{"data":{"id":13202,"title":"A SEPARATE LAW: PART FIVE","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/13202-A-SEPARATE-LAW-PART-FIVE","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13202","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13202","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"A Separate Law","images":[{"id":640,"name":"SeparateLawFI4.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/n6ik8s2agc03ur\/source\/SeparateLawFI4.jpg","alt":"","size":1558749,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-18T19:23:20+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/640","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/640\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"It had been, Gates reflected, a frustrating week. First, the 325 had developed an electrical problem in the damaged wing after the jump, then the sole civilian shipyard in orbit over Nemo III claimed all their repair bays were occupied.\n\nHe would have landed and taken advantage of the cheaper facilities planetside, but re-entry into the planet\u2019s atmosphere would surely burn out the rest of the electronics in that stretch of wing, costing more time and money he didn\u2019t have.\n\nHe\u2019d set the ship into high orbit and sent a message to Morgan asking for a meet, then settled in to check his mail. Courier ships ran electronic mail across systems, delivering it to local holding networks for delivery when a recipient checked in. It wasn\u2019t entirely secure, but it worked well enough if you had enough junk mail to cover for the occasional nugget of important correspondence encoded in some advertising packet or other.\n\nBuried in one such advertisement proclaiming the wonders of Universal Health Corporation\u2019s latest life-extension treatment, Vasser\u2019s message was brief and to the point: No additional developments our end. Any on yours?\n\nThe reply Gates sent was equally terse: No. Still trying. Running at it from different angle. The blue-green marble of Nemo III spun carelessly on beneath him as Gates deleted the actual junk and scrolled through a few more messages, finding them no more pleasing. Those of his informants who\u2019d responded didn\u2019t have anything on Les Inconnus. Those that didn\u2019t were even more unlikely to have anything, as they were generally involved in, or reported on, matters political.\n\nThe comm blinked, indicating an incoming message from dockside. Gates slapped the pickup, \u201cGates.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir, your request for service on the 325 has been expedited.\u201d\n\n\u201cExpedited? By whom?\u201d\n\n\u201cA friend to this yard: Jimmy Morgan says he owes you.\u201d\n\nGates was caught off-guard. He hadn\u2019t thought to get a pleasant surprise anywhere during this investigation. \u201cAh. Very good.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease proceed to bay One-Eight along this course.\u201d\n\nGates slugged the data to his navcomp and set things in motion as the shipyard rep continued, \u201cOur estimate on your repair time is about fourteen hours. Will you need a shuttle to the planet or care to stay aboard the station during the work?\u201d\n\n\u201cA shuttle, please.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can pick up your complimentary shuttle ticket upon arrival. The next will be leaving the station at 17:15 Zulu. If you have other business to attend on station, shuttles depart for the surface hourly at quarter after.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur pleasure. Thank you for choosing NemoNautics for your service and repair needs.\u201d\n\nSeveral hours later, he was sitting down at a table across from Commander James Morgan (Retired) and placing his noodle order with an attractive server.\n\n\u201cGood to see you, Gates,\u201d Morgan said as the server left.\n\n\u201cAnd you, Morgan. How have you been?\u201d\n\n\u201cOld and decrepit.\u201d\n\nGates snorted. \u201cYou\u2019re twenty years my junior.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not the age, it\u2019s the boarding actions.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not some young woman you\u2019re trying to impress. Besides, how many desperate boarding actions have you been in?