{"data":{"id":12914,"title":"The Lost Generation: Issue #8","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/12914-The-Lost-Generation-Issue-8","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/12914","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/12914","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":"Violet probably wasn\u2019t a happy color. Exobiologists couldn\u2019t determine whether the flashes of bioluminescent color were a form of communication between the Osoians or simply an external indicator of their mood.\n\nCurrently, Tonya was leaning towards the latter. The entire Osoian village had their weapons leveled at her as their foreheads all pulsed with the same churning violet.\n\nTonya weighed her options for a moment. Nothing really presented itself as a good idea so she decided on a dumb one.\n\n\u201cI have returned!\u201d She said throwing her arms up in the air in her best faux-messiah pose. The Osoian all jumped back and hid behind their raised weapons. They looked at each other, the collective bioluminescence shifted to a paler blue. One turned green shortly before scurrying off.\n\nThe Osoian adorned with small trinkets pushed a few of the spears aside and stepped closer to Tonya. It made a low clicking noise that almost resembled a glottal stop as it jangled its staff at her.\n\n\u201cIt is I \u2026 Kenlo!\u201d She hoped invoking the chief engineer of the Artemis might do something. The elder\/shaman perked up slightly. It angled its head and clicked at her again.\n\n\u201cUh \u2026 behold my glory?\u201d She looked around. The Osoians seemed to be exchanging glances. She turned and strode proudly into the cave.\n\nThe shaman cautiously followed Tonya. The rest of the village filed into the cave, some more guarded than others.\n\nShe was trying not to think about what kind of damage she was doing to this culture. In her defense, she wasn\u2019t First Contact. The original Artemis had that distinction.\n\nIn the antechamber with the engine from the Artemis, Tonya found the pictograph with Kenlo. She turned back to the shaman who was staring at her. A dull red pulsed around its features. She mimicked the pose on the wall.\n\nSuddenly the shaman turned green. It whirled around to the other Osoians and clicked feverishly. They clicked amongst themselves before raising themselves up onto the tips of their feet, fully extending themselves in some kind of salute.\n\nThe Osoian who had darted off earlier came rushing in clutching four handfuls of the same writhing grey worms Tonya had seen earlier in the forest. He shoved them at Tonya\u2019s faceplate.\n\n\u201cOh \u2026 great. Thank you.\u201d Tonya waved them away. At least they weren\u2019t killing her.\n\nThe shaman seemed to be in some kind of trance, swaying back and forth as it rhythmically clicked. The other Osoians echoed its clicks and flooded around Tonya, eager to lay their hands on a god.\n\n\u201cEasy there, guys.\u201d Tonya tried to wriggle free but they were swarming her. She cranked the volume on the external speaker. \u201cStop!\u201d\n\nHer voice boomed through the cave. The Osoians scattered into hiding places. One of the bigger ones brought up its spear, waiting for her to attack.\n\nThe notion of running flashed through her mind, but considering how much the increased gravity slowed her down, she quickly realized that \u2018running\u2019 was an overstatement. If she made the Osoians angry, there was no chance she could outrun them, and slightly less of a chance she could fight all of them.\n\nSo she\u2019d have to bide her time. The shaman had recoiled into a kneeling position and hidden its head from her. Tonya reached down and gently pet it, having no idea what else to do.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nOver the next few hours, the Osoians prepared a massive feast. The shaman scuttled around, directing the aliens in their tasks. From her rock of honor, Tonya kept a watchful eye on all the cooking pots to make sure that they weren\u2019t planning on using her for any ingredients. Wriggling baby aliens were presented to her. Trinkets were fashioned for her.