The Lost Generation: Issue #7 - [Comm-Links](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links) - The Lost Generation: Issue #7 The Lost Generation: Issue #7 ============================= Undefined Undefined The Lost Generation [Previous](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/12905) [Next](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/12907) Content ------- English If the gravity on Oso II weren’t so crushing, Tonya would have been doing some crushing of her own. On Senzen. With a rock or heavy stick. Instead, she was barely staying upright. Her environment suit hummed as it recycled the streams of sweat into her drinking pouch. “What are you doing here?” Senzen inquired as he trudged through the underbrush toward her. “How’d you find me? Was it Nagia?” She felt the early pulse of a rage-induced migraine coming on. “Did he plant a tracker on my ship? What?” “Calm down, Tonya. You’ll pass out.” He reached out to pat her heavily on the shoulder as he lumbered past. She swatted his hand away and followed. “Tell me.” “What, I couldn’t have found this place on my own?” “No.” Senzen turned to look at her. Deeply saddened. “That hurts my feelings.” A grin crept across his face. She wasn’t laughing. Senzen slumped down on a plant stump to take a breather before continuing. He brought up a scanner and played a file. It was silence at first, then a burst of digital distortion, disparate sounds and clicks of an audio reconstruction. Tonya instinctively leaned forward to hear — there was something buried in the chaotic signal, the static parting for fragments of moments to reveal words. “….. damage ……. further ……. necessary ……… located ……… 2456.432.1234” Senzen stopped the playback. Tonya looked at him, her rage suddenly displaced by curiosity. “What was that?’ “That, Tonya, was Janus.” Senzen sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Impressed yet?” She glared at him. “Part of his directive programming was to send status updates on both radio and FSO back to Earth. True, none of them ever made it, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t reach somewhere.” “So how did you get it?” “It’s very complicated, I wouldn’t want to bore you.” “Senzen, I’m going to beat you to death.” “Fine, fine.” Senzen laughed and threw up his hands in surrender. “The short answer, the FSO of that era beamed comms packets in infrared, so I started looking for dense patches of cryogenic gases between Earth and the path from Stanton to the Artemis’ original destination.” “Cryogenic gases can slow infrared beams,” Tonya ran with the chain of logic. “But not for hundreds of years.” “Apparently if it’s a dense enough concentration, it can. And by that, I mean after massive digital reconstruction and two frozen ships.” As much as she would absolutely never admit it, Tonya had to give it to Senzen. It was quite a discovery. “So, your turn.” Senzen sipped from his water supply. “My turn for what?” “How’d you get here?” “Oh.” Tonya stood and started shambling away. “I guessed.” Senzen hurried up beside her. Tonya stopped in frustration and looked at him. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Call me crazy, but I’ll bet our scanners are locked on the same thing. Unless you’re guessing on that too.” She didn’t say anything, which he took as agreement. “Good. So I’ll just come out and say it. I’m tired and walking around this planet is killing me.” Senzen slumped back against a tree trunk. “I’ll assume you had some crazy awesome way of figuring out to come here, so since we’re on even ground, I’m gonna call for a truce.” Tonya eyed him suspiciously as she considered it. While she still wouldn’t trust him for a second, she had to admit it would be nice to at least alleviate her paranoia for a short time. He was right though, she desperately wanted off this planet. Besides, maybe she could find a good opportunity to sell him out. It was his turn, after all. “You’ve made a friend.” Tonya turned and started walking. “Great. Thanks, Tonya. You’re a gem.” “I wasn’t talking about me.” Senzen felt something tap on the top of his helmet. He twisted around. What he initially thought was a massive root, coiled along the trunk of the tree, was actually a worm-like creature. Around sixteen feet long, it had a hardened carapace perfectly camouflaged with the tree. The carapace could separate to allow a mass of tendrils to presumably snatch any unfortunate creatures who landed on its surface. It was now feeling out Senzen’s suit, probably to see if it was edible. Senzen stepped away from the tree and hustled to catch up with Tonya. The massive creature tested the air for a few moments then disappeared back under the carapace. * * * * Even under the canopy of trees, any sign of the rain had vanished in the punishing heat. A cacophony