Wanderer 3: Tainted Universe (39 page)

Another volley struck.  Yet more shields failed.  Jess desperately cast around for a way out, a solution he’d missed.  There wasn’t one.

*****

“
What the hell?” admiral Vorn muttered.  “A shuttle?”

He stared for a moment longer before screaming out orders.

“I want that shuttle intact.  If any ship destroys that shuttle then the captain, all the officers and half the crew will be executed.  Get a boarding team out to it immediately.  Don’t let it get away.”

The last words were spoken in a deathly cold voice.  The officers around Vorn leapt into action immediately.  In theory capturing a shuttle should be a simple affair.  His officers weren’t making the mistake of assuming that would be the case.  The
Wanderer
had done too many incredible things already.  Who was to say that this small shuttle couldn’t have jump drives, impossible though that should be.

*****

Sal started to relax as the shuttle pulled away from the immediate conflict.  She’d worried at first that she would be an accidental casualty of the assault on the
Wanderer
, or that it would be deliberately targeted.

She relaxed even further as several assault shuttles launched and turned onto courses to intercept her.  They wanted her alive.  Soon she would be dragged aboard one of the Imperial ships, probably in chains.  Everything was going according to plan.

Chapter Forty-Six

“
Why haven’t they jumped?” Vorn muttered.

None of his officers answered.  The question hadn’t been targeted at anyone in particular and no one wanted to risk attracting the admiral’s attention.

Vorn couldn’t understand it.  Space had settled down enough for even a normal ship to jump.  So what was happening?

His tactics had been based on blasting the
Wanderer
’s shields down and damaging its jump engines before there was any chance to escape.  That plan had failed, but the
Wanderer
was still sitting in normal space.  So his fleet kept on with wearing down the
Wanderer
’s shields.

“
Launch more assault shuttles.  Have them close on the
Wanderer
.  I want as many troopers on board as we can manage.”

“
Aye, sir.”

Vorn watched as the
Wanderer
’s shields continued to be beaten down.  They flickered for a moment.  Immediately the
Starslayer
’s weapons lashed out at the
Wanderer
’s jump drives.  The shields rallied and deflected the attack.  This time.

Vorn felt a flicker of hope that things would be different than before, that he would finally capture the
Wanderer
, but he ruthlessly suppressed it.  There were too many unknowns.  Too much could still go wrong.  He would celebrate once he stood on the bridge of the
Wanderer
.  Not a moment before.

*****

The
Wanderer
’s shields threatened to fail, struggling to cope with the damage being unleashed upon them.  Jess forced power into them, stabilising the flow.  He was only just in time.  The battlecruiser struck almost immediately, targeting the
Wanderer
’s jump engines.

The warship switched back to pummelling the
Wanderer
’s shields.  Jess knew this couldn’t last.  Soon, probably very soon, an attack on the jump engines would get through.  Then the
Wanderer
would be at the Imperial fleet’s mercy.

To make things worse the tainted were active again.  Jess could sense them starting to flow into the
Wanderer
’s systems.  They had no fear of the traps left behind and were able to move quickly.  Soon they would regain control of the remaining shields and jump engines.  Jess could wrest control back again, but it would take time.  Time the battlecruiser would never allow him.

There wasn’t any choice.  There never had been, but Jess had been holding back.  He’d been scared if he was honest.  He still was.  Steeling himself he took a deep breath, then dived back into the virtual world of the
Wanderer
’s systems.

*****

The area surrounding him remained clear of the Taint, even the areas outside of the
Wanderer
’s safe zone.  Things were changing though.  In the far distance systems were becoming blurry.  Some were disappearing into the chaotic haze of colours that represented the Taint.

Not stopping to consider what he was doing, Jess launched himself outward.  Not in one direction.  In all directions.  There was no care this time, no testing for hidden dangers.  He was grabbing everything he could, sweeping it into his control.  What he needed more than anything else was control of the jump engines but there was no time to be selective.

