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Authors: Simon Goodson
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you sleep.” she said softly. “I'd forgotten how young you are, you've handled yourself so well. I'm proud of you.”
“ Umm... thanks...” Jess shrugged awkwardly.
“ Remember that we're here for you though, Matt and I. Lean on us when you need to.”
Jess smiled, nodded. Her words could have sounded condescending, but somehow they didn't. They sounded caring. It was a long time since anyone had truly cared for Jess. It brought a lump to his throat and tears to his eyes. Embarrassed he busied himself shoving the sheet back and twisting so he sat on the bed next to Sal. Thankfully he'd fallen asleep in his clothes. He glanced at Sal, then looked more carefully.
“Sal, you look shattered!”
“ Thanks. You know how to make a girl feel good.” she replied with a smile.
“ Sorry. But you really do look wiped out. Have you slept?”
“ No. I wanted to keep an eye on our guests, and on Ali too. I think she's on the level but I wanted to be sure. She's asleep in Matt's room now and I've got the ship to lock the door. It needs you, me or Matt to authorise any attempt to open it.”
Jess was shocked. He opened his mouth to argue then closed it again, thinking of all that had happened. He nodded slowly.
“I guess that is for the best. How did questioning our guests go?”
Sal pulled a sour face. “It wasn't pleasant. They answered all the questions, almost fell over themselves to give me the information. I have the coordinates of the orbital farm, it's called Iona, and several ports that the pirate ship is likely to put in at. I got a lot of background from them too, this isn't something new. They've been pulling scams like this all their lives. Always at small, out of the way, places that won't have heard of them and that won't have a fleet to chase them, or links to anywhere that has a fleet. They've ruined the lives of thousands, tens of thousands of people. And they don't care. Not even now, dosed up to please me. None of them showed the slightest remorse.”
She stopped, unable to continue. Lifted her hands then dropped them back into her lap. Jess sat uncertainly for a moment, then leaned in and hugged her. She hugged him back fiercely for a few moments then pulled away.
“But no more!” she said, swallowing. “No more. And it's thanks to us. Most of their schemes they kept secret, the drugs they used on us were made on their ship. No one else knows those particular scams. I think we did something good, something truly good, by capturing them. Of course the Empire would have stopped them if we hadn't got in the way, but this is different. I spent hours talking to them. I've got details of all the places they've taken people to, at least all those they could remember, and of many of the places they've visited recently to kidnap people.”
“ So, what should we do with them?”
“ I still say hand them over. They've given me some locations which are large enough to deal with them and where they'll be remembered. We should take them to one.”
“ And the children? Do we just hand them over too, to be ripped away from their parents or to suffer the same sentence?”
“ No. Sorry, I'm so tired. I didn't tell you. Near the end, I asked them how old the children were. Such a simple question. The answer was that they didn't know exactly, they've only had them about three months.”
“ What?”
“ I know. The children aren't theirs. They stole them, as part of a raid, and decided to keep them. I know where from, we can take them home. I've already taken both children away, they are sleeping in my room now. So I couldn't have slept if I wanted to. Sleeping on the sofa in the same room as that lot didn't appeal to me, strangely enough.”
“ Here...” Jess stood, gesturing to his bed. “Get some rest. I'll keep an eye on things now.”
Sal pulled herself onto his bed, smiling
“ Umm... thanks...” Jess shrugged awkwardly.
“ Remember that we're here for you though, Matt and I. Lean on us when you need to.”
Jess smiled, nodded. Her words could have sounded condescending, but somehow they didn't. They sounded caring. It was a long time since anyone had truly cared for Jess. It brought a lump to his throat and tears to his eyes. Embarrassed he busied himself shoving the sheet back and twisting so he sat on the bed next to Sal. Thankfully he'd fallen asleep in his clothes. He glanced at Sal, then looked more carefully.
“Sal, you look shattered!”
“ Thanks. You know how to make a girl feel good.” she replied with a smile.
“ Sorry. But you really do look wiped out. Have you slept?”
“ No. I wanted to keep an eye on our guests, and on Ali too. I think she's on the level but I wanted to be sure. She's asleep in Matt's room now and I've got the ship to lock the door. It needs you, me or Matt to authorise any attempt to open it.”
Jess was shocked. He opened his mouth to argue then closed it again, thinking of all that had happened. He nodded slowly.
“I guess that is for the best. How did questioning our guests go?”
Sal pulled a sour face. “It wasn't pleasant. They answered all the questions, almost fell over themselves to give me the information. I have the coordinates of the orbital farm, it's called Iona, and several ports that the pirate ship is likely to put in at. I got a lot of background from them too, this isn't something new. They've been pulling scams like this all their lives. Always at small, out of the way, places that won't have heard of them and that won't have a fleet to chase them, or links to anywhere that has a fleet. They've ruined the lives of thousands, tens of thousands of people. And they don't care. Not even now, dosed up to please me. None of them showed the slightest remorse.”
She stopped, unable to continue. Lifted her hands then dropped them back into her lap. Jess sat uncertainly for a moment, then leaned in and hugged her. She hugged him back fiercely for a few moments then pulled away.
“But no more!” she said, swallowing. “No more. And it's thanks to us. Most of their schemes they kept secret, the drugs they used on us were made on their ship. No one else knows those particular scams. I think we did something good, something truly good, by capturing them. Of course the Empire would have stopped them if we hadn't got in the way, but this is different. I spent hours talking to them. I've got details of all the places they've taken people to, at least all those they could remember, and of many of the places they've visited recently to kidnap people.”
“ So, what should we do with them?”
“ I still say hand them over. They've given me some locations which are large enough to deal with them and where they'll be remembered. We should take them to one.”
“ And the children? Do we just hand them over too, to be ripped away from their parents or to suffer the same sentence?”
“ No. Sorry, I'm so tired. I didn't tell you. Near the end, I asked them how old the children were. Such a simple question. The answer was that they didn't know exactly, they've only had them about three months.”
“ What?”
“ I know. The children aren't theirs. They stole them, as part of a raid, and decided to keep them. I know where from, we can take them home. I've already taken both children away, they are sleeping in my room now. So I couldn't have slept if I wanted to. Sleeping on the sofa in the same room as that lot didn't appeal to me, strangely enough.”
“ Here...” Jess stood, gesturing to his bed. “Get some rest. I'll keep an eye on things now.”
Sal pulled herself onto his bed, smiling
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