{"data":{"id":14095,"title":"Orbital Supermax: Episode Eight","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/14095-Orbital-Supermax-Episode-Eight","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/14095","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/14095","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Orbital Supermax","images":[{"id":1947,"name":"OSM_FI2v4a.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/hqo978t1u2njxr\/source\/OSM_FI2v4a.jpg","alt":"","size":1895039,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2014-07-03T22:49:29+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1947","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1947\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"From a far enough distance, a battle in space looks like dueling fireflies. The actual fighters are lost in the glare of their exhaust so all you can see are little points of light darting around against a starry backdrop, and then the occasional violent burst of an explosion.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re shooting down escape pods,\u201d I said to Morgan when I realized what was happening.\n\n\u201cI guess that explains why we haven\u2019t run into many guards. Or service staff for that matter,\u201d said Morgan with a shrug. \u201cStill, you\u2019d think the Nova Dogs would be more interested in boarding them than shooting them down. They\u2019re cannibals, aren\u2019t they? Tough to eat interstellar dust.\u201d\n\nIt was black humor, but we needed it. We\u2019d left the Political Activities Wing behind and found temporary shelter in the cargo hold that housed a few mothballed spacecraft. There we\u2019d found some survivors from the attack \u2014 apprentice engineers that Herschel Konicek had put to work re-fitting the fighters, an old Cutlass and an older Hornet.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve got bad news, sir,\u201d said a young tech in an oil-stained blue jumpsuit. He\u2019d spoken to me, not because of my rank, which wasn\u2019t visible because I was in civilian clothing, but because I was the only one of our group not wearing prison orange. \u201cI overheard \u2026 uh,\u201d embarrassed, he pointed at one of the prisoners while hiding his finger behind his hand. I supplied the name \u2018Flint.\u2019 \u201c\u2026 yes, um, Flint, saying that you planned to fly these vehicles to the system\u2019s jump point?\u201d\n\nI explained that yes, we were, and that I\u2019d already outlined our plans to them not two days ago. \u201cYes,\u201d he said nervously, \u201cwell, these are chase fighters. That is, they\u2019ve been modified for high speeds. In case station authorities need, uh, needed to catch an escape vehicle. They can\u2019t, however, make quantum speeds. You\u2019ll be caught before you reach the halfway mark.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood news\/bad news,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cSpeed is essential for running a blockade.\u201d He glanced over at the large, rectangular vehicle that was parked next to the fighters. Sparks were shooting away from an arc welder that was being used to repair some of its armor plating. \u201cWhat about the transport? Can we use it?\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the tech, slowly enough to indicate that it was not at all a certainty. \u201cBut that brings us to the other issue. None of these vessels was expected to fly. If not for the help of Mr. Konicek, I don\u2019t believe they would. Even if we get everything back online, there isn\u2019t enough fuel to get even one of them to the jump point, let alone all three.\u201d\n\nMorgan considered that for a moment. Then he slapped me on the back, which had become a harbinger of bad luck for me. \u201cWell it just so happens that our fearless leader\u2019s previous job assignment was as the Station Quartermaster. If anyone knows where to find us some fuel, it\u2019s him.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure. I know where to find fuel,\u201d I retorted. \u201cOn the Flight Deck, where it\u2019s supposed to be. We\u2019ll only have to fight through a couple of hundred pirates to get there.\u201d\n\nOf course, all the snappy retorts in the world weren\u2019t going to change the fact that we did indeed need fuel, and so after a few hours of pacing the deck I came up with a plan. I quickly assembled our \u201cstrike team,\u201d as I took to calling the six ex-prisoners who\u2019d accompanied us all the way from the armory, mainly because they were useless at repairing fighters and needed something else to do.\n\n\u201cWe need fuel, and Kilkenny and his men have either confiscated or blown up everything they can find. But there is an alternate source of fuel that I know is still available.\u201d I readied myself for objections before I continued. \u201cThe station\u2019s positional thrusters. They have huge fuel tanks and they\u2019re kept full at all times. All we have to do is free one of the fuel pods and bring it back here.