{"data":{"id":13557,"title":"DATELINE: SESEN Part Two","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/13557-DATELINE-SESEN-Part-Two","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13557","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13557","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Dateline: Sesen","images":[{"id":1292,"name":"DatelineSesenFI3.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/x3l6h1jdbgno8r\/source\/DatelineSesenFI3.jpg","alt":"","size":1595560,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2014-01-29T19:43:33+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1292","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1292\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"New United Reporters Battle Pirates. Who Survived?\n\nHaddix brought up the targeting system. \u201cCPU says we have three hostiles inbound, running hot. Two Cutlasses and a Merlin.\u201d\n\nYadav caught one Cutlass out of the corner of her eye, rising up from the planetoid\u2019s surface. The hustle and bustle of the chop-shop continued as though nothing unusual was happening. Heavy machinery unloaded the orange transport\u2019s cargo \u2014 machinery she recognized as being on the manifest of one of the previously pirated ships. If only she could see the company logo from here.\n\nEven in a fire-fight, she couldn\u2019t shut off the investigative portion of her brain.\n\n\u201cTaking evasive action,\u201d she said. Stating the obvious was part of the procedure \u2014 it kept your party focused, talking, working together. She spun the craft away from the planetoid. \u201cHeading for jump point.\u201d\n\n\u201cSighting one hostile off stern. Weapons prepped. Firing two charges.\u201d A tense pause followed. \u201cMiss.\u201d\n\nShots whizzed past on the starboard side, close enough to make the hair on the back of Yadav\u2019s neck stand on end.\n\n\u201cAdditional hostile engaging,\u201d said Haddix. His level tone shifted to one of concern, \u201cThis one\u2019s not a little fighter, Ulla. We\u2019re talking big guns.\u201d\n\nYadav took their craft into a sharp dive, hoping to shake the closest pirate. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to make it to the jump point, are we?\u201d She pulled up her comm system. Should they try to call for help? Surrender? That chop-shop out there cinched it in her mind: she\u2019d been wrong. A multi-company conspiracy to commit fraud could not be cost-effective in these conditions. And she couldn\u2019t think of any pirate packs that were known for running this far out with that much manpower. No syndicate in the galaxy could get that many pirates to work together without stabbing each other in the back.\n\nWhoever they were, they sure weren\u2019t in the genteel business of white-collar crime.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m picking up on radio signals,\u201d she noted. \u201cNot from the ships, from the third planet. Maybe the terraforming is complete. There might be people down there.\u201d\n\n\u201cThink they\u2019ll give us sanctuary? Firing three. Hit! The P-52 is backing off.\u201d\n\nYadav turned on their wide-band distress call, then attempted to reach the surface directly. \u201cMayday, mayday, this is Ulla Yadav of New United. Requesting permission to land. We are being attacked by unknown persons in your system. Mayday.\u201d\n\nThe planet swelled before them. The atmosphere reflected a healthy blue, but there were few bodies of water, and a good portion of the land masses appeared dry and barren.\n\nYadav piloted the ship into a decaying orbit around the planet, and continued to call for help. As they wound around to the night side she noted only three small clusters of lights, all relatively near each other. \u201cWe aren\u2019t talking about a massive population here,\u201d she warned.\n\n\u201cTwo of the ships are attempting to flank. Watch out on your starboard side.