Jess cried out as hundreds of invisible knives plunged into his body and his mind.  They tore at him, slowing him down.  Each represented a trap.  Something left behind to hurt or corrupt him and the
Wanderer
.  In some ways being struck by so many was a good thing.  They merged into a suffocating wave of pain which allowed him to deal with them as a whole, rather than individually.

They affected him though.  The further he spread his influence, the more invisible hooks dug into him.  His progress slowed.  He neared the critical jump engine control systems, but he had almost stopped moving.

He hadn’t thought the pain could grow worse.  He’d been wrong.  Every single barb, every single hook, started to radiate intense pain.  Jess screamed as the agony ripped through him.  As it started to rip his soul apart.  The jump engines remained tantalisingly out of reach, but Jess didn’t care anymore.  He was being flayed alive.  Pain overrode all thought.

Tears blurred his vision, but he sensed a presence.  One of the reflections of Ali, come to gloat.  Or to grab the chance to enslave Jess.  She rushed to his side, reaching out for his face with both her hands.

Despite the pain Jess was determined not to give in.  He would die before he let the Taint gain control of the
Wanderer
.  Ali’s hands reached his face, holding it gently.

Jess had expected pain.  Pressure.  A fight.  He certainly hadn’t expected the pain he was feeling to ease.  But it did.  Ali’s hands were cool, calming.  The feeling swept through Jess rapidly, sweeping away all the pain.  He blinked in surprise, shaking his head to clear the tears.

Ali’s face contorted into a snarl of pain.  Tears were flowing down her cheeks.  She didn’t move her lips, probably couldn’t have spoken, yet her voice sounded in Jess’s mind.  She sounded calm, at ease, despite what was happening to her.

Jess my love, move quickly.  I can’t do this for long.

Jess stared at her in confusion for a moment, then realisation struck.  This was Ali.  The
real
Ali.  The Ali he thought he’d lost.  She was right in front of him.  And she was enduring excruciating pain for him.

Ali, I’ve missed you so much.  Let me help…

No,
she interrupted firmly. 
Do what you came to do.  Save the Wanderer.  Save yourself.

Somehow she found the strength to move, giving Jess a shove in the right direction.  There was hardly any strength behind it but it was enough to break the spell.  Jess threw himself towards the jump engine systems, and towards several key areas controlling the shields.  Pain spiked into him as he triggered more traps, but it was as nothing compared to the pain he had felt.  To the pain that Ali was dealing with right then.

Outside, in the real world, the
Wanderer
shuddered under another onslaught.  Jess was aware of it but it seemed so remote now.  So distant.

The moment the jump engines were under his control Jess activated them.  The transition was rough, he hadn’t taken the time to plot a smooth entry.  Getting away mattered far more than comfort.

The
Wanderer
was safe from the fleet, but only so long as he controlled the jump engines.  He knew he should be grabbing control of more shield generators, but he couldn’t help turning back towards Ali.  Maybe they could share the load?  He could certainly stand more pain than he was currently experiencing.  Ali, on the other hand, looked way past her limit.

She lifted a hand, stretching it out to tell him to stop.  Somehow she managed to smile through the pain.

I love you Jess.  Always remember that.

Then she seemed to shatter.  Tiny pieces flew in every direction, quickly vanishing.

“Noooooo!” Jess screamed.

Then all the pain Ali had taken slammed back into his body again.  But it paled into insignificance beside the pain of losing Ali, possibly forever.  The physical pain was almost manageable.

Was Ali dead?  Had it really been her?  Could it have been a trick?  If so, Jess couldn’t see the point.  He hoped Ali remained, that he’d seen a reflection again — though one where Ali’s personality was in control this time.  But he had to face the possibility that it had been Ali herself.  That a small part of her had managed to stay free.  And that she had sacrificed herself to save him.  That she was gone forever.

