{"data":{"id":18295,"title":"Dying Star","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/18295-Dying-Star","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/18295","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/18295","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":27869,"name":"Dying-Star.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/92vk5tugznpbwr\/source\/Dying-Star.jpg","alt":"","size":305001,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-08-30T17:22:03+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27869","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27869\/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 8.04.\nKaseem suddenly knew why the Grevolas let him make this delivery. He was bait. A distraction meant to draw the Overlords away from the ships doing the real run of maze. He kicked the open crate of worthless wood chips across the cargo hold before hurrying to the cockpit, briefly stumbling as another blast shook the Cutlass. He disengaged the autopilot and vented the cargo hold. The decoy crates ejected from the ship and spiraled towards Pyro II\u2019s atmosphere. They were gone in an instant, much like Kaseem\u2019s dreams of this delivery earning him entry into the Grevola pack.\n\nHe watched the radar with bated breath, but the Overlords didn\u2019t divert. They clearly didn\u2019t care about the haul of \u201cdrugs\u201d now hurtling through atmo. They had their eyes on him. Kaseem had only recently arrived at Ruin Station, but even he could feel the fear and anxiety caused by this mysterious crew systematically capping outlaws. \u201cKill on Sight\u201d posters featuring photos of the Overlords\u2019 colorful armor were plastered across the station with increasing frequency, desperation, and credit rewards. Still no one knew who they were or what they wanted. Some believed them to be a UEE Marine black-ops team sent to clean up the system. Others thought they were merely outlaws making room for their own operations. Right now, Kaseem didn\u2019t care either way.\n\nKaseem had traveled to Pyro to make some serious credits. Unlike most of the scattered inhabitants of the system, he wasn\u2019t on the run. Weeks earlier, his parents kicked him out after they had heard the rumors about local establishments being held up by someone looking like him and packing a Salvo pistol; the same make and model as the one strapped to his side. He tried to justify it as nothing more than some extra grift. Although no one got hurt, his father was inconsolable and unable to speak, so his mother delivered the devastating news.\n\nHe left in a rage. At first he dreamt of returning only when he could buy the entire building of flats that his parents lived in, so they\u2019d have to slave away to pay him rent every month. Now all he wanted was a peaceful night\u2019s sleep with the smell of his dad\u2019s simmering boumbo floating down the hall.\n\nOn the drift and with no place to call home, Kaseem grew desperate enough to use the very last of his money to make the jump into Pyro. The system had a reputation for being the place where credits could be made for those willing to fight for them. Its most popular LZ, Ruin Station, was far from a welcoming place. Kaseem felt like every pair of eyes was calculating how much he was worth and if it was higher than the cost of a bullet to the head. He ate his first meal there with one hand tightly gripped around his pistol. Three days in he met the closest thing to a friendly face, a recently arrived hauler who made a living doing regular runs between Stanton and Pyro. She peppered him with probing questions then invited him to meet a few friends. It was just his luck that they turned out to be connected. A local pack on the lookout for someone unaffiliated to do a heavy run. Prove he could handle it and the Grevola clan would welcome him as one of their own. Then the credits would surely flow in. At the time, Kaseem couldn\u2019t believe his luck. Now, he knew the truth.\n\nWarning sensors shrieked as the Cutlass\u2019 shields absorbed another brutal barrage. It wouldn\u2019t be long before they were gone. Kaseem cursed himself for being so stupid. Why didn\u2019t he double check the crates? Or think twice about why they were so eager to have a random stranger pilot this Cutlass?\n\nKaseem launched a chaff to shake a missile and couldn\u2019t help but smirk. His dad said all those hours in Arena Commander were a waste. That sure proved to be wrong; a fact he hoped to one day be able to share with him in person.