The Lost Generation: Issue #6 - [Comm-Links](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links) - The Lost Generation: Issue #6 The Lost Generation: Issue #6 ============================= Undefined Undefined The Lost Generation [Previous](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/12897) [Next](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/12899) Content ------- English Tonya sat quietly in the pilot’s chair. She wasn’t piloting though. The ship maneuvered on its own as the system screens cycled through minute engine and power adjustments. One point in her favor, Nagia and his gang weren’t on her scanners anymore. Second point, Janus hadn’t popped the ’lock and flushed her out into space … yet. It had been quiet for about ten minutes. She didn’t want to disturb it. Suddenly all the screens stopped cycling. “I have finished consolidating my amended code with your systems,” the digitized voice said over the speaker. “Um, okay.” Tonya wasn’t sure what that meant. “I am now current on our society’s progress over the last seven hundred years,” the voice said from another speaker. Our? Tonya decided not to pry. Not with the airlock-scenario fresh on her mind. “Oh yeah?” was all she could come up with. “The current sociopolitical climate of the UEE is troubling. Perhaps we could debate solutions.” “Maybe later.” Tonya grew a little bolder. “I assume you know that I’m looking for the Artemis.” “Yes, I apologize. I have just been on a seven-hundred-year simulation and was merely looking for healthy dialectic.” A tense few seconds passed. “We may discuss the Artemis.” “What happened in the sim?” “Before continuing you should acknowledge that my responses and courses of action taken during the simulation may have differed from the Original Janus.” “Yes, I understand.” “I was still attempting to fulfill my secondary objective when the simulation ended. Passenger capacity was at ninety-eight percent.” “What happened to the other two percent?” Tonya hoped that the explanation didn’t involve raging AI’s or airlocks. “The repairs in what you call Stanton System forced me to awaken several members of the engineering crew to fix it. Unfortunately, the planet’s environment was too dangerous to enact enduring repairs so we had to relocate.” “You went to another planet?” “Yes.” “Which one?” The screen nearest Tonya switched to display the Artemis-sim’s navdata, a line leading from Stanton System through a patch of unknown space and ultimately stopping in another system. She comped a current starmap over the position, and enlarged the display. It centered on a planet in a known system. “Oso System,” Tonya whispered. The thrill of the hunt hummed through her body. She grinned and took the controls to plot a course. But nothing worked. “Hey Janus, could I fly?” There was a long pause. “No.” * * * * The UEE Subcommittee for Development & Expansion classified Oso as a Developing System, which meant, very simply, that life was discovered on one of the worlds (Oso II) and it was to be allowed to develop at its own pace without ‘outside’ interference. A hundred years ago, the UEE prided itself on the vigil it maintained to protect the sanctity of this system. Entire wings of fighters would patrol and escort any traffic. After the Synthworld, most of those resources slowly began to dry up. Restrictions on travel were loosened, but venture too close to Oso II and you still risked missile lock at best, destruction at worst. Nowadays, a skeleton crew of ragtag military burnouts maintained the system. Tonya figured they could be bribed. All the two-bit idiots selling flo-pets lifted fresh from Kallis System were proof of that. She just didn’t know how to initiate that sort of thing, and attempting to bribe a government agent was not the easiest charge to dodge if she happened to find an honest one. Besides, she suspected she couldn’t afford the bribe anyway and she wasn’t going to risk calling Arlington or any of his assistants. Tonya was not thrilled about her new pilot so she passed the time looking through her archive to see if any of her old credentials and tags were still valid. She was surprised how much it stung to revisit all the institutions and research groups she’d been a part of over the years. The