\u201d\n\nA snort. \u201cNone.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, you retired yet?\u201d\n\nGates shrugged. \u201cKind of.\u201d The lie came easy, Morgan wasn\u2019t Advocacy: \u201cOn suspension, again. Doing some bounty work to keep myself afloat.\u201d\n\n\u201cBounty work? Who you looking for?\u201d\n\n\u201cI wanted to know if you have any intel on new criminal organizations in this region of the Empire.\u201c\n\n\u201cNew?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are they into?\u201d\n\n\u201cSlaving, smuggling, and piracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat systems?\u201d\n\n\u201cCorel, Nexus, Magnus, maybe Cathcart and Taranus, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of systems for your people to fail at tugging a thread loose.\u201d\n\nGates shook his head, \u201cI know. I wouldn\u2019t be gnawing on noodles and listening to your inflated tales of yesteryear if I had other options.\u201d\n\n\u201cAss.\u201d\n\nArminius chuckled, \u201cI\u2019ve been called much worse, and far more inaccurate, names.\u201d\n\nMorgan tossed his head, \u201cI\u2019ll ask around.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am retired.\u201d\n\nGates grinned. \u201cHeard that before.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s true, this time.\u201d\n\n\u201cGuess I should have called in that marker from Vega back when.\u201d\n\nMorgan raised his hands, \u201cHey, I\u2019m not saying I won\u2019t get you some answers. I know I owe. It\u2019s just that I\u2019m not directly in the loop anymore. Besides, if I wasn\u2019t interested in paying you back, I wouldn\u2019t have arranged your repairs.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd thanks for that \u2026 How\u2019d you come to call the shots for that kind of thing, anyway?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m retired from the Navy. The pension ain\u2019t the best, especially with my exes to pay, but I managed to land some consulting work. Enough to scrape a nut together so I could put my fingers in a few pies.\u201d\n\nGates nodded, \u201cGood to hear you\u2019re doing all right. Even so, I\u2019m buying.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn right you are.\u201d\n\nHis MobiGlas beeped as Gates signed off on the repairs. He stepped away from the counter and attendant, taking the call, \u201cGates.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou private?\u201d Morgan\u2019s voice.\n\nThat was quick. I knew Morgan wasn\u2019t as retired as he let on. \u201cNot really. Just about to board ship. Call me back in five.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill do.\u201d\n\nGates finished up the paperwork and set out for bay 18. The MobiGlas went off again just as he was boarding. He slapped the hatch closed and routed the call through the 325\u2019s intercom. \u201cAll right, I\u2019m private,\u201d he said, stowing his gear and beginning to change into his flight suit.\n\n\u201cGood. You were right, there is a connect between the pirates in Cathcart and Taranis. Starting about a year ago, some organization calling itself Les Inconnus muscled in and laid a couple of pirate clans flat, then offered the same guys new ships and weapons, so long as they made nice and played by some new rules. My information is sketchy on the new rules, but it\u2019s clear the main point is keeping your mouth shut about who is on payroll and who isn\u2019t. Our sources were clear that those who refused the offer didn\u2019t appear again.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnything on the where and who of Les Inconnus?\u201d\n\n\u201cCorel-359 is supposed to be some kind of command center for their operations.\u201d\n\nGates checked his MobiGlas, \u201cIsn\u2019t that a dead rock?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure is.\u201d\n\n\u201cExpensive.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but private.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy hasn\u2019t the Navy moved on them, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cBigger concerns elsewhere, and I\u2019m sure someone, somewhere along the line, is getting a subsidy to encourage them to look the other way.