Deathstalker Coda

  "Excuse me," said Captain Price. "But what are you talking about?"

  "One of the Golden Age's nastier secrets," said Lewis. "Back when the rogue AIs of Shub were still the official enemies of Humanity, they routinely captured and experimented on humans, making them over into monstrosities in their secret laboratories. Sometimes for information, sometimes as part of their psychological warfare. And sometimes the Empress Lionstone the Fourteenth ordered the same thing done in her secret laboratories, in her search for new weapons, or just for the fun of it. And then there was the Mater Mundi, trying to turn espers into super-espers and failing as often as not. So when the Great Rebellion was finally over, and we were all friends again, Robert and Constance were faced with the problem of what to do with all the leftover monsters, which had once been men and women. There was no place for monsters in the wonderful Golden Age King Robert and Queen Constance were determined to build, so they gathered up all the products of all the secret labs, and dumped them on Shandrakor, to live or die as best they could. And then the Empire did its best to forget they ever existed."

  "We had a civilization to rebuild," said Silence. "We couldn't do everything. We had to have priorities. We needed to spend our time on the problems we could solve. And if that makes us sound hard-hearted… we'd all been through a lot. We were all very tired."

  "I gave those monsters my word that they would go home again," said Lewis. "And so they will. First as shock troops in our war with Finn, and then… as our lost children. Set a course for Shandrakor, Admiral."

  "Typical bloody Deathstalker," said Silence. "Always being right."

  And so the fleet went to Shandrakor. Some were heard to say that though they'd sworn to follow the Deathstalker to Hell and back, they hadn't necessarily meant it literally. But no one said it too loudly. Except for Brett Random, who made it very clear that there was no way he was going back down to the planet's jungles, under any circumstances whatsoever. And to prove it, he locked himself in his quarters with several bottles of wine and barricaded the door. Rose reluctantly stayed behind too, to keep him company and stop him from getting hysterical. In the end, only Lewis and Jesamine descended to the surface of Shandrakor, in a simple pinnace. And only Silence turned up to see them leave.

  "They're calling this Deathstalker's folly," he remarked. "Everyone agrees you're being very brave, but there's already heated betting as to what condition you'll return in, or even whether you'll be back at all."

  "I hope you're betting on us," said Jesamine.

  "Of course," said Silence. "I never could resist the really long odds." He looked back at Lewis. "Do some of them really remember being human? We had hoped… After all this time?"

  "Yes," said Lewis. "They remember the lives they had, the people they knew, the worlds they came from. And they dream of being able to go home again."

  "Lewis, they can't." Silence looked at the Deathstalker pleadingly. "We still have no idea how to undo what was done to them. Even Shub doesn't know how. What could these monsters do, what could they be, on civilized worlds? Neither human nor alien, how would they ever fit in? Everyone they ever knew is dead and gone.They'd end up in zoos!"

  "I gave them my word," said Lewis.

  "Then… they're your responsibility, Deathstalker. Hopefully you'll make a better job of it than I did, when it was my responsibility."

  * * *

  Lewis guided the pinnace down into the nightmare jungles of Shandrakor, darting in and out of the higher treetops until he was finally able to land in the clearing that held the buried Deathstalker Standing. The air was hot and wet and sticky as Lewis and Jesamine stepped out of the ship and onto the dark spiky grass. Insects buzzed fiercely on the heavy air, and from all around came the roars and screams of life and death on Shandrakor, where every lifeform preyed on every other lifeform. Lewis looked carefully around him, keeping his hands near but not actually on his weapons. So far, nothing had entered the clearing. It looked pretty much as he remembered it, but with no signs of the extensive damage that had been done during the last attack of the Emperor's troops. The fast-growing jungle had already covered over the scars. Lewis couldn't even tell where the entrance to the Standing had been, before the castle's ancient computers blew it up, as one last service to Clan Deathstalker. Tall, wide-boled trees formed a guardian circle around the clearing, and shadows moved among them. Jesamine wiped at her perspiring face with a cloth.

