{"data":{"id":13794,"title":"DATELINE: SESEN: Part Ten","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/13794-DATELINE-SESEN-Part-Ten","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13794","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13794","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":"Air Raid Shelter? Smugglers\u2019 Tunnels? Minotaur\u2019s Labyrinth? What Lies Beneath Sesen\u2019s Capital City?\n\nSomething strange was definitely going down on Sesen. Jones had spun a good yarn, but had shied away from any real details. How had they gotten the Surveyors to stay away? Did it have to do with the appearance of the pirates? Was the government being blackmailed by the bandits? Perhaps the pirates had played a part in the people\u2019s revolt, and now held that over them.\n\nJones had spoken of prosperity like their colony was still beholden to someone, still needed to break free. Were they being held hostage as a planet, but had recently devised a way to throw off their new oppressors?\n\nAnd how was giving an interview supposed to help? Yadav had overheard Jones say that the reporter\u2019s appearance was an \u2018opportunity\u2019 that could put an end to the piracy. How?\n\nPerhaps the answers lay at the bottom of this staircase.\n\nWithout giving another thought to the corpse at her feet, she descended the steps. Maybe this was meant to be the shooter\u2019s escape route. He\u2019d kill Yadav, then disappear, ghost-like.\n\nThe staircase was several stories tall. It took her far beneath street-level, into a series of tunnels. A small light, attached to one of the vest\u2019s belts, helped her find her way.\n\nAt first she thought she\u2019d found the universe\u2019s most clandestine sewer entrance, but the curving cement walls were free of filth. Nothing smelled foul, no mold or fatty masses clung to the sides. And though she could identify clear channels for water or pipes, everything was desert-dry.\n\nAfter following the blinking red dot through a series of twists and turns, Yadav\u2019s sense of direction failed. She was fine while top-side, and she hadn\u2019t lost her bearings in space since flight school. But under meters of stone and dirt, her natural compass spun like a top.\n\nOccasionally the tunnel branched, and the dot would instruct her which arm to take. Soon she realized it was leading her toward faint sounds. Motor whirs and clangs and bangs resolved themselves the further she pressed. Construction noise.\n\nAnd on top of that, something else. Engines. Ships.\n\nAnd now, lights up ahead.\n\nAround another corner, Yadav found herself in a wide cavern. Quickly, she ducked back.\nFlood lamps illuminated a major manufacturing production. Young, strong workers crawled over the hide of a giant, half-built drill. A crane lifted parts out of crates and into place. The stamps on the crates were unmistakable. These parts were from the transport she\u2019d seen commandeered by the pirates.\n\nTo the right, up a sweeping wave of concrete, lay landing pads covered with older Cutlasses. Broad hangar doors splayed wide, allowing ships to fly down a channel from the surface and alight here. A quick and efficient way to deposit stolen goods.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t forget to update the list,\u201d said a familiar man\u2019s voice. \u201cWe\u2019re still short on bolts that can support the weight. What we have now won\u2019t cut it.\u201d\n\nFrom behind a pirate ship stepped Wei Martinez. That bastard.\n\nThe government must be taking a payoff from the pirates, Yadav concluded. Allowing the bandits to use Sesen as a staging ground.\n\nBut who sent the assassin? The government, or the pirates? Two of the governor\u2019s guards were dead, surely that meant \u2014\n\nSomething vibrated in Yadav\u2019s gut. She clutched at her abdomen, confused. Muscle spasms? No, she remembered \u2014 the beacon she\u2019d swallowed. It was alerting her to the presence of a New United ship.\n\nThe bread crumbs had worked. They\u2019d come to rescue her.\n\nTime to make a hasty retreat.\n\nJust as she was about to follow the blinking red dot back the way she\u2019d come, a new ship set down in the hangar. A Constellation, emblazoned with a government skin \u2014 skin that flickered and shifted as Yadav watched, becoming pirate war paint in a split second.