Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny

"who exactly have you invited to this special audience, Sir Random?"
    "Everybody who is anybody, and a few who are anybody's, politically speaking.
    All the movers and shakers, the powers that be, and a few that think they ought to be. What happens at this meeting will change the shape of Imperial politics forever, and I didn't want anyone to miss out. Not everyone saw fit to accept my invitation, but I'll get round to them eventually too. As it is, more than enough are here to make this meeting worthwhile. There are Members of Parliament, representatives from the clone and esper undergrounds, and from most of the Families. All the people who help to make the Empire what it is today. I may not be the force I once was, but after Loki it appears everyone wants to hear what I have to say."
    "About Loki…" said Toby.
    "I regret nothing. I did what was necessary."
    "And would that be the subject of your speech here today?"
    "You could say that. I have returned to Golgotha to put an end to all corruption. To deal with all of those who sold out what we gained through the rebellion. I learned a valuable lesson on Loki. No more deals, no more
    compromises. I am back, and God help the guilty."
    For once, Toby actually found himself at a loss for words. It wasn't so much what Random was saying, as the way he said it. Random's smile was wide and cheerful, but his unblinking gaze was cold and almost threatening. There was a suppressed anger in the man's body language, only just short of imminent rage, while his face glowed with purpose and resolve. He looked not unlike an Old Testament prophet who'd gone up the mountain for a personal chat with God, and come down again with a whole bunch of truths he hadn't expected. Whatever epiphany Jack Random had undergone on Loki, it might have filled him with new energy and purpose, but it sure as hell didn't seem to have done much for his peace of mind. And from some of the looks Ruby Journey was shooting Random's way when she thought he wasn't looking, it was clear she didn't know quite what to make of his new self either. Toby just hoped Flynn was getting it all on film.
    "Not everyone approves of what happened on Loki," said Toby, very carefully.
    "Some have gone as far as to label your… actions as atrocities."
    "They weren't there," said Random. "They didn't see what I saw. The people of Vidar were betrayed by those placed in power over them. Men given those positions by people in power here, even though they were all convicted war criminals. I've spent my whole life fighting evil and political corruption, and helped throw down a whole way of life to get rid of it. Only to find it had crept back while I was distracted by deals and compromises. It's clear to me now that it wasn't just Lionstone who made the Empire what it was; it was the whole political system. Politicians, and the big institutions that support them, are the enemy. The Families, and all the lesser men they own and instruct. If there's ever to be any justice, they must all be brought down. All of them."
    Random stopped, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I must become pure
    again. Pure in spirit and purpose. And nothing and no one will be allowed to stand in my way."
    Toby's mouth was getting increasingly dry, but he pressed on. "You made the original deal with the Families, that ensured their survival in return for their conditional surrender. Are you now saying you regret that?"
    "It was the worst mistake I ever made. Never trust the Families. Not while they all bow down to Blue Block. When I allowed the Clans to survive, I betrayed everyone who ever fought for my cause. And I betrayed myself. But I've said enough for now. The meeting's about to start. Why don't you and Flynn go in and circulate, while I have a quiet word with Ruby? If I make her wait any longer to speak to me, she might well spontaneously combust from sheer frustration."
    Toby smiled politely, nodded to Flynn, and the two of them moved through into the great hall next door, where the assembled crowd was waiting. Toby would have liked very much to eavesdrop on what Random and Ruby were about to say, but if the bounty hunter was about to get violent, Toby didn't want to be anywhere near her. Hell, he didn't even want to be in the same building. He threw open the heavy door, and there was a sudden roar of sound, as a hundred conversations rushed over him. It shut off abruptly as Toby shut the door after himself and Flynn, and then it was very