Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

in taking a little time for himself. He wasn't due to put the fear of God into anyone for a good half an hour, so he leaned back in his chair and indulged himself with a few pleasant fantasies about possible future atrocities. He was giving serious thought to having a possessed thrall carry a transmutation bomb into the Dust Plains of Memory. He was pretty sure the nanotech computers had a strong organic element, so a transmutation explosion should do a satisfying amount of damage. Finn didn't want any major information sources in the Empire that he didn't control. And if the bomb wasn't enough… well, maybe he could have Daniel Wolfe hauled back from the nanotech planet Zero Zero—if he really was still there, trying to make the rogue planet sane. Should be easy enough to have an ELF possess Daniel, and then march him out onto the Dust Plains, and set nanotech against nanotech. Finn smiled happily, considering the devastation.
    He'd actually worked himself into quite a good mood, when Tel Markham arrived and spoiled it all. The honorable member for Madraguda came storming in, brushing aside the protesting private secretary and slamming the door in his face. He headed straight for the visitor's chair, completely forgetting to bow until Finn reminded him with an icy cough. Tel bobbed his head to Finn in the quickest bow on record, and then sank bonelessly into the visitor's chair, crossing his legs before him like he owned the place. Finn sank back in his chair and raised a magisterial eyebrow.
    "This had better be important, Tel. In fact, it had better be vital, urgent, and downright imperative, or I am going to kick your arse all the way around my office and then halfway back again, just to remind you to knock before bursting in here. I do have an image to maintain, you know."
    "The Shandrakor expedition has turned into a complete balls-up," Tel said flatly. "Yes, I thought that would get your attention. I've just been listening to the first reports from our people there, and they are shitting themselves. One of them was actually crying. All thirteen of the Paragons you sent to Shandrakor are dead. One of our starcruisers was blown apart, and the others all suffered extensive damage. More details are coming in all the time, but I doubt anything will turn up to take the edge off this mess."
    "I see," said Finn in a dangerously calm voice. "And the Deathstalker and his companions?"
    "They located the old Deathstalker Standing, and spent some time inside. They must have found something there, because the whole place woke up in a hurry and attacked our people with a whole range of energy weapons of quite appalling strength and diversity. It then blew itself up, to cover the retreat of Lewis and his people. Their ship vanished into hyperspace while ours were getting the crap kicked out of them, and we have no idea where they might be going next. We did kill a whole bunch of assorted monsters on Shandrakor, if that's any comfort… no, I didn't think it would be."
    "All my Paragons dead," murmured Finn. "Such a pity. Now I can't torture them anymore. Tell me there is some good news, Tel. Or I'm going to kill you."
    "The old Deathstalker Standing is quite definitely destroyed," Tel said quickly. "Lewis can't use it as a base of operations now, as his ancestor did."
    Finn considered the point. "No," he said decisively. "Not nearly good enough."
    He snatched up a solid brass ashtray from his desk and threw it at Tel. The MP ducked, but not nearly fast enough. The ashtray clipped Tel heavily across the side of the head, and he tipped out of his chair and fell to the floor. Blood streamed down the side of his face. Finn got up out of his chair and walked unhurriedly round his desk. Tel tried to scuttle backwards, heading for the door. Finn caught up with him and kicked him in the ribs, a solid but casual blow, just as he would treat an annoying dog in the street.
    And then he kicked Tel again and again and again. Blood sprayed from Tel's mouth, and he cried out loudly, not because he thought help might come, but because he knew Finn would just keep on kicking him till he did. The Durandal reached down, grabbed Tel by the blood-spattered front of his shirt, lifted him up, and slammed him back against the wall with almost effortless strength. Finn stuck his face right in front of Tel's and spoke in a calm, assured voice, ignoring the blood flecking his face from Tel's heavy breathing.
    "I keep sending my people after Lewis,