Artemis could be the key to lock up this dismal chapter of her life and get back to the way things used to be. Life on the drift wasn’t that bad. It even had its perks, but a clean slate? Maybe a position at a research institute where she could be left alone? That was even better. “We have arrived, Tonya.” She closed down the archive and looked at the six planets circling a blazing white star ahead of her. The UEE military towed in Deep-Space platforms at each of the jump-points, while patrols flew in loose formations around the system. Oso II, the inhabited planet and their destination, was the epicenter. A transport ship lumbered past the Beacon II and dropped into the jump-point. The vast array of scanners on her ship allowed Tonya to get a good look at Oso II long before they were going to pass it. Aside from the occasional patrols, the UEE seemed to put the bulk of its security in counter-intrusion scanners. The system consisted of an array of spheres placed in a fixed orbit around the world. The spheres would flash the planet in a repeating pre-programmed cycle to determine if any foreign objects had been introduced. “Can you identify the scan cycle of that web?” “I believe so.” While Janus worked, Tonya started tracking patrol patterns. Minutes later, Janus displayed a rendering of the scan pattern around Oso II. It was a wave that continuously encircled the planet. The average time between scans was around thirty-four minutes. That was their way in. If she could time her descent after a scan’s pass, she could follow the wave and hopefully get a good look over the planet’s surface for traces of the Artemis, and either land or withdraw before the next pass of the scanners. “Hey Janus, restore manual control of the ship.” There was a long pause. “Tonya, I should remind you that attempting to land on a Developing Planet is a serious violation of UEE statutes –“ “Only if you get caught.” “Not to mention the potential for irreparable harm to the indigenous species.” “We’re just going to take a look.” The flight controls began to work again. “Besides, if we get caught, I’ll just say you were flying.” “I don’t think they will believe that, Tonya.” “You’re going to be on scanning detail. Use the metal sample from the Artemis wreckage to focus your sweep.” “I am quite capable of both functions simultaneously. I did pilot a transport vessel for seven hundred years.” The Beacon II approached the planet. A wing of UEE patrols had passed several minutes ago. She waited for her cue. “Now,” Janus said. Tonya broke away from the shipping lane and burned toward the planet. The array of scanning spheres rapidly approached. Tonya kept her course and speed. Right before she passed the barrier, the scan wave passed. The Beacon II dove into the atmosphere. Noise suddenly enveloped the craft. She pulled up to stay in the upper atmosphere and burned across the sky, following the scan wave. The planet’s gravity pulled heavily on the ship. She’d noticed that Oso II’s gravity was significantly stronger than on most planets. The strain in her arms to keep the ship level and the rapid consumption of fuel was becoming a fast testament of how different it was. “Anything?” “I would notify you immediately if I did.” Tonya double-checked the screen. The scan wave pulled ahead and disappeared around the curve of the planet. “How long ’til the scan comes back around?” she asked. The ship hit some turbulence. “Twenty-one minutes.” Tonya looked down. She caught glimpses of the world below through the occasional breaks in the clouds. Most of it seemed to be tropical stretches of deep emerald forests and massive mountain ranges. She started to weave her flight pattern, zigzagging across the sky to allow for a wider scan range. “Eight minutes,” Janus reported. She was cutting awfully close to make-or-break time. It would take three minutes to clear the scanning spheres if she left, and around five to land. She could try to break atmo then resume the search once the wave passed, but she wasn’t optimistic she could repeat that without getting spotted by a patrol. “I found something.” Janus showed Tonya a faint signal in a wooded mountain range. That settled that debate. Tonya dove down. The hull shook violently as clouds whipped past. Suddenly