{"data":{"id":14128,"title":"Orbital Supermax: Episode Ten","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/14128-Orbital-Supermax-Episode-Ten","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/14128","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/14128","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":"I\u2019ve piloted fighters before as they\u2019re being refueled in the midst of combat. You\u2019re a sitting duck, parked for precious minutes next to a tanker that is, in reality, nothing more than a metal ball of combustion ready to go off. No matter how intense the fighting gets, you\u2019re paralyzed as your fuel gauge slowly fills. Your bird needs fuel. It is the one constant of combat.\n\nIt is the helplessness that hurts the most.\n\nOn the hull of the Orbital Supermax I was finding out the true meaning of the term \u201csitting duck.\u201d We weren\u2019t just refueling a fighter. We were siphoning fuel from one of the station\u2019s positioning thrusters and using it to fill two fighters and the tanker that Herschel Konicek had flown around the hull from Cargo Hold C. And instead of a regular enemy, we were hiding from the Nova Dogs, a pack of pirates, headed by Captain Martin Kilkenny, a cannibal who\u2019d threatened to eat every prisoner on the Supermax.\n\nWe\u2019d filled the fighters first and Wes Morgan had taken the Hornet on a wide sweep in the hopes of distracting the Nova Dogs from our refueling operation. I sat in the Cutlass. It had been a long time since I\u2019d flown one, but it was coming back to me. Thrust, attitude, firing controls. Check.\n\n\u201cOne bogie, 12 o\u2019clock low,\u201d said Konicek from the tanker. I looked to my twelve o\u2019clock and then down. Through pure bad luck, a single Nova Dog fighter had somehow gotten a profile on us, even though we were against the station wall.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve got him,\u201d I said as I powered up the fighter. A pre-flight menu popped onto the HUD, but I motioned past it and guided the Cutlass away from the station.\n\n\u201cI need about twenty minutes,\u201d said Konicek over the radio. I sighed. Might as well ask for a day. I didn\u2019t think we had either.\n\nThe Nova Dog didn\u2019t seem especially concerned as I guided my ship towards him and a hail came through the comm. After Day 3 of their siege I could imagine them being confused at the appearance of an unidentified fighter. The Flight Deck had been destroyed, and with it both of the Station\u2019s active fighters. They had no idea we\u2019d managed to repair two mothballed fighters that had been put in storage longer than I had been on station.\n\nI wasn\u2019t going to give him a chance to raise the alarm.\n\nI quickly shifted my shields forward and gunned it at maximum thrust. Inertia pushed me back in my seat with enough force that my vision darkened at the edges. As soon as I heard the chirp of my scan on the Nova Dog, I squeezed my trigger. Several bursts flashed out across the void, provoking small explosions on the enemy\u2019s wing and hull. The second burst hit in a bright shimmer. He\u2019d been rationing power, but now he raised his shields. His thrusters flared and he dove down towards the station, looking for cover.\n\nI jinked left, spinning my craft to pursue him and kept the heat up. Bolts of energy smashed into his shields. He barrel rolled around an antenna, narrowly avoiding it and it came up fast in my vision. I pulled the trigger, severing the antenna. My shields bloomed a sickly blue color as the metal flew up and bounced roughly past me. By the time I\u2019d cleared it, nearly fifty percent of the power of my geriatric craft was gone, just like that.\nWe were close to the hull now, so close that I could see the tiny squares of light that were the station\u2019s viewports flying past. I hit my thrusters, launching myself away from the station and then coming in again hard. Instinctively, my opponent veered and his shields scraped OSP-4, flaring brightly for a few seconds before collapsing. My next shot turned him into a ball of fire that winked out almost as quickly as it appeared.\n\nI reduced thrust and came in close to the station. I was momentarily alone, but my radio still hissed with organized static that almost sounded like words. Curious, I changed the band and caught the sounds of a firefight. Screams were punctuated by the rapid tap of projectile weapons. The Nova Dogs were attacking someone on the station nearby and they were getting hell for their trouble.