{"data":{"id":18271,"title":"The Shakedown","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/18271-The-Shakedown","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/18271","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/18271","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27852,"name":"The-Shakedown.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/azsvl96j6akdxr\/source\/The-Shakedown.jpg","alt":"","size":3874201,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-08-09T17:16:55+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27852","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27852\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"This short story originally appeared in Jump Point 5.12.\nKeeping one hand on the controls, Berkley leaned over and grabbed the small packet of food he had tucked underneath the radar display panel. He\u2019d learned over the years of pulling long hauls that with MREs you didn\u2019t want to eat them hot like the instructions on the back recommended. That just made the flavors more pronounced. The only thing worse than crap was steaming crap. Eating them room temp wasn\u2019t good either. Sure, the flavor was dulled, but the texture wound up somewhere around chewing on a damp sock. Nope, the best option was to gently warm them to around 62\u00b0C, i.e. the exact same temperature that his outdated and prone-to-overheating radar display generally operated at.\n\nUnwrapping the ReadyMeal packet, the concentrated aroma of . . . well, he didn\u2019t know any better way to describe it other than intensely brown . . . hit him directly in the face. Why did it have to be a Beef Chunk day? He always told himself that he should stop buying the bargain variety pack. It was a lot cheaper, but it invariably ended with him having to force down three packs of the Beef Chunk flavor at the end of the month. All that scraping and saving was going to finally pay off, though.\n\nBerkley thought about just ignoring his gnawing hunger, but with a deal this big he couldn\u2019t risk being distracted and irritable. His original plan had been to treat himself to a nice meal in celebration after his payday came through, but sitting in one of ArcCorp\u2019s notorious traffic jams with no sign of budging made the Beef Chunks the only option.\n\nThe local spectrum had been quiet so far on the cause of the backup, but he wasn\u2019t too surprised when the alert had first sounded. ArcCorp always seemed to have twice as many landing accidents as any other port of call he visited. A big part of that was due to the sheer number of ships that made their way to the planet every day. More ships, more accidents. Though Berkley thought that the flight path changing almost every time he visited thanks to a couple more new skyscrapers being erected was probably equally to blame.\n\nHe quickly shoved a large bite into his mouth and distracted himself from the taste by glancing towards the horizon where the skyline of Area17 beckoned. He was tempted to try his luck landing there instead, but he resisted. Heading there now would mean being placed all the way at the back of the landing queue and he\u2019d burned enough time already. Plus, his fuel supply was down to almost vapors. Another thing he intended to correct once he got paid. No, better to stay the course and stick it out at Area18. Plus, now that the acrid black smoke billowing up from the wreck site had begun to clear, Berkley hoped that air traffic control would start allowing more ships through soon.\n\nJust then, two ships rocketed past his holding position towards the wreck, their regtags alerting everyone in the vicinity that they were BlacJac security. He involuntarily tensed at the sight of their flashing lights. That explained what was taking so long. If BlacJac was involved, this wasn\u2019t just some hull-bender. The company provided most of the security on ArcCorp, so it was safe to say that whatever had gone down was likely of a more sinister nature. Maybe a theft gone wrong or a particularly bold smuggler. Whatever it was, he didn\u2019t like being around this kind of scene. Another BlacJac ship flew past. He might be stuck here even longer than he had originally thought.\n\nReaching over, he re-connected to the local network and refreshed the TDD alert again. His heart sank right along with the trend line on his screen. Just in the time spent sitting here, the dozens of cargo crates stored in his hold had decreased in value. Though Berkley had accurately predicted that the price of agricium would skyrocket on ArcCorp after a component manufacturer announced that they were increasing production at their factory here, it seemed the market\u2019s peak had already come and gone.\n\nEven with the buy rate still near the record high, his chance for real profit was rapidly closing . . . not that his margins were that big to begin with. He didn\u2019t have time to shop around if he wanted to take advantage of the situation and so he had paid way too much for the agricium in the name of expedited acquisition. Berkley had bet pretty much every credit he had to his name plus a pretty sizable loan on being able to unload before the bubble burst. After a year of living hand to mouth, barely scraping by, he was ready for something to work out in his favor. His last big trade was when he had correctly guessed that Sakura Sun\u2019s Lil\u2019 Morps were going to be the must-buy Citizen\u2019s Day gift of that year.\n\nHis rear hatch still had a dent from where a parent had flown off the rails after learning Berkley had sold out of the popular Mr. Tintel figures. That success should have easily been parlayed into even more, but a couple misdeals, several hundred spoiled bilva, two major engine malfunctions and his very unpleasant misunderstanding with the Advocacy last year had left him worse off than when he started. The chunk of gristle he was currently trying to chew his way through served as an excellent reminder of that.\n\nIt had been hard staying optimistic after basically having to rebuild his life almost from scratch, but trading had given him something to focus on. If you kept yourself open to opportunity, you could exchange one thing for something better. That\u2019s what he was trying to do with his life. This deal today would net him enough to pay off most of his debt and outstanding legal fees. With that cleared up, everything else could be put back into growing his business. Maybe even finding someone to fly with. Maybe even buying a better brand of MREs, he thought as he forced another bite.\n\nBefore he could swallow the chunk, Area18\u2019s ATC chirped onto his comm. Tossing the half-finished packet of food onto the empty co-pilot seat, he snapped open the channel, \u201cGo for Good Haven.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey Good Haven, got you cleared to land,\u201d informed the weary traffic controller. \u201cPad 2-0-6.\u201d\n\n\u201cFantastic,\u201d said Berkley, his enthusiasm more than making up for the controller\u2019s massive apathy. \u201cCould you also go ahead and send four or five cargo handlers my way? I\u2019m in a bit of a rush.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you picked a pretty terrible day to be in a rush. Won\u2019t be able to spare anyone for at least another hour.\u201d\n\nBerkley did some quick calculations in his head. \u201cHow many credits to spare some people sooner?\u201d\n\n\u201cOutta my hands. We got a full Hull-E unloading and BlacJac commandeered most of our handlers to deal with their mess, so it\u2019s going to take a lot more than credits to make a lick of difference. Best I can do right now is have a bot sent to your pad. Anything more than that and you\u2019ll just have to wait.\u201d\n\nThe cargo transfer drones were normally fine, but thanks to stringent safety protocols they weren\u2019t the best option when you were hoping to empty a hold PDQ. For that, you needed good old fashioned Human disregard for safety. \u201cYeah, the bot\u2019ll have to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cProceed with caution and enjoy your stay on ArcCorp,\u201d the traffic controller intoned before killing the channel.\n\nBerkley tapped his nav and brought landing pad 206 up onto his screen. Tilting the stick forward, he felt the thrusters grab hold as he carefully merged into the stream of ships heading down to the surface. The controls were sluggish from the weight of a full hold, a reminder to be extra careful. Before him, the messy urban patchwork below slowly resolved into a complicated grid of factories and warehouses as he approached. Sometimes you hear Humanity compared to a virus. Seeing the overwhelming sprawl of ArcCorp made Berkley think that comparison wasn\u2019t too far off.\n\nHe adjusted his course and headed into the heart of Area18, a dense forest of towering skyscrapers. His focus fought against the assault of flashing lights and billboards that lined the buildings. Steering around a tower, a fifty-story-tall hologram of a woman waited on the other side. She helpfully squeezed a roll of bath tissue before transforming into a giant animated box of noodles. Where other worlds might have shown restraint out of safety concerns, ArcCorp fully embraced its consumerism with both arms. There was no mistaking that ArcCorp was created in a boardroom by a bunch of executives. Nearly everything on the surface of the planet was dedicated to industry and the generation of credits. And right now, that list included him.