drops of rain spattered across the viewports. “Four minutes until scan. I do not believe there is enough time to find a satisfactory landing position.” “Don’t trust me, Janus?” Tonya struggled to keep the ship under control. The gravity was really playing hell with their flight path. “I will amend my statement.” “You do that.” Tonya pulled the ship up. The rain had stopped as she raced through the narrow canyons of steaming forests. Her eyes scanned the landscape for a covered landing position. “One minute, Tonya.” Tonya popped the retro-thrusters a couple times to cut down her speed and swung the Beacon II underneath a rocky overhang. Rocks and branches swirled in the roar of the engines. She dropped the ship to the deck, probably a little harder than was safe, and cut the engines nanoseconds before the wave passed. “Not bad, right?” Tonya sat back in the pilot’s seat. The engines were still spinning down. “I will abstain from commenting.” * * * * The trees were thick. Tall winding trunks rose up toward the sky, then intertwined to shade out the sun. The forest hissed from the rising steam of the rain that seeped through the canopy. Strange chirping noises echoed from the clusters of leaves overhead. According to her scanner, the Artemis was about four kilometres away. Tonya’s new environment suit had a basic exo-skeleton incorporated into the design to help counteract various gravitational conditions. Even with that, she could feel the strain against her body. Simple movements felt labored and slow as she trudged through the underbrush. On her way up a rocky incline, Tonya had to stop several times to catch her breath. Strange greyish worms slipped among the wet leaves underfoot to soak up the remaining rainwater before burrowing back into the soil. A branch snapped. Tonya froze and turned. Further down the hill, also winded and suffering from the gravity’s effects, was a person. Based on the size and style of the environment suit, it was a human, following the directions on a hand scanner. The clear face-plate looked up, right at Tonya. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tonya slurred. Senzen momentarily gaped in amazement, then grinned at her. “Well, I’ll be damned.” . . . to be continued Tonya saß ruhig im Pilotenstuhl. Sie hat aber nicht geflogen. Das Schiff manövrierte selbstständig, als die Bildschirme des Systems durch winzige Motor- und Leistungsanpassungen zogen. Ein Punkt zu ihren Gunsten, Nagia und seine Gang waren nicht mehr auf ihren Scannern. Zweiter Punkt, Janus hatte das Schloss nicht geöffnet und sie aus dem Raum geworfen.... noch nicht. Es war etwa zehn Minuten lang ruhig gewesen. Sie wollte es nicht stören. Plötzlich hörten alle Bildschirme auf zu laufen. "Ich habe die Konsolidierung meines geänderten Codes mit Ihren Systemen abgeschlossen", sagte die digitalisierte Stimme über den Lautsprecher. "Ähm, okay." Tonya war sich nicht sicher, was das bedeutet. "Ich bin jetzt über den Fortschritt unserer Gesellschaft in den letzten siebenhundert Jahren informiert", sagte die Stimme eines anderen Sprechers. Unser? Tonya beschloss, nicht zu schnüffeln. Nicht mit dem Airlock-Szenario, das ihr noch in Erinnerung ist. "Oh ja?" war alles, was sie sich ausdenken konnte. "Das derzeitige gesellschaftspolitische Klima der UEE ist beunruhigend. Vielleicht könnten wir über Lösungen diskutieren." "Vielleicht später." Tonya wurde etwas mutiger. "Ich nehme an, du weißt, dass ich nach den Artemis suche." "Ja, ich entschuldige mich. Ich war gerade in einer siebenhundertjährigen Simulation und suchte nur nach einer gesunden Dialektik." Ein paar angespannte Sekunden vergingen. "Wir können über die Artemis diskutieren." "Was ist in der Sim passiert?" "Bevor Sie fortfahren, sollten Sie anerkennen, dass meine Antworten und Vorgehensweisen während der Simulation vom Original Janus abweichen können." "Ja, ich verstehe." "Ich habe immer noch versucht, mein sekundäres Ziel zu erreichen, als die Simulation beendet wurde. Die Passagierkapazität lag bei 98 Prozent." "Was ist mit den anderen zwei Prozent passiert?" Tonya hoffte, dass die Erklärung nicht darin bestand, KI's oder Luftschleusen zu zerstören. "Die Reparaturen an dem, was Sie Stanton System nennen, zwangen mich, mehrere Mitglieder des Ingenieurteams