Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

Silence.
    “We… thank you for this intelligence. If Shub has taken all the trees, we can only assume that they must be planning a major assault on Humanity. The heavy metals from the harvesting would fuel one hell of an armada, while at the same time denying them to us. And if they’ve got the alien ship, it won’t be long before they have the secrets of the new stardrive, just as we do. Our work on perfecting and better understanding the new drive has become more urgent than ever. Thank you for bringing us this news, Captain Silence. As always you serve us well. You may go now, but we’ll need full reports from both of you.” “Understood,” said Silence. “We’ll make ourselves available. One last thought for you to chew
    over. An esper once told me he had a clairvoyant vision of what Shub had planned for Humanity. He wouldn’t tell me what he saw, but he killed himself rather than risk living to see it come true.” Parliament muttered uneasily. Gutman leaned back in his chair, his voice carefully calm and reasonable.
    “Precognition is the least understood and the least reliable of the esper abilities, Captain. Whatever vision your esper may have had, I don’t think we should put too much faith in it. It’s clear, though, that someone must investigate what Shub is up to.” “I’ll volunteer,” said Jack Random loudly. “If an attack’s imminent, we need to know. And I’m one of the few people who could hope to get close to Shub’s dealings and still come back alive to make a report.” “Ah, hell,” said Ruby Journey. “Guess I’ll go along as well, for the ride.” “Your offer is gratefully accepted,” said Gutman. “All that remains is to thank Captain Silence and his companion for the timely news they have brought. Go with Parliament’s best wishes. No doubt you are eager to return to your ship. Carrion, you will of course have to turn the power lance over to the proper authorities before you can leave.”
    “No,” said Carrion. “I don’t think so.”
    Gutman frowned. “Power lances are banned, and with good reason—forbidden throughout the Empire.
    Silence’s word gives you protection, outlaw, so we do not demand your death. But you cannot be permitted to keep the lance.” He gestured with one fat hand, and a dozen armed guards stepped forward, their guns trained on the man called Carrion. He looked at Silence, who shrugged. Carrion smiled coldly at Gutman.
    “Try to take it.”
    The light seemed to darken suddenly throughout the House, and there were shadows everywhere.
    Things moved in the gloom and hung threateningly out of sight overhead, huge and cold and unseen.
    There were glimpses of jagged teeth and great curved claws. A heavy wind was blowing from nowhere, gusting and violent. Something howled, a long, savage sound with nothing human in it. More voices rose on every side. There were unseen watching presences beyond number, and everyone could feel a malevolent rage hovering over them like a storm cloud. Guards clutched their guns tightly, but didn’t know where to point them. Owen, Hazel, Jack, and Ruby stood back to back, ready for whatever came.
    People clutched each other, trying to look in all directions at once. They were only moments from panicking, and a stampede for the doors that would leave a lot of people dead, trampled underfoot.
    And then suddenly the presences were gone, the wind stopped blowing, and all was quiet and still again.
    On his chair, on his raised dais, Gutman licked his lips nervously and cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him, but he was looking only at Carrion.
    “What… what was that?”
    “The Ashrai,” said Carrion. “They died long ago, when Captain Silence gave the order to scorch Unseeli, but their ghosts lived on. Once they haunted the metallic forests, but now the trees are gone, so they haunt me. They protect me.”
    “Oh, hell,” said Gutman. “Keep the bloody lance. Now, get the hell out of here and take your unnatural friends with you.”
    Carrion nodded calmly, turned, and headed for the doors, Silence at his side. People hurried to get out of their way. All except one. Diana Vertue stood in their path, and Carrion and Silence stopped before her. Diana nodded brusquely to Carrion, and then fixed her wounded eyes on Silence. “Hello, Father,”
    said Diana.
    “Hello, Diana,” said Silence. “I heard you’d taken your old name back. I’m glad.
    I never really liked Jenny Psycho.”
    “She was a real