\n\nAlmost as soon as his landing struts touched down on the pad, Berkley was out of his seat. With the buildings blocking so much of the natural light, the city itself usually stayed pretty chilly unless the sun was directly overhead, so he made sure to grab his warmer jacket off the floor. Lowering the cargo hatch, he was pleased to find the drone waiting there. He was not pleased that it was an outdated model, probably older than he was. Unloading his ship was going to take even longer than he had estimated. Reflexively, he checked the TDD status again. The downward trend was picking up pace. How many other traders were here unloading agricium right now? At this rate, by the time the cargo was off the ship and into bonded storage he was pretty much guaranteed to lose money.\n\n\u201cHey, you looking for some help?\u201d\n\nBerkley turned to see a woman approaching him. She looked like she had seen better days, but he imagined she was probably thinking the same thing with how worn and stained his jacket was.\n\n\u201cYou with landing services?\u201d Berkley asked.\n\n\u201cMore or less.\u201d\n\nThe response triggered Berkley\u2019s suspicious side. \u201cHow much less?\u201d\n\n\u201cListen, Stac and I are just trying to make a few honest creds. You don\u2019t want the help, that\u2019s fine. We can go.\u201d\n\nBerkley was about to ask who Stac was when he spotted the other woman approaching the pad in a full loader suit. From her controlled gait, he could tell that she knew what she was doing. He did some quick estimates. With the drone going full speed, and these two coordinating, he bet he could get the whole ship unloaded and bonded by the time he got to the TDD. He knew that he should be wary of strangers, but on the other hand, maybe it was time that he finally caught a break today. Besides, he could appreciate people hustling to make an honest living for themselves.\n\nThey made formal introductions all around and after a brief haggling session, he transferred Camari and Stac half the agreed upon price, the rest to be sent when they finished. It pained him to have so very few funds left in his bank account, but as soon as Berkley saw how quickly they finished clearing the first palette he knew the credits had been well spent. This might just work out. Even the bot wasn\u2019t as slow as he feared. With his precious cargo in good hands, he left them to it and headed towards customs.\n\nThe fact that he did not get stopped at all going through security was enough to convince him that maybe his luck had really started to turn around. Stepping outside, what had been a dull hum turned into the roar of a city thrumming with activity. People flowed around him in a seemingly endless stream of Humanity. Salesmen and executives in crisp clothing mingled with haulers and factory workers in greasy jumpsuits. Several Banu worked their way through the crowd selling hot tea from dispensers mounted on their backs, while at the fringes, scrappers collected the population\u2019s jetsam for resale. Overhead, bright neon ads blared slogans and jingles over the din of the crowd, who in turned shouted even louder to be heard over the noise. Mix in the sound of constant ship traffic and it was overwhelming to the point where a few seconds in and you felt the sound pulsing through your body more than you were able to actually hear it anymore.\n\nAhead, Berkley saw the large spinning gear sculpture that marked the center of the city and realized that he had allowed the crowds to push him past his turn. Going across the stream of pedestrians, he jostled his way back towards the Trade and Development center. Catching his breath for a moment underneath the sculpture, he wondered if it was supposed to represent the harmony of the city all working together or if it was implying that they were all just cogs in some grand machine. Who knows, maybe ArcCorp had simply needed something to do with a bunch of extra gears.\n\nLong lines stretched outside the TDD. For a moment he feared that people were waiting to access the commodity trading facilities, but with relief realized that most were there for the Jobwell. Even with as many opportunities as Area18 had on offer, it seemed that there were never enough to go around. So many people came to ArcCorp looking for work that employers could afford to be highly selective. Any opening would have dozens of people competing for the same slot, and even then they were usually short-term low-paying gigs. Despite all that, more people kept showing up every day. Berkley was thankful that he had been able to find a path for himself that had so far kept him well away from the struggles of trying to survive as a day worker. With a friendly nod to those waiting, he moved quickly past the lines and into the TDD itself.\n\nIt was a surprisingly grand room to hold so many people arguing. The high sweeping ceiling swallowed up the sounds of trades being negotiated at a furious pace. His eyes found agricium on the large ticker board and happily noted that the price actually had leveled off. It wasn\u2019t going to be as big of a score as he had originally hoped, but all said and done he was going to come away with a nice, tidy profit. Maybe the first thing he\u2019d do after the trade went through would be to get a drink. Or maybe a shower. Hard to say which one he needed more. He logged in at the kiosk and brought up his account and felt his stomach do a flip. The inventory list was completely empty. Maybe they just hadn\u2019t finished unloading. He waited a minute staring up at the ticker. The price had begun to fall again. He tapped refresh on the screen. Nothing. Then a little voice in the back of Berkley\u2019s head broke through the growing panic he was feeling and pointed out that not even the first palette that he had watched being unloaded was listed.\n\nBerkley was already heading to the exit.\n\nSure enough, upon returning to pad 206 he found Camari and Stac were gone and that his ship had been emptied. The BlacJac security officer who showed up a few hours later to take his report verified as much.\n\n\u201cYeah, looks like they took all of it,\u201d said Officer Frobisher, shining a flashlight unnecessarily around the hold. \u201cA little free advice for you. Next time, stick to hiring verified workers.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll try to remember that,\u201d said Berkley. \u201cWhat do you think the odds are at recovering my property?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, that\u2019s up to you now isn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do you figure?\u201d\n\n\u201cFinding lost property isn\u2019t easy. We\u2019re looking at a lot of hours investigating, talking to suspects, hunting down clues, and whatnot. That all costs credits,\u201d explained Frobisher.\n\n\u201cAre you seriously trying to shake me down?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot sure what you\u2019re implying, sir. I\u2019m just trying to see that justice is served to the best of my abilities. Would be a shame if I got distracted,\u201d said Frobisher, walking down the ship\u2019s ramp towards Berkley. \u201cFor example, says here that you were arrested for smuggling a year back. Can\u2019t help but wonder if that has anything to do with what\u2019s going on here. How do I even know if there was any cargo here in the first place? Hell, this whole thing could be some insurance scam you\u2019re trying to pull.\u201d\n\nOnce he heard his smuggling record mentioned, Berkley knew he had two options here. One, he could keep protesting and probably be brought in as a suspect. Once in custody, chances were he could get out eventually, but with his past and the fact that all the law here was handled by private security contractors like BlacJac, it made that a riskier proposition than it should be for an innocent man in the Empire.\n\nFunny thing was, Berkley didn\u2019t even have insurance on the cargo. Not that it would really matter. They would just find something else to pin on him and the result would still be not getting his property back. He had been incarcerated once in his life. He wasn\u2019t going to let it happen again. The other option was giving Frobisher a bribe. Berkley guessed that he didn\u2019t have enough credits to actually get his case investigated, but maybe he would have enough to get Frobisher to back off. It shouldn\u2019t have surprised him that on ArcCorp even the cops were a for-profit institution.\n\nIn the end, the bribe actually took less money than Berkley would have guessed, but still enough that he was now officially broke. He had always thought that his throw-caution-to-the-wind attitude was one of his better personality traits, but now, lying in the dark cot of a ship he couldn\u2019t afford to fly, he was starting to second guess himself in a very unhelpful way. He probably should have gotten the insurance instead of doubling down on the cargo. He probably shouldn\u2019t have hired two random people to unload his ship without thoroughly vetting them. He probably shouldn\u2019t have agreed to deliver a package for a friend and all those months ago without knowing exactly what was inside of it.