\u201d\n\nThough Relic had been eating copiously of the station\u2019s supplies for most of the last two days, he was still the skinniest man I\u2019d ever laid eyes on. He stood with a tube of nutrient paste in one hand and squeezed some in his mouth. He spoke before he swallowed. \u201cWhat if we don\u2019t want to leave the station?\u201d\n\nThat one threw me for a loop. \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe could stay here. We\u2019ve got plenty of food and water, and the door can be welded shut. As soon as this Kilkenny character finds the man he\u2019s looking for, the Nova Dogs will be gone.\u201d\n\nMorgan spoke before I could. \u201cAm I hearing this right? A bunch of prisoners who don\u2019t want to escape from prison? I know that thinking long-term isn\u2019t exactly your thing, Relic, but what\u2019s your plan for after Kilkenny leaves? Wait for the authorities to return you to your cell? What if they don\u2019t leave? Kilkenny will tear this station apart looking for this Martin Browning, and if that means breaking down a few doors, your welding won\u2019t stop him.\u201d\n\nRelic was undaunted. \u201cSomeone needs to guard these fighters then.\u201d He said back down and laced his hands behind his head. \u201cWe\u2019ll look after them until you get back.\u201d\n\nAnother prisoner, a tattooed bald man with a paunch and a five o\u2019clock shadow got up slowly and ominously. Flint was the man the techs were most afraid of, and with good reason. He rarely spoke, but when he did, everything he said was tinged with violence. \u201cI don\u2019t trust these two buggers to do it on their own, and I don\u2019t trust you buggers to guard these ships. We\u2019re going with them, and I\u2019ll kill any man who says otherwise.\u201d\n\nI have rarely been more grateful to a convicted murderer. Under his watchful eye, all five remaining ex-prisoners were shepherded out of the hold and into the elevator, leaving the techs and Herschel Konicek to work in peace. \u201cYou think they\u2019ll still be here when we get back?\u201d I asked Morgan.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure of it,\u201d he replied. \u201cHerby won\u2019t let us down.\u201d\n\n\u2018Herby\u2019 was a madman, but I trusted Morgan and that meant that I trusted a madman by extension.\n\nWe were equidistant from two positional thrusters. To reach one we had to pass through the Visitor Center, and I was pretty sure that was Kilkenny\u2019s base of operations. I didn\u2019t relish the idea of sneaking Relic and his buddies right under the noses of the captain of the Nova Dogs and his men. Plus, Kilkenny scared the hell out of me, so I scratched it off my list.\n\nTo get to thruster number two, we needed to pass through the remains of the Command Deck. It had been the first place the pirates had attacked and I wasn\u2019t sure how much damage it had sustained or if it even had any atmosphere, so I made sure we were outfitted for spacewalks before entering the code that would take us there. Eventually the elevator stopped and an indicator flashed to say that there was an obstruction in the shaft. We pried open the doors and heard a hiss as air escaped into the vacuum of space. We found ourselves between floors. I could just make out the bottom of the letters that formed \u201cCOMMAND\u201d on the side of the shaft. We had arrived.\n\nWe threw our weapons through the narrow opening and ascended one by one onto the command deck. I\u2019d been here many times before, but I could hear sharp intakes of breath from some of the ex-prisoners. The OSP-4 was not a military vessel with its tight, enclosed spaces. The Command Deck looked more like a floor in an office building. Banks of vidscreens occupied every wall, most of them shattered by explosive decompression. Shards of transparent Plexi floated in the null-g like drops of water from a frozen rain. Rainbows played against the wall as light from the nearby sun shone through a jagged rent in one wall. I walked onto the deck, feeling a slight pull from my magnetic boots with every step.\n\nI heard Morgan\u2019s voice hiss over the radio. \u201cThis is it? A bunch of cubicle jockeys run the whole station?\u201d\n\nRelic sounded equally offended. \u201cThat\u2019s a coffee maker \u2026\u201d He tapped the offending appliance and sent it spinning around its axis, bleeding crystals of frozen coffee and cream.\n\n\u201cI get it. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain and all that. Can we move on now?\u201d\n\nI walked over to the hole in the wall and then stopped. A shred of blue fabric from someone\u2019s uniform was caught on the twisted metal. Below it floated flash frozen fragments of a person. I looked away before I could see who it had been. Instead, being careful to maintain my distance from the jagged hull, I looked outside. The convex shape of the thruster was just visible.\n\nI turned back around in time to see Flint mashing a keyboard with the back of his hand.