  "There is definitely such a thing as too much sunshine, darling. God, it's hot! And I really do hate this humidity. It does my skin no good at all. I just know I'm going to end up with another nasty heat rash." She looked about her. "Where are they? They must have heard us land. You know, Lewis, I have to say that this doesn't strike me as one of your better ideas."

  "Do you want to abandon them too?"

  "Well, not as such, sweetie, but… shock troops, yes. I can see that. But what about afterwards?"

  "I gave my word as a Deathstalker."

  Jesamine sighed. "Yes, dear, you did. Which was all very honorable. But you can't feel guilty about everything the Empire did in the name of your legendary ancestor."

  "I can try to put things right. And I will. I have to. That's what being a Deathstalker means. Especially when you're the last one."

  He broke off, as he and Jesamine both looked round sharply. And one by one the monsters left the tree line and ventured into the clearing, emerging into the light of day like horrid ghosts from the eternal shadows of the jungle. There were all kinds, large and small, every possible example of mixed natures and merged genes. They moved in slowly from every side, wrapped in spiked armor and twisted shapes, with too many legs and eyes, or not enough, in forms so vile and so affecting that Lewis and Jesamine had to fight to keep from looking away. She stood very close to him, almost moved to tears at the horrible shapes that had once been men and women. She still kept her hand near her gun. The monsters filled the clearing, pressing slowly forward from every side until suddenly, at some unseen, unheard signal they all stopped. One creature came forward, to confront Lewis and Jesamine. It had been turned horribly inside out, its exposed red and purple organs gleaming wetly in the bright sunlight. A more or less human face had been stretched across its flayed chest. The mouth was wide and mobile, and the wide-set eyes… held no understandable emotion. The bulging body hung in a cage of thick-furred spindly legs.

  "You came back," it said.

  "Yes," said Lewis. "I told you I would."

  "So you did, Deathstalker." The creature's voice was a low hiss, the words elongated and strangely accented. "I think I had a name once, but that was long ago, and I don't remember it. I remember some things, flashes of home and family, but not whether I was a man or a woman. It's hard now to even think what that meant. I am Speaker; I am the voice of those who remember being other than monsters. Why have you come back, Deathstalker?"

  "Because I made you a promise," said Lewis. "I have a fleet of ships now. We're going back to Logres, which was called Golgotha in your day, to throw a false Emperor off his stolen throne. I want you to come with us. All of you. Be my shock troops in this war. And afterwards…"

  "Yes?" said Speaker. "What, afterwards?"

  "You will all go home. We'll search out what records remain, do our best to find out who and what you used to be. If all else fails, the espers will dig the truth out of your minds. But every damned one of you will go home. No one gets left out, no one gets left behind. Whatever can be done for you, to make you more… comfortable, will be done. Science has come a long way in two hundred years. Of course, this all depends on us winning the war…"

  "We can fight," said Speaker. "We know how to do that. Could we really be… cured? Made human again?"

  "I don't know," Lewis said honestly. "But the blessed Owen has returned, more powerful than ever. I have seen him perform miracles. And there is always the Madness Maze. It transformed us; perhaps it can transform you."

  "We will go with you," said Speaker. "Taking a chance o
n your name, and your word. But if we fight for you, and do not die, you must promise to kill us, rather than return us here. We will either live as human, or die as monsters. We could not stand… to have to live without hope."

  "I understand," said Lewis. "I promise; I won't let you down."

  "Not all of us want to go," said Speaker. "Some have already said they won't leave Shandrakor. They have forgotten what it was like to be other than what they are, or perhaps they no longer care. The jungle has become their home now. They belong here."

  "If I could speak to them…" said Lewis.

  "They would kill you," said Speaker. "They are only monsters now."

  "My offer will remain open," said Lewis. "For as long as any of them live. Prepare yourselves, my friends. Your journey home begins."

  Remote-controlled cargo ships came floating down like autumn leaves at Lewis's command, hundreds of them, enough to ferry the largest and the smallest creatures out of the clearing and up to the fleet. Remote-controlled, because no human pilot wanted to get too close to the legendary monsters of Shandrakor. The monsters understood. They weren't ready to be seen by humans either. So they were parceled out among the various starcruisers, traveling in the mostly empty cargo bays, kept separate from the crews by guilt and fear and heavily locked doors.