\n\nHe made a sudden evasive turn then started scrolling through the flight logs to look where this ship had been. Laser shots flashed by the cockpit as his pursuers adjusted course. His remaining shields began to flicker. He found something. Only one set of Pyro II coordinates appeared more than once.\n\nThe ship rocked from impacts. His shields had gone. Kaseem had to do this fast. He pulled up the coordinates then paused. There was only one way to guarantee the Grevola would get what they deserved.\n\nKaseem switched screens and broadcast a quantum linking signal. Overlord ships locked on lickety-split. Away they went, around to the far side of Pyro II. Eventually the ship kicked out of quantum.\n\nHe dove through the atmosphere, flames licking around the Cutlass as the ships hot on his tail followed closely behind. His eyes frantically searched the inhospitable terrain pockmarked by defunct mining operations below, praying he hadn\u2019t been wrong. Then, on the horizon, he saw light glinting off the sleek hull of a Freelancer. He angled his ship and soon could make out tiny figures scurrying between the \u2018Lancer and a busted up building sitting on the lip of a deep mine. That had to be the Grevola hideout!\n\nKaseem spiraled away from the heavy fire peppering his tail and then loaded his last missile, hoping to avoid the Overlord pursuit for just a few more seconds. Enough time to not only get inside effective range, but so damn close the Grevola would know it was him.\n\nKaseem screamed along as he launched his last missile at the Freelancer. It exploded into a blinding fireball that illuminated the Cutlass\u2019 canopy. A few of the surviving turrets that perched on the edge of the mine opened fire. He wasn\u2019t bothering with evasive maneuvers anymore. At this range there was no point. His HUD lit up with warning after warning of critical system failures moments before the world slammed to black.\n\nMinutes, maybe hours, passed. The first thing Kaseem remembered was searing heat. Then light. Someone pulled him from the wrecked ship. It took moments for his eyes to adjust and see through the throbbing pain in his skull. When he focused, he looked up at a circle of armored faces.\n\nThe entire gallery of Wanted posters was looking down at him.\n\nKaseem doesn\u2019t know why, but he laughed. The Overlords exchanged a glance.\n\nHe gave them a thumbs up then blacked out.\n\nKaseem came to behind bio-waste crates stacked in a Ruin Station corner. He struggled to his feet to see a \u201cKill on Sight\u201d Overlords wanted poster taped to his chest. He smirked then slowly made his way to the space port. It was time to find a way home.\n\nThe End","de_DE":"Diese Kurzgeschichte erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 8.04.\nKaseem wusste pl\u00f6tzlich, warum die Grevolas ihn diese Lieferung machen lie\u00dfen. Er war ein K\u00f6der. Ein Ablenkungsman\u00f6ver, das die Overlords von den Schiffen ablenken sollte, die den eigentlichen Run auf das Labyrinth durchf\u00fchrten. Er kickte die offene Kiste mit wertlosen Holzsp\u00e4nen quer durch den Laderaum, bevor er zum Cockpit eilte und kurz stolperte, als eine weitere Explosion die Cutlass ersch\u00fctterte. Er schaltete den Autopiloten aus und entl\u00fcftete den Frachtraum. Die K\u00f6derkisten wurden aus dem Schiff geschleudert und st\u00fcrzten in die Atmosph\u00e4re von Pyro II. Sie waren im Nu verschwunden, genau wie Kaseems Tr\u00e4ume, dass diese Lieferung ihm den Eintritt in das Grevola-Rudel verschafft.\n\nEr beobachtete das Radar mit angehaltenem Atem, aber die Overlords lenkten nicht ab. Sie k\u00fcmmerten sich offensichtlich nicht um die Ladung \"Drogen\", die jetzt durch die Atmosph\u00e4re raste. Sie hatten ihre Augen auf ihn gerichtet. Kaseem war erst vor kurzem auf der Ruin Station angekommen, aber selbst er konnte die Angst und die Unruhe sp\u00fcren, die diese mysteri\u00f6se Crew durch das systematische Abknallen von Gesetzlosen verursachte. \"Kill on Sight\"-Poster mit Fotos der farbenfrohen R\u00fcstungen der Overlords wurden mit zunehmender H\u00e4ufigkeit und Verzweiflung \u00fcber die Station geklebt. Noch immer wusste niemand, wer sie waren oder was sie wollten. Einige glaubten, sie seien ein UEE-Marine-Black-Ops-Team, das geschickt wurde, um im System aufzur\u00e4umen. Andere dachten, sie seien lediglich Gesetzlose, die Platz f\u00fcr ihre eigenen Operationen schaffen. Im Moment war es Kaseem egal, wie auch immer.