\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d I said just a little too sharply. I modified my tone quickly, remembering who I was speaking to. \u201cThis might look like the floor of an office building, but it is in fact the nerve center of a Super Maximum Security prison. There are safeguards in place. Dangerous safeguards. Remember \u2026 the UEE doesn\u2019t negotiate with terrorists.\u201d\n\nI could barely see Flint\u2019s face through the dome of his faceplate, not enough to make out an expression, but he removed his hand.\n\nSuddenly my comm chirped and a red light began to flash inside my helmet. \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d I asked Flint quickly.\n\nHe shrugged.\n\nA deep voice emerged from the static, a voice that put a slight emphasis on the wrong syllables, as if the mouth that produced it didn\u2019t quite work properly.\n\nDenizens of OSP-4 I am so very disappointed in you.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s Kilkenny,\u201d said Relic\u2019s voice.\n\n\u201cI know. Shut up.\u201d\n\nI had hoped that there was a man among you who would rise above his peers, but that has proven not to be. Natural selection, it seems, is a slow and tedious process, so I am sounding my bugle and signalling the end of days. If Martin Browning will not receive his death like a man, then I will deliver it to him like a god.\n\nThe light in my suit dimmed and then went out.\n\nAll of a sudden a section of the floor rose abruptly, catapulting Relic into the air. His magnetic boot held for one tenuous second and then released, sending him into an uncontrolled cartwheel. Because we were all watching him, none of us noticed the gun barrels that extended out of the floor panel that had sent him into the air. Maybe Kilkenny had activated the prison defenses, or Flint\u2019s mashing of the keyboard had set wheels in motion that would end badly for him. It didn\u2019t matter. I\u2019d just lowered my eyes to find the button that worked the comm when I noticed a barrel swivel to track Flint.\n\nThe shot was incredibly quick and I couldn\u2019t see the wound from where I stood. Flint\u2019s lower body remained anchored to the floor with his magnetic boots, but his upper body began to drift.\n\n\u201cWe need to go!\u201d I yelled. I snatched the floating coffeemaker out of the air and threw it at the turret, hoping it might be tracked.\n\nMorgan spun around and knew exactly what he was looking at. \u201cGo, go, go, go!\u201d He fired a couple of shots at it, but the weapons the Tevarin had left us with were substandard at best and failed to penetrate its armor. With blinding speed, the turret swivelled upwards and shot the coffeemaker three times, leaving nothing behind but a spray of molten slag.\n\nI reached the elevator, threw my weapon into the narrow slit and then slid into it, propelling myself into the short space between floors. My boots magnetically grappled themselves to the elevator floor, forcing me to quickly duck as Morgan slid through the opening behind me. Together we pulled two more men into the elevator. When no more came I risked I glance over the edge of the floor. Three bodies in punctured space suits spun through the air of the Command Deck. The turret swivelled towards me and I found myself staring down the barrel for one frightening instant before I ducked again and mashed the down button.\n\nto be continued \u2026","de_DE":"Aus der Ferne sieht eine Schlacht im Weltraum aus wie ein Duell mit Gl\u00fchw\u00fcrmchen. Die eigentlichen K\u00e4mpfer verlieren sich im Schein ihres Auspuffs, so dass man nur kleine Lichtpunkte sehen kann, die vor einer sternenklaren Kulisse herumflitzen, und dann gelegentlich den heftigen Ausbruch einer Explosion.\n\n\"Sie schie\u00dfen Fluchtkapseln ab\", sagte ich zu Morgan, als ich erkannte, was los war.\n\n\"Ich sch\u00e4tze, das erkl\u00e4rt, warum wir nicht auf viele Wachen gesto\u00dfen sind. Oder Servicemitarbeiter \u00fcbrigens\", sagte Morgan mit einem Achselzucken. \"Trotzdem sollte man meinen, dass die Nova Dogs mehr daran interessiert w\u00e4ren, sie zu entern, als sie abzuschie\u00dfen. Sie sind Kannibalen, nicht wahr? Schwer, interstellaren Staub zu essen.\"\n\nEs war schwarzer Humor, aber wir brauchten ihn. Wir hatten den Fl\u00fcgel f\u00fcr politische Aktivit\u00e4ten zur\u00fcckgelassen und fanden vor\u00fcbergehend Unterschlupf im Frachtraum, in dem sich ein paar eingemottete Raumschiffe befanden. Dort hatten wir einige \u00dcberlebende des Angriffs gefunden - Lehrlingsingenieure, die Herschel Konicek mit der Nachr\u00fcstung der Jagdflugzeuge, eines alten Entermessers und einer \u00e4lteren Hornisse beauftragt hatte.\n\n\"Ich habe schlechte Nachrichten, Sir\", sagte ein junger Techniker in einem blau gef\u00e4rbten Overall. Er hatte mit mir gesprochen, nicht wegen meines Ranges, der nicht sichtbar war, weil ich in Zivilkleidung war, sondern weil ich der einzige in unserer Gruppe war, der keine Gef\u00e4ngnisorange trug. \"Ich habe belauscht... uh\", verlegen, zeigte er auf einen der Gefangenen, w\u00e4hrend er seinen Finger hinter seiner Hand versteckte. Ich habe den Namen \"Flint\" genannt. \"... ja, \u00e4hm, Flint, und sagt, dass Sie geplant haben, diese Fahrzeuge zum Startpunkt des Systems zu fliegen?