{"data":{"id":12857,"title":"The Lost Generation: Issue #1","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/12857-The-Lost-Generation-Issue-1","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/12857","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/12857","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"The Lost Generation","images":[{"id":248,"name":"TonyaOrielSerial_FI_1_Crop.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/f2lyrm83u0tc8r\/source\/TonyaOrielSerial_FI_1_Crop.jpg","alt":"","size":680902,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-19T05:26:08+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/248","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/248\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Thunder crashed over the roar of heavy engines. The stench of diesel and scorched earth saturated the atmosphere. The driller\u2019s break was just about over. He savored a last drag on his Stim. He could\u2019ve sworn he just lit the damn thing. As he ground it out on the loose black scree, his body had already started fiending for another one. He ignored it and joined the rest of his shift on the long descent into the site. He passed a fleet of HaulerVats. The massive spherical vehicles floated on a bed of AG as their vacuum tubes collected the shattered lava for processing. Further ahead, there were the Scrapers. Their blades whined like banshees as they sawed into the rock.\n\nReaching his own Scraper, he banged on the window. Eventually, the driver powered down and climbed out. The driller didn\u2019t know this new guy. He wasn\u2019t going to bother trying, not at the rate the Corp burned through employees. The driller climbed in and got to work.\n\nOver the next hour, the driller carved another thirty feet of lava. He could barely hear his music over the screaming blades and chugging engine. There was definitely going to be another trip to the ear doctor in his future. He needed to finish his certification and get out of the pits before his ears went for good.\n\nSuddenly, the wall ahead collapsed. The computer flashed a warning and the driller quickly cut the blades. He must have hit a pocket of what passed for air on this planet, or some other gas. He waited and hoped the tunnel\u2019s ceiling would hold. The drizzle of pebbles eventually stopped. He grabbed his air-sensor and climbed out. Company protocol strictly stipulated that pockets had to be tested for flammable gases before the machine could resume work.\n\nThe driller moved past the Scraper\u2019s blades, still steaming in the cold air, and started scanning in front of the machine. Seemed all clear. Not hazardous, at least. He moved forward, trying to see what could have caused the collapse.\n\nThat\u2019s when he saw it. The sensor clattered to the ground.\n\n\n* * * * *\n\n\nThe junkworld of Spider in Cathcart System was allegedly a neutral zone for pirates, fugitives, and others of ill repute. It was anything but safe at the moment as Tonya Oriel, rogue scientist and explorer, sprinted through the narrow warped halls. This was getting to become a habit.\n\nThe payoff from the Kherium score on Hades was even bigger than she\u2019d hoped. Most of it immediately disappeared in the maw of creditors and loan-sharks that were banging on her proverbial door. Another chunk enabled her to trade up to a sweeter ship but the remainder was going toward a treat: a Tevarin Codex, the original text for their warrior-religion. Only a couple dozen still existed after the Purge of the Second Tevarin War. Various museums and collectors had snatched all of the known volumes up, but somehow this fixer got one. Only after Tonya showed up and paid, did he suddenly realize its value and tripled his price.\n\nSo Tonya grabbed it and ran. A laserblast zipped past her and seared the wall. Tonya glanced back. It was Nagia, the plunderer, loping after her with his bad leg, a gun, and a foul expression.\n\n\u201cYou got nowhere to run, girl!\u201d He screamed and snapped off another shot.\n\n\u201cWe had a deal, Nagia!\u201d She yelled back without slowing down.\n\n\u201cDeals change!\u201d Nagia fired again as punctuation.