DATELINE: SESEN Part Two - [Comm-Links](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links) - DATELINE: SESEN Part Two DATELINE: SESEN Part Two ======================== Undefined Undefined Dateline: Sesen [Previous](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/13553) [Next](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/13558) Content ------- English New United Reporters Battle Pirates. Who Survived? Haddix brought up the targeting system. “CPU says we have three hostiles inbound, running hot. Two Cutlasses and a Merlin.” Yadav caught one Cutlass out of the corner of her eye, rising up from the planetoid’s surface. The hustle and bustle of the chop-shop continued as though nothing unusual was happening. Heavy machinery unloaded the orange transport’s cargo — machinery she recognized as being on the manifest of one of the previously pirated ships. If only she could see the company logo from here. Even in a fire-fight, she couldn’t shut off the investigative portion of her brain. “Taking evasive action,” she said. Stating the obvious was part of the procedure — it kept your party focused, talking, working together. She spun the craft away from the planetoid. “Heading for jump point.” “Sighting one hostile off stern. Weapons prepped. Firing two charges.” A tense pause followed. “Miss.” Shots whizzed past on the starboard side, close enough to make the hair on the back of Yadav’s neck stand on end. “Additional hostile engaging,” said Haddix. His level tone shifted to one of concern, “This one’s not a little fighter, Ulla. We’re talking big guns.” Yadav took their craft into a sharp dive, hoping to shake the closest pirate. “We’re not going to make it to the jump point, are we?” She pulled up her comm system. Should they try to call for help? Surrender? That chop-shop out there cinched it in her mind: she’d been wrong. A multi-company conspiracy to commit fraud could not be cost-effective in these conditions. And she couldn’t think of any pirate packs that were known for running this far out with that much manpower. No syndicate in the galaxy could get that many pirates to work together without stabbing each other in the back. Whoever they were, they sure weren’t in the genteel business of white-collar crime. “I’m picking up on radio signals,” she noted. “Not from the ships, from the third planet. Maybe the terraforming is complete. There might be people down there.” “Think they’ll give us sanctuary? Firing three. Hit! The P-52 is backing off.” Yadav turned on their wide-band distress call, then attempted to reach the surface directly. “Mayday, mayday, this is Ulla Yadav of New United. Requesting permission to land. We are being attacked by unknown persons in your system. Mayday.” The planet swelled before them. The atmosphere reflected a healthy blue, but there were few bodies of water, and a good portion of the land masses appeared dry and barren. Yadav piloted the ship into a decaying orbit around the planet, and continued to call for help. As they wound around to the night side she noted only three small clusters of lights, all relatively near each other. “We aren’t talking about a massive population here,” she warned. “Two of the ships are attempting to flank. Watch out on your starboard side.” Musk wafted off of Haddix. He was sweating through his underlayers. “We need to land.” “They aren’t responding.” “Doesn’t matter. We’re press.” “Ok, starting my descent. Going in sharp. Maybe these suckers can’t take a wide-angled entry.” She pushed the controls forward, aiming for the signs of population. “Mayday, mayday,” she continued to call, “This is Ulla Yadav —” A white-hot blast engulfed the ship, stealing Yadav’s vision. The craft shook with a violent force, and the screech of twisting metal filled the cabin. Haddix let out a half-scream, half-growl. Warning lights flashed from all angles, turning his broad face red, then orange, then blue. “Where were we hit?” Yadav shouted. “Where did that shot come from?” The pirate vessels were all to their aft, but that shot — it came from below. And the only thing below was the planet. The ship’s controls seized. Yadav fought with the stick, desperately trying to keep them on