{"data":{"id":12906,"title":"The Lost Generation: Issue #7","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/12906-The-Lost-Generation-Issue-7","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/12906","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/12906","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":"If the gravity on Oso II weren\u2019t so crushing, Tonya would have been doing some crushing of her own. On Senzen. With a rock or heavy stick. Instead, she was barely staying upright. Her environment suit hummed as it recycled the streams of sweat into her drinking pouch.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Senzen inquired as he trudged through the underbrush toward her.\n\n\u201cHow\u2019d you find me? Was it Nagia?\u201d She felt the early pulse of a rage-induced migraine coming on. \u201cDid he plant a tracker on my ship? What?\u201d\n\n\u201cCalm down, Tonya. You\u2019ll pass out.\u201d He reached out to pat her heavily on the shoulder as he lumbered past. She swatted his hand away and followed.\n\n\u201cTell me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, I couldn\u2019t have found this place on my own?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\nSenzen turned to look at her. Deeply saddened.\n\n\u201cThat hurts my feelings.\u201d A grin crept across his face. She wasn\u2019t laughing. Senzen slumped down on a plant stump to take a breather before continuing. He brought up a scanner and played a file. It was silence at first, then a burst of digital distortion, disparate sounds and clicks of an audio reconstruction. Tonya instinctively leaned forward to hear \u2014 there was something buried in the chaotic signal, the static parting for fragments of moments to reveal words.\n\n\u201c\u2026.. damage \u2026\u2026. further \u2026\u2026. necessary \u2026\u2026\u2026 located \u2026\u2026\u2026 2456.432.1234\u201d\n\nSenzen stopped the playback. Tonya looked at him, her rage suddenly displaced by curiosity.\n\n\u201cWhat was that?\u2019\n\n\u201cThat, Tonya, was Janus.\u201d Senzen sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face. \u201cImpressed yet?\u201d She glared at him. \u201cPart of his directive programming was to send status updates on both radio and FSO back to Earth. True, none of them ever made it, but that doesn\u2019t mean they didn\u2019t reach somewhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo how did you get it?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s very complicated, I wouldn\u2019t want to bore you.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenzen, I\u2019m going to beat you to death.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine, fine.\u201d Senzen laughed and threw up his hands in surrender. \u201cThe short answer, the FSO of that era beamed comms packets in infrared, so I started looking for dense patches of cryogenic gases between Earth and the path from Stanton to the Artemis\u2019 original destination.\u201d\n\n\u201cCryogenic gases can slow infrared beams,\u201d Tonya ran with the chain of logic. \u201cBut not for hundreds of years.\u201d\n\n\u201cApparently if it\u2019s a dense enough concentration, it can. And by that, I mean after massive digital reconstruction and two frozen ships.\u201d\n\nAs much as she would absolutely never admit it, Tonya had to give it to Senzen. It was quite a discovery.\n\n\u201cSo, your turn.\u201d Senzen sipped from his water supply.\n\n\u201cMy turn for what?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow\u2019d you get here?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d Tonya stood and started shambling away. \u201cI guessed.\u201d\n\nSenzen hurried up beside her. Tonya stopped in frustration and looked at him.\n\n\u201cWhere do you think you\u2019re going?\u201d\n\n\u201cCall me crazy, but I\u2019ll bet our scanners are locked on the same thing. Unless you\u2019re guessing on that too.\u201d\n\nShe didn\u2019t say anything, which he took as agreement.\n\n\u201cGood. So I\u2019ll just come out and say it. I\u2019m tired and walking around this planet is killing me.\u201d Senzen slumped back against a tree trunk. \u201cI\u2019ll assume you had some crazy awesome way of figuring out to come here, so since we\u2019re on even ground, I\u2019m gonna call for a truce.\u201d\n\nTonya eyed him suspiciously as she considered it. While she still wouldn\u2019t trust him for a second, she had to admit it would be nice to at least alleviate her paranoia for a short time. He was right though, she desperately wanted off this planet. Besides, maybe she could find a good opportunity to sell him out. It was his turn, after all.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve made a friend.\u201d Tonya turned and started walking.\n\n\u201cGreat. Thanks, Tonya. You\u2019re a gem.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t talking about me.\u201d\n\nSenzen felt something tap on the top of his helmet. He twisted around. What he initially thought was a massive root, coiled along the trunk of the tree, was actually a worm-like creature. Around sixteen feet long, it had a hardened carapace perfectly camouflaged with the tree. The carapace could separate to allow a mass of tendrils to presumably snatch any unfortunate creatures who landed on its surface. It was now feeling out Senzen\u2019s suit, probably to see if it was edible.