\n\nKaseem war nach Pyro gereist, um ein paar ernsthafte Credits zu verdienen. Anders als die meisten der verstreuten Bewohner des Systems war er nicht auf der Flucht. Wochen zuvor hatten ihn seine Eltern rausgeschmissen, nachdem sie die Ger\u00fcchte \u00fcber lokale Etablissements geh\u00f6rt hatten, die von jemandem \u00fcberfallen wurden, der wie er aussah und eine Salvo-Pistole trug; die gleiche Marke und das gleiche Modell wie die, die an seiner Seite befestigt war. Er versuchte, es als nichts weiter als eine zus\u00e4tzliche Gaunerei zu rechtfertigen. Obwohl niemand verletzt wurde, war sein Vater untr\u00f6stlich und unf\u00e4hig zu sprechen, also \u00fcberbrachte seine Mutter die niederschmetternde Nachricht.\n\nWutentbrannt verlie\u00df er das Haus. Zuerst tr\u00e4umte er davon, erst dann zur\u00fcckzukehren, wenn er das gesamte Mietshaus, in dem seine Eltern lebten, kaufen k\u00f6nnte, damit sie sich jeden Monat abrackern m\u00fcssten, um ihm Miete zu zahlen. Jetzt wollte er nur noch ruhig schlafen, w\u00e4hrend der Geruch der k\u00f6chelnden Boumbo seines Vaters durch den Flur schwebte.\n\nAuf der Flucht und ohne einen Ort, den er sein Zuhause nennen konnte, wurde Kaseem so verzweifelt, dass er sein letztes Geld verwendete, um den Sprung in Pyro zu schaffen. Das System hatte den Ruf, der Ort zu sein, an dem Credits f\u00fcr diejenigen gemacht werden konnten, die bereit waren, daf\u00fcr zu k\u00e4mpfen. Seine beliebteste LZ, Ruin Station, war alles andere als ein einladender Ort. Kaseem hatte das Gef\u00fchl, dass jedes Augenpaar berechnete, wie viel er wert war und ob es h\u00f6her war als die Kosten f\u00fcr eine Kugel in den Kopf. Er a\u00df seine erste Mahlzeit dort mit einer Hand fest um seine Pistole gepackt. Nach drei Tagen traf er das erste freundliche Gesicht, eine k\u00fcrzlich angekommene Spediteurin, die ihren Lebensunterhalt mit regelm\u00e4\u00dfigen Fahrten zwischen Stanton und Pyro verdiente. Sie l\u00f6cherte ihn mit bohrenden Fragen und lud ihn dann ein, ein paar Freunde zu treffen. Es war nur sein Gl\u00fcck, dass sich herausstellte, dass sie miteinander verbunden waren. Ein lokales Rudel, das auf der Suche nach einem Unbeteiligten war, um einen schweren Run zu machen. Beweisen Sie, dass er damit umgehen konnte und der Grevola-Clan w\u00fcrde ihn als einen der Ihren willkommen hei\u00dfen. Dann w\u00fcrden die Kredite sicher flie\u00dfen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt konnte Kaseem sein Gl\u00fcck nicht fassen. Jetzt kannte er die Wahrheit.\n\nDie Warnsensoren kreischten, als die Schilde der Cutlass ein weiteres brutales Sperrfeuer abfingen. Es w\u00fcrde nicht lange dauern, bis sie weg waren. Kaseem verfluchte sich daf\u00fcr, dass er so dumm war. Warum hatte er die Kisten nicht doppelt \u00fcberpr\u00fcft? Oder zweimal dar\u00fcber nachgedacht, warum sie so erpicht darauf waren, einen zuf\u00e4lligen Fremden diesen Cutlass steuern zu lassen?\n\nKaseem startete eine Chaff, um eine Rakete abzusch\u00fctteln und konnte sich ein Grinsen nicht verkneifen. Sein Vater sagte, dass all die Stunden in Arena Commander eine Verschwendung waren. Das erwies sich als falsch; eine Tatsache, die er hoffte, eines Tages mit ihm pers\u00f6nlich teilen zu k\u00f6nnen.\n\nEr machte eine pl\u00f6tzliche Ausweichbewegung und begann dann, durch die Flugprotokolle zu scrollen, um zu sehen, wo dieses Schiff gewesen war. Lasersch\u00fcsse blitzten am Cockpit vorbei, als seine Verfolger den Kurs anpassten. Seine verbliebenen Schilde begannen zu flackern. Er fand etwas. Nur ein Satz von Pyro II-Koordinaten erschien mehr als einmal.\n\nDas Schiff schaukelte durch die Einschl\u00e4ge. Seine Schilde waren weg. Kaseem musste das schnell erledigen. Er rief die Koordinaten auf, dann hielt er inne. Es gab nur einen Weg, um zu garantieren, dass die Grevola bekommen w\u00fcrde, was sie verdiente.\n\nKaseem wechselte den Bildschirm und sendete ein Quantenverbindungssignal. Die Overlord-Schiffe schlossen sich blitzschnell an. Sie flogen los, auf die andere Seite von Pyro II. Schlie\u00dflich schied das Schiff aus dem Quantenbereich aus.\n\nEr tauchte durch die Atmosph\u00e4re, Flammen leckten um die Cutlass, w\u00e4hrend die Schiffe, die ihm dicht auf den Fersen waren, ihm folgten. Seine Augen suchten verzweifelt das unwirtliche Terrain ab, das von stillgelegten Minenbetrieben \u00fcbers\u00e4t war, und beteten, dass er sich nicht geirrt hatte. Dann, am Horizont, sah er Licht, das auf dem glatten Rumpf eines Freelancers glitzerte. Er winkelte sein Schiff an und konnte bald winzige Gestalten ausmachen, die zwischen der 'Lancer und einem kaputten Geb\u00e4ude am Rande einer tiefen Mine hin und her huschten. Das musste das Versteck der Grevola sein!