{"data":{"id":13081,"title":"A Human Perspective - Episode 8 - Roberts Space Industries","rsi_url":"\/web\/20140711234228\/https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/13081-A-Human-Perspective-Episode-8","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13081","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13081","channel":"Spectrum Dispatch","category":"Lore","series":"A Human Perspective","images":[{"id":29099,"name":"HumanPerspFI_Clean.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/cmjxxjf2qh8uzr\/source\/HumanPerspFI_Clean.jpg","alt":"","size":3441449,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-18T18:33:50+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/29099","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/29099\/similar"}],"images_count":3,"translations":{"en_EN":"Charl drifted on the edge of consciousness. Unspecified pain gripped every fiber of his being. All other sensation bowed to it. His lips and nose tingled numbly, and when he blinked against the white light glare, it sounded to him like someone tossing sandbags around. Straps held his arms and legs in place, loosely, though he could muster no strength to pull against them. It was his head that was locked down \u2014 gripped tight, forehead to spine, in some form-fitting, plastic helmet. Even though he felt weak as a kitten, he was pretty sure that even on his best day he could not have wrestled his head out of that vice.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d he mumbled feebly, but no one answered him. He knew there were others around him. He could hear their soft, Banu voices. They shuffled around, yellow-coated phantoms intruding upon Charl\u2019s painful semi-dream state. One leaned in over him, eclipsing the white light like a silhouetted moon. An adjustment was made. Charl slipped back into deeper oblivion.\n\nHow much time passed until his next lucid moment he had no idea. This time around he had traded greater specific pain for a bit more awareness. His skull felt like they had driven steel wedges through it all the way to the roof of his mouth, and he was sure that if he moved even a little they would rip his brain flesh to ribbons. He could focus better now, though, and strained his eyes down to see a handful of techs monitoring strange workstations, adjusting dials, and doing other tech stuff.\n\n\u201cWhere\u2019s Lyshtuu?\u201d he gasped, though doing so intensified his pain immeasurably. A tech craned his head and motioned to his fellows, one of whom came closer. Charl\u2019s vision was far too blurry to accurately identify him.\n\n\u201cWhere\u2019s Lyshtuu?\u201d he just mouthed it this time, then again in Banu just to be sure.\n\n\u201cLyshtuu dismissed,\u201d the Banu said simply. He reached over Charl\u2019s head, touching, perhaps adjusting the device they had him hooked up to.\n\n\u201cLet me go,\u201d he managed weakly, but stopped when a flood of memories cascaded before his eyes, accompanied by every associated heart-wrenching emotion, like racing through months of his life in just seconds, with the volume cranked all the way up. As quickly as it began it stopped, leaving him a heaving, quivering wreck.\n\nMore techs gathered nearby, talking softly among themselves, and in his present state Charl wasn\u2019t sure he could have distinguished what they were saying even if they spelled it all out for him. His mind still reeled from the memory barrage. He did pick up on one thing, though. The techs weren\u2019t happy about something. They were arguing, and he caught them discussing something about \u2018cooperation\u2019 and \u2018blocking.\u2019 By now his whole face was both numb and seemingly touched by fire and he closed his eyes, but not before the techs dispersed, leaving just one behind making further adjustments to his unholy helmet.\n\n\u201cCan Charl-Grissom understand me now?\u201d the adjusting tech asked. Complete clarity settled upon Charl\u2019s mind like a warm blanket. There was still some pain and discomfort, and he was still strapped down, but it was like his mind had just come out of jump space and back into the real world.\n\n\u201cLet me go!\u201d Charl put enough force behind it that the tech backed up a bit.\n\n\u201cNo release. Contract stipulation.\u201d The tech held one of Charl\u2019s eyes open and peered deeply into it with his own, blinding him further with a small pen-sized light.