\n\nIt hadn\u2019t been her eyes after the crash. Jones\u2019 craft had been sporting red.\n\nThe doors opened and the governor disembarked. She grabbed the closest technician by the sleeve. \u201cThese decals keep malfunctioning.\u201d\n\nThe government isn\u2019t taking payoffs from the pirates. They are the pirates. Jones was just as sleazy as any other politician Yadav had ever interviewed \u2014 worse. Which meant Yadav was on a planet controlled by a pirate pack. This was where all the young men and women had gone \u2014 down here, in the tunnels, or up there in the asteroid field.\n\nEverything made sense now.\n\nExcept for why they hadn\u2019t killed her when Haddix had died. It wouldn\u2019t have been difficult to claim they\u2019d both perished in the crash, should someone come snooping.\n\nAfter holding a brief conversation with the technician, Jones stomped over to Martinez.\n\n\u201cWhat the hell have you done, Wei?\u201d\n\nThe record keeper Martinez had been speaking with looked back and forth between the two cousins, unsure if he should leave. Martinez gave him no indication one way or the other.\n\n\u201cI did what needed done. Having her around wasn\u2019t worth the risk,\u201d Martinez said to Jones casually. He continued his conversation with the records man as though she had not interrupted.\n\n\u201cYou sent someone to kill an innocent woman \u2014 without my consent. Just like you shot them down without my consent. You do not give such orders without my authorization.\u201d Jones was trembling with barely restrained anger. \u201cThat idiot you sent killed some of our people, Wei.\u201d\n\n\u201cPeople have died in our wake before.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot like this. Not because you found them inconvenient. We agreed to leave the reporter alone, to try and get her to tell the colony\u2019s story. We need aid. She can draw attention to our lack of basic necessities \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe can draw attention to our crimes,\u201d he said firmly, turning his full attention on her. The record keeper scurried away. \u201cYou were fine when we revolted, you could do what needed doing during war time. But what you don\u2019t realize is that we\u2019re still in a war. We are still fighting for our survival. If the Advocacy discovers our syndicate, they won\u2019t sigh and say, well, if only you\u2019d been given a better lot in life.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf we can get help \u2014 from the UEE, from a corporation, from some wealthy consortium, whoever \u2014 we can stop commandeering ships. Right now we pour ninety percent of what we steal back into the damn business \u2014 more ships, more weapons, more scanners, more forged IDs. Money and goods that should go to our people instead. We can\u2019t keep growing the pack. When do our crimes start benefiting our colony? That\u2019s the whole reason we started, to get set on our feet. If we find alternative means, we can stop being criminals.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not that clean cut. Can\u2019t you tell how na\u00efve you sound? What do you think all this is?\u201d he waved at the construction. \u201cIsn\u2019t this for the people?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has to be enough, because there isn\u2019t an alternative. You chose piracy and all it entailed. It\u2019s not a lifestyle you can just cast off when you want to reinvent yourself. You have to accept that you are a damn crime boss, not a chameleon.\u201d\n\nShe took a step forward, invading his personal space. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what you think I\u2019ve accepted or not. I am in charge. I give the orders. Bottom line: we agreed to leave the reporter alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cI never agreed to let her wander around in the city, poking and prodding.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. My orders were that she wasn\u2019t to be harmed. That should have been enough.\u201d\n\nYadav began slowly backing out, down the tunnel. She had everything she needed \u2014 enough to prepare her report and more. It was time to go. The chain of command was in question, and that never ended well.