\n\nKaseem wich dem schweren Feuer aus, das sein Heck pfefferte, und lud dann seine letzte Rakete, in der Hoffnung, der Verfolgung durch den Overlord nur noch ein paar Sekunden zu entgehen. Genug Zeit, um nicht nur in effektive Reichweite zu kommen, sondern so verdammt nah, dass die Grevola wissen w\u00fcrden, dass er es war.\n\nKaseem schrie auf, als er seine letzte Rakete auf den Freelancer abfeuerte. Sie explodierte in einem blendenden Feuerball, der die Kabinenhaube der Cutlass erleuchtete. Ein paar der \u00fcberlebenden Gesch\u00fctzt\u00fcrme, die am Rande der Mine hockten, er\u00f6ffneten das Feuer. Er machte sich nicht mehr die M\u00fche mit Ausweichman\u00f6vern. Bei dieser Entfernung war es sinnlos. Sein HUD leuchtete mit einer Warnung nach der anderen vor kritischen Systemfehlern auf, kurz bevor die Welt in Schwarz \u00fcberging.\n\nMinuten, vielleicht Stunden, vergingen. Das erste, woran sich Kaseem erinnerte, war sengende Hitze. Dann Licht. Jemand zog ihn aus dem Schiffswrack. Es dauerte einen Moment, bis sich seine Augen an den pochenden Schmerz in seinem Sch\u00e4del gew\u00f6hnt hatten und er sehen konnte. Als er sich konzentrierte, blickte er auf einen Kreis von gepanzerten Gesichtern.\n\nDie gesamte Galerie der Wanted-Poster schaute auf ihn herab.\n\nKaseem wei\u00df nicht, warum, aber er lachte. Die Overlords tauschten einen Blick aus.\n\nEr gab ihnen einen Daumen hoch und wurde dann ohnm\u00e4chtig.\n\nKaseem kam hinter Bioabfallkisten zu sich, die in einer Ecke der Ruin Station gestapelt waren. Er k\u00e4mpfte sich auf die Beine und sah ein \"Kill on Sight\" Overlords Fahndungsplakat auf seiner Brust kleben. Er grinste und machte sich langsam auf den Weg zum Raumhafen. Es war an der Zeit, einen Weg nach Hause zu finden.\n\nDas Ende","zh_CN":"This short story originally appeared in Jump Point 8.04.\nKaseem suddenly knew why the Grevolas let him make this delivery. He was bait. A distraction meant to draw the Overlords away from the ships doing the real run of maze. He kicked the open crate of worthless wood chips across the cargo hold before hurrying to the cockpit, briefly stumbling as another blast shook the Cutlass. He disengaged the autopilot and vented the cargo hold. The decoy crates ejected from the ship and spiraled towards Pyro II\u2019s atmosphere. They were gone in an instant, much like Kaseem\u2019s dreams of this delivery earning him entry into the Grevola pack.\n\nHe watched the radar with bated breath, but the Overlords didn\u2019t divert. They clearly didn\u2019t care about the haul of \u201cdrugs\u201d now hurtling through atmo. They had their eyes on him. Kaseem had only recently arrived at Ruin Station, but even he could feel the fear and anxiety caused by this mysterious crew systematically capping outlaws. \u201cKill on Sight\u201d posters featuring photos of the Overlords\u2019 colorful armor were plastered across the station with increasing frequency, desperation, and credit rewards. Still no one knew who they were or what they wanted. Some believed them to be a UEE Marine black-ops team sent to clean up the system. Others thought they were merely outlaws making room for their own operations. Right now, Kaseem didn\u2019t care either way.\n\nKaseem had traveled to Pyro to make some serious credits. Unlike most of the scattered inhabitants of the system, he wasn\u2019t on the run. Weeks earlier, his parents kicked him out after they had heard the rumors about local establishments being held up by someone looking like him and packing a Salvo pistol; the same make and model as the one strapped to his side. He tried to justify it as nothing more than some extra grift. Although no one got hurt, his father was inconsolable and unable to speak, so his mother delivered the devastating news.\n\nHe left in a rage. At first he dreamt of returning only when he could buy the entire building of flats that his parents lived in, so they\u2019d have to slave away to pay him rent every month. Now all he wanted was a peaceful night\u2019s sleep with the smell of his dad\u2019s simmering boumbo floating down the hall.