Deathstalker 08 - Deathstalker Coda

the man behind. Other officers were rising from their consoles, groping for weapons. Silence had already drawn his sword and charged the mutineers before him, moving so fast they couldn’t draw a bead on him. He raged among them, his sword rising and falling impossibly quickly, slicing through flesh and bone alike. He was fast and strong, and his victims cried out in shock and horror as they realized they didn’t stand a chance against him, for all their numbers. They kept coming, firing their guns almost blindly now, and more consoles exploded all across the bridge. Smoke was thick on the air, despite the extractor fans. Silence laughed breathlessly as he cut men down. It felt good to have something solid to fight, after so long. Some of the enemy were chanting prayers, and even exorcisms. Silence killed them anyway. And in the end, he stood alone among piles of bodies, blood running thickly from his sword blade, and they hadn’t touched him once. The blood that soaked his uniform, and had spattered across his face, was all theirs. Silence looked around at his bridge crew, and saw shock and horror in their faces at what he’d done.
    “Get used to it,” he said harshly. “This is what war means. Comm officer, get me contact with the rest of the fleet. The Imperial ships will be here soon, and I need to know who I can rely on. Security, guard all entrances to the bridge. And somebody put out those fires and turn the damned alarms off!”
    He sank back into his command chair, while his crew hurried to obey. Captain Price watched him with wide, almost frightened eyes. Silence ignored him. He realized he was still holding his sword, and started cleaning the blade with a cloth.
    Good work, Captain, said Investigator Frost. Good to see you haven’t forgotten everything I taught you.
    Is that why you’re back? thought Silence. Because death is so very close to all of us?

    Lewis Deathstalker and Jesamine Flowers left their quarters the moment they heard the alarms sound, sword and gun already in hand. Which meant they surprised the small crowd of mutineers who’d come to watch them die. Lewis and Jesamine charged the crowd immediately, and soon the corridor was full of the sound of clashing blades, and the screams of the dying. There wasn’t much room to maneuver in the cramped space, but Lewis and Jesamine didn’t need it. They were both inhumanly fast and impossibly strong, and they hacked and cut their way through the fanatics like they were back breaking trail in the jungles of Shandrakor. After everything they’d faced, a crowd of armed men was nothing.
    Brett Random watched it all from a concealed side entrance, holding Rose firmly by one arm. The plan had been for him and Rose to attack Lewis and Jesamine from the rear while they were distracted by the crowd, but Brett just couldn’t do it. His stomach ached so badly he was almost bent in two—and besides, he put no faith in Finn’s promises of rewards and safety. Rose strained against his hold, but he knew she’d follow his lead. She’d got used to having him do all the thinking for both of them. So Brett waited awhile, just to be sure of which way the fight was going, and once it was clear the mutineers were losing, he ran forward to back up Lewis and Jesamine, Rose moving just a little confusedly at his side. The four of them quickly finished off the last few loyalists. Brett was surprised to find that his stomach had stopped hurting already. He might not have a conscience, but apparently his stomach did. He’d have to do something about that.
    (Besides—he liked Lewis. And those Church Militant and Pure Humanity zealots had got right up his nose.)
    Lewis looked at Brett. “Do you have any idea of what’s going on?”
    “Loyalist elements trying for a coup,” Brett said crisply. “We’d better help out where we can.”
    Lewis nodded and set off down the corridor, Jesamine padding eagerly at his side. Brett and Rose followed after. Rose was frowning.
    “I know,” said Brett. “Just trust me and go along, for now. I’ll explain later.”
    “I wanted to kill Lewis,” said Rose, just a little sulkily.
    “There’ll be other times. For now, kill the loyalists. As many as you like.”
    Rose looked at him. “Only for you, Brett. Only for you.”
    The fighting in the corridors quickly fell apart, once Lewis and the others joined in. No one could stand against them. The mutineers lost all confidence, having failed to kill most of the