of strange chirps and calls echoed through the massive forest. Tonya and Senzen walked in silence, saving their breath. She checked her scanner to make sure they were still headed in the right direction. “Tonya!” Senzen whispered. She looked to see Senzen crouching in the foliage, motioning for her to do the same. Tonya dropped without hesitation. After the plants settled around her, she slowly sat up for a peek. Initially, she couldn’t see anything through the dangling vines and winding trunks. Then she heard something snap, along with the whoosh of movement through leaves. It was an Osoian. That was the working name as far as the UEE was concerned. By far the most evolved species on the planet, the Senate and scientific community were waiting with bated breath to see what they called themselves. Covered in a coarse spiky fur to catch water, the Osoian stood almost five feet tall. To counteract the gravity, its powerful legs were the species’ largest appendage. They connected to the body at what would be the shoulder on a human. Four arms extended from the torso, the top two much more developed than the lower pair. The six eyes of varying sizes on the almost bug-like head scanned the woods. The exposed skin on the creature’s forehead pulsed a dull yellow as it clutched curved stone blades in its prime hands. Tonya and Senzen glanced at each other. Senzen grinned like a kid and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. After a few more moments of surveillance, the yellow glow on the Osoian’s forehead shifted to a neutral blue. It turned back to sifting through the plants to gather specific leaves. For an hour, Tonya and Senzen watched it forage. Finally, it packed all the leaves in a bag made of some strange weave and slipped into the trees away from them. The faint signal on the scanners was in the same direction as the Osoian. Tonya and Senzen gave it a few minutes head-start before moving forward. More rocks protruded through the underbrush as the dense forest gradually transformed into wooded canyon. Senzen motioned for Tonya to follow him as he scaled the rocks to the top of the canyon wall. They kept low and crept along the brink. Finally they stopped, stunned at what lay ahead. The narrow canyon expanded into a circular cul-de-sac. Nestled among the curved rocks was a village. Osoians of all sizes moved between the fifteen or so structures hewn from a combination of rock and wood. Tonya double-checked the signal. Her scanner placed the next Artemis piece somewhere on the other side of the village. Senzen glanced over her shoulder at the screen. “Good, that’s what my scan says, too. We can go around.” He started to move. She stopped him. “Wait,” she said and ran some more filter passes on it. “I don’t think it’s on the surface.” Tonya looked beyond the village. She pointed. On the far side, a tunnel seemed to lead into the canyon wall. “That’s why the signal’s so weak. It’s being muffled by the rock.” “Great.” Senzen slumped back and got comfortable behind the rocks as he sipped some water. “Any idea if the Osoians have decent night vision?” “No clue.” Tonya moved to a good vantage point of the village and settled in. She double-checked the time. The autoconfig adjusted her Glas’ clock to early afternoon SET. The seconds seemed interminably long compared to the standard Earth second. Tonya passed the time observing the Osoians. She generally preferred history to the present, but she couldn’t deny how fascinating it was to see the primitive aliens go through their daily routines. She began to pick out the rough family structures. One of the Osoians was covered in small, hand-made trinkets. She assumed it must be either the chief or some kind of shaman. “It’s pretty incredible, right?” Senzen finally said. “Yeah, they are,” Tonya murmured quietly. “No, not them. Well, I guess partially them. I meant all of this.” Senzen had relaxed against the rocks, leaving the observing to her. “I mean, did you ever think you’d really be on the threshold of discovering the Artemis?” “I haven’t found it yet.” “Yeah, but we’re closer than anyone’s ever been in the last seven hundred years. Don’t tell me you can’t feel that in your soul.” Tonya looked at him. It was strange hearing him sound this hopeful, this optimistic. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a soul now,” she retorted with a smirk. “Always had one, hon. I just save it for special occasions.” * * * * Night finally fell. The forest seemed to swell to life now that the sun had disappeared. Heavy wings flapped overhead beyond the canopy. A few of the larger aliens seemed to guard the entrance to the village through the canyon, but otherwise the Osoian village was quiet. Tonya and Senzen circled the village along the ridge of the canyon and carefully scaled down the walls toward the tunnel. On closer inspection, its walls looked like they had been carved. Perhaps the tunnel was originally a cave that the Osoians simply expanded. It was a little over a meter wide and two meters tall. Light flickered from around a corner ahead. The signal on her scanner grew stronger as they stepped inside. Senzen kept an eye behind them as Tonya moved forward. She cautiously approached the turn and the flickering light. She eased her head around. The tunnel expanded into a large antechamber. The walls were covered in intricate carvings and paintings. Even the stone floor had been cut, into levels of concentric circles descending to the center. In the center, a worn obelisk protruded from the ground. The sides had been covered in paint and markings. So much so, that it took Tonya a moment to realize what it really was. This wasn’t some Osoian monolith. It was a thruster from the Artemis. She turned back to see Senzen staring slack-jawed at it. He shoved past her to get a closer look at it. Tonya meanwhile started looking at the crude carvings on the wall. They were clearly pictographs. She started laughing. “What’s so funny?” Senzen turned to join her. It was a story of gods appearing on the planet to fix their chariot or something. Senzen shook his head, confused. “What about it?” “Recognize the suits?” Tonya pointed out one in particular. The ‘god’ was wearing an environment suit. It was one of the Artemis crew, one of twelve according to the pictogram. They moved down the row of pictures. In the last one, before the gods left, they pointed to a red star above the triple mountain. Tonya and Senzen both stopped. “They told the Osoians where they were going.” Senzen murmured. “A red star. Either a dying one …” Tonya started. “Or a new one,” Senzen finished. “Kallis.” They spoke at the same time. Tonya started grabbing pictures of the pictograms, the thruster, everything. “Come on, let’s go.” Senzen hustled out the tunnel. Tonya couldn’t tear herself away. One of the carvings showed the gods bestowing fire onto the Osoians. Upon closer inspection, the painted carving even included a word on the god’s suit. Kenlo. Arthur Kenlo, the Artemis’ chief engineer. “Unbelievable.” Tonya chuckled to herself and snapped that too. She looked around to show Senzen but realized he’d left. Tonya took a handful more on her way out the tunnel. She stepped out of the tunnel to find a curved stone blade aimed at her faceplate. The chief/shaman and the whole village of Osoians surrounded her with bare weapons. Their expressive foreheads all pulsed a churning purple. A quick glance upward and she saw Senzen back atop the canyon wall. He threw his hands up in a ‘what can I do’ gesture before disappearing. Tonya turned back to the angry Osoians. “Hi.” . . . to be continued Wenn die Schwerkraft auf Oso II nicht so erdrückend wäre, hätte Tonya selbst etwas erdrückt. Auf Senzen. Mit einem Stein oder einem schweren Stock. Stattdessen blieb sie kaum aufrecht. Ihr Umweltanzug summte, als er die Schweißströme in ihren Trinkbeutel zurückführte. "Was machst du hier?" erkundigte sich Senzen, als er sich durch das Gestrüpp zu ihr schleppte. "Wie hast du mich gefunden? War es Nagia?" Sie fühlte den frühen Puls einer wutinduzierten Migräne, die aufkam. "Hat er einen Peilsender auf meinem Schiff angebracht? Was?" "Beruhige dich, Tonya. Du wirst ohnmächtig." Er streckte die Hand aus, um ihr schwer auf die Schulter zu klopfen, als er vorbeiholte. Sie schlug seine Hand weg und folgte ihm. " Sag es mir." "Was, ich hätte diese Wohnung nicht alleine finden können?" " Nein." Senzen drehte sich um, um sie anzusehen. Tief betrübt. "Das verletzt meine Gefühle." Ein Grinsen kroch über sein Gesicht. Sie hat nicht gelacht. Senzen stürzte auf einen Pflanzenstumpf, um eine Pause einzulegen, bevor es weiterging. Er brachte einen Scanner hoch und spielte eine Datei ab. Zuerst war es Stille, dann ein Ausbruch von digitalen Verzerrungen, disparaten Sounds und Klicks einer Audio-Rekonstruktion. Tonya lehnte sich instinktiv nach vorne, um zu hören - da war etwas im chaotischen Signal vergraben, die statische Trennung für Fragmente von Momenten, um Worte zu enthüllen. "........................................................ 