\n\nI couldn\u2019t imagine who could possibly offer that level of resistance after three days of siege. The remaining guards were dead while anyone who could had fled in escape pods and been gunned down by the pirates. Suddenly my heart dropped. There was in fact one group that was still armed and organized. After all, they\u2019d stolen our guns.\n\nI tapped on the comm while maneuvering the fighter as close to the station as I dared, using increasing and decreasing bouts of static to triangulate her position. I say \u201cher,\u201d for although the group I was tracking was no doubt the Tevarin, I was in fact trying to locate their solitary guest. Cayla Wyrick. My therapist.\n\nAt an angle, I saw one of the station viewports flashing irregularly. I wasn\u2019t reading any oxygen, which meant this area had already been holed. Whoever they were, they were fighting in spacesuits.\n\nI risked a transmission. \u201cCayla?\u201d\n\nThe sounds of battle barely ebbed, but I thought I might have heard her voice in the far distance. That hope, although probably a trick of the imagination, was good enough for me. I feathered the controls and turned the nose of the fighter towards the station. I was so close now that I could see the battle raging through the viewports. One side wore irregular spacesuits, smeared with tar-like paint. The other, the red and blue of station staff. But they weren\u2019t station staff. They were the Tevarin.\n\n\u201cDear Yusaf Asari,\u201d I called over the radio. \u201cI suggest you pull your men back. Love, The Kid Who Wouldn\u2019t Shut Up.\u201d\n\nAgainst all odds, I saw one of the men in the red spacesuits press his hand to his helmet, where his ear would be, and then look out the viewport right at me. It must have been a heck of a sight. A massive Cutlass, positioning jets firing sporadically all over the hull, not more than a couple of meters outside the window. He turned and waved his men back. I let myself drift to the left. My targeting computer wouldn\u2019t recognize \u2018Human,\u2019 so I lined up on the black striped spacesuits by hand and pulled the trigger.\n\nThe first blast turned the hull white hot and the second splashed globs of molten metal into the crowd of pirates. It took them several seconds to identify the source of this new attack, and by that time I\u2019d blown a huge hole in the hull and mowed down nearly half their number. Some returned fire with sporadic bursts of small arms fire that were absorbed harmlessly by my shields. I kicked my positioning thrusts, turning the fighter slightly and continued the barrage of fire. It wasn\u2019t long before they were running for their lives and the Tevarin were pumping their fists in the air.\n\nBut I wasn\u2019t done. I cut the shields and then feathered the control stick, turning the fighter around. Using only maneuvering thrusters, I guided the fighter through the hole I\u2019d made in the hull. Collision klaxons began to blare in my ears and I kept my eyes glued to the tiny readout, usually used during landing, which showed where my ship was in relation to the deck. Soon, I was inside the station, hovering in the middle of the bay where the battle between the Tevarin and the pirates had just abruptly ended.\n\nThe nose of my fighter was incredibly hard to keep in position, but I bobbed it up and aimed my weapons at Yusaf Asari and the rest of the red spacesuits.\n\n\u201cYou know what I want, Asari,\u201d I said over the radio. The Tevarin had lowered their fists in confusion. Some had raised their rifles, but others knew the futility of that gesture and looked to their leader. I nosed the fighter towards him. \u201cI told you before that I wasn\u2019t going to leave without her.\u201d\n\nLong moments went by.\n\nI began to sweat. The Tevarin weren\u2019t pirates. They might have committed minor crimes, but everyone knew that they\u2019d been sent to OSP-4 instead of local prisons because they were the wrong species. Asari knew that I wasn\u2019t going to gun them down. But maybe he appreciated the risk I\u2019d taken. He was, after all, a Tevarin who\u2019d been arrested for speaking out for his people. I was speaking out for mine.\n\n\u201cWes Morgan is a man who needs an incentive to keep his promises,\u201d said Asari at last. \u201cBut you, however, have shown that you keep your promises, even at great cost to yourself. With you, I need no hostage. Take her, and keep your promise.