\n\nA few hours ago, he had arrived on ArcCorp with a ship full of possibilities, and here he was destitute. He owned his own spacecraft, but didn\u2019t have enough credits to pay off his landing fees. Plus, even if he did, he didn\u2019t have the funds to buy fuel to fly anywhere. He couldn\u2019t borrow money because he had maxed his credit. He could try to get a job, but with his record and now, no ship, there was little work he was qualified for. The contracts he could get were sure to be barely be enough to live off, let alone get off-world.\n\nHe could maybe find someone to buy his ship. That would net him some credits, but then he\u2019d still be stuck here without a job and no place to sleep. There was at least still one thing he could accomplish today. Pushing himself off the bunk, Berkley turned and went to blow the last of his money on a drink.\n\nSome of the helpful downtrodden folks still queued up in the Jobwell line were kind enough to point him to a bar where he could get blasted for a reasonable price. G-Loc was the kind of place that specialized in being generic. There were sataball posters on the wall, a near empty dance floor playing popular music from five years ago loud enough to keep conversations private, and the drink options ranged from cheap and drinkable to top-shelf bottles kept mostly for show.\n\nThere was an interesting mix of customers. Two people surrounded by bags and boxes toasted to their successful shopping trip. An old vet sat by himself at a hightop table laughing loudly at the muted commercial on the vid screen. Crowded into the corner booth, a gaggle of factory workers in matching ArcCorp uniforms silently contemplated their beers.\n\nBerkley sat at the bar nursing a serviceable tequila reposado and watching a drunk hauler flail on the dance floor all by himself. He asked the bartender to top him off with ice, hoping to make the drink last just a little bit longer. To his surprise the bartender added ice and a little more tequila.\n\n\u201cOn the house. No one around here drinks the stuff anyway.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks. You have no idea how bad I needed that.\u201d\n\n\u201cTough day?\u201d\n\nEven though he felt like a clich\u00e9 for doing it, Berkley wound up telling the bartender the whole story of how his entire life went pear shaped. Rather than provide some sage wisdom to help him cope, the bartender gave Berkley a friendly nod and went off to help another customer. You knew your problems were serious when even a bartender looked grim.\n\n\u201cYou know where you went wrong?\u201d\n\nBerkley turned to face the grizzled woman sitting next to him. She however continued to carefully watch her red wine as she swirled it around the glass.\n\n\u201cI know exactly where I went wrong. Several times over, in fact,\u201d he answered.\n\n\u201cYou thought those BlacJac bastards would actually do anything to help you. Fat chance.\u201d She took a large gulp of wine. \u201cThe only ones they look out for are themselves. A lot of people learn that lesson the hard way.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, tell me about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWasn\u2019t talking about you.\u201d\n\nThe drunk dancer stumbled and knocked over a glass with a loud crash. The bartender swore under his breath and went to clean it up.\n\nOnce the bartender was out of earshot, the woman leaned in closer to Berkley and said, \u201cIf you\u2019re serious about gettin\u2019 your cargo back, I might know someone who can help.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t have any money to pay for help.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t work that way. You said you did some smuggling, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cI said I got arrested for smuggling once. But that\u2019s not me. I trade clean.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd how\u2019s that been working out for you?\u201d\n\nThe sting of this assessment hurt more than Berkley would care to admit. He had tried to live his life right and all it had netted him so far was the societal equivalent of a back alley shakedown. \u201cFine. I\u2019ll bite. Who is she?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe likes to say she\u2019s a freelance time manager, but what\u2019s important is that there isn\u2019t much goin\u2019 on in Area18 she doesn\u2019t know about. Hell, she might be arranging the sale of your cargo right now anyway. Come on. I\u2019ll introduce you.\u201d\n\nWith that, the woman killed her drink and slid off her stool. She went to the door and turned, waiting to see if Berkley was going to follow. Berkley himself wasn\u2019t sure if he was going to follow or not . . .\n\nThe first time he had become a criminal, it had been an accident. One that it seemed like he had been paying for over and over again. Maybe it was time that he got a little payback of his own.\n\nBerkley tilted back his drink, but it was already empty. He put the glass down, tipped the bartender with his last credit, and throwing caution to the wind, stood up to follow.\n\nThe End","de_DE":"Diese Kurzgeschichte erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 5.12.\nW\u00e4hrend er eine Hand an der Steuerung lie\u00df, beugte sich Berkley vor und griff nach dem kleinen Essenspaket, das er unter der Radaranzeige versteckt hatte. Im Laufe der Jahre hatte er gelernt, dass man MREs nicht so hei\u00df essen sollte, wie es die Anleitung auf der R\u00fcckseite empfahl. Das machte die Aromen nur noch ausgepr\u00e4gter. Das Einzige, was schlimmer als Mist war, war dampfender Mist. Sie bei Zimmertemperatur zu essen, war auch nicht gut. Sicher, der Geschmack wurde abgeschw\u00e4cht, aber die Textur war so, als w\u00fcrde man auf einer feuchten Socke kauen. Nein, die beste Option war, sie sanft auf etwa 62\u00b0C zu erw\u00e4rmen, d.h. genau die gleiche Temperatur, mit der sein veraltetes und zur \u00dcberhitzung neigendes Radar-Display im Allgemeinen arbeitete.\n\nBeim Auspacken der ReadyMeal-Packung schlug ihm das konzentrierte Aroma von ... nun, er wusste keinen besseren Weg, es zu beschreiben, als intensiv braun ... direkt ins Gesicht. Warum musste es ausgerechnet ein Beef Chunk Tag sein? Er sagte sich immer, dass er aufh\u00f6ren sollte, die Schn\u00e4ppchen-Sortenpackung zu kaufen. Es war viel billiger, aber es endete immer damit, dass er am Ende des Monats drei Packungen der Geschmacksrichtung Beef Chunk hinunterzwingen musste. Das ganze Kratzen und Sparen sollte sich aber endlich auszahlen.\n\nBerkley dachte dar\u00fcber nach, seinen nagenden Hunger einfach zu ignorieren, aber bei einem so gro\u00dfen Gesch\u00e4ft konnte er nicht riskieren, abgelenkt und reizbar zu sein. Sein urspr\u00fcnglicher Plan war es gewesen, sich zur Feier des Tages ein sch\u00f6nes Essen zu g\u00f6nnen, aber da er in einem der ber\u00fcchtigten Staus von ArcCorp sa\u00df und sich nicht r\u00fchren wollte, waren die Beef Chunks die einzige Option.\n\nDas lokale Spektrum war bisher ruhig gewesen, was die Ursache des Staus anging, aber er war nicht allzu \u00fcberrascht, als der Alarm zum ersten Mal ert\u00f6nte. ArcCorp schien immer doppelt so viele Landeunf\u00e4lle zu haben wie jeder andere Hafen, den er anlief. Ein gro\u00dfer Teil davon lag an der schieren Anzahl von Schiffen, die jeden Tag den Planeten ansteuerten. Mehr Schiffe, mehr Unf\u00e4lle. Obwohl Berkley dachte, dass die Flugroute, die sich fast bei jedem Besuch \u00e4nderte, weil ein paar neue Wolkenkratzer errichtet wurden, wahrscheinlich ebenso schuld war.\n\nEr schob sich schnell einen gro\u00dfen Bissen in den Mund und lenkte sich von dem Geschmack ab, indem er zum Horizont blickte, wo die Skyline der Area17 winkte. Er war versucht, sein Gl\u00fcck zu versuchen, stattdessen dort zu landen, aber er widerstand. Jetzt dorthin zu fliegen w\u00fcrde bedeuten, ganz hinten in der Landeschlange zu stehen, und er hatte schon genug Zeit verbrannt. Au\u00dferdem war sein Treibstoffvorrat fast aufgebraucht. Eine weitere Sache, die er zu korrigieren beabsichtigte, sobald er bezahlt wurde. Nein, es war besser, den Kurs beizubehalten und in Area18 auszuharren. Au\u00dferdem hoffte Berkley, dass die Flugsicherung bald mehr Schiffe durchlassen w\u00fcrde, da sich der bei\u00dfende schwarze Rauch, der vom Wrack aufstieg, allm\u00e4hlich verzogen hatte.\n\nIn diesem Moment rasten zwei Schiffe an seiner Warteposition vorbei auf das Wrack zu, wobei ihre Regtags jeden in der Umgebung darauf hinwiesen, dass es sich um BlacJac Security handelte. Unwillk\u00fcrlich spannte er sich beim Anblick ihrer blinkenden Lichter an. Das erkl\u00e4rte, warum es so lange dauerte. Wenn BlacJac involviert war, war das nicht nur irgendein Rumpfb\u00e4ndiger. Die Firma stellte den gr\u00f6\u00dften Teil der Sicherheit auf ArcCorp, also war es sicher, dass das, was auch immer passiert war, wahrscheinlich von finsterer Natur war. Vielleicht ein schief gelaufener Diebstahl oder ein besonders dreister Schmuggler. Was auch immer es war, er mochte es nicht, in der N\u00e4he dieser Art von Szene zu sein. Ein weiteres BlacJac-Schiff flog vorbei. Er k\u00f6nnte hier noch l\u00e4nger festsitzen, als er urspr\u00fcnglich gedacht hatte.