\n\nShe had to get somewhere the rescue ship could land. Barring that, she had to figure out how to steal a ship and meet the team.\n\nOnce she\u2019d tiptoed well out of the light, she spun on her heel and prepared to run.\nAnd found herself nose-to-chest with a very tall, very broad guardsman. He was flanked on either side by two more guards \u2014 five crew in total.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry to see you down here,\u201d said one \u2014 Sato. It was the guard who had stood outside her hospital room door. \u201cThe governor sent us to find you. She thought you were dead. By the looks of that guy up top, I\u2019d say you\u2019re a lady who can take care of herself.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s also a lady who doesn\u2019t know how to quit when she\u2019s ahead,\u201d said the big man. He grabbed her by both arms. His hand almost wrapped entirely around her bicep. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have come down here. Mr. Martinez won\u2019t like it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMr. Martinez can kiss my ass,\u201d Yadav said.\n\nThe group spun her around, then marched her into the cavern. Men and women stopped working as she plodded past.\n\nJones\u2019 and Martinez\u2019 heads both snapped in Yadav\u2019s direction.\n\n\u201cSee?\u201d Martinez shouted. \u201cReporters are like cockroaches. They get into everything. Soil everything. And they won\u2019t die no matter how many times you step on them.\u201d\n\nJones sighed and shook her head in disappointment. \u201cI\u2019ll explain,\u201d she said to Yadav.\n\u201cNo, you won\u2019t,\u201d said Martinez. \u201cShe\u2019s seen too much. You can\u2019t expect she\u2019ll just play nice and shut up. This damn woman will bring interplanetary law \u2014 the Advocacy \u2014 down on our heads. We have to get rid of her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have to explain to her,\u201d Jones said.\n\nMartinez glared at her. For a minute, it looked like the governor had won. \u201cScrew this,\u201d he said suddenly, drawing his firearm from its holster.\n\nThe barrel pointed directly at Yadav\u2019s heart.\n\nEveryone moved at once. Yadav tried to collapse, letting her knees turn to jelly, but the guard kept her upright. Jones jumped in front of the gun. Martinez pulled the trigger.\n\nCrack. The smell of smoldering accelerant filled the air.\n\nJones stumbled to the floor. Blood pooled on the clean cement.\n\nto be continued \u2026","de_DE":"Luftschutzkeller? Schmugglertunnel? Das Labyrinth des Minotaurus? Was liegt hinter der Hauptstadt von Sesen?\n\nEtwas Seltsames ging definitiv auf Sesen los. Jones hatte ein gutes Garn gesponnen, war aber von allen echten Details verschont geblieben. Wie hatten sie die Vermessungsingenieure dazu gebracht, sich fernzuhalten? Hatte es mit dem Aussehen der Piraten zu tun? Wurde die Regierung von den Banditen erpresst? Vielleicht hatten die Piraten eine Rolle bei der Revolte des Volkes gespielt und hielten das nun \u00fcber sie.\n\nJones hatte von Wohlstand gesprochen, als w\u00e4re ihre Kolonie noch jemandem verpflichtet, noch immer n\u00f6tig, um sich zu befreien. Wurden sie als Geiseln genommen, hatten aber k\u00fcrzlich einen Weg gefunden, ihre neuen Unterdr\u00fccker abzuwerfen?\n\nUnd wie sollte ein Interview helfen? Yadav hatte Jones zuf\u00e4llig sagen h\u00f6ren, dass das Erscheinen des Reporters eine \"Gelegenheit\" sei, die der Piraterie ein Ende setzen k\u00f6nne. Wie?\n\nVielleicht lagen die Antworten am Ende dieser Treppe.\n\nOhne einen weiteren Gedanken an die Leiche zu ihren F\u00fc\u00dfen zu verschwenden, stieg sie die Stufen hinab. Vielleicht sollte dies der Fluchtweg des Sch\u00fctzen sein. Er w\u00fcrde Yadav t\u00f6ten und dann verschwinden, geisterhaft.\n\nDie Treppe war mehrere Stockwerke hoch. Es f\u00fchrte sie weit unter das Stra\u00dfenniveau, in eine Reihe von Tunneln. Ein kleines Licht, das an einem der G\u00fcrtel der Weste befestigt war, half ihr, ihren Weg zu finden.