\u201d\n\nA small figure in a red spacesuit broke away from the Tevarin and crossed the distance between us at a run. I popped the cargo door and she scrambled up into the hold. She took the navigator\u2019s seat and I re-pressurized the hold so that she could remove her helmet.\n\nMoments later I felt her hand on my shoulder. \u201cI knew you\u2019d come back for me.\u201d\n\nFor some reason I found I couldn\u2019t speak. I swallowed and took a deep breath, then reached up and squeezed her hand. \u201cOkay,\u201d I said, after I\u2019d allowed myself a minute. \u201cHang on. It\u2019s a bit of a tight squeeze.\u201d\n\nI tapped the controls and heard the hiss of maneuvering thrusters through the hull as the fighter slowly began to drift sideways.\n\n\u201cAvery,\u201d said Cayla. Her voice tight, as if she was struggling to sound calm.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cAvery!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?!\u201d\n\nI felt the hull lurch and damage indicators began to flash. I jerked the controls back, trying to compensate for the sudden movement, but it was too late. We\u2019d drifted forward. One of the turret guns had caught on the hull and bent wildly. Sparks bled from the damaged joint between fighter and weapon as it gave and then gave further before it snapped and twirled away from us.\n\n\u201cThe Nova Dogs are back and they\u2019ve got some kind of shoulder-mounted weapon,\u2019 said Cayla. \u201cThey\u2019re going to fire again.\u201d\n\nWe hadn\u2019t yet cleared the hull and there was no room to dodge. I straight-armed one of the cockpit struts and jammed my back into the seat and held on tight as we took the hit. The blast spun us around and out of the hole in the station. I ignored everything else and punched the shields, and then guided us back into the void.\n\nI surveyed the damage as OSP-4 receded behind us. The hull was scarred and pockmarked in two different locations and the engine had suffered some minor, cosmetic damage. The missing gun was the most alarming thing. It was one of a pair of neutron guns that were linked together in the turret and I was afraid to fire the remaining weapon for fear of a short or electrical malfunction. I would have to rely on the wing-mounted cannon and the laser repeater mounted in the nose.\n\nThe radio chirped beside me. It was Morgan.\n\nCayla heard it too. \u201cDon\u2019t answer that.\u201d\n\nI looked up. My hand hovered over the radio. \u201cWhy?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s something you should know.\u201d\n\nto be continued \u2026","de_DE":"Ich habe schon einmal J\u00e4ger geflogen, da sie mitten im Kampf betankt werden. Du bist eine sitzende Ente, die f\u00fcr kostbare Minuten neben einem Tanker parkt, der in Wirklichkeit nichts anderes ist als eine Metallkugel, die bereit ist, loszufahren. Egal wie intensiv die K\u00e4mpfe werden, du bist gel\u00e4hmt, wenn sich deine Tankanzeige langsam f\u00fcllt. Dein Vogel braucht Treibstoff. Es ist die einzige Konstante im Kampf.\n\nEs ist die Hilflosigkeit, die am meisten wehtut.\n\nAm Rumpf des Orbital Supermax fand ich die wahre Bedeutung des Begriffs \"sitzende Ente\" heraus. Wir haben nicht nur einen K\u00e4mpfer betankt. Wir entleerten Treibstoff aus einem der Positionierungstriebwerke der Station und benutzten ihn, um zwei J\u00e4ger und den Tanker, den Herschel Konicek vom Frachtraum C um den Rumpf geflogen war, zu f\u00fcllen. Und statt eines regul\u00e4ren Feindes versteckten wir uns vor den Nova Dogs, einem Rudel von Piraten, angef\u00fchrt von Captain Martin Kilkenny, einem Kannibalen, der gedroht hatte, jeden Gefangenen auf der Supermax zu fressen.\n\nWir hatten die Kampfflugzeuge zuerst besetzt und Wes Morgan hatte die Hornisse auf eine weite Strecke mitgenommen, in der Hoffnung, die Nova Dogs von unserem Tankvorgang abzulenken. Ich sa\u00df im Entermesser. Es war lange her, dass ich einen geflogen war, aber es kam auf mich zur\u00fcck. Schub, Haltung, Feuersteuerung. \u00dcberpr\u00fcfen.\n\n\"Ein Drehgestell, 12 Uhr tief\", sagte Konicek vom Tanker. Ich schaute auf meine zw\u00f6lf Uhr und dann nach unten. Durch reines Pech hatte ein einziger Nova Dog K\u00e4mpfer irgendwie ein Profil von uns bekommen, obwohl wir gegen die Bahnhofsmauer waren.\n\n\"Ich habe ihn\", sagte ich, als ich den K\u00e4mpfer einschaltete. Ein Pre-Flight-Men\u00fc sprang auf das HUD, aber ich bewegte mich daran vorbei und f\u00fchrte das Entermesser von der Station weg.