\n\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make any sense!\u201d Tonya burst past an arriving crew and cut down toward the hangars. They quickly obliged the lunatic with a gun.\n\nNagia feverishly yelled for his crew over his comm. Fortunately, they were far too intoxicated to notice. Nagia puffed away as his feet thundered on the metal floors. His head started to feel light. He hadn\u2019t run like this for some time.\n\nHe wheeled around the corner to the hangar as engines flared to life, blasting him back through the door.\n\nTonya powered up the Beacon II remotely, one of her ship\u2019s new fancy tricks. She raced up the boarding ramp. As she slid into the pilot\u2019s seat, Nagia swung back inside the hangar and fired at the cockpit. The shields barely flashed as they absorbed his shots. It was like throwing pebbles at a Dreadnaught.\n\nNagia ran over to flag down the deck-guards, the ones manning the turrets. Tonya didn\u2019t wait around to see if he got their attention. Nagia watched the flare of her engines disappear into the distance. He was going to get her; he just had to figure out how \u2026\n\nAfter a few moments, he gave up and returned to the bar.\n\nWith Spider firmly in the distance, Tonya set her course. She knew a meal of real food, a glass of wine, and her new Codex were all she needed to forget the unpleasantness of her business with Nagia.\n\nA message popped on her screen.\n\nShe assumed it was a job. The details were written in evasive legalese but there was a payout just to hear the offer. Three days away if she left now.\n\nIt looked like real food was going to have to wait.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nThe Beacon II dropped through the atmosphere into a massive electrical storm. Tonya passed over vast trenches of land excised and chopped up before landing at Shubin Interstellar\u2019s on-site Corporate headquarters.\n\nA pair of security escorted her to a small white room. A tall, gaunt lawyer smiled pleasantly before going over dozens of confidentiality agreements and other legal fine print. She scanned text until her eyes ached. After an hour, she interrupted him.\n\n\u201cCould you at least tell me what the job is?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, miss,\u201d the lawyer said with a yellowed grin. \u201cI am bound not to disclose any pertinent details until you have properly filled out the \u2014\u201c\n\n\u201cFine. Fine. I get it.\u201d She slumped against the table. The lawyer continued. She gave verbal consents, a handful of fingerprints, even signed. Finally, the lawyer seemed satisfied. She peered up at him expectantly. \u201cNo blood? Urine?\u201d\n\nThe lawyer looked at her, puzzled.\n\n\u201cNo miss. I don\u2019t believe that will be necessary.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo what now?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe introductory fee is currently being transferred to your account.\u201d The lawyer stood and led her out. They walked through pristine white halls. He stopped outside another door and placed his thumb against the lock. It slid open, revealing a larger conference room. A thick rectangular window looked out over the dig-site.\n\nTonya stepped inside and looked at the people inside. She recognized most of them; Deke Johnson, Squig Bentley, Arthur Morrow, these were other explorers in the loosest sense of the word. They were graverobbers, plunderers, drunks, and junkies who dabbled in history. If these were Tonya\u2019s competition, she was mildly offended to be on a list with these degenerates.\n\n\u201cWell, well, well,\u201d a voice said behind her. Tonya froze, recognizing it instantly. \u201cFancy seeing you here.\u201d\n\nTonya turned around. Senzen Turov flashed that megawatt smile of his.\n\n\u201cGood to see you, Tonya.\u201d He stepped in for a hug. Tonya stopped him with a hand to his chest and pushed him back. He feigned offense. \u201cWhat gives?\u201d\n\n\u201cI just showered.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, Tonya. You aren\u2019t still sore about \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAbout you robbing me blind?