\n\nSenzen stepped away from the tree and hustled to catch up with Tonya. The massive creature tested the air for a few moments then disappeared back under the carapace.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nEven under the canopy of trees, any sign of the rain had vanished in the punishing heat. A cacophony of strange chirps and calls echoed through the massive forest. Tonya and Senzen walked in silence, saving their breath. She checked her scanner to make sure they were still headed in the right direction.\n\n\u201cTonya!\u201d Senzen whispered. She looked to see Senzen crouching in the foliage, motioning for her to do the same.\n\nTonya dropped without hesitation. After the plants settled around her, she slowly sat up for a peek. Initially, she couldn\u2019t see anything through the dangling vines and winding trunks. Then she heard something snap, along with the whoosh of movement through leaves.\n\nIt was an Osoian. That was the working name as far as the UEE was concerned. By far the most evolved species on the planet, the Senate and scientific community were waiting with bated breath to see what they called themselves. Covered in a coarse spiky fur to catch water, the Osoian stood almost five feet tall. To counteract the gravity, its powerful legs were the species\u2019 largest appendage. They connected to the body at what would be the shoulder on a human. Four arms extended from the torso, the top two much more developed than the lower pair.\n\nThe six eyes of varying sizes on the almost bug-like head scanned the woods. The exposed skin on the creature\u2019s forehead pulsed a dull yellow as it clutched curved stone blades in its prime hands.\n\nTonya and Senzen glanced at each other. Senzen grinned like a kid and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.\n\nAfter a few more moments of surveillance, the yellow glow on the Osoian\u2019s forehead shifted to a neutral blue. It turned back to sifting through the plants to gather specific leaves.\n\nFor an hour, Tonya and Senzen watched it forage. Finally, it packed all the leaves in a bag made of some strange weave and slipped into the trees away from them.\n\nThe faint signal on the scanners was in the same direction as the Osoian. Tonya and Senzen gave it a few minutes head-start before moving forward. More rocks protruded through the underbrush as the dense forest gradually transformed into wooded canyon.\n\nSenzen motioned for Tonya to follow him as he scaled the rocks to the top of the canyon wall. They kept low and crept along the brink. Finally they stopped, stunned at what lay ahead.\n\nThe narrow canyon expanded into a circular cul-de-sac. Nestled among the curved rocks was a village. Osoians of all sizes moved between the fifteen or so structures hewn from a combination of rock and wood.\n\nTonya double-checked the signal. Her scanner placed the next Artemis piece somewhere on the other side of the village. Senzen glanced over her shoulder at the screen.\n\n\u201cGood, that\u2019s what my scan says, too. We can go around.\u201d He started to move. She stopped him.\n\n\u201cWait,\u201d she said and ran some more filter passes on it. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s on the surface.\u201d\n\nTonya looked beyond the village. She pointed. On the far side, a tunnel seemed to lead into the canyon wall.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why the signal\u2019s so weak. It\u2019s being muffled by the rock.\u201d\n\n\u201cGreat.\u201d Senzen slumped back and got comfortable behind the rocks as he sipped some water. \u201cAny idea if the Osoians have decent night vision?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo clue.\u201d Tonya moved to a good vantage point of the village and settled in. She double-checked the time. The autoconfig adjusted her Glas\u2019 clock to early afternoon SET. The seconds seemed interminably long compared to the standard Earth second.\n\nTonya passed the time observing the Osoians. She generally preferred history to the present, but she couldn\u2019t deny how fascinating it was to see the primitive aliens go through their daily routines. She began to pick out the rough family structures. One of the Osoians was covered in small, hand-made trinkets. She assumed it must be either the chief or some kind of shaman.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s pretty incredible, right?\u201d Senzen finally said.\n\n\u201cYeah, they are,\u201d Tonya murmured quietly.\n\n\u201cNo, not them. Well, I guess partially them. I meant all of this.\u201d Senzen had relaxed against the rocks, leaving the observing to her. \u201cI mean, did you ever think you\u2019d really be on the threshold of discovering the Artemis?\u201d\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t found it yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, but we\u2019re closer than anyone\u2019s ever been in the last seven hundred years. Don\u2019t tell me you can\u2019t feel that in your soul.\u201d\n\nTonya looked at him. It was strange hearing him sound this hopeful, this optimistic.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019ve got a soul now,\u201d she retorted with a smirk.\n\n\u201cAlways had one, hon. I just save it for special occasions.\u201d\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nNight finally fell. The forest seemed to swell to life now that the sun had disappeared. Heavy wings flapped overhead beyond the canopy.