“Aye, Sir.”
The captain snapped out a salute and passed on the instruction. It was unnecessary, of course. Vorn knew the captain and several of his men had been preparing for exactly that command, but he also knew the importance of maintaining discipline and order.
He watched impatiently as the fleet drew back together. He wanted to be in pursuit of the Wanderer as quickly as possible, though ultimately it wouldn’t matter. He still had a card to play if necessary, and that card was an ace.
* * *
Admiral Vorn stared at an element on his display that only he had access to. This was the biggest secret of his fleet, even bigger than the stealth capable Banshees. And now it was paying off.
Taking the Wanderer’s shields down had been necessary for many reasons… to leave her helpless, to prevent her fleeing into hyperspace, which had been far from successful. Most important of all was that it allowed the beacon to be delivered.
Vorn didn’t really understand the science underlying the device, but then nor did any of the scientists who had spent years studying it. They certainly hadn’t got anywhere near duplicating it.
He did understand how to use it, and that was enough. The device came in two parts, the tracker and the beacon. The beacon was a strange construct of exotic matter. When it struck solid matter it merged into whatever it had hit, leaving no trace it had ever existed. There it stayed, giving out a signal which only the tracker could pick up, but which the tracker could detect at any distance. Even in jump space.
The tracker was constructed of more solid matter, though of a form the scientists had been unable to analyse. What mattered was that it had relatively simple inputs, connections the scientists had managed to hook into. While they couldn’t understand the device, they did gain limited control over it. They could trigger creation of a new beacon, which immediately led to the original beacon disappearing, and they could interpret information detailing the direction to the beacon.
The device was absolutely priceless. Knowledge of it was restricted to a handful of scientists and an elite few within the Empire. The scientists lived under strict conditions, given access to near miraculous devices but sacrificing all liberty in return.
Officially the Empire didn’t acknowledge such devices even existed. Unofficially Vorn knew they came from derelict ships. Ships similar to the Banshees, though often in far worse condition.
Few below his rank knew of the ships, even as rumour, and discussing them with the wrong person would lead to immediate execution, even for Vorn. The Empire was built on the premise that humanity was the most advanced form of life in the universe and those in charge of the Empire were the best of humanity. Any suggestion that other creatures had come before, and those creatures had possessed fantastically advanced devices, would undermine the entire system.
Not that anyone admitted the relics were from non-human civilisations, but one look at the Banshees left Vorn in no doubt. There was something subtly wrong about the stealth ships, something beyond even their disturbingly organic appearance.
He didn’t care. What mattered was the device worked, and worked well. And right at that moment it was giving him critical information.
“Captain, we need to leave jump space immediately.”
“Sir? Leave jump? But we haven’t seen any sign of the Wanderer returning to normal space.”
“I believe I made my order clear,” Vorn said, ice in his tone.
The captain gulped and visibly paled.
“Aye, Sir.” He turned to the pilot. “You heard the Admiral! Exit jump now!”
The pilot was already prepared, having heard Vorn’s exchange with the Captain. Within moments the Starslayer was ripping its way back to normal space.
Almost immediately the fleet started to appear around them, though in a ragged formation. When travelling through jump space a fleet had no way to stay in touch, no way to even confirm the location of the other ships. The only indication it was time to leave jump was to watch for the telltale rip in the fabric of space as a ship left jump.
Each ship left a unique signature, and the computers aboard the rest of the fleet were keyed to react to the Starslayer’s signature. Humans were far too slow, the fleet would have been scattered across hours of real space if it was left to their reactions.
Normally the ships would know an exit was coming, either because the destination was known or because of another trigger, such as finding the exit signature of a pursued ship. Then the exits could be made gracefully.
Not this time. The fleet had no warning and it dropped into space in a ragged formation. Vorn didn’t need to give any orders. In the absence of other instructions the ships immediately started to manoeuvre back into position.
Vorn stared at the display only he could see. He smiled slightly, though it was a cold and cynical smile. The Wanderer hadn’t left jump space, yet it had changed direction. The beacon bonded with her hull was still sending out its signature. The Wanderer could change directions as many times as they wanted, it would never escape.
Vorn gave the new coordinates to the puzzled captain. He would have to remain puzzled. There was no reason for him to know about the device yet.
Chapter 18
Dash woke with a start. Blinking against bright light he rolled on to his side, groaning at how stiff his body felt. He was laying on the floor, but couldn’t think why. At least it explained why he was feeling so stiff. Had something happened?
His thoughts seemed sluggish, his memories especially so. Looking around he spotted the shuttle and things started to slot into place. He remembered getting into the shuttle, strapping in and then being thrown around. Flexing his muscles, he decided he felt in quite good shape all things considered.
He remembered being smashed around in the shuttle for what had felt like a long time. Then there was nothing. How had he got out of the shuttle? Had he stumbled out once things settled down? Stumbled out and collapsed to the floor? That must be what happened.
An image of razor sharp blades flashed across his mind, triggering intense fear. It was gone as soon as it had arrived and he couldn’t work out what it meant. Probably a nightmare, he decided, shrugging his shoulders.