\n\n\u201cScrew the contract! You can\u2019t treat me like this! I demand to see Lyshtuu!\u201d Keep it strong. Banu respect strength.\n\n\u201cLyshtuu dismissed.\u201d \u2018Dismissed\u2019 tends to mean just that in the Banu language, Charl noted, rather than something more sinister.\n\n\u201cThen where\u2019s Angela?\u201d Any familiar face might be of help to him now, he figured, even an android face.\n\n\u201cProject Angela cancelled.\u201d Cancelled? Did that mean she was dismantled? Abandoned, perhaps? Either way, he was running out of familiar people to negotiate with, and these techs didn\u2019t seem particularly concerned with his wishes. His mind raced. He had to make his case before they turned their brain scrambler back on. Anything to cut some kind of deal, get them off their guard, then get a chance to escape.\n\n\u201cIs Angela here?\u201d he asked, panting a bit now but regaining more body control. \u201cAndroid Angela?\u201d\n\n\u201cProject Angela cancelled,\u201d the Banu tech repeated. \u201cProject Charl-Grissom begun.\u201d\n\nCharl\u2019s guts felt like they\u2019d collapsed into a singularity. There\u2019s no way they\u2019re making an android version of me!\n\n\u201cThere must be some kind of mistake,\u201d he insisted. Were they really going to turn him into an android? Were they prepping his brain for removal? Seldom at a loss for words, Charl lay silent and slack-jawed. The enormity of his situation struck him dumb.\n\n\u201cI am Tech Two.\u201d A new tech had come close while Charl languished. Banu tended to take numbers as pseudonyms when they wanted to remain anonymous, and they only sought anonymity when they were doing something illegal or immoral, so that wasn\u2019t good.\n\n\u201cNew project initiated,\u201d the new tech tried to explain. \u201cContract clause enacted \u2026\u201d He stumbled along, trying to express his thoughts in a strange tongue. Contract? Charl got a sinking feeling he should have read his second contract a little more closely.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom breach contract,\u201d he continued, \u201cBreach voluntary by Charl-Grissom. Contract stipulation clear. Breach initiate new clause \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI breached the contract?\u201d Charl asked, hoping vainly he might be entitled to a lawyer. \u201cI did everything the contract specified,\u201d he protested. \u201cI attended every evaluation session \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cContract breach, affirmative. Data compromised.\u201d Crap! They had nailed him for exploring their data. Maybe they\u2019d made it so easy just so they could trap him into \u2026 into this, whatever this was. He quickly concocted a variety of excuses.\n\n\u201cI was only trying to verify the data \u2026\u201d he began, but Tech Two ignored him. \u201cLyshtuu suggested I go through the data \u2026\u201d He wasn\u2019t buying it.\n\n\u201cData compromised. Contract breached. Victim entitled to restitution.\u201d Really? These Banu have me strapped to a table and they\u2019re telling me that, contractually anyway, they are the victims?\n\n\u201cThe contract says you can torture me?\u201d Had Lyshtuu sold him out, he wondered? They\u2019re saying he\u2019s been dismissed, so maybe he\u2019s not part of this. Maybe it\u2019s all Protectorate strong-arming, some government job. \u201cI demand that you release me now!\u201d\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom not tortured. Not harmed. Charl-Grissom harvested.\u201d\n\nThe black hole in his gut shrank in magnitude a bit.\n\n\u201cHarvested?\u201d he asked tentatively.\n\n\u201cHarvested,\u201d Tech Two looked to his fellows elsewhere around the room for verification, but apparently none could come up with a better word for it. \u201cHarvesting. Mental harvesting.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, hang on a minute. I breached the contract on your android and that lets you harvest my mind to make a new android project based on me? Really? And this is all legal? No way!\u201d\n\n\u201cAs Charl-Grissom says,\u201d Tech Two verified.\n\n\u201cSo, you\u2019re not going to cut my brain out?\u2019\u201d\n\nA couple of the techs burst with their Banu version of laughter, then shared with their fellows who didn\u2019t immediately understand so they, too, could get the joke. Charl didn\u2019t think it was so funny.\n\n\u201cNegative!