Wanderer - Deception: Wanderer's Odyssey, #8

By Simon Goodson

Kaira isn't dead.  Yet.

 

That's quite a surprise.  She thought she'd given her life to save Tarkus, but somehow he's kept her from dying… for now.  Yet the devices within her are still intent on ripping her body apart, and Tarkus has only managed to slow them down.

 

She needs a cure, and the only place to find that is the corporation which created the horrific devices.  And they'll help… for a price.  They need a job done, one that only a pilot with Tarkus's skills can possibly pull off.

 

Will they succeed?  If they do, will the corporation honour its side of the deal?  Or will it simply leave Kaira to die.  She has no idea, and as their mission unfolds she starts to suspect even her life won't be worth the price they'll have to pay.  She thinks they'd be better off simply walking away.

 

If only it were that simple.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon Goodson
• Release date: May 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781910586372

Book preview

PART I

SEARCHING

1

The first thing Kaira noticed was the pain. It varied between dull throbs and knife sharp intensity, but it was constantly there. That wasn’t right. Not the fact she was in pain. Something else. But her thoughts were sluggish, her memories fragmented.

Time was passing. She had no idea how much, but she was aware there were gaps between her lucid moments. They felt like long gaps, and she was sure there had been many of them.

Someone was there with her. Some of the time. Not always. Another indication time was passing. She didn't know who. Sometimes she heard a voice, but she couldn't make out the words. Other times she’d feel a hand on her arm, or holding her hand.

But before she could ever work out who it was, or try to understand what they were saying, the sea of pain dragged her under again, sending her into unconsciousness.

Kaira groaned as awareness returned, properly this time. She tried to move, which made her groan a lot louder. She felt sore everywhere. Battered to the depths of her bones. Yet she felt different somehow.

Her thoughts, her memories, were fragmented, but it felt as if a different form of pain was missing. One she’d been suffering from constantly. She couldn’t remember what it was, she was just aware that it was gone.

She lay still, not wanting to try moving again, and took in her surroundings through eyes squinted almost shut against the brightness. She was in a relatively small room, or one that felt small because it was packed with medical equipment. Much of it seemed to be hooked up to her.

Lying still was easy. She didn't feel like moving. She didn’t feel like doing anything. And while her mind was working, it was far from clear. So she lay there and tried to piece together what had happened.

She remembered travelling with Tarkus, convincing him to help her travel to Crasant where her brother was being delivered after the ship he was on was taken by slavers. That had all been a lie, of course. She had no brother. She’d been under orders to get Tarkus to Crasant. Orders tied to her life.

Failure would have meant dying. Those she'd worked for had injected her with technology designed to rip her body apart once a deadline was reached. That had been their way of forcing her to do what they wanted.

Tarkus had taken her to Crasant with no idea of her deception. Once there, Kaira had betrayed him. Led him into the hands of those who wanted him, at which point she’d realised they’d lied to her once again. They'd told her they wanted Tarkus to perform a particular job for them, to use his highly prized abilities to navigate faster routes through jump space for a special mission.

But instead they’d got her to slap a collar on him which they could use to torture him if he didn't do as they asked, and they’d proceeded to use it immediately to prove their point. They’d also made it clear this was no one-off event. They wanted Tarkus for good.

Kaira had then been led away to be cured. On the way they’d injected something to accelerate the devices in her body, which they said was necessary to be sure they could remove them all. But Kaira had a change of heart, guilt over what she’d led Tarkus into overcoming her.

She’d grabbed the gun from her escort, slugged him over the head, then used the gun to free Tarkus. Even though that meant guaranteeing her own imminent and painful death.

It was a rescue attempt which soon became bogged down, though Tarkus did manage to remove the collar. They’d nearly reached the Glimmer but had been pinned down by fire with no way to reach the ship. Kaira was in agony by that point, her awareness flickering in and out, but she had some memories. Memories which seemed to make no sense.

She was sure she remembered Tarkus’s ship, the Glimmer, lifting off and opening fire despite there being no one aboard to fly it. And Tarkus making some comment about those who were attacking having upset his long dead wife.

Memories which couldn’t be right. Maybe it had all just been a fever dream. Well, not all of it. She was sure about the devices in her body having been activated. The agony had been too intense to have come from her imagination. That meant she should be dead.

