DATELINE: SESEN: Part Ten - [Comm-Links](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links) - DATELINE: SESEN: Part Ten DATELINE: SESEN: Part Ten ========================= Undefined Undefined Dateline: Sesen [Previous](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/13793) [Next](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/13795) Content ------- English Air Raid Shelter? Smugglers’ Tunnels? Minotaur’s Labyrinth? What Lies Beneath Sesen’s Capital City? Something strange was definitely going down on Sesen. Jones had spun a good yarn, but had shied away from any real details. How had they gotten the Surveyors to stay away? Did it have to do with the appearance of the pirates? Was the government being blackmailed by the bandits? Perhaps the pirates had played a part in the people’s revolt, and now held that over them. Jones had spoken of prosperity like their colony was still beholden to someone, still needed to break free. Were they being held hostage as a planet, but had recently devised a way to throw off their new oppressors? And how was giving an interview supposed to help? Yadav had overheard Jones say that the reporter’s appearance was an ‘opportunity’ that could put an end to the piracy. How? Perhaps the answers lay at the bottom of this staircase. Without giving another thought to the corpse at her feet, she descended the steps. Maybe this was meant to be the shooter’s escape route. He’d kill Yadav, then disappear, ghost-like. The staircase was several stories tall. It took her far beneath street-level, into a series of tunnels. A small light, attached to one of the vest’s belts, helped her find her way. At first she thought she’d found the universe’s most clandestine sewer entrance, but the curving cement walls were free of filth. Nothing smelled foul, no mold or fatty masses clung to the sides. And though she could identify clear channels for water or pipes, everything was desert-dry. After following the blinking red dot through a series of twists and turns, Yadav’s sense of direction failed. She was fine while top-side, and she hadn’t lost her bearings in space since flight school. But under meters of stone and dirt, her natural compass spun like a top. Occasionally the tunnel branched, and the dot would instruct her which arm to take. Soon she realized it was leading her toward faint sounds. Motor whirs and clangs and bangs resolved themselves the further she pressed. Construction noise. And on top of that, something else. Engines. Ships. And now, lights up ahead. Around another corner, Yadav found herself in a wide cavern. Quickly, she ducked back. Flood lamps illuminated a major manufacturing production. Young, strong workers crawled over the hide of a giant, half-built drill. A crane lifted parts out of crates and into place. The stamps on the crates were unmistakable. These parts were from the transport she’d seen commandeered by the pirates. To the right, up a sweeping wave of concrete, lay landing pads covered with older Cutlasses. Broad hangar doors splayed wide, allowing ships to fly down a channel from the surface and alight here. A quick and efficient way to deposit stolen goods. “Don’t forget to update the list,” said a familiar man’s voice. “We’re still short on bolts that can support the weight. What we have now won’t cut it.” From behind a pirate ship stepped Wei Martinez. That bastard. The government must be taking a payoff from the pirates, Yadav concluded. Allowing the bandits to use Sesen as a staging ground. But who sent the assassin? The government, or the pirates? Two of the governor’s guards were dead, surely that meant — Something vibrated in Yadav’s gut. She clutched at her abdomen, confused. Muscle spasms? No, she remembered — the beacon she’d swallowed. It was alerting her to the presence of a New United ship. The bread crumbs had worked. They’d come to rescue her. Time to make a hasty retreat. Just as she was about to follow the blinking red dot back the way she’d come, a new ship set down in the hangar. A Constellation, emblazoned with a government skin — skin that flickered and shifted as Yadav watched, becoming pirate war paint in a split second. It hadn’t been her eyes after the crash. Jones’ craft had been sporting red. The doors opened and the governor disembarked. She grabbed the closest technician by the sleeve. “These decals keep malfunctioning.” The government isn’t taking payoffs from the