\n\nEr griff hin\u00fcber, verband sich erneut mit dem lokalen Netzwerk und aktualisierte den TDD-Alarm erneut. Sein Herz sank zusammen mit der Trendlinie auf seinem Bildschirm. Allein in der Zeit, in der er hier sa\u00df, hatten die Dutzende von Frachtkisten, die in seinem Laderaum gelagert waren, an Wert verloren. Obwohl Berkley genau vorausgesagt hatte, dass der Preis f\u00fcr Agricium auf ArcCorp in die H\u00f6he schie\u00dfen w\u00fcrde, nachdem ein Komponentenhersteller angek\u00fcndigt hatte, dass er die Produktion in seiner Fabrik hier erh\u00f6hen w\u00fcrde, schien es, als w\u00e4re der H\u00f6hepunkt des Marktes bereits gekommen und gegangen.\n\nSelbst mit dem Kaufkurs, der immer noch in der N\u00e4he des Rekordhochs lag, schrumpfte seine Chance auf echten Profit rapide zusammen ... nicht, dass seine Gewinnspannen anfangs so gro\u00df gewesen w\u00e4ren. Er hatte keine Zeit, sich umzusehen, wenn er die Situation ausnutzen wollte, und so hatte er im Namen des schnellen Erwerbs viel zu viel f\u00fcr das Agricium bezahlt. Berkley hatte so ziemlich jeden Kredit, den er hatte, plus einen ziemlich betr\u00e4chtlichen Kredit darauf verwettet, dass er in der Lage sein w\u00fcrde, zu entladen, bevor die Blase platzte. Nach einem Jahr, in dem er von der Hand in den Mund lebte und kaum \u00fcber die Runden kam, war er bereit daf\u00fcr, dass sich etwas zu seinen Gunsten entwickeln w\u00fcrde. Sein letzter gro\u00dfer Handel war, als er richtig erraten hatte, dass die Lil' Morps von Sakura Sun das Must-Buy-Geschenk zum B\u00fcrgertag in diesem Jahr sein w\u00fcrden.\n\nSeine Heckklappe hatte immer noch eine Delle, wo ein Elternteil aus der Bahn geflogen war, nachdem er erfahren hatte, dass Berkley die beliebten Mr. Tintel-Figuren ausverkauft hatte. Dieser Erfolg h\u00e4tte leicht in noch mehr umgem\u00fcnzt werden k\u00f6nnen, aber ein paar Missgeschicke, mehrere hundert verdorbene Bilva, zwei gr\u00f6\u00dfere Motorsch\u00e4den und sein sehr unangenehmes Missverst\u00e4ndnis mit der Anwaltskanzlei im letzten Jahr hatten ihn schlechter dastehen lassen, als er angefangen hatte. Der Brocken Knorpel, durch den er sich gerade versuchte zu kauen, diente als ausgezeichnete Erinnerung daran.\n\nEs war schwer gewesen, optimistisch zu bleiben, nachdem er sein Leben im Grunde fast von Grund auf neu aufbauen musste, aber der Handel hatte ihm etwas gegeben, auf das er sich konzentrieren konnte. Wenn man sich f\u00fcr M\u00f6glichkeiten offen hielt, konnte man eine Sache gegen etwas Besseres eintauschen. Das war es, was er versuchte, mit seinem Leben zu tun. Dieser Deal heute w\u00fcrde ihm genug einbringen, um den Gro\u00dfteil seiner Schulden und ausstehenden Anwaltskosten zu begleichen. Wenn das gekl\u00e4rt w\u00e4re, k\u00f6nnte er alles andere wieder in das Wachstum seines Unternehmens stecken. Vielleicht sogar jemanden finden, der mit ihm fliegt. Vielleicht sogar eine bessere Marke von MREs kaufen, dachte er, w\u00e4hrend er einen weiteren Bissen erzwang.\n\nBevor er den Bissen hinunterschlucken konnte, zwitscherte der ATC von Area18 in sein Funkger\u00e4t. Er warf die halbfertige Packung Essen auf den leeren Copilotensitz und \u00f6ffnete den Kanal: \"Go for Good Haven.\"\n\n\"Hey Good Haven, Sie haben Landeerlaubnis\", informierte der m\u00fcde Fluglotse. \"Pad 2-0-6.\"\n\n\"Fantastisch\", sagte Berkley, sein Enthusiasmus machte die massive Apathie des Controllers mehr als wett. \"K\u00f6nnten Sie au\u00dferdem vier oder f\u00fcnf Frachtabfertiger in meine Richtung schicken? Ich habe es ein bisschen eilig.\"\n\n\"Tja, da haben Sie sich einen ziemlich schlechten Tag ausgesucht, um in Eile zu sein. Ich werde f\u00fcr mindestens eine weitere Stunde niemanden entbehren k\u00f6nnen.\"\n\nBerkley machte ein paar schnelle Berechnungen in seinem Kopf. \"Wie viele Credits, um einige Leute fr\u00fcher zu verschonen?\"\n\n\"Das liegt nicht in meiner Hand. Wir haben eine volle Hull-E entladen und BlacJac hat die meisten unserer Handler requiriert, um sich um ihr Chaos zu k\u00fcmmern, also wird es viel mehr als nur Credits brauchen, um einen Unterschied zu machen. Das Beste, was ich im Moment tun kann, ist, einen Bot zu Ihrer Bude zu schicken. Mehr als das und Sie m\u00fcssen einfach warten.\"\n\nDie Frachttransferdrohnen waren normalerweise in Ordnung, aber dank der strengen Sicherheitsprotokolle waren sie nicht die beste Option, wenn man hoffte, einen Laderaum PDQ zu leeren. Daf\u00fcr brauchte man die gute altmodische menschliche Missachtung der Sicherheit. \"Ja, der Bot wird reichen m\u00fcssen.\"\n\n\"Seien Sie vorsichtig und genie\u00dfen Sie Ihren Aufenthalt auf ArcCorp\", sagte der Fluglotse, bevor er den Kanal beendete.\n\nBerkley tippte auf sein Navi und holte Landeplatz 206 auf den Bildschirm. Er neigte den Steuerkn\u00fcppel nach vorne und sp\u00fcrte, wie die Schubd\u00fcsen zupackten, als er sich vorsichtig in den Strom der Schiffe einf\u00fcgte, die auf die Oberfl\u00e4che zusteuerten. Die Steuerung war tr\u00e4ge durch das Gewicht eines vollen Laderaums, eine Erinnerung daran, besonders vorsichtig zu sein. Vor ihm l\u00f6ste sich der chaotische st\u00e4dtische Flickenteppich unter ihm langsam in ein kompliziertes Gitter aus Fabriken und Lagerh\u00e4usern auf, w\u00e4hrend er sich n\u00e4herte. Manchmal h\u00f6rt man, dass die Menschheit mit einem Virus verglichen wird. Der Anblick der \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigenden Ausbreitung von ArcCorp lie\u00df Berkley denken, dass dieser Vergleich nicht allzu weit hergeholt war.\n\nEr passte seinen Kurs an und steuerte auf das Herz von Area18 zu, einen dichten Wald aus hoch aufragenden Wolkenkratzern. Seine Konzentration k\u00e4mpfte gegen den Ansturm der blinkenden Lichter und Werbetafeln, die die Geb\u00e4ude s\u00e4umten. Als er um einen Turm herumsteuerte, wartete auf der anderen Seite ein f\u00fcnfzig Stockwerke hohes Hologramm einer Frau. Sie dr\u00fcckte hilfsbereit eine Rolle Badetuch aus, bevor sie sich in eine riesige animierte Nudelbox verwandelte. Wo andere Welten vielleicht aus Sicherheitsbedenken Zur\u00fcckhaltung ge\u00fcbt h\u00e4tten, hat ArcCorp sein Konsumverhalten mit beiden Armen begr\u00fc\u00dft. Es war nicht zu \u00fcbersehen, dass ArcCorp in einem Sitzungssaal von einer Gruppe von F\u00fchrungskr\u00e4ften geschaffen wurde. Fast alles auf der Oberfl\u00e4che des Planeten war der Industrie und der Generierung von Credits gewidmet. Und in diesem Moment schloss diese Liste ihn ein.\n\nKaum hatten die Landest\u00fctzen auf der Landebahn aufgesetzt, war Berkley aus seinem Sitz aufgestanden. Da die Geb\u00e4ude so viel des nat\u00fcrlichen Lichts blockierten, blieb es in der Stadt selbst normalerweise ziemlich k\u00fchl, es sei denn, die Sonne stand direkt \u00fcber ihm, also stellte er sicher, dass er seine w\u00e4rmere Jacke vom Boden nahm. Als er die Ladeluke herunterlie\u00df, war er erfreut, dass die Drohne dort wartete. Er war nicht erfreut, dass es ein veraltetes Modell war, wahrscheinlich \u00e4lter als er selbst. Das Entladen seines Schiffes w\u00fcrde noch l\u00e4nger dauern, als er gesch\u00e4tzt hatte. Reflexartig \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte er erneut den TDD-Status. Der Abw\u00e4rtstrend nahm an Fahrt auf. Wie viele andere H\u00e4ndler waren hier gerade am Entladen von Agricium? Bei diesem Tempo war es so gut wie sicher, dass er Geld verlieren w\u00fcrde, bis die Ladung vom Schiff in ein Zolllager gebracht war.\n\n\"Hey, suchen Sie Hilfe?\"\n\nBerkley drehte sich um und sah eine Frau auf ihn zukommen. Sie sah aus, als h\u00e4tte sie schon bessere Tage gesehen, aber er stellte sich vor, dass sie wahrscheinlich das Gleiche dachte, so abgenutzt und fleckig wie seine Jacke war.\n\n\"Sind Sie vom Landedienst?\" fragte Berkley.\n\n\"Mehr oder weniger.\"\n\nDie Antwort l\u00f6ste Berkleys misstrauische Seite aus. \"Wie viel weniger?\"\n\n\"H\u00f6ren Sie, Stac und ich versuchen nur, ein paar ehrliche Kredits zu machen. Wenn Sie die Hilfe nicht wollen, ist das in Ordnung. Wir k\u00f6nnen gehen.\"\n\nBerkley wollte gerade fragen, wer Stac war, als er die andere Frau entdeckte, die sich in einem Volllader-Anzug der Bude n\u00e4herte. An ihrem kontrollierten Gang konnte er erkennen, dass sie wusste, was sie tat. Er machte ein paar schnelle Sch\u00e4tzungen. Mit der Drohne, die auf Hochtouren l\u00e4uft, und den beiden, die sich koordinieren, wettete er, dass er das ganze Schiff entladen und verbinden konnte, bis er zum TDD kam. Er wusste, dass er sich vor Fremden in Acht nehmen sollte, aber andererseits war es vielleicht an der Zeit, dass er heute endlich eine Pause einlegte. Au\u00dferdem konnte er es zu sch\u00e4tzen wissen, wenn Leute sich abm\u00fchten, einen ehrlichen Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen.\n\nSie stellten sich alle formell vor und nach einer kurzen Feilscherei \u00fcberwies er Camari und Stac die H\u00e4lfte des vereinbarten Preises, den Rest sollte er schicken, wenn sie fertig waren. Es schmerzte ihn, so wenig Geld auf seinem Konto zu haben, aber sobald Berkley sah, wie schnell sie die erste Palette abr\u00e4umten, wusste er, dass die Credits gut angelegt waren. Das k\u00f6nnte einfach klappen. Selbst der Bot war nicht so langsam, wie er bef\u00fcrchtet hatte. Da seine kostbare Fracht in guten H\u00e4nden war, \u00fcberlie\u00df er sie sich selbst und machte sich auf den Weg zum Zoll.