Dash pushed himself up, expecting pain from his muscles but feeling nothing worse than a deep ache. His first few steps were wobbly. How long had he been laying unconscious? And where had the others been?
As the door to the living area opened he got the answer to that question. Sal, Ali and Jess were all having a blazing row.
“… don’t care,” Jess was shouting. “I don’t trust him and I don’t want him on the ship. He can stay where he is, safely asleep, until we find somewhere to drop him off.”
“You can’t do that,” Sal yelled back. “You can’t just keep him drugged up. It’s wrong.”
“Why?”
“Because… because it just is. And you should know it. It’s only a small step away from keeping someone prisoner.”
“It’s completely different. He’s perfectly safe and is being cared for.”
“Can he do what he wants? Go where he wants?”
“No, but…”
“There you are, then! You’re keeping him prisoner, no matter what you want to call it.”
“I am not. He just…”
Jess stumbled to a halt as he saw Dash.
“How…?” He paused, then turned back to Sal, waving a finger in her face. “You did it! You had the ship wake him up.”
“Yes, and why shouldn’t I?”
“You should have discussed it with us first.”
“Why? You didn’t discuss drugging him.”
“Ali was still unconscious, and anyway he needed medical attention. Besides, I’m the captain.”
If the argument had been intense before, now it reached a new level. Sal looked ready to explode.
“And that makes you better than me, does it? That gives you the right to make choices for me? And for Ali?”
“Yes! I have to
do that all the time to keep you safe. When that fleet attacked I didn’t come to you all and ask what you thought we should do. I did what I had to. That’s why we’re all still alive.”
“That’s not the same!”
“Yes it is!”
They were almost nose to nose now. Dash had seen fights like this before. Both felt so strongly they wouldn’t back down. Before much longer something would act as a flashpoint and violence would follow. He had to intervene.
“Do you want to tell me what the hell happened?” he asked, his tone challenging. “If I hadn’t been strapped into the shuttle’s seat I’d have been killed.”
He could actually guess. Jess’s reference to a fleet suggested they’d been attacked by a much larger force. The question achieved what he wanted, though. It drew Sal and Jess’s attention and caused them to separate slightly.
“If I hadn’t thrown you around then we’d all be dead,” Jess replied angrily. “An Empire fleet appeared almost on top of us. We were under attack by more of those stealth ships, and from much larger ships. We were nearly destroyed when a battlecruiser hit us.”
Dash paused at that, frowning.
“A battlecruiser hit the Wanderer and we’re still here? This ship is amazing in many ways, but a battlecruiser could still destroy it without any effort.”
“I know.” Jess’s anger calmed slightly, worry replacing it on his face. “They reduced the power a lot from the shots they were pouring into the base. In fact they hit us with just enough power to destroy our shields without destroying the ship. It was still far more power than any other ship our size could survive. They knew the Wanderer’s capabilities exactly.”
“They followed us, then? From Daspal?”
“I think so. They had more of those stealth ships with them, but I can’t work out how they found us.”
“Easily,” Dash replied. “If they knew we’d survived and were making a run for it then it was the only logical choice. I expected them to come looking at Desolation, but not until long after we were gone. Somehow they must have known about our battle almost straight away. Within a day or so at the most.”
“Another stealth ship, hidden and watching that fight?” Sal asked.
Dash could have smiled. With Sal also joining in the discussion the immediate chance of a violent confrontation was gone. Long term they might still fly for each other but for the moment the crisis was averted.
“Maybe,” Dash replied. “I really don’t know. What matters is that they’ll do the same. They’ll look at our options and try to outguess us.”
“Would they expect us to head to the Quarantine Zone?” Jess asked.
“I don’t know. We have to assume they will.”
Jess didn’t look happy. He called up a local star map.
“We’ve stopped here to stock up on supplies. The charts show a strong Imperial presence in the system but the asteroid belt is so far out the chances of meeting anyone are almost zero. Even if that fleet realises we might be here restocking, they have no chance of finding us, do they?”
Jess seemed uncertain. Dash thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, I think you’re right. But we have to consider the chance they’ve headed directly for the Quarantine Zone. How long have we been here already?”
“About fifty minutes. We already have some of the stocks we need. We can’t fully repair the Wanderer, but we can patch her up.”
“Great. We can’t hang around here for long. If that fleet is heading directly to the Quarantine Zone then it’s imperative we get there first.”
“We can move faster than them in jump space,” Jess said. “That means we can wait here a few more hours and still get there first.”
“This is all a bit convenient,” Ali said to Dash. “It means we can’t drop you off anywhere on the way.”
“Drop us off,” Sal said bitingly. “I’m going with Roberto.”
“I said no to that,” Dash said.
“Tough! You’re stuck with me. I don’t want to stay where I’m not wanted.”
“I never said you weren’t wanted,” Jess said.
Sal tilted her head angrily. “Really? You were happy enough to let me leave with Roberto before. The only reason I wasn’t on the shuttle with him is he told me no. I won’t make the mistake of listening to him again. When he leaves, I leave, even if it’s in a different shuttle.”
