Wanderer 3: Tainted Universe (18 page)

“For how long?”

“
As long as it takes.  Their suits will recycle water and they’ll have emergency rations for a few days.  If we can keep them moving round in circles they’ll start to get frustrated.  They’ll get careless.  That’s when we can start to pick them off.”

“
I don’t like it.  I’d much rather just kill them.”

“
Me too.  While they’re alive we have to keep a close eye on them.  Unless you can think of anything else this is the best we can do though.”

“
Damn.  All right.  Do we use the robots too?”

“
Not for the moment.  Save them for when we can make best use of them.”

“
How do you know the troopers won’t get out?” Ali asked, fear tinging her voice.

“
We don’t,” Dash said.  “Jess, is there anything they could damage down there?”

Jess thought about it.  The others waited for him to speak.  Finally he shook his head.

“Not really.  The engines are sealed off behind multi-layered bulkheads designed to take impacts from a warship’s weaponry.  The main thrusters too.  They might be able to reach a few of the manoeuvring thrusters or shield generators but not enough to do any real harm.  Then there’s us of course.  They’d have to get through reinforced bulkheads again, and most of the defensive weaponry is here to keep us safe.”

“
That’s good.  Think about creating a bolt hole though.  Somewhere secure we can all fit into if they do look like breaking into this area.”

“
I can do that.”

“
What about the ship?  What state is the
Wanderer
in?”

Jess grimaced.  “Not great.  The main shields are still down.  Many of the generators need to be rebuilt.  The battlecruiser took out quite a few weapons too.  We’ve still got some structural damage and the ship took a battering in that last fight.”

“Can you fix everything before we reach the Quarantine Zone?”

“
Maybe.  Definitely most of the important stuff.  We need more resources to completely fix everything.  I don’t think we’ll be mining any more asteroids for a while.  Not with that fleet on our trail.  And it’s going to be tricky getting everything fixed while also dealing with those troopers.”

“
Let me run that operation then.  Give me control and enough screens to keep track of them, then you can focus on fixing the ship.”

Jess was immediately suspicious.  Giving Dash that much power sounded a terrible idea.  Dash could use the power to prepare an ambush for Jess and Ali.  Even if Jess put limits in place he would still have to constantly watch what Dash was doing.  It would be more distracting than dealing with the troopers himself.

“The
Wanderer
doesn’t really work like that,” Jess said, stalling.

Dash frowned and opened his mouth to argue.  Ali got there first.

“I’ll do it,” she said.  “I can use my implants to do what’s needed, and to help Dash keep track of the troopers.”

And I can make sure he isn’t planning anything against us.

Jess fought to keep a smile off his face as he received Ali’s message through his own interface.  It was a great solution.

“
Yes.  That should work, shouldn’t it?”

Dash thought for a moment then nodded, smiling.  “Yes.  Definitely.  Let’s get started.”

As Dash turned away Jess caught a fleeting expression that he couldn’t place.  Was it because Dash couldn’t prepare a trap for Jess now?  Or was it Dash starting another plan, looking to find another way to grab control of the
Wanderer
.  Suddenly leaving Ali working closely with Dash didn’t seem such a good idea.  He wasn’t armed, but Jess had no doubt Dash was deadly anyway.

Jess made sure the robot was nearby and waiting for orders.  Just in case.  Then he turned his attention to getting the
Wanderer
repaired before they reached the Quarantine Zone.  If that wasn’t sorted then any danger from Dash would become academic.  They’d all be dead or captured by the Empire.

For a moment his shoulders slumped.  Would they ever be free to just enjoy life?  Then he chuckled at himself.  He was free.  Far more free than he had been his entire life.  He wouldn’t let the Empire capture him.  Whatever happened, even dying, was far better than spending even a single hour as a prisoner again.  He was still smiling as he dived into the connection with the
Wanderer
, starting to prioritise repairs to the battered ship.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“At last…” Jess muttered to himself as the
Wanderer
’s main shields came back online.  He checked the time.  It had taken nearly an hour of focused effort and the shields were only at about sixty percent of full strength.  It was still a great improvement over depending on the pitifully weak emergency shield generators though.

He glanced over to Dash and Ali who were sitting surrounded by displays.  Jess had kept a small part of his mind watching them, watching for any aggressive acts by Dash.  Ali had requested changes to the layout of the hold several times.  The
Wanderer
wouldn’t accept the changes unless they came through Jess.  He had approved them without checking, counting on Ali to spot any problems.

Now he stood and stretched, then walked over to peer at their displays.  As Dash had predicted, the troopers had split into two groups.  The larger group of seven troopers was slowly advancing down a corridor.  The smaller group had set up barricades in a small dead end and was holding there, weapons trained on the approach.

Jess checked the accompanying information.  Both groups were quite close to each other.  The group that was moving was heading towards the back of the
Wanderer
.

“
What are they doing?” Jess asked.

“
The larger group is scouting,” Dash said.  “The smaller is trying to establish a secure area.”

