“So we’re doomed? Ali and I shouldn’t even start anything?”
“Oh, god no! Did I give that impression? Grab it with both hands, kid. Enjoy it, the downs as much as the ups. It could be wonderful for both of you. Just understand that getting it right for the long term in a relationship is bloody hard and normally takes a lot of false starts. Oh… and… you’re plugged into the ship, yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Does it have any details on contraception? Because I ain’t your father and I really could do without giving you that talk.”
The ship helpfully pushed some images into Jess’s head. Images that made him blush furiously.
“I’ll take that as a yes!” laughed Matt. “Seriously, kid, enjoy it. You’re only in love for the first time once.”
“Love… I didn’t say… umm… I like her, but…”
“Trust me, kid. It’s love. Don’t try to fight the hormones.” He gave a huge yawn. “I’m sleepy. You’re not dosing me up again are you, kid?”
“No. Not me. Hang on…” Jess checked with the ship. “No, you’re just tired. The ship says it will be another day or two before you’re able to get up. You’re body has taken a real battering.”
“All right. And… I don’t think I’ve said it before but… thanks Jess. To you and the ship. For getting me free in the first place and for curing me. I’d have been happy to die free again, but I’m much happier to live free. I owe you.”
“You’re welcome. And thanks for the advice.”
Matt settled back onto the bed which was lowering him to lay flat.
“Any time kid. If you actually took in one word in ten I reckon I did well. Remember… relax and enjoy the ride.”
He smiled at Jess then closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately. Jess turned and left the room, thinking over the advice from the old man. He returned to the pilot’s seat. While he didn’t need to be there to control the ship, he still found it comforting. Checking the ship’s status he found that the hull had finished its growth and the changes to shields, weapons and engines were well under way.
Then he sat back, thinking through everything Matt had told him about their prisoners and about Ali.
Chapter 9
Nearly a day had passed. Sal had woken and Jess had shown her the new quarters, which she loved. Ali appeared soon after, almost ignoring Jess. He retreated to the flight deck while Sal gave Ali a tour of the new rooms, then introduced her to Matt. Sal later told Jess that Ali had charmed the old man rotten, which caused Jess a surprising spike of envy.
Some time later they gathered in Matt’s recovery room to discuss what to do next. All four agreed they should head for the station the two young children had been kidnapped from, a station known as Glory Falls. The question of what to do with the prisoners was much harder to agree on.
Matt still wanted to space them immediately. He argued that it was cleaner, fairer. They were guilty by their own admission of hundreds upon hundreds of crimes. Waiting only delayed the inevitable.
Sal argued for dropping them off at Glory Falls when they delivered the two children. Matt argued that was no different than spacing them, that they would be killed within hours of arrival. Jess was torn. He couldn’t space them. It wasn’t in him. He didn’t like the idea of delivering them to near certain death either, yet he had no better idea. He certainly didn’t want them to ever get free and go back to their old ways.
* * *
Jess was back in the pilot’s seat, trying to figure out what to do and, if he was honest with himself, avoiding being near Ali. No matter how many times he thought it through he couldn’t reach a decision about their prisoners. The only option he couldn’t rule out was to put off the decision and keep the prisoners on board, which wasn’t a decision at all.
The door opened behind him. Turning, he saw Ali. He stared at her for a moment while a range of emotions ran through him and, he was pretty sure, over his face. He grunted a greeting then turned away from her.
The silence stretched out uncomfortably. Finally she spoke.
“Jess, I… that is… damn, this isn’t going to be easy. I need to ask you something you won’t like, but please think about the question. Can you do that for me? Please?”
His first reaction was to say no. To push her away. Shutting her out would hurt, but he was starting to feel it might hurt less than the constant flips in her attitude to him. He opened his mouth to speak and found he couldn’t. He felt panic in the pit of his stomach at the thought. He couldn’t shut her out. Taking a deep breath he turned to her and spoke.
“All right. I’ll try. What is it?”
“I just wanted to know… at what point did you decide you were more important than Matt and Sal?”
The question threw him completely, it wasn’t at all what he’d expected. He struggled for words.
“What… but… no… I don’t. I’ve never thought that!”
“You do, though,” she said softly, staring earnestly into his eyes. “Even if you don’t realise it. You’ve decided you have the final say over the prisoners, that you get to decide what happens to them. That means you think you’re more important.”
“But… I can’t let them be spaced. I couldn’t live with myself. I couldn’t take the guilt.”
“That’s the problem! You can’t let them. You couldn’t live with yourself. You couldn’t take the guilt. You. You. You. Always you!”
She stopped herself with a visible effort, took a deep breath and continued in a quieter but still firm voice.
“Things can go one of two ways. You can all discuss things, make decisions together. Include me if you want, but that doesn’t matter. Or you continue to make all the decisions which means everyone else is just along for the ride, that they are just passengers, and before long they’ll be looking for a way off this ship. I will too.”