\n\nThe larger guard who stood its ground when Tonya shouted lurked in the shade of a nearby hut, watching her. She could tell it was not a fan of what was happening.\n\nTonya agreed. She wanted nothing more than to extricate herself from the place as quickly as possible. More than likely, Senzen was off and burning for Kallis System. She itemized her knowledge of the system, trying to figure out why the Artemis would go there.\n\nAstrographically speaking, it was relatively close to Oso. Perhaps the original Janus and the Engineering crew had modified\/improved their scanners and saw something she wasn\u2019t aware of, something that indicated the possibility of a habitable planet. The problem was that since Kallis was younger in its development than any other known systems in the UEE or beyond, it had been under almost constant observation by a scientific community eager to study the formation of planets up close. Certainly one of them would have discovered any signs of an Artemis settlement. More than likely, Tonya would have to settle for another clue on the trail.\n\nAgain, this was all speculation. She needed to get there, assess the situation, and process the facts. If that was the Artemis\u2019 destination, there were nine planets in that system. So that was a point in her favor \u2014 it was a lot of terrain for Senzen to cover.\n\nA crack echoed through the canyon. The Osoians glanced up at the canopy of trees shielding them from the sky and then went back to their work. Tonya would know that sound anywhere.\n\nSomeone had just broken atmo.\n\nA spark of optimism fluttered in her heart. Perhaps Senzen had only just left. Maybe she wasn\u2019t too far behind after all.\n\nThe optimism quickly faded when she heard six more cracks echo down through the trees from every direction.\n\nThat was not good. That could only mean one thing \u2026\n\nThe military was here.\n\nTonya slowly rose from her rock throne with her eyes fixed on the sky. She heard the rumble of heavy thrusters approaching. The massive trees began to sway in the churning wind. More than likely, Senzen had given them her exact position on his way out of the system.\n\nThe shaman quickly approached, respectfully trying to usher her back toward her rock. The larger guard raised its weapons, looking back and forth between Tonya and the sky.\n\n\u201cThanks but I should probably get going.\u201d She started backing away from the Osoians, many of whom were now staring in the direction of the ominous noises coming from beyond the canopy.\n\nThe guard blocked Tonya\u2019s path, both its weapons aimed at her. The shaman rushed between them, clicking feverishly at the guard and swatting the stone blades away with its staff.\n\n\u201cStop!\u201d a sonically augmented voice shouted from the top of the canyon by the cave. Tonya looked up. It was a UEE soldier in an exosuit. More and more soldiers emerged at the top of the canyon. The Osoians scattered in a desperate panic at the sight of the strange new monsters in black military armor. \u201cYou are in violation of the Fair Chance Act section \u2013\u201c\n\nA rock ricocheted off the soldier\u2019s helmet. He yelped, more out of surprise than pain, and ducked behind cover. Some of the Osoians started hurling spears and rocks at the other soldiers. The few primitive weapons that hit bounced harmlessly off of the modern armor.\n\nTonya used the distraction to take off as fast as she could and plunge into the dense forest.\n\nWaves of terrified alien creatures fled from the thunderous engine noise. Tonya trudged her way through the thick foliage. She heard zaps from stun weapons discharging in the village behind her.\n\n\u201cHey, you!\u201d a voice yelled far to Tonya\u2019s right. She locked eyes with a soldier a few dozen meters away. The rest of his unit was in a staggered advance position, heading toward the village.\n\nTonya started \u2018running.\u2019 The soldier did too, moving to intercept her. Even as her limbs ached from the strained movement, she had to acknowledge how bizarre this chase would look to the outside observer; as hard as they pushed, they both looked like they were moving in slow motion.