Deathstalker 01 - Deathstalker

and twice as confident. A cold hand clutched at Owen's heart. His father looked exactly as he had the last time Owen had seen him in the flesh, just twenty-four hours before he'd been cut down in the streets as a traitor. It occurred to Owen that he'd never had a chance to say goodbye and wondered why that suddenly mattered to him so much. The late Deathstalker looked harried and preoccupied, but his voice was steady and courteous.
    "Hello, Jack. Been a while, hasn't it? If you're listening to this then I'm dead, and young Owen has come looking for you. Look out for him; he means well, but he's not a warrior. Spends all his time poring over books and histories.
    Don't ask me where he gets it from. Not quite what I had in mind for my only son and heir, but hopefully his distance from me will help to protect him if things go wrong. I'd like to think some good came of it. Jack, just because I'm dead, don't let the cause fall apart. Fight on. I don't want to have died for nothing.
    "Owen, if all has gone according to plan, you should have my .ring. Guard it well. Concealed in its structure are the coordinates for the planet Shandrakor, where the original Deathstalker, founder of our Clan, fled in disgrace many
    centuries ago. Know now the great secret of our Family: the Deathstalker is not dead. He lies waiting in stasis, in his Last Standing on Shandrakor, together with a mighty armory of ancient and forbidden weapons. You must go there and wake him. He knows many secrets, including the location of the Darkvoid Device.
    With this weapon, lost for so long, your forces will be the equal of anything the Empire can send against you.
    "Also hidden in my ring are the coordinates for the planet Haden, lost world of the Hadenmen. An army of augmented men lie waiting there in stasis for you to awaken them, in the Tomb of the Hadenmen. Our Family has had dealings with them in the past. They will respect your name and will fight for the cause. How much you trust them is up to you.
    "I'm sorry this has been thrust upon you, Owen. It was never meant that you should have to carry such a weight. But it seems we have a traitor in our midst.
    One by one, all the key figures in the planned rebellion have been singled out and killed. I can only assume my own time is near. I've loaded the AI with everything I thought might prove useful, hidden as deeply as I can. This is the last message; there won't be any more. You're on your own now, Owen. I wish… I wish I'd talked with you more. I know you never approved of my intrigues, or the cause; hopefully by now you will have discovered why I thought it so important and will have made the cause your own. Be strong, Owen. Do what you have to.
    "I wasn't really such a bad father, was I? I know I wasn't there as often as I might have been, but there was always so much work that needed doing. Never think I didn't love you. You can trust Jack Random. He's a good man. I keep thinking there's something else I should be saying, but I don't know what.
    Goodbye, Owen. Goodbye."

    The hologram snapped off and Owen's father disappeared, and for a long moment there was only quiet in the lounge. Jack Random sighed heavily.
    "Another old comrade gone. I never thought I'd outlive so many friends."
    "Are you all right, Owen?" said Hazel.
    "Yes. I'm fine. He's still doing it. Still trying to run my life." Owen tried to be angry, but for once the anger wouldn't come. "What really makes me mad is I have no choice but to follow his plans and take up his precious cause, whether I believe in it or not, just to survive. He's still pulling the strings of my life, even after he's dead."
    "I always thought the original Deathstalker was dead," said Hazel. "I mean, I saw his tomb on the holo once on Golgotha."
    Owen nodded distractedly. "According to all the histories, he was hunted down and killed by the Shadow Men, nine hundred and forty-three years ago. He was officially pardoned, if not exonerated, some four hundred years later. They even built a monument for him. I wonder whose body they put in the tomb… Well, at least now we have a choice of destination. Shandrakor to search for my ancestor, or Haden to raise an army."
    Tobias Moon fixed Owen with his disquieting golden eyes. "I have waited a long time to rejoin my people."
    "Well, you'll have to wait a bit longer," said Random. "If there's an armory on Shandrakor, we need to check it out. Especially if the Darkvoid Device is there."
    "This is my ship," said Owen.