Jess frowned.  “Why?  And why are they going so slowly?”

“Watch the larger group.  You’ll see!” Ali said.

Jess focused on the screen again.  The troopers were being particularly careful, testing the walls, floor and ceiling as they went.  Jess thought he could have crawled faster.

One of the troopers jumped back as a section of wall suddenly fell outward.  A high-powered laser that had been hidden in the wall immediately pummelled his armour.  Another panel fell out of the other side and a machine gun riddled him with bullets.

The trooper staggered under the onslaught, but he stayed standing.  His armour was holding out.  Several troopers fired at each of the automated weapons.  The laser was soon silenced.  The machine gun was a tougher beast, but Jess could tell it wouldn’t last long.  The weapons could startle the troopers, annoy them maybe, but not cause the caution he was seeing.

Then it happened, almost too fast to see.  A trooper disappeared from sight.  After a moment Jess realised he had fallen into a pit.  A section of floor had simply disappeared.  It had opened almost like one of the
Wanderer
’s doors.  No.  Exactly like it.

Several troopers ran towards the pit but they were too slow.  The entrance swung closed again.  Jess stretched out with the ship’s sensors and found the pit was more than it seemed.  The section acting as a trapdoor was several feet thick, as were the walls and floor.  Jess checked the changes Ali had sent, spotting this pit and a number of others with a similar design.

Something changed in the pit’s walls and floor.  Jess sensed energy flowing through them.  Heating them.  With a start he realised the plan was to roast the trooper alive.

“
Wow.  No wonder they’re being cautious.  That armour will protect him though. I can route extra power to the pit to make sure he dies.”

“
We don’t want to kill him,” Dash said.  “He’ll get damn uncomfortable but they should be able to get him clear before he collapses from the heat.”

“
But why?”  Jess was confused again.  That reminded him of his earlier conversation with Dash.  “Wait… this is what you were talking about isn’t it?  Focusing on our goal, not just on killing our enemy.”

Dash smiled and nodded.  “That’s it.  This should keep them busy for an hour or two, and it will make them even more cautious when they start to advance again.”

The smile was genuine, as were the words.  To Jess they seemed condescending.  He used his connection to the
Wanderer
to hide the burst of anger they triggered.  He managed to simply nod.

“
You seem to have everything in hand,” Jess said.  “Where’s Sal?”

“
Sleeping,” Ali replied, not looking up from the displays.  “The ship finished fixing her arm about twenty minutes ago.  She still looked pale so I sent her to rest.”

“
Good.  We’ve got shields back but there’s still a load of repairs to complete.  I’ll get back to it.  You seem to have the troopers under control.

“
Defeat troopers Teeko can.”

Jess jumped a little.

“Teeko!  I didn’t hear you.  What did you say?”

Ben was sitting on Teeko’s back, as usual.  Jess was slightly surprised to see them both.  They’d been spending far more time in Teeko’s cabin than anywhere else.

“Defeat troopers Teeko can.”

“
You can’t reach them.  They’re in the hold…”

Jess trailed off as he glanced at Ben again.  Teeko had retrieved Ben from the hold somehow.  There was no door or opening between the crew area and the main hold.  Jess had double checked.  Yet somehow Teeko had gone into the hold and brought Ben back.

“How did you do it?” Jess asked.  “How did you get Ben from the hold?”

Teeko moved its flexible shoulders in a shrug.  It looked more like a copied movement than anything natural to the alien.

“Called Ben did.  Went Teeko did.  Returned Teeko did.  Explain Teeko cannot.”

“
Have you always been able to do this?  Why didn’t you use it to escape the arms merchant long before we arrived?”

“
This new is.  Done before never.”

“
You’ve never done it before?  Have you tried since you fetched Ben?”

Teeko shook its head.  This movement looked far more natural than the shrug, even when the head doing it was narrow and had two sets of eyes.

“Again can do it.  Sure am I.”

Dash shook his head and spoke carefully.  “Thanks… um… Teeko.  But it would be too dangerous.  There are too many of them.  You might get hurt.”

Jess hid a smile.  Teeko made Dash nervous.  Jess enjoyed watching him squirm whenever Teeko was near.

“
Scared Teeko not!  Fight will Teeko!”

“
No!  Don’t leave me,” Ben cried from the alien’s back, grabbing Teeko by the neck and clinging tightly.  “Please Teeko.  Don’t leave me.”

The young boy started to cry.  Teeko reached up with one flexible arm and wrapped it around the boy.  The movement would have been impossible for any human.

“Thank you Teeko,” Jess said.  “But Dash is right.  It’s too dangerous at the moment.  Once we wear them down, and the robots are starting to pick them off, then we might need your help.  Stay here for the moment.  Stay safe and look after Ben.”

The alien stood stock still, considering Jess’s words.  As seconds built towards a minute Teeko finally spoke.

“Jess friend well speaks.  Jess friend right is.  Teeko Ben care for will.  Teeko fight ready is.  Teeko help Jess will.”