\n\n\"Ich brauche etwa zwanzig Minuten\", sagte Konicek im Radio. Ich seufzte. Ich kann genauso gut um einen Tag bitten. Ich dachte nicht, dass wir beide haben.\n\nDer Nova Dog schien nicht besonders besorgt zu sein, als ich mein Schiff zu ihm f\u00fchrte und ein Hagel durch den Comm kam. Nach Tag 3 ihrer Belagerung konnte ich mir vorstellen, dass sie beim Erscheinen eines nicht identifizierten K\u00e4mpfers verwirrt waren. Das Flugdeck war zerst\u00f6rt worden, und damit auch die beiden aktiven J\u00e4ger der Station. Sie hatten keine Ahnung, dass wir es geschafft hatten, zwei eingemottete J\u00e4ger zu reparieren, die l\u00e4nger im Lager waren als ich auf der Station war.\n\nIch wollte ihm nicht die Chance geben, den Alarm auszul\u00f6sen.\n\nIch schob meine Schilde schnell nach vorne und schoss sie bei maximalem Schub. Die Tr\u00e4gheit dr\u00fcckte mich mit so viel Kraft auf meinen Sitz zur\u00fcck, dass sich meine Sicht an den Kanten verdunkelte. Sobald ich das Zirpen meines Scans auf der Nova Dog h\u00f6rte, dr\u00fcckte ich meinen Ausl\u00f6ser. Mehrere Explosionen schossen \u00fcber die Leere hinaus und provozierten kleine Explosionen auf dem Fl\u00fcgel und dem Rumpf des Feindes. Der zweite Sto\u00df traf in einem hellen Schimmer. Er hatte die Macht rationiert, aber jetzt hat er seine Schilde erh\u00f6ht. Seine Triebwerke flammten auf und er sprang zur Station hinunter und suchte nach Deckung.\n\nIch jinkte nach links, drehte mein Schiff, um ihn zu verfolgen, und hielt die Hitze hoch. Energiebolzen schlugen gegen seine Schilde. Er rollte um eine Antenne herum und wich ihr knapp aus, und sie kam schnell in meiner Sicht hoch. Ich dr\u00fcckte den Abzug, trennte die Antenne. Meine Schilde bl\u00fchten kr\u00e4nklich blau auf, als das Metall hochflog und grob an mir vorbeiprallte. Als ich es gekl\u00e4rt hatte, waren fast f\u00fcnfzig Prozent der Kraft meines geriatrischen Fahrzeugs weg, einfach so.\nWir waren jetzt in der N\u00e4he des Rumpfes, so nah, dass ich die winzigen Lichtflecken sehen konnte, an denen die Schaugl\u00e4ser der Station vorbeiflogen. Ich traf meine Triebwerke, startete mich von der Station weg und kam dann wieder hart rein. Instinktiv drehte sich mein Gegner und seine Schilde kratzten OSP-4 und flammten einige Sekunden lang hell auf, bevor sie zusammenbrachen. Mein n\u00e4chster Schuss verwandelte ihn in einen Feuerball, der fast so schnell zuckte, wie er aussah.\n\nIch reduzierte den Schub und kam in die N\u00e4he der Station. Ich war kurzzeitig allein, aber mein Radio zischte immer noch mit organisierter Statik, die fast wie Worte klang. Neugierig wechselte ich die Band und fing die Ger\u00e4usche eines Feuergefechts ein. Die Schreie wurden durch den schnellen Schlag von Projektilwaffen unterbrochen. Die Nova Dogs griffen jemanden auf der Station in der N\u00e4he an und machten sich \u00fcber ihre Probleme lustig.\n\nIch konnte mir nicht vorstellen, wer nach drei Tagen Belagerung diesen Widerstand leisten k\u00f6nnte. Die \u00fcbrigen Wachen waren tot, w\u00e4hrend jeder, der in Fluchtkapseln geflohen war und von den Piraten niedergeschossen wurde. Pl\u00f6tzlich fiel mir das Herz. Es gab in der Tat eine Gruppe, die noch bewaffnet und organisiert war. Schlie\u00dflich hatten sie unsere Waffen gestohlen.\n\nIch klopfte auf den Comm, w\u00e4hrend ich den J\u00e4ger so nah an die Station man\u00f6vrierte, wie ich es wagte, und benutzte zunehmende und abnehmende Anf\u00e4lle von Statik, um ihre Position zu triangulieren. Ich sage \"sie\", denn obwohl die Gruppe, die ich verfolgte, zweifellos der Tevarin war, versuchte ich tats\u00e4chlich, ihren einsamen Gast zu finden. Cayla Wyrick. Mein Therapeut.\n\nIn einem Winkel sah ich eines der Schaugl\u00e4ser der Station unregelm\u00e4\u00dfig blinken. Ich las keinen Sauerstoff, was bedeutete, dass dieser Bereich bereits gelocht war. Wer auch immer sie waren, sie k\u00e4mpften in Raumanz\u00fcgen.\n\nIch riskierte eine \u00dcbertragung. \" Cayla?\"\n\nDie Kampfger\u00e4usche verebbten kaum, aber ich dachte, ich h\u00e4tte ihre Stimme in der Ferne vielleicht geh\u00f6rt. Diese Hoffnung, obwohl wahrscheinlich ein Trick der Phantasie, war mir gut genug. Ich befederte die Bedienelemente und drehte die Nase des K\u00e4mpfers in Richtung Station. Ich war jetzt so nah dran, dass ich die Schlacht durch die Schaufenster w\u00fcten sehen konnte. Eine Seite trug unregelm\u00e4\u00dfige Raumanz\u00fcge, die mit teerartiger Farbe beschmiert waren. Die andere, das Rot und Blau des Stationspersonals. Aber sie waren kein Stationspersonal. Sie waren die Tevarin.