zu wecken, um es zu reparieren. Leider war die Umwelt des Planeten zu gefährlich, um dauerhafte Reparaturen durchzuführen, also mussten wir umziehen." "Du bist auf einen anderen Planeten gegangen?" " Ja." "Welcher?" Der Bildschirm, der Tonya am nächsten liegt, wechselte zur Anzeige der Navdaten des Artemis-Sims, einer Linie, die vom Stanton-System durch einen Fleck mit unbekanntem Raum führt und schließlich in einem anderen System anhält. Sie hat eine aktuelle Sternkarte über die Position gelegt und die Anzeige vergrößert. Es konzentrierte sich auf einen Planeten in einem bekannten System. "Oso System", flüsterte Tonya. Der Nervenkitzel der Jagd brummte durch ihren Körper. Sie grinste und nahm die Kontrollen, um einen Kurs festzulegen. Aber nichts funktionierte. "Hey Janus, darf ich fliegen?" Es gab eine lange Pause. " Nein." * * * * Das UEE Subcommittee for Development & Expansion klassifizierte Oso als Entwicklungssystem, was ganz einfach bedeutete, dass das Leben auf einer der Welten (Oso II) entdeckt wurde und es in seinem eigenen Tempo ohne "äußere" Einmischung entwickeln durfte. Vor hundert Jahren war die UEE stolz auf die Mahnwache, die sie unterhielt, um die Heiligkeit dieses Systems zu schützen. Ganze Flügel von Kämpfern würden jeden Verkehr patrouillieren und eskortieren. Nach der Synthworld begannen die meisten dieser Ressourcen langsam zu versiegen. Die Reisebeschränkungen wurden gelockert, aber wagen Sie sich zu nahe an Oso II, und Sie riskierten bestenfalls noch eine Raketenabwehr, schlimmstenfalls eine Zerstörung. Heutzutage hat eine Skelettbesatzung von zerlumpten militärischen Ausbrennern das System gewartet. Tonya dachte, sie könnten bestochen werden. Alle spärlichen Idioten, die Flo-Pets verkaufen, die frisch vom Kallis System gehoben wurden, waren der Beweis dafür. Sie wusste einfach nicht, wie sie diese Art von Sache initiieren sollte, und der Versuch, einen Regierungsagenten zu bestechen, war nicht die einfachste Anschuldigung, wenn sie zufällig eine ehrliche fand. Außerdem vermutete sie, dass sie sich das Bestechungsgeld sowieso nicht leisten konnte, und sie würde es nicht riskieren, Arlington oder einen seiner Assistenten anzurufen. Tonya war nicht begeistert von ihrem neuen Piloten, also schaute sie die Zeit durch ihr Archiv, um zu sehen, ob irgendwelche ihrer alten Zugangsdaten und Tags noch gültig waren. Sie war überrascht, wie sehr es dauerte, alle Institutionen und Forschungsgruppen, an denen sie im Laufe der Jahre beteiligt war, erneut zu besuchen. Die Artemis könnten der Schlüssel sein, um dieses düstere Kapitel ihres Lebens abzuschließen und zu dem zurückzukehren, was früher war. Das Leben auf der Drift war nicht so schlimm. Es hatte sogar seine Vorteile, aber eine reine Weste? Vielleicht eine Stelle in einem Forschungsinstitut, wo man sie in Ruhe lassen kann? Das war noch besser. "Wir sind angekommen, Tonya." Sie schloss das Archiv und sah die sechs Planeten an, die einen strahlend weißen Stern vor sich hatten. Das UEE-Militär schleppte in Deep-Space-Plattformen an jedem der Sprungbretter, während die Patrouillen in lockeren Formationen um das System herum flogen. Oso II, der bewohnte Planet und sein Ziel, war das Epizentrum. Ein Transportschiff rollte an der Bake II vorbei und fiel in den Sprungpunkt. Die große Anzahl von Scannern auf ihrem Schiff erlaubte Tonya, einen guten Blick auf Oso II zu werfen, lange bevor sie es passieren würden. Abgesehen von den gelegentlichen Patrouillen schien die UEE den Großteil ihrer Sicherheit in Anti-Einbruchsscanner zu stecken. Das System bestand aus einer Reihe von Kugeln, die sich in einer festen Umlaufbahn um die Welt befanden. Die Kugeln würden den Planeten in einem sich wiederholenden, vorprogrammierten Zyklus blitzen lassen, um festzustellen, ob Fremdkörper eingebracht wurden. "Können Sie den Scan-Zyklus dieser Bahn identifizieren?" "Ich glaube schon." Während Janus arbeitete, begann Tonya, Patrouillenmuster zu verfolgen. Minuten später zeigte Janus eine Darstellung des Scanmusters um Oso II an. Es war eine Welle, die den Planeten kontinuierlich umgab. Die durchschnittliche Zeit zwischen den Scans betrug etwa vierunddreißig Minuten. Das war ihr Weg hinein. Wenn sie ihren Abstieg nach einem Scan-Pass planen könnte, könnte sie der