\u201d Musk wafted off of Haddix. He was sweating through his underlayers. \u201cWe need to land.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey aren\u2019t responding.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. We\u2019re press.\u201d\n\n\u201cOk, starting my descent. Going in sharp. Maybe these suckers can\u2019t take a wide-angled entry.\u201d She pushed the controls forward, aiming for the signs of population. \u201cMayday, mayday,\u201d she continued to call, \u201cThis is Ulla Yadav \u2014\u201d\n\nA white-hot blast engulfed the ship, stealing Yadav\u2019s vision. The craft shook with a violent force, and the screech of twisting metal filled the cabin. Haddix let out a half-scream, half-growl. Warning lights flashed from all angles, turning his broad face red, then orange, then blue.\n\n\u201cWhere were we hit?\u201d Yadav shouted. \u201cWhere did that shot come from?\u201d The pirate vessels were all to their aft, but that shot \u2014 it came from below. And the only thing below was the planet.\n\nThe ship\u2019s controls seized. Yadav fought with the stick, desperately trying to keep them on course, but their trajectory took a swift dip and twist. The craft dove into the atmosphere, and they both reeled with the sudden shift.\n\nCome on, come on, Yadav chanted to herself. Clenching her jaw and biting her tongue, she pulled back on the stick, trying to bring the nose up. Her muscles ached with tension while her palms slicked the fake leather with sweat.\n\nHaddix flew through the computer prompts, \u201cPort thruster is out and we\u2019re leaking fuel from its tank.\u201d His voice held remarkably steady.\n\nYadav consciously slowed her breathing. Spots were swimming before her eyes. If she passed out, they were dead.\n\nFriction seared the outside of their ship. Flames lapped at the forward shield, and turbulence made Yadav\u2019s teeth rattle despite her gritting.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re falling too fast,\u201d Haddix screamed.\n\nShe could barely hear him now, over the roar of the sweeping wind and fire. She tried to reach for the maneuvering thrusters\u2019 regulator, but the craft began to spiral \u2014 she couldn\u2019t keep even a semblance of control with one hand.\n\nThe ground rushed up at them. The great, arched band of dark, night sky flattened into an oppressive lid. Bile rose in her throat and pain pounded through her skull \u2014 fumes from the burning exterior were making their way into the cockpit. They had a major internal breach somewhere.\n\nShe kept her eyes on the ground. Her entire being was wrapped up in wrestling them to safety.\n\nHaddix took out his \u2018security blanket\u2019 once more, pressing it to his lips a long moment before shoving it down his suit, next to his heart.\n\n\u201cBrace!\u201d Yadav ordered.\n\nThere was nothing but rock in sight. Seconds later, they hit the ground nose-on.\n\nBoom.\n\nThe impact crumpled the front of the ship, but barely slowed its momentum. The craft skidded through yellow-red dirt, screaming as it went. They struck an outcropping and spun like an eighteen-ton top. The rocks tore the right side of the ship away, leaving the cockpit open and exposed.\n\nDespite her restraints, Yadav\u2019s spine whipped back and forth like a snake. Dust and chemicals and smoke swirled through the cabin. Yadav\u2019s vision swam. She twisted to her left and vomited, catching some in her silver-streaked hair.\n\nThe camera drone rattled around the inside of the cabin before bouncing off of the side of her head, leaving a gouge near her temple. White bursts of light flashed before her eyes, and then \u2014 nothing.\n\nWhen she came to, she had no idea how long she\u2019d been out, but everything had changed.\nAll lay still inside the cabin. Above the sharp, acidic smell of scorched electronics hung the unsettling smell of burnt flesh. Her hands were raw and bleeding from her grip on the stick, and her right elbow wouldn\u2019t move.