Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

just won this war.”
    “Of course,” said Random. “I told you everything would be all right. You should listen to me more.”
    Ruby laughed and hugged him. “We’re heroes! We’re immortal! We’re going to live forever!”
    They hugged each other for a long time, and then let go and just stood companionably together, enjoying being alive.
    “I’m taking our survival as a sign,” said Random. “No more pussyfooting. From now on I do what needs to be done, and God help the guilty.” “Sounds good to me,” said Ruby. “Did you have anything particular in mind?” “First we go find the two human armies, or what’s left of them, and persuade them that their war is over.”
    “And then?”
    “And then we go back to Vidar. And clean house.”
    Back at the city, the populace went mad with joy over the two legendary heroes who’d saved their city and their planet. So when Jack Random asked them to do something for him, they didn’t hesitate. Soon the whole population of Vidar was gathered in the great square before the main gates, watching breathlessly as Vidar’s surviving guards fashioned a series of nooses and hung them from the inner wall.
    To one side knelt Matthew Tallon, once Planetary Controller, and Terrence Jacks, once Mayor of Vidar, and the few dozen rebels who’d survived the last battle. They all had their hands tied behind them. They looked for mercy in the faces of the crowd and saw none. On Random and Ruby’s other side knelt de Lisle and Bentley and all their people, down to the lowest bureaucrat, also securely tied.
    “You can’t do this!” howled de Lisle. “I was Pardoned! We all were! Parliament put us in charge here!
    You can’t go against the authority of Parliament!” “Watch me,” said Random. “You and your people plotted to leach this colony dry and then move on. I call that treason.”
    “We have backers!” said de Lisle. “Powerful backers! I could tell you their names…” “They’ll be in the computers somewhere. We’ll find them. There’s only one thing I want to know. That man, killed and gutted and placed in two crates. That was your idea, wasn’t it?”
    “It was Bentley’s idea,” de Lisle said quickly. “We needed something to motivate you, alienate you from the rebels.”
    “Who was the man?” said Ruby. de Lisle shrugged and looked at Bentley, who said nothing. Ruby kicked the security chief in the ribs.
    “Nobody,” said Bentley. “Just someone we used. He wasn’t important.” “Everyone’s important,” said Random. “That’s what separates us from Shub.” de Lisle started to splutter some excuse, but Random just looked at him, and he fell silent.
    “They deserve to die,” said Tallon. “But we only ever had the best interests of Loki at heart. We rebelled because we had legitimate grievances. You of all people should be able to understand that.”
    “I understand,” said Random. “But you allied yourself with Shub, the Enemies of Humanity. The end doesn’t always justify the means.” “Jack,” said Ruby quietly, “I’m really not sure this is a good idea.
    Hang a few to make a point, sure, but this… de Lisle’s right. Parliament is never going to approve this.”
    “Then to hell with Parliament,” said Jack Random. He gestured to the guards, survivors of the army he had led. They looked at him with worshipful eyes. Random gestured at the ropes. “Hang them. Hang them all.” The guards dragged the prisoners over to the inner wall. Most went quietly. de Lisle screamed and kicked and sobbed right until they put the noose around his neck and cut off his breath forever.
    Tallon looked back at Random and Ruby with prophet’s eyes, and raised his voice so the crowd would be sure to hear. “They’re monsters! You can’t trust them! They’ll turn on you in the end, because you’re only human and they’re not. They’re monsters! Monsters!” The noose put an end to his words.
    Politicians and rebels hung side by side on the inner wall of Vidar, and the population of the city cheered and cheered and cheered.
    Ruby looked at Random.
    “Hang them all,” said Random. “They’re all politicians. All dirty. Hang them all.”
    It was raining. Hard. The rain had started falling on the world known as Lachrymae Christi several million years earlier, and showed no signs of letting up. Fueled by the massive ocean that covered three quarters of the planet, the rain fell from eternally cloudy skies onto the jungle