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn.\u201d\n\n\u201cGates, don\u2019t go after these people. By all accounts, they\u2019re heavy hitters.\u201d\n\n\u201cLast I checked, I am one too.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, I tried, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, Morgan. And thanks for the intel, I needed it. We\u2019re even.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I still owe you, Gates. Safe travels.\u201d The line went dead.\n\nGates was jumping to Corel an hour later, having updated Vasser about his destination.\n\nGates was on a ballistic course, coasting in toward Corel-359 over the last three days, sensors in passive mode. The rogue planetoid was well out from the system primary and off the beaten path, its orbit an odd ellipse currently passing above the plane of the ecliptic. It made sense as a base in that regard, but the fact it was a lifeless rock made it a hard sell for anyone mindful of logistical costs. There were several rings of ice and dust around the planetoid, as well as four even smaller orbiting rocks cluttering up readings, but drive signatures were easy to pick out, even for civilian sensors at a distance.\n\n_Problem is, even with my enhanced sensor suite, I\u2019ve picked nothing up. Not a damn thing. Messing with my cherub-like demeanor, this waiting game. Much longer and I\u2019ll be in orbit myself.\n\nTo hell with it._\n\nGates went active \u2014 all at once \u2014 punching the throttle up to eighty percent and pinging everything in the local area with his sensors.\n\nMinutes passed, the 325 building speed and a more accurate picture of the planetoid and its orbital companions. Still, nothi\u2013\n\nThree drives lit up on the tactical display: two in front, one almost immediately to starboard and below his line of approach. Gates picked the two ahead for attention from missiles, setting the comp to find a targeting solution even as the 325 identified his opponents as a pair of Cutlasses and an Aurora.\n\nGates altered course, stretching the time envelope to prevent the Cutlasses closing before he\u2019d dealt with the closer Aurora.\n\nThe targeting comp pinged readiness. He pressed the firing stud.\n\nFor a moment, nothing happened, then the 325 lurched as the missile drives, still clutched in their pods, ignited.\n\nThey won\u2019t arm this close to the ship, so they shouldn\u2019t explode, but someone ha\u2013 sudden certainty froze his blood \u2014 Morgan! Get me expedited for repairs so you can sabotage my pods, eh? Should never have trusted hi\u2013 The ECM suite started blatting. Missiles incoming, from all three ships.\n\nHe started evasive maneuvers, test-firing the mass-driver and cannon. Both were working properly, as were his shields.\n\nIf he survived the missile attack, there would be a reckoning.\n\nFace set in a death\u2019s head grin, Gates pushed the throttle to the stops.\n\nWolves beware, this old dog still has teeth.\n\n. . . to be continued","de_DE":"Es war, so Gates, eine frustrierende Woche gewesen. Zuerst hatte der 325 ein elektrisches Problem im besch\u00e4digten Fl\u00fcgel nach dem Sprung entwickelt, dann behauptete die einzige zivile Werft im Orbit \u00fcber Nemo III, dass alle ihre Reparaturbuchten besetzt seien.\n\nEr w\u00e4re gelandet und h\u00e4tte die billigeren Anlagen auf dem Planeten ausgenutzt, aber der Wiedereintritt in die Atmosph\u00e4re des Planeten w\u00fcrde sicherlich den Rest der Elektronik in diesem Fl\u00fcgelabschnitt ausbrennen und mehr Zeit und Geld kosten, als er nicht hatte.\n\nEr hatte das Schiff in eine hohe Umlaufbahn gebracht und Morgan eine Nachricht geschickt, um nach einem Treffen zu fragen, und sich dann eingelebt, um seine Post zu \u00fcberpr\u00fcfen. Kurierdienste liefen elektronische Post \u00fcber Systeme und lieferten sie an lokale Holding-Netzwerke zur Zustellung, wenn ein Empf\u00e4nger eincheckte. Es war nicht ganz sicher, aber es funktionierte gut genug, wenn man genug Junk-Mail hatte, um das gelegentliche Nugget wichtiger Korrespondenz, die in irgendeinem Werbepaket kodiert war, zu decken.