Deathstalker 08 - Deathstalker Coda

extremely active on Logres. Reborn from the collective consciousness of the oversoul, at long last. Silence wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He’d known, the moment she reappeared in the material world; like a light suddenly going on in the dark. According to the latest reports, she’d joined up with Douglas Campbell in the Rookery. Typical of his daughter; always had to be right in the middle of things, doing her best in destructive ways. He could have talked to her mentally, but even after all these years they were still awkward with each other. Too much pain and blame between them, too many bad memories. It was enough for him to know that she was back, and doing the right thing in her own appalling ways. He’d talk to her again after they’d taken Logres back from Finn. By then, they should have something in common to talk about.
    He could have talked to her while she was still a part of the oversoul mass-mind, but he never had. It would have felt too much like talking to a ghost.
    Thoughts of the past turned his mind in a new direction. He’d already tried several times to contact his old friend Carrion, on the planet Unseeli, but there was never any response, on any comm channel. Silence was pretty sure Carrion could hear him; he was just being stubborn. The last time they’d met, Carrion had declared himself utterly divorced from Humanity, and entirely content with his new alien Ashrai form. Silence hadn’t been particularly surprised by the transition. Carrion had always had an Ashrai soul, even when he was still a man called Sean. That’s how they’d ended up on different sides of a war. But Silence decided his need to talk was more important than Carrion’s need to show off his independence, so he reached out with his Maze-enhanced mind, and his thoughts flew across all the many light-years to the planet Unseeli.
    Silence had been through the Madness Maze twice. He could have been as great as the others; but he thought it was more important to be human.
    Come on, Sean, stop being obstinate and talk to me, or I’ll slap you a good one.
    The craggy gargoyle face of an Ashrai appeared suddenly on the main bridge viewscreen, startling the hell out of everyone. Especially the comm officer, who knew for a fact that the signal wasn’t coming in through any of his channels. Several of the bridge crew looked like they wanted to run and hide, but they looked to Silence, and were reassured by his calm manner. The gunnery officer was surreptitiously looking for a target outside the ship, and was getting really upset as she discovered there was nothing at all out there. The Ashrai glowered at Silence.
    “Hello, John. I just knew you’d be back to bother me. Your thoughts feel . . . different. But then, we’ve both been through a lot of changes. I’m just more open about mine. What do you want, John?”
    “Hello, Sean. Old friend, old enemy. Is there a name for our relationship? Who else could we talk to, about all the things we’ve been through? Who else would understand?”
    “Get to the point, old man.”
    “I’m in charge of a whole fleet, Sean, and I’m heading back to Logres to ram it down the Emperor’s throat. I thought you and your people might like to tag along.”
    “The Ashrai want nothing to do with Humanity. They have not forgotten how you gave the order to make them extinct, all those years ago.”
    “Oh, come on, think how good it would feel to stick it to the Empire homeworld, after all these years.”
    “There is that,” said Carrion. “Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for your call. Now that Owen is back . . . it’s time for everything to change, again. We all owe him so much.”
    “And perhaps a favor for an old friend?”
    “Yes, John,” the Ashrai said kindly. “Perhaps.”
    “That’s what I wanted to hear,” said Silence. “I’ll detail some ships to come and pick you up.”
    Carrion laughed harshly, a dark disturbing sound that showed off all his pointed teeth. “That won’t be necessary. We’ll make our own way to you. The Ashrai don’t need ships to fly through space.”
    Silence had to smile. “How did we ever defeat you, before?”
    “Easy, Captain. You cheated.”
    Silence studied the gargoyle face thoughtfully. “Do I have your word that you’ll keep the Ashrai under control, when we get to Logres?”
    “Of course, John. Don’t you trust me?”
    “Now that’s a bloody silly question.”
    They laughed together, and the sound of their