course, but their trajectory took a swift dip and twist. The craft dove into the atmosphere, and they both reeled with the sudden shift. Come on, come on, Yadav chanted to herself. Clenching her jaw and biting her tongue, she pulled back on the stick, trying to bring the nose up. Her muscles ached with tension while her palms slicked the fake leather with sweat. Haddix flew through the computer prompts, “Port thruster is out and we’re leaking fuel from its tank.” His voice held remarkably steady. Yadav consciously slowed her breathing. Spots were swimming before her eyes. If she passed out, they were dead. Friction seared the outside of their ship. Flames lapped at the forward shield, and turbulence made Yadav’s teeth rattle despite her gritting. “We’re falling too fast,” Haddix screamed. She could barely hear him now, over the roar of the sweeping wind and fire. She tried to reach for the maneuvering thrusters’ regulator, but the craft began to spiral — she couldn’t keep even a semblance of control with one hand. The ground rushed up at them. The great, arched band of dark, night sky flattened into an oppressive lid. Bile rose in her throat and pain pounded through her skull — fumes from the burning exterior were making their way into the cockpit. They had a major internal breach somewhere. She kept her eyes on the ground. Her entire being was wrapped up in wrestling them to safety. Haddix took out his ‘security blanket’ once more, pressing it to his lips a long moment before shoving it down his suit, next to his heart. “Brace!” Yadav ordered. There was nothing but rock in sight. Seconds later, they hit the ground nose-on. Boom. The impact crumpled the front of the ship, but barely slowed its momentum. The craft skidded through yellow-red dirt, screaming as it went. They struck an outcropping and spun like an eighteen-ton top. The rocks tore the right side of the ship away, leaving the cockpit open and exposed. Despite her restraints, Yadav’s spine whipped back and forth like a snake. Dust and chemicals and smoke swirled through the cabin. Yadav’s vision swam. She twisted to her left and vomited, catching some in her silver-streaked hair. The camera drone rattled around the inside of the cabin before bouncing off of the side of her head, leaving a gouge near her temple. White bursts of light flashed before her eyes, and then — nothing. When she came to, she had no idea how long she’d been out, but everything had changed. All lay still inside the cabin. Above the sharp, acidic smell of scorched electronics hung the unsettling smell of burnt flesh. Her hands were raw and bleeding from her grip on the stick, and her right elbow wouldn’t move. “Haddix?” It was no longer the dead of night. Early morning twilight transformed everything into silhouettes and shadows. Yadav’s ears popped, and she realized sirens blared all around. Alternating red and white lights flashed in the distance. She strained to see out of the giant tear in her ship’s side. Bulky, black creatures formed a perimeter around the crash site, and giant insects scuttled to and fro over the cracked earth. At first, Yadav through she was hallucinating, but as the sun rose the scene clarified. The ‘beasts’ were vehicles and ships of various shapes and sizes, the ‘insects’ resolved into people. Beneath the screech of the sirens were voices — no, a single voice. “We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up.” Dizzy, she unbuckled herself and crawled to Haddix. Blackened portions of skin covered his right side, from torso to face. His suit had torn open, and a bar had pushed up through the floor of the cabin, through his seat, and up into his ribcage. But it wasn’t a clean puncture. Blood seeped slowly down his side, like water from a morbid spring. His breaths were thin, but even. A spotlight fell on the wreck from above. She couldn’t tell who was out there. Had the pirate pack followed them to the surface? She scrambled for the comm unit, only to find it dead. The craft’s embedded emergency beacon refused to activate, and the mobile beacons — her breadcrumbs — had run out. No one from New United knew where they were. Her last resort was an internal beacon, stored in her travel