pirates. They are the pirates. Jones was just as sleazy as any other politician Yadav had ever interviewed — worse. Which meant Yadav was on a planet controlled by a pirate pack. This was where all the young men and women had gone — down here, in the tunnels, or up there in the asteroid field. Everything made sense now. Except for why they hadn’t killed her when Haddix had died. It wouldn’t have been difficult to claim they’d both perished in the crash, should someone come snooping. After holding a brief conversation with the technician, Jones stomped over to Martinez. “What the hell have you done, Wei?” The record keeper Martinez had been speaking with looked back and forth between the two cousins, unsure if he should leave. Martinez gave him no indication one way or the other. “I did what needed done. Having her around wasn’t worth the risk,” Martinez said to Jones casually. He continued his conversation with the records man as though she had not interrupted. “You sent someone to kill an innocent woman — without my consent. Just like you shot them down without my consent. You do not give such orders without my authorization.” Jones was trembling with barely restrained anger. “That idiot you sent killed some of our people, Wei.” “People have died in our wake before.” “Not like this. Not because you found them inconvenient. We agreed to leave the reporter alone, to try and get her to tell the colony’s story. We need aid. She can draw attention to our lack of basic necessities —” “She can draw attention to our crimes,” he said firmly, turning his full attention on her. The record keeper scurried away. “You were fine when we revolted, you could do what needed doing during war time. But what you don’t realize is that we’re still in a war. We are still fighting for our survival. If the Advocacy discovers our syndicate, they won’t sigh and say, well, if only you’d been given a better lot in life.” “If we can get help — from the UEE, from a corporation, from some wealthy consortium, whoever — we can stop commandeering ships. Right now we pour ninety percent of what we steal back into the damn business — more ships, more weapons, more scanners, more forged IDs. Money and goods that should go to our people instead. We can’t keep growing the pack. When do our crimes start benefiting our colony? That’s the whole reason we started, to get set on our feet. If we find alternative means, we can stop being criminals.” “It’s not that clean cut. Can’t you tell how naïve you sound? What do you think all this is?” he waved at the construction. “Isn’t this for the people?” “It’s not enough.” “It has to be enough, because there isn’t an alternative. You chose piracy and all it entailed. It’s not a lifestyle you can just cast off when you want to reinvent yourself. You have to accept that you are a damn crime boss, not a chameleon.” She took a step forward, invading his personal space. “It doesn’t matter what you think I’ve accepted or not. I am in charge. I give the orders. Bottom line: we agreed to leave the reporter alone.” “I never agreed to let her wander around in the city, poking and prodding.” “Doesn’t matter. My orders were that she wasn’t to be harmed. That should have been enough.” Yadav began slowly backing out, down the tunnel. She had everything she needed — enough to prepare her report and more. It was time to go. The chain of command was in question, and that never ended well. She had to get somewhere the rescue ship could land. Barring that, she had to figure out how to steal a ship and meet the team. Once she’d tiptoed well out of the light, she spun on her heel and prepared to run. And found herself nose-to-chest with a very tall, very broad guardsman. He was flanked on either side by two more guards — five crew in total. “I’m sorry to see you down here,” said one — Sato. It was the guard who had stood outside her hospital room door. “The governor sent us to find you. She thought you were dead. By the looks of that guy up top, I’d say you’re a lady who can take care of herself.” “She’s also a lady who doesn’t know how to quit when she’s ahead,” said the big man. He grabbed her by both arms. His hand almost wrapped entirely around her bicep. “You shouldn’t have come down here. Mr. Martinez won’t like it.” “Mr. Martinez can kiss my ass,” Yadav said. The group spun her around, then marched her into the cavern. Men and women stopped working as she plodded past. Jones’ and Martinez’ heads both snapped in Yadav’s direction. “See?” Martinez shouted. “Reporters are like cockroaches. They get into everything. Soil everything. And they won’t die no matter how many times you step on them.” Jones sighed and shook her head in disappointment. “I’ll explain,” she said to Yadav. “No, you won’t,” said Martinez. “She’s seen too much. You can’t expect she’ll just play nice and shut up. This damn woman will bring interplanetary law — the Advocacy — down on our heads. We have to get rid of her.” “We have to explain to her,” Jones said. Martinez glared at her. For a minute, it looked like the governor had won. “Screw this,” he said suddenly, drawing his firearm from its holster. The barrel pointed directly at Yadav’s heart. Everyone moved at once. Yadav tried to collapse, letting her knees turn to jelly, but the guard kept her upright. Jones jumped in front of the gun. Martinez pulled the trigger. Crack. The smell of smoldering accelerant filled the air. Jones stumbled to the floor. Blood pooled on the clean cement. to be continued … Luftschutzkeller? Schmugglertunnel? Das Labyrinth des Minotaurus? Was liegt hinter der Hauptstadt von Sesen? Etwas Seltsames ging definitiv auf Sesen los. Jones hatte ein gutes Garn gesponnen, war aber von allen echten Details verschont geblieben. Wie hatten sie die Vermessungsingenieure dazu gebracht, sich fernzuhalten? Hatte es mit dem Aussehen der Piraten zu tun? Wurde die Regierung von den Banditen erpresst? Vielleicht hatten die Piraten eine Rolle bei der Revolte des Volkes gespielt und hielten das nun über sie. Jones hatte von Wohlstand gesprochen, als wäre ihre Kolonie noch jemandem verpflichtet, noch immer nötig, um sich zu befreien. Wurden sie als Geiseln genommen, hatten aber kürzlich einen Weg gefunden, ihre neuen Unterdrücker abzuwerfen? Und wie sollte ein Interview helfen? Yadav hatte Jones zufällig sagen hören, dass das Erscheinen des Reporters eine "Gelegenheit" sei, die der Piraterie ein Ende setzen könne. Wie? Vielleicht lagen die Antworten am Ende dieser Treppe. Ohne einen weiteren Gedanken an die Leiche zu ihren Füßen zu verschwenden, stieg sie die Stufen hinab. Vielleicht sollte dies der Fluchtweg des Schützen sein. Er würde Yadav töten und dann verschwinden, geisterhaft. Die Treppe war mehrere Stockwerke hoch. Es führte sie weit unter das Straßenniveau, in eine Reihe von Tunneln. Ein kleines Licht, das an einem der Gürtel der Weste befestigt war, half ihr, ihren Weg zu finden. Zuerst dachte sie, sie hätte den geheimsten Abwassereingang des Universums gefunden, aber die geschwungenen Betonwände waren frei von Schmutz. Nichts roch nach Foul, kein Schimmel oder fettige Massen hingen an den Seiten. Und obwohl sie klare Kanäle für Wasser oder Leitungen identifizieren konnte, war alles wüstenhaft trocken. Nachdem er dem blinkenden roten Punkt durch eine Reihe von Wendungen gefolgt war, scheiterte Yadavs Sinn für die Richtung. Ihr ging es gut während der Überfliegerei, und sie hatte seit der Flugschule den Überblick im Weltraum nicht verloren. Aber unter Metern von Stein und Schmutz drehte sich ihr natürlicher Kompass wie ein Kreisel. Gelegentlich verzweigte sich der Tunnel, und der Punkt wies sie an, welchen Arm sie nehmen sollte. Bald erkannte sie, dass es sie zu schwachen Geräuschen führte. Motorische Wirbel und Klapper und Pony lösen sich auf, je weiter sie drückt. Baulärm. Und noch dazu etwas anderes. Motoren. Schiffe. Und jetzt leuchtet es vor uns auf. Um eine weitere Ecke befand sich Yadav in einer breiten Höhle. Schnell, sie hat sich zurückgezogen. Flutlichtstrahler beleuchteten eine große Fertigungsproduktion. Junge, starke Arbeiter krochen über das Fell eines riesigen, halbgebauten Bohrers. Ein Kran hob Teile aus den Kisten und an ihren Platz. Die Stempel auf den Kisten waren unverkennbar. Diese Teile stammten von dem Transport, den sie von den Piraten beschlagnahmt gesehen hatte. Auf der rechten Seite, auf einer ausgedehnten Welle aus Beton, lagen Landeplätze, die mit älteren Entermessern bedeckt waren. Breite Hangartüren spreizten sich weit auseinander, so dass die Schiffe einen Kanal von der Oberfläche aus hinunterfliegen und hier landen konnten. Eine schnelle und effiziente Möglichkeit, gestohlene Waren zu deponieren. "Vergiss nicht, die Liste zu aktualisieren", sagte die Stimme eines bekannten Mannes. "Wir haben immer noch zu wenig Schrauben, die das Gewicht tragen können. Was wir