\n\nAn energy blast suddenly zipped past Tonya and burned into a tree trunk.\n\n\u201cDammit, stop!\u201d the soldier yelled and aimed for a second shot.\n\nTonya stopped. She couldn\u2019t go on and hated getting shocked. She turned and raised her hands. Sweat poured down her face and the faceplate was fighting to keep the barrier clear from fog.\n\nShe could hear the soldier\u2019s labored breathing over his speakers. He even struggled to keep the gun level as he closed the distance to her.\n\n\u201cThis is Blackbriar-Two-Nine, I have suspect in custody,\u201d he said over his comm. \u201cSending position \u2013\u201d\n\nSuddenly, the Osoian shaman leapt from the dense underbrush. It swung its staff and cracked it across the soldier\u2019s midsection.\n\n\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d The soldier started to aim at the shaman when the guard emerged on the other side and grabbed the rifle. All three toppled to the ground and wrestled for the gun.\n\nTonya caught the Osoian guard\u2019s eye for a second. She gave it a nod and a smile then took off.\n\nAfter forty minutes of massive exertion and a few liters of sweat, Tonya finally got back to where the Beacon II was hidden. She stomped into the airlock and sealed it. The antechamber began to pressurize as vents sprayed decontamination mist. She couldn\u2019t wait to get out of this environment suit. She\u2019d probably have to burn it from all the sweat.\n\nFinally the inner door popped open. Tonya stepped inside her ship. She grabbed a towel and wiped her face as she made her way through the cargo hold.\n\n\u201cHey Janus, feel like flying for a bit? I might go to sleep for a week.\u201d\n\nNo response. Tonya climbed up toward the cockpit. She slowed to a stop. A UEE soldier had dozed off in the pilot\u2019s chair.\n\nShe heard footfalls on the grate behind her. Tonya glanced back. Two more soldiers. One was shoveling some of her food-snacks into his mouth. The other soldier casually aimed her rifle at Tonya.\n\nThe soldier in the pilot chair woke up at the sound of the soldier eating. He stretched his arms and yawned before looking at her.\n\n\u201cFreeze.\u201d\n\n. . . to be continued","de_DE":"Violett war wahrscheinlich keine gl\u00fcckliche Farbe. Exobiologen konnten nicht feststellen, ob die Blitze der biolumineszierenden Farbe eine Form der Kommunikation zwischen den Osoianern oder einfach ein externer Indikator ihrer Stimmung waren.\n\nGegenw\u00e4rtig neigte Tonya zu Letzterem. Das gesamte osoianische Dorf lie\u00df ihre Waffen auf sie richten, w\u00e4hrend ihre Stirnen alle mit dem gleichen sch\u00e4umenden Veilchen gepulst waren.\n\nTonya wog f\u00fcr einen Moment ihre Optionen ab. Nichts pr\u00e4sentierte sich wirklich als eine gute Idee, also entschied sie sich f\u00fcr eine dumme.\n\n\"Ich bin zur\u00fcckgekehrt!\" Sie sagte, sie w\u00fcrde ihre Arme in ihrer besten Faux-Messiah-Pose in die Luft werfen. Die Osoianer sprangen alle zur\u00fcck und versteckten sich hinter ihren erhobenen Waffen. Sie sahen sich an, die kollektive Biolumineszenz verlagerte sich zu einem helleren Blau. Einer wurde kurz vor dem Losfahren gr\u00fcn.\n\nDer mit kleinen Schmuckst\u00fccken verzierte Osoianer schob einige der Speere zur Seite und trat n\u00e4her an Tonya heran. Es machte ein leises Klickger\u00e4usch, das fast einem glottalen Anschlag \u00e4hnelte, als es seinen Stab an ihr r\u00fcttelte.\n\n\"Ich bin es... Kenlo!\" Sie hoffte, dass der Aufruf des Chefingenieurs der Artemis etwas bewirken k\u00f6nnte. Der \u00c4lteste\/Schamane erholte sich leicht. Er winkelte seinen Kopf und klickte sie wieder an.\n\n\"Uh.... siehe meine Herrlichkeit?\" Sie sah sich um. Die Osoianer schienen sich die Blicke zu teilen. Sie drehte sich um und ging stolz in die H\u00f6hle.\n\nDer Schamane folgte Tonya vorsichtig. Der Rest des Dorfes reichte in die H\u00f6hle ein, einige mehr bewacht als andere.\n\nSie versuchte, nicht dar\u00fcber nachzudenken, welchen Schaden sie dieser Kultur zuf\u00fcgte. Zu ihrer Verteidigung, sie war nicht der erste Kontakt. Die urspr\u00fcnglichen Artemis hatten diese Unterscheidung.