\u201d Tonya looked out the window. \u201cI think I\u2019m over it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI hope so, you stole my ship and sold it to pirates.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith those Xi\u2019An relics, you could buy two more.\u201d\n\n\u201cThree actually.\u201d Senzen stretched and leaned against the wall beside her. He scanned the room, visibly bored. \u201cAny idea what this is all about?\u201d\n\n\u201cNope.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe we should team-up. Like the old days?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d rather run with Squig.\u201d Tonya said. At that perfect moment, Squig belched and farted at the same time. He seemed quite pleased with himself.\n\n\u201cYeah, well, the Tonya I knew needed a man who was her equal, someone to challenge her.\u201d Senzen leaned a little closer. Tonya looked at him. Their eyes locked.\n\n\u201cIs that what you think you are?\u201d\n\n\u201cA man?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy equal.\u201d\n\nThe door slid open. Gavin Arlington, CEO of Shubin, strode into the room. He almost didn\u2019t look real. Every hair, wrinkle, and crease in his suit seemed as if it had a purpose, as if he demanded the same efficiency from his body that he did from his workers. An army of stoic assistants and the site foreman flanked him. His emerald eyes quickly assessed the riff-raff in the room.\n\n\u201cCome with me.\u201d\n\nArlington led them outside. All of the mining operations within earshot had been shut down. There was only the howling wind, the now-distant thunder, and the crunch of gravel under their feet as they moved towards the pits.\n\nForty-five minutes of silent march passed. Senzen glanced at Tonya, genuinely baffled. She shrugged and shook her head. This was really bizarre. They were approaching a new cutting, shrouded in darkness as the sun set ahead of them. Arlington stopped at the edge of the shadow, beside one of the Scrapers. Deke Johnson stumbled and nearly fell. Arlington turned back to the group.\n\n\u201cNo doubt you\u2019re wondering why I called you here.\u201d Arlington said with a dismissive glance toward Deke. He then nodded to the foreman.\n\nThe newly cut gash flared up with light. It took everyone a second to adjust. Tonya squinted and focussed on a bright irregularity in the middle of the black mass ahead. Embedded in the wall of lava there was a smooth metallic facing, but this wasn\u2019t ore or a mineral vein. It was molded, constructed plate. Tonya\u2019s first instinct was that it was wreckage of some kind. That wasn\u2019t the startling thing \u2026\n\nThere was one faded word stenciled across its surface.\n\nArtemis.\n\n. . . to be continued","de_DE":"Der Donner prallte \u00fcber das Gebr\u00fcll schwerer Motoren. Der Gestank von Diesel und verbrannter Erde durchdrang die Atmosph\u00e4re. Die Pause des Bohrers war fast vorbei. Er genoss einen letzten Zug auf seinem Stim. Er h\u00e4tte schw\u00f6ren k\u00f6nnen, dass er das verdammte Ding gerade angez\u00fcndet hat. Als er es auf dem losen schwarzen Ger\u00f6ll ausgrub, hatte sein K\u00f6rper bereits begonnen, sich um einen anderen zu k\u00fcmmern. Er ignorierte es und schloss sich dem Rest seiner Schicht auf dem langen Abstieg in den Ort an. Er passierte eine Flotte von HaulerVats. Die massiven kugelf\u00f6rmigen Fahrzeuge schwebten auf einem Bett der AG, als ihre Vakuumr\u00f6hren die zerbrochene Lava zur Verarbeitung aufnahmen. Weiter vorne waren die Abstreifer. Ihre Klingen jammerten wie Banshees, als sie in den Felsen s\u00e4gen.\n\nAls er seinen eigenen Schaber erreichte, schlug er gegen das Fenster. Schlie\u00dflich fuhr der Fahrer herunter und kletterte hinaus. Der Bohrer kannte diesen neuen Kerl nicht. Er w\u00fcrde sich nicht die M\u00fche machen, es zu versuchen, nicht mit der Geschwindigkeit, mit der das Unternehmen seine Mitarbeiter durchbrannte. Der Bohrer stieg ein und machte sich an die Arbeit.\n\nIn der n\u00e4chsten Stunde schnitzte der Bohrer weitere 30 Fu\u00df Lava. Er konnte seine Musik kaum \u00fcber die schreienden Klingen und den tuckelnden Motor h\u00f6ren. Es w\u00fcrde definitiv eine weitere Reise zum Ohrenarzt in seiner Zukunft geben. Er musste seine Zertifizierung abschlie\u00dfen und aus der Box steigen, bevor seine Ohren f\u00fcr immer verloren gingen.