\"\n\nIch erkl\u00e4rte ihnen, dass wir es waren, und dass ich ihnen bereits vor zwei Tagen unsere Pl\u00e4ne erl\u00e4utert hatte. \"Ja\", sagte er nerv\u00f6s, \"nun, das sind Verfolgungsj\u00e4ger. Das hei\u00dft, sie wurden f\u00fcr hohe Geschwindigkeiten modifiziert. F\u00fcr den Fall, dass die Beh\u00f6rden ein Fluchtfahrzeug erwischen m\u00fcssen. Sie k\u00f6nnen jedoch keine Quantengeschwindigkeiten erreichen. Sie werden erwischt, bevor Sie die H\u00e4lfte der Strecke erreichen.\"\n\n\"Gute Nachrichten\/schlechte Nachrichten\", sagte Morgan. \"Geschwindigkeit ist unerl\u00e4sslich, um eine Blockade durchzuf\u00fchren.\" Er blickte auf das gro\u00dfe, rechteckige Fahrzeug, das neben den K\u00e4mpfern geparkt war. Funken schossen von einem Lichtbogenschwei\u00dfger\u00e4t weg, mit dem ein Teil der Panzerung repariert wurde. \"Was ist mit dem Transport? K\u00f6nnen wir es benutzen?\"\n\n\"Sicher\", sagte die Technik, langsam genug, um anzuzeigen, dass es sich \u00fcberhaupt nicht um eine Gewissheit handelte. \"Aber das bringt uns zu dem anderen Thema. Es wurde nicht erwartet, dass eines dieser Schiffe fliegen w\u00fcrde. Ohne die Hilfe von Mr. Konicek glaube ich nicht, dass sie es tun w\u00fcrden. Selbst wenn wir alles wieder online bekommen, gibt es nicht genug Treibstoff, um auch nur einen von ihnen zum Sprungpunkt zu bringen, geschweige denn alle drei.\"\n\nMorgan \u00fcberlegte das f\u00fcr einen Moment. Dann schlug er mir auf den R\u00fccken, was f\u00fcr mich zu einem Vorbote des Ungl\u00fccks geworden war. \"Nun, es ist einfach so, dass der vorherige Job unseres furchtlosen F\u00fchrers als Station Quartiermeister war. Wenn jemand wei\u00df, wo wir Treibstoff finden, dann er.\"\n\n\"Sicher. Ich wei\u00df, wo man Treibstoff findet\", antwortete ich. \"Auf dem Flugdeck, wo es sein sollte. Wir m\u00fcssen nur durch ein paar hundert Piraten k\u00e4mpfen, um dorthin zu gelangen.\"\n\nNat\u00fcrlich w\u00fcrden alle flotten Retorten der Welt nichts daran \u00e4ndern, dass wir tats\u00e4chlich Treibstoff brauchen, und so kam ich nach ein paar Stunden auf dem Deck auf einen Plan. Ich stellte schnell unser \"Angriffsteam\" zusammen, als ich die sechs ehemaligen Gefangenen anrief, die uns den ganzen Weg aus der Waffenkammer begleitet hatten, vor allem, weil sie nutzlos waren, K\u00e4mpfer zu reparieren und etwas anderes zu tun brauchten.\n\n\"Wir brauchen Treibstoff, und Kilkenny und seine M\u00e4nner haben entweder alles konfisziert oder gesprengt, was sie finden k\u00f6nnen. Aber es gibt eine alternative Kraftstoffquelle, von der ich wei\u00df, dass sie noch verf\u00fcgbar ist.\" Ich bereitete mich auf Einw\u00e4nde vor, bevor ich weitermachte. \"Die Positionstriebwerke der Station. Sie haben riesige Treibstofftanks und sind immer voll. Alles, was wir tun m\u00fcssen, ist, eine der Treibstofftanks zu befreien und sie hierher zur\u00fcckzubringen.\"\n\nObwohl Relic die meiste Zeit der letzten zwei Tage reichlich von den Vorr\u00e4ten der Station gegessen hatte, war er immer noch der d\u00fcnnste Mann, den ich je gesehen hatte. Er stand mit einer Tube N\u00e4hrstoffpaste in der einen Hand und dr\u00fcckte sich etwas in den Mund. Er sprach, bevor er schluckte. \"Was ist, wenn wir den Bahnhof nicht verlassen wollen?\"\n\nDieser hat mich in eine Schleife geworfen. \" Was?\"\n\n\"Wir k\u00f6nnten hier bleiben. Wir haben viel Essen und Wasser, und die T\u00fcr kann geschlossen werden. Sobald dieser Kilkenny den Mann findet, den er sucht, sind die Nova Dogs weg.\"\n\nMorgan sprach, bevor ich konnte. \"H\u00f6re ich das richtig? Ein Haufen Gefangener, die nicht aus dem Gef\u00e4ngnis fliehen wollen? Ich wei\u00df, dass langfristiges Denken nicht gerade dein Ding ist, Relikt, aber was ist dein Plan, nachdem Kilkenny gegangen ist? Warten, bis die Beh\u00f6rden dich in deine Zelle zur\u00fcckbringen? Was, wenn sie nicht gehen? Kilkenny wird diese Station auf der Suche nach Martin Browning auseinandernehmen, und wenn das bedeutet, ein paar T\u00fcren einzubrechen, wird ihn deine Schwei\u00dferei nicht aufhalten.\"\n\nDas Relikt war unerschrocken. \"Dann muss jemand diese K\u00e4mpfer bewachen.\" Er sagte zur\u00fcck und schn\u00fcrte seine H\u00e4nde hinter seinem Kopf. \"Wir k\u00fcmmern uns um sie, bis du zur\u00fcckkommst.\"\n\nEin weiterer Gefangener, ein t\u00e4towierter kahler Mann mit Bauch und f\u00fcnf Uhr Schatten, stand langsam und unheilvoll auf. Flint war der Mann, vor dem die Techniker am meisten Angst hatten, und das aus gutem Grund. Er sprach selten, aber wenn er es tat, war alles, was er sagte, von Gewalt durchdrungen. \"Ich traue diesen beiden Kerlen nicht zu, es alleine zu tun, und ich traue euch Kerlen nicht, diese Schiffe zu bewachen. Wir gehen mit ihnen und ich werde jeden Mann t\u00f6ten, der etwas anderes sagt.\"\n\nSelten war ich einem verurteilten M\u00f6rder so dankbar. Unter seinem wachsamen Auge wurden alle f\u00fcnf verbliebenen Ex-H\u00e4ftlinge aus dem Laderaum in den Aufzug geschleust, so dass die Techniker und Herschel Konicek in Ruhe arbeiten konnten. \"Denkst du, sie werden noch hier sein, wenn wir zur\u00fcckkommen?