kit. It was for hostage situations — should the reporter find him or herself trapped behind unfriendly borders, it was a secure way to alert New United to their predicament. The signal was encrypted, and would commandeer whatever wavebands it needed to get the press signal out. The beacon looked like a little blue gel capsule, something one might take for neck pain. Quickly, she gulped it down. Once her stomach dissolved the gel, out would emerge a little bot. The bot would lodge itself in her small intestine until given the signal, by her rescuers, to release. “Exit the craft,” the voice demanded. If she didn’t respond, they might decide to bomb the crash site for good measure. Yadav struggled to squeeze herself behind Haddix’s seat and through the breach rimmed with sharp metal and live wires. Palms open, she waved in surrender. Better a hostage than a corpse. to be continued … Neue United Reporter kämpfen gegen Piraten. Wer überlebte? Haddix hat das Zielsystem angesprochen. "Die CPU sagt, dass wir drei Feinde im Anflug haben, die heiß werden. Zwei Entermesser und ein Merlin." Yadav fing ein Entermesser aus dem Augenwinkel und erhob sich von der Oberfläche des Planetoiden. Die Hektik der Chop-Shop ging weiter, als ob nichts Ungewöhnliches passiert wäre. Schwermaschinen entluden die Ladung des orangenen Transports - Maschinen, die sie als im Manifest eines der zuvor raubkopierten Schiffe erkannte. Wenn sie nur von hier aus das Firmenlogo sehen könnte. Selbst bei einer Brandbekämpfung konnte sie den Untersuchungsteil ihres Gehirns nicht abschalten. "Ausweichmanöver", sagte sie. Das Offensichtliche zu sagen, war Teil des Verfahrens - es hielt Ihre Gruppe im Fokus, sprach, arbeitete zusammen. Sie hat das Schiff vom Planetoiden weggesponnen. "Auf dem Weg zum Sprungpunkt." "Einen Feindseligen vom Heck aus zu sehen. Die Waffen sind bereit. Ich feuere zwei Ladungen ab." Es folgte eine angespannte Pause. " Miss." Auf der Steuerbordseite flogen Schüsse vorbei, nah genug, um die Haare auf der Rückseite von Yadavs Hals am Ende stehen zu lassen. "Zusätzlicher feindlicher Angriff", sagte Haddix. Sein Pegelton verlagerte sich zu einem der Besorgnis erregenden: "Dieser hier ist kein kleiner Kämpfer, Ulla. Wir reden hier von großen Waffen." Yadav nahm ihr Schiff mit in einen scharfen Tauchgang und hoffte, den nächsten Piraten zu erschüttern. "Wir werden es nicht bis zum Sprungpunkt schaffen, oder?" Sie zog ihr Kommunikationssystem hoch. Sollten sie versuchen, Hilfe zu rufen? Aufgeben? Die Werkstatt da draußen hat es ihr in den Sinn gebracht: Sie hatte sich geirrt. Eine Verschwörung mehrerer Unternehmen zur Begehung von Betrug könnte unter diesen Bedingungen nicht kosteneffizient sein. Und sie konnte sich keine Piratenpakete vorstellen, die dafür bekannt waren, mit so viel Personal so weit zu gehen. Kein Syndikat in der Galaxie konnte so viele Piraten dazu bringen, zusammenzuarbeiten, ohne sich gegenseitig in den Rücken zu fallen. Wer auch immer sie waren, sie waren sicher nicht im gehobenen Geschäft der Wirtschaftskriminalität tätig. "Ich empfange Funksignale", bemerkte sie. "Nicht von den Schiffen, vom dritten Planeten. Vielleicht ist das Terraforming abgeschlossen. Da unten könnten Leute sein." "Denkst du, sie werden uns Zuflucht geben? Ich feuere drei ab. Treffer! Die P-52 fährt zurück." Yadav schaltete ihren breitbandigen Notruf ein und versuchte dann, direkt an die Oberfläche zu gelangen. "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, hier ist Ulla Yadav von New United. Ich bitte um Erlaubnis zur Landung. Wir werden von unbekannten Personen in Ihrem System angegriffen. Mayday." Der Planet schwoll vor ihnen an. Die Atmosphäre spiegelte ein gesundes Blau wider, aber es gab nur wenige Gewässer, und ein großer Teil der Landmassen wirkte trocken und karg. Yadav steuerte das Schiff in eine zerfallende Umlaufbahn um den Planeten und rief weiterhin nach Hilfe. Als sie sich zur Nachtseite winden, bemerkte sie nur drei kleine Lichtblöcke, die alle relativ nahe beieinander lagen. "Wir reden hier nicht von einer riesigen Bevölkerung", warnte sie. "Zwei der Schiffe versuchen, die Flanke zu erreichen. Vorsicht auf der Steuerbordseite." Moschus wackelte