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich brach die Wand vor uns zusammen. Der Computer blinkte eine Warnung und der Bohrer schnitt die Messer schnell ab. Er muss eine Tasche mit dem getroffen haben, was auf diesem Planeten f\u00fcr Luft oder ein anderes Gas durchging. Er wartete und hoffte, dass die Decke des Tunnels halten w\u00fcrde. Der Nieselregen von Kieselsteinen h\u00f6rte schlie\u00dflich auf. Er packte seinen Luftsensor und kletterte hinaus. Das Unternehmensprotokoll sah streng vor, dass die Taschen auf brennbare Gase gepr\u00fcft werden mussten, bevor die Maschine ihre Arbeit wieder aufnehmen konnte.\n\nDer Bohrer fuhr an den Schaufeln des Schabers vorbei, dampfte immer noch in der kalten Luft und begann vor der Maschine zu scannen. Schien alles klar zu sein. Zumindest nicht gef\u00e4hrlich. Er ging vorw\u00e4rts und versuchte zu sehen, was den Zusammenbruch verursacht haben k\u00f6nnte.\n\nDa sah er es. Der Sensor rasselte zu Boden.\n\n\n* * * * *\n\n\nDie Junkwelt von Spider im Cathcart System war angeblich eine neutrale Zone f\u00fcr Piraten, Fl\u00fcchtlinge und andere von schlechtem Ruf. Es war im Moment alles andere als sicher, als Tonya Oriel, ein abtr\u00fcnniger Wissenschaftler und Entdecker, durch die engen, verzerrten Hallen sprintete. Das wurde langsam zur Gewohnheit.\n\nDer Gewinn aus dem Kherium-Score im Hades war noch gr\u00f6\u00dfer, als sie gehofft hatte. Das meiste davon verschwand sofort im Maul der Gl\u00e4ubiger und Kredithaie, die an ihre sprichw\u00f6rtliche T\u00fcr klopften. Ein weiterer Brocken erm\u00f6glichte es ihr, gegen ein s\u00fc\u00dferes Schiff einzutauschen, aber der Rest ging in Richtung eines Leckerbissen: ein Tevarin-Kodex, der Originaltext f\u00fcr ihre Kriegerreligion. Nur noch ein paar Dutzend existierten nach der S\u00e4uberung des Zweiten Tevarin-Krieges. Verschiedene Museen und Sammler hatten alle bekannten B\u00e4nde zusammengetragen, aber irgendwie bekam dieser Fixer einen. Erst nachdem Tonya aufgetaucht und bezahlt war, erkannte er pl\u00f6tzlich den Wert und verdreifachte seinen Preis.\n\nAlso packte Tonya es und rannte. Ein Laserstrahl schoss an ihr vorbei und brannte die Mauer an. Tonya blickte zur\u00fcck. Es war Nagia, der Pl\u00fcnderer, der mit seinem schlechten Bein, einer Waffe und einem \u00fcblen Gesichtsausdruck hinter ihr her war.\n\n\"Du kannst nirgendwo hin, M\u00e4dchen!\" Er schrie und schoss einen weiteren Schuss ab.\n\n\"Wir hatten eine Abmachung, Nagia!\" Sie schrie zur\u00fcck, ohne langsamer zu werden.\n\n\"Deals \u00e4ndern sich!\" Nagia feuerte erneut als Interpunktion.\n\n\"Das ergibt keinen Sinn!\" Tonya brach an einer ankommenden Besatzung vorbei und schnitt zu den Hangars hinunter. Sie zwangen den Verr\u00fcckten schnell mit einer Waffe.\n\nNagia schrie fieberhaft nach seiner Crew \u00fcber seine Kommunikation. Gl\u00fccklicherweise waren sie viel zu berauscht, um es zu bemerken. Nagia schnaubte weg, als seine F\u00fc\u00dfe auf den Metallb\u00f6den donnerten. Sein Kopf begann sich leicht zu f\u00fchlen. Er war schon lange nicht mehr so gelaufen.\n\nEr fuhr um die Ecke zum Hangar, als die Motoren zum Leben erwachten und ihn zur\u00fcck durch die T\u00fcr schossen.\n\nTonya hat die Beacon II ferngesteuert eingeschaltet, einer der neuen ausgefallenen Tricks ihres Schiffes. Sie raste die Einstiegsrampe hinauf. Als sie auf den Pilotenplatz rutschte, schwang Nagia zur\u00fcck in den Hangar und feuerte auf das Cockpit. Die Schilde blinkten kaum, als sie seine Sch\u00fcsse absorbierten. Es war, als w\u00fcrde man Kieselsteine auf einen Dreadnaught werfen.\n\nNagia rannte hin\u00fcber, um die Decksw\u00e4chter zu markieren, die die T\u00fcrme bemannten. Tonya wartete nicht lange, um zu sehen, ob er ihre Aufmerksamkeit erregte. Nagia beobachtete, wie das Aufflackern ihrer Motoren in der Ferne verschwand. Er wollte sie holen; er musste nur herausfinden, wie....\n\nNach ein paar Augenblicken gab er auf und kehrte in die Bar zur\u00fcck.