\n\nBegraben in einer solchen Werbung, die die Wunder der neuesten Behandlung der Universal Health Corporation zur Verl\u00e4ngerung des Lebens verk\u00fcndet, war Vassers Botschaft kurz und b\u00fcndig: Keine weiteren Entwicklungen unser Ende. Ist etwas auf deinem?\n\nDie Antwort, die Gates schickte, war ebenso knapp: Nein. Ich versuche es immer noch. Er l\u00e4uft aus verschiedenen Winkeln. Der blaugr\u00fcne Marmor von Nemo III. drehte sich unvorsichtig unter ihm weiter, als Gates den eigentlichen Schrott l\u00f6schte und durch ein paar weitere Nachrichten scrollte, die ihm nicht mehr gefallen. Diejenigen seiner Informanten, die geantwortet hatten, hatten nichts \u00fcber Les Inconnus. Diejenigen, die es nicht taten, hatten wahrscheinlich noch unwahrscheinlicher etwas, da sie im Allgemeinen in politische Angelegenheiten verwickelt waren oder dar\u00fcber berichtet wurden.\n\nDie Verbindung blinkt und zeigt eine eingehende Nachricht von der Dockside an. Gates schlug den Pickup, \"Gates\".\n\n\"Sir, Ihre Anfrage f\u00fcr den Service auf der 325 wurde beschleunigt.\"\n\n\" Beschleunigt? Von wem?\"\n\n\"Ein Freund dieses Hofes. Jimmy Morgan sagt, er schuldet dir was.\"\n\nGates wurde unvorbereitet erwischt. Er hatte nicht daran gedacht, w\u00e4hrend dieser Untersuchung eine angenehme \u00dcberraschung zu erleben. \"Ah. Sehr gut.\"\n\n\"Bitte gehen Sie in die Bucht One-Eight auf diesem Kurs.\"\n\nGates schlug die Daten zu seinem Navcomp und setzte die Dinge in Bewegung, als der Werftvertreter weitermachte: \"Unsere Sch\u00e4tzung der Reparaturzeit liegt bei etwa vierzehn Stunden. Brauchst du einen Shuttle zum Planeten oder m\u00f6chtest du w\u00e4hrend der Arbeit an Bord der Station bleiben?\"\n\n\"Ein Shuttle, bitte.\"\n\n\"Sie k\u00f6nnen Ihr kostenloses Shuttle-Ticket bei der Ankunft abholen. Der n\u00e4chste wird den Bahnhof um 17:15 Uhr Zulu verlassen. Wenn Sie andere Gesch\u00e4fte am Bahnhof zu erledigen haben, fahren die Shuttles st\u00fcndlich um Viertel nachher zur Oberfl\u00e4che.\"\n\n\" Danke.\"\n\n\"Es war uns ein Vergn\u00fcgen. Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich f\u00fcr NemoNautics f\u00fcr Ihren Service- und Reparaturbedarf entschieden haben.\"\n\nEinige Stunden sp\u00e4ter setzte er sich an einen Tisch gegen\u00fcber von Commander James Morgan (Rentner) und erteilte seine Nudelbestellung an einen attraktiven Server.\n\n\"Sch\u00f6n, dich zu sehen, Gates\", sagte Morgan, als der Server ging.\n\n\"Und du, Morgan. Wie geht es dir so?\"\n\n\"Alt und altersschwach.\"\n\nDie Tore schnaubten. \"Du bist zwanzig Jahre mein Junior.\"\n\n\"Es ist nicht das Alter, es sind die Boarding-Aktionen.\"\n\n\"Ich bin keine junge Frau, die du beeindrucken willst. Au\u00dferdem, in wie vielen verzweifelten Boarding-Aktionen warst du?\"\n\nEin Schnauben. \" Keine.\"\n\n\" Richtig.\"\n\n\"Also hast du dich schon zur\u00fcckgezogen?\"\n\nGates zuckte mit den Schultern. \"Irgendwie schon.\" Die L\u00fcge kam leicht, Morgan war nicht Advocacy: \"Wieder auf Eis gelegt. Ich mache eine Kopfgeldarbeit, um mich \u00fcber Wasser zu halten.\"\n\n\"Kopfgeldarbeit? Nach wem suchst du?\"\n\n\"Ich wollte wissen, ob Sie Informationen \u00fcber neue kriminelle Organisationen in dieser Region des Imperiums haben.\"\n\n\" Neu?\"\n\n\" Ja.\"\n\n\"Was machen sie da?\"\n\n\"Sklaverei, Schmuggel und Piraterie.\"\n\n\"Welche Systeme?\"\n\n\"Corel, Nexus, Magnus, vielleicht auch Cathcart und Taranus.\"\n\n\"Das sind eine Menge Systeme, bei denen deine Leute versagen, wenn sie einen Faden ziehen.\"\n\nGates sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf, \"Ich wei\u00df. Ich w\u00fcrde nicht an Nudeln nagen und deinen aufgebl\u00e4hten Geschichten von gestern lauschen, wenn ich andere M\u00f6glichkeiten h\u00e4tte.\"\n\n\" Arsch\".\n\nArminius kicherte: \"Ich wurde schon viel schlimmer und viel ungenauer genannt.\"\n\nMorgan warf seinen Kopf, \"Ich werde mich umh\u00f6ren.\"\n\n\"Das ist alles?\"\n\n\"Ich bin im Ruhestand.\"\n\nGates grinste. \"Ich habe das schon mal geh\u00f6rt.\"\n\n\"Es ist wahr, diesmal.\"\n\n\"Ich sch\u00e4tze, ich h\u00e4tte den Marker von Vega anrufen sollen, damals.\"\n\nMorgan hob die H\u00e4nde, \"Hey, ich sage nicht, dass ich dir keine Antworten geben werde. Ich wei\u00df, dass ich etwas schulde. Es ist nur so, dass ich nicht mehr direkt auf dem Laufenden bin. Au\u00dferdem, wenn ich nicht daran interessiert w\u00e4re, es dir zur\u00fcckzuzahlen, h\u00e4tte ich deine Reparaturen nicht organisiert.