Deathstalker 08 - Deathstalker Coda

partner and I take such things most seriously. Be under no misapprehensions as to your situation. We have reason to fear creatures such as you, who appear out of nowhere, and who fit no known parameters. We are at present deep beneath the surface of the moon, where we hold all the worst criminals Humanity has to offer. The hardened recidivists, who can’t or won’t be helped.”
    “So what happens to them?” said Owen. “They stay here till they die?”
    “Of course not!” said Dominic, clearly shocked. “We wipe them clean of their memories, and leave them a blank slate, so that they can start again in a new life, untroubled by their past.”
    “Here we deal with the worst of the worst,” said Glory. “We have heard and seen it all, and we never give the benefit of the doubt.”
    “Nice speech,” said Owen. “Honest, I’m impressed. And thoroughly intimidated. How many criminals do you have here?”
    “At present, three hundred and forty-seven,” said Dominic. He seemed amiable enough, but his gun never wavered from covering Owen. “Security in the House of Correction is extremely tight. You will stay here until your fate is determined. Don’t even think of trying to escape.”
    “Oh, perish the thought,” said Owen. “I only just got here. I suppose a friendly sit-down and chat over a nice cup of tea is out of the question?”
    They ignored him, pulling a whole series of unfamiliar tech items out of their subspace pockets. Dark ugly things, bristling with metal spikes. Owen decided that there were very definite limits to what he was prepared to put up with, especially if it involved dropping his trousers and bending over, but fortunately all Dominic and Glory wanted to do was study him from a safe distance. Owen could feel energy fluctuations moving over and around him, but none of it was particularly uncomfortable, so he just let them get on with it. He was actually curious to see what they had to say about his new condition. Dominic and Glory studied the readings they were getting, scowled and muttered a lot, and finally got into a short but intense fight over what it all meant. Owen regretfully decided that he wasn’t going to get any useful insights out of the First Empire tech after all.
    “Look,” he said finally. “Why don’t you just ask me what you want to know? I can pretty much guarantee in advance that you aren’t going to like most of the answers, but then, I don’t much either. In fact, there are times when I distinctly wish I would go away and stop bothering me. So, I am Owen, first of my Family and lord of my Clan. Rebel and warrior, hero and legend. Or so they tell me. I spent most of my life studying to be a historian, but it turned out history had other plans for me. I have traveled back in time in pursuit of a friend who came before me. Does any of that help?”
    “Not really,” said Dominic, after a pause.
    “All right,” Owen said patiently. “Let’s start with the basics. Who are you? I think I know what an Investigator is, but what the hell is a Defender of Humanity?”
    Glory and Dominic looked at each other, and finally Glory shrugged angrily. “I am Investigator Chojiro. It is my duty and my honor to examine and oppose all extranormal threats to Humanity. From within or without. I have powers in the Low and the High Justice, and the right of execution without warning or appeal. I am presently stationed on Heartworld, center of the Empire, and I and all my brethren have been tasked to watch for the return of something like you, or what came before you.”
    “I am Defender of Humanity Dominic Cairo. It is my trust to ensure that the people of the Empire do not use newly discovered technology or medical enhancements to remake themselves into something inhuman. The nature of Humanity must be respected and maintained, and I have powers in the Low and the High Justice to deal with anything that threatens it. I defend the spirit of Humanity. A hard task, in these days of vacuum dancers, water breathers, and heavy gravity prowlers. I see you do not recognize those terms. Originally, the process of adaptation was developed to enable people to fit the conditions on other planets. Why go to all the time and expense of changing a planet, when it’s so much easier to change the people? Unfortunately, the changes have run wild, for the thrill or the fashion of it. There are many kinds of people now, and not all of them are fully human.”
    “Both our castes were