Yet here she was. She had a nasty suspicion she was in the hands of her former employers. As far as she knew, they were the only ones who could possibly have saved her. That thought made her stomach lurch. They’d been far from happy with her betrayal and more than ready to see her die. If they were keeping her alive, it couldn’t possibly be for a reason she’d consider good.

Before she could get too much further down that line of thought, she heard the door open. Somebody stepped into the room.

She felt frozen in place, dreading confirmation that those she’d worked for had her. Then a voice spoke. A familiar voice. A safe voice. A voice she didn’t have to be scared of. Tarkus’s voice!

You’re finally awake! he said. I was starting to think I’d have to bring an ultra-strong cup of coffee down here and wave it under your nose.

Kaira opened her mouth to reply, but barely managed a croak. Even that ripped at her throat.

Hold on, said Tarkus. You’ve been out of it for quite a while. Let me get you some water.

He moved closer, coming into her line of sight. She was surprised to see he didn’t look any the worse for wear after the ordeal he’d been through. Maybe a little more tired, but other than that the same old Tarkus.

He eased a squeeze bulb of water to her lips and slowly dribbled water into her mouth. Kaira hadn’t realised quite how dry her mouth and throat were until the cool water flowed over them. She let out a sigh and Tarkus took the bulb away.

How does that feel? he asked.

Better, she managed to say. Her voice sounded strange to her, but she could at least speak now.

You had me worried there for a long time. The devices inside you are really nasty.

But you managed to deactivate them?

His face fell and he shook his head.

No. This is a pretty advanced set of medical equipment, but even it can’t do that. I’ve managed to slow down the devices, to send them into retreat for now, but they aren’t gone. What I’ve done won’t last forever, or even for long. Those devices are designed to do their job no matter what, to adapt to anything which blocks them. They’re damn good at it.

Kaira’s heart sank, but she smiled anyway.

This is still more time than I should have had. Thank you.

Stop that! said Tarkus. "We’re not giving up! We just don’t have a solution. Yet!"

Kaira’s heart sank again, despite what Tarkus had said, as the implications hit home.

If we don’t find a cure I’ll have to go through all that again?

Not if I have anything to do with it! Tarkus said, his voice firm. We’ll stop that from happening.

How?

We know there’s a cure. We just need to find it. The best place to start is with the people who sell devices like that. That’s where we’re heading now, to a station which has a large trade in items which are illegal almost everywhere else. Hell, half the things they sell are even illegal there, but the authorities turn a blind eye because of the money it brings in. We find someone who’s selling the devices. They should also have the cure.

That doesn’t sound like a very safe place to go.

"Not the safest, but less dangerous than you might imagine. It’s all about money. Those who run the station don’t like anything which interferes with them making a profit.

But still, you’re off risking your neck for me. Again!

It does seem to be becoming a habit, doesn’t it? I’m certainly not stuck in a boring rut now!

Kaira opened her mouth to tell him how much she appreciated him still helping her, and more importantly how sorry she was for having betrayed him. But the words choked in her mouth, refusing to come out. Shame over what she had done flooded through her. What words could she possibly use to make up for what she’d done? Or even just to express how truly sorry she was.

You need to rest, said Tarkus, and the moment was gone. I’m afraid you’ll be doing a lot of resting. That helps the med unit to keep you stable, and allows your body to recover from the trauma.

He adjusted some controls and tiredness washed over Kaira before she could ask him for the details of the trauma, of exactly what the devices had done to her body. Her eyes flickered, closed, and awareness slipped away.

2

Kaira blinked her way back to wakefulness, stretched, then winced at the pain she was expecting. But there wasn’t any. She felt far better than she remembered being the last time she’d woken up. She was still in the medical bay, but it felt as if less machinery was strapped to her this time.

Welcome back from the land of dreams, came Tarkus’s voice from just out of her sight. How are you feeling?

Like I’ve been asleep for a week!

Well, not quite. It was only five and a half days.

"Five and a half days! I didn’t think it was even possible to sleep for that long!"

Well, that’s down to the drugs, mostly. Don’t worry, nothing nasty – just a sedative. The medical units keep those devices within you at bay much more easily when you’re sleeping.

Even so, five and a half days! Did I miss anything exciting?