\u201d Tech Two insisted emphatically. \u201cCharl-Grissom unharmed. Charl-Grissom mental harvesting.\u201d The singularity in his gut shrank a bit more, but he was still strapped down against his will.\n\n\u201cWhat about this thing?\u201d he asked, looking up to \u2018point\u2019 with his eyes. \u201cI hope this thing works better than your android.\u201d Banu don\u2019t really shrug, but that was definitely the impression he got as they exchanged glances. \u201cAre you copying things out of my mind, or \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cCopy only, Charl-Grissom. No damage.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat guarantees do I have \u2026?\u201d he began to ask, wishing he had just a couple of cards in his hand. He would promise them anything, he decided, if it got him an opportunity to escape.\n\n\u201cNo damage.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, then. That\u2019s the best news I\u2019ve heard all day,\u201d he said, knowing full well the Banu wouldn\u2019t understand the expression. \u201cBut this thing\u2019s killing me! Can you cut the pain?\u201d he asked, wriggling his shoulders.\n\n\u201cBlocking equal discomfort,\u201d Tech Two said, attentive now that they were finally getting around to what he wanted to discuss. \u201cCooperation reduce discomfort. Cooperation make better transfer. Shorter transfer.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, I\u2019m not a prisoner?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes. Charl-Grissom prisoner,\u201d Tech Two replied matter-of-factly. \u201cContract obligation.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see.\u201d Charl forgave himself some confusion. He\u2019d been drugged, strapped down, and had his brain fried by this alien mind ripper. He struggled to process all this as best he could.\n\n\u201cSo, there\u2019s going to be an android me running around somewhere?\u201d he asked, but he really didn\u2019t expect an answer. How bad could that be? I can always deal with it later, I suppose. \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll cooperate.\u201d I\u2019ll cooperate until I get a chance to get the hell out of here!\n\n\u201cCooperate. Affirmative.\u201d Tech Two seemed relieved.\n\n\u201cAnd no more pain?\u201d Charl questioned.\n\n\u201cCooperate reduce discomfort,\u201d he responded, which was far from a guarantee, but Charl knew it was probably all he was going to get. \u201cCharl-Grissom relax. Cooperate reduce discomfort.\u201d\n\nCharl took a few deep breaths and tried to relax, but that was easier said than done. He let his mind wander, hoping that would help. I can\u2019t wait to get out of here and get back to the \u2026 my ship, the \u2026 why can\u2019t I remember the name of my ship?\n\n\u201cAid Charl-Grissom cooperate,\u201d Tech Two said, gently tapping a syringe before injecting something into his arm. For a moment Charl\u2019s gut-gnawing singularity turned into a galaxy-consuming black hole before dissolving in a lotus-like haze.\n\nTo Be Continued \u2026","de_DE":"Charl schwebte am Rande des Bewusstseins. Ein unbestimmter Schmerz erfasste jede Faser seines Wesens. Alle anderen Empfindungen gingen dem Schmerz unter. Seine Lippen und seine Nase kribbelten wie bet\u00e4ubt, und als er gegen das grelle wei\u00dfe Licht blinzelte, kam es ihm vor, als w\u00fcrde jemand Sands\u00e4cke umherwerfen. Die Gurte hielten seine Arme und Beine locker an Ort und Stelle, aber er konnte keine Kraft aufbringen, um dagegen zu ziehen. Nur sein Kopf war eingesperrt - fest umklammert, von der Stirn bis zur Wirbels\u00e4ule, in einem formschl\u00fcssigen Plastikhelm. Obwohl er sich schwach wie ein K\u00e4tzchen f\u00fchlte, war er sich ziemlich sicher, dass er selbst an seinem besten Tag nicht in der Lage gewesen w\u00e4re, seinen Kopf aus diesem Schraubstock herauszuwinden.\n\n\"Was ist hier los?\", murmelte er schwach, aber niemand antwortete ihm. Er wusste, dass andere um ihn herum waren. Er konnte ihre leisen Banu-Stimmen h\u00f6ren. Sie schlurften um ihn herum, gelb beschichtete Phantome, die in Charl's schmerzhaften Halbtraum eindrangen. Eines beugte sich \u00fcber ihn und verfinsterte das wei\u00dfe Licht wie ein Mondschatten. Eine Anpassung wurde vorgenommen. Charl glitt zur\u00fcck in eine tiefere Vergessenheit.