2456.432.1234". Senzen stoppte die Wiedergabe. Tonya sah ihn an, ihre Wut wurde plötzlich von der Neugierde verdrängt. "Was war das? "Das, Tonya, war Janus." Senzen lehnte sich zurück, ein zufriedenes Grinsen auf seinem Gesicht. "Bist du schon beeindruckt?" Sie starrte ihn an. "Ein Teil seiner Anweisung war es, Status-Updates sowohl über Funk als auch über das BFS zurück zur Erde zu senden. Stimmt, keiner von ihnen hat es je geschafft, aber das bedeutet nicht, dass sie nicht irgendwo hingekommen sind." "Also, woher hast du es?" "Es ist sehr kompliziert, ich würde dich nicht langweilen wollen." "Senzen, ich werde dich zu Tode prügeln." "Gut, gut, gut." Senzen lachte und warf seine Hände bei der Kapitulation hoch. "Die kurze Antwort, das BFS jener Zeit, strahlte Kommunikationspakete in Infrarot aus, also begann ich nach dichten Flecken kryogener Gase zwischen der Erde und dem Weg von Stanton zum ursprünglichen Ziel der Artemis zu suchen." "Kryogene Gase können Infrarotstrahlen verlangsamen", rannte Tonya mit der Kette der Logik. "Aber nicht seit Hunderten von Jahren." "Anscheinend, wenn es eine genügend dichte Konzentration ist, kann es das. Und damit meine ich nach einer massiven digitalen Rekonstruktion und zwei gefrorenen Schiffen." So sehr sie es auch absolut nie zugeben würde, Tonya musste es Senzen geben. Es war eine ziemliche Entdeckung. "Also, du bist dran." Senzen trank aus seiner Wasserversorgung. "Ich bin dran mit was?" "Wie bist du hierher gekommen?" " Oh." Tonya stand auf und fing an, wegzuschlendern. "Ich habe geraten." Senzen eilte neben ihr her. Tonya blieb frustriert stehen und sah ihn an. "Was glaubst du, wo du hingehst?" "Nenn mich verrückt, aber ich wette, unsere Scanner sind auf die gleiche Sache fixiert. Es sei denn, du schätzt das auch." Sie sagte nichts, was er als Vereinbarung ansah. "Gut. Also komme ich einfach raus und sage es. Ich bin müde und der Gang um diesen Planeten bringt mich um." Senzen stürzte gegen einen Baumstamm zurück. "Ich nehme an, du hattest eine verrückte, fantastische Art herauszufinden, wie du hierher gekommen bist, also da wir auf ebenem Boden sind, werde ich einen Waffenstillstand fordern." Tonya sah ihn misstrauisch an, als sie darüber nachdachte. Während sie ihm immer noch für eine Sekunde nicht trauen wollte, musste sie zugeben, dass es schön wäre, ihre Paranoia zumindest für kurze Zeit zu lindern. Er hatte jedoch Recht, sie wollte unbedingt von diesem Planeten weg. Außerdem könnte sie vielleicht eine gute Gelegenheit finden, ihn zu verkaufen. Er war schließlich an der Reihe. "Du hast einen Freund gefunden." Tonya drehte sich um und begann zu laufen. "Großartig. Danke, Tonya. Du bist ein Juwel." "Ich habe nicht von mir gesprochen." Senzen fühlte, wie etwas auf seinen Helm klopfte. Er drehte sich um. Was er anfangs für eine massive Wurzel hielt, die sich am Stamm des Baumes wand, war eigentlich ein wurmartiges Wesen. Etwa zwei Meter lang, hatte er einen gehärteten Panzer, der perfekt mit dem Baum getarnt war. Der Panzer könnte sich trennen, so dass eine Masse von Ranken vermutlich alle unglücklichen Kreaturen ergreifen kann, die auf seiner Oberfläche landeten. Sie spürte nun Senzens Anzug, wahrscheinlich um zu sehen, ob er essbar war. Senzen trat vom Baum zurück und eilte, um Tonya einzuholen. Die massive Kreatur testete die Luft für einige Augenblicke und verschwand dann wieder unter dem Panzer. * * * * Selbst unter dem Vordach der Bäume war jedes Anzeichen des Regens in der strafenden Hitze verschwunden. Eine Kakophonie aus seltsamen Zwitschern und Rufen hallte durch den riesigen Wald. Tonya und Senzen gingen schweigend und bewahrten ihren Atem. Sie überprüfte ihren Scanner, um sicherzustellen, dass sie noch in die richtige Richtung unterwegs waren. " Tonya!" flüsterte Senzen. Sie sah zu, wie Senzen im Laub hockte und sich bewegte, damit sie das Gleiche tun konnte. Tonya fiel ohne zu zögern. Nachdem sich die Pflanzen um sie herum niedergelassen hatten, setzte sie sich langsam auf, um einen Blick darauf zu werfen. Anfangs konnte sie durch die baumelnden Reben und gewundenen Stämme nichts sehen. Dann hörte sie etwas knacken, zusammen mit dem Rauschen der Bewegung durch die Blätter. Es war ein Osoianer. Das war der Arbeitsname für die UEE. Bei weitem die am weitesten entwickelte Art auf dem Planeten, der Senat und die wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaft warteten mit angehaltenem Atem darauf, zu sehen, wie sie sich selbst nannten. Bedeckt mit einem groben, stacheligen Fell, um Wasser zu fangen, stand der Osoian fast einen Meter hoch. Um der Schwerkraft entgegenzuwirken, waren seine kräftigen Beine das größte Anhängsel der Art. Sie verbanden sich mit dem Körper an einer Stelle, die die Schulter eines Menschen sein sollte. Vier Arme, die vom Rumpf ausgestreckt sind, die beiden oberen viel weiter entwickelt als das untere Paar. Die sechs unterschiedlich großen Augen auf dem fast wanzenartigen Kopf scannten die Wälder. Die freiliegende Haut auf der Stirn der Kreatur pulsierte ein stumpfes Gelb, als sie gebogene Steinklingen in ihren besten Händen festhielt. Tonya und Senzen sahen sich gegenseitig an. Senzen grinste wie ein Kind und gab ihr ein begeistertes Daumen hoch. Nach einigen weiteren Augenblicken der Überwachung verlagerte sich das gelbe Glühen auf der Stirn des Osoian in ein neutrales Blau. Es kehrte zurück zum Sieben durch die