes immer wieder wiederholte, joggte ich zur\u00fcck zu meiner Bucht und startete.\n\nIch habe ihn direkt vor der Startbahn eingeholt. Die Haupttriebwerke der Fiera traten schlie\u00dflich ein und das Schiff beschleunigte langsam. Ich hielt Abstand, wieder mehr um potenzielle Konkurrenten besorgt als dieser Idiot, der mich bemerkte.\n\nEs dauerte drei Stunden, bis der Verkehr ger\u00e4umt war. Ich wei\u00df nicht, wohin er unterwegs war, aber es war offensichtlich, dass er sich zur\u00fcckhalten wollte. F\u00fcr mich in Ordnung. Das hat mir meine Arbeit hundertmal erleichtert. Ich lie\u00df ihn noch eine Weile treiben. Ich stellte sicher, dass es sch\u00f6n und ruhig war. Dann machte ich meinen Zug.\n\nIch st\u00fcrzte mich vor das Cockpit der Fiera und schnippte die Elektrohaut, als ich meine Hauptpistolen aufheizte. Die Farbe auf dem K\u00f6rper meines Schiffes verlagerte sich zu dem blutbefleckten Design, durch das ich bekannt wurde.\n\nIch konnte ihn im Cockpit sehen, der Mund fiel, unter totalem Schock. Ich begr\u00fc\u00dfte seine Kommunikation.\n\n\"Dem Blick in deinem Gesicht nach zu urteilen, kann ich dir sagen, wer ich bin.\" Er war kaum in der Lage, ein Nicken zu erzwingen. \"Okay, hier ist die Regel. Du l\u00e4ufst weg, du stirbst. K\u00f6nnen wir uns in diesem Punkt einigen?\"\n\nEr nickte wieder. Ich gab ihm schnell einen \u00dcberblick \u00fcber den Rest meiner Regeln. Sie alle endeten ziemlich genau so wie die erste Regel. Als ich ihm sagte, er solle seine Ladung freigeben, war er v\u00f6llig zahm. Er l\u00f6ste die Ladung und wich zur\u00fcck.\n\nIch man\u00f6vrierte herum und die Ladung rastete ein.\n\n\" Jetzt treiben Sie.\" Er ist da verdammt nochmal rausgeflogen. Ich wollte keinen vollst\u00e4ndigen Check machen, falls er sich Bullen sucht, aber ich musste zumindest nachschauen. Es dauerte ein wenig, bis das System meines Schiffes das Computerprotokoll der Ladung akzeptierte, und dann bekam ich Zugang zu den Bildern im Inneren.\n\n\"Komm schon, Zahltag....\"\n\nEs tauchte auf meinem Bildschirm auf. Ich musste die Verst\u00e4rkung erh\u00f6hen, um zu sehen. Ich sah endlich, was drin war.....\n\nMenschen. Ich verhungere. Verwelkt. Einige Menschen, ein paar Banu, Tevarin und ein Paar, die ich nicht erkannte. Ich sah rot. Er war ein Sentient-Trafficker. Die gr\u00f6\u00dften abschaumigsten Parasitenschweine in der Welt.\n\nIch trat die Triebwerke voll und schwang mich herum. Ich konnte kaum das Gl\u00fchen seiner Triebwerke in der Ferne sehen. Er wollte nicht entkommen. Zum Teufel damit.\n\nEr kam n\u00e4her. Ich werde mir damit Zeit lassen. Er wird sich so langsam und so lange nicht an ein Leben ohne Qualen erinnern. Zuerst werde ich--\n\nZwei Raketen flogen an mir vorbei in Richtung des Schleppers. Der erste sprengte sein Triebwerk, der andere direkt hinter dem Cockpit. Die Antimaterieexplosion flammte auf und verbrannte die Fiera. Meine polarisierenden Kompensatoren traten ein. Als sie sich zur\u00fcckzogen, war das Schiff weg. Genau wie derjenige, der die Schie\u00dferei gemacht hat. Es gab keine Spur von ihnen auf den Scannern.\n\nDa war ich also. Allein mit einer Ladung voller Sklaven. Mein Blut kocht noch.\n\nRaj war nicht der Einzige mit einem Stimmungsproblem.\n\n\n. ... wird fortgesetzt","zh_CN":"The cold sea of space. Some people love it. Thrive in it. It weirds me out. They think of it as freedom. To me it\u2019s a prison, worse actually, it\u2019s an executioner standing above you, just waiting for that crack in the hull to take you out.\n\nFor some reason, I always get a little morbid when I\u2019m about to land. The Covalex Shipping Hub was coming up. A voice crackled over my squawkbox.\n\n\u201cReady for ID check.\u201d I sifted through my tags until I found a clean one and sent it. They chewed on it for a couple seconds.\n\n\u201cThanks Mrs. Bally-wa. Wing 2, Hangar Four, Bay 32.\u201d The dispatcher clicked off.\n\nSeveral Shipping Consortiums had banded together to open a bunch of these Hubs as layover points to transfer cargo and for traders and haulers who didn\u2019t want to deal with the hassle and physics of landing on a planet. In short, it\u2019s where I make my bread and butter.\n\n\u201cHey Ethan.\u201d Oh come on. I just got here.\n\nI slowly turned. Raj Benny. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s got a reason to be mad at me.\n\n\u201cHey Raj, here on a scope?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, you know, seeing how things tumble.\u201d\n\nAs far as thugs go, Raj wasn\u2019t too bad. He had a mean streak though. While that\u2019s generally the case with Tevarin, I\u2019ve seen that temper take him places that are unnecessary. Been the cause of some tension between us in the past but clearly not today. That being said, one of these days, we\u2019re probably going to kill each other. But until then, no reason we can\u2019t be civil.\n\n\u201cAnything promising?\u201d I asked as I turned back to the crowd. Raj shrugged and took a sip of HydroFroz.\n\n\u201cNot really.