\n\nWie viel Zeit bis zu seinem n\u00e4chsten lichten Moment verging, wusste er nicht. Diesmal hatte er einen gr\u00f6\u00dferen spezifischen Schmerz gegen ein bisschen mehr Bewusstsein eingetauscht. Sein Sch\u00e4del f\u00fchlte sich an, als h\u00e4tten sie Stahlkeile bis zum Dach seines Mundes getrieben, und er war sich sicher, dass sie sein Hirnfleisch in St\u00fccke rei\u00dfen w\u00fcrden, wenn er sich auch nur ein bisschen bewegte. Er konnte sich jetzt aber besser konzentrieren und sah eine Handvoll Techniker, die seltsame Arbeitsstationen \u00fcberwachten, Regler einstellten und andere technische Dinge taten.\n\n\"Wo ist Lyshtuu?\", keuchte er, obwohl dies seine Schmerzen ins Unermessliche verst\u00e4rkte. Ein Techniker neigte den Kopf und winkte seinen Kollegen zu, von denen einer n\u00e4her kam. Charls Sicht war viel zu unscharf, um ihn genau zu erkennen.\n\n\"Wo ist Lyshtuu?\", murmelte er diesmal nur und dann noch einmal auf Banu, um sicherzugehen.\n\n\"Lyshtuu ist weggetreten\", sagte der Banu schlicht. Er griff \u00fcber Charls Kopf, ber\u00fchrte das Ger\u00e4t, an das sie ihn angeschlossen hatten, und stellte es vielleicht ein.\n\n\"Lassen Sie mich gehen\", sagte er schwach, hielt aber inne, als eine Flut von Erinnerungen vor seinen Augen auftauchte, begleitet von allen damit verbundenen herzzerrei\u00dfenden Emotionen, als w\u00fcrde er Monate seines Lebens in Sekundenschnelle durchleben, und zwar in voller Lautst\u00e4rke. So schnell wie es begonnen hatte, h\u00f6rte es auch wieder auf und lie\u00df ihn als zitterndes Wrack zur\u00fcck.\n\nWeitere Techniker versammelten sich in der N\u00e4he und unterhielten sich leise miteinander, und in seinem jetzigen Zustand war Charl nicht sicher, ob er h\u00e4tte verstehen k\u00f6nnen, was sie sagten, selbst wenn sie ihm alles buchstabiert h\u00e4tten. Sein Verstand war noch immer von der Erinnerungsflut geschw\u00e4cht. Eine Sache hatte er jedoch aufgeschnappt. Die Techniker waren \u00fcber etwas nicht gl\u00fccklich. Sie haben sich gestritten und er hat mitbekommen, wie sie etwas \u00fcber 'Kooperation' und 'Blockieren' diskutiert haben. Inzwischen war sein ganzes Gesicht gef\u00fchllos und wie vom Feuer ber\u00fchrt. Er schloss die Augen, aber nicht bevor die Techniker sich zerstreuten und nur einer zur\u00fcckblieb, der weitere Anpassungen an seinem unheiligen Helm vornahm.\n\n\"Kann Charl-Grissom mich jetzt verstehen?\", fragte der Techniker. V\u00f6llige Klarheit legte sich wie eine warme Decke \u00fcber Chars Geist. Es gab immer noch Schmerzen und Unbehagen und er war immer noch festgeschnallt, aber es war, als w\u00e4re sein Geist gerade aus dem Sprungraum in die reale Welt zur\u00fcckgekehrt.\n\n\"Lassen Sie mich los!\" Charl dr\u00fcckte so fest zu, dass der Techniker ein wenig zur\u00fcckwich.\n\n\"Keine Freilassung. Vertragsklausel.\" Der Techniker hielt ein Auge von Charl offen und blickte ihm mit seinem eigenen tief in die Augen, wobei er ihn mit einem kleinen stiftgro\u00dfen Licht weiter blendete.\n\n\"Schei\u00df auf den Vertrag! So k\u00f6nnen Sie mich nicht behandeln! Ich verlange, Lyshtuu zu sehen!\" Bleiben Sie stark. Banu respektieren St\u00e4rke.\n\n\"Lyshtuu ist entlassen.\" Wegtreten' bedeutet in der Sprache der Banu meist genau das, stellte Charl fest, und nicht etwas Unheilvolles.\n\n\"Wo ist dann Angela?\" Jedes bekannte Gesicht k\u00f6nnte ihm jetzt helfen, dachte er sich, sogar ein Androidengesicht.\n\n\"Projekt Angela abgebrochen.\" Abgebrochen? Bedeutete das, dass sie demontiert wurde? Vielleicht aufgegeben? Wie auch immer, ihm gingen die vertrauten Leute aus, mit denen er verhandeln konnte, und diese Techniker schienen sich nicht sonderlich um seine W\u00fcnsche zu k\u00fcmmern. Sein Verstand raste. Er musste seine Argumente vorbringen, bevor sie ihren Gehirnscrambler wieder einschalteten. Er musste alles tun, um einen Deal auszuhandeln, sie aus der Reserve zu locken und dann die Chance zur Flucht zu bekommen.\n\n\"Ist Angela hier?\", fragte er und keuchte jetzt ein wenig, aber er hatte seinen K\u00f6rper wieder unter Kontrolle. \"Android Angela?\"\n\n\"Projekt Angela abgebrochen\", wiederholte der Banu-Techniker. \"Projekt Charl-Grissom begonnen.\"\n\nCharls Eingeweide f\u00fchlten sich an, als w\u00e4ren sie zu einer Singularit\u00e4t kollabiert. Sie werden auf keinen Fall eine Androidenversion von mir herstellen!\n\n\"Das muss ein Irrtum sein\", beharrte er. Wollten sie ihn wirklich in einen Androiden verwandeln? Wurde sein Gehirn f\u00fcr die Entfernung vorbereitet? Charl, der selten um Worte verlegen ist, blieb stumm und mit offenem Mund liegen. Die Ungeheuerlichkeit seiner Situation machte ihn fassungslos.