Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

Perhaps the only honorable player left in the game. She took so long to die…but at least she's at rest. And I have to go on living, in the Hell I made for myself.
    When Finn got back to his apartment, late in the evening, there was a message waiting for him, from one of his deep-cover spies. The first part of the message was short and to the point, confirming what he'd already suspected. Shub had betrayed him on Haden, allying instead with the newly arrived Deathstalker.
    The second part of the message was rather more startling. It seemed Lewis had successfully entered the Madness Maze, and emerged intact, bringing with him the long-lost and very much alive Owen Deathstalker, And as if that wasn't bad enough, the twelve monstrous survivors that Finn had meant to use as weapons had all been sent back into the Maze by Owen, to be cured and made human again.
    Finn swore harshly. Somedays things wouldn't go right if you bribed them.
    And he'd been in such a good mood too, when he came in. Things had been going so well… Finn strode restlessly back and forth, thinking hard. He couldn't say he was surprised that Shub had chosen to side with Lewis. He'd always known that was a danger. Like almost everyone else, the AIs could get very sentimental when it came to that damnable Deathstalker name. Allowing Shub direct access to the Maze
    had always been a calculated risk, which was why he'd made certain advance arrangements.
    Finn had always intended that Lewis and his people should get to Haden eventually, because it seemed entirely probable that only a Deathstalker would be able to safely unlock the secrets of the Madness Maze. Finn wanted those secrets. Because with those secrets under his control, Finn wouldn't need allies anymore. He wouldn't need anyone. He couldn't make Lewis's trip look too easy, of course, or someone would have got suspicious, but Finn always knew where Lewis was, and where he was going next.
    But he'd never expected Owen to actually return. That was the stuff of legend, and Finn had always been far too sensible to believe in things like that. But the message was quite explicit. Owen Deathstalker was back, and apparently just as powerful as the stories always said he was. And Captain John Silence was there too. Another damned legend who didn't have the decency to stay dead. Finn stopped pacing up and down, and nodded his head decisively. He'd never been the panicking sort, and he wasn't about to start now. Immediate problems require immediate solutions. So, strike now, with all the force at his command, while Owen was still newly returned and hopefully just a little disoriented. He'd been killed once, so presumably he could die again. Even if Finn had to scorch the whole planet lifeless from orbit.
    Finn snorted. Let the blessed Owen come back from that…
    He contacted fleet HQ and ordered every starcruiser in the Imperial fleet to converge on Haden. Most were already in the area, hiding out in hyperspace. Finn believed in thinking ahead. Lewis and the Maze had always been a danger that might have to be stepped on hard. The admiral in charge of the fleet was one of Finn's creatures, and a fanatic to the bone. She would obey any order Finn gave. Killing someone who claimed to be the blessed Owen Deathstalker wouldn't slow her down at all.
    Finn threw himself into his most comfortable chair and smiled suddenly. Maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all, when you got to order the death of two Deathstalkers at once.
    He laughed out loud. And what better way to mark the moment, than to officially change his title from King… to Emperor. Emperor Finn—it had a certain ring to it. He wasn't exactly sure he felt like an Emperor yet, butDouglas 's trial was tomorrow… Yes, sentencing King Douglas to death would definitely help him to feel the part more. He wouldn't bother with a grand public execution after all. Still too much chance of public sentiment turning against it, and ruining the moment for him.
    So, a quick trial, a guilty verdict, and then Finn would chop offDouglas 's head, right there in the court in front of everyone. Make a nice surprise ending to the occasion. Finn thought he should do it himself. For old times' sake.
    The trial of King Douglas was big news, and was to be covered live on every news channel. It was to take place at the court, before an invited audience only, and presided over by King Finn, who would of course serve as prosecutor and judge. The trial should really have been