Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

guarding her, we’d never be able to touch her.” “As always, you think too small, Stephanie.
    With Constance and Owen married, it shouldn’t be too difficult to control Owen through threats to Constance. He might not love her, but as his wife he would be obliged to protect her, or suffer much loss of face before Society. Owen is practical enough to understand the realities of the situation. He will cede control of Clan Wolfe to you, and then we will control both the Wolfe and the Deathstalker Clans.”
    “Wait a minute,” said Stephanie. “What do you mean, control Clan Deathstalker?
    There is only Owen. He’s the last of his line, the last Deathstalker.” “You really must learn to think of the future, Stephanie. If he marries, eventually there will be children. In Blue Block we always think in the long term.”
    “I hate it when you lecture me,” snapped Stephanie. “I’m not a child. I’m not stupid. I just don’t care about anything but rebuilding my Family. Everything else has to wait. But then, you wouldn’t understand that, would you? You had all the pride in your Family brainwashed out of you once you were given to Blue Block. Hell, they even took your name away from you.” BB Chojiro smiled gently. “I lost little and gained much. Blue Block is the sum of all the Families. Through it we shall all attain greatness. BB is who and what I am, who and what I have made of myself, and I take pride in my achievement.”
    “Yeah, well, that’s because you’re a mind-wiped, totally conditioned zombie who wouldn’t know an original thought if you fell over it. What did the Families think they were doing when they created Blue Block? You were supposed to be our ultimate weapon, to give us control over the Throne. And now we all bow down to you. We made our own collars and fastened then around our necks without even realizing.”
    “Quite,” said BB Chojiro. “Now please be quiet, or I’ll tug on your leash. An old friend is approaching.
    Perhaps he has good news for us.” Cardinal Brendan had once been a Jesuit commando in the service of the Church of Christ the Warrior. He killed the heretics and the ungodly, or any who dared threaten the Church’s strength or position. The Church had been the official religion of the Empire, and closely associated with the Empress Lionstone. So when the Iron Throne was finally toppled, the Church fell with it. From the ashes of the fallen Church arose the smaller but much more respected Church of Christ the Redeemer, a nonviolent, charity-oriented Church led by Mother Superior Beatrice Christiana, the Saint of Technos III. Her first official action had been a purging of the old Church’s most offensive sinners, and its most disreputable elements, but she missed Brendan. He was Blue Block, and they looked after their own. He was now Cardinal Brendan, the Church’s representative on Golgotha, and
    Blue Block’s main agent in the new Church. He wasn’t particularly memorable in person. Tall, dark, with a sardonic smile and an eyebrow always on the point of rising. He dressed simply but well, and since he made a point of talking to everybody with equal attention and favor, no one noticed that he occasionally talked quite openly with the notorious BB Chojiro. He bowed low to BB and again, not quite so low, to Stephanie Wolfe. “Well met, gentle ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure of this summons?
    Parliament usually manages to get along just fine without my august presence.” BB calmly waved for her advisers to move away a little. They bowed and did so without protest, stopping just out of earshot. They knew there were always plots within plots, to which even they were not always privy. BB smiled at Cardinal Brendan.
    “You are here because Owen and his friends are all here. The Maze survivors. If Blue Block is to survive and prosper, they must be brought into the fold, or eliminated. So, since we value your opinion, you are here to study and evaluate these four people as possible future friends or enemies. Who can be turned or pressured, persuaded or bribed?”
    “And if they really are what they’re supposed to be, and aren’t interested in joining us?” said Brendan.
    “Then we require your most informed advice on how best to kill or dispose of them,” said BB calmly.
    “You don’t want much, do you?” said Brendan. “Lionstone with all her people and all her resources couldn’t handle these four, but you think we can?” “All things