“Sal, you don’t have to do this,” Jess said, all the anger gone from his voice. “Please. Just stop and think about it. Think about everything we’ve been through.”
“I remember. I think you’re the one that’s forgetting. What happened to trusting one another?”
“I trust you. I don’t trust him,” Jess nodded towards Dash, though the young captain wouldn’t meet Dash’s eyes.
Dash could see that Sal was about to flare up again. He couldn’t allow that. Sal sounded determined to come with him, but that decision could be driven by anger and feeling hurt. Much as he’d enjoy spending more time with Sal the last thing he wanted was for her to end up regretting her choice, or ending up hunted because of his history.
“Ali is right,” he said. “There isn’t anywhere to drop us. Even if you left immediately, every system you could reach in time is an Empire stronghold. Desolation was only safe for us because there was nothing there, absolutely nothing. No resources, no planets, nothing to draw the Empire in. Even if they mounted patrols at Desolation regularly it should have taken them thousands of years to stumble across our base.”
“So if we want to go through the Quarantine Zone we’re stuck with you?” Jess said.
“Unless you plan on shoving me out the airlock.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Jess muttered.
Dash felt a flash of irritation but kept it in check. He could tell the words weren’t serious. Besides, Jess could already have killed him easily while he was unconscious, could have slipped something poisonous into him along with the drugs designed to make him sleep.
“Maybe we should take the time to drop you off,” Ali said. “Maybe getting through the Quarantine Zone won’t be so hard for us anyway, even if that fleet is there. The Wanderer can do things no other ship can.”
Dash laughed and shook his head.
“You have no idea,” he said. “Nothing gets through the Quarantine Zone without permission. Nothing. There are layers of defences, each built around a tar pit. Yes, the Wanderer does have some amazing abilities, but that’s not going to be enough, not if they already know you’re coming. The fleet you just faced was nearly enough to destroy you. Add in the forces at the Quarantine Zone and you’d be dead or captured for sure.”
“You seem to know a lot about it,” Jess said. “If no one can get through, how do you know what the defences are like? Maybe they’re more rumour than real.”
“I’ve seen them. Once. Long ago.”
Dash was surprised at the stab of pain the memories triggered. He realised he hadn’t thought about that journey in years. In fact, not since he and his men had mutinied. Thinking about the journey led on to thinking about the family he’d left behind on the far side of the Quarantine Zone. The family he’d been cut off from forever. Those were thoughts he’d never been able to face.
Now, though… there was the chance to return. If they made it through, unlikely as that seemed, should he return to his family? Or were they better off believing he’d died twenty years before.
“Roberto,” Sal said softly, touching his arm. “What’s wrong?”
Dash shook his head, angry at himself.
“Nothing,” he said. “Old memories, that’s all.”
“You said you’d been through once,” Jess prompted.
“Yes. I was still an Imperial soldier back then and got to see the defences. Very few people did, other than those on the ships forming those defences. Believe me, they are as dangerous as I say. If anything they’ve been strengthened even further since then, according to the rumours I’ve heard, at least. And I’d be
t there’s quite a few of those stealth ships there, too. They could wreak havoc on the unsuspecting.”
“Once,” Sal said, frowning. “That means you started on the other side. Your family is on the other side.”
“Yes,” Dash snapped out. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is getting there and making it through as fast as possible.”
“If we fail, they can’t be allowed to get the Wanderer,” Jess said quietly. “If we go this will be an all or nothing journey. Succeed or die. Are you all sure you want to go through with it?”
“Are you?” Dash replied.
“Yes. We need to get to the Wanderer’s home system. I want to hurt the Empire. Maybe enough to bring it down.”
“And you think you’ll find something to do that at the ship’s home?”
Jess shrugged. “I don’t know. If I have to look for something that powerful, then where better to look?”
Dash had to nod at that. “That makes sense. For me, yes. I’m willing to take the risk. My only chance of a new life is to make it through.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Sal said. “Once we are through you can drop Roberto and I off somewhere safe.”
“I go where you go,” Ali told Jess.
“Then I guess it’s decided,” Jess said.
“What about Teeko and Ben?” Sal asked.
“Teeko is happy to go wherever we go. I’ve spoken to him about that several times. Ben…” Jess’s voice faltered. “Ben is happy with Teeko at the moment. He’d like to get his mother back, but we don’t know where she went. It’s likely she got sent to Daspal, in which case she’s already dead or will be soon. If she went anywhere else the odds of us finding her are so close to zero they aren’t measurable.”
They talked more, but nothing important was said. Sal settled into being icily polite to Jess and Ali, while being far warmer when talking to Dash. Ali went quiet and kept shooting glances at Dash. He didn’t need to be a mind reader to tell she’d rather he wasn’t there. Jess managed to be polite to Dash, but his mistrust was clear. He treated Sal the same way, which only served to increase the rift between the two of them.
Wanderer's Odyssey - Books 1 to 3: The Epic Space Opera Series Begins Page 60