\n\nMit Spider fest in der Ferne, setzte Tonya ihren Kurs. Sie kannte eine Mahlzeit mit echtem Essen, ein Glas Wein, und ihr neuer Kodex war alles, was sie brauchte, um die Unannehmlichkeiten ihres Gesch\u00e4fts mit Nagia zu vergessen.\n\nEine Nachricht erschien auf ihrem Bildschirm.\n\nSie nahm an, dass es ein Job war. Die Details wurden in ausweichendem Juristendeutsch geschrieben, aber es gab eine Auszahlung, nur um das Angebot zu h\u00f6ren. Drei Tage weg, wenn sie jetzt geht.\n\nEs sah aus, als m\u00fcsste echtes Essen warten.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nDas Leuchtfeuer II fiel durch die Atmosph\u00e4re in einen heftigen Gewittersturm. Tonya passierte riesige Landgraben, die entfernt und zerst\u00fcckelt wurden, bevor er in der Unternehmenszentrale von Shubin Interstellar landete.\n\nEin paar Sicherheitsleute begleiteten sie in einen kleinen wei\u00dfen Raum. Ein gro\u00dfer, hagerer Anwalt l\u00e4chelte angenehm, bevor er \u00fcber Dutzende von Vertraulichkeitsvereinbarungen und andere rechtliche Kleingedruckte ging. Sie scannte den Text, bis ihre Augen schmerzten. Nach einer Stunde unterbrach sie ihn.\n\n\"K\u00f6nntest du mir wenigstens sagen, was der Job ist?\"\n\n\"Es tut mir leid, Miss\", sagte der Anwalt mit einem vergilbten Grinsen. \"Ich bin verpflichtet, keine relevanten Details offenzulegen, bis Sie das -\"\n\n\"Gut. Gut. Ich verstehe schon.\" Sie st\u00fcrzte gegen den Tisch. Der Anwalt fuhr fort. Sie gab m\u00fcndliche Zustimmungen, eine Handvoll Fingerabdr\u00fccke, sogar unterschrieben. Schlie\u00dflich schien der Anwalt zufrieden zu sein. Sie sah ihn erwartungsvoll an. \"Kein Blut? Urin?\"\n\nDer Anwalt sah sie verwirrt an.\n\n\"Nicht verfehlen. Ich glaube nicht, dass das notwendig sein wird.\"\n\n\"Und was jetzt?\"\n\n\"Die Einf\u00fchrungsgeb\u00fchr wird derzeit auf Ihr Konto \u00fcberwiesen.\" Der Anwalt stand auf und f\u00fchrte sie hinaus. Sie gingen durch unber\u00fchrte wei\u00dfe Hallen. Er blieb vor einer anderen T\u00fcr stehen und legte seinen Daumen gegen das Schloss. Sie rutschte auf und enth\u00fcllte einen gr\u00f6\u00dferen Konferenzraum. Ein dickes rechteckiges Fenster blickte \u00fcber die Baustelle hinaus.\n\nTonya trat ein und sah die Menschen darin an. Sie erkannte die meisten von ihnen; Deke Johnson, Squig Bentley, Arthur Morrow, das waren andere Entdecker im weitesten Sinne des Wortes. Es waren Grabr\u00e4uber, Pl\u00fcnderer, Betrunkene und Junkies, die sich in der Geschichte besch\u00e4ftigten. Wenn dies Tonyas Konkurrenz war, war sie leicht beleidigt, auf einer Liste mit diesen Degenerierten zu stehen.\n\n\"Nun, nun, nun, nun, nun\", sagte eine Stimme hinter ihr. Tonya erstarrte und erkannte es sofort. \"Sch\u00f6n, dich hier zu sehen.\"\n\nTonya drehte sich um. Senzen Turov zeigte sein Megawatt-L\u00e4cheln.\n\n\"Sch\u00f6n, dich zu sehen, Tonya.\" Er trat f\u00fcr eine Umarmung ein. Tonya hielt ihn mit der Hand an der Brust an und schob ihn zur\u00fcck. Er hat eine Straftat vorget\u00e4uscht. \"Was ist los?\"\n\n\"Ich habe gerade geduscht.\"\n\n\"Komm schon, Tonya. Du bist nicht mehr sauer wegen....\"\n\n\"Dass du mich blind \u00fcberfallen hast?\" Tonya schaute aus dem Fenster. \"Ich glaube, ich bin dr\u00fcber weg.\"\n\n\"Ich hoffe es, du hast mein Schiff gestohlen und es an Piraten verkauft.\"\n\n\"Mit diesen Xi'An-Relikten k\u00f6nnte man zwei weitere kaufen.\"\n\n\"Eigentlich drei.\" Senzen streckte sich und lehnte sich an die Wand neben ihr. Er durchsuchte den Raum, sichtlich gelangweilt. \"Irgendeine Idee, worum es hier geht?\"\n\n\" Nein.\"\n\n\"Vielleicht sollten wir uns zusammenschlie\u00dfen. Wie in den alten Zeiten?\"\n\n\"Ich w\u00fcrde lieber mit Squig laufen.\" Sagte Tonya. In diesem perfekten Moment r\u00fclpste und furzte Squig gleichzeitig. Er schien sehr zufrieden mit sich selbst zu sein.\n\n\"Ja, nun, der Tonya, den ich kannte, brauchte einen Mann, der ihr ebenb\u00fcrtig war, jemanden, der sie herausforderte.\" Senzen lehnte sich ein wenig n\u00e4her heran. Tonya sah ihn an. Ihre Augen waren verschlossen.\n\n\"Ist es das, was du denkst, was du bist?\"\n\n\" Ein Mann?\"\n\n\"Mein Ebenb\u00fcrtiger.