\n\nIn der Vorkammer mit dem Motor des Artemis fand Tonya das Piktogramm mit Kenlo. Sie wandte sich wieder an den Schamanen, der sie anstarrte. Ein mattes Rot pulsierte um seine Gesichtsz\u00fcge herum. Sie ahmte die Pose an der Wand nach.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich wurde der Schamane gr\u00fcn. Er wirbelte zu den anderen Osoianern herum und klickte fieberhaft. Sie klickten untereinander, bevor sie sich auf die Spitzen ihrer F\u00fc\u00dfe erhoben und sich in einer Art Salut voll ausstreckten.\n\nDer Osoianer, der zuvor abgefeuert hatte, kam, um vier Handvoll der gleichen sich windenden grauen W\u00fcrmer, die Tonya zuvor im Wald gesehen hatte, zu fassen. Er schob sie auf Tonyas Gesichtsplatte.\n\n\"Oh.... gro\u00dfartig. Ich danke dir.\" Tonya winkte sie weg. Wenigstens haben sie sie nicht get\u00f6tet.\n\nDer Schamane schien sich in einer Art Trance zu befinden und schwankte hin und her, w\u00e4hrend er rhythmisch klickte. Die anderen Osoianer hielten ihre Klicks zur\u00fcck und str\u00f6mten um Tonya herum, begierig darauf, ihre H\u00e4nde auf einen Gott zu legen.\n\n\"Langsam, Leute.\" Tonya versuchte, sich frei zu winden, aber sie schw\u00e4rmten sie. Sie drehte die Lautst\u00e4rke auf den externen Lautsprecher. \" Aufh\u00f6ren!\"\n\nIhre Stimme dr\u00f6hnte durch die H\u00f6hle. Die Osoianer verstreuten sich in Verstecke. Einer der gr\u00f6\u00dferen brachte seinen Speer hoch und wartete darauf, dass sie angreift.\n\nDer Gedanke des Laufens durchdrang ihren Geist, aber wenn man bedenkt, wie sehr die erh\u00f6hte Schwerkraft sie verlangsamte, wurde ihr schnell klar, dass \"Laufen\" eine \u00dcbertreibung war. Wenn sie die Osoianer w\u00fctend machte, gab es keine Chance, dass sie ihnen davonlaufen konnte, und etwas weniger Chancen, dass sie alle bek\u00e4mpfen konnte.\n\nAlso musste sie auf ihre Zeit warten. Der Schamane hatte sich in eine kniende Position zur\u00fcckgezogen und seinen Kopf vor ihr verborgen. Tonya griff nach unten und streichelte ihn sanft und hatte keine Ahnung, was sie sonst tun sollte.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nIn den n\u00e4chsten Stunden bereiteten die Osoianer ein gro\u00dfes Fest vor. Der Schamane huschte herum und f\u00fchrte die Au\u00dferirdischen bei ihren Aufgaben an. Von ihrem Ehrenfelsen aus beobachtete Tonya alle Kocht\u00f6pfe, um sicherzustellen, dass sie sie nicht f\u00fcr irgendwelche Zutaten verwenden wollten. W\u00e4ssernde Baby-Au\u00dferirdische wurden ihr vorgestellt. Schmuckst\u00fccke wurden f\u00fcr sie angefertigt.\n\nDie gr\u00f6\u00dfere Wache, die ihren Boden stand, als Tonya schrie, lauert im Schatten einer nahegelegenen H\u00fctte und beobachtet sie. Sie konnte erkennen, dass es kein Fan von dem war, was geschah.\n\nTonya stimmte zu. Sie wollte nichts anderes, als sich so schnell wie m\u00f6glich von dem Ort zu befreien. Wahrscheinlich war Senzen ausgeschaltet und brannte f\u00fcr das Kallis-System. Sie schilderte ihr Wissen \u00fcber das System und versuchte herauszufinden, warum die Artemis dorthin gehen w\u00fcrden.\n\nAstrographisch gesehen war es relativ nah an Oso. Vielleicht hatten der urspr\u00fcngliche Janus und die Ingenieure ihre Scanner modifiziert\/verbessert und sahen etwas, was ihr nicht bekannt war, etwas, das auf die M\u00f6glichkeit eines bewohnbaren Planeten hinwies. Das Problem war, dass Kallis, da es in seiner Entwicklung j\u00fcnger war als alle anderen bekannten Systeme in der UEE oder dar\u00fcber hinaus, unter fast st\u00e4ndiger Beobachtung einer wissenschaftlichen Gemeinschaft stand, die die Bildung von Planeten aus der N\u00e4he untersuchen wollte. Sicherlich h\u00e4tte einer von ihnen irgendwelche Anzeichen einer Artemis-Siedlung entdeckt. Mehr als wahrscheinlich m\u00fcsste sich Tonya mit einem weiteren Hinweis auf den Weg begn\u00fcgen.\n\nNochmals, das war alles Spekulation. Sie musste dorthin gelangen, die Situation einsch\u00e4tzen und die Fakten verarbeiten. Wenn das das Ziel der Artemis war, gab es neun Planeten in diesem System. Das war also ein Punkt zu ihren Gunsten - es war viel Terrain f\u00fcr Senzen.