"Oh, not really. A few pirate attacks. Having lunch with a space dragon. Almost being lunch for a space dragon. Running from an exploding supernova. Just our run-of-the-mill stuff."

Ha! If you do meet a space dragon I expect you to wake me up immediately!

Deal! You haven’t missed anything other than a lot of jump space travel and a few transitions.

Tarkus moved into view, unplugging the remaining medical devices from her. Kaira smiled as a thought struck her.

You got to enjoy all that time without having someone looking over your shoulder! she said. You must have been in heaven!

It actually felt a little strange. I guess I’ve gotten quite used to you being on the bridge and distracting me.

Kaira found herself speechless. It seemed that Tarkus was being honest, and if so it was a truly massive admission. He wasn’t saying he wanted her on the flight deck, or that her not being there hadn’t been better for him, but the fact he’d missed her at all was shocking.

There we go, said Tarkus, removing the last of the medical devices. All ready to go. We’ve got about thirty minutes till we reach the station, time enough to get you something to eat and a bit more settled. Now, let’s see if you can sit up.

"What do you mean if I can sit up?"

Give it a try.

Kaira did. She’d barely lifted herself off the bed at all when the room started spinning around her. She sagged back onto the bed.

All right, she said. Now I see what you mean.

You haven’t been upright in well over a week. Let’s try that again, but slower.

Tarkus stepped closer and placed a hand under her shoulder. This time she moved slowly, leaning heavily on his hand. Slowly, very slowly, she made it to an upright position.

I think I might give it a minute or two more before I try dancing, she said.

I’d rather you did. I don’t want to be picking you off the floor again!

At least you can! I couldn’t begin to shift you when you were knocked out at Rachnard’s Hole.

Yeah, but you managed pretty well. Without your help I’d have been in real trouble that day.

Kaira’s stomach clenched, and as she opened her mouth to tell him how she felt the words once more choked in her throat. But this time she forced her way through it.

You were only there because of me, she said. You were only in danger because you were helping me. Worse than that, you were only in danger because of the lies I’d told you. I lied to you and I betrayed you. I led you straight into a trap on Crasant. I don’t deserve your help.

Tarkus took a step back, leaving Kaira to support herself. She managed, but it wasn’t easy. He moved further round so he could stand in front of her and look into her eyes.

What exactly were your alternatives? he asked.

I could have warned you!

And then died when those devices ripped through your body?

No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. It still doesn’t make it right! And for all you know, I might do it again!

No. You won’t. I can tell.

"How can you tell?"

We don’t have time to go into this now. We need to get you up and moving, ready for when we reach Antilia Terminal. Come on. Swing your legs off and I’ll help you up.

Kaira managed to get onto her feet but felt strange as she swayed there, Tarkus’s hand steadying her arm. Not ill as such, but as if her balance and timing were slightly off.

This is ridiculous, she said. "I wasn’t out for that long!"

It’s down to what those devices did, said Tarkus gravely. They weren’t just in you to cause pain. They were trying to disassemble your body from the inside. It’s a truly evil creation. Even worse than slave collars, and those are awful enough.

Why would anyone even come up with something like these devices? Or slave collars, for that matter?

"There’s always someone who’ll invent things like that. Some of them get a kick out of doing it. Some are truly so laser focused they never consider what the implementations and effects of what they’re working on are.

"There was one… oh, must be nearly ten years ago now. A doctor. An absolute genius with viruses and infections, but he got bored of testing them on lab animals and under tightly controlled circumstances. He decided he wanted to study the effects out in the wild.

He let a disease loose in the middle of a packed station. And not just any disease, one he’d worked hard to make far more deadly than it had started as. The devastation was horrific. Everyone started calling him Doctor Plague.

I’ve heard that name. I never knew if he was real or just a bogeyman to scare kids with.

He was real. The plague raged for three months before anyone figured out it wasn’t natural, and even then it took months more to bring it fully under control. It was the poorest who suffered most, as they always do. Even once treatments were available they were expensive to begin with, partly down to the complexity of making them but mostly down to the fact they were in limited supply. Those with the most money ensured their families got the cures before anyone else.

That doesn’t seem right!