\n\n\"Ich bin Tech Zwei.\" Ein neuer Techniker war in der N\u00e4he, w\u00e4hrend Charl schmachtete. Banu neigten dazu, Nummern als Pseudonyme zu verwenden, wenn sie anonym bleiben wollten, und sie suchten nur dann Anonymit\u00e4t, wenn sie etwas Illegales oder Unmoralisches taten, also war das nicht gut.\n\n\"Neues Projekt initiiert\", versuchte der neue Techniker zu erkl\u00e4ren. \"Vertragsklausel in Kraft getreten ...\" Er stolperte und versuchte, seine Gedanken in einer fremden Sprache auszudr\u00fccken. Vertrag? Charl hatte das ungute Gef\u00fchl, dass er seinen zweiten Vertrag etwas genauer h\u00e4tte lesen sollen.\n\n\"Charl-Grissom bricht Vertrag\", fuhr er fort, \"Bruch freiwillig durch Charl-Grissom. Vertragsklausel klar. Vertragsbruch l\u00f6st neue Klausel aus...\"\n\n\"Ich habe den Vertrag gebrochen?\" fragte Charl und hoffte vergeblich, dass er ein Recht auf einen Anwalt haben k\u00f6nnte. \"Ich habe alles getan, was im Vertrag steht\", protestierte er. \"Ich habe an jeder Beurteilungssitzung teilgenommen ...\"\n\n\"Vertragsbruch, positiv. Daten kompromittiert.\" Verdammt! Sie hatten ihn festgenagelt, weil er ihre Daten erforscht hatte. Vielleicht hatten sie es ihm nur so leicht gemacht, um ihn in eine Falle zu locken... in diese Sache, was auch immer es war. Er dachte sich schnell eine Reihe von Ausreden aus.\n\n\"Ich habe nur versucht, die Daten zu \u00fcberpr\u00fcfen ...\", begann er, aber Tech Zwei ignorierte ihn. \"Lyshtuu schlug vor, dass ich mir die Daten ansehe ...\" Er kaufte es ihm nicht ab.\n\n\"Daten kompromittiert. Vertrag gebrochen. Das Opfer hat Anspruch auf Entsch\u00e4digung.\" Wirklich? Diese Banu haben mich an einen Tisch gefesselt und sagen mir, dass sie, zumindest vertraglich gesehen, die Opfer sind?\n\n\"Der Vertrag besagt, dass Sie mich foltern d\u00fcrfen?\" Hatte Lyshtuu ihn verraten, fragte er sich? Sie sagen, er sei entlassen worden, also hat er vielleicht nichts damit zu tun. Vielleicht ist das alles nur eine Erpressung des Protektorats, ein Auftrag der Regierung. \"Ich verlange, dass Sie mich sofort freilassen!\"\n\n\"Charl-Grissom nicht gefoltert. Nicht gesch\u00e4digt. Charl-Grissom geerntet.\"\n\nDas schwarze Loch in seinem Bauch schrumpfte ein wenig.\n\n\"Geerntet?\", fragte er zaghaft.\n\n\"Geerntet\", Tech Two schaute zu seinen Kollegen im Raum, um sich zu vergewissern, aber anscheinend fiel keinem ein besseres Wort daf\u00fcr ein. \"Ernten. Mentales Ernten.\"\n\n\"Okay, warten Sie einen Moment. Ich habe den Vertrag mit Ihrem Androiden gebrochen und das erlaubt Ihnen, meinen Geist zu ernten, um ein neues Androidenprojekt auf meiner Basis zu entwickeln? Ganz ehrlich? Und das ist alles legal? Niemals!\"\n\n\"Wie Charl-Grissom sagt\", best\u00e4tigte Tech Two.\n\n\"Sie werden mir also nicht das Gehirn herausschneiden?\"\n\nEin paar der Techniker brachen in ihre Banu-Version des Lachens aus und teilten es dann mit ihren Kollegen, die es nicht sofort verstanden, damit auch sie den Witz verstehen konnten. Charl fand es nicht so lustig.\n\n\"Negativ!\" Tech Zwei bestand mit Nachdruck darauf. \"Charl-Grissom unversehrt. Charl-Grissom wird mental geerntet.\" Die Singularit\u00e4t in seinem Bauch schrumpfte ein wenig, aber er war immer noch gegen seinen Willen festgeschnallt.\n\n\"Was ist mit diesem Ding?\", fragte er und blickte auf, um mit seinen Augen zu 'zeigen'. \"Ich hoffe, dieses Ding funktioniert besser als Ihr Androide.\" Banu zuckte nicht wirklich mit den Schultern, aber das war definitiv der Eindruck, den er hatte, als sie Blicke austauschten. \"Kopieren Sie Dinge aus meinem Kopf, oder ...\"\n\n\"Nur kopieren, Charl-Grissom. Kein Schaden.\"\n\n\"Welche Garantien habe ich ...?\", begann er zu fragen und w\u00fcnschte, er h\u00e4tte nur ein paar Karten auf der Hand. Er w\u00fcrde ihnen alles versprechen, beschloss er, wenn er dadurch eine Chance zur Flucht bek\u00e4me.\n\n\"Kein Schaden.\"\n\n\"Na gut. Das ist die beste Nachricht, die ich heute geh\u00f6rt habe\", sagte er, wohl wissend, dass die Banu diesen Ausdruck nicht verstehen w\u00fcrde. \"Aber dieses Ding bringt mich um! K\u00f6nnen Sie den Schmerz lindern?\", fragte er und zuckte mit den Schultern.\n\n\"Blockieren ist gleichbedeutend mit Unbehagen\", sagte Tech Two, aufmerksam, da sie nun endlich zu dem kamen, wor\u00fcber er sprechen wollte. \"Zusammenarbeit verringert das Unbehagen. Kooperation macht einen besseren Transfer. K\u00fcrzere \u00dcbertragung.