\n\nEin Riss hallte durch den Canyon. Die Osoianer blickten auf das Dach der B\u00e4ume, die sie vor dem Himmel sch\u00fctzten, und gingen dann zur\u00fcck zu ihrer Arbeit. Tonya w\u00fcrde dieses Ger\u00e4usch \u00fcberall erkennen.\n\nJemand hatte gerade die Atmo gebrochen.\n\nEin Funke Optimismus flatterte in ihrem Herzen. Vielleicht war Senzen gerade erst gegangen. Vielleicht war sie doch nicht allzu weit zur\u00fcck.\n\nDer Optimismus verblasste schnell, als sie h\u00f6rte, wie sechs weitere Risse aus allen Richtungen durch die B\u00e4ume hallten.\n\nDas war nicht gut. Das konnte nur eines bedeuten....\n\nDas Milit\u00e4r war hier.\n\nTonya erhob sich langsam von ihrem Felsenthron mit den Augen am Himmel. Sie h\u00f6rte das Rumpeln schwerer Triebwerke. Die massiven B\u00e4ume begannen im tosenden Wind zu schwanken. Wahrscheinlich hatte Senzen ihnen auf dem Weg aus dem System ihre genaue Position mitgeteilt.\n\nDer Schamane n\u00e4herte sich schnell und versuchte respektvoll, ihren R\u00fccken zu ihrem Felsen zu f\u00fchren. Die gr\u00f6\u00dfere Wache hob ihre Waffen und blickte zwischen Tonya und dem Himmel hin und her.\n\n\"Danke, aber ich sollte jetzt besser gehen.\" Sie fing an, sich von den Osoianern zur\u00fcckzuziehen, von denen viele nun in Richtung der omin\u00f6sen Ger\u00e4usche starrten, die von au\u00dferhalb des Vordachs kamen.\n\nDie Wache blockierte Tonyas Weg, beide Waffen waren auf sie gerichtet. Der Schamane eilte zwischen ihnen, klickte fieberhaft auf die Wache und schlug die Steinklingen mit seinem Stab weg.\n\n\"Stop!\" eine klanglich erweiterte Stimme, die von der Spitze des Canyons an der H\u00f6hle schrie. Tonya sah auf. Es war ein UEE-Soldat in einem Exosuit. Immer mehr Soldaten tauchten auf der Spitze des Canyons auf. Die Osoianer verstreuten sich in verzweifelter Panik beim Anblick der seltsamen neuen Monster in schwarzer Milit\u00e4rr\u00fcstung. \"Du verst\u00f6\u00dft gegen den Fair Chance Act Abschnitt -\"\n\nEin Stein rikschierte vom Helm des Soldaten. Er schrie, eher \u00fcberrascht als schmerzhaft, und duckte sich hinter Deckung. Einige der Osoianer begannen, Speere und Felsen auf die anderen Soldaten zu werfen. Die wenigen primitiven Waffen, die getroffen wurden, prallten harmlos von der modernen R\u00fcstung ab.\n\nTonya nutzte die Ablenkung, um so schnell wie m\u00f6glich abzuheben und in den dichten Wald zu tauchen.\n\nWellen von ver\u00e4ngstigten au\u00dferirdischen Kreaturen flohen vor dem donnernden Motorenl\u00e4rm. Tonya schleppte sich durch das dicke Laub. Sie h\u00f6rte Schl\u00e4ge von Bet\u00e4ubungswaffen, die sich in dem Dorf hinter ihr entluden.\n\n\"Hey, du!\" schrie eine Stimme weit nach Tonya's Rechten. Sie schloss die Augen mit einem Soldaten, der ein paar Dutzend Meter entfernt war. Der Rest seiner Einheit befand sich in einer versetzten Vorhutposition und steuerte auf das Dorf zu.\n\nTonya fing an zu \"rennen\". Der Soldat tat es auch und bewegte sich, um sie abzufangen. Selbst als ihre Gliedma\u00dfen von der angespannten Bewegung gequ\u00e4lt wurden, musste sie erkennen, wie bizarr diese Verfolgungsjagd f\u00fcr den \u00e4u\u00dferen Betrachter aussehen w\u00fcrde; so hart sie auch dr\u00fcckten, sie sahen beide aus, als w\u00fcrden sie sich in Zeitlupe bewegen.\n\nEine Energieexplosion schoss pl\u00f6tzlich an Tonya vorbei und brannte in einen Baumstamm.\n\n\"Verdammt, h\u00f6r auf!\" schrie der Soldat und zielte auf einen zweiten Schuss.\n\nTonya blieb stehen. Sie konnte nicht weitermachen und hasste es, schockiert zu sein. Sie drehte sich um und hob ihre H\u00e4nde. Schwei\u00df str\u00f6mte \u00fcber ihr Gesicht und die Frontplatte k\u00e4mpfte, um die Barriere frei von Nebel zu halten.\n\nSie konnte h\u00f6ren, wie der Soldat \u00fcber seine Lautsprecher atmete. Er k\u00e4mpfte sogar darum, die Waffe waagerecht zu halten, als er den Abstand zu ihr schloss.