{"data":{"id":13558,"title":"DATELINE: SESEN Part Three","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/13558-DATELINE-SESEN-Part-Three","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13558","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13558","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":"Breaking news: Seasoned Crime Reporter, Ulla Yadav, and Bodyguard, James Haddix, Captured in the Field.\n\n\u201cWe need help,\u201d she yelled. Her throat was dry, scratchy. She wasn\u2019t sure her voice carried. She gasped heavily, but couldn\u2019t get enough oxygen. The air on this planet was thin.\n\nThree dark figures jogged toward her \u2014 men, decked head to toe in black armor. They had weapons in hand, but not poised for discharge. In the distance, an older Constellation touched down. Early morning sunlight glinted off red, pirate war-paint that smattered the ship\u2019s hull. It made the craft look like it was made of burning liquid metal.\n\nYadav shuddered, realizing she and Haddix would soon be in the hands of marauders. She wondered what their chances of survival might be.\n\nBut then the spotlight above shifted, and when she looked again the insignia on the Connie wasn\u2019t red. It must have been her eyes, a trick of the twilight. Or maybe her optic nerves had been damaged.\n\nRoyal blue and golden-yellow swirls and stripes adorned the ship\u2019s hide. A government seal.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t a pirate ship.\n\nWhen the men reached her, they pulled her bodily from the wreckage. They wore thick masks over their mouths and noses. She cried out as they twisted her arms behind her back \u2014 wrenching her damaged elbow \u2014 and secured her hands with zip ties. They forced her to a kneeling position. One man held his Model II Arclight against her head and demanded to know how many others were with her.\n\n\u201cJust one. He\u2019s injured bad \u2014 bleeding.\u201d\n\n\u201cI need the med ship,\u201d he said into his radio. \u201cSuspects are being taken into custody. One conscious, appears able to walk. The other \u2026\u201d He watched his colleagues examine Haddix. \u201cThe other is non-responsive, but breathing.\u201d\n\nThe doors of the ship Yadav had taken for a pirate\u2019s skiff opened. Two men with MaxOx P4s stepped out, followed by a woman dressed in a dark pantsuit. Her black hair hung to her waist, straight and sleek, held back in a simple pony tail. She crossed her arms authoritatively, surveying the scene for a moment before striding toward Yadav\u2019s position.\n\n\u201cMadame Governor, I suggest you stay back,\u201d the man with the Arclight said.\n\n\u201cIt looks like you\u2019ve got the situation under control.\u201d Leaning toward Yadav, she said, \u201cHow do you like our new cannon?\u201d\n\nYadav didn\u2019t say anything.\n\n\u201cFrom now on,\u201d the governor continued, \u201cAny unauthorized ship that breaches our atmosphere will be shot out of the sky. Pirates or otherwise.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re not pirates,\u201d Yadav said, trying to keep her voice steady, despite the shooting pain in her arm. \u201cWe\u2019re reporters. New United.\u201d She twisted her arm as best she could to reveal the press tattoo on the inside of her wrist.\n\nThe governor leaned over to get take a look. \u201cYou both have press ID codes, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\nA medical shuttle touched down, kicking up dust. Three men and a woman, all in white, rushed out carrying two gurneys.\n\n\u201cGood,\u201d said the governor. \u201cYou can give them to Mr. Sato here. We\u2019ll take you to my medical facilities, fix you up, and prep for interrogation.\u201d She beckoned to the people in white.