\n\n\u201cHaddix?\u201d\n\nIt was no longer the dead of night. Early morning twilight transformed everything into silhouettes and shadows. Yadav\u2019s ears popped, and she realized sirens blared all around. Alternating red and white lights flashed in the distance. She strained to see out of the giant tear in her ship\u2019s side. Bulky, black creatures formed a perimeter around the crash site, and giant insects scuttled to and fro over the cracked earth. At first, Yadav through she was hallucinating, but as the sun rose the scene clarified.\n\nThe \u2018beasts\u2019 were vehicles and ships of various shapes and sizes, the \u2018insects\u2019 resolved into people.\n\nBeneath the screech of the sirens were voices \u2014 no, a single voice.\n\n\u201cWe have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up.\u201d\n\nDizzy, she unbuckled herself and crawled to Haddix. Blackened portions of skin covered his right side, from torso to face. His suit had torn open, and a bar had pushed up through the floor of the cabin, through his seat, and up into his ribcage. But it wasn\u2019t a clean puncture. Blood seeped slowly down his side, like water from a morbid spring.\n\nHis breaths were thin, but even.\n\nA spotlight fell on the wreck from above. She couldn\u2019t tell who was out there. Had the pirate pack followed them to the surface? She scrambled for the comm unit, only to find it dead.\n\nThe craft\u2019s embedded emergency beacon refused to activate, and the mobile beacons \u2014 her breadcrumbs \u2014 had run out.\n\nNo one from New United knew where they were.\n\nHer last resort was an internal beacon, stored in her travel kit. It was for hostage situations \u2014 should the reporter find him or herself trapped behind unfriendly borders, it was a secure way to alert New United to their predicament. The signal was encrypted, and would commandeer whatever wavebands it needed to get the press signal out.\n\nThe beacon looked like a little blue gel capsule, something one might take for neck pain. Quickly, she gulped it down. Once her stomach dissolved the gel, out would emerge a little bot. The bot would lodge itself in her small intestine until given the signal, by her rescuers, to release.\n\n\u201cExit the craft,\u201d the voice demanded.\n\nIf she didn\u2019t respond, they might decide to bomb the crash site for good measure.\n\nYadav struggled to squeeze herself behind Haddix\u2019s seat and through the breach rimmed with sharp metal and live wires. Palms open, she waved in surrender.\n\nBetter a hostage than a corpse.\n\nto be continued \u2026","de_DE":"Neue United Reporter k\u00e4mpfen gegen Piraten. Wer \u00fcberlebte?\n\nHaddix hat das Zielsystem angesprochen. \"Die CPU sagt, dass wir drei Feinde im Anflug haben, die hei\u00df werden. Zwei Entermesser und ein Merlin.\"\n\nYadav fing ein Entermesser aus dem Augenwinkel und erhob sich von der Oberfl\u00e4che des Planetoiden. Die Hektik der Chop-Shop ging weiter, als ob nichts Ungew\u00f6hnliches passiert w\u00e4re. Schwermaschinen entluden die Ladung des orangenen Transports - Maschinen, die sie als im Manifest eines der zuvor raubkopierten Schiffe erkannte. Wenn sie nur von hier aus das Firmenlogo sehen k\u00f6nnte.\n\nSelbst bei einer Brandbek\u00e4mpfung konnte sie den Untersuchungsteil ihres Gehirns nicht abschalten.\n\n\"Ausweichman\u00f6ver\", sagte sie. Das Offensichtliche zu sagen, war Teil des Verfahrens - es hielt Ihre Gruppe im Fokus, sprach, arbeitete zusammen. Sie hat das Schiff vom Planetoiden weggesponnen. \"Auf dem Weg zum Sprungpunkt.\"\n\n\"Einen Feindseligen vom Heck aus zu sehen. Die Waffen sind bereit. Ich feuere zwei Ladungen ab.\" Es folgte eine angespannte Pause. \" Miss.\"\n\nAuf der Steuerbordseite flogen Sch\u00fcsse vorbei, nah genug, um die Haare auf der R\u00fcckseite von Yadavs Hals am Ende stehen zu lassen.