Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

again," said Storm ominously.
    "All right, how about ancient?" said Ruby.
    "Ruby…" said Random.
    She sniffed, and went back to manicuring her nails with her dagger. She'd come to accept that Random had a blind spot where Storm was concerned. He still thought of his old friend as he used to be, when Storm was young and swift and daring and hell on wheels with a sword in his hand. He couldn't seem to accept
    that while he was young and strong again, Storm wasn't. Ruby decided to keep a watchful eye on Storm. She didn't care tuppence if he got himself killed, but she was damned if she'd let him drag Random down with them. In fact, it might be better all around if a stray bullet took Storm out right at the beginning. No one would notice where one stray shot came from, once the fighting started. Of course, she'd have to be careful. If Random ever found out… Ruby Journey frowned, thinking hard.
    "Now that that's decided," said Giles loudly, bringing all eyes back to him, "we come to Young Jack Random. You will make your own landing dirtside, and team up with Finlay Campbell and Julian Skye. Your reputation will help to inspire their people, and throw a fright into the defending troops. Your mission is to take out and occupy the Security troops' main command center in the Parade of the Endless. They've still got comm channels open, so they're practically running the city's defenses single-handed. Once they're out of the loop, the Security forces will fall apart, and the Parade of the Endless will be ours for the taking. And once the city is ours, only the Empress herself stands between us and control of Golgotha. And from Golgotha, we will form the new Empire that rises from the ashes of the old."
    "Rah rah rah," said Hazel. "Go, team, go. Save the inspirational pep talks, Giles. We all know why we're here. And can I just remind you that the rebellion is far from over. Right now, we're nothing more than a handful of terrorists with prices on our heads."
    "Your point being?" Giles said icily.
    "That we take things one step at a time. We can dream about the future once we've taken control of the present. I don't want any of us getting shot in the
    back because we were too busy dreaming of running the Empire instead of paying proper attention to what's going on around us."
    "Don't worry, Hazel," said Young Jack calmly. "We will prevail. We are heroes.
    It is our destiny."
    "And somebody shut him up before I puke," said Hazel. "I am not a hero, and never have been. Heroes tend to come to glorious, painful, and rather sudden ends, and have statues put up to them by the survivors. Personally, I would much rather be a survivor than a statue."
    "Right," said Ruby. "We haven't talked about the loot yet, either. Can we talk about the loot?"
    "Somebody sit on her," said Giles. "I'm getting a headache. And finally…"
    "About time you got around to me," said Jenny Psycho, scowling fiercely. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me."
    "If only that was possible," said Giles. "You will orchestrate the use of espers on the planet's surface, and liaise among the various rebel factions. Like the two Randoms, the espers should follow you unquestioningly, just because of who you are. Try and keep your people under control. Espers can do a lot of damage when they're all pointed in the same direction, but the last thing we need are esper loose cannon going off all over the place."
    "You presume too much," said Jenny Psycho. "You're not in charge here. In the end, the underground will win this war, and the underground will decide what replaces Lionstone's Empire. We've been preparing for this day for centuries.
    Espers, clones, the committed, and the faithful. We won't be brushed aside in the moment of our triumph by a bunch of newcomers, even if they are heroes and legends."
    "We can argue about who gets the credit later," said Random, cutting in firmly
    on what threatened to be a long tirade. "First, we have to win this war. Let's make a move, people. It's time to go to work."
    "Right," said Hazel.
    Owen grinned about him. "See you all in Hell."
    In the huge Court of the Imperial Palace, the Hell that Lionstone had made was growing worse. The surroundings continued to change from moment to moment, reflecting the Empress's darkening mood, and the underworld grew steadily more disturbing. The light was more scarlet than crimson now, absorbing all other colors, and the stench of sulfur was almost overpowering. There were other