\n\nAn emergency staff member rushed to Yadav. A cup of water was thrust in her face, and she drank greedily. Mr. Sato yanked her to her feet and freed her wrists before she was not-so-gently maneuvered onto a gurney.\n\nAs they boarded the med ship, someone stuck an IV in Yadav\u2019s arm. A doctor shined a penlight in each of her eyes, then threw a blanket over her. When she asked, they propped her gurney into a sitting position.\n\nIt felt like a decade passed before Haddix was loaded in beside her. He looked cleaner \u2014 not quite as shocking as he had amongst the wreckage. They\u2019d wrapped his wounds relatively well, and no blood was visible through the temporary bandages. Someone put him on oxygen and covered him with a blanket like Yadav\u2019s. When the ship took off, he didn\u2019t move or make a sound. She reached out for his hand and squeezed, but he didn\u2019t squeeze back.\n\nThe med transport had large windows, which gave her a broad view of the planet as they traveled. Eventually, the barren rocks and outcroppings were accompanied by a smattering of vegetation. The occasional sickly-looking farming plot passed by in a blur. When they entered the city, the sun was nearly up. She noted the abundance of plaster-less, square buildings, stacked right up against each other. Raw rebar thrust up from the flat roofs like the legs of dead insects, and crumbling concrete littered the road. Many windows were glassless, covered instead by filthy rags and moth-eaten scraps.\n\nBreaks between the blocks of cement structures were punctuated by circled lean-tos. The shanty houses, composed of whatever had been lying around, had communal cooking pits at their centers and laundry lines linking them together.\n\nDust-covered, half-naked children ran next to the medical transport, waving.\n\nYadav waved back. \u201cPopulace is poor,\u201d she whispered, hoping her recorder was still in good shape. \u201cPirates must pose great threat. Ask governor what other measures they take to keep safe.\u201d A single cannon that could take down one spaceship wouldn\u2019t be much help if the pirates decided to strike en masse. \u201cAsk about when pirates appeared, and if she knows why they target such strange goods.\u201d\n\nThe medical shuttle landed atop a steep hill overlooking the small city. Tall, sleek buildings sat in a clustered complex behind an iron gate. Yadav immediately noted how modern and high-end everything looked. Lots of polished metal and glass. It set a stark contrast to the cramped, dilapidated buildings below.\n\nShe\u2019d seen economic disparities like this many times before. Often it was a symptom of an oppressive state.\n\nThe med team rushed Haddix from the shuttle. Her exit was more leisurely. The foyer of the building they entered was lavish, akin to many of the corporate headquarters Yadav had visited. A doctor and several assistants met them there, and took control of her gurney. The medical bay was on the seventh floor, accessed by a wide, stainless steel elevator.\n\nSomeone cut off her suit as she was transferred to a proper medical bed. The room was spacious, and carried the familiar antiseptic smell of all up-to-date hospitals. Men and women rushed around in masks and hair nets. The doctor calmly gave orders as she looked Yadav over. Scanners wound around the reporter\u2019s body, operated by several hands.\n\n\u201cYour elbow is broken, and you have severe whiplash,\u201d the doctor told her. \u201cYour skin and muscle problems can be repaired easily with quick-grafts. Don\u2019t worry,\u201d her eyes smiled, above the medical mask. \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat about Haddix \u2014 James?\u201d Yadav croaked.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s with Dr. Yang.