\n\nA few of the larger aliens seemed to guard the entrance to the village through the canyon, but otherwise the Osoian village was quiet.\n\nTonya and Senzen circled the village along the ridge of the canyon and carefully scaled down the walls toward the tunnel.\n\nOn closer inspection, its walls looked like they had been carved. Perhaps the tunnel was originally a cave that the Osoians simply expanded. It was a little over a meter wide and two meters tall. Light flickered from around a corner ahead.\n\nThe signal on her scanner grew stronger as they stepped inside. Senzen kept an eye behind them as Tonya moved forward. She cautiously approached the turn and the flickering light.\n\nShe eased her head around. The tunnel expanded into a large antechamber. The walls were covered in intricate carvings and paintings. Even the stone floor had been cut, into levels of concentric circles descending to the center.\n\nIn the center, a worn obelisk protruded from the ground. The sides had been covered in paint and markings. So much so, that it took Tonya a moment to realize what it really was.\n\nThis wasn\u2019t some Osoian monolith. It was a thruster from the Artemis. She turned back to see Senzen staring slack-jawed at it. He shoved past her to get a closer look at it.\n\nTonya meanwhile started looking at the crude carvings on the wall. They were clearly pictographs. She started laughing.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Senzen turned to join her. It was a story of gods appearing on the planet to fix their chariot or something. Senzen shook his head, confused. \u201cWhat about it?\u201d\n\n\u201cRecognize the suits?\u201d Tonya pointed out one in particular. The \u2018god\u2019 was wearing an environment suit. It was one of the Artemis crew, one of twelve according to the pictogram.\n\nThey moved down the row of pictures. In the last one, before the gods left, they pointed to a red star above the triple mountain. Tonya and Senzen both stopped.\n\n\u201cThey told the Osoians where they were going.\u201d Senzen murmured.\n\n\u201cA red star. Either a dying one \u2026\u201d Tonya started.\n\n\u201cOr a new one,\u201d Senzen finished.\n\n\u201cKallis.\u201d They spoke at the same time.\n\nTonya started grabbing pictures of the pictograms, the thruster, everything.\n\n\u201cCome on, let\u2019s go.\u201d Senzen hustled out the tunnel.\n\nTonya couldn\u2019t tear herself away. One of the carvings showed the gods bestowing fire onto the Osoians. Upon closer inspection, the painted carving even included a word on the god\u2019s suit.\n\nKenlo.\n\nArthur Kenlo, the Artemis\u2019 chief engineer.\n\n\u201cUnbelievable.\u201d Tonya chuckled to herself and snapped that too. She looked around to show Senzen but realized he\u2019d left. Tonya took a handful more on her way out the tunnel.\n\nShe stepped out of the tunnel to find a curved stone blade aimed at her faceplate.\n\nThe chief\/shaman and the whole village of Osoians surrounded her with bare weapons. Their expressive foreheads all pulsed a churning purple.\n\nA quick glance upward and she saw Senzen back atop the canyon wall. He threw his hands up in a \u2018what can I do\u2019 gesture before disappearing. Tonya turned back to the angry Osoians.\n\n\u201cHi.\u201d\n\n. . . to be continued","de_DE":"Wenn die Schwerkraft auf Oso II nicht so erdr\u00fcckend w\u00e4re, h\u00e4tte Tonya selbst etwas erdr\u00fcckt. Auf Senzen. Mit einem Stein oder einem schweren Stock. Stattdessen blieb sie kaum aufrecht. Ihr Umweltanzug summte, als er die Schwei\u00dfstr\u00f6me in ihren Trinkbeutel zur\u00fcckf\u00fchrte.\n\n\"Was machst du hier?\" erkundigte sich Senzen, als er sich durch das Gestr\u00fcpp zu ihr schleppte.\n\n\"Wie hast du mich gefunden? War es Nagia?\" Sie f\u00fchlte den fr\u00fchen Puls einer wutinduzierten Migr\u00e4ne, die aufkam. \"Hat er einen Peilsender auf meinem Schiff angebracht? Was?\"\n\n\"Beruhige dich, Tonya. Du wirst ohnm\u00e4chtig.\" Er streckte die Hand aus, um ihr schwer auf die Schulter zu klopfen, als er vorbeiholte. Sie schlug seine Hand weg und folgte ihm.\n\n\" Sag es mir.\"\n\n\"Was, ich h\u00e4tte diese Wohnung nicht alleine finden k\u00f6nnen?\"\n\n\" Nein.\"\n\nSenzen drehte sich um, um sie anzusehen. Tief betr\u00fcbt.\n\n\"Das verletzt meine Gef\u00fchle.\" Ein Grinsen kroch \u00fcber sein Gesicht. Sie hat nicht gelacht. Senzen st\u00fcrzte auf einen Pflanzenstumpf, um eine Pause einzulegen, bevor es weiterging. Er brachte einen Scanner hoch und spielte eine Datei ab. Zuerst war es Stille, dann ein Ausbruch von digitalen Verzerrungen, disparaten Sounds und Klicks einer Audio-Rekonstruktion. Tonya lehnte sich instinktiv nach vorne, um zu h\u00f6ren - da war etwas im chaotischen Signal vergraben, die statische Trennung f\u00fcr Fragmente von Momenten, um Worte zu enth\u00fcllen.\n\n\"........................................................ 2456.432.1234\".\n\nSenzen stoppte die Wiedergabe. Tonya sah ihn an, ihre Wut wurde pl\u00f6tzlich von der Neugierde verdr\u00e4ngt.\n\n\"Was war das?\n\n\"Das, Tonya, war Janus.\" Senzen lehnte sich zur\u00fcck, ein zufriedenes Grinsen auf seinem Gesicht. \"Bist du schon beeindruckt?\" Sie starrte ihn an. \"Ein Teil seiner Anweisung war es, Status-Updates sowohl \u00fcber Funk als auch \u00fcber das BFS zur\u00fcck zur Erde zu senden. Stimmt, keiner von ihnen hat es je geschafft, aber das bedeutet nicht, dass sie nicht irgendwo hingekommen sind.