\"\n\n\"Ich bin also kein Gefangener?\"\n\n\"Oh, doch. Charl-Grissom-Gefangener\", antwortete Tech Zwei n\u00fcchtern. \"Vertragliche Verpflichtung.\"\n\n\"Ich verstehe.\" Charl verzieh sich die Verwirrung. Er war unter Drogen gesetzt worden, festgeschnallt und sein Gehirn war von diesem au\u00dferirdischen Gedankenfresser gebraten worden. Er hatte M\u00fche, das alles zu verarbeiten, so gut er konnte.\n\n\"Es wird also irgendwo ein Androiden-Ich herumlaufen?\", fragte er, aber er erwartete eigentlich keine Antwort. Wie schlimm kann das schon sein? Ich kann mich sp\u00e4ter immer noch darum k\u00fcmmern, nehme ich an. \"Okay, ich werde kooperieren.\" Ich werde kooperieren, bis ich die Chance habe, von hier zu verschwinden!\n\n\"Kooperieren. Best\u00e4tige.\" Tech Zwei schien erleichtert zu sein.\n\n\"Und keine Schmerzen mehr?\" fragte Charl.\n\n\"Kooperieren Sie, um die Beschwerden zu reduzieren\", antwortete er, was alles andere als eine Garantie war, aber Charl wusste, dass dies wahrscheinlich alles war, was er bekommen w\u00fcrde. \"Charl-Grissom entspannen Sie sich. Kooperieren Sie, um die Beschwerden zu reduzieren.\"\n\nCharl atmete ein paar Mal tief durch und versuchte sich zu entspannen, aber das war leichter gesagt als getan. Er lie\u00df seine Gedanken schweifen und hoffte, dass das helfen w\u00fcrde. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, hier rauszukommen und zur\u00fcck zu meinem ... Schiff zu kommen, dem ... warum f\u00e4llt mir der Name meines Schiffes nicht ein?\n\n\"Helfen Sie Charl-Grissom zu kooperieren\", sagte Tech Two und klopfte sanft auf eine Spritze, bevor er ihm etwas in den Arm injizierte. F\u00fcr einen Moment verwandelte sich Charl's kotzende Singularit\u00e4t in ein galaxieverschlingendes schwarzes Loch, bevor sie sich in einem lotusartigen Dunst aufl\u00f6ste.\n\nFortsetzung folgt ...","zh_CN":"Charl drifted on the edge of consciousness. Unspecified pain gripped every fiber of his being. All other sensation bowed to it. His lips and nose tingled numbly, and when he blinked against the white light glare, it sounded to him like someone tossing sandbags around. Straps held his arms and legs in place, loosely, though he could muster no strength to pull against them. It was his head that was locked down \u2014 gripped tight, forehead to spine, in some form-fitting, plastic helmet. Even though he felt weak as a kitten, he was pretty sure that even on his best day he could not have wrestled his head out of that vice.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d he mumbled feebly, but no one answered him. He knew there were others around him. He could hear their soft, Banu voices. They shuffled around, yellow-coated phantoms intruding upon Charl\u2019s painful semi-dream state. One leaned in over him, eclipsing the white light like a silhouetted moon. An adjustment was made. Charl slipped back into deeper oblivion.\n\nHow much time passed until his next lucid moment he had no idea. This time around he had traded greater specific pain for a bit more awareness. His skull felt like they had driven steel wedges through it all the way to the roof of his mouth, and he was sure that if he moved even a little they would rip his brain flesh to ribbons. He could focus better now, though, and strained his eyes down to see a handful of techs monitoring strange workstations, adjusting dials, and doing other tech stuff.\n\n\u201cWhere\u2019s Lyshtuu?\u201d he gasped, though doing so intensified his pain immeasurably. A tech craned his head and motioned to his fellows, one of whom came closer. Charl\u2019s vision was far too blurry to accurately identify him.\n\n\u201cWhere\u2019s Lyshtuu?\u201d he just mouthed it this time, then again in Banu just to be sure.\n\n\u201cLyshtuu dismissed,\u201d the Banu said simply. He reached over Charl\u2019s head, touching, perhaps adjusting the device they had him hooked up to.\n\n\u201cLet me go,\u201d he managed weakly, but stopped when a flood of memories cascaded before his eyes, accompanied by every associated heart-wrenching emotion, like racing through months of his life in just seconds, with the volume cranked all the way up. As quickly as it began it stopped, leaving him a heaving, quivering wreck.