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s \u2026 can I \u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ll be updated as soon as you\u2019re both on your way to recovery. Now, I need you to count back from one hundred.\u201d They were going to put her under.\n\nYadav tried to sit up. \u201cFirst tell me about Haddix.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ll find out in recovery.\u201d The doctor brought out an aerosol anesthetic.\n\nEven in its foggy state, Yadav\u2019s mind fought back. She didn\u2019t know anything about this planet, or these people.\n\nReptilian instincts told Yadav that she shouldn\u2019t let them anesthetize her. That if she could, she should struggle \u2014 get away \u2014 reassess.\n\nBut then there were four sets of hands holding her down, and the mask was descending, and the doctor was counting for her, \u201cOne hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven \u2026\u201d\n\nThe oblivion that washed over her was anything but sweet.\n\nto be continued \u2026","de_DE":"Breaking news: Seasoned Crime Reporter, Ulla Yadav, und Bodyguard, James Haddix, gefangen im Feld.\n\n\"Wir brauchen Hilfe\", schrie sie. Ihre Kehle war trocken, kratzig. Sie war sich nicht sicher, ob ihre Stimme getragen wurde. Sie keuchte stark, konnte aber nicht genug Sauerstoff bekommen. Die Luft auf diesem Planeten war d\u00fcnn.\n\nDrei dunkle Gestalten joggten auf sie zu - M\u00e4nner, von Kopf bis Fu\u00df in schwarzer R\u00fcstung gedeckt. Sie hatten Waffen in der Hand, waren aber nicht bereit f\u00fcr die Entlassung. In der Ferne landete eine \u00e4ltere Konstellation. Das Sonnenlicht am fr\u00fchen Morgen schimmerte von der roten, piratenhaften Kriegsbemalung, die den Schiffsrumpf zertr\u00fcmmerte. Es lie\u00df das Schiff aussehen, als w\u00e4re es aus brennendem Fl\u00fcssigmetall.\n\nYadav schauderte und erkannte, dass sie und Haddix bald in den H\u00e4nden von Marodern sein w\u00fcrden. Sie fragte sich, wie ihre \u00dcberlebenschancen sein k\u00f6nnten.\n\nAber dann verlagerte sich der Scheinwerfer dar\u00fcber, und als sie wieder hinschaute, war das Abzeichen auf der Connie nicht rot. Es m\u00fcssen ihre Augen gewesen sein, ein Trick der D\u00e4mmerung. Oder vielleicht waren ihre Sehnerven besch\u00e4digt.\n\nK\u00f6nigsblaue und goldgelbe Wirbel und Streifen schm\u00fcckten die Schiffshaut. Ein Regierungssiegel.\n\nEs war kein Piratenschiff.\n\nAls die M\u00e4nner sie erreichten, zogen sie sie k\u00f6rperlich aus dem Wrack. Sie trugen dicke Masken \u00fcber Mund und Nase. Sie schrie auf, als sie ihre Arme hinter ihrem R\u00fccken verdrehten - ihren besch\u00e4digten Ellbogen zerrissen - und ihre H\u00e4nde mit Rei\u00dfverschl\u00fcssen sicherten. Sie zwangen sie in eine kniende Position. Ein Mann hielt ihr seine Model II Arclight an den Kopf und verlangte zu wissen, wie viele andere bei ihr waren.\n\n\"Nur eine. Er ist schwer verletzt - Blutungen.\"\n\n\"Ich brauche das Medizinschiff\", sagte er in sein Radio. \"Verd\u00e4chtige werden inhaftiert. Ein Bewusster, der in der Lage zu gehen scheint. Die andere....\" Er beobachtete, wie seine Kollegen Haddix untersuchten. \"Der andere ist nicht ansprechbar, sondern atmet.\"\n\nDie T\u00fcren des Schiffes, das Yadav f\u00fcr ein Piratenboot genommen hatte, \u00f6ffneten sich. Zwei M\u00e4nner mit MaxOx P4s traten heraus, gefolgt von einer Frau in einem dunklen Hosenanzug. Ihr schwarzes Haar hing an ihrer Taille, gerade und geschmeidig, zur\u00fcckgehalten in einem einfachen Pferdeschwanz. Sie verschr\u00e4nkte ihre Arme autoritativ und beobachtete die Szene f\u00fcr einen Moment, bevor sie sich Yadavs Position n\u00e4herte.\n\n\"Madame Governor, ich schlage vor, dass Sie sich zur\u00fcckhalten\", sagte der Mann mit dem Scheinwerfer.