\"\n\n\"Also, woher hast du es?\"\n\n\"Es ist sehr kompliziert, ich w\u00fcrde dich nicht langweilen wollen.\"\n\n\"Senzen, ich werde dich zu Tode pr\u00fcgeln.\"\n\n\"Gut, gut, gut.\" Senzen lachte und warf seine H\u00e4nde bei der Kapitulation hoch. \"Die kurze Antwort, das BFS jener Zeit, strahlte Kommunikationspakete in Infrarot aus, also begann ich nach dichten Flecken kryogener Gase zwischen der Erde und dem Weg von Stanton zum urspr\u00fcnglichen Ziel der Artemis zu suchen.\"\n\n\"Kryogene Gase k\u00f6nnen Infrarotstrahlen verlangsamen\", rannte Tonya mit der Kette der Logik. \"Aber nicht seit Hunderten von Jahren.\"\n\n\"Anscheinend, wenn es eine gen\u00fcgend dichte Konzentration ist, kann es das. Und damit meine ich nach einer massiven digitalen Rekonstruktion und zwei gefrorenen Schiffen.\"\n\nSo sehr sie es auch absolut nie zugeben w\u00fcrde, Tonya musste es Senzen geben. Es war eine ziemliche Entdeckung.\n\n\"Also, du bist dran.\" Senzen trank aus seiner Wasserversorgung.\n\n\"Ich bin dran mit was?\"\n\n\"Wie bist du hierher gekommen?\"\n\n\" Oh.\" Tonya stand auf und fing an, wegzuschlendern. \"Ich habe geraten.\"\n\nSenzen eilte neben ihr her. Tonya blieb frustriert stehen und sah ihn an.\n\n\"Was glaubst du, wo du hingehst?\"\n\n\"Nenn mich verr\u00fcckt, aber ich wette, unsere Scanner sind auf die gleiche Sache fixiert. Es sei denn, du sch\u00e4tzt das auch.\"\n\nSie sagte nichts, was er als Vereinbarung ansah.\n\n\"Gut. Also komme ich einfach raus und sage es. Ich bin m\u00fcde und der Gang um diesen Planeten bringt mich um.\" Senzen st\u00fcrzte gegen einen Baumstamm zur\u00fcck. \"Ich nehme an, du hattest eine verr\u00fcckte, fantastische Art herauszufinden, wie du hierher gekommen bist, also da wir auf ebenem Boden sind, werde ich einen Waffenstillstand fordern.\"\n\nTonya sah ihn misstrauisch an, als sie dar\u00fcber nachdachte. W\u00e4hrend sie ihm immer noch f\u00fcr eine Sekunde nicht trauen wollte, musste sie zugeben, dass es sch\u00f6n w\u00e4re, ihre Paranoia zumindest f\u00fcr kurze Zeit zu lindern. Er hatte jedoch Recht, sie wollte unbedingt von diesem Planeten weg. Au\u00dferdem k\u00f6nnte sie vielleicht eine gute Gelegenheit finden, ihn zu verkaufen. Er war schlie\u00dflich an der Reihe.\n\n\"Du hast einen Freund gefunden.\" Tonya drehte sich um und begann zu laufen.\n\n\"Gro\u00dfartig. Danke, Tonya. Du bist ein Juwel.\"\n\n\"Ich habe nicht von mir gesprochen.\"\n\nSenzen f\u00fchlte, wie etwas auf seinen Helm klopfte. Er drehte sich um. Was er anfangs f\u00fcr eine massive Wurzel hielt, die sich am Stamm des Baumes wand, war eigentlich ein wurmartiges Wesen. Etwa zwei Meter lang, hatte er einen geh\u00e4rteten Panzer, der perfekt mit dem Baum getarnt war. Der Panzer k\u00f6nnte sich trennen, so dass eine Masse von Ranken vermutlich alle ungl\u00fccklichen Kreaturen ergreifen kann, die auf seiner Oberfl\u00e4che landeten. Sie sp\u00fcrte nun Senzens Anzug, wahrscheinlich um zu sehen, ob er essbar war.\n\nSenzen trat vom Baum zur\u00fcck und eilte, um Tonya einzuholen. Die massive Kreatur testete die Luft f\u00fcr einige Augenblicke und verschwand dann wieder unter dem Panzer.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nSelbst unter dem Vordach der B\u00e4ume war jedes Anzeichen des Regens in der strafenden Hitze verschwunden. Eine Kakophonie aus seltsamen Zwitschern und Rufen hallte durch den riesigen Wald. Tonya und Senzen gingen schweigend und bewahrten ihren Atem. Sie \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte ihren Scanner, um sicherzustellen, dass sie noch in die richtige Richtung unterwegs waren.\n\n\" Tonya!\" fl\u00fcsterte Senzen. Sie sah zu, wie Senzen im Laub hockte und sich bewegte, damit sie das Gleiche tun konnte.\n\nTonya fiel ohne zu z\u00f6gern. Nachdem sich die Pflanzen um sie herum niedergelassen hatten, setzte sie sich langsam auf, um einen Blick darauf zu werfen. Anfangs konnte sie durch die baumelnden Reben und gewundenen St\u00e4mme nichts sehen. Dann h\u00f6rte sie etwas knacken, zusammen mit dem Rauschen der Bewegung durch die Bl\u00e4tter.\n\nEs war ein Osoianer. Das war der Arbeitsname f\u00fcr die UEE. Bei weitem die am weitesten entwickelte Art auf dem Planeten, der Senat und die wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaft warteten mit angehaltenem Atem darauf, zu sehen, wie sie sich selbst nannten. Bedeckt mit einem groben, stacheligen Fell, um Wasser zu fangen, stand der Osoian fast einen Meter hoch. Um der Schwerkraft entgegenzuwirken, waren seine kr\u00e4ftigen Beine das gr\u00f6\u00dfte Anh\u00e4ngsel der Art. Sie verbanden sich mit dem K\u00f6rper an einer Stelle, die die Schulter eines Menschen sein sollte. Vier Arme, die vom Rumpf ausgestreckt sind, die beiden oberen viel weiter entwickelt als das untere Paar.\n\nDie sechs unterschiedlich gro\u00dfen Augen auf dem fast wanzenartigen Kopf scannten die W\u00e4lder. Die freiliegende Haut auf der Stirn der Kreatur pulsierte ein stumpfes Gelb, als sie gebogene Steinklingen in ihren besten H\u00e4nden festhielt.\n\nTonya und Senzen sahen sich gegenseitig an. Senzen grinste wie ein Kind und gab ihr ein begeistertes Daumen hoch.\n\nNach einigen weiteren Augenblicken der \u00dcberwachung verlagerte sich das gelbe Gl\u00fchen auf der Stirn des Osoian in ein neutrales Blau. Es kehrte zur\u00fcck zum Sieben durch die Pflanzen, um bestimmte Bl\u00e4tter zu sammeln.