\n\n\"Zus\u00e4tzlicher feindlicher Angriff\", sagte Haddix. Sein Pegelton verlagerte sich zu einem der Besorgnis erregenden: \"Dieser hier ist kein kleiner K\u00e4mpfer, Ulla. Wir reden hier von gro\u00dfen Waffen.\"\n\nYadav nahm ihr Schiff mit in einen scharfen Tauchgang und hoffte, den n\u00e4chsten Piraten zu ersch\u00fcttern. \"Wir werden es nicht bis zum Sprungpunkt schaffen, oder?\" Sie zog ihr Kommunikationssystem hoch. Sollten sie versuchen, Hilfe zu rufen? Aufgeben? Die Werkstatt da drau\u00dfen hat es ihr in den Sinn gebracht: Sie hatte sich geirrt. Eine Verschw\u00f6rung mehrerer Unternehmen zur Begehung von Betrug k\u00f6nnte unter diesen Bedingungen nicht kosteneffizient sein. Und sie konnte sich keine Piratenpakete vorstellen, die daf\u00fcr bekannt waren, mit so viel Personal so weit zu gehen. Kein Syndikat in der Galaxie konnte so viele Piraten dazu bringen, zusammenzuarbeiten, ohne sich gegenseitig in den R\u00fccken zu fallen.\n\nWer auch immer sie waren, sie waren sicher nicht im gehobenen Gesch\u00e4ft der Wirtschaftskriminalit\u00e4t t\u00e4tig.\n\n\"Ich empfange Funksignale\", bemerkte sie. \"Nicht von den Schiffen, vom dritten Planeten. Vielleicht ist das Terraforming abgeschlossen. Da unten k\u00f6nnten Leute sein.\"\n\n\"Denkst du, sie werden uns Zuflucht geben? Ich feuere drei ab. Treffer! Die P-52 f\u00e4hrt zur\u00fcck.\"\n\nYadav schaltete ihren breitbandigen Notruf ein und versuchte dann, direkt an die Oberfl\u00e4che zu gelangen. \"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, hier ist Ulla Yadav von New United. Ich bitte um Erlaubnis zur Landung. Wir werden von unbekannten Personen in Ihrem System angegriffen. Mayday.\"\n\nDer Planet schwoll vor ihnen an. Die Atmosph\u00e4re spiegelte ein gesundes Blau wider, aber es gab nur wenige Gew\u00e4sser, und ein gro\u00dfer Teil der Landmassen wirkte trocken und karg.\n\nYadav steuerte das Schiff in eine zerfallende Umlaufbahn um den Planeten und rief weiterhin nach Hilfe. Als sie sich zur Nachtseite winden, bemerkte sie nur drei kleine Lichtbl\u00f6cke, die alle relativ nahe beieinander lagen. \"Wir reden hier nicht von einer riesigen Bev\u00f6lkerung\", warnte sie.\n\n\"Zwei der Schiffe versuchen, die Flanke zu erreichen. Vorsicht auf der Steuerbordseite.\" Moschus wackelte von Haddix ab. Er schwitzte durch seine Unterb\u00f6den. \"Wir m\u00fcssen landen.\"\n\n\"Sie antworten nicht.\"\n\n\"Es spielt keine Rolle. Wir sind in der Presse.\"\n\n\"Ok, ich beginne meinen Abstieg. Er kommt in Fahrt. Vielleicht k\u00f6nnen diese Trottel keinen weitwinkeligen Einstieg verkraften.\" Sie dr\u00e4ngte die Kontrollen vorw\u00e4rts und zielte auf die Anzeichen von Bev\u00f6lkerung ab. \"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday\", rief sie weiter an, \"Hier ist Ulla Yadav -\"\n\nEine wei\u00dfgl\u00fchende Explosion verschlang das Schiff und stahl Yadavs Vision. Das Schiff zitterte mit heftiger Gewalt, und das Kreischen von gedrehtem Metall f\u00fcllte die Kabine. Haddix gab eine halbe Schale, ein halbes Kn\u00e4uel aus. Warnlichter blinkten aus allen Winkeln und drehten sein breites Gesicht rot, dann orange, dann blau.\n\n\"Wo wurden wir getroffen?\" rief Yadav. \"Wo kommt dieser Schuss her?\" Die Piratenschiffe waren alle an ihrem Heck, aber dieser Schuss - er kam von unten. Und das Einzige, was darunter lag, war der Planet.\n\nDie Schiffskontrollen sind beschlagnahmt. Yadav k\u00e4mpfte mit dem Stock und versuchte verzweifelt, sie auf Kurs zu halten, aber ihre Flugbahn nahm einen schnellen Sprung und eine Drehung. Das Schiff tauchte in die Atmosph\u00e4re ein, und beide taumelten mit der pl\u00f6tzlichen Verschiebung.\n\nKomm schon, komm schon, komm schon, Yadav hat f\u00fcr sich selbst gesungen. Sie kneifte ihren Kiefer zusammen und biss sich auf die Zunge, zog sich am Stock zur\u00fcck und versuchte, die Nase nach oben zu bringen. Ihre Muskeln schmerzten vor Spannung, w\u00e4hrend ihre Handfl\u00e4chen das Kunstleder mit Schwei\u00df \u00fcberzogen.