Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

Lionstone had consulted them first, about David or Virimonde or even the mechanization, things might have been different. They'd have found some way to turn it to their advantage.
    But the first they knew of any of it was when their viewscreens showed them the rape of a Lord's planet. It didn't take too much imagination for any of them to see themselves as Lionstone's next object of opportunity, outlawed so their planet could be next in line for mechanization under Lionstone's direct rule.
    Faced with a clear threat to their lives, their position, and their wealth, it was inevitable that the Lords would tacitly encourage the rebellion. The lower orders could always be put back in their place later. And if many Lords saw in the chaos an opportunity to place themselves on the Iron Throne, they kept it to
    themselves, for the moment.
    Suddenly, it seemed like everything was up for grabs. Anything seemed possible.
    Every group and faction and cause saw a chance to overthrow the way things were, and went out into the streets to fight for it. People who wouldn't normally have spoken to each other without spitting became temporary allies, fighting side by side, held together by the shared aim of throwing Lionstone off the Iron Throne before she could destroy them all in her madness. In city after city, on world after world, the people went head-to-head with Imperial troops, and the cry of rebellion was on everyone's lips.
    The army and the Fleet could have coped with a few planetwide rebellions, but not everything at once.
    Stretched thinly across the Empire, attacked on every front and even from within by those sympathetic to the rebels and their cause, the Imperial forces were crippled by confusion. Starcruisers appeared over the worst trouble spots, but they'd never been intended to deal with planetside rebellions. Their only real threat was a scorching, and for the moment, at least, they were spread too thinly for that. Rebels in their crews sabotaged their communications, isolating them further. The underground had planned for this day, and the Empire, in its arrogance, had not.
    On the planet Golgotha, homeworld of Empire, center of authority, outraged people filled the streets, rioting and looting and burning down the command centers. Because they'd had so much more to lose, they'd hesitated at first from open rebellion, but the underground had swiftly spread rumors that Lionstone was planning harsh new taxes, even more repressive laws, and was even planning to shut down their precious Arenas. After what they'd seen on Virimonde, the people were ready to believe anything of her, and these new threats hit them where they
    lived. Isolated protests were put down with such fury and bloodshed that even the hardened populace of Golgotha was shocked, and they rose up everywhere at once. The underground did its best to guide them in the right directions, while hiding its smiles. It had always known people need motivating, and what they won't do for the right reason, sometimes they will for the wrong reason.
    The authorities sent out every armed trooper they had, with orders to stop the riots at all costs and not to bother with taking prisoners. This just made matters worse, infuriating an already defiant population, and as fast as troopers put the rebellion down in one place, it just popped up in another, regrouping and reforming faster than it could be dispersed. The underground disrupted all levels of communication, while using espers to organize their own forces. The Clans took one look at the growing chaos, called back all their troops, and retreated into their pastel Towers, safe behind organized levels of security. Encouraging the fighting on other worlds was one thing, but this was too close to home. So they kept their heads well down, avoided attracting attention to themselves, and let the rebels concentrate their hatred on Lionstone's authority. And when the mess was over, and the rebels were tired and aimless once more, the Families would emerge and take control again, as they always had. Or so they thought. They didn't know about the underground—its plans and its powers. They didn't know about the people who'd been through the Madness Maze. They didn't realize that the great rebellion had finally begun.
    Parliament convened and agreed to stand aside and support whoever came out on top. Which surprised no one.
    Above the worlds of Empire, starships clashed in the night. The underground had put out a call to the