von Haddix ab. Er schwitzte durch seine Unterböden. "Wir müssen landen." "Sie antworten nicht." "Es spielt keine Rolle. Wir sind in der Presse." "Ok, ich beginne meinen Abstieg. Er kommt in Fahrt. Vielleicht können diese Trottel keinen weitwinkeligen Einstieg verkraften." Sie drängte die Kontrollen vorwärts und zielte auf die Anzeichen von Bevölkerung ab. "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday", rief sie weiter an, "Hier ist Ulla Yadav -" Eine weißglühende Explosion verschlang das Schiff und stahl Yadavs Vision. Das Schiff zitterte mit heftiger Gewalt, und das Kreischen von gedrehtem Metall füllte die Kabine. Haddix gab eine halbe Schale, ein halbes Knäuel aus. Warnlichter blinkten aus allen Winkeln und drehten sein breites Gesicht rot, dann orange, dann blau. "Wo wurden wir getroffen?" rief Yadav. "Wo kommt dieser Schuss her?" Die Piratenschiffe waren alle an ihrem Heck, aber dieser Schuss - er kam von unten. Und das Einzige, was darunter lag, war der Planet. Die Schiffskontrollen sind beschlagnahmt. Yadav kämpfte mit dem Stock und versuchte verzweifelt, sie auf Kurs zu halten, aber ihre Flugbahn nahm einen schnellen Sprung und eine Drehung. Das Schiff tauchte in die Atmosphäre ein, und beide taumelten mit der plötzlichen Verschiebung. Komm schon, komm schon, komm schon, Yadav hat für sich selbst gesungen. Sie kneifte ihren Kiefer zusammen und biss sich auf die Zunge, zog sich am Stock zurück und versuchte, die Nase nach oben zu bringen. Ihre Muskeln schmerzten vor Spannung, während ihre Handflächen das Kunstleder mit Schweiß überzogen. Haddix flog durch die Computeraufforderungen: "Das Backbordstrahlruder ist aus und wir lassen Treibstoff aus seinem Tank aus." Seine Stimme blieb bemerkenswert ruhig. Yadav verlangsamte bewusst ihre Atmung. Flecken schwammen vor ihren Augen. Wenn sie ohnmächtig wurde, waren sie tot. Reibung verbrannte die Außenseite ihres Schiffes. Flammen leckten am vorderen Schild, und Turbulenzen ließen Yadavs Zähne trotz ihres Knirschens klappern. "Wir fallen zu schnell", schrie Haddix. Sie konnte ihn jetzt kaum noch hören, über dem Gebrüll von Wind und Feuer. Sie versuchte, nach dem Regler der Manövriertriebwerke zu greifen, aber das Schiff begann sich zu drehen - sie konnte nicht einmal den Anschein von Kontrolle mit einer Hand behalten. Der Boden stürzte auf sie zu. Das große, gewölbte Band aus dunklem, nächtlichem Himmel wurde zu einem bedrückenden Deckel. Galle stieg in ihrem Hals auf und der Schmerz schlug durch ihren Schädel - Dämpfe von der brennenden Außenseite strömten ins Cockpit. Sie hatten irgendwo einen größeren internen Verstoß. Sie hielt ihre Augen auf dem Boden. Ihr ganzes Wesen war damit beschäftigt, sie in Sicherheit zu bringen. Haddix nahm seine "Schutzdecke" noch einmal heraus und drückte sie lange Zeit an seine Lippen, bevor er sie in seinen Anzug neben sein Herz schob. "Klammer!" befahl Yadav. Es war nichts als Stein in Sicht. Sekunden später trafen sie auf die Bodennase. Bumm. Der Aufprall knitterte an der Vorderseite des Schiffes, verlangsamte aber kaum seinen Schwung. Das Schiff rutschte durch gelb-rote Erde und schrie dabei. Sie schlugen einen Ausbruch und drehten sich wie ein achtzehn Tonnen schwerer Top. Die Felsen rissen die rechte Seite des Schiffes weg und ließen das Cockpit offen und frei. Trotz ihrer Fesseln schwang Yadavs Wirbelsäule wie eine Schlange hin und her. Staub, Chemikalien und Rauch wirbelten durch die Kabine. Yadavs Vision schwamm. Sie drehte sich nach links und erbrach sich und fing einige in ihrem silber gestreiften Haar ein. Die Kameradrohne klapperte um das Innere der Kabine herum, bevor sie von der Seite ihres Kopfes abprallte und eine Vertiefung in der Nähe ihres Tempels hinterließ. Weiße Lichtschläge funkelten vor ihren Augen, und dann - nichts. Als sie zu sich kam, hatte sie keine Ahnung, wie lange sie schon draußen war, aber alles hatte sich geändert. Alle lagen noch in der Kabine. Über dem scharfen, sauren Geruch verbrannter Elektronik hing der beunruhigende Geruch von verbranntem Fleisch. Ihre Hände waren roh und blutend von ihrem Griff auf den Stock, und ihr rechter Ellbogen bewegte sich nicht. " Haddix?" Es war nicht mehr das Ende der Nacht. Die