“You! Get over there!” the guard barked at Jess, clouting him on the side of the head for emphasis.
Jess stumbled forwards, then broke into a reluctant jog. He’d seen the guards whip and beat other prisoners for not moving fast enough. Ahead, several guards in heavy armour waited with two prisoners and the remains of a third. They all stood near the side of a small spaceship which was maybe a hundred metres long and thirty wide at its widest. It was only high enough for a single deck.
The dead prisoner had been ordered to open the ship’s airlock but had set off a booby trap. Stuck at the front of his group of prisoners Jess had seen far more than he wanted of the death. As the man had manipulated the door controls a blast of electricity had been unleashed, ripping through his body. At l
