Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

But when I approached the appropriate House committee, they turned me down flat. It seems they don't believe my world will still be around, to pay back the debt afterwards. So, is that true? Has this House already written off Heracles Four?"
    No one wanted to answer him. Most wouldn't even meet his eyes. King Douglas could only look on compassionately. Finally, all eyes went to Finn Durandal. He stepped down onto the floor to face Boswell, tall and resplendent in his black leather armor.
    "The House has already sent you every weapon and defense we can afford. If you want to waste your money on untried and probably unreliable alien technology, that's your business. This House is under no obligation to support you in such foolishness. We are of course prepared to provide you with observers, so that if your world should fall, others can profit from your mistakes. And before you ask: no, planetary
    evacuation is not an option. We don't have enough ships."
    "So that's it," said Rowan Boswell. "The Empire has abandoned us. Then, to hell with the Empire, and to hell with you, Durandal. This is all your fault! If you hadn't driven away the espers, they might have helped us. If you hadn't pissed off the aliens, they might have helped us for free! But no, you and your precious Neuman allies had to be better than anyone else, and now Humanity stands alone against the Terror. Heracles Four stands alone. Well, you'd better pray the Terror kills us all; because if any of us survive, we're coming back for your head, Durandal."
    He stalked out of the House, his head held high. Some MPs clapped, but not very loudly.
    The session continued without him. James turned up and made another splendid speech, and the aliens had their votes taken away from them. Most MPs stood up to cheer and applaud. And then, in the alien section, the Chanticleer stood up to speak. It was a large exoskeletal creature, twelve feet tall and yellow as a banana, with great compound eyes and a long curling proboscis. It spoke through a tech translator hanging from one foreclaw.
    "Douglas, Speaker, King. Help us. Promises were made, when we entered the Empire. Are promises now worthless? And if you consume us, to fill the gaping hole in your spirit, how soon before you turn on yourselves?"
    "I'm sorry," saidDouglas , and he really was. "There's nothing I can do for you."
    "Well, there's certainly something I can do," said Finn. He gestured to his waiting security guards. "Arrest all the aliens present in this House, and escort them to a secure place. They can be hostages for their species' continued good behavior."
    Armed security men ushered the few alien representatives out of the House. None of them made any trouble. Again, many MPs cheered and applauded loudly. Finn watchedDouglas carefully, but he did nothing. Finn smiled. If the aliens were dumb enough to show up at the House in person, he was certainly dumb enough to take advantage of it. He wondered fleetingly how the exoskeletal Chanticleer would taste, boiled…
    One of the Swart Alfair suddenly appeared on the floor of the House, large as life and twice as nasty. It might have been a holo image or the real thing. Certainly its usual sulphurous smell seemed real enough.
    Tall, bat-winged, deep crimson, surrounded by thick blue clouds of boiling ectoplasm, the alien glared contemptuously about the House. Finn's security people came rushing forward, and the Swart Alfair sneered at them.
    "The Terror is almost upon you, little humans! Your feeble sciences will not protect you. Only the mighty secrets of Mog Mor can save you from the hunger of the Terror. They can still be yours, for the price we demanded. You have no more time to prevaricate. Say yes or say no, but say it now. If you refuse us, we turn our backs on you. Mog Mor will go its own way. Speak now."
    The House looked to Douglas, who looked to Finn. The Durandal faced the Swart Alfair calmly.
    "Any price would be too high. Humanity will not be beholden to aliens. We will defend ourselves."
    "You will die," said the Swart Alfair, and it disappeared. Faint blue wisps of ectoplasm still curled on the air. The alien had been gone only a few moments when Anne Barclay came rushing into the House, shouting to be heard over the babbling MPs.
    "Turn on the House viewscreen! We're being hailed from Haden. They're under attack!"
    Douglasactivated the great viewscreen, and it appeared floating above the floor of the House, showing huge ships firing on the