\n\nHaddix flog durch die Computeraufforderungen: \"Das Backbordstrahlruder ist aus und wir lassen Treibstoff aus seinem Tank aus.\" Seine Stimme blieb bemerkenswert ruhig.\n\nYadav verlangsamte bewusst ihre Atmung. Flecken schwammen vor ihren Augen. Wenn sie ohnm\u00e4chtig wurde, waren sie tot.\n\nReibung verbrannte die Au\u00dfenseite ihres Schiffes. Flammen leckten am vorderen Schild, und Turbulenzen lie\u00dfen Yadavs Z\u00e4hne trotz ihres Knirschens klappern.\n\n\"Wir fallen zu schnell\", schrie Haddix.\n\nSie konnte ihn jetzt kaum noch h\u00f6ren, \u00fcber dem Gebr\u00fcll von Wind und Feuer. Sie versuchte, nach dem Regler der Man\u00f6vriertriebwerke zu greifen, aber das Schiff begann sich zu drehen - sie konnte nicht einmal den Anschein von Kontrolle mit einer Hand behalten.\n\nDer Boden st\u00fcrzte auf sie zu. Das gro\u00dfe, gew\u00f6lbte Band aus dunklem, n\u00e4chtlichem Himmel wurde zu einem bedr\u00fcckenden Deckel. Galle stieg in ihrem Hals auf und der Schmerz schlug durch ihren Sch\u00e4del - D\u00e4mpfe von der brennenden Au\u00dfenseite str\u00f6mten ins Cockpit. Sie hatten irgendwo einen gr\u00f6\u00dferen internen Versto\u00df.\n\nSie hielt ihre Augen auf dem Boden. Ihr ganzes Wesen war damit besch\u00e4ftigt, sie in Sicherheit zu bringen.\n\nHaddix nahm seine \"Schutzdecke\" noch einmal heraus und dr\u00fcckte sie lange Zeit an seine Lippen, bevor er sie in seinen Anzug neben sein Herz schob.\n\n\"Klammer!\" befahl Yadav.\n\nEs war nichts als Stein in Sicht. Sekunden sp\u00e4ter trafen sie auf die Bodennase.\n\nBumm.\n\nDer Aufprall knitterte an der Vorderseite des Schiffes, verlangsamte aber kaum seinen Schwung. Das Schiff rutschte durch gelb-rote Erde und schrie dabei. Sie schlugen einen Ausbruch und drehten sich wie ein achtzehn Tonnen schwerer Top. Die Felsen rissen die rechte Seite des Schiffes weg und lie\u00dfen das Cockpit offen und frei.\n\nTrotz ihrer Fesseln schwang Yadavs Wirbels\u00e4ule wie eine Schlange hin und her. Staub, Chemikalien und Rauch wirbelten durch die Kabine. Yadavs Vision schwamm. Sie drehte sich nach links und erbrach sich und fing einige in ihrem silber gestreiften Haar ein.\n\nDie Kameradrohne klapperte um das Innere der Kabine herum, bevor sie von der Seite ihres Kopfes abprallte und eine Vertiefung in der N\u00e4he ihres Tempels hinterlie\u00df. Wei\u00dfe Lichtschl\u00e4ge funkelten vor ihren Augen, und dann - nichts.\n\nAls sie zu sich kam, hatte sie keine Ahnung, wie lange sie schon drau\u00dfen war, aber alles hatte sich ge\u00e4ndert.\nAlle lagen noch in der Kabine. \u00dcber dem scharfen, sauren Geruch verbrannter Elektronik hing der beunruhigende Geruch von verbranntem Fleisch. Ihre H\u00e4nde waren roh und blutend von ihrem Griff auf den Stock, und ihr rechter Ellbogen bewegte sich nicht.\n\n\" Haddix?\"\n\nEs war nicht mehr das Ende der Nacht. Die fr\u00fche Morgend\u00e4mmerung verwandelte alles in Silhouetten und Schatten. Yadavs Ohren knallten, und sie erkannte, dass \u00fcberall Sirenen schossen. Abwechselnd blinkten rote und wei\u00dfe Lichter in der Ferne. Sie zwang sich, aus der riesigen Tr\u00e4ne in der Seite ihres Schiffes zu sehen. Sperrige, schwarze Kreaturen bildeten einen Umkreis um die Absturzstelle, und Rieseninsekten huschten hin und her \u00fcber die zerkl\u00fcftete Erde. Zuerst hat Yadav durch sie halluziniert, aber als die Sonne aufging, wurde die Szene klarer.\n\nDie \"Tiere\" waren Fahrzeuge und Schiffe verschiedener Formen und Gr\u00f6\u00dfen, die \"Insekten\" beschlossen, sich in Menschen zu verwandeln.\n\nUnter dem Kreischen der Sirenen waren Stimmen - nein, eine einzige Stimme.\n\n\"Wir haben dich umzingelt. Komm mit erhobenen H\u00e4nden raus.\"\n\nSchwindelig, sie schnallte sich ab und kroch zu Haddix. Geschw\u00e4rzte Hautpartien bedeckten seine rechte Seite, vom Oberk\u00f6rper bis zum Gesicht. Sein Anzug war aufgerissen, und eine Bar war durch den Boden der Kabine, durch seinen Sitz und in seinen Brustkorb nach oben geschoben worden. Aber es war keine saubere Punktion. Blut sickerte langsam an seiner Seite herunter, wie Wasser aus einer krankhaften Quelle.