frühe Morgendämmerung verwandelte alles in Silhouetten und Schatten. Yadavs Ohren knallten, und sie erkannte, dass überall Sirenen schossen. Abwechselnd blinkten rote und weiße Lichter in der Ferne. Sie zwang sich, aus der riesigen Träne in der Seite ihres Schiffes zu sehen. Sperrige, schwarze Kreaturen bildeten einen Umkreis um die Absturzstelle, und Rieseninsekten huschten hin und her über die zerklüftete Erde. Zuerst hat Yadav durch sie halluziniert, aber als die Sonne aufging, wurde die Szene klarer. Die "Tiere" waren Fahrzeuge und Schiffe verschiedener Formen und Größen, die "Insekten" beschlossen, sich in Menschen zu verwandeln. Unter dem Kreischen der Sirenen waren Stimmen - nein, eine einzige Stimme. "Wir haben dich umzingelt. Komm mit erhobenen Händen raus." Schwindelig, sie schnallte sich ab und kroch zu Haddix. Geschwärzte Hautpartien bedeckten seine rechte Seite, vom Oberkörper bis zum Gesicht. Sein Anzug war aufgerissen, und eine Bar war durch den Boden der Kabine, durch seinen Sitz und in seinen Brustkorb nach oben geschoben worden. Aber es war keine saubere Punktion. Blut sickerte langsam an seiner Seite herunter, wie Wasser aus einer krankhaften Quelle. Seine Atemzüge waren dünn, aber gleichmäßig. Ein Scheinwerfer fiel von oben auf das Wrack. Sie konnte nicht sagen, wer da draußen war. Hatte das Piratenpack sie an die Oberfläche verfolgt? Sie kletterte zur Kommunikationseinheit, nur um sie tot aufzufinden. Das eingebettete Notlichtsignal des Schiffes weigerte sich zu aktivieren, und die mobilen Baken - ihre Brotkrumen - waren ausgelaufen. Niemand von New United wusste, wo sie waren. Ihr letzter Ausweg war ein internes Leuchtfeuer, das in ihrer Reiseausrüstung verstaut war. Es war für Geiselsituationen - sollte der Reporter sich hinter unfreundlichen Grenzen wiederfinden, war es ein sicherer Weg, New United auf ihre missliche Lage hinzuweisen. Das Signal war verschlüsselt und würde alle Wellenbänder befehligen, die es brauchte, um das Pressesignal herauszubekommen. Das Leuchtfeuer sah aus wie eine kleine blaue Gelkapsel, etwas, das man bei Nackenschmerzen einnehmen könnte. Schnell schluckte sie es runter. Sobald ihr Magen das Gel aufgelöst hatte, tauchte ein kleiner Bot auf. Der Bot würde sich in ihrem Dünndarm verstecken, bis er von seinen Rettungskräften das Signal zur Freigabe erhielt. "Verlasse das Schiff", forderte die Stimme. Wenn sie nicht reagierte, könnten sie sich entscheiden, die Absturzstelle aus Sicherheitsgründen zu bombardieren. Yadav kämpfte darum, sich hinter Haddix' Sitz zu quetschen und durch den Bruch mit scharfem Metall und stromführenden Drähten umrandet zu sein. Die Handflächen öffneten sich, sie winkte in Kapitulation. Besser eine Geisel als eine Leiche. wird fortgesetzt..... New United Reporters Battle Pirates. Who Survived? Haddix brought up the targeting system. “CPU says we have three hostiles inbound, running hot. Two Cutlasses and a Merlin.” Yadav caught one Cutlass out of the corner of her eye, rising up from the planetoid’s surface. The hustle and bustle of the chop-shop continued as though nothing unusual was happening. Heavy machinery unloaded the orange transport’s cargo — machinery she recognized as being on the manifest of one of the previously pirated ships. If only she could see the company logo from here. Even in a fire-fight, she couldn’t shut off the investigative portion of her brain. “Taking evasive action,” she said. Stating the obvious was part of the procedure — it kept your party focused, talking, working together. She spun the craft away from the planetoid. “Heading for jump point.” “Sighting one hostile off stern. Weapons prepped. Firing two charges.” A tense pause followed. “Miss.” Shots whizzed past on the starboard side, close enough to make the hair on the back of Yadav’s neck stand on end. “Additional hostile engaging,” said Haddix. His level tone shifted to one of concern, “This one’s not a little fighter, Ulla. We’re talking big guns.” Yadav took their craft into a sharp dive, hoping to shake the closest pirate. “We’re not going to make it to the jump point, are we?” She pulled up her comm system. Should they try to call for help? Surrender? That chop-shop out there