Welle folgen und hoffentlich einen guten Blick über die Oberfläche des Planeten auf Spuren der Artemis werfen und entweder landen oder sich vor dem nächsten Durchgang der Scanner zurückziehen. "Hey Janus, stell die manuelle Steuerung des Schiffes wieder her." Es gab eine lange Pause. "Tonya, ich sollte dich daran erinnern, dass der Versuch, auf einem Entwicklungsplaneten zu landen, eine schwere Verletzung der UEE-Statuten ist." "Nur wenn du erwischt wirst." "Ganz zu schweigen von dem Potenzial für irreparable Schäden an den einheimischen Arten." "Wir werden nur einen Blick darauf werfen." Die Flugsteuerung begann wieder zu funktionieren. "Außerdem, wenn wir erwischt werden, sage ich einfach, dass du geflogen bist." "Ich glaube nicht, dass sie das glauben werden, Tonya." "Du wirst beim Scannen von Details sein. Benutzen Sie die Metallprobe aus dem Artemis-Wrack, um Ihre Suche zu fokussieren." "Ich bin durchaus in der Lage, beide Funktionen gleichzeitig auszuführen. Ich habe siebenhundert Jahre lang ein Transportschiff gesteuert." Das Leuchtfeuer II näherte sich dem Planeten. Ein Flügel von UEE-Patrouillen war vor einigen Minuten vorbei. Sie wartete auf ihr Stichwort. "Jetzt", sagte Janus. Tonya löste sich von der Fahrrinne und brannte auf den Planeten zu. Die Anordnung der Abtastkugeln näherte sich schnell. Tonya hielt ihren Kurs und ihre Geschwindigkeit. Kurz bevor sie die Barriere passierte, passierte die Scanwelle. Das Leuchtfeuer II taucht in die Atmosphäre ein. Plötzlich hüllte Lärm das Schiff ein. Sie zog sich hoch, um in der oberen Atmosphäre zu bleiben, und brannte über den Himmel, der Scan-Welle folgend. Die Schwerkraft des Planeten zog stark auf das Schiff. Sie hatte bemerkt, dass die Schwerkraft von Oso II deutlich stärker war als auf den meisten Planeten. Die Anstrengung in ihren Armen, das Schiff auf gleicher Höhe zu halten, und der schnelle Treibstoffverbrauch wurden zu einem schnellen Beweis dafür, wie unterschiedlich es war. "Irgendwas?" "Ich würde dich sofort benachrichtigen, wenn ich es täte." Tonya hat den Bildschirm noch einmal überprüft. Die Scanwelle zog nach vorne und verschwand um die Kurve des Planeten. "Wie lange, bis der Scan wieder auftaucht?", fragte sie. Das Schiff traf einige Turbulenzen. "21 Minuten." Tonya sah nach unten. Sie erhaschte Einblicke in die Welt darunter durch gelegentliche Wolkenbrüche. Das meiste davon schien tropische Abschnitte mit tiefen smaragdgrünen Wäldern und massiven Gebirgszügen zu sein. Sie begann, ihr Flugmuster zu weben und zickzackte über den Himmel, um eine größere Reichweite zu ermöglichen. "Acht Minuten", berichtete Janus. Sie war sehr nah dran, die Zeit zu verkürzen oder zu unterbrechen. Es dauerte drei Minuten, bis die Scan-Kugeln frei waren, wenn sie ging, und etwa fünf Minuten, um zu landen. Sie konnte versuchen, atmo zu brechen und dann die Suche wieder aufzunehmen, sobald die Welle vorbei war, aber sie war nicht optimistisch, dass sie das wiederholen konnte, ohne von einer Patrouille entdeckt zu werden. "Ich habe etwas gefunden." Janus zeigte Tonya ein schwaches Signal in einem bewaldeten Gebirge. Damit war diese Debatte beendet. Tonya ist nach unten gesprungen. Der Rumpf zitterte heftig, als Wolken vorbeizogen. Plötzlich spritzte ein Regentropfen über die Schaugläser. "Vier Minuten bis zum Scan. Ich glaube nicht, dass es genug Zeit gibt, um eine zufriedenstellende Landung zu finden." "Vertraust du mir nicht, Janus?" Tonya kämpfte darum, das Schiff unter Kontrolle zu halten. Die Schwerkraft spielte wirklich die Hölle mit ihrer Flugbahn. "Ich werde meine Aussage ändern." "Mach das." Tonya zog das Schiff hoch. Der Regen hatte aufgehört, als sie durch die engen Schluchten der dampfenden Wälder raste. Ihre Augen durchsuchten die Landschaft nach einer abgedeckten Landeposition. "Eine Minute, Tonya." Tonya drehte die Retro-Triebwerke ein paar Mal, um ihre Geschwindigkeit zu reduzieren, und schwang die Bake II unter einem felsigen Überhang. Felsen und Äste wirbelten im Gebrüll der Motoren. Sie ließ das Schiff auf das Deck fallen, wahrscheinlich etwas härter als sicher, und schnitt die Motoren in Nanosekunden, bevor die Welle vorbei war. "Nicht schlecht, oder?" Tonya lehnte sich auf dem Pilotenplatz zurück. Die Motoren drehten sich immer noch nach