\n\nDie Tatsache, dass er beim Passieren der Sicherheitskontrolle \u00fcberhaupt nicht aufgehalten wurde, reichte aus, um ihn davon zu \u00fcberzeugen, dass sich sein Gl\u00fcck vielleicht wirklich zu wenden begann. Als er nach drau\u00dfen trat, verwandelte sich das dumpfe Brummen in das Tosen einer Stadt, die vor Aktivit\u00e4t strotzte. Menschen str\u00f6mten um ihn herum in einem scheinbar endlosen Strom der Menschlichkeit. Verk\u00e4ufer und F\u00fchrungskr\u00e4fte in frischer Kleidung mischten sich mit Spediteuren und Fabrikarbeitern in schmierigen Overalls. Einige Banu arbeiteten sich durch die Menge und verkauften hei\u00dfen Tee aus Spendern, die sie auf dem R\u00fccken trugen, w\u00e4hrend am Rande Abwracker das Ger\u00fcmpel der Bev\u00f6lkerung f\u00fcr den Weiterverkauf einsammelten. \u00dcber den K\u00f6pfen dr\u00f6hnten helle Neonreklamen mit Slogans und Werbespr\u00fcchen \u00fcber den L\u00e4rm der Menge, die ihrerseits noch lauter schrie, um \u00fcber den L\u00e4rm geh\u00f6rt zu werden. Dazu kam der st\u00e4ndige Schiffsverkehr und es war so \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigend, dass man nach ein paar Sekunden den L\u00e4rm mehr durch den K\u00f6rper pulsieren sp\u00fcrte, als dass man ihn wirklich h\u00f6ren konnte.\n\nVor sich sah Berkley die gro\u00dfe, sich drehende Zahnradskulptur, die das Zentrum der Stadt markierte, und erkannte, dass er sich von den Menschenmassen hatte abdr\u00e4ngen lassen. Er dr\u00e4ngelte sich durch den Strom der Fu\u00dfg\u00e4nger zur\u00fcck in Richtung des Handels- und Entwicklungszentrums. Unter der Skulptur verschnaufte er einen Moment und fragte sich, ob sie die Harmonie der Stadt darstellen sollte, in der alle zusammenarbeiten, oder ob sie andeuten sollte, dass sie alle nur R\u00e4dchen in einer gro\u00dfen Maschine waren. Wer wei\u00df, vielleicht hatte ArcCorp einfach etwas gebraucht, um mit einem Haufen zus\u00e4tzlicher Zahnr\u00e4der etwas zu tun zu haben.\n\nLange Schlangen erstreckten sich vor dem TDD. F\u00fcr einen Moment bef\u00fcrchtete er, dass die Leute darauf warteten, Zugang zu den Warenhandelseinrichtungen zu bekommen, aber mit Erleichterung stellte er fest, dass die meisten wegen des Jobwells dort waren. Selbst bei so vielen M\u00f6glichkeiten, wie Area18 zu bieten hatte, schien es, als g\u00e4be es nie genug f\u00fcr alle. So viele Menschen kamen zu ArcCorp, um Arbeit zu suchen, dass die Arbeitgeber es sich leisten konnten, sehr w\u00e4hlerisch zu sein. F\u00fcr jede freie Stelle gab es Dutzende von Bewerbern, und selbst dann handelte es sich meist um kurzfristige, schlecht bezahlte Jobs. Trotz alledem tauchten jeden Tag mehr Leute auf. Berkley war dankbar, dass er einen Weg f\u00fcr sich gefunden hatte, der ihn bisher von den M\u00fchen des \u00dcberlebens als Tagel\u00f6hner ferngehalten hatte. Mit einem freundlichen Nicken zu den Wartenden bewegte er sich schnell an den Schlangen vorbei und in den TDD selbst.\n\nEs war ein \u00fcberraschend gro\u00dfer Raum, um so viele Leute zu fassen, die sich stritten. Die hohe, geschwungene Decke verschluckte die Ger\u00e4usche von Gesch\u00e4ften, die in rasendem Tempo verhandelt wurden. Seine Augen fanden Agricium auf der gro\u00dfen Ticker-Tafel und stellten erfreut fest, dass sich der Preis tats\u00e4chlich eingependelt hatte. Es war nicht so ein gro\u00dfer Gewinn, wie er urspr\u00fcnglich gehofft hatte, aber alles in allem w\u00fcrde er mit einem netten, ordentlichen Gewinn herauskommen. Vielleicht w\u00fcrde er als erstes, nachdem der Handel \u00fcber die B\u00fchne gegangen war, einen Drink zu sich nehmen. Oder vielleicht eine Dusche. Schwer zu sagen, was er mehr brauchte. Er meldete sich am Kiosk an und rief sein Konto auf und sp\u00fcrte, wie sein Magen einen Salto machte. Die Inventarliste war komplett leer. Vielleicht waren sie einfach noch nicht mit dem Entladen fertig. Er wartete eine Minute und starrte auf den Ticker. Der Preis hatte wieder zu fallen begonnen. Er tippte auf Aktualisieren auf dem Bildschirm. Nichts. Dann durchbrach eine kleine Stimme in Berkleys Hinterkopf die wachsende Panik, die er empfand, und wies ihn darauf hin, dass nicht einmal die erste Palette, die er beim Entladen beobachtet hatte, aufgelistet war.\n\nBerkley war bereits auf dem Weg zum Ausgang.\n\nAls er zu Pad 206 zur\u00fcckkehrte, stellte er fest, dass Camari und Stac nicht mehr da waren und dass sein Schiff geleert worden war. Der BlacJac-Sicherheitsoffizier, der ein paar Stunden sp\u00e4ter auftauchte, um seinen Bericht entgegenzunehmen, best\u00e4tigte dies.\n\n\"Ja, sieht aus, als h\u00e4tten sie alles mitgenommen\", sagte Officer Frobisher und leuchtete mit einer Taschenlampe unn\u00f6tigerweise im Laderaum herum. \"Ein kleiner kostenloser Rat f\u00fcr Sie. Halten Sie sich das n\u00e4chste Mal daran, verifizierte Arbeiter anzuheuern.\"\n\n\"Ich werde versuchen, daran zu denken\", sagte Berkley. \"Wie hoch sch\u00e4tzen Sie die Chancen ein, mein Eigentum wiederzubekommen?\"\n\n\"Nun, das h\u00e4ngt jetzt von Ihnen ab, nicht wahr?\"\n\n\"Wie meinen Sie das?\"\n\n\"Verlorenes Eigentum zu finden ist nicht einfach. Wir m\u00fcssen viele Stunden lang ermitteln, mit Verd\u00e4chtigen sprechen, Hinweisen nachgehen und so weiter. Das alles kostet Credits\", erkl\u00e4rt Frobisher.\n\n\"Versuchen Sie ernsthaft, mich abzusch\u00fctteln?\"\n\n\"Ich bin mir nicht sicher, was Sie andeuten wollen, Sir. Ich versuche nur, nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen f\u00fcr Gerechtigkeit zu sorgen. Es w\u00e4re eine Schande, wenn ich abgelenkt w\u00fcrde\", sagte Frobisher und ging die Schiffsrampe hinunter in Richtung Berkley. \"Hier steht zum Beispiel, dass Sie vor einem Jahr wegen Schmuggels verhaftet wurden. Ich kann nicht umhin, mich zu fragen, ob das etwas mit dem zu tun hat, was hier vor sich geht. Woher soll ich \u00fcberhaupt wissen, ob es hier \u00fcberhaupt eine Fracht gab? Zur H\u00f6lle, diese ganze Sache k\u00f6nnte ein Versicherungsbetrug sein, den Sie abziehen wollen.\"\n\nSobald er h\u00f6rte, dass seine Schmuggelakte erw\u00e4hnt wurde, wusste Berkley, dass er hier zwei M\u00f6glichkeiten hatte. Erstens, er k\u00f6nnte weiter protestieren und wahrscheinlich als Verd\u00e4chtiger verhaftet werden. Wenn er erst einmal in Gewahrsam war, bestand die Chance, dass er irgendwann wieder herauskam, aber mit seiner Vergangenheit und der Tatsache, dass das gesamte Gesetz hier von privaten Sicherheitsfirmen wie BlacJac gehandhabt wurde, war das ein riskanteres Unterfangen, als es f\u00fcr einen unschuldigen Mann im Imperium sein sollte.\n\nDas Lustige war, dass Berkley nicht einmal eine Versicherung f\u00fcr die Ladung hatte. Nicht, dass es wirklich eine Rolle spielen w\u00fcrde. Sie w\u00fcrden einfach etwas anderes finden, um es ihm anzuh\u00e4ngen und das Ergebnis w\u00e4re immer noch, dass er sein Eigentum nicht zur\u00fcckbekommen w\u00fcrde. Er war schon einmal in seinem Leben eingekerkert worden. Er wollte nicht, dass das noch einmal passiert. Die andere Option war, Frobisher eine Bestechung zu geben. Berkley vermutete, dass er nicht genug Kredite hatte, um seinen Fall tats\u00e4chlich untersuchen zu lassen, aber vielleicht w\u00fcrde er genug haben, um Frobisher dazu zu bringen, sich zur\u00fcckzuhalten. Es h\u00e4tte ihn nicht \u00fcberraschen d\u00fcrfen, dass auf ArcCorp sogar die Polizei eine gewinnorientierte Einrichtung war.\n\nAm Ende kostete die Bestechung tats\u00e4chlich weniger Geld, als Berkley vermutet h\u00e4tte, aber immer noch genug, dass er nun offiziell pleite war. Er hatte immer gedacht, dass seine \"Vorsicht in den Wind werfen\"-Einstellung eine seiner besseren Charaktereigenschaften war, aber jetzt, wo er in der dunklen Pritsche eines Schiffes lag, das er sich nicht leisten konnte, fing er an, sich selbst auf eine sehr wenig hilfreiche Weise zu hinterfragen. Er h\u00e4tte wahrscheinlich die Versicherung abschlie\u00dfen sollen, anstatt die Fracht zu verdoppeln. Er h\u00e4tte wahrscheinlich nicht zwei zuf\u00e4llige Leute anheuern sollen, um sein Schiff zu entladen, ohne sie gr\u00fcndlich zu \u00fcberpr\u00fcfen. Er h\u00e4tte wahrscheinlich nicht zustimmen sollen, ein Paket f\u00fcr einen Freund auszuliefern und das schon vor Monaten, ohne genau zu wissen, was sich darin befand.\n\nVor ein paar Stunden war er mit einem Schiff voller M\u00f6glichkeiten auf ArcCorp angekommen, und hier war er mittellos. Er besa\u00df sein eigenes Raumschiff, hatte aber nicht genug Credits, um die Landegeb\u00fchren zu bezahlen. Und selbst wenn, hatte er nicht die Mittel, um Treibstoff zu kaufen, um irgendwohin zu fliegen. Er konnte sich kein Geld leihen, weil er sein Kreditlimit erreicht hatte. Er konnte versuchen, einen Job zu bekommen, aber mit seiner Akte und jetzt ohne Schiff gab es kaum Arbeit, f\u00fcr die er qualifiziert war. Die Vertr\u00e4ge, die er bekommen konnte, waren sicher kaum genug, um davon zu leben, geschweige denn von der Welt wegzukommen.\n\nEr k\u00f6nnte vielleicht jemanden finden, der sein Schiff kauft. Das w\u00fcrde ihm ein paar Credits einbringen, aber dann s\u00e4\u00dfe er immer noch hier fest, ohne Job und ohne einen Platz zum Schlafen. Es gab zumindest noch eine Sache, die er heute erreichen konnte. Er stie\u00df sich von der Koje ab, drehte sich um und ging, um sein letztes Geld f\u00fcr einen Drink auszugeben.