Wanderer – Echoes of the Past: Wanderer's Odyssey, #2

By Simon Goodson

Freedom was only the start.

The crew of the Wanderer face ever greater challenges as their journey continues. Knowing the Empire will hunt them down Jess and the others must seek help from another source.

Turning to the criminal underworld seems like their only option, but it soon threatens to end in disaster. Especially when past events return to haunt the present.

Will even the incredible Wanderer be enough to keep Jess, and those he cares about, safe?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon Goodson
• Release date: Nov 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781910586174

Book preview

Part I

Chapter 1

Jess grinned at the stunned reaction from the others. Elizabeth looked like she was about to choke. Sal and Ali just sat with their mouths open. It was Sal who recovered first.

OK… right… putting aside the fact the ship is suddenly expressing desires, which we really need to talk about, you want us to just fly off to this star which is weeks or even months away?

Sure, Jess replied. "We could go direct easily enough. The Wanderer can provide all the food we need. We’ve got plenty of vids and books now to keep us busy. If you want we could stop off at some systems on the way, but why not just kick off in jump space and fly directly there?"

You might be captain of this rather incredible ship, but you have an awful lot to learn about travelling in space, Elizabeth cut in dryly.

She gestured at the star map Jess had called up. It was zoomed out, allowing them to see the whole span of human occupied space.

Look carefully at the map. There are tens of thousands of systems with settlements in them, but look at how clumped together they are. You see how there’s almost always a sharp division? Most systems in an area have at least a basic human presence, then beyond a certain point there’s nothing. Did you never wonder why?

I’d never seen a star map until a few weeks ago, Jess replied reproachfully. Slaves weren’t expected to know where they were going.

Sal nodded, her expression making it clear she shared Jess’s feelings about the comment.

Damn, said Elizabeth. Sorry. I forget your backgrounds sometimes, and I’m not the most tactful person.

I’ve never thought about it either, Ali said. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the full map before. When I was growing up all we really cared about were the nearby stations, and the systems that were really close by. I knew about some others, but more from curiosity than need.

Hmm… Elizabeth said. Different perspectives, I guess. All my life I wanted to get a ship and to travel. Once I got my ship I did exactly that. Best way to make money as a trader is to stick to a few routes that you know well. I did the opposite, travelling far and wide. I only reached the edge of the inhabited systems once but it stuck with me, being so close to worlds no one had ever visited.

Her expression clouded for a moment. Jess thought she must be thinking about the ship she had owned for so long and then lost. Before he could say anything she cleared her throat and continued speaking, back to her abrupt self.

All right, getting back to what I was saying. You might not have seen this before but you have to admit the pattern is mighty strange. You’d expect to have a core of systems that the Empire controls, and a smattering of systems beyond where those wanting to keep out of the Empire’s way drifted to.

Yes, I can see that, said Sal. So why isn’t it like that?

It’s down to jump space, Elizabeth replied. "Jump space where we are now is pretty smooth. It’s easy to travel through. It isn’t like that everywhere. There’s the occasional star that does something nasty to jump space, causing disruption and worse. Think of the disruption we’ve felt in jump space when a large ship’s engines have blown in real space nearby. Now imagine that multiplied thousands of times and covering anything from a few light minutes to a few light years.

"You can’t see it at this scale but there are many no go areas even in the populated areas of space. You get clumps of disruption more often than pure chance can account for, creating dead ends or narrow paths. Surrounding these clumps of disruption are areas of space which can be navigated with care and a damn good map, areas where a tiny change in course can be the difference between safe transit and your ship being ripped apart.

There are completely safe routes which are well known, of course, but sticking to them would make the journey at least ten to twenty times as long. The more direct routes are valuable. They are never given away, but they can be bought… for the right price… in the right places. We’re going to need to buy that information.

Elizabeth paused for a moment, holding her hand up to stall any replies.

There's a much nastier problem getting where you want to go, she continued. At every edge of populated space jump space becomes a chaotic, swirling place. The disruption isn't centred on particular stars, instead the turbulence covers from tens to hundreds of light years. Actually, that’s misleading. The chaotic regions aren’t pressing up against the inhabited systems, the inhabited systems are pressing up against the regions no one can get to.

And nothing can fly through those regions? Jess asked.

Yes and no. Anyone can try, and the level of disruption can vary greatly. One course might let you fly safely, for a while at least, while a slight variation would mean your ship was ripped apart in seconds.

How does anyone even know that? asked Sal.