It wasn’t. But if someone in your family was dying and you had the money to make sure they got the treatment ahead of anyone else, are you certain you wouldn’t spend anything it took to bump your family to the top of the queue?

Kaira shivered and shook her head.

I’d like to think I wouldn’t, but I don’t know. It sounds like an impossible choice. When it was a choice between me surviving and saving you… that was different. But if it was someone else’s life on the line? I don’t know.

"That’s a more honest answer than most people would give. A lot would insist they would do what’s right. Of course what’s right could feel very different if you were in those circumstances. Anyway, come on. Let’s see if we can get you moving. One step at a time, and stop anytime you need to."

The first step was much harder than Kaira had expected. She felt as if she was toppling forwards, but with Tarkus supporting her by her arm she managed to continue through into the second step. She tried the third, and slowly but surely she walked out of the medical room and into the corridor. Then she stopped and groaned.

The stairs! I’d totally forgotten about them. Do we have to go up them?

"You don’t have to, but if you don’t you’re going to end up stuck in your room. If you can do it let’s get you upstairs, then you can rest on the sofa in the living area or come sit on the flight deck."

Let’s give it a try. Worse comes to worse, you can give me a piggyback.

Tarkus snorted at that.

I’ve done enough carrying you around for the moment. You can manage the stairs. I’m sure you can.

She was feeling stronger and more balanced by the time they reached the staircase. They took it slowly, oh so slowly, climbing one step then pausing. By the top she was struggling to lift her feet high enough to reach the next step, but she made it. Doing so had taken all of her attention and all of her breath. Only once they were at the top, moving towards the living area, did a thought strike her.

"What happened to him? Doctor Plague, I mean. Was he punished?

I don’t really know. Some say he was, but I’ve never seen anything official. Which makes me think he was probably never tried.

So he got away with what he did?

Maybe. Or maybe someone killed him before he could be tried.

I hope so. The thought of someone doing something so horrific and getting away with it, maybe even out there planning to do it again, that’s terrible. He sounds like the most evil man born.

"Oh, there’s plenty of contenders for that title. Evil though he was, I’d put him well below whoever came up with the idea of creating the Limited. If Jess, Ali, and the Wanderer hadn’t sacrificed themselves to put a stop to that threat the whole of humanity might be enslaved to a few despotic rulers by now, their minds wiped and with no chance of ever being able to rebel or find freedom."

It was really that bad? I’ve heard all the stories, of course, and seen some video. But it was such a long time ago it’s hard to know if it was all true.

It was, and it was as horrific as it sounds. I’ve done a lot of digging into what happened around the time leading to the end of the Empire, so I know that the standard defence is a pile of shit.

What standard defence?

"That whoever developed the technology to create the Limited was creating it to tackle the Taint. Absolute bullshit. They started their research at least five years before there was any report of the Taint anywhere within the Empire and ten years before it was taken seriously. The Taint was just a convenient excuse. Whoever created the Limited knew exactly what they were doing, and we’re all incredibly lucky they were finally stopped."

They reached the living area, walked in, and Kaira sank thankfully down on the sofa.

Would you like a drink? asked Tarkus.

I could murder for a coffee. Thank you.

I’ll get it for you. I don’t think I’d trust you to bring me a coffee safely just yet.

Maybe I should start with getting you a glass of cold water. If I trip and splash it over you it will just be funny rather than excruciatingly painful!

That’s probably a better idea. But I think I’ll also stand up so it’s easier to dodge when… sorry, if, you spill the water.

Hah!

Kaira shifted uneasily in her seat on the flight deck as they approached Antilia Terminal. Until she’d met Tarkus she’d never left her home system and only had memories of being on two stations. The one she’d grown up on, and the one she’d spent a couple of years on.

Well, not exactly until she’d met Tarkus. Until she’d stowed away aboard the Glimmer. She’d met Tarkus halfway through that first flight, though it turned out he’d already been well aware she was aboard.

Since then she’d visited enough stations she felt she was starting to get a feel for the different states they could be in when seen from space. And this one… this one was rough.

Parts of it showed significant damage. Some clearly from impacts, and some that looked suspiciously like they were due to weapons fire. In many cases the damaged areas looked to have been patched up to the minimum level to seal them, with no efforts made to repair them properly.