\n\n\"Lieber Yusaf Asari\", rief ich im Radio an. \"Ich schlage vor, dass Sie Ihre M\u00e4nner zur\u00fcckziehen. Liebe, der Junge, der nicht die Klappe halten wollte.\"\n\nEntgegen aller Erwartungen sah ich, wie einer der M\u00e4nner in den roten Raumanz\u00fcgen seine Hand an seinen Helm dr\u00fcckte, wo sein Ohr sein w\u00fcrde, und dann das Ansichtsfenster direkt auf mich blickte. Es muss ein toller Anblick gewesen sein. Ein massiver Entermesser, der D\u00fcsen positioniert, die sporadisch \u00fcber den ganzen Rumpf schie\u00dfen, nicht mehr als ein paar Meter vor dem Fenster. Er drehte sich um und winkte seine M\u00e4nner zur\u00fcck. Ich lie\u00df mich nach links treiben. Mein Ziel-Computer w\u00fcrde \"Mensch\" nicht erkennen, also habe ich mich von Hand auf die schwarz gestreiften Raumanz\u00fcge aufgereiht und den Abzug gedr\u00fcckt.\n\nDie erste Explosion machte den Rumpf wei\u00dfgl\u00fchend und die zweite spritzte Kugeln aus geschmolzenem Metall in die Menge der Piraten. Es dauerte mehrere Sekunden, bis sie die Quelle dieses neuen Angriffs identifiziert hatten, und zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte ich ein riesiges Loch in den Rumpf geblasen und fast die H\u00e4lfte ihrer Zahl niedergem\u00e4ht. Einige erwiderten das Feuer mit sporadischen Ausbr\u00fcchen von Kleinwaffenfeuer, die von meinen Schilden harmlos absorbiert wurden. Ich trat meine Positionierungssch\u00fcbe, drehte den K\u00e4mpfer leicht und setzte das Feuerwerk fort. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis sie um ihr Leben rannten und die Tevarin ihre F\u00e4uste in die Luft pumpen.\n\nAber ich war noch nicht fertig. Ich schnitt die Schilde ab und befederte dann den Steuerkn\u00fcppel und drehte den J\u00e4ger um. Nur mit Man\u00f6vriertriebwerken f\u00fchrte ich den J\u00e4ger durch das Loch, das ich im Rumpf gemacht hatte. Kollisionskollisionen begannen in meinen Ohren zu blitzen, und ich hielt meine Augen an der winzigen Anzeige fest, die normalerweise bei der Landung verwendet wurde und die zeigte, wo sich mein Schiff im Verh\u00e4ltnis zum Deck befand. Bald war ich in der Station und schwebte in der Mitte der Bucht, wo der Kampf zwischen den Tevarin und den Piraten gerade abrupt beendet war.\n\nDie Nase meines K\u00e4mpfers war unglaublich schwer in Position zu halten, aber ich schob sie hoch und richtete meine Waffen auf Yusaf Asari und den Rest der roten Raumanz\u00fcge.\n\n\"Du wei\u00dft, was ich will, Asari\", sagte ich im Radio. Die Tevarin hatten ihre F\u00e4uste verwirrt gesenkt. Einige hatten ihre Gewehre erhoben, aber andere kannten die Sinnlosigkeit dieser Geste und sahen zu ihrem Anf\u00fchrer. Ich stie\u00df den K\u00e4mpfer auf ihn zu. \"Ich habe dir schon mal gesagt, dass ich nicht ohne sie gehen werde.\"\n\nLange Momente vergingen.\n\nIch fing an zu schwitzen. Die Tevarin waren keine Piraten. Sie m\u00f6gen kleinere Verbrechen begangen haben, aber jeder wusste, dass sie in OSP-4 statt in lokale Gef\u00e4ngnisse geschickt worden waren, weil sie die falsche Spezies waren. Asari wusste, dass ich sie nicht niederstrecken w\u00fcrde. Aber vielleicht sch\u00e4tzte er das Risiko, das ich eingegangen war. Er war schlie\u00dflich ein Tevarin, der verhaftet worden war, weil er sich f\u00fcr sein Volk eingesetzt hatte. Ich habe mich f\u00fcr meine ausgesprochen.\n\n\"Wes Morgan ist ein Mann, der einen Anreiz braucht, seine Versprechen zu halten\", sagte Asari schlie\u00dflich. \"Aber du hast doch gezeigt, dass du deine Versprechen h\u00e4ltst, auch wenn es dir viel Geld kostet. Bei dir brauche ich keine Geisel. Nimm sie und halte dein Versprechen.\"\n\nEine kleine Figur im roten Raumanzug l\u00f6ste sich vom Tevarin und \u00fcberquerte bei einem Lauf die Distanz zwischen uns. Ich \u00f6ffnete die Frachtt\u00fcr und sie kletterte in den Frachtraum. Sie nahm den Sitz des Navigators ein und ich setzte den Griff wieder unter Druck, damit sie ihren Helm abnehmen konnte.\n\nKurz darauf sp\u00fcrte ich ihre Hand auf meiner Schulter. \"Ich wusste, dass du wegen mir zur\u00fcckkommen w\u00fcrdest.\"\n\nAus irgendeinem Grund stellte ich fest, dass ich nicht sprechen konnte. Ich schluckte und atmete tief durch, griff dann nach oben und dr\u00fcckte ihre Hand. \"Okay,\" sagte ich, nachdem ich mir eine Minute erlaubt hatte. \"Warte mal. Es ist ein bisschen eng.\"\n\nIch klopfte an die Steuerung und h\u00f6rte das Rauschen der Man\u00f6vriertriebwerke durch den Rumpf, als der K\u00e4mpfer langsam anfing, seitw\u00e4rts zu driften.