\n\nEinige der hilfsbereiten, unterdr\u00fcckten Leute, die immer noch in der Jobwell-Schlange anstanden, waren so freundlich, ihn auf eine Bar hinzuweisen, in der er sich zu einem vern\u00fcnftigen Preis besaufen konnte. G-Loc war die Art von Ort, die darauf spezialisiert war, generisch zu sein. Es gab Sataball-Poster an der Wand, eine fast leere Tanzfl\u00e4che, auf der popul\u00e4re Musik von vor f\u00fcnf Jahren gespielt wurde, die laut genug war, um Gespr\u00e4che privat zu halten, und die Getr\u00e4nkeoptionen reichten von billig und trinkbar bis hin zu hochkar\u00e4tigen Flaschen, die haupts\u00e4chlich zur Show aufbewahrt wurden.\n\nEs gab eine interessante Mischung von Kunden. Zwei Leute, umgeben von T\u00fcten und Kisten, stie\u00dfen auf ihren erfolgreichen Einkaufsbummel an. Ein alter Tierarzt sa\u00df allein an einem hohen Tisch und lachte laut \u00fcber den ged\u00e4mpften Werbespot auf dem Videobildschirm. In der Eckkabine dr\u00e4ngte sich eine Schar von Fabrikarbeitern in passenden ArcCorp-Uniformen und betrachtete schweigend ihre Biere.\n\nBerkley sa\u00df an der Bar, nuckelte an einem brauchbaren Tequila Reposado und beobachtete einen betrunkenen Schlepper, der ganz allein auf der Tanzfl\u00e4che herumfuchtelte. Er bat den Barkeeper, ihn mit Eis aufzuf\u00fcllen, in der Hoffnung, dass der Drink nur ein bisschen l\u00e4nger hielt. Zu seiner \u00dcberraschung f\u00fcgte der Barkeeper Eis und ein wenig mehr Tequila hinzu.\n\n\"Auf Kosten des Hauses. Hier trinkt sowieso niemand das Zeug.\"\n\n\"Danke. Du hast keine Ahnung, wie sehr ich das gebraucht habe.\"\n\n\"Harter Tag?\"\n\nObwohl er sich dabei wie ein Klischee f\u00fchlte, erz\u00e4hlte Berkley dem Barkeeper die ganze Geschichte, wie sein ganzes Leben aus den Fugen geriet. Anstatt ihm mit einer weisen Weisheit zu helfen, nickte der Barkeeper Berkley freundlich zu und ging weg, um einem anderen Kunden zu helfen. Sie wussten, dass Ihre Probleme ernst waren, wenn sogar ein Barkeeper grimmig dreinschaute.\n\n\"Wissen Sie, was Sie falsch gemacht haben?\"\n\nBerkley drehte sich zu der griesgr\u00e4migen Frau um, die neben ihm sa\u00df. Sie beobachtete jedoch weiterhin sorgf\u00e4ltig ihren Rotwein, w\u00e4hrend sie ihn im Glas herumwirbelte.\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df genau, wo ich etwas falsch gemacht habe. Und zwar mehrmals\", antwortete er.\n\n\"Sie dachten, diese BlacJac-Bastarde w\u00fcrden tats\u00e4chlich etwas tun, um Ihnen zu helfen. Fat chance.\" Sie nahm einen gro\u00dfen Schluck Wein. \"Die einzigen, auf die sie achten, sind sie selbst. Eine Menge Leute lernen diese Lektion auf die harte Tour.\"\n\n\"Ja, erz\u00e4hl mir davon.\"\n\n\"Ich habe nicht von Ihnen gesprochen.\"\n\nDer betrunkene T\u00e4nzer stolperte und stie\u00df mit einem lauten Krachen ein Glas um. Der Barkeeper fluchte unter seinem Atem und ging, um es aufzur\u00e4umen.\n\nAls der Barkeeper au\u00dfer H\u00f6rweite war, lehnte sich die Frau n\u00e4her an Berkley heran und sagte: \"Wenn Sie es ernst meinen, Ihre Ladung zur\u00fcckzubekommen, kenne ich vielleicht jemanden, der helfen kann.\"\n\n\"Ich habe kein Geld, um f\u00fcr Hilfe zu bezahlen.\"\n\n\"So funktioniert sie nicht. Sie sagten, Sie haben etwas geschmuggelt, richtig?\"\n\n\"Ich sagte, ich wurde einmal wegen Schmuggels verhaftet. Aber das bin ich nicht. Ich handle sauber.\"\n\n\"Und wie ist das f\u00fcr Sie gelaufen?\"\n\nDer Stachel dieser Einsch\u00e4tzung schmerzte mehr, als Berkley zugeben wollte. Er hatte versucht, sein Leben richtig zu leben, und alles, was es ihm bisher eingebracht hatte, war das gesellschaftliche \u00c4quivalent einer Erpressung in einer Hintergasse. \"Gut. Ich werde anbei\u00dfen. Wer ist sie?\"\n\n\"Sie sagt gerne, dass sie eine freiberufliche Zeitmanagerin ist, aber was wichtig ist, ist, dass es nicht viel in Area18 gibt, von dem sie nicht wei\u00df. Zur H\u00f6lle, vielleicht arrangiert sie ja gerade den Verkauf Ihrer Fracht. Kommen Sie mit. Ich werde Sie ihr vorstellen.\"\n\nDamit t\u00f6tete die Frau ihren Drink und rutschte von ihrem Hocker. Sie ging zur T\u00fcr und drehte sich um, um zu sehen, ob Berkley ihr folgen w\u00fcrde. Berkley selbst war sich nicht sicher, ob er ihr folgen w\u00fcrde oder nicht ...\n\nAls er das erste Mal zum Verbrecher geworden war, war es ein Unfall gewesen. Einer, f\u00fcr den er anscheinend immer wieder bezahlt hatte. Vielleicht war es an der Zeit, dass er selbst eine kleine Rache bekam.\n\nBerkley kippte seinen Drink zur\u00fcck, aber er war bereits leer. Er stellte das Glas ab, gab dem Barkeeper mit seinem letzten Guthaben ein Trinkgeld und stand, alle Vorsicht in den Wind schlagend, auf, um ihm zu folgen.\n\nDas Ende","zh_CN":"This short story originally appeared in Jump Point 5.12.\nKeeping one hand on the controls, Berkley leaned over and grabbed the small packet of food he had tucked underneath the radar display panel. He\u2019d learned over the years of pulling long hauls that with MREs you didn\u2019t want to eat them hot like the instructions on the back recommended. That just made the flavors more pronounced. The only thing worse than crap was steaming crap. Eating them room temp wasn\u2019t good either. Sure, the flavor was dulled, but the texture wound up somewhere around chewing on a damp sock. Nope, the best option was to gently warm them to around 62\u00b0C, i.e. the exact same temperature that his outdated and prone-to-overheating radar display generally operated at.\n\nUnwrapping the ReadyMeal packet, the concentrated aroma of . . . well, he didn\u2019t know any better way to describe it other than intensely brown . . . hit him directly in the face. Why did it have to be a Beef Chunk day? He always told himself that he should stop buying the bargain variety pack. It was a lot cheaper, but it invariably ended with him having to force down three packs of the Beef Chunk flavor at the end of the month. All that scraping and saving was going to finally pay off, though.\n\nBerkley thought about just ignoring his gnawing hunger, but with a deal this big he couldn\u2019t risk being distracted and irritable. His original plan had been to treat himself to a nice meal in celebration after his payday came through, but sitting in one of ArcCorp\u2019s notorious traffic jams with no sign of budging made the Beef Chunks the only option.\n\nThe local spectrum had been quiet so far on the cause of the backup, but he wasn\u2019t too surprised when the alert had first sounded. ArcCorp always seemed to have twice as many landing accidents as any other port of call he visited. A big part of that was due to the sheer number of ships that made their way to the planet every day. More ships, more accidents. Though Berkley thought that the flight path changing almost every time he visited thanks to a couple more new skyscrapers being erected was probably equally to blame.\n\nHe quickly shoved a large bite into his mouth and distracted himself from the taste by glancing towards the horizon where the skyline of Area17 beckoned. He was tempted to try his luck landing there instead, but he resisted. Heading there now would mean being placed all the way at the back of the landing queue and he\u2019d burned enough time already. Plus, his fuel supply was down to almost vapors. Another thing he intended to correct once he got paid. No, better to stay the course and stick it out at Area18. Plus, now that the acrid black smoke billowing up from the wreck site had begun to clear, Berkley hoped that air traffic control would start allowing more ships through soon.\n\nJust then, two ships rocketed past his holding position towards the wreck, their regtags alerting everyone in the vicinity that they were BlacJac security. He involuntarily tensed at the sight of their flashing lights. That explained what was taking so long. If BlacJac was involved, this wasn\u2019t just some hull-bender. The company provided most of the security on ArcCorp, so it was safe to say that whatever had gone down was likely of a more sinister nature. Maybe a theft gone wrong or a particularly bold smuggler. Whatever it was, he didn\u2019t like being around this kind of scene. Another BlacJac ship flew past. He might be stuck here even longer than he had originally thought.\n\nReaching over, he re-connected to the local network and refreshed the TDD alert again. His heart sank right along with the trend line on his screen. Just in the time spent sitting here, the dozens of cargo crates stored in his hold had decreased in value. Though Berkley had accurately predicted that the price of agricium would skyrocket on ArcCorp after a component manufacturer announced that they were increasing production at their factory here, it seemed the market\u2019s peak had already come and gone.\n\nEven with the buy rate still near the record high, his chance for real profit was rapidly closing . . . not that his margins were that big to begin with. He didn\u2019t have time to shop around if he wanted to take advantage of the situation and so he had paid way too much for the agricium in the name of expedited acquisition. Berkley had bet pretty much every credit he had to his name plus a pretty sizable loan on being able to unload before the bubble burst. After a year of living hand to mouth, barely scraping by, he was ready for something to work out in his favor. His last big trade was when he had correctly guessed that Sakura Sun\u2019s Lil\u2019 Morps were going to be the must-buy Citizen\u2019s Day gift of that year.