\n\nZuerst dachte sie, sie h\u00e4tte den geheimsten Abwassereingang des Universums gefunden, aber die geschwungenen Betonw\u00e4nde waren frei von Schmutz. Nichts roch nach Foul, kein Schimmel oder fettige Massen hingen an den Seiten. Und obwohl sie klare Kan\u00e4le f\u00fcr Wasser oder Leitungen identifizieren konnte, war alles w\u00fcstenhaft trocken.\n\nNachdem er dem blinkenden roten Punkt durch eine Reihe von Wendungen gefolgt war, scheiterte Yadavs Sinn f\u00fcr die Richtung. Ihr ging es gut w\u00e4hrend der \u00dcberfliegerei, und sie hatte seit der Flugschule den \u00dcberblick im Weltraum nicht verloren. Aber unter Metern von Stein und Schmutz drehte sich ihr nat\u00fcrlicher Kompass wie ein Kreisel.\n\nGelegentlich verzweigte sich der Tunnel, und der Punkt wies sie an, welchen Arm sie nehmen sollte. Bald erkannte sie, dass es sie zu schwachen Ger\u00e4uschen f\u00fchrte. Motorische Wirbel und Klapper und Pony l\u00f6sen sich auf, je weiter sie dr\u00fcckt. Baul\u00e4rm.\n\nUnd noch dazu etwas anderes. Motoren. Schiffe.\n\nUnd jetzt leuchtet es vor uns auf.\n\nUm eine weitere Ecke befand sich Yadav in einer breiten H\u00f6hle. Schnell, sie hat sich zur\u00fcckgezogen.\nFlutlichtstrahler beleuchteten eine gro\u00dfe Fertigungsproduktion. Junge, starke Arbeiter krochen \u00fcber das Fell eines riesigen, halbgebauten Bohrers. Ein Kran hob Teile aus den Kisten und an ihren Platz. Die Stempel auf den Kisten waren unverkennbar. Diese Teile stammten von dem Transport, den sie von den Piraten beschlagnahmt gesehen hatte.\n\nAuf der rechten Seite, auf einer ausgedehnten Welle aus Beton, lagen Landepl\u00e4tze, die mit \u00e4lteren Entermessern bedeckt waren. Breite Hangart\u00fcren spreizten sich weit auseinander, so dass die Schiffe einen Kanal von der Oberfl\u00e4che aus hinunterfliegen und hier landen konnten. Eine schnelle und effiziente M\u00f6glichkeit, gestohlene Waren zu deponieren.\n\n\"Vergiss nicht, die Liste zu aktualisieren\", sagte die Stimme eines bekannten Mannes. \"Wir haben immer noch zu wenig Schrauben, die das Gewicht tragen k\u00f6nnen. Was wir jetzt haben, wird nicht reichen.\"\n\nVon hinten trat ein Piratenschiff auf Wei Martinez. Dieser Bastard.\n\nDie Regierung muss sich von den Piraten bezahlen lassen, schloss Yadav. Den Banditen erlauben, Sesen als Aufenthaltsort zu nutzen.\n\nAber wer hat den Attent\u00e4ter geschickt? Die Regierung oder die Piraten? Zwei der Wachen des Gouverneurs waren tot, das bedeutete sicher -\n\nEtwas vibrierte in Yadavs Bauch. Sie klammerte sich an ihren Bauch, verwirrt. Muskelkr\u00e4mpfe? Nein, sie erinnerte sich - das Leuchtfeuer, das sie geschluckt hatte. Es alarmierte sie auf die Anwesenheit eines New United-Schiffes.\n\nDie Brotkrumen hatten funktioniert. Sie kamen, um sie zu retten.\n\nZeit f\u00fcr einen voreiligen R\u00fcckzug.\n\nGerade als sie im Begriff war, dem blinkenden roten Punkt auf dem Weg zur\u00fcck zu folgen, den sie kommen w\u00fcrde, setzte sich ein neues Schiff in den H\u00e4nger. Eine Konstellation, geschm\u00fcckt mit einer Regierungshaut - eine Haut, die flackerte und sich bewegte, als Yadav zusah und in Sekundenbruchteilen zu Piratenkriegsfarbe wurde.\n\nEs waren nicht ihre Augen nach dem Unfall. Jones' Schiff war rot gekleidet.\n\nDie T\u00fcren \u00f6ffneten sich und der Gouverneur stieg aus. Sie packte den n\u00e4chsten Techniker am \u00c4rmel. \"Diese Aufkleber funktionieren immer noch nicht richtig.\"\n\nDie Regierung nimmt keine Schmiergelder von den Piraten. Sie sind die Piraten. Jones war genauso sch\u00e4big wie jeder andere Politiker, den Yadav je interviewt hatte - schlimmer noch. Was bedeutete, dass Yadav auf einem Planeten war, der von einem Piratenpack kontrolliert wurde. Hier waren alle jungen M\u00e4nner und Frauen hingegangen - hier unten, in den Tunneln oder dort oben im Asteroidenfeld.\n\nAlles machte jetzt Sinn.\n\nAu\u00dfer, warum sie sie nicht get\u00f6tet hatten, als Haddix gestorben war. Es w\u00e4re nicht schwer gewesen zu behaupten, dass beide bei dem Unfall umgekommen w\u00e4ren, sollte jemand schn\u00fcffeln.\n\nNach einem kurzen Gespr\u00e4ch mit dem Techniker stolperte Jones zu Martinez hin\u00fcber.\n\n\"Was zum Teufel hast du getan, Wei?\"\n\nDer Rekordhalter Martinez hatte mit einem Blick hin und her zwischen den beiden Cousins gesprochen, unsicher, ob er gehen sollte. Martinez gab ihm keine Hinweise auf die eine oder andere Weise.