\n\n\"Avery\", sagte Cayla. Ihre Stimme straff, als ob sie M\u00fche h\u00e4tte, ruhig zu klingen.\n\n\" Was?\"\n\n\" Avery!\"\n\n\"Was?!\"\n\nIch f\u00fchlte, wie der Rumpftiefstand und die Schadensanzeigen zu blinken begannen. Ich ruckte die Steuerung zur\u00fcck und versuchte, die pl\u00f6tzliche Bewegung auszugleichen, aber es war zu sp\u00e4t. Wir waren nach vorne getrieben. Eine der Turmgesch\u00fctze hatte sich an der Wanne verfangen und sich wild gebeugt. Funken bluten aus dem besch\u00e4digten Gelenk zwischen K\u00e4mpfer und Waffe, als es gab, und gaben dann weiter, bevor es schnappte und von uns wegwirbelte.\n\n\"Die Nova Dogs sind zur\u00fcck und sie haben eine Art Schulterwaffe\", sagte Cayla. \"Sie werden wieder feuern.\"\n\nWir hatten den Rumpf noch nicht ger\u00e4umt und es gab keinen Platz zum Ausweichen. Ich schaltete eine der Cockpitstreben gerade aus und klemmte meinen R\u00fccken in den Sitz und hielt mich fest, als wir den Anschlag erlitten. Die Explosion drehte uns um und aus dem Loch in der Station. Ich ignorierte alles andere und schlug auf die Schilde und f\u00fchrte uns dann zur\u00fcck in die Leere.\n\nIch beobachtete den Schaden, als sich das OSP-4 hinter uns zur\u00fcckzog. Der Rumpf war vernarbt und an zwei verschiedenen Stellen markiert, und der Motor hatte einige kleinere, kosmetische Sch\u00e4den erlitten. Die fehlende Waffe war die alarmierendste Sache. Es war eine von zwei Neutronenkanonen, die im Turm miteinander verbunden waren, und ich hatte Angst, die verbleibende Waffe abzufeuern, aus Angst vor einer kurzen oder elektrischen Fehlfunktion. Ich m\u00fcsste mich auf die fl\u00fcgelgelagerte Kanone und den in der Nase montierten Laserrepeater verlassen.\n\nDas Radio zwitscherte neben mir. Es war Morgan.\n\nCayla hat es auch geh\u00f6rt. \"Beantworte das nicht.\"\n\nIch sah auf. Meine Hand schwebte \u00fcber dem Radio. \" Warum?\"\n\n\"Es gibt da etwas, das du wissen solltest.\"\n\nwird fortgesetzt.....","zh_CN":"I\u2019ve piloted fighters before as they\u2019re being refueled in the midst of combat. You\u2019re a sitting duck, parked for precious minutes next to a tanker that is, in reality, nothing more than a metal ball of combustion ready to go off. No matter how intense the fighting gets, you\u2019re paralyzed as your fuel gauge slowly fills. Your bird needs fuel. It is the one constant of combat.\n\nIt is the helplessness that hurts the most.\n\nOn the hull of the Orbital Supermax I was finding out the true meaning of the term \u201csitting duck.\u201d We weren\u2019t just refueling a fighter. We were siphoning fuel from one of the station\u2019s positioning thrusters and using it to fill two fighters and the tanker that Herschel Konicek had flown around the hull from Cargo Hold C. And instead of a regular enemy, we were hiding from the Nova Dogs, a pack of pirates, headed by Captain Martin Kilkenny, a cannibal who\u2019d threatened to eat every prisoner on the Supermax.\n\nWe\u2019d filled the fighters first and Wes Morgan had taken the Hornet on a wide sweep in the hopes of distracting the Nova Dogs from our refueling operation. I sat in the Cutlass. It had been a long time since I\u2019d flown one, but it was coming back to me. Thrust, attitude, firing controls. Check.\n\n\u201cOne bogie, 12 o\u2019clock low,\u201d said Konicek from the tanker. I looked to my twelve o\u2019clock and then down. Through pure bad luck, a single Nova Dog fighter had somehow gotten a profile on us, even though we were against the station wall.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve got him,\u201d I said as I powered up the fighter. A pre-flight menu popped onto the HUD, but I motioned past it and guided the Cutlass away from the station.\n\n\u201cI need about twenty minutes,\u201d said Konicek over the radio. I sighed. Might as well ask for a day. I didn\u2019t think we had either.\n\nThe Nova Dog didn\u2019t seem especially concerned as I guided my ship towards him and a hail came through the comm. After Day 3 of their siege I could imagine them being confused at the appearance of an unidentified fighter. The Flight Deck had been destroyed, and with it both of the Station\u2019s active fighters. They had no idea we\u2019d managed to repair two mothballed fighters that had been put in storage longer than I had been on station.\n\nI wasn\u2019t going to give him a chance to raise the alarm.