\" fragte ich Morgan.\n\n\"Da bin ich mir sicher\", antwortete er. \"Herby wird uns nicht im Stich lassen.\"\n\nHerby' war ein Verr\u00fcckter, aber ich vertraute Morgan, und das bedeutete, dass ich einem Verr\u00fcckten im weiteren Sinne vertraute.\n\nWir waren von zwei Positionstriebwerken gleich weit entfernt. Um einen zu erreichen, mussten wir durch das Besucherzentrum gehen, und ich war mir ziemlich sicher, dass das Kilkenny's Basis war. Ich mochte die Idee nicht, Relic und seine Freunde direkt vor den Augen des Kapit\u00e4ns der Nova Dogs und seiner M\u00e4nner zu schleichen. Au\u00dferdem hat Kilkenny mich zu Tode erschreckt, also habe ich es von meiner Liste gestrichen.\n\nUm zum Triebwerk Nummer zwei zu gelangen, mussten wir durch die \u00dcberreste des Kommandodecks gehen. Es war der erste Ort gewesen, an dem die Piraten angegriffen hatten, und ich war mir nicht sicher, wie viel Schaden sie erlitten hatte oder ob sie \u00fcberhaupt eine Atmosph\u00e4re hatte, also stellte ich sicher, dass wir f\u00fcr Weltraumspazierg\u00e4nge ausger\u00fcstet waren, bevor wir den Code eingaben, der uns dorthin f\u00fchren w\u00fcrde. Schlie\u00dflich stoppte der Aufzug und eine Anzeige blinkte, um anzuzeigen, dass sich ein Hindernis im Schacht befand. Wir \u00f6ffneten die T\u00fcren und h\u00f6rten ein Rauschen, als Luft in das Vakuum des Weltraums entwich. Wir befanden uns zwischen den Stockwerken. Ich konnte nur den Boden der Buchstaben erkennen, die \"COMMAND\" auf der Seite der Welle bildeten. Wir waren angekommen.\n\nWir warfen unsere Waffen durch die schmale \u00d6ffnung und stiegen nacheinander auf das Kommandodeck. Ich war schon oft hier gewesen, aber ich konnte von einigen der ehemaligen Gefangenen scharfe Atemz\u00fcge h\u00f6ren. Die OSP-4 war kein Milit\u00e4rschiff mit ihren engen, geschlossenen R\u00e4umen. Das Command Deck sah eher aus wie ein Stockwerk in einem B\u00fcrogeb\u00e4ude. Banken von Vidscreens besetzten jede Wand, die meisten von ihnen wurden durch explosive Dekompression zerst\u00f6rt. Splitter von transparentem Plexi schwebten im Null-G wie Wassertropfen aus einem gefrorenen Regen. Regenb\u00f6gen spielten gegen die Wand, als das Licht der nahen Sonne durch eine zerkl\u00fcftete Miete in einer Wand schien. Ich ging auf das Deck und sp\u00fcrte bei jedem Schritt einen leichten Zug von meinen magnetischen Stiefeln.\n\nIch h\u00f6rte Morgans Stimme im Radio zischen. \"Das ist es? Ein Haufen von Kabinenjockeys leiten die ganze Station?\"\n\nDas Relikt klang ebenso beleidigt. \"Das ist eine Kaffeemaschine....\" Er klopfte auf das beleidigende Ger\u00e4t und schickte es um seine Achse, wobei er Kristalle von gefrorenem Kaffee und Sahne blutete.\n\n\"Ich verstehe schon. Achte nicht auf den Mann hinter dem Vorhang und all das. K\u00f6nnen wir jetzt weitermachen?\"\n\nIch ging zu dem Loch in der Wand und blieb dann stehen. Ein Fetzen blauer Stoff von einer Uniform wurde auf dem gedrehten Metall gefangen. Darunter schwebten schockgefrorene Fragmente einer Person. Ich schaute weg, bevor ich sehen konnte, wer es war. Stattdessen schaute ich nach drau\u00dfen und achtete darauf, meinen Abstand zum zerkl\u00fcfteten Rumpf einzuhalten. Die konvexe Form des Thrusters war gerade noch sichtbar.\n\nIch drehte mich in der Zeit um, um zu sehen, wie Flint eine Tastatur mit dem Handr\u00fccken zerquetschte.\n\n\"Hey!\" sagte ich ein wenig zu scharf. Ich \u00e4nderte meinen Ton schnell und erinnerte mich daran, mit wem ich sprach. \"Das mag wie der Boden eines B\u00fcrogeb\u00e4udes aussehen, aber es ist in der Tat das Nervenzentrum eines Hochsicherheitsgef\u00e4ngnisses. Es gibt Sicherheitsvorkehrungen. Gef\u00e4hrliche Sicherheitsvorkehrungen. Denkt daran... die UEE verhandelt nicht mit Terroristen.\"\n\nIch konnte Flint's Gesicht kaum durch die Kuppel seiner Frontplatte sehen, nicht genug, um einen Ausdruck zu erkennen, aber er nahm seine Hand.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich zwitscherte meine Komm und ein rotes Licht begann in meinem Helm zu blinken. \"Was hast du getan?\" fragte ich Flint schnell.\n\nEr zuckte mit den Schultern.\n\nAus der Statik tauchte eine tiefe Stimme auf, eine Stimme, die die falschen Silben leicht betont, als ob der Mund, der sie hervorbrachte, nicht ganz richtig funktionierte.\n\nEinwohner von OSP-4 Ich bin so sehr entt\u00e4uscht von dir.\n\n\"Es ist Kilkenny\", sagte Relic's Stimme.\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df. Halt die Klappe.\"\n\nIch hatte gehofft, dass es einen Mann unter euch geben w\u00fcrde, der sich \u00fcber seine Altersgenossen erheben w\u00fcrde, aber das hat sich als nicht der Fall erwiesen. Die nat\u00fcrliche Auslese, so scheint es, ist ein langsamer und m\u00fchsamer Prozess, also lasse ich mein Horn erklingen und signalisiere das Ende der Tage. Wenn Martin Browning seinen Tod nicht wie ein Mann empf\u00e4ngt, dann werde ich ihn ihm wie ein Gott \u00fcbergeben.\n\nDas Licht in meinem Anzug d\u00e4mmerte und erlosch dann.