Despite that, space around the station was busy, with many ships coming and going. There didn’t seem to be any order to what was happening, but somehow there were no collisions. At least none she and Tarkus had been close enough to see.

Why don’t they repair the damage? she asked.

From the information I have it’s down to arguments over who pays. None of the merchants want anything to eat into their profit margin.

Why don’t the authorities fix it?

The authorities here report to the merchants. Any money they spend either comes from the merchants or from potential customers, leaving them less to spend with the merchants.

That makes no sense. If they carry on that way then eventually the station will be unusable.

I know. When that happens the merchants will either finally fork out some money or, more likely, just move somewhere else. It might end up being cheaper to build a new station in the neighbourhood and move everything they need across.

And everyone?

Tarkus shook his head.

No. Remember what I said about profits. Moving everyone would cost money the merchants don’t want to spend. They’ll only move the people they have to, and those who can pay the merchants to go. The rest will be left here.

On a dying station?

"Exactly. Dying, not dead. The merchants would make the excuse that it’s possible to survive on the station, so it’s not time to evacuate everyone yet. Some people would manage to leave over time, thanks to charitable flights or falling foul of slaving raids. Eventually the station would reach the point where it’s almost impossible to survive on it.

Then the merchants on the new station would probably argue for months about the best rescue package, and while they argued people would die. If they ever did send out a rescue there’d be almost no one left alive to bring back.

That’s horrible!

It is. But that doesn’t stop it being something which happens.

I sometimes think I made a mistake even leaving my home station, said Kaira.

What, and miss all the excitement we’ve had?

"I’m all for new life experiences. It’s the new death experiences I’m not so sure about!"

Just think of them as a great big bonus! A chance to understand how precious life is.

Right now, I’m getting close to being all bonused out!

Tarkus smiled at her.

I can’t say I blame you. We’ll see if we can get this sorted out without any more risking of life or limb! First, we have to find the people we need. We can’t just go in there asking about devices like those inside of you. We’d very quickly get into a lot of trouble that way. Not much is illegal to sell here, but that kind of thing definitely is. We need to find the right people, and to do that we need local knowledge.

From the way you said that I’m guessing you have something planned already?

It just so happens I do…

The hangar bay the Glimmer was resting in reinforced Kaira’s impression of the station. In places it went well beyond untidy and dirty and into downright dangerous. As she and Tarkus had left the Glimmer they’d passed a gaping hole dropping at least forty metres with only some light tape at waist height to keep people from falling in.

The passageways beyond the hangar weren’t much better. The main lighting was patchy, and in places non-existent for long stretches. Dim emergency lighting had been rigged up in the longest of them but, judging from the sparks and smell of ozone, that certainly hadn’t been done by anyone who was qualified. Or even vaguely competent.

You bring me to all the nicest places, she murmured to Tarkus.

How will you appreciate the truly nice ones if you haven’t seen ones like this? he replied.

Hah! So where are we going?

We need someone we can talk honestly to about what we need. If I’d been here before and had contacts that might have been a possibility, but I haven’t and I don’t. Well, there’s no contacts I’ve spoken to before, but there are contacts of a sort.

Are you working hard at being obtuse or is it just coming naturally?

Tarkus laughed.

Sorry, he said. It’s not a secret. We’re going to the Church of Unity’s temple.

For a moment Kaira stumbled, her balance feeling as if it had been swept out again but this time from surprise.

The Church? Why would they be involved in… in what we need to ask about?

They won’t be! They definitely won’t be! But they might know who is, or at least who we could safely speak to as a starting point.

I suppose. Sister Alacias was certainly very friendly and helpful back on Solace Retreat.

She was, but I wouldn’t judge the Church generally by her and that station. They’re unusual in many ways. But I’m sure that those who are here will help us.

Kaira didn’t reply. Tarkus sounded anything but sure. But without any better ideas herself she figured they had no real choice.

As they continued on, the station lived up to Kaira’s initial impressions. While there was no obvious threat at any point she felt far from safe. Too many people turned to watch intently as Tarkus and she passed, though none took any action.

Tarkus seemed to take it all in his stride, moving confidently and occasionally locking gaze with one of the watchers for long seconds. Kaira envied him that composure, and wondered whether it was real or fake.

When Tarkus turned around and said Here we are, Kaira stopped in surprise.