\n\nEine Stunde lang beobachteten Tonya und Senzen das Futter. Schlie\u00dflich packte er alle Bl\u00e4tter in eine Tasche aus seltsamem Gewebe und schl\u00fcpfte in die B\u00e4ume, die von ihnen weg waren.\n\nDas schwache Signal auf den Scannern war in die gleiche Richtung wie das osoianische. Tonya und Senzen gaben ihm einen Vorsprung von ein paar Minuten, bevor es weiterging. Weitere Felsen ragten durch das Unterholz, als sich der dichte Wald allm\u00e4hlich in einen bewaldeten Canyon verwandelte.\n\nSenzen bewegte sich, damit Tonya ihm folgen konnte, als er die Felsen bis zur Spitze der Canyonwand hinaufstieg. Sie hielten sich zur\u00fcck und schlichen sich an den Rand. Schlie\u00dflich hielten sie an, fassungslos \u00fcber das, was vor ihnen lag.\n\nDer schmale Canyon dehnte sich zu einer kreisf\u00f6rmigen Sackgasse aus. Eingebettet zwischen den geschwungenen Felsen lag ein Dorf. Osoianer aller Gr\u00f6\u00dfen bewegten sich zwischen den etwa f\u00fcnfzehn Bauwerken, die aus einer Kombination von Stein und Holz gehauen wurden.\n\nTonya hat das Signal noch einmal \u00fcberpr\u00fcft. Ihr Scanner legte das n\u00e4chste Artemis-St\u00fcck irgendwo auf der anderen Seite des Dorfes ab. Senzen blickte \u00fcber ihre Schulter auf den Bildschirm.\n\n\"Gut, das steht auch auf meinem Scan. Wir k\u00f6nnen umhergehen.\" Er begann sich zu bewegen. Sie hielt ihn auf.\n\n\"Warte,\" sagte sie und lie\u00df noch ein paar weitere Filterpassagen laufen. \"Ich glaube nicht, dass es an der Oberfl\u00e4che ist.\"\n\nTonya blickte \u00fcber das Dorf hinaus. Sie zeigte auf mich. Auf der anderen Seite schien ein Tunnel in die Canyonwand zu f\u00fchren.\n\n\"Deshalb ist das Signal so schwach. Es wird durch den Stein ged\u00e4mpft.\"\n\n\" Gro\u00dfartig.\" Senzen fiel zur\u00fcck und machte es sich hinter den Felsen bequem, als er etwas Wasser trank. \"Irgendeine Idee, ob die Osoianer ein gutes Nachtsicht haben?\"\n\n\"Keine Ahnung.\" Tonya zog an einen guten Aussichtspunkt des Dorfes und lie\u00df sich nieder. Sie \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte die Zeit noch einmal. Die Autokonfiguration stellte ihre Glasuhr auf den fr\u00fchen Nachmittag ein. Die Sekunden schienen unendlich lang im Vergleich zur Standard-Erde-Sekunde.\n\nTonya verbrachte die Zeit mit der Beobachtung der Osoianer. Sie bevorzugte im Allgemeinen die Geschichte gegen\u00fcber der Gegenwart, aber sie konnte nicht leugnen, wie faszinierend es war, die primitiven Au\u00dferirdischen durch ihre t\u00e4glichen Abl\u00e4ufe gehen zu sehen. Sie begann, die groben Familienstrukturen auszusuchen. Einer der Osoianer war mit kleinen, handgefertigten Schmuckst\u00fccken bedeckt. Sie nahm an, dass es entweder der Chief oder eine Art Schamane sein musste.\n\n\"Es ist ziemlich unglaublich, oder?\" sagte Senzen schlie\u00dflich.\n\n\"Ja, das sind sie\", murmelte Tonya leise.\n\n\"Nein, nicht sie. Nun, ich sch\u00e4tze, teilweise sie. Ich meinte das alles so.\" Senzen hatte sich gegen die Felsen gelockert und die Beobachtung ihr \u00fcberlassen. \"Ich meine, hast du jemals gedacht, dass du wirklich an der Schwelle stehen w\u00fcrdest, die Artemis zu entdecken?\"\n\n\"Ich habe es noch nicht gefunden.\"\n\n\"Ja, aber wir sind n\u00e4her dran als jeder andere in den letzten siebenhundert Jahren. Sag mir nicht, dass du das nicht in deiner Seele sp\u00fcren kannst.\"\n\nTonya sah ihn an. Es war seltsam, ihn so hoffnungsvoll, so optimistisch klingen zu h\u00f6ren.\n\n\"Sag mir nicht, dass du jetzt eine Seele hast\", antwortete sie mit einem Grinsen.\n\n\"Ich hatte schon immer eine, Schatz. Ich hebe sie nur f\u00fcr besondere Anl\u00e4sse auf.\"\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nEndlich war es Nacht. Der Wald schien nun, nachdem die Sonne verschwunden war, zum Leben zu erwachen. Schwere Fl\u00fcgel flatterten \u00fcber die Haube.\n\nEinige der gr\u00f6\u00dferen Au\u00dferirdischen schienen den Eingang zum Dorf durch den Canyon zu bewachen, aber ansonsten war das osoianische Dorf ruhig.\n\nTonya und Senzen umkreisten das Dorf entlang des Canyonkamms und senkten vorsichtig die W\u00e4nde in Richtung Tunnel.\n\nBei n\u00e4herer Betrachtung sahen seine W\u00e4nde aus, als w\u00e4ren sie geschnitzt worden. Vielleicht war der Tunnel urspr\u00fcnglich eine H\u00f6hle, die die Osoianer einfach ausbauten. Sie war etwas \u00fcber einen Meter breit und zwei Meter hoch. Das Licht flackerte von einer Ecke voraus.\n\nDas Signal auf ihrem Scanner wurde st\u00e4rker, als sie hineintraten. Senzen behielt ein Auge hinter sich, als Tonya vorankam. Sie n\u00e4herte sich vorsichtig der Kurve und dem flackernden Licht.\n\nSie entspannte ihren Kopf. Der Tunnel dehnte sich zu einer gro\u00dfen Vorkammer aus. Die W\u00e4nde waren mit aufwendigen Schnitzereien und Gem\u00e4lden verziert. Sogar der Steinboden war in konzentrische Kreise geschnitten worden, die bis zur Mitte hinabreichen.\n\nIn der Mitte ragte ein abgenutzter Obelisk aus dem Boden. Die Seiten waren mit Farbe und Markierungen versehen. So sehr, dass Tonya einen Moment brauchte, um zu erkennen, was es wirklich ist.\n\nDas war kein osoianischer Monolith. Es war ein Schubd\u00fcse von den Artemis. Sie drehte sich um und sah, wie Senzen mit schlaffen Backen auf sie starrte. Er schob sich an ihr vorbei, um es sich genauer anzusehen.