Wanderer 3: Tainted Universe by Simon Goodson Page B

more and more frequently.  Every visit was fraught with danger.  Marsh knew that his team couldn’t take such high levels of stress forever.  Nor could he for that matter.
    Around Marsh his team organised delivery of the supplies.  Marsh found himself sitting in silence, brooding over the situation.  He kept returning to two almost unthinkable questions.  Where were the Imperial forces that should be dealing with the situation?  And did their absence mean the Empire had already fallen?
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    Jess walked into Teeko’s room.  Ben, the young prisoner that Teeko had taken under his wing, gave Jess a hopeful look that nearly broke his heart.  Ben was sitting on Teeko’s back, hugging the strange alien’s neck.
    Jess tried to speak but choked on the words.  Tears pricked his eyes but he refused to let them show.  He tried to speak again and managed to grind out his words.
    “Ben… I’m sorry.  We’ve freed all the prisoners now.  Your mother wasn’t on any of the ships.”
    The hope on Ben’s face crumpled into despair.  He turned his face into Teeko’s dark fur and started to cry in a way that was both quiet and full of anguish.  The sound cut through Jess who had to hang his own head.  He felt like it was his fault, even while knowing it wasn’t in any way.  He hadn’t had any say in which prisoners went where either before or after the Wanderer arrived.
    Dark memories of his own bubbled up.  Of the time he’d been ripped away from his own mother.  For months he’d held onto the hope that they might be reunited one day.  A baseless hope that had slowly died.
    For Ben it had been different.  There had been a reasonable chance that his mother was on board one of the other ships.  That hope had now been dashed.  What made it worse was knowing that the Wanderer would be heading off in a direction that made any reunion impossible.
    Looking at the crying child, Jess couldn’t find the right words to say.  Couldn’t find any words.  I’m sorry just wouldn’t cut it.  I know how you feel would be no comfort.  That just left something even harder.  Asking Ben whether he wanted to stay or leave with the other prisoners.
    Teeko spoke before Jess could ask the question, its deep voice rumbling out.
    “Ben friend stay will.  Ben friend Teeko needs.  Ben friend here safe.”
    “ Is that what you want?” Jess asked Ben.  “You want to stay with us rather than go with the other prisoners?  You realise we probably won’t be able to return to this section of space.”
    The boy nodded emphatically, and Jess heard a quiet yes.  He just nodded then turned and fled the cabin, fleeing the pain in Ben’s face and the phantoms from his own past.
     
    *****
     
    Jess fought down anger as Dash once again spoke with his friend on the base.  It was difficult.  The hardest part was that he’d expected to have Dash off the Wanderer some time before.
    Every prisoner on the other three ships had been freed and, with a few exceptions, transferred to the ships loyal to Dash.  Those exceptions were staying aboard the Steady Light with Elizabeth.  Some as part of her crew, some travelling with her to find safety.  Almost everyone aboard the Wanderer had gone too.  The last shuttle was about to lift off.  Dash would be its only passenger.
    He should have been long gone, transferred aboard an earlier flight.  Whoever was in charge at the base had stopped that.  This was the third call.  Each had been on a flimsy pretext but had been used to ensure Dash was still aboard, and was still planning to visit the base soon.
    Jess had considered faking the images, sending Dash on a shuttle and modifying the image so he appeared to be on board the Wanderer still.  He’d decided against it on the grounds that it was too risky.  Until the three freighters that had accompanied them were safely clear, along with those ships carrying freed prisoners, he couldn’t risk tipping off those who had