Chapter 10
“Your prison?” Jess asked, startled. “You were trapped here? By the disruption in jump space?”
“Not precisely,” his visitor replied. “Yes, the disruption prevented us from entering jump space. But that was planned. We always wanted our system to be secure. Difficult to visit. Harder to assault. However, we could leave at any time using the same method of travel that brought us here. The same one that brought you here.”
“The wormhole?”
“Yes. That is one way of describing it. A grossly simplified way, but it will suffice. We could have left, but we lacked one vital element.”
“What?” Jess prompted when his visitor fell silent.
“Desire,” came the reply, followed by a bitter smile. “We no longer desired to travel. Any travel increased the chance of encountering th