\n\nTonya begann sich unterdessen mit den rohen Schnitzereien an der Wand zu besch\u00e4ftigen. Es waren klare Piktogramme. Sie fing an zu lachen.\n\n\"Was ist so lustig?\" Senzen wandte sich an sie. Es war eine Geschichte von G\u00f6ttern, die auf dem Planeten erschienen, um ihren Wagen zu reparieren oder so. Senzen sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf, verwirrt. \"Was ist damit?\"\n\n\"Erkennst du die Anz\u00fcge?\" Tonya wies besonders auf einen hin. Der \"Gott\" trug einen Umweltanzug. Es war eine der Artemis-Crew, eine von zw\u00f6lf nach dem Piktogramm.\n\nSie bewegten sich in der Reihe der Bilder nach unten. Im letzten, bevor die G\u00f6tter gingen, zeigten sie auf einen roten Stern \u00fcber dem Dreierberg. Tonya und Senzen hielten beide an.\n\n\"Sie haben den Osoianern gesagt, wohin sie gehen.\" murmelte Senzen.\n\n\"Ein roter Stern. Entweder ein Sterbender....\" Tonya fing an.\n\n\"Oder eine neue\", beendete Senzen.\n\n\" Kallis.\" Sie sprachen zur gleichen Zeit.\n\nTonya fing an, Bilder von den Piktogrammen, dem Triebwerk und allem anderen zu machen.\n\n\"Komm schon, lass uns gehen.\" Senzen st\u00fcrmte aus dem Tunnel.\n\nTonya konnte sich nicht losrei\u00dfen. Eine der Schnitzereien zeigte, wie die G\u00f6tter den Osoianern Feuer spenden. Bei n\u00e4herer Betrachtung enthielt die bemalte Schnitzerei sogar ein Wort \u00fcber den Anzug des Gottes.\n\nKenlo.\n\nArthur Kenlo, der Chefingenieur der Artemis.\n\n\"Unglaublich.\" Tonya kicherte vor sich hin und schnappte sich auch das. Sie sah sich um, um Senzen zu zeigen, erkannte aber, dass er gegangen war. Tonya nahm eine Handvoll mehr auf ihrem Weg aus dem Tunnel.\n\nSie trat aus dem Tunnel, um eine gebogene Steinklinge zu finden, die auf ihre Frontplatte gerichtet war.\n\nDer H\u00e4uptling\/Schamane und das ganze Dorf der Osoianer umgaben sie mit nackten Waffen. Ihre ausdrucksstarken Stirnen pulsierten alle zu einem purpurnen Lila.\n\nEin kurzer Blick nach oben und sie sah Senzen wieder auf der Schluchtwand. Er warf seine H\u00e4nde in einer \"Was kann ich tun\"-Geste nach oben, bevor er verschwand. Tonya wandte sich wieder den w\u00fctenden Osoianern zu.\n\n\" Hi.\"\n\n\n\n\n. ... wird fortgesetzt","zh_CN":"If the gravity on Oso II weren\u2019t so crushing, Tonya would have been doing some crushing of her own. On Senzen. With a rock or heavy stick. Instead, she was barely staying upright. Her environment suit hummed as it recycled the streams of sweat into her drinking pouch.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Senzen inquired as he trudged through the underbrush toward her.\n\n\u201cHow\u2019d you find me? Was it Nagia?\u201d She felt the early pulse of a rage-induced migraine coming on. \u201cDid he plant a tracker on my ship? What?\u201d\n\n\u201cCalm down, Tonya. You\u2019ll pass out.\u201d He reached out to pat her heavily on the shoulder as he lumbered past. She swatted his hand away and followed.\n\n\u201cTell me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, I couldn\u2019t have found this place on my own?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d\n\nSenzen turned to look at her. Deeply saddened.\n\n\u201cThat hurts my feelings.\u201d A grin crept across his face. She wasn\u2019t laughing. Senzen slumped down on a plant stump to take a breather before continuing. He brought up a scanner and played a file. It was silence at first, then a burst of digital distortion, disparate sounds and clicks of an audio reconstruction. Tonya instinctively leaned forward to hear \u2014 there was something buried in the chaotic signal, the static parting for fragments of moments to reveal words.\n\n\u201c\u2026.. damage \u2026\u2026. further \u2026\u2026. necessary \u2026\u2026\u2026 located \u2026\u2026\u2026 2456.432.1234\u201d\n\nSenzen stopped the playback. Tonya looked at him, her rage suddenly displaced by curiosity.\n\n\u201cWhat was that?\u2019\n\n\u201cThat, Tonya, was Janus.\u201d Senzen sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face. \u201cImpressed yet?\u201d She glared at him. \u201cPart of his directive programming was to send status updates on both radio and FSO back to Earth. True, none of them ever made it, but that doesn\u2019t mean they didn\u2019t reach somewhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo how did you get it?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s very complicated, I wouldn\u2019t want to bore you.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenzen, I\u2019m going to beat you to death.\u201d\n\n\u201cFine, fine.\u201d Senzen laughed and threw up his hands in surrender. \u201cThe short answer, the FSO of that era beamed comms packets in infrared, so I started looking for dense patches of cryogenic gases between Earth and the path from Stanton to the Artemis\u2019 original destination.\u201d\n\n\u201cCryogenic gases can slow infrared beams,\u201d Tonya ran with the chain of logic. \u201cBut not for hundreds of years.\u201d\n\n\u201cApparently if it\u2019s a dense enough concentration, it can. And by that, I mean after massive digital reconstruction and two frozen ships.\u201d\n\nAs much as she would absolutely never admit it, Tonya had to give it to Senzen. It was quite a discovery.\n\n\u201cSo, your turn.\u201d Senzen sipped from his water supply.\n\n\u201cMy turn for what?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow\u2019d you get here?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh.\u201d Tonya stood and started shambling away. \u201cI guessed.\u201d\n\nSenzen hurried up beside her. Tonya stopped in frustration and looked at him.\n\n\u201cWhere do you think you\u2019re going?\u201d\n\n\u201cCall me crazy, but I\u2019ll bet our scanners are locked on the same thing. Unless you\u2019re guessing on that too.\u201d\n\nShe didn\u2019t say anything, which he took as agreement.\n\n\u201cGood. So I\u2019ll just come out and say it. I\u2019m tired and walking around this planet is killing me.\u201d Senzen slumped back against a tree trunk. \u201cI\u2019ll assume you had some crazy awesome way of figuring out to come here, so since we\u2019re on even ground, I\u2019m gonna call for a truce.\u201d\n\nTonya eyed him suspiciously as she considered it. While she still wouldn\u2019t trust him for a second, she had to admit it would be nice to at least alleviate her paranoia for a short time. He was right though, she desperately wanted off this planet. Besides, maybe she could find a good opportunity to sell him out. It was his turn, after all.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve made a friend.\u201d Tonya turned and started walking.\n\n\u201cGreat. Thanks, Tonya. You\u2019re a gem.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t talking about me.\u201d\n\nSenzen felt something tap on the top of his helmet. He twisted around. What he initially thought was a massive root, coiled along the trunk of the tree, was actually a worm-like creature. Around sixteen feet long, it had a hardened carapace perfectly camouflaged with the tree. The carapace could separate to allow a mass of tendrils to presumably snatch any unfortunate creatures who landed on its surface. It was now feeling out Senzen\u2019s suit, probably to see if it was edible.\n\nSenzen stepped away from the tree and hustled to catch up with Tonya. The massive creature tested the air for a few moments then disappeared back under the carapace.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nEven under the canopy of trees, any sign of the rain had vanished in the punishing heat. A cacophony of strange chirps and calls echoed through the massive forest. Tonya and Senzen walked in silence, saving their breath. She checked her scanner to make sure they were still headed in the right direction.\n\n\u201cTonya!\u201d Senzen whispered. She looked to see Senzen crouching in the foliage, motioning for her to do the same.\n\nTonya dropped without hesitation. After the plants settled around her, she slowly sat up for a peek. Initially, she couldn\u2019t see anything through the dangling vines and winding trunks. Then she heard something snap, along with the whoosh of movement through leaves.\n\nIt was an Osoian. That was the working name as far as the UEE was concerned. By far the most evolved species on the planet, the Senate and scientific community were waiting with bated breath to see what they called themselves. Covered in a coarse spiky fur to catch water, the Osoian stood almost five feet tall. To counteract the gravity, its powerful legs were the species\u2019 largest appendage. They connected to the body at what would be the shoulder on a human. Four arms extended from the torso, the top two much more developed than the lower pair.\n\nThe six eyes of varying sizes on the almost bug-like head scanned the woods. The exposed skin on the creature\u2019s forehead pulsed a dull yellow as it clutched curved stone blades in its prime hands.\n\nTonya and Senzen glanced at each other. Senzen grinned like a kid and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.\n\nAfter a few more moments of surveillance, the yellow glow on the Osoian\u2019s forehead shifted to a neutral blue. It turned back to sifting through the plants to gather specific leaves.\n\nFor an hour, Tonya and Senzen watched it forage. Finally, it packed all the leaves in a bag made of some strange weave and slipped into the trees away from them.\n\nThe faint signal on the scanners was in the same direction as the Osoian. Tonya and Senzen gave it a few minutes head-start before moving forward. More rocks protruded through the underbrush as the dense forest gradually transformed into wooded canyon.\n\nSenzen motioned for Tonya to follow him as he scaled the rocks to the top of the canyon wall. They kept low and crept along the brink. Finally they stopped, stunned at what lay ahead.\n\nThe narrow canyon expanded into a circular cul-de-sac. Nestled among the curved rocks was a village. Osoians of all sizes moved between the fifteen or so structures hewn from a combination of rock and wood.\n\nTonya double-checked the signal. Her scanner placed the next Artemis piece somewhere on the other side of the village. Senzen glanced over her shoulder at the screen.\n\n\u201cGood, that\u2019s what my scan says, too. We can go around.\u201d He started to move. She stopped him.\n\n\u201cWait,\u201d she said and ran some more filter passes on it. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s on the surface.\u201d\n\nTonya looked beyond the village. She pointed. On the far side, a tunnel seemed to lead into the canyon wall.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why the signal\u2019s so weak. It\u2019s being muffled by the rock.\u201d\n\n\u201cGreat.\u201d Senzen slumped back and got comfortable behind the rocks as he sipped some water. \u201cAny idea if the Osoians have decent night vision?