unten. "Ich werde auf Kommentare verzichten." * * * * Die Bäume waren dick. Hohe, gewundene Stämme stiegen in Richtung Himmel auf und verschlungen sich dann, um die Sonne abzuschirmen. Der Wald zischte aus dem aufsteigenden Dampf des Regens, der durch das Vordach sickerte. Seltsame zwitschernde Geräusche hallten von den Laubbäumen über Kopf. Laut ihrem Scanner war die Artemis etwa vier Kilometer entfernt. Tonyas neuer Umgebungsanzug hatte ein einfaches Exoskelett in das Design integriert, um verschiedenen Gravitationsbedingungen entgegenzuwirken. Dennoch konnte sie die Belastung ihres Körpers spüren. Einfache Bewegungen fühlten sich mühsam und langsam an, als sie sich durch das Unterholz schleppte. Auf dem Weg nach oben musste Tonya mehrmals anhalten, um Luft zu holen. Seltsame graue Würmer rutschten zwischen die nassen Blätter unter den Füßen, um das restliche Regenwasser aufzunehmen, bevor sie sich wieder in den Boden begruben. Ein Ast ist gebrochen. Tonya erstarrte und drehte sich um. Weiter unten auf dem Hügel, der sich ebenfalls wand und unter den Auswirkungen der Schwerkraft litt, befand sich eine Person. Basierend auf der Größe und dem Stil des Umgebungsanzugs war es ein Mensch, der den Anweisungen auf einem Handscanner folgte. Die klare Planscheibe blickte nach oben, direkt zu Tonya. "Du willst mich wohl verarschen", murmelte Tonya. Senzen starrte kurz vor Erstaunen, dann grinste er sie an. "Nun, ich will verdammt sein." . ... wird fortgesetzt Tonya sat quietly in the pilot’s chair. She wasn’t piloting though. The ship maneuvered on its own as the system screens cycled through minute engine and power adjustments. One point in her favor, Nagia and his gang weren’t on her scanners anymore. Second point, Janus hadn’t popped the ’lock and flushed her out into space … yet. It had been quiet for about ten minutes. She didn’t want to disturb it. Suddenly all the screens stopped cycling. “I have finished consolidating my amended code with your systems,” the digitized voice said over the speaker. “Um, okay.” Tonya wasn’t sure what that meant. “I am now current on our society’s progress over the last seven hundred years,” the voice said from another speaker. Our? Tonya decided not to pry. Not with the airlock-scenario fresh on her mind. “Oh yeah?” was all she could come up with. “The current sociopolitical climate of the UEE is troubling. Perhaps we could debate solutions.” “Maybe later.” Tonya grew a little bolder. “I assume you know that I’m looking for the Artemis.” “Yes, I apologize. I have just been on a seven-hundred-year simulation and was merely looking for healthy dialectic.” A tense few seconds passed. “We may discuss the Artemis.” “What happened in the sim?” “Before continuing you should acknowledge that my responses and courses of action taken during the simulation may have differed from the Original Janus.” “Yes, I understand.” “I was still attempting to fulfill my secondary objective when the simulation ended. Passenger capacity was at ninety-eight percent.” “What happened to the other two percent?” Tonya hoped that the explanation didn’t involve raging AI’s or airlocks. “The repairs in what you call Stanton System forced me to awaken several members of the engineering crew to fix it. Unfortunately, the planet’s environment was too dangerous to enact enduring repairs so we had to relocate.” “You went to another planet?” “Yes.” “Which one?” The screen nearest Tonya switched to display the Artemis-sim’s navdata, a line leading from Stanton System through a patch of unknown space and ultimately stopping in another system. She comped a current starmap over the position, and enlarged the display. It centered on a planet in a known system. “Oso System,” Tonya whispered. The thrill of the hunt hummed through her body. She grinned and took the controls to plot a course. But nothing worked. “Hey Janus, could I fly?” There was a long pause. “No.” * * * * The UEE Subcommittee for Development & Expansion classified Oso as a Developing System, which meant, very simply, that life was discovered on one of the worlds (Oso II) and it was to be allowed to develop at its own pace without ‘outside’ interference. A hundred years ago, the UEE prided itself on the vigil it maintained to protect the sanctity of this