Automated probes, mostly. It’s an expensive business, but plenty of people are interested in finding a clear path through the chaos. Even if it only led as far as a single system just think what that could mean, a system the Empire was unable to reach. Many, many organisations would love to find such a place; pirates, shady businesses, even those looking for a different political set-up than the Empire. And, of course, the Empire puts even more resources into the search, to ensure they find and take control of any such systems.

And are any found? Jess asked eagerly, caught up in Elizabeth’s tale.

Officially? No. Not any more, at least. But there are always rumours saying the opposite. Are any of them true? I have absolutely no idea.

How do they know how far the disturbance goes? Jess asked thoughtfully. It might only be very shallow. If it was then a path to one system might open up another huge area of accessible systems.

"Now that is a good question, and it relates to our problem with reaching the system the ship wants to get to. Look here… She zoomed the map in. You can’t see it until we zoom in, but look at this section."

It’s narrow, Ali said. Really narrow.

"Yep. In fact between those two stars there’s only a channel a couple of light seconds across – about six hundred thousand kilometres. That might sound a lot but it’s pretty much nothing. It’s so tight that the Empire tightly restricts traffic through the area. To prevent collisions, they say. That’s a lie of course. What they are actually doing is cutting the Empire in half, ensuring each half is completely isolated. They even refer to it as the Quarantine Zone.

"Anyway, back to your point. The Empire isn’t too hot on people knowing its history. The implication is that the Empire has always been around and things have always been the way they are, since well before any records exist, at least. That’s the official version. Other tales are told, though. One in particular says the Empire was once much smaller, then someone found a safe route through what had been thought to be an impassable area of space and found another large area just waiting to be colonised. That route is the Quarantine Zone.

The tale makes sense, and it explains why the Empire works so hard to track down anyone probing areas of disruption. It might not be a single system at stake, it might be enough space for an entire rival empire – especially if a group slipped through and left no trace. It would take time, probably hundreds to thousands of years, but something that could threaten the entire Empire might develop out there.

So we’ve got two problems, Sal said. "First, we’d have to get past the Quarantine Zone to be able to get anywhere near the Wanderer’s home system. The second is that the system is inside one of those regions of disruption."

That’s not a problem, Jess replied confidently. "The Wanderer knows a safe path. We just need to get there. Elizabeth, is there any other way through the Quarantine Zone?"

Elizabeth sighed. Again, there are plenty of rumours. Tales of pirates and others knowing secret ways past. In all honesty I have no idea if they’re true.

"So the other option is just to blast our way through? It’s a narrow channel but the Wanderer can handle it, and she has scanners that work in jump space which no other ship has. We can avoid any collisions and just fly through. No one will ever know we were there."

"If it was that easy then lots of people would try, even without the ability to avoid potential collisions. The Empire uses jump space inhibitors, tar pits, like the one we were trapped by. There are several at least and each is used to force ships past a checkpoint backed up by a massive fleet. The Empire is exceptionally serious about maintaining the Quarantine Zone.

But why? Why go to that much trouble? asked Sal.

Another question with no answer. I think it’s partly out of fear. If there ever was a threat to the entire Empire then the Quarantine Zone would serve as a perfect defensive point. It gives them a single, focused point from which they could ensure half the Empire was safe. I reckon that’s also why they allow so little traffic between the two sides. Ideas are the most dangerous cargo, they lead to questions and, ultimately, to revolutions.

So we’re back to hoping there’s another way through, that someone, somewhere knows it. And that someone will probably be a pirate who’s highly unlikely to share it with us.

Jess’s shoulders slumped at the thought. Reaching the Wanderer’s home had seemed such a simple task. He’d been buzzing with excitement at the idea. Now it looked like it would be impossible. Jess felt as if it had been snatched away from under his nose.

Chapter 2

Sal thought through what they had heard. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole idea yet, other than being concerned by the ship’s desire to return home. Maybe it would be for the best if the journey was impossible.

Hey, Ali said, in an upbeat voice. "We don’t have to do this. It’s not like we’re planning a rescue attempt to save people again. Don’t get me wrong, we should look into it, but there’s no rush and we don’t have to do it if the risk is too high."

Yes, I guess so. Jess brightened slightly. Yeah… you’re right. It still feels like a kick in the stomach, though. I thought we’d be able to fly straight there. Instead we could be looking at months or years just to get through the Quarantine Zone, if that’s even possible.

And I won’t be going, Elizabeth said firmly. I’ll help you prepare, and hopefully get the chance to pick up a ship of my own on the way, but I’m not going. Getting through the Quarantine Zone once will be a massive achievement. Making it back the other way… that’s really pushing it. I haven’t got any close family left but I’ve got a few good friends and enough drinking buddies scattered across systems to be quite attached to this side of the Quarantine Zone.