\"\n\n\"Und danke daf\u00fcr... Wie bist du \u00fcberhaupt dazu gekommen, die Befehle f\u00fcr so etwas zu geben?\"\n\n\"Ich bin bei der Marine im Ruhestand. Die Rente ist nicht die beste, besonders bei meinen Ex-Freunden, aber ich habe es geschafft, Beratungsarbeit zu bekommen. Genug, um eine Nuss zusammenzuschaben, damit ich meine Finger in ein paar Kuchen stecken kann.\"\n\nGates nickte, \"Gut zu h\u00f6ren, dass es dir gut geht. Trotzdem bezahle ich.\"\n\n\"Verdammt richtig, das tust du.\"\n\nSein MobiGlas piepste, als Gates die Reparaturen abschloss. Er trat von der Theke und dem Begleiter zur\u00fcck und nahm den Anruf an, \"Gates\".\n\n\" Bist du privat?\" Morgans Stimme.\n\nDas ging schnell. Ich wusste, dass Morgan nicht so im Ruhestand war, wie er es wollte. \"Nicht wirklich. Ich bin gerade dabei, an Bord zu gehen. Ruf mich in f\u00fcnf Minuten zur\u00fcck.\"\n\n\"Wird gemacht.\"\n\nGates beendete den Papierkram und machte sich auf den Weg zu Bucht 18. Das MobiGlas ging beim Einsteigen wieder los. Er schlug die Luke zu und leitete den Anruf durch die Sprechanlage des 325. \"In Ordnung, ich bin privat\", sagte er, verstaute seine Ausr\u00fcstung und begann, sich in seinen Fluganzug zu verwandeln.\n\n\"Gut. Du hattest Recht, es gibt eine Verbindung zwischen den Piraten in Cathcart und Taranis. Vor etwa einem Jahr begann eine Organisation, die sich Les Inconnus nannte, mit Muskeln und legte ein paar Piratenclans flach, bot dann den gleichen Jungs neue Schiffe und Waffen an, solange sie nett waren und nach einigen neuen Regeln gespielt wurden. Meine Informationen sind unvollst\u00e4ndig \u00fcber die neuen Regeln, aber es ist klar, dass der Hauptpunkt darin besteht, den Mund zu halten, wer auf der Gehaltsliste steht und wer nicht. Unsere Quellen waren klar, dass diejenigen, die das Angebot ablehnten, nicht wieder auftauchten.\"\n\n\"Irgendwas \u00fcber das Wo und Wer von Les Inconnus?\"\n\n\"Corel-359 soll eine Art Kommandozentrale f\u00fcr ihre Operationen sein.\"\n\nGates \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte sein MobiGlas: \"Ist das nicht ein toter Stein?\"\n\n\"Sicher ist es das.\"\n\n\" Teuer.\"\n\n\"Ja, aber privat.\"\n\n\"Warum ist die Navy dann nicht auf sie zugegangen?\"\n\n\"Gr\u00f6\u00dfere Bedenken anderswo, und ich bin sicher, dass jemand, irgendwo auf der Linie, eine Subvention bekommt, um sie zu ermutigen, in die andere Richtung zu schauen.\"\n\n\" Verdammt.\"\n\n\"Gates, verfolge diese Leute nicht. Nach allem, was man h\u00f6rt, sind sie starke Killer.\"\n\n\"Soweit ich wei\u00df, bin ich auch einer.\"\n\n\"Hey, ich habe es versucht, oder?\"\n\n\"Sicher, Morgan. Und danke f\u00fcr die Informationen, ich brauchte sie. Wir sind quitt.\"\n\n\"Nein, ich schulde dir immer noch etwas, Gates. Gute Reise.\" Die Leitung wurde unterbrochen.\n\nGates sprang eine Stunde sp\u00e4ter nach Corel, nachdem er Vasser \u00fcber sein Ziel informiert hatte.\n\nGates befand sich auf einem ballistischen Kurs und rollte in den letzten drei Tagen in Richtung Corel-359, Sensoren im passiven Modus. Das schurkische Planetoid war weit au\u00dferhalb des prim\u00e4ren Systems und abseits des ausgetretenen Pfades, es umkreist eine seltsame Ellipse, die derzeit \u00fcber der Ebene der Ekliptik verl\u00e4uft. Es war in dieser Hinsicht sinnvoll, aber die Tatsache, dass es sich um einen leblosen Felsen handelte, machte es zu einem Verkaufsschlager f\u00fcr jeden, der sich der logistischen Kosten bewusst war. Es gab mehrere Eis- und Staubringe um den Planetoiden herum, sowie vier noch kleinere, umlaufende Felsen, die die Messwerte durcheinander brachten, aber die Antriebssignaturen waren leicht zu erkennen, selbst f\u00fcr zivile Sensoren in einiger Entfernung.\n\nDas Problem ist, dass ich selbst mit meiner erweiterten Sensor-Suite nichts gefunden habe. Nicht ein einziges Mal. Ich verwirre mich mit meinem cherubartigen Verhalten, diesem wartenden Spiel. Noch viel l\u00e4nger und ich werde selbst im Orbit sein.\n\nZum Teufel damit.\n\nGates wurde aktiv - auf einmal - und dr\u00fcckte den Gashebel bis zu achtzig Prozent und pingte alles im Nahbereich mit seinen Sensoren.