\n\n\"Ich habe getan, was n\u00f6tig war. Sie um sich zu haben, war das Risiko nicht wert\", sagte Martinez beil\u00e4ufig zu Jones. Er setzte sein Gespr\u00e4ch mit dem Archivar fort, als ob sie nicht unterbrochen worden w\u00e4re.\n\n\"Du hast jemanden geschickt, um eine unschuldige Frau zu t\u00f6ten - ohne meine Zustimmung. Genau wie du sie ohne meine Zustimmung abgeschossen hast. Du gibst solche Befehle nicht ohne meine Erlaubnis.\" Jones zitterte vor kaum zur\u00fcckhaltender Wut. \"Der Idiot, den du geschickt hast, hat einige unserer Leute get\u00f6tet, Wei.\"\n\n\"Menschen sind schon einmal in unserem Gefolge gestorben.\"\n\n\"Nicht so. Nicht, weil du sie unangenehm fandest. Wir haben vereinbart, die Reporterin in Ruhe zu lassen, um sie dazu zu bringen, die Geschichte der Kolonie zu erz\u00e4hlen. Wir brauchen Hilfe. Sie kann die Aufmerksamkeit auf unseren Mangel an Grundbed\u00fcrfnissen lenken -\"\n\n\"Sie kann die Aufmerksamkeit auf unsere Verbrechen lenken\", sagte er fest und richtete seine volle Aufmerksamkeit auf sie. Der Protokollf\u00fchrer huschte davon. \"Als wir uns auflehnten, ging es dir gut, du konntest das tun, was du in Kriegszeiten tun musstest. Aber was du nicht merkst, ist, dass wir immer noch im Krieg sind. Wir k\u00e4mpfen immer noch um unser \u00dcberleben. Wenn die Advocacy unser Syndikat entdeckt, werden sie nicht seufzen und sagen, nun, wenn man dir nur eine bessere Chance gegeben h\u00e4tte.\"\n\n\"Wenn wir Hilfe bekommen k\u00f6nnen - von der UEE, von einem Unternehmen, von einem reichen Konsortium, wer auch immer - k\u00f6nnen wir aufh\u00f6ren, Schiffe zu beschlagnahmen. Im Moment gie\u00dfen wir neunzig Prozent von dem, was wir zur\u00fcck in das verdammte Gesch\u00e4ft stehlen - mehr Schiffe, mehr Waffen, mehr Scanner, mehr gef\u00e4lschte Ausweise. Geld und G\u00fcter, die stattdessen an unsere Mitarbeiter gehen sollten. Wir k\u00f6nnen das Rudel nicht weiter ausbauen. Wann fangen unsere Verbrechen an, unserer Kolonie zu helfen? Das ist der ganze Grund, warum wir angefangen haben, uns auf die Beine zu stellen. Wenn wir alternative Mittel finden, k\u00f6nnen wir aufh\u00f6ren, Kriminelle zu sein.\"\n\n\"Es ist nicht so ein sauberer Schnitt. Kannst du nicht sagen, wie naiv du dich anh\u00f6rst? Was glaubst du, was das alles ist?\", winkte er der Konstruktion zu. \"Ist das nicht f\u00fcr das Volk?\"\n\n\"Es ist nicht genug.\"\n\n\"Es muss genug sein, denn es gibt keine Alternative. Sie haben sich f\u00fcr die Piraterie und die damit verbundenen Folgen entschieden. Es ist kein Lebensstil, den man einfach ablegen kann, wenn man sich neu erfinden will. Du musst akzeptieren, dass du ein verdammter Verbrecherboss bist, kein Cham\u00e4leon.\"\n\nSie machte einen Schritt nach vorne und dringt in seinen pers\u00f6nlichen Bereich ein. \"Es spielt keine Rolle, was du denkst, was ich akzeptiert habe oder nicht. Ich habe das Sagen. Ich gebe die Befehle. Fazit: Wir haben vereinbart, den Reporter in Ruhe zu lassen.\"\n\n\"Ich habe nie zugestimmt, sie in der Stadt herumlaufen zu lassen, stochern und stossen.\"\n\n\"Es spielt keine Rolle. Meine Befehle waren, dass sie nicht verletzt werden darf. Das h\u00e4tte reichen sollen.\"\n\nYadav begann langsam auszusteigen, durch den Tunnel. Sie hatte alles, was sie brauchte - genug, um ihren Bericht vorzubereiten und mehr. Es war Zeit zu gehen. Die Befehlskette war in Frage gestellt, und das endete nie gut.\n\nSie musste irgendwo hin, wo das Rettungsschiff landen konnte. Vorbehaltlich dessen musste sie herausfinden, wie man ein Schiff stiehlt und das Team trifft.\n\nNachdem sie aus dem Licht gut auf Zehenspitzen gegangen war, drehte sie sich auf ihrer Ferse und bereitete sich auf das Laufen vor.\nUnd fand sich von Nase zu Brust mit einem sehr gro\u00dfen, sehr breiten W\u00e4chter wieder. Er wurde auf beiden Seiten von zwei weiteren Wachen flankiert - insgesamt f\u00fcnf Besatzungsmitgliedern.\n\n\"Es tut mir leid, dich hier unten zu sehen\", sagte eine - Sato. Es war die Wache, die vor ihrer Krankenhaust\u00fcr gestanden hatte. \"Der Gouverneur hat uns geschickt, um dich zu finden. Sie dachte, du w\u00e4rst tot. Nach dem Aussehen des Kerls da oben w\u00fcrde ich sagen, dass du eine Dame bist, die auf sich selbst aufpassen kann.