\n\nHis rear hatch still had a dent from where a parent had flown off the rails after learning Berkley had sold out of the popular Mr. Tintel figures. That success should have easily been parlayed into even more, but a couple misdeals, several hundred spoiled bilva, two major engine malfunctions and his very unpleasant misunderstanding with the Advocacy last year had left him worse off than when he started. The chunk of gristle he was currently trying to chew his way through served as an excellent reminder of that.\n\nIt had been hard staying optimistic after basically having to rebuild his life almost from scratch, but trading had given him something to focus on. If you kept yourself open to opportunity, you could exchange one thing for something better. That\u2019s what he was trying to do with his life. This deal today would net him enough to pay off most of his debt and outstanding legal fees. With that cleared up, everything else could be put back into growing his business. Maybe even finding someone to fly with. Maybe even buying a better brand of MREs, he thought as he forced another bite.\n\nBefore he could swallow the chunk, Area18\u2019s ATC chirped onto his comm. Tossing the half-finished packet of food onto the empty co-pilot seat, he snapped open the channel, \u201cGo for Good Haven.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey Good Haven, got you cleared to land,\u201d informed the weary traffic controller. \u201cPad 2-0-6.\u201d\n\n\u201cFantastic,\u201d said Berkley, his enthusiasm more than making up for the controller\u2019s massive apathy. \u201cCould you also go ahead and send four or five cargo handlers my way? I\u2019m in a bit of a rush.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you picked a pretty terrible day to be in a rush. Won\u2019t be able to spare anyone for at least another hour.\u201d\n\nBerkley did some quick calculations in his head. \u201cHow many credits to spare some people sooner?\u201d\n\n\u201cOutta my hands. We got a full Hull-E unloading and BlacJac commandeered most of our handlers to deal with their mess, so it\u2019s going to take a lot more than credits to make a lick of difference. Best I can do right now is have a bot sent to your pad. Anything more than that and you\u2019ll just have to wait.\u201d\n\nThe cargo transfer drones were normally fine, but thanks to stringent safety protocols they weren\u2019t the best option when you were hoping to empty a hold PDQ. For that, you needed good old fashioned Human disregard for safety. \u201cYeah, the bot\u2019ll have to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cProceed with caution and enjoy your stay on ArcCorp,\u201d the traffic controller intoned before killing the channel.\n\nBerkley tapped his nav and brought landing pad 206 up onto his screen. Tilting the stick forward, he felt the thrusters grab hold as he carefully merged into the stream of ships heading down to the surface. The controls were sluggish from the weight of a full hold, a reminder to be extra careful. Before him, the messy urban patchwork below slowly resolved into a complicated grid of factories and warehouses as he approached. Sometimes you hear Humanity compared to a virus. Seeing the overwhelming sprawl of ArcCorp made Berkley think that comparison wasn\u2019t too far off.\n\nHe adjusted his course and headed into the heart of Area18, a dense forest of towering skyscrapers. His focus fought against the assault of flashing lights and billboards that lined the buildings. Steering around a tower, a fifty-story-tall hologram of a woman waited on the other side. She helpfully squeezed a roll of bath tissue before transforming into a giant animated box of noodles. Where other worlds might have shown restraint out of safety concerns, ArcCorp fully embraced its consumerism with both arms. There was no mistaking that ArcCorp was created in a boardroom by a bunch of executives. Nearly everything on the surface of the planet was dedicated to industry and the generation of credits. And right now, that list included him.\n\nAlmost as soon as his landing struts touched down on the pad, Berkley was out of his seat. With the buildings blocking so much of the natural light, the city itself usually stayed pretty chilly unless the sun was directly overhead, so he made sure to grab his warmer jacket off the floor. Lowering the cargo hatch, he was pleased to find the drone waiting there. He was not pleased that it was an outdated model, probably older than he was. Unloading his ship was going to take even longer than he had estimated. Reflexively, he checked the TDD status again. The downward trend was picking up pace. How many other traders were here unloading agricium right now? At this rate, by the time the cargo was off the ship and into bonded storage he was pretty much guaranteed to lose money.\n\n\u201cHey, you looking for some help?\u201d\n\nBerkley turned to see a woman approaching him. She looked like she had seen better days, but he imagined she was probably thinking the same thing with how worn and stained his jacket was.\n\n\u201cYou with landing services?\u201d Berkley asked.\n\n\u201cMore or less.\u201d\n\nThe response triggered Berkley\u2019s suspicious side. \u201cHow much less?\u201d\n\n\u201cListen, Stac and I are just trying to make a few honest creds. You don\u2019t want the help, that\u2019s fine. We can go.\u201d\n\nBerkley was about to ask who Stac was when he spotted the other woman approaching the pad in a full loader suit. From her controlled gait, he could tell that she knew what she was doing. He did some quick estimates. With the drone going full speed, and these two coordinating, he bet he could get the whole ship unloaded and bonded by the time he got to the TDD. He knew that he should be wary of strangers, but on the other hand, maybe it was time that he finally caught a break today. Besides, he could appreciate people hustling to make an honest living for themselves.\n\nThey made formal introductions all around and after a brief haggling session, he transferred Camari and Stac half the agreed upon price, the rest to be sent when they finished. It pained him to have so very few funds left in his bank account, but as soon as Berkley saw how quickly they finished clearing the first palette he knew the credits had been well spent. This might just work out. Even the bot wasn\u2019t as slow as he feared. With his precious cargo in good hands, he left them to it and headed towards customs.\n\nThe fact that he did not get stopped at all going through security was enough to convince him that maybe his luck had really started to turn around. Stepping outside, what had been a dull hum turned into the roar of a city thrumming with activity. People flowed around him in a seemingly endless stream of Humanity. Salesmen and executives in crisp clothing mingled with haulers and factory workers in greasy jumpsuits. Several Banu worked their way through the crowd selling hot tea from dispensers mounted on their backs, while at the fringes, scrappers collected the population\u2019s jetsam for resale. Overhead, bright neon ads blared slogans and jingles over the din of the crowd, who in turned shouted even louder to be heard over the noise. Mix in the sound of constant ship traffic and it was overwhelming to the point where a few seconds in and you felt the sound pulsing through your body more than you were able to actually hear it anymore.\n\nAhead, Berkley saw the large spinning gear sculpture that marked the center of the city and realized that he had allowed the crowds to push him past his turn. Going across the stream of pedestrians, he jostled his way back towards the Trade and Development center. Catching his breath for a moment underneath the sculpture, he wondered if it was supposed to represent the harmony of the city all working together or if it was implying that they were all just cogs in some grand machine. Who knows, maybe ArcCorp had simply needed something to do with a bunch of extra gears.\n\nLong lines stretched outside the TDD. For a moment he feared that people were waiting to access the commodity trading facilities, but with relief realized that most were there for the Jobwell. Even with as many opportunities as Area18 had on offer, it seemed that there were never enough to go around. So many people came to ArcCorp looking for work that employers could afford to be highly selective. Any opening would have dozens of people competing for the same slot, and even then they were usually short-term low-paying gigs. Despite all that, more people kept showing up every day. Berkley was thankful that he had been able to find a path for himself that had so far kept him well away from the struggles of trying to survive as a day worker. With a friendly nod to those waiting, he moved quickly past the lines and into the TDD itself.