system. Entire wings of fighters would patrol and escort any traffic. After the Synthworld, most of those resources slowly began to dry up. Restrictions on travel were loosened, but venture too close to Oso II and you still risked missile lock at best, destruction at worst. Nowadays, a skeleton crew of ragtag military burnouts maintained the system. Tonya figured they could be bribed. All the two-bit idiots selling flo-pets lifted fresh from Kallis System were proof of that. She just didn’t know how to initiate that sort of thing, and attempting to bribe a government agent was not the easiest charge to dodge if she happened to find an honest one. Besides, she suspected she couldn’t afford the bribe anyway and she wasn’t going to risk calling Arlington or any of his assistants. Tonya was not thrilled about her new pilot so she passed the time looking through her archive to see if any of her old credentials and tags were still valid. She was surprised how much it stung to revisit all the institutions and research groups she’d been a part of over the years. The Artemis could be the key to lock up this dismal chapter of her life and get back to the way things used to be. Life on the drift wasn’t that bad. It even had its perks, but a clean slate? Maybe a position at a research institute where she could be left alone? That was even better. “We have arrived, Tonya.” She closed down the archive and looked at the six planets circling a blazing white star ahead of her. The UEE military towed in Deep-Space platforms at each of the jump-points, while patrols flew in loose formations around the system. Oso II, the inhabited planet and their destination, was the epicenter. A transport ship lumbered past the Beacon II and dropped into the jump-point. The vast array of scanners on her ship allowed Tonya to get a good look at Oso II long before they were going to pass it. Aside from the occasional patrols, the UEE seemed to put the bulk of its security in counter-intrusion scanners. The system consisted of an array of spheres placed in a fixed orbit around the world. The spheres would flash the planet in a repeating pre-programmed cycle to determine if any foreign objects had been introduced. “Can you identify the scan cycle of that web?” “I believe so.” While Janus worked, Tonya started tracking patrol patterns. Minutes later, Janus displayed a rendering of the scan pattern around Oso II. It was a wave that continuously encircled the planet. The average time between scans was around thirty-four minutes. That was their way in. If she could time her descent after a scan’s pass, she could follow the wave and hopefully get a good look over the planet’s surface for traces of the Artemis, and either land or withdraw before the next pass of the scanners. “Hey Janus, restore manual control of the ship.” There was a long pause. “Tonya, I should remind you that attempting to land on a Developing Planet is a serious violation of UEE statutes –“ “Only if you get caught.” “Not to mention the potential for irreparable harm to the indigenous species.” “We’re just going to take a look.” The flight controls began to work again. “Besides, if we get caught, I’ll just say you were flying.” “I don’t think they will believe that, Tonya.” “You’re going to be on scanning detail. Use the metal sample from the Artemis wreckage to focus your sweep.” “I am quite capable of both functions simultaneously. I did pilot a transport vessel for seven hundred years.” The Beacon II approached the planet. A wing of UEE patrols had passed several minutes ago. She waited for her cue. “Now,” Janus said. Tonya broke away from the shipping lane and burned toward the planet. The array of scanning spheres rapidly approached. Tonya kept her course and speed. Right before she passed the barrier, the scan wave passed. The Beacon II dove into the atmosphere. Noise suddenly enveloped the craft. She pulled up to stay in the upper atmosphere and burned across the sky, following the scan wave. The planet’s gravity pulled heavily on the ship. She’d noticed that Oso II’s gravity was significantly stronger than on most planets. The strain in her arms to keep the ship level and the rapid consumption of fuel was becoming a fast testament of how different it was. “Anything?” “I would