\"\n\n\"Sie ist auch eine Dame, die nicht wei\u00df, wie man aufh\u00f6rt, wenn sie voraus ist\", sagte der gro\u00dfe Mann. Er packte sie mit beiden Armen. Seine Hand wickelte sich fast vollst\u00e4ndig um ihren Bizeps. \"Du h\u00e4ttest nicht hier runterkommen sollen. Mr. Martinez wird es nicht gefallen.\"\n\n\"Mr. Martinez kann meinen Arsch k\u00fcssen\", sagte Yadav.\n\nDie Gruppe drehte sie um und marschierte sie dann in die H\u00f6hle. M\u00e4nner und Frauen h\u00f6rten auf zu arbeiten, als sie sich zur\u00fcckhielt.\n\nJones' und Martinez' K\u00f6pfe rasten beide in Yadavs Richtung.\n\n\" Siehst du?\" schrie Martinez. \"Reporter sind wie Kakerlaken. Sie kommen in alles rein. Alles beschmutzen. Und sie werden nicht sterben, egal wie oft man auf sie tritt.\"\n\nJones seufzte und sch\u00fcttelte entt\u00e4uscht den Kopf. \"Ich werde es erkl\u00e4ren\", sagte sie zu Yadav.\n\"Nein, wirst du nicht\", sagte Martinez. \"Sie hat zu viel gesehen. Du kannst nicht erwarten, dass sie einfach nett spielt und die Klappe h\u00e4lt. Diese verdammte Frau wird uns das interplanetare Gesetz - die Advocacy - auf den Kopf stellen. Wir m\u00fcssen sie loswerden.\"\n\n\"Wir m\u00fcssen es ihr erkl\u00e4ren\", sagte Jones.\n\nMartinez starrte sie an. F\u00fcr eine Minute sah es so aus, als h\u00e4tte der Gouverneur gewonnen. \"Schei\u00df drauf\", sagte er pl\u00f6tzlich und zog seine Waffe aus dem Holster.\n\nDer Lauf zeigte direkt auf Yadavs Herz.\n\nAlle bewegten sich auf einmal. Yadav versuchte zusammenzubrechen und lie\u00df ihre Knie zu Gelee werden, aber die Wache hielt sie aufrecht. Jones sprang vor die Waffe. Martinez dr\u00fcckte den Abzug.\n\nRiss. Der Geruch von schwelendem Beschleuniger f\u00fcllte die Luft.\n\nJones stolperte auf den Boden. Das Blut sammelte sich auf dem sauberen Zement.\n\nwird fortgesetzt.....","zh_CN":"Air Raid Shelter? Smugglers\u2019 Tunnels? Minotaur\u2019s Labyrinth? What Lies Beneath Sesen\u2019s Capital City?\n\nSomething strange was definitely going down on Sesen. Jones had spun a good yarn, but had shied away from any real details. How had they gotten the Surveyors to stay away? Did it have to do with the appearance of the pirates? Was the government being blackmailed by the bandits? Perhaps the pirates had played a part in the people\u2019s revolt, and now held that over them.\n\nJones had spoken of prosperity like their colony was still beholden to someone, still needed to break free. Were they being held hostage as a planet, but had recently devised a way to throw off their new oppressors?\n\nAnd how was giving an interview supposed to help? Yadav had overheard Jones say that the reporter\u2019s appearance was an \u2018opportunity\u2019 that could put an end to the piracy. How?\n\nPerhaps the answers lay at the bottom of this staircase.\n\nWithout giving another thought to the corpse at her feet, she descended the steps. Maybe this was meant to be the shooter\u2019s escape route. He\u2019d kill Yadav, then disappear, ghost-like.\n\nThe staircase was several stories tall. It took her far beneath street-level, into a series of tunnels. A small light, attached to one of the vest\u2019s belts, helped her find her way.\n\nAt first she thought she\u2019d found the universe\u2019s most clandestine sewer entrance, but the curving cement walls were free of filth. Nothing smelled foul, no mold or fatty masses clung to the sides. And though she could identify clear channels for water or pipes, everything was desert-dry.\n\nAfter following the blinking red dot through a series of twists and turns, Yadav\u2019s sense of direction failed. She was fine while top-side, and she hadn\u2019t lost her bearings in space since flight school. But under meters of stone and dirt, her natural compass spun like a top.\n\nOccasionally the tunnel branched, and the dot would instruct her which arm to take. Soon she realized it was leading her toward faint sounds. Motor whirs and clangs and bangs resolved themselves the further she pressed. Construction noise.\n\nAnd on top of that, something else. Engines. Ships.\n\nAnd now, lights up ahead.\n\nAround another corner, Yadav found herself in a wide cavern. Quickly, she ducked back.