jetzt haben, wird nicht reichen." Von hinten trat ein Piratenschiff auf Wei Martinez. Dieser Bastard. Die Regierung muss sich von den Piraten bezahlen lassen, schloss Yadav. Den Banditen erlauben, Sesen als Aufenthaltsort zu nutzen. Aber wer hat den Attentäter geschickt? Die Regierung oder die Piraten? Zwei der Wachen des Gouverneurs waren tot, das bedeutete sicher - Etwas vibrierte in Yadavs Bauch. Sie klammerte sich an ihren Bauch, verwirrt. Muskelkrämpfe? Nein, sie erinnerte sich - das Leuchtfeuer, das sie geschluckt hatte. Es alarmierte sie auf die Anwesenheit eines New United-Schiffes. Die Brotkrumen hatten funktioniert. Sie kamen, um sie zu retten. Zeit für einen voreiligen Rückzug. Gerade als sie im Begriff war, dem blinkenden roten Punkt auf dem Weg zurück zu folgen, den sie kommen würde, setzte sich ein neues Schiff in den Hänger. Eine Konstellation, geschmückt mit einer Regierungshaut - eine Haut, die flackerte und sich bewegte, als Yadav zusah und in Sekundenbruchteilen zu Piratenkriegsfarbe wurde. Es waren nicht ihre Augen nach dem Unfall. Jones' Schiff war rot gekleidet. Die Türen öffneten sich und der Gouverneur stieg aus. Sie packte den nächsten Techniker am Ärmel. "Diese Aufkleber funktionieren immer noch nicht richtig." Die Regierung nimmt keine Schmiergelder von den Piraten. Sie sind die Piraten. Jones war genauso schäbig wie jeder andere Politiker, den Yadav je interviewt hatte - schlimmer noch. Was bedeutete, dass Yadav auf einem Planeten war, der von einem Piratenpack kontrolliert wurde. Hier waren alle jungen Männer und Frauen hingegangen - hier unten, in den Tunneln oder dort oben im Asteroidenfeld. Alles machte jetzt Sinn. Außer, warum sie sie nicht getötet hatten, als Haddix gestorben war. Es wäre nicht schwer gewesen zu behaupten, dass beide bei dem Unfall umgekommen wären, sollte jemand schnüffeln. Nach einem kurzen Gespräch mit dem Techniker stolperte Jones zu Martinez hinüber. "Was zum Teufel hast du getan, Wei?" Der Rekordhalter Martinez hatte mit einem Blick hin und her zwischen den beiden Cousins gesprochen, unsicher, ob er gehen sollte. Martinez gab ihm keine Hinweise auf die eine oder andere Weise. "Ich habe getan, was nötig war. Sie um sich zu haben, war das Risiko nicht wert", sagte Martinez beiläufig zu Jones. Er setzte sein Gespräch mit dem Archivar fort, als ob sie nicht unterbrochen worden wäre. "Du hast jemanden geschickt, um eine unschuldige Frau zu töten - ohne meine Zustimmung. Genau wie du sie ohne meine Zustimmung abgeschossen hast. Du gibst solche Befehle nicht ohne meine Erlaubnis." Jones zitterte vor kaum zurückhaltender Wut. "Der Idiot, den du geschickt hast, hat einige unserer Leute getötet, Wei." "Menschen sind schon einmal in unserem Gefolge gestorben." "Nicht so. Nicht, weil du sie unangenehm fandest. Wir haben vereinbart, die Reporterin in Ruhe zu lassen, um sie dazu zu bringen, die Geschichte der Kolonie zu erzählen. Wir brauchen Hilfe. Sie kann die Aufmerksamkeit auf unseren Mangel an Grundbedürfnissen lenken -" "Sie kann die Aufmerksamkeit auf unsere Verbrechen lenken", sagte er fest und richtete seine volle Aufmerksamkeit auf sie. Der Protokollführer huschte davon. "Als wir uns auflehnten, ging es dir gut, du konntest das tun, was du in Kriegszeiten tun musstest. Aber was du nicht merkst, ist, dass wir immer noch im Krieg sind. Wir kämpfen immer noch um unser Überleben. Wenn die Advocacy unser Syndikat entdeckt, werden sie nicht seufzen und sagen, nun, wenn man dir nur eine bessere Chance gegeben hätte." "Wenn wir Hilfe bekommen können - von der UEE, von einem Unternehmen, von einem reichen Konsortium, wer auch immer - können wir aufhören, Schiffe zu beschlagnahmen. Im Moment gießen wir neunzig Prozent von dem, was wir zurück in das verdammte Geschäft stehlen - mehr Schiffe, mehr Waffen, mehr Scanner, mehr gefälschte Ausweise. Geld und Güter, die stattdessen an unsere Mitarbeiter gehen sollten. Wir können das Rudel nicht weiter ausbauen. Wann fangen unsere Verbrechen an, unserer Kolonie zu helfen? Das ist der ganze Grund, warum wir angefangen haben, uns auf die Beine zu stellen. Wenn wir alternative Mittel finden, können wir aufhören, Kriminelle zu sein." "Es ist nicht so ein sauberer Schnitt. Kannst du nicht sagen, wie naiv du dich anhörst? Was glaubst du, was das alles ist?", winkte er der Konstruktion zu. "Ist das nicht für das Volk?" "Es ist nicht genug." "Es muss genug sein, denn es gibt keine