\"\n\nDie T\u00fcr schob sich auf. Gavin Arlington, CEO von Shubin, betrat den Raum. Er sah fast nicht echt aus. Jedes Haar, jede Falte und jede Falte in seinem Anzug schien einen Zweck zu haben, als ob er von seinem K\u00f6rper die gleiche Effizienz verlangte wie von seinen Arbeitern. Eine Armee von stoischen Assistenten und der Polier flankierten ihn. Seine smaragdgr\u00fcnen Augen beurteilten schnell das Gesindel im Raum.\n\n\"Komm mit mir.\"\n\nArlington f\u00fchrte sie nach drau\u00dfen. Alle Bergbauaktivit\u00e4ten in H\u00f6rweite wurden eingestellt. Es gab nur den heulenden Wind, den nun entfernten Donner und das Knirschen von Kies unter ihren F\u00fc\u00dfen, als sie sich auf die Gruben zubewegten.\n\nF\u00fcnfundvierzig Minuten Schweigemarsch vergingen. Senzen blickte Tonya an, wirklich verbl\u00fcfft. Sie zuckte mit den Achseln und sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf. Das war wirklich bizarr. Sie n\u00e4herten sich einem neuen Schnitt, der von Dunkelheit umh\u00fcllt war, als die Sonne vor ihnen unterging. Arlington blieb am Rande des Schattens stehen, neben einem der Schaber. Deke Johnson stolperte und fiel fast. Arlington wandte sich wieder der Gruppe zu.\n\n\"Zweifellos fragst du dich, warum ich dich hierher gerufen habe.\" sagte Arlington mit einem abweisenden Blick auf Deke. Dann nickte er dem Polier zu.\n\nDie neu geschnittene Wunde flackerte mit Licht auf. Es dauerte eine Sekunde, bis sich alle angepasst hatten. Tonya blinzelte und konzentrierte sich auf eine helle Unregelm\u00e4\u00dfigkeit in der Mitte der schwarzen Masse vor ihm. Eingebettet in die Lavawand befand sich eine glatte metallische Oberfl\u00e4che, aber das war kein Erz oder eine Mineralader. Es war eine geformte, konstruierte Platte. Tonyas erster Instinkt war, dass es sich um eine Art Wrack handelt. Das war nicht das Aufregende daran....\n\nEs gab ein verblasstes Wort, das \u00fcber seine Oberfl\u00e4che geschabt war.\n\nArtemis.\n\n\n\n\n. ... wird fortgesetzt","zh_CN":"Thunder crashed over the roar of heavy engines. The stench of diesel and scorched earth saturated the atmosphere. The driller\u2019s break was just about over. He savored a last drag on his Stim. He could\u2019ve sworn he just lit the damn thing. As he ground it out on the loose black scree, his body had already started fiending for another one. He ignored it and joined the rest of his shift on the long descent into the site. He passed a fleet of HaulerVats. The massive spherical vehicles floated on a bed of AG as their vacuum tubes collected the shattered lava for processing. Further ahead, there were the Scrapers. Their blades whined like banshees as they sawed into the rock.\n\nReaching his own Scraper, he banged on the window. Eventually, the driver powered down and climbed out. The driller didn\u2019t know this new guy. He wasn\u2019t going to bother trying, not at the rate the Corp burned through employees. The driller climbed in and got to work.\n\nOver the next hour, the driller carved another thirty feet of lava. He could barely hear his music over the screaming blades and chugging engine. There was definitely going to be another trip to the ear doctor in his future. He needed to finish his certification and get out of the pits before his ears went for good.\n\nSuddenly, the wall ahead collapsed. The computer flashed a warning and the driller quickly cut the blades. He must have hit a pocket of what passed for air on this planet, or some other gas. He waited and hoped the tunnel\u2019s ceiling would hold. The drizzle of pebbles eventually stopped. He grabbed his air-sensor and climbed out. Company protocol strictly stipulated that pockets had to be tested for flammable gases before the machine could resume work.\n\nThe driller moved past the Scraper\u2019s blades, still steaming in the cold air, and started scanning in front of the machine. Seemed all clear. Not hazardous, at least. He moved forward, trying to see what could have caused the collapse.\n\nThat\u2019s when he saw it. The sensor clattered to the ground.\n\n\n* * * * *\n\n\nThe junkworld of Spider in Cathcart System was allegedly a neutral zone for pirates, fugitives, and others of ill repute. It was anything but safe at the moment as Tonya Oriel, rogue scientist and explorer, sprinted through the narrow warped halls. This was getting to become a habit.