\n\nIt was a surprisingly grand room to hold so many people arguing. The high sweeping ceiling swallowed up the sounds of trades being negotiated at a furious pace. His eyes found agricium on the large ticker board and happily noted that the price actually had leveled off. It wasn\u2019t going to be as big of a score as he had originally hoped, but all said and done he was going to come away with a nice, tidy profit. Maybe the first thing he\u2019d do after the trade went through would be to get a drink. Or maybe a shower. Hard to say which one he needed more. He logged in at the kiosk and brought up his account and felt his stomach do a flip. The inventory list was completely empty. Maybe they just hadn\u2019t finished unloading. He waited a minute staring up at the ticker. The price had begun to fall again. He tapped refresh on the screen. Nothing. Then a little voice in the back of Berkley\u2019s head broke through the growing panic he was feeling and pointed out that not even the first palette that he had watched being unloaded was listed.\n\nBerkley was already heading to the exit.\n\nSure enough, upon returning to pad 206 he found Camari and Stac were gone and that his ship had been emptied. The BlacJac security officer who showed up a few hours later to take his report verified as much.\n\n\u201cYeah, looks like they took all of it,\u201d said Officer Frobisher, shining a flashlight unnecessarily around the hold. \u201cA little free advice for you. Next time, stick to hiring verified workers.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll try to remember that,\u201d said Berkley. \u201cWhat do you think the odds are at recovering my property?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, that\u2019s up to you now isn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do you figure?\u201d\n\n\u201cFinding lost property isn\u2019t easy. We\u2019re looking at a lot of hours investigating, talking to suspects, hunting down clues, and whatnot. That all costs credits,\u201d explained Frobisher.\n\n\u201cAre you seriously trying to shake me down?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot sure what you\u2019re implying, sir. I\u2019m just trying to see that justice is served to the best of my abilities. Would be a shame if I got distracted,\u201d said Frobisher, walking down the ship\u2019s ramp towards Berkley. \u201cFor example, says here that you were arrested for smuggling a year back. Can\u2019t help but wonder if that has anything to do with what\u2019s going on here. How do I even know if there was any cargo here in the first place? Hell, this whole thing could be some insurance scam you\u2019re trying to pull.\u201d\n\nOnce he heard his smuggling record mentioned, Berkley knew he had two options here. One, he could keep protesting and probably be brought in as a suspect. Once in custody, chances were he could get out eventually, but with his past and the fact that all the law here was handled by private security contractors like BlacJac, it made that a riskier proposition than it should be for an innocent man in the Empire.\n\nFunny thing was, Berkley didn\u2019t even have insurance on the cargo. Not that it would really matter. They would just find something else to pin on him and the result would still be not getting his property back. He had been incarcerated once in his life. He wasn\u2019t going to let it happen again. The other option was giving Frobisher a bribe. Berkley guessed that he didn\u2019t have enough credits to actually get his case investigated, but maybe he would have enough to get Frobisher to back off. It shouldn\u2019t have surprised him that on ArcCorp even the cops were a for-profit institution.\n\nIn the end, the bribe actually took less money than Berkley would have guessed, but still enough that he was now officially broke. He had always thought that his throw-caution-to-the-wind attitude was one of his better personality traits, but now, lying in the dark cot of a ship he couldn\u2019t afford to fly, he was starting to second guess himself in a very unhelpful way. He probably should have gotten the insurance instead of doubling down on the cargo. He probably shouldn\u2019t have hired two random people to unload his ship without thoroughly vetting them. He probably shouldn\u2019t have agreed to deliver a package for a friend and all those months ago without knowing exactly what was inside of it.\n\nA few hours ago, he had arrived on ArcCorp with a ship full of possibilities, and here he was destitute. He owned his own spacecraft, but didn\u2019t have enough credits to pay off his landing fees. Plus, even if he did, he didn\u2019t have the funds to buy fuel to fly anywhere. He couldn\u2019t borrow money because he had maxed his credit. He could try to get a job, but with his record and now, no ship, there was little work he was qualified for. The contracts he could get were sure to be barely be enough to live off, let alone get off-world.\n\nHe could maybe find someone to buy his ship. That would net him some credits, but then he\u2019d still be stuck here without a job and no place to sleep. There was at least still one thing he could accomplish today. Pushing himself off the bunk, Berkley turned and went to blow the last of his money on a drink.\n\nSome of the helpful downtrodden folks still queued up in the Jobwell line were kind enough to point him to a bar where he could get blasted for a reasonable price. G-Loc was the kind of place that specialized in being generic. There were sataball posters on the wall, a near empty dance floor playing popular music from five years ago loud enough to keep conversations private, and the drink options ranged from cheap and drinkable to top-shelf bottles kept mostly for show.\n\nThere was an interesting mix of customers. Two people surrounded by bags and boxes toasted to their successful shopping trip. An old vet sat by himself at a hightop table laughing loudly at the muted commercial on the vid screen. Crowded into the corner booth, a gaggle of factory workers in matching ArcCorp uniforms silently contemplated their beers.\n\nBerkley sat at the bar nursing a serviceable tequila reposado and watching a drunk hauler flail on the dance floor all by himself. He asked the bartender to top him off with ice, hoping to make the drink last just a little bit longer. To his surprise the bartender added ice and a little more tequila.\n\n\u201cOn the house. No one around here drinks the stuff anyway.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks. You have no idea how bad I needed that.\u201d\n\n\u201cTough day?\u201d\n\nEven though he felt like a clich\u00e9 for doing it, Berkley wound up telling the bartender the whole story of how his entire life went pear shaped. Rather than provide some sage wisdom to help him cope, the bartender gave Berkley a friendly nod and went off to help another customer. You knew your problems were serious when even a bartender looked grim.\n\n\u201cYou know where you went wrong?\u201d\n\nBerkley turned to face the grizzled woman sitting next to him. She however continued to carefully watch her red wine as she swirled it around the glass.\n\n\u201cI know exactly where I went wrong. Several times over, in fact,\u201d he answered.\n\n\u201cYou thought those BlacJac bastards would actually do anything to help you. Fat chance.\u201d She took a large gulp of wine. \u201cThe only ones they look out for are themselves. A lot of people learn that lesson the hard way.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, tell me about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWasn\u2019t talking about you.\u201d\n\nThe drunk dancer stumbled and knocked over a glass with a loud crash. The bartender swore under his breath and went to clean it up.\n\nOnce the bartender was out of earshot, the woman leaned in closer to Berkley and said, \u201cIf you\u2019re serious about gettin\u2019 your cargo back, I might know someone who can help.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t have any money to pay for help.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t work that way. You said you did some smuggling, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cI said I got arrested for smuggling once. But that\u2019s not me. I trade clean.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd how\u2019s that been working out for you?\u201d\n\nThe sting of this assessment hurt more than Berkley would care to admit. He had tried to live his life right and all it had netted him so far was the societal equivalent of a back alley shakedown. \u201cFine. I\u2019ll bite. Who is she?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe likes to say she\u2019s a freelance time manager, but what\u2019s important is that there isn\u2019t much goin\u2019 on in Area18 she doesn\u2019t know about. Hell, she might be arranging the sale of your cargo right now anyway. Come on. I\u2019ll introduce you.\u201d\n\nWith that, the woman killed her drink and slid off her stool. She went to the door and turned, waiting to see if Berkley was going to follow. Berkley himself wasn\u2019t sure if he was going to follow or not . . .\n\nThe first time he had become a criminal, it had been an accident. One that it seemed like he had been paying for over and over again. Maybe it was time that he got a little payback of his own.\n\nBerkley tilted back his drink, but it was already empty. He put the glass down, tipped the bartender with his last credit, and throwing caution to the wind, stood up to follow.\n\nThe End"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":11,"created_at":"2021-08-11T02:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"4 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 19:50:15","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":18270,"next_id":18272}}