Alternative. Sie haben sich für die Piraterie und die damit verbundenen Folgen entschieden. Es ist kein Lebensstil, den man einfach ablegen kann, wenn man sich neu erfinden will. Du musst akzeptieren, dass du ein verdammter Verbrecherboss bist, kein Chamäleon." Sie machte einen Schritt nach vorne und dringt in seinen persönlichen Bereich ein. "Es spielt keine Rolle, was du denkst, was ich akzeptiert habe oder nicht. Ich habe das Sagen. Ich gebe die Befehle. Fazit: Wir haben vereinbart, den Reporter in Ruhe zu lassen." "Ich habe nie zugestimmt, sie in der Stadt herumlaufen zu lassen, stochern und stossen." "Es spielt keine Rolle. Meine Befehle waren, dass sie nicht verletzt werden darf. Das hätte reichen sollen." Yadav begann langsam auszusteigen, durch den Tunnel. Sie hatte alles, was sie brauchte - genug, um ihren Bericht vorzubereiten und mehr. Es war Zeit zu gehen. Die Befehlskette war in Frage gestellt, und das endete nie gut. Sie musste irgendwo hin, wo das Rettungsschiff landen konnte. Vorbehaltlich dessen musste sie herausfinden, wie man ein Schiff stiehlt und das Team trifft. Nachdem sie aus dem Licht gut auf Zehenspitzen gegangen war, drehte sie sich auf ihrer Ferse und bereitete sich auf das Laufen vor. Und fand sich von Nase zu Brust mit einem sehr großen, sehr breiten Wächter wieder. Er wurde auf beiden Seiten von zwei weiteren Wachen flankiert - insgesamt fünf Besatzungsmitgliedern. "Es tut mir leid, dich hier unten zu sehen", sagte eine - Sato. Es war die Wache, die vor ihrer Krankenhaustür gestanden hatte. "Der Gouverneur hat uns geschickt, um dich zu finden. Sie dachte, du wärst tot. Nach dem Aussehen des Kerls da oben würde ich sagen, dass du eine Dame bist, die auf sich selbst aufpassen kann." "Sie ist auch eine Dame, die nicht weiß, wie man aufhört, wenn sie voraus ist", sagte der große Mann. Er packte sie mit beiden Armen. Seine Hand wickelte sich fast vollständig um ihren Bizeps. "Du hättest nicht hier runterkommen sollen. Mr. Martinez wird es nicht gefallen." "Mr. Martinez kann meinen Arsch küssen", sagte Yadav. Die Gruppe drehte sie um und marschierte sie dann in die Höhle. Männer und Frauen hörten auf zu arbeiten, als sie sich zurückhielt. Jones' und Martinez' Köpfe rasten beide in Yadavs Richtung. " Siehst du?" schrie Martinez. "Reporter sind wie Kakerlaken. Sie kommen in alles rein. Alles beschmutzen. Und sie werden nicht sterben, egal wie oft man auf sie tritt." Jones seufzte und schüttelte enttäuscht den Kopf. "Ich werde es erklären", sagte sie zu Yadav. "Nein, wirst du nicht", sagte Martinez. "Sie hat zu viel gesehen. Du kannst nicht erwarten, dass sie einfach nett spielt und die Klappe hält. Diese verdammte Frau wird uns das interplanetare Gesetz - die Advocacy - auf den Kopf stellen. Wir müssen sie loswerden." "Wir müssen es ihr erklären", sagte Jones. Martinez starrte sie an. Für eine Minute sah es so aus, als hätte der Gouverneur gewonnen. "Scheiß drauf", sagte er plötzlich und zog seine Waffe aus dem Holster. Der Lauf zeigte direkt auf Yadavs Herz. Alle bewegten sich auf einmal. Yadav versuchte zusammenzubrechen und ließ ihre Knie zu Gelee werden, aber die Wache hielt sie aufrecht. Jones sprang vor die Waffe. Martinez drückte den Abzug. Riss. Der Geruch von schwelendem Beschleuniger füllte die Luft. Jones stolperte auf den Boden. Das Blut sammelte sich auf dem sauberen Zement. wird fortgesetzt..... Air Raid Shelter? Smugglers’ Tunnels? Minotaur’s Labyrinth? What Lies Beneath Sesen’s Capital City? Something strange was definitely going down on Sesen. Jones had spun a good yarn, but had shied away from any real details. How had they gotten the Surveyors to stay away? Did it have to do with the appearance of the pirates? Was the government being blackmailed by the bandits? Perhaps the pirates had played a part in the people’s revolt, and now held that over them. Jones had spoken of prosperity like their colony was still beholden to someone, still needed to break free. Were they being held hostage as a planet, but had recently devised a way to throw off their new oppressors? And how was giving an interview supposed to help? Yadav had overheard Jones say that the reporter’s appearance was an ‘opportunity’ that could put an end to the piracy. How? Perhaps the answers lay at the bottom of this staircase. Without giving another thought to the corpse at her feet, she descended the steps. Maybe this was meant to be the shooter’s escape