notify you immediately if I did.” Tonya double-checked the screen. The scan wave pulled ahead and disappeared around the curve of the planet. “How long ’til the scan comes back around?” she asked. The ship hit some turbulence. “Twenty-one minutes.” Tonya looked down. She caught glimpses of the world below through the occasional breaks in the clouds. Most of it seemed to be tropical stretches of deep emerald forests and massive mountain ranges. She started to weave her flight pattern, zigzagging across the sky to allow for a wider scan range. “Eight minutes,” Janus reported. She was cutting awfully close to make-or-break time. It would take three minutes to clear the scanning spheres if she left, and around five to land. She could try to break atmo then resume the search once the wave passed, but she wasn’t optimistic she could repeat that without getting spotted by a patrol. “I found something.” Janus showed Tonya a faint signal in a wooded mountain range. That settled that debate. Tonya dove down. The hull shook violently as clouds whipped past. Suddenly drops of rain spattered across the viewports. “Four minutes until scan. I do not believe there is enough time to find a satisfactory landing position.” “Don’t trust me, Janus?” Tonya struggled to keep the ship under control. The gravity was really playing hell with their flight path. “I will amend my statement.” “You do that.” Tonya pulled the ship up. The rain had stopped as she raced through the narrow canyons of steaming forests. Her eyes scanned the landscape for a covered landing position. “One minute, Tonya.” Tonya popped the retro-thrusters a couple times to cut down her speed and swung the Beacon II underneath a rocky overhang. Rocks and branches swirled in the roar of the engines. She dropped the ship to the deck, probably a little harder than was safe, and cut the engines nanoseconds before the wave passed. “Not bad, right?” Tonya sat back in the pilot’s seat. The engines were still spinning down. “I will abstain from commenting.” * * * * The trees were thick. Tall winding trunks rose up toward the sky, then intertwined to shade out the sun. The forest hissed from the rising steam of the rain that seeped through the canopy. Strange chirping noises echoed from the clusters of leaves overhead. According to her scanner, the Artemis was about four kilometres away. Tonya’s new environment suit had a basic exo-skeleton incorporated into the design to help counteract various gravitational conditions. Even with that, she could feel the strain against her body. Simple movements felt labored and slow as she trudged through the underbrush. On her way up a rocky incline, Tonya had to stop several times to catch her breath. Strange greyish worms slipped among the wet leaves underfoot to soak up the remaining rainwater before burrowing back into the soil. A branch snapped. Tonya froze and turned. Further down the hill, also winded and suffering from the gravity’s effects, was a person. Based on the size and style of the environment suit, it was a human, following the directions on a hand scanner. The clear face-plate looked up, right at Tonya. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tonya slurred. Senzen momentarily gaped in amazement, then grinned at her. “Well, I’ll be damned.” . . . to be continued Links ----- No links available. Images ------ 1 image/jpeg [ ![](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/f2lyrm83u0tc8r/source/TonyaOrielSerial_FI_1_Crop.jpg) ](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/f2lyrm83u0tc8r/source/TonyaOrielSerial_FI_1_Crop.jpg) TonyaOrielSerial_FI_1_Crop.jpg [Details](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/images/248) Last Modified 12 years ago Size 664.94 KB [Source](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/f2lyrm83u0tc8r/source/TonyaOrielSerial_FI_1_Crop.jpg) [Info](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/images/248) Metadata -------- CIG ID 12898 Channel Undefined Category Undefined Series The Lost Generation Comments 64 Published 13 years ago (2013-02-21T00:00:00+00:00) [RSI Article](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/12898-The-Lost-Generation-Issue-6) [API](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/api/comm-links/12898)