\n\nI quickly shifted my shields forward and gunned it at maximum thrust. Inertia pushed me back in my seat with enough force that my vision darkened at the edges. As soon as I heard the chirp of my scan on the Nova Dog, I squeezed my trigger. Several bursts flashed out across the void, provoking small explosions on the enemy\u2019s wing and hull. The second burst hit in a bright shimmer. He\u2019d been rationing power, but now he raised his shields. His thrusters flared and he dove down towards the station, looking for cover.\n\nI jinked left, spinning my craft to pursue him and kept the heat up. Bolts of energy smashed into his shields. He barrel rolled around an antenna, narrowly avoiding it and it came up fast in my vision. I pulled the trigger, severing the antenna. My shields bloomed a sickly blue color as the metal flew up and bounced roughly past me. By the time I\u2019d cleared it, nearly fifty percent of the power of my geriatric craft was gone, just like that.\nWe were close to the hull now, so close that I could see the tiny squares of light that were the station\u2019s viewports flying past. I hit my thrusters, launching myself away from the station and then coming in again hard. Instinctively, my opponent veered and his shields scraped OSP-4, flaring brightly for a few seconds before collapsing. My next shot turned him into a ball of fire that winked out almost as quickly as it appeared.\n\nI reduced thrust and came in close to the station. I was momentarily alone, but my radio still hissed with organized static that almost sounded like words. Curious, I changed the band and caught the sounds of a firefight. Screams were punctuated by the rapid tap of projectile weapons. The Nova Dogs were attacking someone on the station nearby and they were getting hell for their trouble.\n\nI couldn\u2019t imagine who could possibly offer that level of resistance after three days of siege. The remaining guards were dead while anyone who could had fled in escape pods and been gunned down by the pirates. Suddenly my heart dropped. There was in fact one group that was still armed and organized. After all, they\u2019d stolen our guns.\n\nI tapped on the comm while maneuvering the fighter as close to the station as I dared, using increasing and decreasing bouts of static to triangulate her position. I say \u201cher,\u201d for although the group I was tracking was no doubt the Tevarin, I was in fact trying to locate their solitary guest. Cayla Wyrick. My therapist.\n\nAt an angle, I saw one of the station viewports flashing irregularly. I wasn\u2019t reading any oxygen, which meant this area had already been holed. Whoever they were, they were fighting in spacesuits.\n\nI risked a transmission. \u201cCayla?\u201d\n\nThe sounds of battle barely ebbed, but I thought I might have heard her voice in the far distance. That hope, although probably a trick of the imagination, was good enough for me. I feathered the controls and turned the nose of the fighter towards the station. I was so close now that I could see the battle raging through the viewports. One side wore irregular spacesuits, smeared with tar-like paint. The other, the red and blue of station staff. But they weren\u2019t station staff. They were the Tevarin.\n\n\u201cDear Yusaf Asari,\u201d I called over the radio. \u201cI suggest you pull your men back. Love, The Kid Who Wouldn\u2019t Shut Up.\u201d\n\nAgainst all odds, I saw one of the men in the red spacesuits press his hand to his helmet, where his ear would be, and then look out the viewport right at me. It must have been a heck of a sight. A massive Cutlass, positioning jets firing sporadically all over the hull, not more than a couple of meters outside the window. He turned and waved his men back. I let myself drift to the left. My targeting computer wouldn\u2019t recognize \u2018Human,\u2019 so I lined up on the black striped spacesuits by hand and pulled the trigger.\n\nThe first blast turned the hull white hot and the second splashed globs of molten metal into the crowd of pirates. It took them several seconds to identify the source of this new attack, and by that time I\u2019d blown a huge hole in the hull and mowed down nearly half their number. Some returned fire with sporadic bursts of small arms fire that were absorbed harmlessly by my shields. I kicked my positioning thrusts, turning the fighter slightly and continued the barrage of fire. It wasn\u2019t long before they were running for their lives and the Tevarin were pumping their fists in the air.