Jess’s face dropped again.

Ali, he said. If we go it might mean you can never return home again. Sal and I have no ties, no home to return to and no one to return for. You do.

Sal’s stomach lurched at that. It was true that she had no home, but there was someone she wanted to return for – Markus, the man she had fallen in love with. It was impossible. She didn’t even know if he was still alive, life as a slave was often dangerous. Even if he was she had no idea where he was or where to even start looking. She had no pictures, other than those in her mind, and nothing to identify Markus other than his name.

Impossible though it was, she still longed to be reunited with him. Seeing Jess and Ali starting a relationship had made the pain inside worse. She was pleased for them, especially the fact they had a future, something no relationship between slaves ever had. She and Markus had managed only a few short weeks together. Pleased though she was, the relationship between the two youngsters was still raking over old pain.

Ali’s expression darkened for a moment, then she shrugged.

I may never get to go back anyway, she said. Even if I do it won’t be for years, I’m sure. We can’t risk going there too often, it would put them in danger. I have no family left. The children I cared for are the closest thing to family I have, and they will have grown so much by the time we return they won’t be the same people. I’m certainly not going to miss out on such an exciting opportunity.

So how do we get started? Jess asked Elizabeth.

First thing to sort out is some official documentation for the ship. Until you have that you can’t risk going anywhere with more than a weak Imperial presence. Officially you can only get the documentation from Imperial officers. In reality there are many unofficial ways to get what we need, but they are expensive.

Unofficial as in illegal? Sal asked.

Of course. That’s why it costs. Not just for the documentation itself, we will also need to pay out to get introduced to the right people.

We’ve still got plenty of precious metals left on board, Jess said. It’s not limitless, though. If we keep burning through it quickly then we’ll need to find a way to earn some money.

Definitely. Once you have the documentation we can start on that. We will start to establish ourselves as traders, trading for ourselves and taking on haulage contracts where possible. Not only will that earn some money it will increase the contacts we have. Over time we can start to move towards the shadier end of the markets. That’ll give us contacts within the smugglers, and other criminal organisations.

Won’t they be the same as those giving us the false documentation? asked Sal. Why not just approach them directly?

First off, they’ll probably be completely different groups. Even if they aren’t there’s a huge difference between buying false documents and discussing running the Quarantine Zone. We’ll need to have some good, solid connections before we even begin to broach that subject.

I don’t know about this. Just what do you mean by shadier? There is no way we are transporting prisoners, or doing anything else that will lead to prisoners being taken. No way at all.

I agree, Jess said firmly, a gleam in his eye.

Whoa, hold your horses! Elizabeth replied. I’m with you. I never liked being involved with prisoners anyway, and my time as one, short as it was, really reinforced that. No. No prisoners. I’m thinking of things like smuggling, supply runs to illegal bases and things like that.

Good, said Jess.

That said… we are likely to come across prisoners quite regularly. I know you’ll be tempted to try to rescue every one, but that just isn’t practical. Before long no one would let you approach, and they would start killing the prisoners you wanted to rescue if you forced the issue. And where would you take any you did free? Very few places can absorb large numbers of people, other than those looking for slaves. Like I told you before, about the only way to stop slavery is to topple the Empire… and that ain't happening anytime soon.

All right, that’s a good point, said Sal.

But I’ll still try to save anyone where we can, Jess insisted. I know there will be plenty of times where we can’t, but there still might be times we can. If so, then we try to save them.

All right, Elizabeth replied. Just discuss it with us all first. Give us the chance to be sure it’s safe to do.

Sure.

Judging by the stubborn look on Jess’s face Sal wasn’t convinced he’d stick to what Elizabeth asked. She understood how he felt. Having spent their whole lives as slaves both she and Jess found it exceptionally hard to see others stuck in the same position. They’d never expected to find freedom. Now they had it, and a powerful ship, it was impossible to see other slaves without wanting to free them. At only sixteen Jess’s emotions still had the ability to override more logical considerations. Sal realised she would have to keep a close eye on him when they were around slaves.

All right, Elizabeth continued. Sal didn’t think she sounded particularly convinced by Jess either. "Before we do that we need to get the Wanderer set up for trading. The overall size is about right, but the layout is completely wrong. We won’t be carrying people, we’ve just agreed that, so we need to clear out the main section and set it up for cargo.

"We should change the ship again. The pirates that survived the fight for Iona know this shape. Of course they also know that the Wanderer can drastically change its appearance, but that won’t help if they don’t know what the new look will be. We need to make sure it looks like a normal ship too – lots of external structures and a dirty exterior, no more impossibly smooth and shiny surface."