\n\n\"Es sieht so aus, als h\u00e4ttest du die Situation unter Kontrolle.\" Sie neigte sich Yadav zu und sagte: \"Wie gef\u00e4llt dir unsere neue Kanone?\"\n\nYadav hat nichts gesagt.\n\n\"Von nun an\", fuhr der Gouverneur fort, \"wird jedes nicht autorisierte Schiff, das unsere Atmosph\u00e4re verletzt, vom Himmel geschossen. Piraten oder andere.\"\n\n\"Wir sind keine Piraten\", sagte Yadav und versuchte, ihre Stimme ruhig zu halten, trotz der schie\u00dfenden Schmerzen in ihrem Arm. \"Wir sind Reporter. New United.\" Sie verdrehte ihren Arm so gut sie konnte, um das Pressentattoo auf der Innenseite ihres Handgelenks zu enth\u00fcllen.\n\nDer Gouverneur lehnte sich hin\u00fcber, um einen Blick darauf zu werfen. \"Ihr habt beide Presseausweise, dann?\"\n\n\" Ja.\"\n\nEin medizinisches Shuttle landete und wirbelte Staub auf. Drei M\u00e4nner und eine Frau, alle in Wei\u00df, eilten mit zwei Tragegurten hinaus.\n\n\"Gut\", sagte der Gouverneur. \"Du kannst sie Mr. Sato hier geben. Wir bringen Sie zu meinen medizinischen Einrichtungen, versorgen Sie und bereiten Sie auf das Verh\u00f6r vor.\" Sie winkte den Menschen in Wei\u00df zu.\n\nEin Notfallmitarbeiter eilte nach Yadav. Ein Becher Wasser wurde ihr ins Gesicht geschoben, und sie trank gierig. Mr. Sato zog sie auf die F\u00fc\u00dfe und befreite ihre Handgelenke, bevor sie nicht - so sanft - auf eine Trage man\u00f6vriert wurde.\n\nAls sie das Medizinschiff bestiegen, steckte jemand eine IV in Yadavs Arm. Ein Arzt leuchtete eine Taschenlampe in jedes ihrer Augen, dann warf er eine Decke \u00fcber sie. Als sie fragte, st\u00fctzten sie ihre Trage in eine sitzende Position.\n\nEs f\u00fchlte sich an, als verging ein Jahrzehnt, bevor Haddix neben ihr verladen wurde. Er sah sauberer aus - nicht ganz so schockierend wie bei den Wracks. Sie hatten seine Wunden relativ gut eingewickelt, und durch die tempor\u00e4ren Verb\u00e4nde war kein Blut sichtbar. Jemand gab ihm Sauerstoff und bedeckte ihn mit einer Decke wie die von Yadav. Als das Schiff abflog, bewegte er sich nicht und machte kein Ger\u00e4usch. Sie griff nach seiner Hand und dr\u00fcckte, aber er dr\u00fcckte nicht zur\u00fcck.\n\nDer Krankentransport hatte gro\u00dfe Fenster, die ihr einen weiten Blick auf den Planeten gaben, w\u00e4hrend sie unterwegs waren. Schlie\u00dflich wurden die kargen Felsen und Aufschl\u00fcsse von einer Klatsche der Vegetation begleitet. Das gelegentlich kr\u00e4nklich aussehende landwirtschaftliche Grundst\u00fcck verging verschwommen. Als sie in die Stadt kamen, war die Sonne fast aufgegangen. Sie bemerkte die F\u00fclle von gipslosen, quadratischen Geb\u00e4uden, die direkt aneinandergereiht waren. Rohstahl, der von den Flachd\u00e4chern wie die Beine toter Insekten nach oben geschoben wurde, und br\u00f6ckelnder Beton, der die Stra\u00dfe verunreinigte. Viele Fenster waren glaslos, stattdessen bedeckt von schmutzigen Lumpen und mottenzerfressenen Fetzen.\n\nBr\u00fcche zwischen den Bl\u00f6cken von Zementstrukturen wurden durch umlaufende Lean-Tos unterbrochen. Die Barackenh\u00e4user, bestehend aus dem, was herumlag, hatten gemeinsame Kochstellen in ihren Zentren und W\u00e4schelinien, die sie miteinander verbanden.\n\nStaubbedeckte, halbnackte Kinder rannten neben dem Krankentransport und winkten.\n\nYadav winkte zur\u00fcck. \"Die Bev\u00f6lkerung ist arm\", fl\u00fcsterte sie und hoffte, dass ihre Blockfl\u00f6te noch in gutem Zustand sei. \"Piraten m\u00fcssen eine gro\u00dfe Bedrohung darstellen. Fragen Sie den Gouverneur, welche anderen Ma\u00dfnahmen sie ergreifen, um die Sicherheit zu gew\u00e4hrleisten.\" Eine einzige Kanone, die ein Raumschiff zerst\u00f6ren k\u00f6nnte, w\u00e4re keine gro\u00dfe Hilfe, wenn die Piraten beschlie\u00dfen w\u00fcrden, massenhaft zuzuschlagen. \"Fragen Sie, wann Piraten erschienen sind und ob sie wei\u00df, warum sie auf so seltsame Waren abzielen.