\n\nMore techs gathered nearby, talking softly among themselves, and in his present state Charl wasn\u2019t sure he could have distinguished what they were saying even if they spelled it all out for him. His mind still reeled from the memory barrage. He did pick up on one thing, though. The techs weren\u2019t happy about something. They were arguing, and he caught them discussing something about \u2018cooperation\u2019 and \u2018blocking.\u2019 By now his whole face was both numb and seemingly touched by fire and he closed his eyes, but not before the techs dispersed, leaving just one behind making further adjustments to his unholy helmet.\n\n\u201cCan Charl-Grissom understand me now?\u201d the adjusting tech asked. Complete clarity settled upon Charl\u2019s mind like a warm blanket. There was still some pain and discomfort, and he was still strapped down, but it was like his mind had just come out of jump space and back into the real world.\n\n\u201cLet me go!\u201d Charl put enough force behind it that the tech backed up a bit.\n\n\u201cNo release. Contract stipulation.\u201d The tech held one of Charl\u2019s eyes open and peered deeply into it with his own, blinding him further with a small pen-sized light.\n\n\u201cScrew the contract! You can\u2019t treat me like this! I demand to see Lyshtuu!\u201d Keep it strong. Banu respect strength.\n\n\u201cLyshtuu dismissed.\u201d \u2018Dismissed\u2019 tends to mean just that in the Banu language, Charl noted, rather than something more sinister.\n\n\u201cThen where\u2019s Angela?\u201d Any familiar face might be of help to him now, he figured, even an android face.\n\n\u201cProject Angela cancelled.\u201d Cancelled? Did that mean she was dismantled? Abandoned, perhaps? Either way, he was running out of familiar people to negotiate with, and these techs didn\u2019t seem particularly concerned with his wishes. His mind raced. He had to make his case before they turned their brain scrambler back on. Anything to cut some kind of deal, get them off their guard, then get a chance to escape.\n\n\u201cIs Angela here?\u201d he asked, panting a bit now but regaining more body control. \u201cAndroid Angela?\u201d\n\n\u201cProject Angela cancelled,\u201d the Banu tech repeated. \u201cProject Charl-Grissom begun.\u201d\n\nCharl\u2019s guts felt like they\u2019d collapsed into a singularity. There\u2019s no way they\u2019re making an android version of me!\n\n\u201cThere must be some kind of mistake,\u201d he insisted. Were they really going to turn him into an android? Were they prepping his brain for removal? Seldom at a loss for words, Charl lay silent and slack-jawed. The enormity of his situation struck him dumb.\n\n\u201cI am Tech Two.\u201d A new tech had come close while Charl languished. Banu tended to take numbers as pseudonyms when they wanted to remain anonymous, and they only sought anonymity when they were doing something illegal or immoral, so that wasn\u2019t good.\n\n\u201cNew project initiated,\u201d the new tech tried to explain. \u201cContract clause enacted \u2026\u201d He stumbled along, trying to express his thoughts in a strange tongue. Contract? Charl got a sinking feeling he should have read his second contract a little more closely.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom breach contract,\u201d he continued, \u201cBreach voluntary by Charl-Grissom. Contract stipulation clear. Breach initiate new clause \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cI breached the contract?\u201d Charl asked, hoping vainly he might be entitled to a lawyer. \u201cI did everything the contract specified,\u201d he protested. \u201cI attended every evaluation session \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cContract breach, affirmative. Data compromised.\u201d Crap! They had nailed him for exploring their data. Maybe they\u2019d made it so easy just so they could trap him into \u2026 into this, whatever this was. He quickly concocted a variety of excuses.\n\n\u201cI was only trying to verify the data \u2026\u201d he began, but Tech Two ignored him. \u201cLyshtuu suggested I go through the data \u2026\u201d He wasn\u2019t buying it.\n\n\u201cData compromised. Contract breached. Victim entitled to restitution.\u201d Really? These Banu have me strapped to a table and they\u2019re telling me that, contractually anyway, they are the victims?\n\n\u201cThe contract says you can torture me?