  * * *

  Lewis's next choice of destination was his home planet, Virimonde, and no one objected to that. Everyone understood his need to go home, to see for himself the terrible thing that Finn Durandal had ordered done to Clan Deathstalker, and their ancient Standing. It wouldn't seem real until he had seen it with his own eyes. And no one at all doubted but that the people of that world would want to fight alongside the fleet. They were all born to be warriors, in honor of the blessed Owen. It fell to the knowledgeable Captain Price to explain to Lewis why the people of Virimonde had not already risen up in outrage against the massacre.

  "There are two transmutation engines in high orbit around Virimonde," said Price, keeping his voice carefully calm and neutral. "Any sign of rebellion on the world below, and the engines would turn the whole planet into a lifeless wasteland. Finn's direct orders. The only reason he hasn't used the engines already is that he undoubtably meant to use this threat to keep you in line, once you reappeared."

  Lewis nodded. He understood how Finn thought. "Program the starcruisers' targeting computers to lock on to the engines. The moment we drop out of hyperspace, I want both those engines hit with every weapon we've got. Do a good job, Price; we won't get a second chance at this. You can bet good money that Finn would have programmed the engines to strike at Virimonde the moment rebel ships arrived. Then, we'll take time to check for hidden booby traps in orbit. Be very thorough, because you can be sure Finn was. We're not going down to Virimonde until we're sure it's safe. For them, as well as us."

  In the end, it was as simple as that. The two transmutation engines made a fine display as the fleet blasted them apart, and it didn't take long to search out the orbiting mines and other nasty surprises that Finn had left behind. Lewis made contact with Capital City, and was immediately welcomed home and invited down. Parades and celebrations in the city were promised, but Lewis politely declined. He needed to see what was left of his Standing. His Family home.

  Lewis and Jesamine went down alone on the pinnace again. Brett, seriously drunk but still in full use of his self-preservation instincts, declined. Ostensibly because there was nothing worth stealing on Virimonde, but actually because he didn't want to risk Rose's killing someone important again. He didn't think his nerves could stand that. And Silence didn't go along because he had once been part of the invasion force that Lionstone sent hundreds of years ago, to pound the people back into barbarism. They'd done such a good job that the planet was still recovering, even now. Millions of people had been killed. And Silence had been a part of it.

  "You did get around, didn't you?" said Jesamine, exasperated. "Is there anything else we ought to know, any other awful things you did when you served under the Iron Bitch?"

  "Lots," said Silence. "But I won't tell you. It was a long time ago. We were all different people then."

  "Why did you serve Lionstone for so long?" said Lewis. He sounded like he honestly wanted to know, so Silence told him.

  "She was my Empress. Loyalty was all I knew, then."

  Lewis and Jesamine rode the pinnace down to Virimonde. It was a smooth enough trip. Lewis knew the way home. Jesamine studied him worriedly. He was being very quiet. She wanted to help, but couldn't see how. So much had happened to Lewis since he'd last been here, and he'd never been the easiest person to talk to when it came to personal things. He'd lost pretty much everything he ever cared for, except her. Lost his Family and his home, his Clan and his Standing. For a long time now he'd been running on anger and revenge and duty, and Jesamine had to wonder what would happen to Lewis when he no longer had those things to hold him together.

  The comm system suddenly came alive, breaking an uncomfortable silence. "This is Virimonde comm center. Welcome home, Sir Deathstalker. We always knew you'd come for us. Quite an impressive fleet you've picked up. Trust a Deathstalker to come home in style. I have been asked…to warn you, about the current condition of your Standing…"

  "Is it true?" Lewis said steadily. "Are they all dead?"

  "I'm afraid so, Sir Deathstalker." The voice was quiet and respectful, but there was no give in it. "We did think a few minor cousins might have escaped, but now all the bodies have been identified, we're sure no one was missing on the day. Everyone with the Clan name was killed. The Emperor's creatures were very thorough. You are now the last of the direct line."

  "No," said Lewis. "There is another. Owen has returned."

  "Then the rumors are true? He's really back?"