\n\nBut I wasn\u2019t done. I cut the shields and then feathered the control stick, turning the fighter around. Using only maneuvering thrusters, I guided the fighter through the hole I\u2019d made in the hull. Collision klaxons began to blare in my ears and I kept my eyes glued to the tiny readout, usually used during landing, which showed where my ship was in relation to the deck. Soon, I was inside the station, hovering in the middle of the bay where the battle between the Tevarin and the pirates had just abruptly ended.\n\nThe nose of my fighter was incredibly hard to keep in position, but I bobbed it up and aimed my weapons at Yusaf Asari and the rest of the red spacesuits.\n\n\u201cYou know what I want, Asari,\u201d I said over the radio. The Tevarin had lowered their fists in confusion. Some had raised their rifles, but others knew the futility of that gesture and looked to their leader. I nosed the fighter towards him. \u201cI told you before that I wasn\u2019t going to leave without her.\u201d\n\nLong moments went by.\n\nI began to sweat. The Tevarin weren\u2019t pirates. They might have committed minor crimes, but everyone knew that they\u2019d been sent to OSP-4 instead of local prisons because they were the wrong species. Asari knew that I wasn\u2019t going to gun them down. But maybe he appreciated the risk I\u2019d taken. He was, after all, a Tevarin who\u2019d been arrested for speaking out for his people. I was speaking out for mine.\n\n\u201cWes Morgan is a man who needs an incentive to keep his promises,\u201d said Asari at last. \u201cBut you, however, have shown that you keep your promises, even at great cost to yourself. With you, I need no hostage. Take her, and keep your promise.\u201d\n\nA small figure in a red spacesuit broke away from the Tevarin and crossed the distance between us at a run. I popped the cargo door and she scrambled up into the hold. She took the navigator\u2019s seat and I re-pressurized the hold so that she could remove her helmet.\n\nMoments later I felt her hand on my shoulder. \u201cI knew you\u2019d come back for me.\u201d\n\nFor some reason I found I couldn\u2019t speak. I swallowed and took a deep breath, then reached up and squeezed her hand. \u201cOkay,\u201d I said, after I\u2019d allowed myself a minute. \u201cHang on. It\u2019s a bit of a tight squeeze.\u201d\n\nI tapped the controls and heard the hiss of maneuvering thrusters through the hull as the fighter slowly began to drift sideways.\n\n\u201cAvery,\u201d said Cayla. Her voice tight, as if she was struggling to sound calm.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cAvery!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?!\u201d\n\nI felt the hull lurch and damage indicators began to flash. I jerked the controls back, trying to compensate for the sudden movement, but it was too late. We\u2019d drifted forward. One of the turret guns had caught on the hull and bent wildly. Sparks bled from the damaged joint between fighter and weapon as it gave and then gave further before it snapped and twirled away from us.\n\n\u201cThe Nova Dogs are back and they\u2019ve got some kind of shoulder-mounted weapon,\u2019 said Cayla. \u201cThey\u2019re going to fire again.\u201d\n\nWe hadn\u2019t yet cleared the hull and there was no room to dodge. I straight-armed one of the cockpit struts and jammed my back into the seat and held on tight as we took the hit. The blast spun us around and out of the hole in the station. I ignored everything else and punched the shields, and then guided us back into the void.\n\nI surveyed the damage as OSP-4 receded behind us. The hull was scarred and pockmarked in two different locations and the engine had suffered some minor, cosmetic damage. The missing gun was the most alarming thing. It was one of a pair of neutron guns that were linked together in the turret and I was afraid to fire the remaining weapon for fear of a short or electrical malfunction. I would have to rely on the wing-mounted cannon and the laser repeater mounted in the nose.\n\nThe radio chirped beside me. It was Morgan.\n\nCayla heard it too. \u201cDon\u2019t answer that.\u201d\n\nI looked up. My hand hovered over the radio. \u201cWhy?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s something you should know.\u201d\n\nto be continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":51,"created_at":"2014-09-05T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"11 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-09 03:53:56","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":14127,"next_id":14129}}