\n\nThe payoff from the Kherium score on Hades was even bigger than she\u2019d hoped. Most of it immediately disappeared in the maw of creditors and loan-sharks that were banging on her proverbial door. Another chunk enabled her to trade up to a sweeter ship but the remainder was going toward a treat: a Tevarin Codex, the original text for their warrior-religion. Only a couple dozen still existed after the Purge of the Second Tevarin War. Various museums and collectors had snatched all of the known volumes up, but somehow this fixer got one. Only after Tonya showed up and paid, did he suddenly realize its value and tripled his price.\n\nSo Tonya grabbed it and ran. A laserblast zipped past her and seared the wall. Tonya glanced back. It was Nagia, the plunderer, loping after her with his bad leg, a gun, and a foul expression.\n\n\u201cYou got nowhere to run, girl!\u201d He screamed and snapped off another shot.\n\n\u201cWe had a deal, Nagia!\u201d She yelled back without slowing down.\n\n\u201cDeals change!\u201d Nagia fired again as punctuation.\n\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make any sense!\u201d Tonya burst past an arriving crew and cut down toward the hangars. They quickly obliged the lunatic with a gun.\n\nNagia feverishly yelled for his crew over his comm. Fortunately, they were far too intoxicated to notice. Nagia puffed away as his feet thundered on the metal floors. His head started to feel light. He hadn\u2019t run like this for some time.\n\nHe wheeled around the corner to the hangar as engines flared to life, blasting him back through the door.\n\nTonya powered up the Beacon II remotely, one of her ship\u2019s new fancy tricks. She raced up the boarding ramp. As she slid into the pilot\u2019s seat, Nagia swung back inside the hangar and fired at the cockpit. The shields barely flashed as they absorbed his shots. It was like throwing pebbles at a Dreadnaught.\n\nNagia ran over to flag down the deck-guards, the ones manning the turrets. Tonya didn\u2019t wait around to see if he got their attention. Nagia watched the flare of her engines disappear into the distance. He was going to get her; he just had to figure out how \u2026\n\nAfter a few moments, he gave up and returned to the bar.\n\nWith Spider firmly in the distance, Tonya set her course. She knew a meal of real food, a glass of wine, and her new Codex were all she needed to forget the unpleasantness of her business with Nagia.\n\nA message popped on her screen.\n\nShe assumed it was a job. The details were written in evasive legalese but there was a payout just to hear the offer. Three days away if she left now.\n\nIt looked like real food was going to have to wait.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nThe Beacon II dropped through the atmosphere into a massive electrical storm. Tonya passed over vast trenches of land excised and chopped up before landing at Shubin Interstellar\u2019s on-site Corporate headquarters.\n\nA pair of security escorted her to a small white room. A tall, gaunt lawyer smiled pleasantly before going over dozens of confidentiality agreements and other legal fine print. She scanned text until her eyes ached. After an hour, she interrupted him.\n\n\u201cCould you at least tell me what the job is?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, miss,\u201d the lawyer said with a yellowed grin. \u201cI am bound not to disclose any pertinent details until you have properly filled out the \u2014\u201c\n\n\u201cFine. Fine. I get it.\u201d She slumped against the table. The lawyer continued. She gave verbal consents, a handful of fingerprints, even signed. Finally, the lawyer seemed satisfied. She peered up at him expectantly. \u201cNo blood? Urine?\u201d\n\nThe lawyer looked at her, puzzled.\n\n\u201cNo miss. I don\u2019t believe that will be necessary.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo what now?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe introductory fee is currently being transferred to your account.