We can do that easily, Jess replied, far more enthusiastically this time. There’s some changes I want to make too, some more surprises for anyone if we do get into a fight. Could we make the ship bigger? Say half as large again?

Elizabeth thought for a moment. I suppose so, she said finally. Yes, that would still be within the normal size range for a medium cargo ship.

What changes do you want to make Jess? Sal asked, her interest peaked.

Oh… just a few tweaks. Nothing major.

The grin on his face showed he was lying.

Don’t worry, Ali said, also grinning. I’ll get it out of him later.

I bet you will! Elizabeth replied.

Jess flushed bright red, which made Sal burst out laughing. Elizabeth joined in, as did Ali, though she too was turning red with embarrassment. Jess muttered something about finding some asteroids to mine for materials and escaped towards the flight deck, which only made the others laugh harder.

Chapter 3

Convoy has passed the point of no return.

Captain Dash took a deep breath at the confirmation. The convoy he stalked was now too deep into the planet’s gravity well to enter jump space. He punched a button on his chair.

All ships, engage the convoy. Deal with any defences but try to keep the ships in one piece. Anyone destroying a cargo ship better have a damn good explanation.

Releasing the button he studied his display. The convoy had been clearly marked since it came within range, but Dash’s fleet of ships had been displayed as shadowy guesses. Every ship had been running cold, sensors off and engines ticking over, waiting for the convoy to draw close enough. Now the display lit up as more and more of his ships poured power to their thrusters and switched to active sensors.

Helm, take us in at full power, he called out. Target the lead freighter.

Aye, Sir.

Dash was pushed back in his seat as the Anguish accelerated heavily. Despite being the largest ship in his fleet it could keep pace with all but the fast attack fighters. Satisfied that they were charging towards the fight, Dash returned his attention to the display.

The convoy was aware of the danger it faced now. The cargo ships were piling on as much speed as they could in a futile attempt to run, while escort ships and fighters broke away to face the incoming threat.

The defensive forces consisted of thirty Fighters and seven bombers, bolstered with five larger gunboats and one corvette. A powerful force, easily capable of deterring most pirate raids. Expensive, too. Proof the convoy carried something of significant value. Whoever was in charge had gone to great efforts to keep it safe.

Dash wondered what was going through their head right now, as it became obvious they hadn’t done nearly enough. The Anguish on its own was more than a match for the defensive forces. An ex-Imperial Frigate with enough firepower to decimate not just the defensive ships but the huge freighters they sought to protect. The rest of his fleet consisted of smaller ships – three corvettes, sixteen freighters and over two hundred fighters. What made them so dangerous wasn’t their numbers, though, it was the near military discipline Dash insisted on. He watched as his fleet pulled together into several tight formations, focusing in on those combat ships lined up in defence.

The defenders would know what they faced now. This was no disorganised pirate raid, no unruly charge to grab the spoils. This was a well coordinated assault from overwhelming forces. The question was, how would they react?

The answer soon became clear as large groups of the defenders peeled off, turning away from the incoming threat and lighting their drives at full power. Realising they had no hope of winning they turned tail and ran. Dash had expected no less. Mercenaries had no interest in dying for lost causes.

He still felt contempt for the fleeing ships, in stark contrast to his respect for those ships which remained. Despite now being hopelessly overwhelmed, most of the remaining ships continued to hold position. They would be crewed by relatives of those in the freighters, or in a few cases by mercenaries who actually believed in honouring their contract no matter what. Dash felt a strange pride watching those few ships holding position, a feeling that was crushed by his next action. He pressed the button to broadcast to his fleet again.

Engage and destroy all defensive ships. No survivors.

The last two words tasted like ashes in his mouth, echoes of a time he had no desire to remember. Angrily suppressing the memory, he studied the display once more. Yes, the defenders were brave, but he couldn’t spare them. If he did then on the next raid less ships would flee and more would stand. The rule was simple. Any who stood must die.

The battle was short and exceptionally one sided. Had the defenders bunched together they might have had some limited success. Instead they stayed spread out sticking to their attempts to shield the freighters. Dash’s fleet smashed through them without slowing, destroying every defender with overwhelming firepower. None of his ships even took any damage.

Then it was time to focus on the freighters. He wanted them taken with the minimum of damage. Far easier to steal the ship carrying the cargo than to transfer it all off the wreckage of a dying ship.

Foster! he barked out. Arrange intercepts of the freighters. Try to keep damage to a minimum. We want them in one piece when our men board.

Aye, Sir, replied Dash’s second in command. Already on it.

Dash just