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich erhob sich ein Teil des Bodens abrupt und katapultierte Relikt in die Luft. Sein magnetischer Stiefel hielt f\u00fcr eine schwache Sekunde und lie\u00df sich dann los, was ihn in ein unkontrolliertes Rad schickte. Weil wir ihn alle beobachteten, bemerkte keiner von uns die Kanonenrohre, die sich aus der Bodenplatte herausstreckten und ihn in die Luft geschickt hatten. Vielleicht hatte Kilkenny die Gef\u00e4ngnisverteidigung aktiviert, oder Flint's Maischen der Tastatur hatte R\u00e4der in Bewegung gesetzt, die f\u00fcr ihn schlecht enden w\u00fcrden. Es spielte keine Rolle. Ich hatte gerade meine Augen gesenkt, um den Knopf zu finden, der die Kommunikation funktionierte, als ich einen Laufdrehknopf bemerkte, um Flint zu verfolgen.\n\nDer Schuss war unglaublich schnell und ich konnte die Wunde von dort, wo ich stand, nicht sehen. Flint's Unterk\u00f6rper blieb mit seinen magnetischen Stiefeln am Boden verankert, aber sein Oberk\u00f6rper begann zu driften.\n\n\"Wir m\u00fcssen gehen!\" schrie ich. Ich schnappte mir die schwimmende Kaffeemaschine aus der Luft und warf sie auf den Turm, in der Hoffnung, dass sie verfolgt werden konnte.\n\nMorgan drehte sich um und wusste genau, was er vorhatte. \"Los, los, los, los, los, los!\" Er feuerte ein paar Sch\u00fcsse darauf ab, aber die Waffen, die uns der Tevarin hinterlassen hatte, waren bestenfalls minderwertig und konnten nicht in seine R\u00fcstung eindringen. Mit blendender Geschwindigkeit schwang der Turm nach oben und schoss dreimal auf die Kaffeemaschine und hinterlie\u00df nichts als einen Strahl geschmolzener Schlacke.\n\nIch erreichte den Aufzug, warf meine Waffe in den schmalen Schlitz und rutschte dann in ihn hinein und trieb mich in den kurzen Raum zwischen den Stockwerken. Meine Stiefel packten sich magnetisch am Boden des Aufzugs und zwangen mich, mich schnell zu ducken, als Morgan durch die \u00d6ffnung hinter mir rutschte. Gemeinsam zogen wir zwei weitere M\u00e4nner in den Aufzug. Als ich nicht mehr kam, riskierte ich, dass ich \u00fcber den Rand des Bodens blicke. Drei K\u00f6rper in durchbohrten Raumanz\u00fcgen, die durch die Luft des Kommandodecks gesponnen wurden. Der Turm drehte sich zu mir hin und ich starrte einen erschreckenden Moment lang in den Lauf, bevor ich mich wieder duckte und den Abw\u00e4rtsknopf p\u00fcrierte.\n\nwird fortgesetzt.....","zh_CN":"From a far enough distance, a battle in space looks like dueling fireflies. The actual fighters are lost in the glare of their exhaust so all you can see are little points of light darting around against a starry backdrop, and then the occasional violent burst of an explosion.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re shooting down escape pods,\u201d I said to Morgan when I realized what was happening.\n\n\u201cI guess that explains why we haven\u2019t run into many guards. Or service staff for that matter,\u201d said Morgan with a shrug. \u201cStill, you\u2019d think the Nova Dogs would be more interested in boarding them than shooting them down. They\u2019re cannibals, aren\u2019t they? Tough to eat interstellar dust.\u201d\n\nIt was black humor, but we needed it. We\u2019d left the Political Activities Wing behind and found temporary shelter in the cargo hold that housed a few mothballed spacecraft. There we\u2019d found some survivors from the attack \u2014 apprentice engineers that Herschel Konicek had put to work re-fitting the fighters, an old Cutlass and an older Hornet.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve got bad news, sir,\u201d said a young tech in an oil-stained blue jumpsuit. He\u2019d spoken to me, not because of my rank, which wasn\u2019t visible because I was in civilian clothing, but because I was the only one of our group not wearing prison orange. \u201cI overheard \u2026 uh,\u201d embarrassed, he pointed at one of the prisoners while hiding his finger behind his hand. I supplied the name \u2018Flint.\u2019 \u201c\u2026 yes, um, Flint, saying that you planned to fly these vehicles to the system\u2019s jump point?\u201d\n\nI explained that yes, we were, and that I\u2019d already outlined our plans to them not two days ago. \u201cYes,\u201d he said nervously, \u201cwell, these are chase fighters. That is, they\u2019ve been modified for high speeds. In case station authorities need, uh, needed to catch an escape vehicle. They can\u2019t, however, make quantum speeds. You\u2019ll be caught before you reach the halfway mark.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood news\/bad news,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cSpeed is essential for running a blockade.\u201d He glanced over at the large, rectangular vehicle that was parked next to the fighters. Sparks were shooting away from an arc welder that was being used to repair some of its armor plating. \u201cWhat about the transport? Can we use it?\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said the tech, slowly enough to indicate that it was not at all a certainty. \u201cBut that brings us to the other issue. None of these vessels was expected to fly. If not for the help of Mr. Konicek, I don\u2019t believe they would. Even if we get everything back online, there isn\u2019t enough fuel to get even one of them to the jump point, let alone all three.