21
Jess breathed a sigh of relief as the Wanderer dropped out of jump space near to Admiral North’s fleet. The journey back had been difficult because he’d pushed the Wanderer as fast as was possible within jump space.
Part of his relief came from finding the fleet intact, and where it should be. Holding the fleet together was a massive achievement and Jess was sure that only a few people could have managed it. Somehow Admiral North was managing the feat… so far at least.
It took less than a minute for the Wanderer to receive a video call from the admiral.
“Jess!” said Admiral North. “Did you find them?”
Jess didn’t answer for a moment. He was too shocked by the Admiral’s appearance. He’d looked tired before, but now his skin was more grey than pale and his eyes were sunken. He