\n\nSeine Atemz\u00fcge waren d\u00fcnn, aber gleichm\u00e4\u00dfig.\n\nEin Scheinwerfer fiel von oben auf das Wrack. Sie konnte nicht sagen, wer da drau\u00dfen war. Hatte das Piratenpack sie an die Oberfl\u00e4che verfolgt? Sie kletterte zur Kommunikationseinheit, nur um sie tot aufzufinden.\n\nDas eingebettete Notlichtsignal des Schiffes weigerte sich zu aktivieren, und die mobilen Baken - ihre Brotkrumen - waren ausgelaufen.\n\nNiemand von New United wusste, wo sie waren.\n\nIhr letzter Ausweg war ein internes Leuchtfeuer, das in ihrer Reiseausr\u00fcstung verstaut war. Es war f\u00fcr Geiselsituationen - sollte der Reporter sich hinter unfreundlichen Grenzen wiederfinden, war es ein sicherer Weg, New United auf ihre missliche Lage hinzuweisen. Das Signal war verschl\u00fcsselt und w\u00fcrde alle Wellenb\u00e4nder befehligen, die es brauchte, um das Pressesignal herauszubekommen.\n\nDas Leuchtfeuer sah aus wie eine kleine blaue Gelkapsel, etwas, das man bei Nackenschmerzen einnehmen k\u00f6nnte. Schnell schluckte sie es runter. Sobald ihr Magen das Gel aufgel\u00f6st hatte, tauchte ein kleiner Bot auf. Der Bot w\u00fcrde sich in ihrem D\u00fcnndarm verstecken, bis er von seinen Rettungskr\u00e4ften das Signal zur Freigabe erhielt.\n\n\"Verlasse das Schiff\", forderte die Stimme.\n\nWenn sie nicht reagierte, k\u00f6nnten sie sich entscheiden, die Absturzstelle aus Sicherheitsgr\u00fcnden zu bombardieren.\n\nYadav k\u00e4mpfte darum, sich hinter Haddix' Sitz zu quetschen und durch den Bruch mit scharfem Metall und stromf\u00fchrenden Dr\u00e4hten umrandet zu sein. Die Handfl\u00e4chen \u00f6ffneten sich, sie winkte in Kapitulation.\n\nBesser eine Geisel als eine Leiche.\n\nwird fortgesetzt.....","zh_CN":"New United Reporters Battle Pirates. Who Survived?\n\nHaddix brought up the targeting system. \u201cCPU says we have three hostiles inbound, running hot. Two Cutlasses and a Merlin.\u201d\n\nYadav caught one Cutlass out of the corner of her eye, rising up from the planetoid\u2019s surface. The hustle and bustle of the chop-shop continued as though nothing unusual was happening. Heavy machinery unloaded the orange transport\u2019s cargo \u2014 machinery she recognized as being on the manifest of one of the previously pirated ships. If only she could see the company logo from here.\n\nEven in a fire-fight, she couldn\u2019t shut off the investigative portion of her brain.\n\n\u201cTaking evasive action,\u201d she said. Stating the obvious was part of the procedure \u2014 it kept your party focused, talking, working together. She spun the craft away from the planetoid. \u201cHeading for jump point.\u201d\n\n\u201cSighting one hostile off stern. Weapons prepped. Firing two charges.\u201d A tense pause followed. \u201cMiss.\u201d\n\nShots whizzed past on the starboard side, close enough to make the hair on the back of Yadav\u2019s neck stand on end.\n\n\u201cAdditional hostile engaging,\u201d said Haddix. His level tone shifted to one of concern, \u201cThis one\u2019s not a little fighter, Ulla. We\u2019re talking big guns.\u201d\n\nYadav took their craft into a sharp dive, hoping to shake the closest pirate. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to make it to the jump point, are we?\u201d She pulled up her comm system. Should they try to call for help? Surrender? That chop-shop out there cinched it in her mind: she\u2019d been wrong. A multi-company conspiracy to commit fraud could not be cost-effective in these conditions. And she couldn\u2019t think of any pirate packs that were known for running this far out with that much manpower. No syndicate in the galaxy could get that many pirates to work together without stabbing each other in the back.\n\nWhoever they were, they sure weren\u2019t in the genteel business of white-collar crime.