  "Yes. He's gone to face the Terror."

  "We are living in a time of legends reborn. A deputation will meet you, Sir Deathstalker, on the grounds on the Standing."

  "I don't think I want to meet anyone, just yet," said Lewis.

  "You'll want to hear this. Clan Deathstalker continues. It is not gone. Virimonde comm center out."

  "Well," Jesamine said lightly, as the comm unit fell silent. "That was… enigmatic. What do you suppose they meant?"

  "I don't know," said Lewis. "I don't care. I just want to go home."

  He landed the pinnace on his Family landing pad, decorated with the Family crest, in the grounds of the ancient castle that had been home to Clan Deathstalker for so many generations. There wasn't a lot left of the old stronghold now. Jesamine followed Lewis nervously as he descended from the pinnace, strode across the landing pads, and then just stood looking at the smoke- and fire-blackened remains before him. All of the east wing had been blown away, leaving the interior rooms and corridors exposed to wind and rain. The courtyard walls were gone, and the front and west wing walls were pockmarked with jagged holes from disrupter fire. Even the roof had been punctured through repeatedly by energy weapons and explosions. Finn's people had put a lot of effort into destroying the castle, but still most of it stood, defiant as ever.

  Jesamine took Lewis's arm, trying to comfort him with her presence. "I never realized the place was so big, Lewis. It's still… very impressive."

  "I always believed I'd come back, someday," said Lewis. "That when my time as a Paragon was done, I'd come home again, to lead my Family. We'd all sit around the open fire in the great hall, with the dogs lying around, and I'd tell them tales of the greatest city on the greatest world in the Empire. And now all that is gone, all that I really care about… is that my mother and my father are dead. I never got a chance to tell them all the things I'd done. The things I did, because I wanted them to be proud of me."

  "They knew," said Jesamine. "And of course they were proud of you. They were your parents."

  "They're gone, and I'm alone. I want my mum. I want my dad."

  Jesamine took him in her arms, but he didn't cry.

  They both looked round sharply at
the sound of approaching ships in the sky. Lewis pushed Jesamine away, and his hands went to his weapons. Ships filled the sky, coming in from every direction. So many they blocked out the sun. Transport ships, cargo ships, small family ships. They landed one after another, filling and overflowing the landing pads and settling down where they could in the surrounding countryside. Hundreds of men and women disembarked and headed straight for what was left of the Deathstalker Standing. They saw Lewis and called out his name joyously, hooting and waving, and almost reluctantly he took his hand away from his gun. The crowds surged forward, chanting his name like a war cry. They gathered before him, milling uncertainly, and then one man at the front of the crowd sank down on one knee, and everyone followed his example, until the whole crowd was kneeling before Lewis, their faces radiant.

  The first man to kneel had a familiar face. Lewis remembered Michel du Bois, once the member of Parliament for Virimonde, now an exile and outlaw like Lewis. Once, they had been rivals for Virimonde's love, even enemies, but du Bois had changed much since Lewis last saw him. He looked up at Lewis with wild eyes, fanatical and perhaps a little mad. He bowed jerkily to Lewis, ignoring Jesamine completely.

  "Welcome home, Sir Deathstalker. All the families of Virimonde have sent representatives here, to do you honor. Where you lead, we will follow. The whole planet has taken an oath of vengeance against the Durandal and his people, sworn upon your name and upon our blood. We are yours, to lead into battle. We are all Deathstalkers now."

  "Talk about intense," Jesamine muttered. "Is he on something?"

  "Hush," said Lewis. He nodded to du Bois. "Your manner has changed since our last meeting," he said carefully.

  "The world has changed," said du Bois, his eyes unblinking. "My loyalty has always been to Virimonde. You know that. Finn has proven himself unworthy, and an enemy. A coward, and an animal. Take us with you to Logres, Sir Deathstalker, and we will drag him from his throne and hang him from the walls of the palace." He paused a moment, looking past Lewis at the ruined castle. "I had an aunt who was a Deathstalker. From a minor branch, but she bore the name proudly. She died here, with the rest of the Clan. She was always good to me. We have all lost loved ones here."