The last sentence was almost too quiet for him to hear but it hit home the hardest. He hadn’t been thinking far ahead but he realised he didn’t want Ali to leave. For that matter the thought of Matt or Sal leaving was terrifying too. He thought about what Ali had said, how he’d been acting, and realised she could be right.
“I think… I think you’re right,” he managed to say past the lump in his throat. “But I don’t know how to tell them, what to say.”
He felt tears forming in his eyes and blinked them away angrily. Ali smiled at him and his stomach did a flip.
“It’s all right. I’ll talk to them.” She turned, walked to the door then glanced over her shoulder at him. “Maybe there is hope for you after all.”
With that she was gone, leaving Jess once more feeling he was in way out of his depth, playing a game with no idea of the rules.
* * *
Twenty minutes later they were all gathered in the medical bay. Matt was still propped up on his bed, though he looked far better to Jess’s eyes. The rest sat on stools the ship had provided.
“Before we discuss anything else, there’s something important you three need to decide,” said Ali. “You need to decide whether you trust me fully and I get a say in the decisions. I can understand you being cautious and if the answer is no that’s fine. I’ll ask you to drop me off back home, or somewhere I can get home from safely, then I’ll be out of your hair. And this needs to be unanimous. If you don’t all trust me it’s not going to work.”
“And if we do?” asked Matt. “You’ll stay with us?”
“I don’t know, really. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Maybe.”
“Well it’s yes from me. You’ve been straight with us so far and those buggers had you as drugged up as Sal and the kid.”
“Thanks. Sal?”
Sal sat for a time in thought, studying Ali. Finally she spoke.
“It’s difficult. Matt, Jess and I have a shared background. The horrors of being prisoners, slaves, and of escaping together. You come from such a different life, a different world. I find it hard to trust you because I don’t really underst
and you, but that’s my problem. My gut feeling is you’re on the level even if I don’t understand you fully. Yes, I think you should be part of the… well… I guess we’re the crew of this ship now. So yes, I think you should be part of the crew.”
“Jess? How about you?” asked Ali, turning to face him. “And without asking the ship or using it to scan me so you can tell what I’m thinking!”
It came out jokingly, but with an edge. Jess felt himself flush guiltily as he realised he’d been about to do exactly that, almost subconsciously.
His emotions were in turmoil. He desperately wanted Ali to stay, but at the same time she scared him. There might be no drugs involved, but the effect she had on him was still incredibly powerful, and she seemed in control of the situation all the time. Poised. Self confident. Certain of herself. If she stayed would he always feel this off balance? Would she always make him feel like a clumsy child? If, as he secretly both hoped and feared, they started a relationship would he always be on the back foot?
Then he remembered Matt’s advice about girls being just as confused as boys in this situation. Looking more closely at Ali he realised it was true. She was leant forwards, nervously chewing her top lip. Her breathing was shallow and there was a hint of tears in her eyes. He suddenly realised how much this meant to her, how much it would hurt her to be rejected. He had his scars, from being drugged and his life as a prisoner, but she had scars too. With a smile he nodded his head.
“Yes. Definitely. Welcome to the crew.”
“Yes!” Ali squealed and jumped off her stool, then turned bright pink as the others laughed at her reaction. She tried to frown but was soon laughing too. Jess could feel the tension draining from the room. Once they stopped laughing Sal spoke and some of the tension returned.
“The next decision is a lot harder. What to do with our prisoners. We have a few options. First up is the simplest. We kill them. Space them, poison them, overdose them on sleeping drugs. We can sort the details out if needed.” She met the gaze of each of the other three before speaking again. “Do we kill them now?”
Matt nodded emphatically. “Yes!” he said. “That’s still got my vote.”
Sal shook her head. “Sorry Matt, I can’t do that. It’s just too cold blooded for me.”
Jess shook his head. “No.”
Ali sat for a moment, her head bowed. She started to speak without lifting her head.
“I hate them. I hate them so much more than anyone could possibly imagine. For what they did to me. To my family. To our friends. And to so many others. It would be so easy to say yes, space them, give them what they deserve. But I think that would make me too much like them. My answer is no.”
Matt pulled a sour face but accepted the decision in silence.
“No to that option, then.” Sal sounded relieved. “So, next question… do we hand them over at Glory Falls knowing they’ll almost certainly face the death sentence? My answer is yes, so long as the authorities guarantee to give them a trial.”
“Yes, I agree,” said Ali. “And you’re right about the trial. It’s important.”
“It’s not my first choice, but I’ll take it,” said Matt gruffly. “Yes.”
All eyes turned to Jess. His feelings hadn’t changed.
“I’m sorry. It’s still no from me. I can’t agree to it.”
He saw Ali’s face darken and held up a hand.
“I’m not saying we won’t do it. It’s three to one. I’ll hate it but we’ll hand them over. I had to tell you how I felt though.”
Matt smiled at him, then mock saluted. Ali’s face relaxed and she smiled at him, though sadly. Sal leaned over and squeezed his arm.