\n\nMinuten vergingen, die 325 Baugeschwindigkeiten und ein genaueres Bild des Planetoiden und seiner Bahnbegleiter. Trotzdem, nothi-\n\nDrei Fahrten leuchteten auf dem taktischen Display auf: zwei vorne, einer fast sofort nach Steuerbord und unterhalb seiner Einfallslinie. Gates w\u00e4hlte die beiden voraus, um von den Raketen auf sich aufmerksam zu machen, und stellte die Weichen, um eine Ziell\u00f6sung zu finden, w\u00e4hrend der 325er seine Gegner als Entermesser und Aurora identifizierte.\n\nGates \u00e4nderte den Kurs und dehnte den Zeitrahmen, um zu verhindern, dass sich die Entermesser schlossen, bevor er sich mit der n\u00e4heren Aurora besch\u00e4ftigt hatte.\n\nDie Targeting-Komponente hat die Bereitschaft erh\u00f6ht. Er dr\u00fcckte den Feuerstab.\n\nEinen Moment lang geschah nichts, dann taumelte der 325, als die Raketen, die noch in ihren H\u00fclsen gepackt waren, sich entz\u00fcndeten.\n\nSie werden nicht so nah am Schiff scharf machen, also sollten sie nicht explodieren, aber jemand hat pl\u00f6tzlich die Gewissheit, dass sein Blut eingefroren ist - Morgan! Lass mich schnell reparieren, damit du meine Kapseln sabotieren kannst, ja? H\u00e4tte nie trauen sollen - Die ECM-Suite begann zu schreien. Raketen kommen von allen drei Schiffen.\n\nEr begann Ausweichman\u00f6ver, feuerte den Massenfahrer und die Kanone ab. Beide funktionierten einwandfrei, ebenso wie seine Schilde.\n\nWenn er den Raketenangriff \u00fcberleben w\u00fcrde, g\u00e4be es eine Abrechnung.\n\nDas Gesicht, das in einem Grinsen des Todeskopfes gesetzt war, Gates dr\u00fcckte den Gashebel bis zum Anschlag.\n\nW\u00f6lfe aufgepasst, dieser alte Hund hat noch Z\u00e4hne.\n\n. ... wird fortgesetzt","zh_CN":"It had been, Gates reflected, a frustrating week. First, the 325 had developed an electrical problem in the damaged wing after the jump, then the sole civilian shipyard in orbit over Nemo III claimed all their repair bays were occupied.\n\nHe would have landed and taken advantage of the cheaper facilities planetside, but re-entry into the planet\u2019s atmosphere would surely burn out the rest of the electronics in that stretch of wing, costing more time and money he didn\u2019t have.\n\nHe\u2019d set the ship into high orbit and sent a message to Morgan asking for a meet, then settled in to check his mail. Courier ships ran electronic mail across systems, delivering it to local holding networks for delivery when a recipient checked in. It wasn\u2019t entirely secure, but it worked well enough if you had enough junk mail to cover for the occasional nugget of important correspondence encoded in some advertising packet or other.\n\nBuried in one such advertisement proclaiming the wonders of Universal Health Corporation\u2019s latest life-extension treatment, Vasser\u2019s message was brief and to the point: No additional developments our end. Any on yours?\n\nThe reply Gates sent was equally terse: No. Still trying. Running at it from different angle. The blue-green marble of Nemo III spun carelessly on beneath him as Gates deleted the actual junk and scrolled through a few more messages, finding them no more pleasing. Those of his informants who\u2019d responded didn\u2019t have anything on Les Inconnus. Those that didn\u2019t were even more unlikely to have anything, as they were generally involved in, or reported on, matters political.\n\nThe comm blinked, indicating an incoming message from dockside. Gates slapped the pickup, \u201cGates.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir, your request for service on the 325 has been expedited.\u201d\n\n\u201cExpedited? By whom?\u201d\n\n\u201cA friend to this yard: Jimmy Morgan says he owes you.\u201d\n\nGates was caught off-guard. He hadn\u2019t thought to get a pleasant surprise anywhere during this investigation. \u201cAh. Very good.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease proceed to bay One-Eight along this course.\u201d\n\nGates slugged the data to his navcomp and set things in motion as the shipyard rep continued, \u201cOur estimate on your repair time is about fourteen hours. Will you need a shuttle to the planet or care to stay aboard the station during the work?\u201d\n\n\u201cA shuttle, please.