cinched it in her mind: she’d been wrong. A multi-company conspiracy to commit fraud could not be cost-effective in these conditions. And she couldn’t think of any pirate packs that were known for running this far out with that much manpower. No syndicate in the galaxy could get that many pirates to work together without stabbing each other in the back. Whoever they were, they sure weren’t in the genteel business of white-collar crime. “I’m picking up on radio signals,” she noted. “Not from the ships, from the third planet. Maybe the terraforming is complete. There might be people down there.” “Think they’ll give us sanctuary? Firing three. Hit! The P-52 is backing off.” Yadav turned on their wide-band distress call, then attempted to reach the surface directly. “Mayday, mayday, this is Ulla Yadav of New United. Requesting permission to land. We are being attacked by unknown persons in your system. Mayday.” The planet swelled before them. The atmosphere reflected a healthy blue, but there were few bodies of water, and a good portion of the land masses appeared dry and barren. Yadav piloted the ship into a decaying orbit around the planet, and continued to call for help. As they wound around to the night side she noted only three small clusters of lights, all relatively near each other. “We aren’t talking about a massive population here,” she warned. “Two of the ships are attempting to flank. Watch out on your starboard side.” Musk wafted off of Haddix. He was sweating through his underlayers. “We need to land.” “They aren’t responding.” “Doesn’t matter. We’re press.” “Ok, starting my descent. Going in sharp. Maybe these suckers can’t take a wide-angled entry.” She pushed the controls forward, aiming for the signs of population. “Mayday, mayday,” she continued to call, “This is Ulla Yadav —” A white-hot blast engulfed the ship, stealing Yadav’s vision. The craft shook with a violent force, and the screech of twisting metal filled the cabin. Haddix let out a half-scream, half-growl. Warning lights flashed from all angles, turning his broad face red, then orange, then blue. “Where were we hit?” Yadav shouted. “Where did that shot come from?” The pirate vessels were all to their aft, but that shot — it came from below. And the only thing below was the planet. The ship’s controls seized. Yadav fought with the stick, desperately trying to keep them on course, but their trajectory took a swift dip and twist. The craft dove into the atmosphere, and they both reeled with the sudden shift. Come on, come on, Yadav chanted to herself. Clenching her jaw and biting her tongue, she pulled back on the stick, trying to bring the nose up. Her muscles ached with tension while her palms slicked the fake leather with sweat. Haddix flew through the computer prompts, “Port thruster is out and we’re leaking fuel from its tank.” His voice held remarkably steady. Yadav consciously slowed her breathing. Spots were swimming before her eyes. If she passed out, they were dead. Friction seared the outside of their ship. Flames lapped at the forward shield, and turbulence made Yadav’s teeth rattle despite her gritting. “We’re falling too fast,” Haddix screamed. She could barely hear him now, over the roar of the sweeping wind and fire. She tried to reach for the maneuvering thrusters’ regulator, but the craft began to spiral — she couldn’t keep even a semblance of control with one hand. The ground rushed up at them. The great, arched band of dark, night sky flattened into an oppressive lid. Bile rose in her throat and pain pounded through her skull — fumes from the burning exterior were making their way into the cockpit. They had a major internal breach somewhere. She kept her eyes on the ground. Her entire being was wrapped up in wrestling them to safety. Haddix took out his ‘security blanket’ once more, pressing it to his lips a long moment before shoving it down his suit, next to his heart. “Brace!” Yadav ordered. There was nothing but rock in sight. Seconds later, they hit the ground nose-on. Boom. The impact crumpled the front of the ship, but barely slowed its momentum. The craft skidded through yellow-red dirt, screaming as it went. They struck an outcropping and spun