\n\n\"Das ist Blackbriar - Zwei - Neun, ich habe den Verdacht in Gewahrsam\", sagte er \u00fcber sein Komm. \"Sendeposition -\"\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich sprang der oesische Schamane aus dem dichten Unterholz. Er schwang seinen Stab und knackte ihn \u00fcber das Mittelteil des Soldaten.\n\n\"Was zum Teufel?\" Der Soldat begann auf den Schamanen zu zielen, als der W\u00e4chter auf der anderen Seite auftauchte und das Gewehr ergriff. Alle drei st\u00fcrzten zu Boden und rangen um die Waffe.\n\nTonya fiel dem \u00f6stereichischen Wachmann f\u00fcr eine Sekunde ins Auge. Sie nickte und l\u00e4chelte und hob dann ab.\n\nNach vierzig Minuten massiver Anstrengung und ein paar Litern Schwei\u00df gelangte Tonya schlie\u00dflich zur\u00fcck zu dem Ort, an dem der Beacon II versteckt war. Sie stampfte in die Luftschleuse und versiegelte sie. Die Vorkammer begann sich unter Druck zu setzen, als die Entl\u00fcftungs\u00f6ffnungen mit Dekontaminationsnebel bespr\u00fcht wurden. Sie konnte es kaum erwarten, aus diesem Umgebungsanzug auszusteigen. Sie m\u00fcsste es wahrscheinlich durch den ganzen Schwei\u00df verbrennen.\n\nSchlie\u00dflich sprang die Innent\u00fcr auf. Tonya trat in ihr Schiff ein. Sie packte ein Handtuch und wischte sich das Gesicht, als sie sich auf den Weg durch den Frachtraum machte.\n\n\"Hey Janus, m\u00f6chtest du f\u00fcr eine Weile fliegen? Ich gehe vielleicht f\u00fcr eine Woche schlafen.\"\n\nKeine Antwort. Tonya kletterte nach oben zum Cockpit. Sie wurde langsamer bis zum Anschlag. Ein UEE-Soldat war im Pilotenstuhl eingenickt.\n\nSie h\u00f6rte Schritte auf dem Gitter hinter sich. Tonya blickte zur\u00fcck. Zwei weitere Soldaten. Einer schaufelte sich einige ihrer Snacks in den Mund. Die andere Soldatin richtete ihr Gewehr beil\u00e4ufig auf Tonya.\n\nDer Soldat auf dem Pilotenstuhl wachte beim Ger\u00e4usch des Essens des Soldaten auf. Er streckte seine Arme aus und g\u00e4hnte, bevor er sie ansah.\n\n\" Keine Bewegung.\"\n\n\n\n\n. ... wird fortgesetzt","zh_CN":"Violet probably wasn\u2019t a happy color. Exobiologists couldn\u2019t determine whether the flashes of bioluminescent color were a form of communication between the Osoians or simply an external indicator of their mood.\n\nCurrently, Tonya was leaning towards the latter. The entire Osoian village had their weapons leveled at her as their foreheads all pulsed with the same churning violet.\n\nTonya weighed her options for a moment. Nothing really presented itself as a good idea so she decided on a dumb one.\n\n\u201cI have returned!\u201d She said throwing her arms up in the air in her best faux-messiah pose. The Osoian all jumped back and hid behind their raised weapons. They looked at each other, the collective bioluminescence shifted to a paler blue. One turned green shortly before scurrying off.\n\nThe Osoian adorned with small trinkets pushed a few of the spears aside and stepped closer to Tonya. It made a low clicking noise that almost resembled a glottal stop as it jangled its staff at her.\n\n\u201cIt is I \u2026 Kenlo!\u201d She hoped invoking the chief engineer of the Artemis might do something. The elder\/shaman perked up slightly. It angled its head and clicked at her again.\n\n\u201cUh \u2026 behold my glory?\u201d She looked around. The Osoians seemed to be exchanging glances. She turned and strode proudly into the cave.\n\nThe shaman cautiously followed Tonya. The rest of the village filed into the cave, some more guarded than others.\n\nShe was trying not to think about what kind of damage she was doing to this culture. In her defense, she wasn\u2019t First Contact. The original Artemis had that distinction.\n\nIn the antechamber with the engine from the Artemis, Tonya found the pictograph with Kenlo. She turned back to the shaman who was staring at her. A dull red pulsed around its features. She mimicked the pose on the wall.\n\nSuddenly the shaman turned green. It whirled around to the other Osoians and clicked feverishly. They clicked amongst themselves before raising themselves up onto the tips of their feet, fully extending themselves in some kind of salute.\n\nThe Osoian who had darted off earlier came rushing in clutching four handfuls of the same writhing grey worms Tonya had seen earlier in the forest. He shoved them at Tonya\u2019s faceplate.