\u201d\n\nMorgan considered that for a moment. Then he slapped me on the back, which had become a harbinger of bad luck for me. \u201cWell it just so happens that our fearless leader\u2019s previous job assignment was as the Station Quartermaster. If anyone knows where to find us some fuel, it\u2019s him.\u201d\n\n\u201cSure. I know where to find fuel,\u201d I retorted. \u201cOn the Flight Deck, where it\u2019s supposed to be. We\u2019ll only have to fight through a couple of hundred pirates to get there.\u201d\n\nOf course, all the snappy retorts in the world weren\u2019t going to change the fact that we did indeed need fuel, and so after a few hours of pacing the deck I came up with a plan. I quickly assembled our \u201cstrike team,\u201d as I took to calling the six ex-prisoners who\u2019d accompanied us all the way from the armory, mainly because they were useless at repairing fighters and needed something else to do.\n\n\u201cWe need fuel, and Kilkenny and his men have either confiscated or blown up everything they can find. But there is an alternate source of fuel that I know is still available.\u201d I readied myself for objections before I continued. \u201cThe station\u2019s positional thrusters. They have huge fuel tanks and they\u2019re kept full at all times. All we have to do is free one of the fuel pods and bring it back here.\u201d\n\nThough Relic had been eating copiously of the station\u2019s supplies for most of the last two days, he was still the skinniest man I\u2019d ever laid eyes on. He stood with a tube of nutrient paste in one hand and squeezed some in his mouth. He spoke before he swallowed. \u201cWhat if we don\u2019t want to leave the station?\u201d\n\nThat one threw me for a loop. \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe could stay here. We\u2019ve got plenty of food and water, and the door can be welded shut. As soon as this Kilkenny character finds the man he\u2019s looking for, the Nova Dogs will be gone.\u201d\n\nMorgan spoke before I could. \u201cAm I hearing this right? A bunch of prisoners who don\u2019t want to escape from prison? I know that thinking long-term isn\u2019t exactly your thing, Relic, but what\u2019s your plan for after Kilkenny leaves? Wait for the authorities to return you to your cell? What if they don\u2019t leave? Kilkenny will tear this station apart looking for this Martin Browning, and if that means breaking down a few doors, your welding won\u2019t stop him.\u201d\n\nRelic was undaunted. \u201cSomeone needs to guard these fighters then.\u201d He said back down and laced his hands behind his head. \u201cWe\u2019ll look after them until you get back.\u201d\n\nAnother prisoner, a tattooed bald man with a paunch and a five o\u2019clock shadow got up slowly and ominously. Flint was the man the techs were most afraid of, and with good reason. He rarely spoke, but when he did, everything he said was tinged with violence. \u201cI don\u2019t trust these two buggers to do it on their own, and I don\u2019t trust you buggers to guard these ships. We\u2019re going with them, and I\u2019ll kill any man who says otherwise.\u201d\n\nI have rarely been more grateful to a convicted murderer. Under his watchful eye, all five remaining ex-prisoners were shepherded out of the hold and into the elevator, leaving the techs and Herschel Konicek to work in peace. \u201cYou think they\u2019ll still be here when we get back?\u201d I asked Morgan.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure of it,\u201d he replied. \u201cHerby won\u2019t let us down.\u201d\n\n\u2018Herby\u2019 was a madman, but I trusted Morgan and that meant that I trusted a madman by extension.\n\nWe were equidistant from two positional thrusters. To reach one we had to pass through the Visitor Center, and I was pretty sure that was Kilkenny\u2019s base of operations. I didn\u2019t relish the idea of sneaking Relic and his buddies right under the noses of the captain of the Nova Dogs and his men. Plus, Kilkenny scared the hell out of me, so I scratched it off my list.\n\nTo get to thruster number two, we needed to pass through the remains of the Command Deck. It had been the first place the pirates had attacked and I wasn\u2019t sure how much damage it had sustained or if it even had any atmosphere, so I made sure we were outfitted for spacewalks before entering the code that would take us there. Eventually the elevator stopped and an indicator flashed to say that there was an obstruction in the shaft. We pried open the doors and heard a hiss as air escaped into the vacuum of space. We found ourselves between floors. I could just make out the bottom of the letters that formed \u201cCOMMAND\u201d on the side of the shaft. We had arrived.