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can pick up your complimentary shuttle ticket upon arrival. The next will be leaving the station at 17:15 Zulu. If you have other business to attend on station, shuttles depart for the surface hourly at quarter after.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur pleasure. Thank you for choosing NemoNautics for your service and repair needs.\u201d\n\nSeveral hours later, he was sitting down at a table across from Commander James Morgan (Retired) and placing his noodle order with an attractive server.\n\n\u201cGood to see you, Gates,\u201d Morgan said as the server left.\n\n\u201cAnd you, Morgan. How have you been?\u201d\n\n\u201cOld and decrepit.\u201d\n\nGates snorted. \u201cYou\u2019re twenty years my junior.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not the age, it\u2019s the boarding actions.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not some young woman you\u2019re trying to impress. Besides, how many desperate boarding actions have you been in?\u201d\n\nA snort. \u201cNone.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, you retired yet?\u201d\n\nGates shrugged. \u201cKind of.\u201d The lie came easy, Morgan wasn\u2019t Advocacy: \u201cOn suspension, again. Doing some bounty work to keep myself afloat.\u201d\n\n\u201cBounty work? Who you looking for?\u201d\n\n\u201cI wanted to know if you have any intel on new criminal organizations in this region of the Empire.\u201c\n\n\u201cNew?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are they into?\u201d\n\n\u201cSlaving, smuggling, and piracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat systems?\u201d\n\n\u201cCorel, Nexus, Magnus, maybe Cathcart and Taranus, too.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of systems for your people to fail at tugging a thread loose.\u201d\n\nGates shook his head, \u201cI know. I wouldn\u2019t be gnawing on noodles and listening to your inflated tales of yesteryear if I had other options.\u201d\n\n\u201cAss.\u201d\n\nArminius chuckled, \u201cI\u2019ve been called much worse, and far more inaccurate, names.\u201d\n\nMorgan tossed his head, \u201cI\u2019ll ask around.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am retired.\u201d\n\nGates grinned. \u201cHeard that before.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s true, this time.\u201d\n\n\u201cGuess I should have called in that marker from Vega back when.\u201d\n\nMorgan raised his hands, \u201cHey, I\u2019m not saying I won\u2019t get you some answers. I know I owe. It\u2019s just that I\u2019m not directly in the loop anymore. Besides, if I wasn\u2019t interested in paying you back, I wouldn\u2019t have arranged your repairs.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd thanks for that \u2026 How\u2019d you come to call the shots for that kind of thing, anyway?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m retired from the Navy. The pension ain\u2019t the best, especially with my exes to pay, but I managed to land some consulting work. Enough to scrape a nut together so I could put my fingers in a few pies.\u201d\n\nGates nodded, \u201cGood to hear you\u2019re doing all right. Even so, I\u2019m buying.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn right you are.\u201d\n\nHis MobiGlas beeped as Gates signed off on the repairs. He stepped away from the counter and attendant, taking the call, \u201cGates.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou private?\u201d Morgan\u2019s voice.\n\nThat was quick. I knew Morgan wasn\u2019t as retired as he let on. \u201cNot really. Just about to board ship. Call me back in five.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill do.\u201d\n\nGates finished up the paperwork and set out for bay 18. The MobiGlas went off again just as he was boarding. He slapped the hatch closed and routed the call through the 325\u2019s intercom. \u201cAll right, I\u2019m private,\u201d he said, stowing his gear and beginning to change into his flight suit.