\n\n\u201cOh \u2026 great. Thank you.\u201d Tonya waved them away. At least they weren\u2019t killing her.\n\nThe shaman seemed to be in some kind of trance, swaying back and forth as it rhythmically clicked. The other Osoians echoed its clicks and flooded around Tonya, eager to lay their hands on a god.\n\n\u201cEasy there, guys.\u201d Tonya tried to wriggle free but they were swarming her. She cranked the volume on the external speaker. \u201cStop!\u201d\n\nHer voice boomed through the cave. The Osoians scattered into hiding places. One of the bigger ones brought up its spear, waiting for her to attack.\n\nThe notion of running flashed through her mind, but considering how much the increased gravity slowed her down, she quickly realized that \u2018running\u2019 was an overstatement. If she made the Osoians angry, there was no chance she could outrun them, and slightly less of a chance she could fight all of them.\n\nSo she\u2019d have to bide her time. The shaman had recoiled into a kneeling position and hidden its head from her. Tonya reached down and gently pet it, having no idea what else to do.\n\n\n* * * *\n\n\nOver the next few hours, the Osoians prepared a massive feast. The shaman scuttled around, directing the aliens in their tasks. From her rock of honor, Tonya kept a watchful eye on all the cooking pots to make sure that they weren\u2019t planning on using her for any ingredients. Wriggling baby aliens were presented to her. Trinkets were fashioned for her.\n\nThe larger guard who stood its ground when Tonya shouted lurked in the shade of a nearby hut, watching her. She could tell it was not a fan of what was happening.\n\nTonya agreed. She wanted nothing more than to extricate herself from the place as quickly as possible. More than likely, Senzen was off and burning for Kallis System. She itemized her knowledge of the system, trying to figure out why the Artemis would go there.\n\nAstrographically speaking, it was relatively close to Oso. Perhaps the original Janus and the Engineering crew had modified\/improved their scanners and saw something she wasn\u2019t aware of, something that indicated the possibility of a habitable planet. The problem was that since Kallis was younger in its development than any other known systems in the UEE or beyond, it had been under almost constant observation by a scientific community eager to study the formation of planets up close. Certainly one of them would have discovered any signs of an Artemis settlement. More than likely, Tonya would have to settle for another clue on the trail.\n\nAgain, this was all speculation. She needed to get there, assess the situation, and process the facts. If that was the Artemis\u2019 destination, there were nine planets in that system. So that was a point in her favor \u2014 it was a lot of terrain for Senzen to cover.\n\nA crack echoed through the canyon. The Osoians glanced up at the canopy of trees shielding them from the sky and then went back to their work. Tonya would know that sound anywhere.\n\nSomeone had just broken atmo.\n\nA spark of optimism fluttered in her heart. Perhaps Senzen had only just left. Maybe she wasn\u2019t too far behind after all.\n\nThe optimism quickly faded when she heard six more cracks echo down through the trees from every direction.\n\nThat was not good. That could only mean one thing \u2026\n\nThe military was here.\n\nTonya slowly rose from her rock throne with her eyes fixed on the sky. She heard the rumble of heavy thrusters approaching. The massive trees began to sway in the churning wind. More than likely, Senzen had given them her exact position on his way out of the system.\n\nThe shaman quickly approached, respectfully trying to usher her back toward her rock. The larger guard raised its weapons, looking back and forth between Tonya and the sky.\n\n\u201cThanks but I should probably get going.\u201d She started backing away from the Osoians, many of whom were now staring in the direction of the ominous noises coming from beyond the canopy.