“
Thanks Teeko,” Jess said.  He turned to the others.  “I need to get on with repairing the
Wanderer
.  Let's get together again in two hours.  Sal should be able to join us then.  We need to discuss our tactics for crossing the Quarantine Zone.”

Dash and Ali agreed.  Teeko moved towards the food machine, comforting the still crying Ben.  Jess decided to head for the flight deck.  He wanted some peace and quiet, something he was unlikely to get if he stayed put.

*****

Two hours had passed.  The small group was together once more.  Jess glanced round at the others.  The divisions in their group were painfully obvious.  Ali sat beside Jess on one sofa.  Teeko stood next to Jess.  Ben was riding on Teeko’s back as usual.  Sal sat close to Dash on the other sofa, casting suspicious glances at both Jess and Ali.

“If the charts are accurate we’re now two hours out from the Quarantine Zone,” Jess said.  “We have to assume we might encounter it sooner though, if the Empire has increased security.”

“
What state is the
Wanderer
in?” Dash asked.

“
Pretty good, considering the battering it took.  Shields are over ninety percent.  Most of the weapons have been repaired or replaced.  Nearly all of the damaged thrusters have been repaired as well.

“
Structurally we aren’t doing so well.  I’ve patched things up as well as I could but those repairs need a lot more resources than we have.  More time too.”

“
Can the
Wanderer
fight?”

“
Yes.  But not everything the Empire can throw at us.  And I’d really like to avoid meeting that battlecruiser again any time soon.”

“
If you want to cross the Quarantine Zone you’ll face worse,” Dash said firmly.  “Even on the
Wanderer
our chances of making it through are damn slim.”

“
Don’t you think you should have told us that before we got to this point?” Ali demanded.

Dash looked embarrassed.  “I got carried away.  The
Wanderer
had done so many amazing things I started to think getting through the Quarantine Zone would be easy.  I’ve seen the truth since then.  There are ships out there that can hurt us, and hurt us badly.  That battlecruiser for example.”

“
For someone supposedly on our side, you have a nasty habit of dropping bombshells,” Jess said, anger in his voice.  “So just what should we expect to see?”

“
I really don’t know,” Dash replied.  “I only went through once, and that was more than twenty years ago.  Some parts of that journey are etched on my memory, but there’s no guarantee it won’t be completely different.”

“
Just tell us what you saw.”

“
OK.  I was just a junior squad leader back then.  We were on a transport barge.  Somehow Dozer got us a space at one of the few real windows.  One in a room reserved for high-ranking officials.  Dozer argued that as I was the most senior member of our team I deserved the room.  I was young then.  Young and carefree.  I accepted his reasoning, which meant we got a first hand view.  Though to be honest we saw more on the display screen than we could see out the window.

“
Anyway, the defences are layered, each layer built around a jump space inhibitor.  A tar pit.  Anyone trying to travel through the Quarantine Zone will be ripped out of jump space at least seven times to face one of those defensive layers.

“
Each layer is the same.  A handful of very large ships, at least one battleship.  If you think the battlecruiser was tough to deal with just wait until you see a battleship.

“
So… a handful of those very large ships.  Dozens of destroyers and frigates.  A couple of hundred corvettes.  Thousands upon thousands of fighters and gunships.

“
The tar pit is always on board one of the biggest ships.  The other ships are deployed in groupings surrounding it.  Any ships travelling through jump space get dragged into real space well away from the forces.  The only options are to turn and flee or to cross the space controlled by the quarantine force and travel on far enough to escape the tar pit’s influence.  No one without proper authorisation can ever get through, and only Imperial ships ever have that authorisation.”

“
So we’re going to die?” Ali asked.

Jess glanced at her.  She seemed less worried about that possibility than the troopers who were still aboard.  Maybe it wasn’t dying she was scared of, but being taken hostage again.

“Maybe,” Dash answered with a shrug.  “It’s down to the
Wanderer
, and to Jess.  If any ship can make it through it’s this one.  But it won’t be easy.”

“
All we can do is try,” Jess said.  “We don’t really have any option.  The fleet is still out there somewhere, tracking us down.  The only way to stay ahead of them, for the moment at least, is to keep running. That means going through the Quarantine Zone.”

“
We have advantages,” Dash said.  “The forces we meet won’t know anything about the
Wanderer
.  If we keep moving fast enough we can surprise each defensive layer with the same tricks.  The
Wanderer
is much faster and more powerful than anything else the same size.  It can take far more punishment too.  If we’re lucky the forces in each layer will underestimate us.”

“
We can get into jump space sooner than they’ll expect too,” Jess said.  “So we get as far through as we can without revealing our abilities, then we try to blast our way through with speed and brute force?”

Dash grinned.  “Yeah.  Not the most elegant of plans, but simple is generally better.”

Jess couldn’t help grinning back.  “Why not?  It’s worked well for us so far.”

“
Hang on,” Ali said.  “After the first layer they’ll know something is up.  As soon as they see us they’ll know we managed to survive the forces in the previous layer.  They’ll come at us harder and faster because of that.”