This wasn’t the time to think about it.  The Taint was still active and it was pushing against the area he had grabbed control of.  He could easily push it back where he focused, but most of the barrier was extremely vulnerable to attack.  There had been no time to build a strong perimeter.  No time to strengthen it as he had before.  The barrier was stretched thinly, and the Taint was already forcing its way through and claiming areas of the
Wanderer
.  If Jess took too long then he’d lose control of the shields once more.

This time he felt far more confident as he activated the protocol.  He knew it would work and that it wouldn’t affect him.  The shields activated in the required pattern.

Nothing changed.  The Taint continued to reclaim systems.  Jess panicked.  Why wasn’t it working?  He checked the pattern of the shields and quickly saw that it was out slightly.  Were the shield generators damaged?  No.  Then what was happening?

Then he saw it.  All the shields under his control were operating correctly.  He hadn’t counted on additional shields being activated.  Activated in a way that disrupted the intended effect.  Somehow the Taint had identified the danger, and it had found a way to avoid it.  With those additional shields running the tainted were safe.

Jess gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain searing its way through his body and mind.  All that mattered was stopping the Taint.  He adjusted some of the generators, changing their pattern to compensate for the effects of the rogue shields.  The pattern was almost complete… then some of the rogue generators shut down, while new ones started up.  The pattern was disrupted once more.

Jess wasn’t going to give up.  He made adjustments again.  Once more the rogue generators disrupted the pattern before it could fully form.  And again.  And again.

It felt like fencing with massive tree trunks.  The situation needed exquisite control but he was stuck making crude changes.  It might have seemed hopeless, but Jess was carefully studying the rogue shield generators.  He soon realised that there were a very limited number and the Taint could do little more than turn them on or off.

He mapped out a contingency plan, then tried to form the pattern again.  As the rogue generators activated he was ready for them and quickly adjusted his pattern again.  It was working!  The pattern was forming quickly.  It was almost formed.  It…

Another two rogue shield generators activated.  Two he hadn’t seen used before.  Fine.  He could deal with those too.  Repeating the process he had the pattern almost completed when a third rogue generator activated.  This time it was only just enough to disrupt the pattern.

How long could this go on?  How many spare generators did the Taint control?  Potentially tens, maybe even hundreds, he realised.  Many of them were smaller shields but that didn’t matter, as long as they had sufficient power to disrupt the field.

Power.  Maybe that was it.  He repeated the process once more, this time accounting for all three new rogue shield generators.  A fourth started, clashing with the pattern.  Jess immediately poured more power into the nearby generators, pushing them well past their safety margins.  The pattern steadied.

Five more rogue generators started to activate.  The Taint had realised what Jess was doing and wanted to stop it.  Too late.  The pattern snapped into clarity before the five fired up properly.  A wind blew the Taint before it again, but this time it was more a stiff breeze than a hurricane.  The area covered by the Taint was far smaller.  It cleared far more quickly.

Then the newly activated shield generators powered up fully and began interfering with the pattern.  Knowing the Taint would soon be active again Jess threw himself towards the five generators.  He quickly took control and shut them down.  The pattern steadied then locked in place.  The Taint was neutralised once more.

Not without cost though.  Jess had triggered more of the traps.  The unbearable agony had increased in intensity.

Jess didn’t have any more to give.  He’d done what needed to be done.  The
Wanderer
was safe.  Safe from the tainted because of the shield pattern.  Safe from the chasing Imperial fleet because the
Wanderer
had reached jump space.  The
Wanderer
could handle methodically recovering control the rest of its systems.  There was time now.

Jess tried to disengage, to return to the real world.  He felt himself tugged in the right direction, but he was unable to move.  The traps had become part of him.  They were holding him where he was, preventing him from leaving.

The pain was more than he could bear.  He couldn’t move.  Couldn’t talk.  Couldn’t think.  Tears welled in his eyes as he curled into a ball, unable to escape and without the energy to fight back.

The pain continued to lash at his body and mind.  A small part of him realised he was dying.  The thought held no fear.  In fact it was quite appealing.  After all, death would bring an end to the pain.  Wouldn’t it?