\u201d His pitch black eyes then locked on something and he gave a quick nod. It was an Advocacy Agent. Didn\u2019t recognize her. She wasn\u2019t trying to hide either.\n\n\u201cLater.\u201d Raj broke away and disappeared into the crowd. I did the same.\n\nThe Door was a dive for haulers, shippers, traders to grab a drink and a bite, maybe an hour or two of sleep in the single-occupant file cabinet bunk-bays in the back. It was fun to watch. See when you get a bunch of drifters with cash in one place it\u2019s like a magnet for opportunists, which unfortunately includes people like me.\n\nI got some RealWater and posted up in the corner to get a good view of the room.\n\nThree nursed glasses later and things weren\u2019t looking too good. Then a glass shattered. A couple heads turned, mine included. A hauler lurched to his feet, wasted six ways sideways. Veins in his forehead pulsed like they were trying to break free. It was a game of Trigger gone foul.\n\n\u201cI called you a cheat! You ask me to say it again, I\u2019ll carve it in your face, see if you hear me then.\u201d Security started circling. The other players stayed still, afraid the slightest move or reaction would incite him further.\n\n\u201cTake it outside.\u201d The bartender yelled.\n\n\u201cEat it, dreg. Unless you wanna dance too.\u201d Security snatched the drunk by the arms and dragged him to the entrance. He kicked a couple tables along the way, spilling the drinks. He giggled, enjoying being a disturbance.\n\nThis guy had promise. They poured him outside. He swung up to his feet and vented a steady stream of obscenities for about five minutes straight before he stumbled off.\n\nI followed him as if he wasn\u2019t barely conscious, just in case any other vultures had caught the show. He eventually wandered his way back to the ship bays. He climbed into a beat-up MISC Fiera, slipping twice on the ladder. There was a detachable cargo hold underneath. Its engines slowly started to rev up.\n\nRepeating the ship\u2019s reg number over and over, I jogged back to my bay and took off.\n\nI caught up to him just outside the launch-bay. The Fiera\u2019s main thrusters finally kicked in and the ship slowly accelerated. I kept my distance, again more concerned with any potential competitors than this idiot noticing me.\n\nIt took three hours to clear traffic. I don\u2019t know where he was heading but it was obvious he wanted to keep a low profile. Fine by me. Made my job a hundred times easier. I let him drift for a little while longer. Made sure it was nice and quiet. Then made my move.\n\nI swooped in front of the Fiera\u2019s cockpit, flicking the electroskin as I heated up my main guns. The paint on the body of my ship shifted to the blood splattered design by which I was known.\n\nI could see him in the cockpit, mouth dropped, in total shock. I hailed his comms.\n\n\u201cJudging by the look on your face, I can tell you know who I am.\u201d He was barely able to force out a nod. \u201cOkay, here\u2019s the rule. You run, you die. Can we agree on that point?\u201d\n\nHe nodded again. I quickly gave him a rundown of the rest of my rules. They all pretty much ended the same as the first rule. By the time I told him to release his cargo, he was completely docile. He disengaged the cargo and backed away.\n\nI maneuvered around and the cargo locked into place.\n\n\u201cNow drift.\u201d He blasted the hell out of there. I wasn\u2019t going to do a full-check in case he went for cops but I had to at least peek. It took a little bit for my ship\u2019s system to accept the cargo\u2019s computing protocol and then I\u2019d get access to visuals inside.\n\n\u201cCome on, payday\u2026\u201d\n\nIt popped up on my screen. I had to ramp up the gain to see. I finally saw what was inside\u2026\n\nPeople. Starving. Withered. Some humans, a few Banu, Tevarin, and a couple I didn\u2019t recognize. I saw red. He was a Sentient-Trafficker. Biggest scumsucking parasite bastards in the-\n\nI kicked the thrusters full and swung around. I could barely see the glow of his thrusters in the distance. He wasn\u2019t getting away. Hell with that.\n\nHe was getting closer. I\u2019ll take my time with this one. Cut on him so slow and for so long he won\u2019t remember a life without agony. First I\u2019m gonna-\n\nTwo missiles soared past me toward the trafficker. The first blasted his thruster, the other just behind the cockpit. The antimatter explosion flared up, incinerating the Fiera. My polarizing compensators kicked in. When they receded, the ship was gone. So was whoever did the shooting. There wasn\u2019t a trace of them on the scanners.\n\nSo there I was. Alone with a cargo full of slaves. My blood still boiling.\n\nRaj wasn\u2019t the only one with a temper problem. . . . to be continued"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":47,"created_at":"2012-10-29T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"13 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-08 10:40:10","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":12751,"next_id":12753}}