\n\n\u201cGood. You were right, there is a connect between the pirates in Cathcart and Taranis. Starting about a year ago, some organization calling itself Les Inconnus muscled in and laid a couple of pirate clans flat, then offered the same guys new ships and weapons, so long as they made nice and played by some new rules. My information is sketchy on the new rules, but it\u2019s clear the main point is keeping your mouth shut about who is on payroll and who isn\u2019t. Our sources were clear that those who refused the offer didn\u2019t appear again.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnything on the where and who of Les Inconnus?\u201d\n\n\u201cCorel-359 is supposed to be some kind of command center for their operations.\u201d\n\nGates checked his MobiGlas, \u201cIsn\u2019t that a dead rock?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure is.\u201d\n\n\u201cExpensive.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but private.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy hasn\u2019t the Navy moved on them, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cBigger concerns elsewhere, and I\u2019m sure someone, somewhere along the line, is getting a subsidy to encourage them to look the other way.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn.\u201d\n\n\u201cGates, don\u2019t go after these people. By all accounts, they\u2019re heavy hitters.\u201d\n\n\u201cLast I checked, I am one too.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey, I tried, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cSure, Morgan. And thanks for the intel, I needed it. We\u2019re even.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I still owe you, Gates. Safe travels.\u201d The line went dead.\n\nGates was jumping to Corel an hour later, having updated Vasser about his destination.\n\nGates was on a ballistic course, coasting in toward Corel-359 over the last three days, sensors in passive mode. The rogue planetoid was well out from the system primary and off the beaten path, its orbit an odd ellipse currently passing above the plane of the ecliptic. It made sense as a base in that regard, but the fact it was a lifeless rock made it a hard sell for anyone mindful of logistical costs. There were several rings of ice and dust around the planetoid, as well as four even smaller orbiting rocks cluttering up readings, but drive signatures were easy to pick out, even for civilian sensors at a distance.\n\n_Problem is, even with my enhanced sensor suite, I\u2019ve picked nothing up. Not a damn thing. Messing with my cherub-like demeanor, this waiting game. Much longer and I\u2019ll be in orbit myself.\n\nTo hell with it._\n\nGates went active \u2014 all at once \u2014 punching the throttle up to eighty percent and pinging everything in the local area with his sensors.\n\nMinutes passed, the 325 building speed and a more accurate picture of the planetoid and its orbital companions. Still, nothi\u2013\n\nThree drives lit up on the tactical display: two in front, one almost immediately to starboard and below his line of approach. Gates picked the two ahead for attention from missiles, setting the comp to find a targeting solution even as the 325 identified his opponents as a pair of Cutlasses and an Aurora.\n\nGates altered course, stretching the time envelope to prevent the Cutlasses closing before he\u2019d dealt with the closer Aurora.\n\nThe targeting comp pinged readiness. He pressed the firing stud.\n\nFor a moment, nothing happened, then the 325 lurched as the missile drives, still clutched in their pods, ignited.\n\nThey won\u2019t arm this close to the ship, so they shouldn\u2019t explode, but someone ha\u2013 sudden certainty froze his blood \u2014 Morgan! Get me expedited for repairs so you can sabotage my pods, eh? Should never have trusted hi\u2013 The ECM suite started blatting. Missiles incoming, from all three ships.\n\nHe started evasive maneuvers, test-firing the mass-driver and cannon. Both were working properly, as were his shields.\n\nIf he survived the missile attack, there would be a reckoning.\n\nFace set in a death\u2019s head grin, Gates pushed the throttle to the stops.\n\nWolves beware, this old dog still has teeth.\n\n. . . to be continued"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":24,"created_at":"2013-08-09T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-09 02:04:30","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13201,"next_id":13203}}