\n\nOn the drift and with no place to call home, Kaseem grew desperate enough to use the very last of his money to make the jump into Pyro. The system had a reputation for being the place where credits could be made for those willing to fight for them. Its most popular LZ, Ruin Station, was far from a welcoming place. Kaseem felt like every pair of eyes was calculating how much he was worth and if it was higher than the cost of a bullet to the head. He ate his first meal there with one hand tightly gripped around his pistol. Three days in he met the closest thing to a friendly face, a recently arrived hauler who made a living doing regular runs between Stanton and Pyro. She peppered him with probing questions then invited him to meet a few friends. It was just his luck that they turned out to be connected. A local pack on the lookout for someone unaffiliated to do a heavy run. Prove he could handle it and the Grevola clan would welcome him as one of their own. Then the credits would surely flow in. At the time, Kaseem couldn\u2019t believe his luck. Now, he knew the truth.\n\nWarning sensors shrieked as the Cutlass\u2019 shields absorbed another brutal barrage. It wouldn\u2019t be long before they were gone. Kaseem cursed himself for being so stupid. Why didn\u2019t he double check the crates? Or think twice about why they were so eager to have a random stranger pilot this Cutlass?\n\nKaseem launched a chaff to shake a missile and couldn\u2019t help but smirk. His dad said all those hours in Arena Commander were a waste. That sure proved to be wrong; a fact he hoped to one day be able to share with him in person.\n\nHe made a sudden evasive turn then started scrolling through the flight logs to look where this ship had been. Laser shots flashed by the cockpit as his pursuers adjusted course. His remaining shields began to flicker. He found something. Only one set of Pyro II coordinates appeared more than once.\n\nThe ship rocked from impacts. His shields had gone. Kaseem had to do this fast. He pulled up the coordinates then paused. There was only one way to guarantee the Grevola would get what they deserved.\n\nKaseem switched screens and broadcast a quantum linking signal. Overlord ships locked on lickety-split. Away they went, around to the far side of Pyro II. Eventually the ship kicked out of quantum.\n\nHe dove through the atmosphere, flames licking around the Cutlass as the ships hot on his tail followed closely behind. His eyes frantically searched the inhospitable terrain pockmarked by defunct mining operations below, praying he hadn\u2019t been wrong. Then, on the horizon, he saw light glinting off the sleek hull of a Freelancer. He angled his ship and soon could make out tiny figures scurrying between the \u2018Lancer and a busted up building sitting on the lip of a deep mine. That had to be the Grevola hideout!\n\nKaseem spiraled away from the heavy fire peppering his tail and then loaded his last missile, hoping to avoid the Overlord pursuit for just a few more seconds. Enough time to not only get inside effective range, but so damn close the Grevola would know it was him.\n\nKaseem screamed along as he launched his last missile at the Freelancer. It exploded into a blinding fireball that illuminated the Cutlass\u2019 canopy. A few of the surviving turrets that perched on the edge of the mine opened fire. He wasn\u2019t bothering with evasive maneuvers anymore. At this range there was no point. His HUD lit up with warning after warning of critical system failures moments before the world slammed to black.\n\nMinutes, maybe hours, passed. The first thing Kaseem remembered was searing heat. Then light. Someone pulled him from the wrecked ship. It took moments for his eyes to adjust and see through the throbbing pain in his skull. When he focused, he looked up at a circle of armored faces.\n\nThe entire gallery of Wanted posters was looking down at him.\n\nKaseem doesn\u2019t know why, but he laughed. The Overlords exchanged a glance.\n\nHe gave them a thumbs up then blacked out.\n\nKaseem came to behind bio-waste crates stacked in a Ruin Station corner. He struggled to his feet to see a \u201cKill on Sight\u201d Overlords wanted poster taped to his chest. He smirked then slowly made his way to the space port. It was time to find a way home.\n\nThe End"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":15,"created_at":"2021-09-01T02:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"4 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 19:48:46","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":18294,"next_id":18296}}