Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

planet Haden. They were alien vessels, vast labyrinthine ships of coiling organic shapes. Their energy beams pounded down from orbit, shattering for the moment against Haden's shields. But more and more of the alien ships were dropping out of hyperspace all the time, to join the attack.
    "It's Mog Mor," said Anne. "They're making a preemptive strike against Haden, to gain control of the Madness Maze."
    "There are supposed to be two starcruisers quarantining Haden," saidDouglas . "Where are they?"
    "Ambushed. One's already gone," said Anne. "The Swart Alfair blew it apart. The other one's retired, hurt. It can send us these messages, but it can't intervene."
    Douglaslooked at Finn. "Will the planet's shields hold?"
    Finn frowned. "If Mog Mor is as powerful as it claims…"
    "Well?"
    "Then it's just as well I allowed Shub access to the Maze."
    Even as he spoke, a single huge ship the size of a moon appeared out of hyperspace. A Shub ship, bristling with armaments. Some of the Mog Mor ships moved to attack, and Shub blew them to pieces.
    Fragments of hull glowed briefly as they burned up, falling through Haden's atmosphere, and then they were gone. Mog Mor broke off its attack, and the remaining Swart Alfair ships disappeared back into hyperspace. The House went mad, everyone cheering and applauding and stamping their feet. The viewscreen shut down. The blue steel robot representing Shub stood up in the empty alien section.
    "The Swart Alfair ships have returned to Mog Mor, where they have now disappeared behind a defense shield of an unfamiliar nature. We are no longer able to detect the planet's presence. Having failed to acquire control of the Madness Maze, it seems they have chosen to retire from the game. We will, of course, continue to monitor the planet's last known position, in case more of their ships reappear."
    There was a general murmur of Good riddance to bad rubbish in the House. Tel Markham considered his fellow MPs thoughtfully. We don't need the Terror to destroy the Empire, he thought tiredly. We're doing a perfectly good job on our own.

Chapter 5
    PREDATORS AND VICTIMS
    "No guns? What, you mean there's no guns at all on this ship? We're heading for one of the most dangerous planets in the Empire, knee deep in the kind of monsters that would give Grendels the screaming habdabs, and you're only now getting around to telling us that this ship has no weapons!"
    "Calm down, Brett," said Lewis Deathstalker. "You're hyperventilating, and your face is going that funny purple color again."
    "I don't care! I am not landing on a planet where sudden death and appalling slaughter is what they do to relax after lunch, without some seriously nasty firepower to back me up! Get out of the way, Deathstalker, and let me have a go at those computers. This is a smuggler's ship, remember? There's got to be some weapons systems here somewhere…"
    Lewis allowed Brett to shoulder him out of the way, and moved back to watch the highly experienced con man work his particular magic upon the bridge computers. It never ceased to amaze and amuse Lewis how suddenly brave and assertive Brett Random could become when it became clear it was his neck on the line too. Brett hunched forward in the pilot's seat and attacked the comm systems keyboard as though trying to bully answers out of it. Jesamine Flowers came over to join Lewis, and they exchanged a smile.
    "For once, I have to agree with the scumbag," said Jesamine. "He may have no ethics and even less manners, and he did drink the last of my perfume in the hope it might be alcohol based, but when it comes to matters of self-preservation, Brett is the undisputed champion. If Shandrakor really is as dangerous as it's supposed to be…"
    "Oh, it is," said Lewis. "Trust me on this. My family still tells tales around the old fireplace in the great hall, about Owen's battles in the monster-infested jungles of Shandrakor."
    "Monsters," said Rose Constantine in her deep sepulchral voice, from the far corner where she lurked. "I would like to kill some monsters. It's been a while since I had a real challenge."
    "I have offered to spar with you," said the reptiloid Saturday.
    Rose sniffed. "It's not the same if you're not allowed to kill your opponent."
    "Well…" Saturday said diffidently.
    "No," said Lewis, very firmly. "We don't have a regeneration tank, and we're a small enough group as it is. When this is all over, you two can tear each other into tiny pieces with my blessing. I might