Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

asked?”
    “Probably. But I have no idea where he is right now. Once… I would have known, just by thinking about it. We were that close. But we’ve become distant since then. Grown apart. Because I gave up who I was to become somebody else. Someone I thought I was supposed to be. You don’t know what I’m rambling on about, do you, Savage, but you’re too polite to interrupt. It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow we go out to meet the army from Hell, and all problems will be decided then.” “I can’t wait,” said Savage, raising his wineglass in a toast to Random. “It will be an honor and a privilege to fight beside the legendary professional rebel!”
    Random looked at him sadly and said nothing.
    The human army, Loki’s only hope, gathered noisily in the great square before the main gates in the city’s huge outer wall. Everyone had a sword, and some had guns too. Men and women wielded their weapons with grim enthusiasm, and struck bold poses for the hovering holo cameras, which would be accompanying them into battle. The war would be broadcast live to those unfortunate enough to be staying behind, those too young or too old, the sick and the lame and those necessary for the city’s security. Like de Lisle and his people, who had chosen not to make an appearance. There were no flyers, no ground vehicles; the storm might be heading for a lull, but the winds in the upper atmosphere would still be strong enough to toss gravity craft around like toys, and the dust still floating in the air would short out the motors of any ground craft. Vidar’s army would go to victory or damnation on its own two feet. Jack Random and Ruby Journey stood with their backs to the great airlock and watched the excited confusion, knowing that enthusiasm wasn’t enough to win battles. When the Vidar army finally clashed with Shub and the rebels, some would inevitably break and run, simply because not everyone has a killer in them. It’s not something any man can know until he’s tested. But most would stand and fight and die bravely, because they knew they were fighting for something bigger than themselves.
    Peter Savage was darting back and forth, trying to be everywhere at once, browbeating and cajoling different groups into some kind of order, desperate for his people to look good in front of his hero, Jack Random. The crowd goodnaturedly let Savage get on with it. Bottles of booze were being freely handed back and forth, and Random decided he’d better get his army moving soon. Still, it was a six-hour hike to the chosen spot, and that would sweat most of the booze out of them. So he let them drink a little before they had to leave. For all their enthusiasm and commitment, this was a crowd of strangers, brought together by need and duty and desperation. They had to win this battle or lose everything. They couldn’t retreat if things went bad, and hope for a second chance. If they fell back, the Ghost Warriors would pursue them tirelessly, to the walls of Vidar and beyond.
    Savage came over to Random, who nodded approvingly. “Doing a good job, Savage.
    They’re actually starting to look like an army.”
    “Good,” said Savage. “Because I’ve just received some news, and it’s all bad. The Empire has become concerned enough to send two starcruisers, but they’re only D-class, so they won’t get here for at least a week. Their orders are to negotiate with whoever has control of the mining equipment—the colonists, de Lisle and his people… or the rebels.”
    “Can they do that?” said Ruby. “Strike a deal with Shub allies?”
    “Sure, they can,” said Random. “Politicians are nothing if not practical people. They need the cobalt this planet produces, and they’ll deal with whoever they have to, to get it. Hard times make for hard choices, or at least, that’s how they’ll sell it to the public. If the rebels win, and give the appearance of distancing themselves from Shub, Parliament would do business with them. It doesn’t matter. It’s just one more reason why we have to win this battle. Pass the word, Savage. It’s time we were moving out. The lull will hit our chosen location in just over six hours, and we don’t want to be late.” Savage bobbed his head and hurried off into the crowd, shouting orders. Men and women gathered in their companies and formed ranks, as they’d been trained. Random turned to Ruby.
    “Off we go to save the day one more time. You know, Ruby, I’ve missed