route. He’d kill Yadav, then disappear, ghost-like. The staircase was several stories tall. It took her far beneath street-level, into a series of tunnels. A small light, attached to one of the vest’s belts, helped her find her way. At first she thought she’d found the universe’s most clandestine sewer entrance, but the curving cement walls were free of filth. Nothing smelled foul, no mold or fatty masses clung to the sides. And though she could identify clear channels for water or pipes, everything was desert-dry. After following the blinking red dot through a series of twists and turns, Yadav’s sense of direction failed. She was fine while top-side, and she hadn’t lost her bearings in space since flight school. But under meters of stone and dirt, her natural compass spun like a top. Occasionally the tunnel branched, and the dot would instruct her which arm to take. Soon she realized it was leading her toward faint sounds. Motor whirs and clangs and bangs resolved themselves the further she pressed. Construction noise. And on top of that, something else. Engines. Ships. And now, lights up ahead. Around another corner, Yadav found herself in a wide cavern. Quickly, she ducked back. Flood lamps illuminated a major manufacturing production. Young, strong workers crawled over the hide of a giant, half-built drill. A crane lifted parts out of crates and into place. The stamps on the crates were unmistakable. These parts were from the transport she’d seen commandeered by the pirates. To the right, up a sweeping wave of concrete, lay landing pads covered with older Cutlasses. Broad hangar doors splayed wide, allowing ships to fly down a channel from the surface and alight here. A quick and efficient way to deposit stolen goods. “Don’t forget to update the list,” said a familiar man’s voice. “We’re still short on bolts that can support the weight. What we have now won’t cut it.” From behind a pirate ship stepped Wei Martinez. That bastard. The government must be taking a payoff from the pirates, Yadav concluded. Allowing the bandits to use Sesen as a staging ground. But who sent the assassin? The government, or the pirates? Two of the governor’s guards were dead, surely that meant — Something vibrated in Yadav’s gut. She clutched at her abdomen, confused. Muscle spasms? No, she remembered — the beacon she’d swallowed. It was alerting her to the presence of a New United ship. The bread crumbs had worked. They’d come to rescue her. Time to make a hasty retreat. Just as she was about to follow the blinking red dot back the way she’d come, a new ship set down in the hangar. A Constellation, emblazoned with a government skin — skin that flickered and shifted as Yadav watched, becoming pirate war paint in a split second. It hadn’t been her eyes after the crash. Jones’ craft had been sporting red. The doors opened and the governor disembarked. She grabbed the closest technician by the sleeve. “These decals keep malfunctioning.” The government isn’t taking payoffs from the pirates. They are the pirates. Jones was just as sleazy as any other politician Yadav had ever interviewed — worse. Which meant Yadav was on a planet controlled by a pirate pack. This was where all the young men and women had gone — down here, in the tunnels, or up there in the asteroid field. Everything made sense now. Except for why they hadn’t killed her when Haddix had died. It wouldn’t have been difficult to claim they’d both perished in the crash, should someone come snooping. After holding a brief conversation with the technician, Jones stomped over to Martinez. “What the hell have you done, Wei?” The record keeper Martinez had been speaking with looked back and forth between the two cousins, unsure if he should leave. Martinez gave him no indication one way or the other. “I did what needed done. Having her around wasn’t worth the risk,” Martinez said to Jones casually. He continued his conversation with the records man as though she had not interrupted. “You sent someone to kill an innocent woman — without my consent. Just like you shot them down without my consent. You do not give such orders without my authorization.” Jones was trembling with barely restrained anger. “That idiot you sent killed some of our people, Wei.” “People have died in our wake before.” “Not like this. Not because you found them inconvenient. We agreed to leave the reporter alone, to try and get her to tell the colony’s story. We