Pflanzen, um bestimmte Blätter zu sammeln. Eine Stunde lang beobachteten Tonya und Senzen das Futter. Schließlich packte er alle Blätter in eine Tasche aus seltsamem Gewebe und schlüpfte in die Bäume, die von ihnen weg waren. Das schwache Signal auf den Scannern war in die gleiche Richtung wie das osoianische. Tonya und Senzen gaben ihm einen Vorsprung von ein paar Minuten, bevor es weiterging. Weitere Felsen ragten durch das Unterholz, als sich der dichte Wald allmählich in einen bewaldeten Canyon verwandelte. Senzen bewegte sich, damit Tonya ihm folgen konnte, als er die Felsen bis zur Spitze der Canyonwand hinaufstieg. Sie hielten sich zurück und schlichen sich an den Rand. Schließlich hielten sie an, fassungslos über das, was vor ihnen lag. Der schmale Canyon dehnte sich zu einer kreisförmigen Sackgasse aus. Eingebettet zwischen den geschwungenen Felsen lag ein Dorf. Osoianer aller Größen bewegten sich zwischen den etwa fünfzehn Bauwerken, die aus einer Kombination von Stein und Holz gehauen wurden. Tonya hat das Signal noch einmal überprüft. Ihr Scanner legte das nächste Artemis-Stück irgendwo auf der anderen Seite des Dorfes ab. Senzen blickte über ihre Schulter auf den Bildschirm. "Gut, das steht auch auf meinem Scan. Wir können umhergehen." Er begann sich zu bewegen. Sie hielt ihn auf. "Warte," sagte sie und ließ noch ein paar weitere Filterpassagen laufen. "Ich glaube nicht, dass es an der Oberfläche ist." Tonya blickte über das Dorf hinaus. Sie zeigte auf mich. Auf der anderen Seite schien ein Tunnel in die Canyonwand zu führen. "Deshalb ist das Signal so schwach. Es wird durch den Stein gedämpft." " Großartig." Senzen fiel zurück und machte es sich hinter den Felsen bequem, als er etwas Wasser trank. "Irgendeine Idee, ob die Osoianer ein gutes Nachtsicht haben?" "Keine Ahnung." Tonya zog an einen guten Aussichtspunkt des Dorfes und ließ sich nieder. Sie überprüfte die Zeit noch einmal. Die Autokonfiguration stellte ihre Glasuhr auf den frühen Nachmittag ein. Die Sekunden schienen unendlich lang im Vergleich zur Standard-Erde-Sekunde. Tonya verbrachte die Zeit mit der Beobachtung der Osoianer. Sie bevorzugte im Allgemeinen die Geschichte gegenüber der Gegenwart, aber sie konnte nicht leugnen, wie faszinierend es war, die primitiven Außerirdischen durch ihre täglichen Abläufe gehen zu sehen. Sie begann, die groben Familienstrukturen auszusuchen. Einer der Osoianer war mit kleinen, handgefertigten Schmuckstücken bedeckt. Sie nahm an, dass es entweder der Chief oder eine Art Schamane sein musste. "Es ist ziemlich unglaublich, oder?" sagte Senzen schließlich. "Ja, das sind sie", murmelte Tonya leise. "Nein, nicht sie. Nun, ich schätze, teilweise sie. Ich meinte das alles so." Senzen hatte sich gegen die Felsen gelockert und die Beobachtung ihr überlassen. "Ich meine, hast du jemals gedacht, dass du wirklich an der Schwelle stehen würdest, die Artemis zu entdecken?" "Ich habe es noch nicht gefunden." "Ja, aber wir sind näher dran als jeder andere in den letzten siebenhundert Jahren. Sag mir nicht, dass du das nicht in deiner Seele spüren kannst." Tonya sah ihn an. Es war seltsam, ihn so hoffnungsvoll, so optimistisch klingen zu hören. "Sag mir nicht, dass du jetzt eine Seele hast", antwortete sie mit einem Grinsen. "Ich hatte schon immer eine, Schatz. Ich hebe sie nur für besondere Anlässe auf." * * * * Endlich war es Nacht. Der Wald schien nun, nachdem die Sonne verschwunden war, zum Leben zu erwachen. Schwere Flügel flatterten über die Haube. Einige der größeren Außerirdischen schienen den Eingang zum Dorf durch den Canyon zu bewachen, aber ansonsten war das osoianische Dorf ruhig. Tonya und Senzen umkreisten das Dorf entlang des Canyonkamms und senkten vorsichtig die Wände in Richtung Tunnel. Bei näherer Betrachtung sahen seine Wände aus, als wären sie geschnitzt worden. Vielleicht war der Tunnel ursprünglich eine Höhle, die die Osoianer einfach ausbauten. Sie war etwas über einen Meter breit und zwei Meter hoch. Das Licht flackerte von einer Ecke voraus. Das Signal auf ihrem Scanner wurde stärker, als sie hineintraten. Senzen behielt ein Auge hinter sich, als Tonya vorankam. Sie näherte sich vorsichtig der Kurve und dem flackernden Licht. Sie entspannte ihren Kopf. Der Tunnel dehnte sich zu einer großen Vorkammer aus. Die Wände waren mit aufwendigen Schnitzereien und Gemälden verziert. Sogar der Steinboden war in konzentrische Kreise geschnitten worden, die bis zur Mitte hinabreichen. In der Mitte ragte ein abgenutzter Obelisk aus dem Boden. Die Seiten waren mit Farbe und Markierungen versehen. So sehr, dass Tonya einen Moment brauchte, um zu erkennen, was es wirklich ist. Das war kein osoianischer Monolith. Es war ein Schubdüse von den Artemis. Sie drehte sich um und sah, wie Senzen mit schlaffen Backen auf sie starrte. Er schob sich an