\"\n\nDas medizinische Shuttle landete auf einem steilen H\u00fcgel mit Blick auf die kleine Stadt. Hohe, schlanke Geb\u00e4ude befanden sich in einem geb\u00fcndelten Komplex hinter einem Eisentor. Yadav bemerkte sofort, wie modern und hochwertig alles aussah. Viel poliertes Metall und Glas. Es bildet einen starken Kontrast zu den engen, bauf\u00e4lligen Geb\u00e4uden darunter.\n\nSie hatte solche wirtschaftlichen Ungleichgewichte schon oft gesehen. Oft war es ein Symptom eines repressiven Staates.\n\nDas medizinische Team eilte Haddix aus dem Shuttle. Ihr Ausstieg war gem\u00e4chlicher. Das Foyer des von ihnen betreuten Geb\u00e4udes war aufwendig, \u00e4hnlich wie viele der von Yadav besuchten Konzernzentralen. Ein Arzt und mehrere Assistenten trafen sie dort und \u00fcbernahmen die Kontrolle \u00fcber ihre Trage. Der medizinische Bereich befand sich im siebten Stock, der durch einen breiten, rostfreien Aufzug zug\u00e4nglich war.\n\nJemand hat ihren Anzug abgeschnitten, als sie in ein richtiges medizinisches Bett verlegt wurde. Der Raum war ger\u00e4umig und trug den bekannten antiseptischen Geruch aller modernen Krankenh\u00e4user. M\u00e4nner und Frauen eilten mit Masken und Haarnetzen herum. Die \u00c4rztin gab ruhig Befehle, als sie Yadav ansah. Scanner, die um den K\u00f6rper des Reporters gewickelt sind und von mehreren H\u00e4nden bedient werden.\n\n\"Dein Ellbogen ist gebrochen und du hast einen schweren Schleudertrauma\", sagte der Arzt zu ihr. \"Mit Schnelltransplantaten k\u00f6nnen Ihre Haut- und Muskelprobleme leicht behoben werden. Keine Sorge\", l\u00e4chelten ihre Augen, \u00fcber der medizinischen Maske. \"Es wird alles gut.\"\n\n\"Was ist mit Haddix - James?\" Yadav kr\u00e4chzte.\n\n\"Er ist bei Dr. Yang.\"\n\n\"Was ist.... kann ich...?\"\n\n\"Ihr werdet auf dem Laufenden gehalten, sobald ihr beide auf dem Weg der Genesung seid. Jetzt musst du von hundert zur\u00fcckz\u00e4hlen.\" Sie wollten sie bet\u00e4uben.\n\nYadav versuchte, sich aufzurichten. \"Erz\u00e4hl mir zuerst von Haddix.\"\n\n\"Das wirst du in der Genesung herausfinden.\" Der Arzt brachte ein Aerosol-An\u00e4sthetikum heraus.\n\nSelbst in seinem nebligen Zustand wehrte sich Yadavs Verstand. Sie wusste nichts \u00fcber diesen Planeten und diese Menschen.\n\nReptilieninstinkte sagten Yadav, dass sie sich nicht von ihnen bet\u00e4uben lassen sollte. Dass, wenn sie k\u00f6nnte, sie k\u00e4mpfen sollte - wegkommen - neu bewerten.\n\nAber dann gab es vier Paar H\u00e4nde, die sie festhielten, und die Maske stieg ab, und der Arzt z\u00e4hlte f\u00fcr sie: \"Einhundertneunzigneunzig, achtundneunzig, achtundneunzig, achtundneunzig, siebenundneunzig....\".\n\nDas Vergessen, das \u00fcber sie hereinbrach, war alles andere als s\u00fc\u00df.\n\nwird fortgesetzt.....","zh_CN":"Breaking news: Seasoned Crime Reporter, Ulla Yadav, and Bodyguard, James Haddix, Captured in the Field.\n\n\u201cWe need help,\u201d she yelled. Her throat was dry, scratchy. She wasn\u2019t sure her voice carried. She gasped heavily, but couldn\u2019t get enough oxygen. The air on this planet was thin.\n\nThree dark figures jogged toward her \u2014 men, decked head to toe in black armor. They had weapons in hand, but not poised for discharge. In the distance, an older Constellation touched down. Early morning sunlight glinted off red, pirate war-paint that smattered the ship\u2019s hull. It made the craft look like it was made of burning liquid metal.\n\nYadav shuddered, realizing she and Haddix would soon be in the hands of marauders. She wondered what their chances of survival might be.\n\nBut then the spotlight above shifted, and when she looked again the insignia on the Connie wasn\u2019t red. It must have been her eyes, a trick of the twilight. Or maybe her optic nerves had been damaged.