Deathstalker 02 - Deathstalker Rebellion

at the hand of any Campbell," said Razor flatly. "The Wolfe was stabbed from behind, by his eldest son. By Valentine, current head of your Clan.
    It was very quick. No one else noticed. But I saw it."
    "And you know Investigators never lie," said BB. She was careful not to sound too pleased about it.
    Constance pressed her lips together, though whether to keep her mouth from trembling with rage or to hold back tears, she wasn't sure. It had always troubled her that no one had ever claimed the kill for Jacob. It would have been a major triumph for any Campbell, and they'd needed a triumph badly in the bad days after their downfall. But no one ever claimed to have killed the Wolfe. No one even saw how it happened, though she'd questioned enough people. She'd assumed the Campbell himself must have done it before he was killed. Until now.
    It never occurred to her to doubt Razor's word. He was an Investigator, after all, and lying was beneath him. Besides, it sounded true. Valentine had every reason to kill his father and not a scrap of conscience to stop him. He could have got away with it in the heat of battle. Constance looked steadily at BB
    Chojiro.
    "Tell me more."
    Sitting comfortably on her Iron Throne, Lionstone XIV looked interestedly from one face to the other as army and Church argued before her. General Beckett, slow and unperturbed, taking the time to enjoy his cigar between answers, and Cardinal Kassar, his single eye glowing with the unquenchable fire of the true fanatic. Lionstone liked to watch them argue, not least because while they were arguing with each other, they weren't teaming up to dispute with her. Divide and conquer worked just as well in Court politics as it did in wars. It helped that
    Kassar and Beckett hated each other's guts. Neither was strong enough individually to threaten her authority, but together they would have made a formidable enemy. So Lionstone found it expedient to keep their ire concentrated on each other. It didn't take much. A kind word here, a knowing look there, and they snapped at the bait like hungry sharks. Which was why they stood before her now, bristling at each other like junkyard dogs, blind to everything but the need to score points off each other. Lionstone smiled to herself. Men were so predictable.
    "As any fool could see, the alien attack is a direct threat against humanity,"
    said Cardinal Kassar, his voice colder than the air around him. "We can't just sit here and wait for them to attack again. We must hunt them down and wipe them out. Any other way risks the suicide of our species!"
    "A really good way to commit suicide," said General Beckett calmly, "is to launch yourself blindly into a situation you know nothing about. You saw what one ship on its own was able to do to us. Silence and the Dauntless were able to handle it, but that was one of our finest ships, with one of our finest crews, against what could after all have been nothing more than a simple probe. We need more information, before committing ourselves to definite plans."
    "It's a matter of Faith," said Kassar. "I wouldn't expect you to understand that, Beckett."
    "It's a matter of common sense, Cardinal," said Beckett. "I wouldn't expect you to understand that."
    "Sounds like cowardice to me. Staying safe at home here while your men take all the risks out on the Rim. Well, here isn't safe anymore, Beckett. Either we go to them, or they'll come to us."

    Beckett took the cigar out of his mouth and looked at it thoughtfully. "Bravery is overrated, Cardinal. I'll settle for competence. If the attack is going to come from anywhere, it'll come from the Rim. Hence the extra patrols I ordered.
    They're going to be our early-warning system. In my experience, fighting wars is a matter of practicality, not heroics. But, then, you've always been a dreamer, Kassar, with little grasp of the practicalities of life. Comes with the job, I suppose."
    Kassar glared at him and then turned his burning gaze on Lionstone. "Put me in charge of your armies, and I'll provide you with an unbeatable force of the faithful, trained in all the martial arts, ready to dare anything in the name of the Church."
    "I've always fought in the name of the Empress, myself," said General Beckett, and blew a triumphant puff of smoke in Kassar's direction. The Cardinal hesitated, suddenly aware of the dangerous waters his rhetoric had swept him into. Beckett continued, taking advantage of the pause. "Fanatics can be very useful,