ihr vorbei, um es sich genauer anzusehen. Tonya begann sich unterdessen mit den rohen Schnitzereien an der Wand zu beschäftigen. Es waren klare Piktogramme. Sie fing an zu lachen. "Was ist so lustig?" Senzen wandte sich an sie. Es war eine Geschichte von Göttern, die auf dem Planeten erschienen, um ihren Wagen zu reparieren oder so. Senzen schüttelte den Kopf, verwirrt. "Was ist damit?" "Erkennst du die Anzüge?" Tonya wies besonders auf einen hin. Der "Gott" trug einen Umweltanzug. Es war eine der Artemis-Crew, eine von zwölf nach dem Piktogramm. Sie bewegten sich in der Reihe der Bilder nach unten. Im letzten, bevor die Götter gingen, zeigten sie auf einen roten Stern über dem Dreierberg. Tonya und Senzen hielten beide an. "Sie haben den Osoianern gesagt, wohin sie gehen." murmelte Senzen. "Ein roter Stern. Entweder ein Sterbender...." Tonya fing an. "Oder eine neue", beendete Senzen. " Kallis." Sie sprachen zur gleichen Zeit. Tonya fing an, Bilder von den Piktogrammen, dem Triebwerk und allem anderen zu machen. "Komm schon, lass uns gehen." Senzen stürmte aus dem Tunnel. Tonya konnte sich nicht losreißen. Eine der Schnitzereien zeigte, wie die Götter den Osoianern Feuer spenden. Bei näherer Betrachtung enthielt die bemalte Schnitzerei sogar ein Wort über den Anzug des Gottes. Kenlo. Arthur Kenlo, der Chefingenieur der Artemis. "Unglaublich." Tonya kicherte vor sich hin und schnappte sich auch das. Sie sah sich um, um Senzen zu zeigen, erkannte aber, dass er gegangen war. Tonya nahm eine Handvoll mehr auf ihrem Weg aus dem Tunnel. Sie trat aus dem Tunnel, um eine gebogene Steinklinge zu finden, die auf ihre Frontplatte gerichtet war. Der Häuptling/Schamane und das ganze Dorf der Osoianer umgaben sie mit nackten Waffen. Ihre ausdrucksstarken Stirnen pulsierten alle zu einem purpurnen Lila. Ein kurzer Blick nach oben und sie sah Senzen wieder auf der Schluchtwand. Er warf seine Hände in einer "Was kann ich tun"-Geste nach oben, bevor er verschwand. Tonya wandte sich wieder den wütenden Osoianern zu. " Hi." . ... wird fortgesetzt If the gravity on Oso II weren’t so crushing, Tonya would have been doing some crushing of her own. On Senzen. With a rock or heavy stick. Instead, she was barely staying upright. Her environment suit hummed as it recycled the streams of sweat into her drinking pouch. “What are you doing here?” Senzen inquired as he trudged through the underbrush toward her. “How’d you find me? Was it Nagia?” She felt the early pulse of a rage-induced migraine coming on. “Did he plant a tracker on my ship? What?” “Calm down, Tonya. You’ll pass out.” He reached out to pat her heavily on the shoulder as he lumbered past. She swatted his hand away and followed. “Tell me.” “What, I couldn’t have found this place on my own?” “No.” Senzen turned to look at her. Deeply saddened. “That hurts my feelings.” A grin crept across his face. She wasn’t laughing. Senzen slumped down on a plant stump to take a breather before continuing. He brought up a scanner and played a file. It was silence at first, then a burst of digital distortion, disparate sounds and clicks of an audio reconstruction. Tonya instinctively leaned forward to hear — there was something buried in the chaotic signal, the static parting for fragments of moments to reveal words. “….. damage ……. further ……. necessary ……… located ……… 2456.432.1234” Senzen stopped the playback. Tonya looked at him, her rage suddenly displaced by curiosity. “What was that?’ “That, Tonya, was Janus.” Senzen sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Impressed yet?” She glared at him. “Part of his directive programming was to send status updates on both radio and FSO back to Earth. True, none of them ever made it, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t reach somewhere.” “So how did you get it?” “It’s very complicated, I wouldn’t want to bore you.” “Senzen, I’m going to beat you to death.” “Fine, fine.” Senzen laughed and threw up his hands in surrender. “The short answer, the FSO of that era beamed comms packets in infrared, so I started looking for dense patches of cryogenic gases between Earth and the path from Stanton to the Artemis’ original destination.” “Cryogenic gases can slow infrared beams,” Tonya ran with the chain of logic. “But not for hundreds of years.” “Apparently if it’s a dense enough concentration, it can. And by that, I mean after massive digital reconstruction and two frozen ships.” As much as she would absolutely never admit it, Tonya had to give it to Senzen. It was quite a discovery. “So, your turn.” Senzen sipped from his water supply. “My turn for what?” “How’d you get here?” “Oh.” Tonya stood and started shambling away. “I guessed.” Senzen hurried up beside her. Tonya stopped in frustration and looked at him. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Call me crazy, but I’ll bet our scanners are locked on the same thing. Unless you’re guessing on that too.” She didn’t say anything, which he took as agreement. “Good. So I’ll just come out and say it. I’m tired and walking around this planet is killing me.” Senzen slumped back against a tree trunk. “I’ll assume you had some crazy awesome way of figuring out to come here, so since we’re on even ground, I’m gonna call for a truce.” Tonya eyed him suspiciously as she considered it. While she still wouldn’t trust him for a second, she had to admit it would be nice to at least alleviate her paranoia for a short time. He was right though, she desperately wanted off this planet. Besides, maybe she could find a good opportunity to sell him out. It was his turn, after all. “You’ve made a friend.” Tonya turned and started walking. “Great. Thanks, Tonya. You’re a gem.” “I wasn’t talking about me.” Senzen felt something tap on the top of his helmet. He twisted around. What he initially thought was a massive root, coiled along the trunk of the tree, was actually a worm-like creature. Around sixteen feet long, it had a hardened carapace perfectly camouflaged with the tree. The carapace could separate to allow a mass of tendrils to presumably snatch any unfortunate creatures who landed on its surface. It was now feeling out Senzen’s suit, probably to see if it was edible. Senzen stepped away from the tree and hustled to catch up with Tonya. The massive creature tested the air for a few moments then disappeared back under the carapace. * * * * Even under the canopy of trees, any sign of the rain had vanished in the punishing heat. A cacophony of strange chirps and calls echoed through the massive forest. Tonya and Senzen walked in silence, saving their breath. She checked her scanner to make sure they were still headed in the right direction. “Tonya!” Senzen whispered. She looked to see Senzen crouching in the foliage, motioning for her to do the same. Tonya dropped without hesitation. After the plants settled around her, she slowly sat up for a peek. Initially, she couldn’t see anything through the dangling vines and winding trunks. Then she heard something snap, along with the whoosh of movement through leaves. It was an Osoian. That was the working name as far as the UEE was concerned. By far the most evolved species on the planet, the Senate and scientific community were waiting with bated breath to see what they called themselves. Covered in a coarse spiky fur to catch water, the Osoian stood almost five feet tall. To counteract the gravity, its powerful legs were the species’ largest appendage. They connected to the body at what would be the shoulder on a human. Four arms extended from the torso, the top two much more developed than the lower pair. The six eyes of varying sizes on the almost bug-like head scanned the woods. The exposed skin on the creature’s forehead pulsed a dull yellow as it clutched curved stone blades in its prime hands. Tonya and Senzen glanced at each other. Senzen grinned like a kid and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. After a few more moments of surveillance, the yellow glow on the Osoian’s forehead shifted to a neutral blue. It turned back to sifting through the plants to gather specific leaves. For an hour, Tonya and Senzen watched it forage. Finally, it packed all the leaves in a bag made of some strange weave and slipped into the trees away from them. The faint signal on the scanners was in the same direction as the Osoian. Tonya and Senzen gave it a few minutes head-start before moving forward. More rocks protruded through the underbrush as the dense forest gradually transformed into wooded canyon. Senzen motioned for Tonya to follow him as he scaled the rocks to the top of the canyon wall. They kept low and crept along the brink. Finally they stopped, stunned at what lay ahead. The narrow canyon expanded into a circular cul-de-sac. Nestled among the curved rocks was a village. Osoians of all sizes moved between the fifteen or so structures hewn from a combination of rock and wood. Tonya double-checked the signal. Her scanner placed the next Artemis piece somewhere on the other side of the village. Senzen glanced over her shoulder at the screen. “Good, that’s what my scan says, too. We can go around.” He started to move. She stopped him. “Wait,” she said and ran some more filter passes on it. “I don’t think it’s on the surface.” Tonya looked beyond the village. She pointed. On the far side, a tunnel seemed to lead into the canyon wall. “That’s why the signal’s so weak. It’s being muffled by the rock.” “Great.” Senzen slumped back and got comfortable behind the rocks as he sipped some water. “Any idea if the Osoians have decent night vision?” “No clue.” Tonya moved to a good vantage point of the