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m picking up on radio signals,\u201d she noted. \u201cNot from the ships, from the third planet. Maybe the terraforming is complete. There might be people down there.\u201d\n\n\u201cThink they\u2019ll give us sanctuary? Firing three. Hit! The P-52 is backing off.\u201d\n\nYadav turned on their wide-band distress call, then attempted to reach the surface directly. \u201cMayday, mayday, this is Ulla Yadav of New United. Requesting permission to land. We are being attacked by unknown persons in your system. Mayday.\u201d\n\nThe planet swelled before them. The atmosphere reflected a healthy blue, but there were few bodies of water, and a good portion of the land masses appeared dry and barren.\n\nYadav piloted the ship into a decaying orbit around the planet, and continued to call for help. As they wound around to the night side she noted only three small clusters of lights, all relatively near each other. \u201cWe aren\u2019t talking about a massive population here,\u201d she warned.\n\n\u201cTwo of the ships are attempting to flank. Watch out on your starboard side.\u201d Musk wafted off of Haddix. He was sweating through his underlayers. \u201cWe need to land.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey aren\u2019t responding.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. We\u2019re press.\u201d\n\n\u201cOk, starting my descent. Going in sharp. Maybe these suckers can\u2019t take a wide-angled entry.\u201d She pushed the controls forward, aiming for the signs of population. \u201cMayday, mayday,\u201d she continued to call, \u201cThis is Ulla Yadav \u2014\u201d\n\nA white-hot blast engulfed the ship, stealing Yadav\u2019s vision. The craft shook with a violent force, and the screech of twisting metal filled the cabin. Haddix let out a half-scream, half-growl. Warning lights flashed from all angles, turning his broad face red, then orange, then blue.\n\n\u201cWhere were we hit?\u201d Yadav shouted. \u201cWhere did that shot come from?\u201d The pirate vessels were all to their aft, but that shot \u2014 it came from below. And the only thing below was the planet.\n\nThe ship\u2019s controls seized. Yadav fought with the stick, desperately trying to keep them on course, but their trajectory took a swift dip and twist. The craft dove into the atmosphere, and they both reeled with the sudden shift.\n\nCome on, come on, Yadav chanted to herself. Clenching her jaw and biting her tongue, she pulled back on the stick, trying to bring the nose up. Her muscles ached with tension while her palms slicked the fake leather with sweat.\n\nHaddix flew through the computer prompts, \u201cPort thruster is out and we\u2019re leaking fuel from its tank.\u201d His voice held remarkably steady.\n\nYadav consciously slowed her breathing. Spots were swimming before her eyes. If she passed out, they were dead.\n\nFriction seared the outside of their ship. Flames lapped at the forward shield, and turbulence made Yadav\u2019s teeth rattle despite her gritting.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re falling too fast,\u201d Haddix screamed.\n\nShe could barely hear him now, over the roar of the sweeping wind and fire. She tried to reach for the maneuvering thrusters\u2019 regulator, but the craft began to spiral \u2014 she couldn\u2019t keep even a semblance of control with one hand.\n\nThe ground rushed up at them. The great, arched band of dark, night sky flattened into an oppressive lid. Bile rose in her throat and pain pounded through her skull \u2014 fumes from the burning exterior were making their way into the cockpit. They had a major internal breach somewhere.\n\nShe kept her eyes on the ground. Her entire being was wrapped up in wrestling them to safety.\n\nHaddix took out his \u2018security blanket\u2019 once more, pressing it to his lips a long moment before shoving it down his suit, next to his heart.\n\n\u201cBrace!\u201d Yadav ordered.