like an eighteen-ton top. The rocks tore the right side of the ship away, leaving the cockpit open and exposed. Despite her restraints, Yadav’s spine whipped back and forth like a snake. Dust and chemicals and smoke swirled through the cabin. Yadav’s vision swam. She twisted to her left and vomited, catching some in her silver-streaked hair. The camera drone rattled around the inside of the cabin before bouncing off of the side of her head, leaving a gouge near her temple. White bursts of light flashed before her eyes, and then — nothing. When she came to, she had no idea how long she’d been out, but everything had changed. All lay still inside the cabin. Above the sharp, acidic smell of scorched electronics hung the unsettling smell of burnt flesh. Her hands were raw and bleeding from her grip on the stick, and her right elbow wouldn’t move. “Haddix?” It was no longer the dead of night. Early morning twilight transformed everything into silhouettes and shadows. Yadav’s ears popped, and she realized sirens blared all around. Alternating red and white lights flashed in the distance. She strained to see out of the giant tear in her ship’s side. Bulky, black creatures formed a perimeter around the crash site, and giant insects scuttled to and fro over the cracked earth. At first, Yadav through she was hallucinating, but as the sun rose the scene clarified. The ‘beasts’ were vehicles and ships of various shapes and sizes, the ‘insects’ resolved into people. Beneath the screech of the sirens were voices — no, a single voice. “We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up.” Dizzy, she unbuckled herself and crawled to Haddix. Blackened portions of skin covered his right side, from torso to face. His suit had torn open, and a bar had pushed up through the floor of the cabin, through his seat, and up into his ribcage. But it wasn’t a clean puncture. Blood seeped slowly down his side, like water from a morbid spring. His breaths were thin, but even. A spotlight fell on the wreck from above. She couldn’t tell who was out there. Had the pirate pack followed them to the surface? She scrambled for the comm unit, only to find it dead. The craft’s embedded emergency beacon refused to activate, and the mobile beacons — her breadcrumbs — had run out. No one from New United knew where they were. Her last resort was an internal beacon, stored in her travel kit. It was for hostage situations — should the reporter find him or herself trapped behind unfriendly borders, it was a secure way to alert New United to their predicament. The signal was encrypted, and would commandeer whatever wavebands it needed to get the press signal out. The beacon looked like a little blue gel capsule, something one might take for neck pain. Quickly, she gulped it down. Once her stomach dissolved the gel, out would emerge a little bot. The bot would lodge itself in her small intestine until given the signal, by her rescuers, to release. “Exit the craft,” the voice demanded. If she didn’t respond, they might decide to bomb the crash site for good measure. Yadav struggled to squeeze herself behind Haddix’s seat and through the breach rimmed with sharp metal and live wires. Palms open, she waved in surrender. Better a hostage than a corpse. to be continued … Links ----- No links available. Images ------ 1 image/jpeg [ ![](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/x3l6h1jdbgno8r/source/DatelineSesenFI3.jpg) ](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/x3l6h1jdbgno8r/source/DatelineSesenFI3.jpg) DatelineSesenFI3.jpg [Details](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/images/1292) Last Modified 12 years ago Size 1.52 MB [Source](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/x3l6h1jdbgno8r/source/DatelineSesenFI3.jpg) [Info](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/images/1292) Metadata -------- CIG ID 13557 Channel Undefined Category Undefined Series Dateline: Sesen Comments 67 Published 12 years ago (2014-02-07T00:00:00+00:00) [RSI Article](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/serialized-fiction/13557-DATELINE-SESEN-Part-Two) [API](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/api/comm-links/13557)