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo clue.\u201d Tonya moved to a good vantage point of the village and settled in. She double-checked the time. The autoconfig adjusted her Glas\u2019 clock to early afternoon SET. The seconds seemed interminably long compared to the standard Earth second.\n\nTonya passed the time observing the Osoians. She generally preferred history to the present, but she couldn\u2019t deny how fascinating it was to see the primitive aliens go through their daily routines. She began to pick out the rough family structures. One of the Osoians was covered in small, hand-made trinkets. She assumed it must be either the chief or some kind of shaman.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s pretty incredible, right?\u201d Senzen finally said.\n\n\u201cYeah, they are,\u201d Tonya murmured quietly.\n\n\u201cNo, not them. Well, I guess partially them. I meant all of this.\u201d Senzen had relaxed against the rocks, leaving the observing to her. \u201cI mean, did you ever think you\u2019d really be on the threshold of discovering the Artemis?\u201d\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t found it yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, but we\u2019re closer than anyone\u2019s ever been in the last seven hundred years. Don\u2019t tell me you can\u2019t feel that in your soul.\u201d\n\nTonya looked at him. It was strange hearing him sound this hopeful, this optimistic.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019ve got a soul now,\u201d she retorted with a smirk.\n\n\u201cAlways had one, hon. I just save it for special occasions.\u201d\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nNight finally fell. The forest seemed to swell to life now that the sun had disappeared. Heavy wings flapped overhead beyond the canopy.\n\nA few of the larger aliens seemed to guard the entrance to the village through the canyon, but otherwise the Osoian village was quiet.\n\nTonya and Senzen circled the village along the ridge of the canyon and carefully scaled down the walls toward the tunnel.\n\nOn closer inspection, its walls looked like they had been carved. Perhaps the tunnel was originally a cave that the Osoians simply expanded. It was a little over a meter wide and two meters tall. Light flickered from around a corner ahead.\n\nThe signal on her scanner grew stronger as they stepped inside. Senzen kept an eye behind them as Tonya moved forward. She cautiously approached the turn and the flickering light.\n\nShe eased her head around. The tunnel expanded into a large antechamber. The walls were covered in intricate carvings and paintings. Even the stone floor had been cut, into levels of concentric circles descending to the center.\n\nIn the center, a worn obelisk protruded from the ground. The sides had been covered in paint and markings. So much so, that it took Tonya a moment to realize what it really was.\n\nThis wasn\u2019t some Osoian monolith. It was a thruster from the Artemis. She turned back to see Senzen staring slack-jawed at it. He shoved past her to get a closer look at it.\n\nTonya meanwhile started looking at the crude carvings on the wall. They were clearly pictographs. She started laughing.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Senzen turned to join her. It was a story of gods appearing on the planet to fix their chariot or something. Senzen shook his head, confused. \u201cWhat about it?\u201d\n\n\u201cRecognize the suits?\u201d Tonya pointed out one in particular. The \u2018god\u2019 was wearing an environment suit. It was one of the Artemis crew, one of twelve according to the pictogram.\n\nThey moved down the row of pictures. In the last one, before the gods left, they pointed to a red star above the triple mountain. Tonya and Senzen both stopped.\n\n\u201cThey told the Osoians where they were going.\u201d Senzen murmured.\n\n\u201cA red star. Either a dying one \u2026\u201d Tonya started.\n\n\u201cOr a new one,\u201d Senzen finished.\n\n\u201cKallis.\u201d They spoke at the same time.\n\nTonya started grabbing pictures of the pictograms, the thruster, everything.\n\n\u201cCome on, let\u2019s go.\u201d Senzen hustled out the tunnel.\n\nTonya couldn\u2019t tear herself away. One of the carvings showed the gods bestowing fire onto the Osoians. Upon closer inspection, the painted carving even included a word on the god\u2019s suit.\n\nKenlo.\n\nArthur Kenlo, the Artemis\u2019 chief engineer.\n\n\u201cUnbelievable.\u201d Tonya chuckled to herself and snapped that too. She looked around to show Senzen but realized he\u2019d left. Tonya took a handful more on her way out the tunnel.\n\nShe stepped out of the tunnel to find a curved stone blade aimed at her faceplate.\n\nThe chief\/shaman and the whole village of Osoians surrounded her with bare weapons. Their expressive foreheads all pulsed a churning purple.\n\nA quick glance upward and she saw Senzen back atop the canyon wall. He threw his hands up in a \u2018what can I do\u2019 gesture before disappearing. Tonya turned back to the angry Osoians.\n\n\u201cHi.\u201d\n\n. . . to be continued"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":61,"created_at":"2013-02-28T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"13 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-09 00:43:24","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":12905,"next_id":12907}}