village and settled in. She double-checked the time. The autoconfig adjusted her Glas’ clock to early afternoon SET. The seconds seemed interminably long compared to the standard Earth second. Tonya passed the time observing the Osoians. She generally preferred history to the present, but she couldn’t deny how fascinating it was to see the primitive aliens go through their daily routines. She began to pick out the rough family structures. One of the Osoians was covered in small, hand-made trinkets. She assumed it must be either the chief or some kind of shaman. “It’s pretty incredible, right?” Senzen finally said. “Yeah, they are,” Tonya murmured quietly. “No, not them. Well, I guess partially them. I meant all of this.” Senzen had relaxed against the rocks, leaving the observing to her. “I mean, did you ever think you’d really be on the threshold of discovering the Artemis?” “I haven’t found it yet.” “Yeah, but we’re closer than anyone’s ever been in the last seven hundred years. Don’t tell me you can’t feel that in your soul.” Tonya looked at him. It was strange hearing him sound this hopeful, this optimistic. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a soul now,” she retorted with a smirk. “Always had one, hon. I just save it for special occasions.” * * * * Night finally fell. The forest seemed to swell to life now that the sun had disappeared. Heavy wings flapped overhead beyond the canopy. A few of the larger aliens seemed to guard the entrance to the village through the canyon, but otherwise the Osoian village was quiet. Tonya and Senzen circled the village along the ridge of the canyon and carefully scaled down the walls toward the tunnel. On closer inspection, its walls looked like they had been carved. Perhaps the tunnel was originally a cave that the Osoians simply expanded. It was a little over a meter wide and two meters tall. Light flickered from around a corner ahead. The signal on her scanner grew stronger as they stepped inside. Senzen kept an eye behind them as Tonya moved forward. She cautiously approached the turn and the flickering light. She eased her head around. The tunnel expanded into a large antechamber. The walls were covered in intricate carvings and paintings. Even the stone floor had been cut, into levels of concentric circles descending to the center. In the center, a worn obelisk protruded from the ground. The sides had been covered in paint and markings. So much so, that it took Tonya a moment to realize what it really was. This wasn’t some Osoian monolith. It was a thruster from the Artemis. She turned back to see Senzen staring slack-jawed at it. He shoved past her to get a closer look at it. Tonya meanwhile started looking at the crude carvings on the wall. They were clearly pictographs. She started laughing. “What’s so funny?” Senzen turned to join her. It was a story of gods appearing on the planet to fix their chariot or something. Senzen shook his head, confused. “What about it?” “Recognize the suits?” Tonya pointed out one in particular. The ‘god’ was wearing an environment suit. It was one of the Artemis crew, one of twelve according to the pictogram. They moved down the row of pictures. In the last one, before the gods left, they pointed to a red star above the triple mountain. Tonya and Senzen both stopped. “They told the Osoians where they were going.” Senzen murmured. “A red star. Either a dying one …” Tonya started. “Or a new one,” Senzen finished. “Kallis.” They spoke at the same time. Tonya started grabbing pictures of the pictograms, the thruster, everything. “Come on, let’s go.” Senzen hustled out the tunnel. Tonya couldn’t tear herself away. One of the carvings showed the gods bestowing fire onto the Osoians. Upon closer inspection, the painted carving even included a word on the god’s suit. Kenlo. Arthur Kenlo, the Artemis’ chief engineer. “Unbelievable.” Tonya chuckled to herself and snapped that too. She looked around to show Senzen but realized he’d left. Tonya took a handful more on her way out the tunnel. She stepped out of the tunnel to find a curved stone blade aimed at her faceplate. The chief/shaman and the whole village of Osoians surrounded her with bare weapons. Their expressive foreheads all pulsed a churning purple. A quick glance upward and she saw Senzen back atop the canyon wall. He threw his hands up in a ‘what can I do’ gesture before disappearing. Tonya turned back to the angry Osoians. “Hi.” . . . 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 12906 Channel Undefined Category Undefined Series The Lost Generation Comments 61 Published 13 years ago (2013-02-28T00:00:00+00:00) [RSI Article](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/12906-The-Lost-Generation-Issue-7) [API](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/api/comm-links/12906)