\n\nWe threw our weapons through the narrow opening and ascended one by one onto the command deck. I\u2019d been here many times before, but I could hear sharp intakes of breath from some of the ex-prisoners. The OSP-4 was not a military vessel with its tight, enclosed spaces. The Command Deck looked more like a floor in an office building. Banks of vidscreens occupied every wall, most of them shattered by explosive decompression. Shards of transparent Plexi floated in the null-g like drops of water from a frozen rain. Rainbows played against the wall as light from the nearby sun shone through a jagged rent in one wall. I walked onto the deck, feeling a slight pull from my magnetic boots with every step.\n\nI heard Morgan\u2019s voice hiss over the radio. \u201cThis is it? A bunch of cubicle jockeys run the whole station?\u201d\n\nRelic sounded equally offended. \u201cThat\u2019s a coffee maker \u2026\u201d He tapped the offending appliance and sent it spinning around its axis, bleeding crystals of frozen coffee and cream.\n\n\u201cI get it. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain and all that. Can we move on now?\u201d\n\nI walked over to the hole in the wall and then stopped. A shred of blue fabric from someone\u2019s uniform was caught on the twisted metal. Below it floated flash frozen fragments of a person. I looked away before I could see who it had been. Instead, being careful to maintain my distance from the jagged hull, I looked outside. The convex shape of the thruster was just visible.\n\nI turned back around in time to see Flint mashing a keyboard with the back of his hand.\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d I said just a little too sharply. I modified my tone quickly, remembering who I was speaking to. \u201cThis might look like the floor of an office building, but it is in fact the nerve center of a Super Maximum Security prison. There are safeguards in place. Dangerous safeguards. Remember \u2026 the UEE doesn\u2019t negotiate with terrorists.\u201d\n\nI could barely see Flint\u2019s face through the dome of his faceplate, not enough to make out an expression, but he removed his hand.\n\nSuddenly my comm chirped and a red light began to flash inside my helmet. \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d I asked Flint quickly.\n\nHe shrugged.\n\nA deep voice emerged from the static, a voice that put a slight emphasis on the wrong syllables, as if the mouth that produced it didn\u2019t quite work properly.\n\nDenizens of OSP-4 I am so very disappointed in you.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s Kilkenny,\u201d said Relic\u2019s voice.\n\n\u201cI know. Shut up.\u201d\n\nI had hoped that there was a man among you who would rise above his peers, but that has proven not to be. Natural selection, it seems, is a slow and tedious process, so I am sounding my bugle and signalling the end of days. If Martin Browning will not receive his death like a man, then I will deliver it to him like a god.\n\nThe light in my suit dimmed and then went out.\n\nAll of a sudden a section of the floor rose abruptly, catapulting Relic into the air. His magnetic boot held for one tenuous second and then released, sending him into an uncontrolled cartwheel. Because we were all watching him, none of us noticed the gun barrels that extended out of the floor panel that had sent him into the air. Maybe Kilkenny had activated the prison defenses, or Flint\u2019s mashing of the keyboard had set wheels in motion that would end badly for him. It didn\u2019t matter. I\u2019d just lowered my eyes to find the button that worked the comm when I noticed a barrel swivel to track Flint.\n\nThe shot was incredibly quick and I couldn\u2019t see the wound from where I stood. Flint\u2019s lower body remained anchored to the floor with his magnetic boots, but his upper body began to drift.\n\n\u201cWe need to go!\u201d I yelled. I snatched the floating coffeemaker out of the air and threw it at the turret, hoping it might be tracked.\n\nMorgan spun around and knew exactly what he was looking at. \u201cGo, go, go, go!\u201d He fired a couple of shots at it, but the weapons the Tevarin had left us with were substandard at best and failed to penetrate its armor. With blinding speed, the turret swivelled upwards and shot the coffeemaker three times, leaving nothing behind but a spray of molten slag.\n\nI reached the elevator, threw my weapon into the narrow slit and then slid into it, propelling myself into the short space between floors. My boots magnetically grappled themselves to the elevator floor, forcing me to quickly duck as Morgan slid through the opening behind me. Together we pulled two more men into the elevator. When no more came I risked I glance over the edge of the floor. Three bodies in punctured space suits spun through the air of the Command Deck. The turret swivelled towards me and I found myself staring down the barrel for one frightening instant before I ducked again and mashed the down button.\n\nto be continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":66,"created_at":"2014-08-21T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"11 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-09 09:53:47","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":14094,"next_id":14098}}