\nFlood lamps illuminated a major manufacturing production. Young, strong workers crawled over the hide of a giant, half-built drill. A crane lifted parts out of crates and into place. The stamps on the crates were unmistakable. These parts were from the transport she\u2019d seen commandeered by the pirates.\n\nTo the right, up a sweeping wave of concrete, lay landing pads covered with older Cutlasses. Broad hangar doors splayed wide, allowing ships to fly down a channel from the surface and alight here. A quick and efficient way to deposit stolen goods.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t forget to update the list,\u201d said a familiar man\u2019s voice. \u201cWe\u2019re still short on bolts that can support the weight. What we have now won\u2019t cut it.\u201d\n\nFrom behind a pirate ship stepped Wei Martinez. That bastard.\n\nThe government must be taking a payoff from the pirates, Yadav concluded. Allowing the bandits to use Sesen as a staging ground.\n\nBut who sent the assassin? The government, or the pirates? Two of the governor\u2019s guards were dead, surely that meant \u2014\n\nSomething vibrated in Yadav\u2019s gut. She clutched at her abdomen, confused. Muscle spasms? No, she remembered \u2014 the beacon she\u2019d swallowed. It was alerting her to the presence of a New United ship.\n\nThe bread crumbs had worked. They\u2019d come to rescue her.\n\nTime to make a hasty retreat.\n\nJust as she was about to follow the blinking red dot back the way she\u2019d come, a new ship set down in the hangar. A Constellation, emblazoned with a government skin \u2014 skin that flickered and shifted as Yadav watched, becoming pirate war paint in a split second.\n\nIt hadn\u2019t been her eyes after the crash. Jones\u2019 craft had been sporting red.\n\nThe doors opened and the governor disembarked. She grabbed the closest technician by the sleeve. \u201cThese decals keep malfunctioning.\u201d\n\nThe government isn\u2019t taking payoffs from the pirates. They are the pirates. Jones was just as sleazy as any other politician Yadav had ever interviewed \u2014 worse. Which meant Yadav was on a planet controlled by a pirate pack. This was where all the young men and women had gone \u2014 down here, in the tunnels, or up there in the asteroid field.\n\nEverything made sense now.\n\nExcept for why they hadn\u2019t killed her when Haddix had died. It wouldn\u2019t have been difficult to claim they\u2019d both perished in the crash, should someone come snooping.\n\nAfter holding a brief conversation with the technician, Jones stomped over to Martinez.\n\n\u201cWhat the hell have you done, Wei?\u201d\n\nThe record keeper Martinez had been speaking with looked back and forth between the two cousins, unsure if he should leave. Martinez gave him no indication one way or the other.\n\n\u201cI did what needed done. Having her around wasn\u2019t worth the risk,\u201d Martinez said to Jones casually. He continued his conversation with the records man as though she had not interrupted.\n\n\u201cYou sent someone to kill an innocent woman \u2014 without my consent. Just like you shot them down without my consent. You do not give such orders without my authorization.\u201d Jones was trembling with barely restrained anger. \u201cThat idiot you sent killed some of our people, Wei.\u201d\n\n\u201cPeople have died in our wake before.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot like this. Not because you found them inconvenient. We agreed to leave the reporter alone, to try and get her to tell the colony\u2019s story. We need aid. She can draw attention to our lack of basic necessities \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cShe can draw attention to our crimes,\u201d he said firmly, turning his full attention on her. The record keeper scurried away. \u201cYou were fine when we revolted, you could do what needed doing during war time. But what you don\u2019t realize is that we\u2019re still in a war. We are still fighting for our survival. If the Advocacy discovers our syndicate, they won\u2019t sigh and say, well, if only you\u2019d been given a better lot in life.