\n\nRoyal blue and golden-yellow swirls and stripes adorned the ship\u2019s hide. A government seal.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t a pirate ship.\n\nWhen the men reached her, they pulled her bodily from the wreckage. They wore thick masks over their mouths and noses. She cried out as they twisted her arms behind her back \u2014 wrenching her damaged elbow \u2014 and secured her hands with zip ties. They forced her to a kneeling position. One man held his Model II Arclight against her head and demanded to know how many others were with her.\n\n\u201cJust one. He\u2019s injured bad \u2014 bleeding.\u201d\n\n\u201cI need the med ship,\u201d he said into his radio. \u201cSuspects are being taken into custody. One conscious, appears able to walk. The other \u2026\u201d He watched his colleagues examine Haddix. \u201cThe other is non-responsive, but breathing.\u201d\n\nThe doors of the ship Yadav had taken for a pirate\u2019s skiff opened. Two men with MaxOx P4s stepped out, followed by a woman dressed in a dark pantsuit. Her black hair hung to her waist, straight and sleek, held back in a simple pony tail. She crossed her arms authoritatively, surveying the scene for a moment before striding toward Yadav\u2019s position.\n\n\u201cMadame Governor, I suggest you stay back,\u201d the man with the Arclight said.\n\n\u201cIt looks like you\u2019ve got the situation under control.\u201d Leaning toward Yadav, she said, \u201cHow do you like our new cannon?\u201d\n\nYadav didn\u2019t say anything.\n\n\u201cFrom now on,\u201d the governor continued, \u201cAny unauthorized ship that breaches our atmosphere will be shot out of the sky. Pirates or otherwise.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re not pirates,\u201d Yadav said, trying to keep her voice steady, despite the shooting pain in her arm. \u201cWe\u2019re reporters. New United.\u201d She twisted her arm as best she could to reveal the press tattoo on the inside of her wrist.\n\nThe governor leaned over to get take a look. \u201cYou both have press ID codes, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\nA medical shuttle touched down, kicking up dust. Three men and a woman, all in white, rushed out carrying two gurneys.\n\n\u201cGood,\u201d said the governor. \u201cYou can give them to Mr. Sato here. We\u2019ll take you to my medical facilities, fix you up, and prep for interrogation.\u201d She beckoned to the people in white.\n\nAn emergency staff member rushed to Yadav. A cup of water was thrust in her face, and she drank greedily. Mr. Sato yanked her to her feet and freed her wrists before she was not-so-gently maneuvered onto a gurney.\n\nAs they boarded the med ship, someone stuck an IV in Yadav\u2019s arm. A doctor shined a penlight in each of her eyes, then threw a blanket over her. When she asked, they propped her gurney into a sitting position.\n\nIt felt like a decade passed before Haddix was loaded in beside her. He looked cleaner \u2014 not quite as shocking as he had amongst the wreckage. They\u2019d wrapped his wounds relatively well, and no blood was visible through the temporary bandages. Someone put him on oxygen and covered him with a blanket like Yadav\u2019s. When the ship took off, he didn\u2019t move or make a sound. She reached out for his hand and squeezed, but he didn\u2019t squeeze back.\n\nThe med transport had large windows, which gave her a broad view of the planet as they traveled. Eventually, the barren rocks and outcroppings were accompanied by a smattering of vegetation. The occasional sickly-looking farming plot passed by in a blur. When they entered the city, the sun was nearly up. She noted the abundance of plaster-less, square buildings, stacked right up against each other. Raw rebar thrust up from the flat roofs like the legs of dead insects, and crumbling concrete littered the road. Many windows were glassless, covered instead by filthy rags and moth-eaten scraps.