Wanderer - Tainted Universe

Chapter 7-2

Jess was in the pilot’s chair once again, but slumped down this time. In many ways he still didn’t trust Dash, but the older man’s advice had seemed honest. The more Jess thought about Dash’s words, the more they made sense.

The Wanderer was massively more powerful than when Jess had first come aboard. It had repaired and reshaped itself into a much more deadly ship, which had allowed Jess and the others to help far more people than before. To save far more people. But, as Dash had said, that just highlighted the far greater number they couldn’t help.

Who was it that had told him he would need to change the Empire, bring it down, to help everyone? He couldn’t remember. Too much had been packed into such a small space of time. Was it Matt? Or maybe Elizabeth? Sal, even? He didn’t know.

That piece of advice merged with one from Dash. Know your limits, but push at them. Stretch them. Fine. He’d accept the limits he now faced, but his goal was to change the Empire as much as he was able. Maybe even to bring it down.

An almost unthinkable task, but maybe one he could accomplish given the right help and resources. He was constantly aware of the Wanderer’s desire to return home, to the system far on the other side of Imperial space. Jess and the others had decided to go there, mostly for the adventure.

Now Jess felt another reason to visit crystallise in his mind. He would need something amazingly powerful to destroy the Empire. Where better to find it than the system which built the Wanderer? Maybe he would find allies, though he thought it unlikely. Somehow he felt sure the original builders of the Wanderer were long gone. How could the Empire span so much of space otherwise?

Yet the ship longed to return, which told Jess there should be something there. Or at least there would have been thirty or forty thousand years ago. The ship’s intellect had been greatly reduced for that immense span of time. Lobotomised, effectively. Jess had helped to smash through the barriers, to bring the amazing ship fully back to life, albeit without knowing what he was doing.

Yet the ship knew how long had passed and it still seemed keen to return. And if the Wanderer had survived such a long time it seemed likely other ships and stations could have too.

Jess straightened in the chair, eyes bright with ideas. His desire to smash the Empire burnt strongly, and it gave him renewed strength to look at the current problem. He might not be able to protect the former prisoners, but he could give them the means to protect themselves. The Wanderer could produce knives and even simple guns that would be difficult to detect. He’d make damn sure the prisoners had a chance if it came to a fight for their freedom.