\n\nThere was nothing but rock in sight. Seconds later, they hit the ground nose-on.\n\nBoom.\n\nThe impact crumpled the front of the ship, but barely slowed its momentum. The craft skidded through yellow-red dirt, screaming as it went. They struck an outcropping and spun like an eighteen-ton top. The rocks tore the right side of the ship away, leaving the cockpit open and exposed.\n\nDespite her restraints, Yadav\u2019s spine whipped back and forth like a snake. Dust and chemicals and smoke swirled through the cabin. Yadav\u2019s vision swam. She twisted to her left and vomited, catching some in her silver-streaked hair.\n\nThe camera drone rattled around the inside of the cabin before bouncing off of the side of her head, leaving a gouge near her temple. White bursts of light flashed before her eyes, and then \u2014 nothing.\n\nWhen she came to, she had no idea how long she\u2019d been out, but everything had changed.\nAll lay still inside the cabin. Above the sharp, acidic smell of scorched electronics hung the unsettling smell of burnt flesh. Her hands were raw and bleeding from her grip on the stick, and her right elbow wouldn\u2019t move.\n\n\u201cHaddix?\u201d\n\nIt was no longer the dead of night. Early morning twilight transformed everything into silhouettes and shadows. Yadav\u2019s ears popped, and she realized sirens blared all around. Alternating red and white lights flashed in the distance. She strained to see out of the giant tear in her ship\u2019s side. Bulky, black creatures formed a perimeter around the crash site, and giant insects scuttled to and fro over the cracked earth. At first, Yadav through she was hallucinating, but as the sun rose the scene clarified.\n\nThe \u2018beasts\u2019 were vehicles and ships of various shapes and sizes, the \u2018insects\u2019 resolved into people.\n\nBeneath the screech of the sirens were voices \u2014 no, a single voice.\n\n\u201cWe have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up.\u201d\n\nDizzy, she unbuckled herself and crawled to Haddix. Blackened portions of skin covered his right side, from torso to face. His suit had torn open, and a bar had pushed up through the floor of the cabin, through his seat, and up into his ribcage. But it wasn\u2019t a clean puncture. Blood seeped slowly down his side, like water from a morbid spring.\n\nHis breaths were thin, but even.\n\nA spotlight fell on the wreck from above. She couldn\u2019t tell who was out there. Had the pirate pack followed them to the surface? She scrambled for the comm unit, only to find it dead.\n\nThe craft\u2019s embedded emergency beacon refused to activate, and the mobile beacons \u2014 her breadcrumbs \u2014 had run out.\n\nNo one from New United knew where they were.\n\nHer last resort was an internal beacon, stored in her travel kit. It was for hostage situations \u2014 should the reporter find him or herself trapped behind unfriendly borders, it was a secure way to alert New United to their predicament. The signal was encrypted, and would commandeer whatever wavebands it needed to get the press signal out.\n\nThe beacon looked like a little blue gel capsule, something one might take for neck pain. Quickly, she gulped it down. Once her stomach dissolved the gel, out would emerge a little bot. The bot would lodge itself in her small intestine until given the signal, by her rescuers, to release.\n\n\u201cExit the craft,\u201d the voice demanded.\n\nIf she didn\u2019t respond, they might decide to bomb the crash site for good measure.\n\nYadav struggled to squeeze herself behind Haddix\u2019s seat and through the breach rimmed with sharp metal and live wires. Palms open, she waved in surrender.\n\nBetter a hostage than a corpse.\n\nto be continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":67,"created_at":"2014-02-07T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-14 16:22:22","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13553,"next_id":13558}}