“I think the only other decision is what to do after Glory Falls,” Matt said. “Personally, I’m not sure. I know we want to find Ali’s friends but I can’t focus on that yet. I think we need to get those bloody criminals off the ship, return the kids and give the authorities as much info on where their people were taken as possible. Then we should think about what to do.”
Jess just nodded. It made sense and he had no other ideas.
“I agree,” said Ali. “Every time I think of them still being on the ship my skin crawls. Every time I think of my friends, about how to rescue them, it leads me back to thinking about how we were caught and so back to the kidnappers.”
Sal looked troubled, tears were in her eyes. Jess couldn’t work out why until she spoke, clearly fighting against overwhelming emotion.
“You’re right. Sorry. I’m really going to miss the kids. They need to go back to their parents, though.”
Ali crossed to Sal and gave her a big hug. Soon both had tears running down their faces. Matt rolled his eyes and motioned to the door.
“Get out kid,” he whispered. “Wish I could!”
A gesture at his body, still trailing medical monitors, accompanied his last statement. Jess took the advice and quickly slipped out of the room.
Chapter 10
Jess watched in fascination as the Wanderer finished its final approach to Glory Falls station and lined up to enter the docking bay. He’d given the instructions to get them started, but the ship interpreted the commands and handled manoeuvring its huge mass. A tingling sensation in his skull told him it wasn’t purely the ship, subconsciously his brain was part of the calculations, yet another aspect of his link to the ship that he found both exciting and unnerving.
They’d agreed that Sal should handle communication with the station. Her initial message had been met with suspicion which quickly turned into excitement, followed by disappointment when she had to tell them only two children had been recovered. She found out that one hundred and thirty-four people had been stolen away from the station, including the children’s parents. Their grandparents were overjoyed to be getting the children back, but they and everyone else were still desperately upset at what had happened to the others.
The station explained how their people had been taken. The kidnappers had invited people onto the ship to give them a tour, a chance to view a working spaceship. Many families had taken up the offer. Soon after the ship had declared a reactor breach and used automated protocols to perform an emergency detach from the station. By the time anyone realised what was happening the ship had already covered half the distance it needed to make a jump. They’d made the jump before any ships could be launched in pursuit, not that it would have mattered. The station only had two jump capable ships, both ageing bulk freighters which were too slow to catch the kidnappers and had none of the scanners needed to track a ship through jump. There was no way to follow.
Sal managed to get assurances the prisoners would be given a fair trial, though she was warned the evidence was overwhelming and only one outcome was likely. She explained they had only limited control over the prisoners and got agreement to offload them first, to be followed by the children.
As the ship completed its docking manoeuvre Jess focused on the prisoners. They’d been kept mildly dosed with the chemicals used on Ali and himself, to keep them under control and to ensure they could be offloaded from the ship without needing to use too much force. Matt was still restricted to bed, though he expected to be on the move within a few hours, though even then he would be very weak. Sal, Ali and Jess would have no hope of controlling the prisoners by themselves, and Jess didn’t want to give away too many details of the ship’s abilities to those on the station, especially as he’d had to remove the wall between the prisoners and the rest of the living area to allow Sal and Ali to use the airlock.
Now he reshaped the holding cell to lead to the airlock. Sal told the prisoners to enter, which they did without complaint. Jess watched as it cycled. As soon as the outer door opened the prisoners were grabbed by a waiting group of security guards, shoved to the floor and restrained. Other guards held back a restless crowd as the prisoners were swiftly removed from the area. With a sigh he walked back to the living area where Ali and Sal waited with the two children. They’d been watching events ou
tside on a screen.
Sal crossed to Jess and gave him a hug.
“I know it’s tough, but it’s for the best. Now focus on this… we’re getting to return these two to their family. That counts. We’ve done something really good here.”
Jess nodded, forcing a smile.
“Yep. You’re right. Are you sure you two will be enough? You don’t want me to come with you?”
“It’ll be fine. We’re returning their children and we’ve brought the kidnappers to justice. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“And besides…” added Ali, with a mischievous grin. “We need you here to come rescue us if something does go wrong!”
“Very funny! Just be careful.”
They both assured him they would be. Even so his heart felt heavy as he watched them cycle through the airlock with the children. This was the first time he’d been parted from Sal since they’d entered the Wanderer as prisoners, and watching Ali leave felt just as bad. He couldn’t help worrying something would go wrong.
* * *
Jess became more and more worried as time stretched on without any word from Sal and Ali. After ten minutes he was pacing the flight deck. After twenty he went to visit Matt. He opened the door to find Matt stood by the bed, legs shaking but with a fierce look of determination on his face.
“What are you doing?” shouted Jess, rushing forwards to support him.
“Good timing, kid. I was just wondering how to make it from here to the door without falling flat on my face. Give me a hand. I’ve had more than enough of this place.”
“Are you sure? You shouldn’t be out of bed yet. You need to wait to get your strength back. Let me help you back into bed.”
“Stuff that! I can rest just as well on the sofa. I’m sure this ship can monitor me perfectly well from there, can’t it?”
Wanderer's Odyssey - Books 1 to 3: The Epic Space Opera Series Begins Page 8