"Here?" she said.

On one side of the wide but rubbish strewn corridor were two bars, both shining brightly with lights and adverts designed to draw people in. On the other side was a large building displaying images of a dozen men and women wearing only enough clothing to cover two of them.

Yes here, said Tarkus.

Much to Kaira’s relief he turned to the side away from the pleasure house and walked towards one of the bars. Kaira followed, and noticed there was a dark, narrow corridor running between the two bars. It was so poorly lit it was almost invisible at any distance, hidden by the glare of the bars on either side.

As they reached the narrow alleyway she saw the sign of the Church of Unity subtly displayed on one wall.

They aren’t exactly going out of their way to advertise! she said.

The Church walks a fine line in places like this, said Tarkus. They’re tolerated at best, but never welcome, and it’s very easy for that grudging tolerance to give way to outright aggression. The Church makes sure they’re here for those who seek them out, they spend time in the community making their presence known, but they don’t push their luck too far.

"But how can a Church be opposite a place like that! Kaira said, gesturing behind them towards the pleasure house. How can they stand being so close to it?"

I don’t think the Church has ever had any problem with the idea of sex. In fact it’s one way to bring people closer to each other. As long as no one is being hurt or abused I don’t think the Church would have any strong opinions on the subject.

"You can’t tell me the people who work in there aren’t being abused!"

Tarkus stopped and smiled at her. She could only just see his face now they were in the narrow corridor.

You’ve never been in a place like that, have you? he asked.

"No! Why would I want to? There were a few back on Kadayek station, but they were much more discreet. Even so, I would never enter a place like that! Not as a customer and especially not as a worker."

Tarkus actually laughed, so much that he couldn’t speak. Kaira stood there, her anger building, not sure whether he was laughing at the thought she wouldn’t work there or because he somehow thought she wouldn’t be good enough to be allowed to.

I’m sorry, Tarkus said finally. You wouldn’t know. Like you said, you’ve never been in one.

And you have, I suppose?

No, actually, but I do know there’s no way you’d ever be able to work in one. Or me for that matter. Or anyone.

"What do you mean? Clearly someone works there."

"Well yes, there will be some people working, but not as the… how shall I put it… not as the subjects of the customer’s attention. None of those are humans. They’d all be sex robots."

"Robots?"

Yeah. It’s not the case absolutely everywhere, but I’d say almost all places like that exclusively use robots. It just makes sense from an economic point of view. Robots can work twenty-four hours a day. They don’t eat food. They don’t get sick. They don’t ask for pay rises. And they can easily cater for clients with more unusual tastes.

"Still… it’s… it feels wrong! But I can’t explain why."

Tarkus smiled again.

Yeah, it hit me that way when I first heard about it. It’s hard to shake the feeling that something untoward must be going on.

But… robots? Are they able to… do they… no! Don’t say anything! I don’t want to know!

Tarkus smiled again, and nodded his head down the narrow alleyway.

Now we’ve established that the Church’s religious sensibilities won’t be being offended by their location, it’s time to find the information we need.

It was dark in the alley, but after the first few steps Kaira noticed that the rubbish which had been visible everywhere else was missing. The side corridor was also longer than she’d expected. It kept on going, surely further than the two buildings it split, before finally ending in a plain door with a small symbol for the Church of Unity on one side.

They really take not advertising themselves seriously, she said.

The Church has been around for a long time, said Tarkus. They’ve learnt to adapt to their surroundings. Let’s see if anyone’s home.

Tarkus reached for the door, but it opened before he could touch it, revealing a short entrance corridor and then another door. Tarkus moved into the entrance corridor and Kaira edged in after. She jumped at the sound of the door softly closing behind them. Automatically, it seemed. There was no one else in the corridor with them.

Tarkus moved toward the far door, which also opened as he drew near. Kaira was surprised to see a pleasantly lit warm-feeling room beyond. It still wasn’t large, five metres on a side, but it easily housed several comfortable looking chairs, all turned to face each other. In front of the chairs stood an elderly woman dressed in flowing robes. She was smiling warmly.

Welcome, she said. In the name of everyone, and for the benefit of all, we offer you shelter and safety.

And as one who would see peace and kindness spread through the universe, I welcome your offer, replied Tarkus.

Kaira was