need aid. She can draw attention to our lack of basic necessities —” “She can draw attention to our crimes,” he said firmly, turning his full attention on her. The record keeper scurried away. “You were fine when we revolted, you could do what needed doing during war time. But what you don’t realize is that we’re still in a war. We are still fighting for our survival. If the Advocacy discovers our syndicate, they won’t sigh and say, well, if only you’d been given a better lot in life.” “If we can get help — from the UEE, from a corporation, from some wealthy consortium, whoever — we can stop commandeering ships. Right now we pour ninety percent of what we steal back into the damn business — more ships, more weapons, more scanners, more forged IDs. Money and goods that should go to our people instead. We can’t keep growing the pack. When do our crimes start benefiting our colony? That’s the whole reason we started, to get set on our feet. If we find alternative means, we can stop being criminals.” “It’s not that clean cut. Can’t you tell how naïve you sound? What do you think all this is?” he waved at the construction. “Isn’t this for the people?” “It’s not enough.” “It has to be enough, because there isn’t an alternative. You chose piracy and all it entailed. It’s not a lifestyle you can just cast off when you want to reinvent yourself. You have to accept that you are a damn crime boss, not a chameleon.” She took a step forward, invading his personal space. “It doesn’t matter what you think I’ve accepted or not. I am in charge. I give the orders. Bottom line: we agreed to leave the reporter alone.” “I never agreed to let her wander around in the city, poking and prodding.” “Doesn’t matter. My orders were that she wasn’t to be harmed. That should have been enough.” Yadav began slowly backing out, down the tunnel. She had everything she needed — enough to prepare her report and more. It was time to go. The chain of command was in question, and that never ended well. She had to get somewhere the rescue ship could land. Barring that, she had to figure out how to steal a ship and meet the team. Once she’d tiptoed well out of the light, she spun on her heel and prepared to run. And found herself nose-to-chest with a very tall, very broad guardsman. He was flanked on either side by two more guards — five crew in total. “I’m sorry to see you down here,” said one — Sato. It was the guard who had stood outside her hospital room door. “The governor sent us to find you. She thought you were dead. By the looks of that guy up top, I’d say you’re a lady who can take care of herself.” “She’s also a lady who doesn’t know how to quit when she’s ahead,” said the big man. He grabbed her by both arms. His hand almost wrapped entirely around her bicep. “You shouldn’t have come down here. Mr. Martinez won’t like it.” “Mr. Martinez can kiss my ass,” Yadav said. The group spun her around, then marched her into the cavern. Men and women stopped working as she plodded past. Jones’ and Martinez’ heads both snapped in Yadav’s direction. “See?” Martinez shouted. “Reporters are like cockroaches. They get into everything. Soil everything. And they won’t die no matter how many times you step on them.” Jones sighed and shook her head in disappointment. “I’ll explain,” she said to Yadav. “No, you won’t,” said Martinez. “She’s seen too much. You can’t expect she’ll just play nice and shut up. This damn woman will bring interplanetary law — the Advocacy — down on our heads. We have to get rid of her.” “We have to explain to her,” Jones said. Martinez glared at her. For a minute, it looked like the governor had won. “Screw this,” he said suddenly, drawing his firearm from its holster. The barrel pointed directly at Yadav’s heart. Everyone moved at once. Yadav tried to collapse, letting her knees turn to jelly, but the guard kept her upright. Jones jumped in front of the gun. Martinez pulled the trigger. Crack. The smell of smoldering accelerant filled the air. Jones stumbled to the floor. Blood pooled on the clean cement. 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 13794 Channel Undefined Category Undefined Series Dateline: Sesen Comments 71 Published 12 years ago (2014-04-04T00:00:00+00:00) [RSI Article](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/serialized-fiction/13794-DATELINE-SESEN-Part-Ten) [API](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/api/comm-links/13794)