Over time Jess moved from sorrow to anger. Anger at the Taint for having stolen Ali away. Anger at the fleet chasing the Wanderer for forcing them into this position.
As for the troopers… anger wasn’t a strong enough word. The fear and worry over those troopers had allowed the Taint to get on board, allowed it to take hold. It was their fault Jess had lost Ali. It was their fault she had suffered and probably died. They needed to pay for what they had done. They had to pay!
How, though? Their armour made it difficult to destroy them. The Wanderer had strong enough weapons, but they weren’t mobile. How could he force the troopers close enough to be killed? Then a cold grin spread across his face. His definition of weapons had been too narrow. They had something portable which