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf we can get help \u2014 from the UEE, from a corporation, from some wealthy consortium, whoever \u2014 we can stop commandeering ships. Right now we pour ninety percent of what we steal back into the damn business \u2014 more ships, more weapons, more scanners, more forged IDs. Money and goods that should go to our people instead. We can\u2019t keep growing the pack. When do our crimes start benefiting our colony? That\u2019s the whole reason we started, to get set on our feet. If we find alternative means, we can stop being criminals.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not that clean cut. Can\u2019t you tell how na\u00efve you sound? What do you think all this is?\u201d he waved at the construction. \u201cIsn\u2019t this for the people?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has to be enough, because there isn\u2019t an alternative. You chose piracy and all it entailed. It\u2019s not a lifestyle you can just cast off when you want to reinvent yourself. You have to accept that you are a damn crime boss, not a chameleon.\u201d\n\nShe took a step forward, invading his personal space. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what you think I\u2019ve accepted or not. I am in charge. I give the orders. Bottom line: we agreed to leave the reporter alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cI never agreed to let her wander around in the city, poking and prodding.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. My orders were that she wasn\u2019t to be harmed. That should have been enough.\u201d\n\nYadav began slowly backing out, down the tunnel. She had everything she needed \u2014 enough to prepare her report and more. It was time to go. The chain of command was in question, and that never ended well.\n\nShe had to get somewhere the rescue ship could land. Barring that, she had to figure out how to steal a ship and meet the team.\n\nOnce she\u2019d tiptoed well out of the light, she spun on her heel and prepared to run.\nAnd found herself nose-to-chest with a very tall, very broad guardsman. He was flanked on either side by two more guards \u2014 five crew in total.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry to see you down here,\u201d said one \u2014 Sato. It was the guard who had stood outside her hospital room door. \u201cThe governor sent us to find you. She thought you were dead. By the looks of that guy up top, I\u2019d say you\u2019re a lady who can take care of herself.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s also a lady who doesn\u2019t know how to quit when she\u2019s ahead,\u201d said the big man. He grabbed her by both arms. His hand almost wrapped entirely around her bicep. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have come down here. Mr. Martinez won\u2019t like it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMr. Martinez can kiss my ass,\u201d Yadav said.\n\nThe group spun her around, then marched her into the cavern. Men and women stopped working as she plodded past.\n\nJones\u2019 and Martinez\u2019 heads both snapped in Yadav\u2019s direction.\n\n\u201cSee?\u201d Martinez shouted. \u201cReporters are like cockroaches. They get into everything. Soil everything. And they won\u2019t die no matter how many times you step on them.\u201d\n\nJones sighed and shook her head in disappointment. \u201cI\u2019ll explain,\u201d she said to Yadav.\n\u201cNo, you won\u2019t,\u201d said Martinez. \u201cShe\u2019s seen too much. You can\u2019t expect she\u2019ll just play nice and shut up. This damn woman will bring interplanetary law \u2014 the Advocacy \u2014 down on our heads. We have to get rid of her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have to explain to her,\u201d Jones said.\n\nMartinez glared at her. For a minute, it looked like the governor had won. \u201cScrew this,\u201d he said suddenly, drawing his firearm from its holster.\n\nThe barrel pointed directly at Yadav\u2019s heart.\n\nEveryone moved at once. Yadav tried to collapse, letting her knees turn to jelly, but the guard kept her upright. Jones jumped in front of the gun. Martinez pulled the trigger.\n\nCrack. The smell of smoldering accelerant filled the air.\n\nJones stumbled to the floor. Blood pooled on the clean cement.\n\nto be continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":71,"created_at":"2014-04-04T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-14 16:22:19","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13793,"next_id":13795}}