\u201d The lawyer stood and led her out. They walked through pristine white halls. He stopped outside another door and placed his thumb against the lock. It slid open, revealing a larger conference room. A thick rectangular window looked out over the dig-site.\n\nTonya stepped inside and looked at the people inside. She recognized most of them; Deke Johnson, Squig Bentley, Arthur Morrow, these were other explorers in the loosest sense of the word. They were graverobbers, plunderers, drunks, and junkies who dabbled in history. If these were Tonya\u2019s competition, she was mildly offended to be on a list with these degenerates.\n\n\u201cWell, well, well,\u201d a voice said behind her. Tonya froze, recognizing it instantly. \u201cFancy seeing you here.\u201d\n\nTonya turned around. Senzen Turov flashed that megawatt smile of his.\n\n\u201cGood to see you, Tonya.\u201d He stepped in for a hug. Tonya stopped him with a hand to his chest and pushed him back. He feigned offense. \u201cWhat gives?\u201d\n\n\u201cI just showered.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, Tonya. You aren\u2019t still sore about \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAbout you robbing me blind?\u201d Tonya looked out the window. \u201cI think I\u2019m over it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI hope so, you stole my ship and sold it to pirates.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith those Xi\u2019An relics, you could buy two more.\u201d\n\n\u201cThree actually.\u201d Senzen stretched and leaned against the wall beside her. He scanned the room, visibly bored. \u201cAny idea what this is all about?\u201d\n\n\u201cNope.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe we should team-up. Like the old days?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d rather run with Squig.\u201d Tonya said. At that perfect moment, Squig belched and farted at the same time. He seemed quite pleased with himself.\n\n\u201cYeah, well, the Tonya I knew needed a man who was her equal, someone to challenge her.\u201d Senzen leaned a little closer. Tonya looked at him. Their eyes locked.\n\n\u201cIs that what you think you are?\u201d\n\n\u201cA man?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy equal.\u201d\n\nThe door slid open. Gavin Arlington, CEO of Shubin, strode into the room. He almost didn\u2019t look real. Every hair, wrinkle, and crease in his suit seemed as if it had a purpose, as if he demanded the same efficiency from his body that he did from his workers. An army of stoic assistants and the site foreman flanked him. His emerald eyes quickly assessed the riff-raff in the room.\n\n\u201cCome with me.\u201d\n\nArlington led them outside. All of the mining operations within earshot had been shut down. There was only the howling wind, the now-distant thunder, and the crunch of gravel under their feet as they moved towards the pits.\n\nForty-five minutes of silent march passed. Senzen glanced at Tonya, genuinely baffled. She shrugged and shook her head. This was really bizarre. They were approaching a new cutting, shrouded in darkness as the sun set ahead of them. Arlington stopped at the edge of the shadow, beside one of the Scrapers. Deke Johnson stumbled and nearly fell. Arlington turned back to the group.\n\n\u201cNo doubt you\u2019re wondering why I called you here.\u201d Arlington said with a dismissive glance toward Deke. He then nodded to the foreman.\n\nThe newly cut gash flared up with light. It took everyone a second to adjust. Tonya squinted and focussed on a bright irregularity in the middle of the black mass ahead. Embedded in the wall of lava there was a smooth metallic facing, but this wasn\u2019t ore or a mineral vein. It was molded, constructed plate. Tonya\u2019s first instinct was that it was wreckage of some kind. That wasn\u2019t the startling thing \u2026\n\nThere was one faded word stenciled across its surface.\n\nArtemis.\n\n. . . to be continued"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":81,"created_at":"2013-01-17T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"13 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-04-29 17:13:51","valid_relations":["images","links","translations"],"prev_id":12856,"next_id":12858}}