Read Wanderer 3: Tainted Universe for Free Online

when he broke from the Empire.
    His real name was Tom Dunton. Short and with a slight frame he’d been one of the calmest of the troops, renowned for never losing his temper or getting into a fight.  Until one day a bearlike trooper from another squad picked a fight with Dozer…
     
    *****
     
    Normally Dozer could handle himself in any fight, but not when the first hint it was starting was someone hitting him over the head with a heavy chair leg.  Dash had seen the security footage.  The blow was brutal.  It was a miracle Dozer wasn’t killed.
    Dozer hit the ground almost unconscious.  The thug landed two solid kicks to Dozer’s stomach.  The third didn’t connect.  Tom crashed into the attacker, pushing him back a whole step.  The thug grinned down at the man who didn’t even reach his shoulder height.  Tom had saved Dozer from a severe kicking, but now he was the focus of the brutal trooper.
    The fight was a complete mismatch.  Tom managed to dodge a hook that would have taken his head off.  Then he sidestepped a brutal jab, but that put him right in the way of another hook.  This one connected solidly with the side of Tom’s head, lifting him off the floor before dumping him down on his back.
    And that should have been that.  The thug clearly thought it was, as he stood grinning.  As Tom fell onto his back he twisted, turning it into a back flip which landed him on his feet.  Without a word he closed on the thug again.
    Another thunderous cross sent Tom ducking, bending down low, but this time Tom lashed out.  His open palm smashed into the thug’s knee.  Then, on the way back up, he lashed out against the thug’s stomach, chest and the elbow of the still swinging arm.
    By the time Tom stood straight again the thug was collapsing.  He ended up on the floor, curled up in agony.  Tom simply walked past him to help Dozer.  Not even looking tempted to put the boot in.
    News of the fight soon spread, and before long someone had hacked into the security system and the whole squad was watching Tom’s exploits.  Someone had commented on how little Tom looked like a bare knuckle fighter, and that was it.  Tom had a new nickname.  Knuckles.
     
    *****
     
    Looking at the man on the screen made Dash realise just how many years had passed.  It was well over twenty years since Tom picked up his nickname.  Closer to twenty-five.
    “ I was in the neighbourhood and thought I’d look you up,” Dash said.
    “ Yeah, right boss.  There is no neighbourhood here.  And you’ve turned up with four ships we’ve never seen before.  Are you dragging trouble with you?”
    “ You worry too much.  No wonder you’ve lost most of your hair.”
    It was an exaggeration, but Knuckles hairline had receded a long way over the years.
    “It’s pretty bad, I’ll give you that.  I’ve lost a lot in the centre, but there’s still lots clinging on at the sides, thank god.”
    “ If you say so.  I’m not picking a fight with you.”
    That made Knuckles smile.  The line had become a standing joke after he earned his nickname.  Not that anyone had picked fights with him before.
    Dash struggled to keep his face neutral.  They’d worked out the coded conversation based on Tom’s hair several years before.  The answer had sounded innocuous, but it actually told Dash that the base was under occupation.  The hair clinging at the sides comment was good though.  It meant that most, if not all, of the docked ships remained loyal.
    “ Seriously boss, how can we help you?”
    Dash grew serious.
    “Three of the ships are packed full of slave transports.  We need to get all of them offloaded, set the slaves free then give them food, water and whatever medical treatment they need.  The Wanderer has a full load too, though they’ve already been freed.”
    “ Wow… you don’t do things by halves.  That’s going to be a lot of people.  You won’t want to leave them here either.  Best thing would be to