\n\nThe guard blocked Tonya\u2019s path, both its weapons aimed at her. The shaman rushed between them, clicking feverishly at the guard and swatting the stone blades away with its staff.\n\n\u201cStop!\u201d a sonically augmented voice shouted from the top of the canyon by the cave. Tonya looked up. It was a UEE soldier in an exosuit. More and more soldiers emerged at the top of the canyon. The Osoians scattered in a desperate panic at the sight of the strange new monsters in black military armor. \u201cYou are in violation of the Fair Chance Act section \u2013\u201c\n\nA rock ricocheted off the soldier\u2019s helmet. He yelped, more out of surprise than pain, and ducked behind cover. Some of the Osoians started hurling spears and rocks at the other soldiers. The few primitive weapons that hit bounced harmlessly off of the modern armor.\n\nTonya used the distraction to take off as fast as she could and plunge into the dense forest.\n\nWaves of terrified alien creatures fled from the thunderous engine noise. Tonya trudged her way through the thick foliage. She heard zaps from stun weapons discharging in the village behind her.\n\n\u201cHey, you!\u201d a voice yelled far to Tonya\u2019s right. She locked eyes with a soldier a few dozen meters away. The rest of his unit was in a staggered advance position, heading toward the village.\n\nTonya started \u2018running.\u2019 The soldier did too, moving to intercept her. Even as her limbs ached from the strained movement, she had to acknowledge how bizarre this chase would look to the outside observer; as hard as they pushed, they both looked like they were moving in slow motion.\n\nAn energy blast suddenly zipped past Tonya and burned into a tree trunk.\n\n\u201cDammit, stop!\u201d the soldier yelled and aimed for a second shot.\n\nTonya stopped. She couldn\u2019t go on and hated getting shocked. She turned and raised her hands. Sweat poured down her face and the faceplate was fighting to keep the barrier clear from fog.\n\nShe could hear the soldier\u2019s labored breathing over his speakers. He even struggled to keep the gun level as he closed the distance to her.\n\n\u201cThis is Blackbriar-Two-Nine, I have suspect in custody,\u201d he said over his comm. \u201cSending position \u2013\u201d\n\nSuddenly, the Osoian shaman leapt from the dense underbrush. It swung its staff and cracked it across the soldier\u2019s midsection.\n\n\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d The soldier started to aim at the shaman when the guard emerged on the other side and grabbed the rifle. All three toppled to the ground and wrestled for the gun.\n\nTonya caught the Osoian guard\u2019s eye for a second. She gave it a nod and a smile then took off.\n\nAfter forty minutes of massive exertion and a few liters of sweat, Tonya finally got back to where the Beacon II was hidden. She stomped into the airlock and sealed it. The antechamber began to pressurize as vents sprayed decontamination mist. She couldn\u2019t wait to get out of this environment suit. She\u2019d probably have to burn it from all the sweat.\n\nFinally the inner door popped open. Tonya stepped inside her ship. She grabbed a towel and wiped her face as she made her way through the cargo hold.\n\n\u201cHey Janus, feel like flying for a bit? I might go to sleep for a week.\u201d\n\nNo response. Tonya climbed up toward the cockpit. She slowed to a stop. A UEE soldier had dozed off in the pilot\u2019s chair.\n\nShe heard footfalls on the grate behind her. Tonya glanced back. Two more soldiers. One was shoveling some of her food-snacks into his mouth. The other soldier casually aimed her rifle at Tonya.\n\nThe soldier in the pilot chair woke up at the sound of the soldier eating. He stretched his arms and yawned before looking at her.\n\n\u201cFreeze.\u201d\n\n. . . to be continued"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":40,"created_at":"2013-03-07T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"13 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-22 06:04:59","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":12912,"next_id":12915}}