\u201d Had Lyshtuu sold him out, he wondered? They\u2019re saying he\u2019s been dismissed, so maybe he\u2019s not part of this. Maybe it\u2019s all Protectorate strong-arming, some government job. \u201cI demand that you release me now!\u201d\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom not tortured. Not harmed. Charl-Grissom harvested.\u201d\n\nThe black hole in his gut shrank in magnitude a bit.\n\n\u201cHarvested?\u201d he asked tentatively.\n\n\u201cHarvested,\u201d Tech Two looked to his fellows elsewhere around the room for verification, but apparently none could come up with a better word for it. \u201cHarvesting. Mental harvesting.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, hang on a minute. I breached the contract on your android and that lets you harvest my mind to make a new android project based on me? Really? And this is all legal? No way!\u201d\n\n\u201cAs Charl-Grissom says,\u201d Tech Two verified.\n\n\u201cSo, you\u2019re not going to cut my brain out?\u2019\u201d\n\nA couple of the techs burst with their Banu version of laughter, then shared with their fellows who didn\u2019t immediately understand so they, too, could get the joke. Charl didn\u2019t think it was so funny.\n\n\u201cNegative!\u201d Tech Two insisted emphatically. \u201cCharl-Grissom unharmed. Charl-Grissom mental harvesting.\u201d The singularity in his gut shrank a bit more, but he was still strapped down against his will.\n\n\u201cWhat about this thing?\u201d he asked, looking up to \u2018point\u2019 with his eyes. \u201cI hope this thing works better than your android.\u201d Banu don\u2019t really shrug, but that was definitely the impression he got as they exchanged glances. \u201cAre you copying things out of my mind, or \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cCopy only, Charl-Grissom. No damage.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat guarantees do I have \u2026?\u201d he began to ask, wishing he had just a couple of cards in his hand. He would promise them anything, he decided, if it got him an opportunity to escape.\n\n\u201cNo damage.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, then. That\u2019s the best news I\u2019ve heard all day,\u201d he said, knowing full well the Banu wouldn\u2019t understand the expression. \u201cBut this thing\u2019s killing me! Can you cut the pain?\u201d he asked, wriggling his shoulders.\n\n\u201cBlocking equal discomfort,\u201d Tech Two said, attentive now that they were finally getting around to what he wanted to discuss. \u201cCooperation reduce discomfort. Cooperation make better transfer. Shorter transfer.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, I\u2019m not a prisoner?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes. Charl-Grissom prisoner,\u201d Tech Two replied matter-of-factly. \u201cContract obligation.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see.\u201d Charl forgave himself some confusion. He\u2019d been drugged, strapped down, and had his brain fried by this alien mind ripper. He struggled to process all this as best he could.\n\n\u201cSo, there\u2019s going to be an android me running around somewhere?\u201d he asked, but he really didn\u2019t expect an answer. How bad could that be? I can always deal with it later, I suppose. \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll cooperate.\u201d I\u2019ll cooperate until I get a chance to get the hell out of here!\n\n\u201cCooperate. Affirmative.\u201d Tech Two seemed relieved.\n\n\u201cAnd no more pain?\u201d Charl questioned.\n\n\u201cCooperate reduce discomfort,\u201d he responded, which was far from a guarantee, but Charl knew it was probably all he was going to get. \u201cCharl-Grissom relax. Cooperate reduce discomfort.\u201d\n\nCharl took a few deep breaths and tried to relax, but that was easier said than done. He let his mind wander, hoping that would help. I can\u2019t wait to get out of here and get back to the \u2026 my ship, the \u2026 why can\u2019t I remember the name of my ship?\n\n\u201cAid Charl-Grissom cooperate,\u201d Tech Two said, gently tapping a syringe before injecting something into his arm. For a moment Charl\u2019s gut-gnawing singularity turned into a galaxy-consuming black hole before dissolving in a lotus-like haze.\n\nTo Be Continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":10,"created_at":"2013-07-05T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-09 08:13:43","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13080,"next_id":13082}}