\n\nBreaks between the blocks of cement structures were punctuated by circled lean-tos. The shanty houses, composed of whatever had been lying around, had communal cooking pits at their centers and laundry lines linking them together.\n\nDust-covered, half-naked children ran next to the medical transport, waving.\n\nYadav waved back. \u201cPopulace is poor,\u201d she whispered, hoping her recorder was still in good shape. \u201cPirates must pose great threat. Ask governor what other measures they take to keep safe.\u201d A single cannon that could take down one spaceship wouldn\u2019t be much help if the pirates decided to strike en masse. \u201cAsk about when pirates appeared, and if she knows why they target such strange goods.\u201d\n\nThe medical shuttle landed atop a steep hill overlooking the small city. Tall, sleek buildings sat in a clustered complex behind an iron gate. Yadav immediately noted how modern and high-end everything looked. Lots of polished metal and glass. It set a stark contrast to the cramped, dilapidated buildings below.\n\nShe\u2019d seen economic disparities like this many times before. Often it was a symptom of an oppressive state.\n\nThe med team rushed Haddix from the shuttle. Her exit was more leisurely. The foyer of the building they entered was lavish, akin to many of the corporate headquarters Yadav had visited. A doctor and several assistants met them there, and took control of her gurney. The medical bay was on the seventh floor, accessed by a wide, stainless steel elevator.\n\nSomeone cut off her suit as she was transferred to a proper medical bed. The room was spacious, and carried the familiar antiseptic smell of all up-to-date hospitals. Men and women rushed around in masks and hair nets. The doctor calmly gave orders as she looked Yadav over. Scanners wound around the reporter\u2019s body, operated by several hands.\n\n\u201cYour elbow is broken, and you have severe whiplash,\u201d the doctor told her. \u201cYour skin and muscle problems can be repaired easily with quick-grafts. Don\u2019t worry,\u201d her eyes smiled, above the medical mask. \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat about Haddix \u2014 James?\u201d Yadav croaked.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s with Dr. Yang.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s \u2026 can I \u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ll be updated as soon as you\u2019re both on your way to recovery. Now, I need you to count back from one hundred.\u201d They were going to put her under.\n\nYadav tried to sit up. \u201cFirst tell me about Haddix.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ll find out in recovery.\u201d The doctor brought out an aerosol anesthetic.\n\nEven in its foggy state, Yadav\u2019s mind fought back. She didn\u2019t know anything about this planet, or these people.\n\nReptilian instincts told Yadav that she shouldn\u2019t let them anesthetize her. That if she could, she should struggle \u2014 get away \u2014 reassess.\n\nBut then there were four sets of hands holding her down, and the mask was descending, and the doctor was counting for her, \u201cOne hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven \u2026\u201d\n\nThe oblivion that washed over her was anything but sweet.\n\nto be continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":54,"created_at":"2014-02-14T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-22 00:50:54","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13557,"next_id":13559}}