Deathstalker Rebellion

"Did they tell you why they did… what they did to you?"

"No. Or if they did, I didn't understand it. There was a lot I didn't understand. Eventually, they'd told me all they wanted to, or they grew tired of me. I woke up curled into a ball in one of my ship's escape pods, in orbit over one of the Rim worlds. A ship picked me up, and I came home to an Empire three years older than I remembered, and endured an endless series of attempted debriefings. You know the rest of the story. The Emperor's espers picked up the gist of the story, confirmed that I wasn't lying or crazy, and I became the Empire's spokesman on alien affairs. Who knew better than I what they were capable of? I set policy for alien contacts and controls throughout the known worlds. I've kept the Empire strong. We have to be strong and ready, because someday the aliens who took and altered me will be back. We weren't ready to fight them then, and we might not be now, but we have to be prepared. They were vast and powerful and utterly evil, and they must never be allowed to do to humanity what they did to me.

"In the meantime I do what I can. Of course, there's always the danger that I'm doing what the aliens intended me to. I have no way of knowing what instructions they left in my mind, or how much influence my energy half has over the rest of my mind. How much of what I do is my own agenda, and how much is theirs. Stay close to me. Investigator. Watch me. And if need be, kill me. I don't want to be a Judas goat for the whole human race.

"But still, sometimes, I wonder what happened to my other human half. If it's still alive, somewhere. If the aliens will give it back to me when they return. One last temptation, a weapon with which to control me. After all, I'm only human. So I put my life in your hands, Investigator, as I have in others before you. Do what is necessary, Shoal. Whatever the cost."

"Damn right," said Shoal. "I swear it, upon my word and honor. That is how you trained me, after all. As a matter of interest, what happened to the others before me?"

"I outlived them," said Half A Man. "I've lived a very long time, after all."

"Of course. Is there… anything else I can do for you? Any other reason you summoned me here?"

"Yes, but not what you're thinking. Those urges were taken from me, along with everything else. I need you to carry out a sensitive operation later today. While everyone's distracted with the preparations for the ceremony, kill Mother Superior Beatrice of the Sisters of Mercy. Make it look like a rebel assassination. She's upset too many people with influence, and they want her dead. And since I need their support to carry out my ongoing mission, she must die. Make it quick but messy, and be very discreet. We don't want the Sisters of Mercy getting mad at us."

"Understood," said Shoal. She got to her feet and bowed briefly to Half A Man. "I'll put the matter in hand. Get what rest you can, sir. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we're to put down the rebellion here."

"We have to," said Half A Man. "The aliens are still out there. The Empire must have this new stardrive if it's to stand against them. It can't afford to be distracted by petty squabbles like this."

In the boiling summer heat, Cardinal James Kassar stalked up and down before his assembled Church troops, working himself into a state. The troops stood stiffly to attention in their ranks, ignoring the heat and the sweat that evaporated on their skin almost as quickly as it formed. A few had passed out and had been left to lie where they fell. They'd be flogged later. Kassar had been talking and yelling at them for a good half hour and showed no signs of slowing down. The gist of his speech, interrupted by frequent prayers and exaltations, was the pride and purity of the Church of Christ the Warrior and the utter depravity of the Church's many enemies. Kassar had all but worked himself into a froth of rage and frustration, but the troops weren't that impressed. They'd seen it all before. Kassar could turn it on and off like a tap.

They were all paying careful attention, though. Partly because it took their minds off the heat, but mostly because the Jesuit commandos were prowling between the ranks, hoping to find someone not paying attention, so they could drag him out and make an awful example of him. No chance of that this morning. For once the Cardinal had something to say that was actually interesting, not to mention vitally important. On his own initiative, Kassar was sending them down into the tunnels under Technos III, to wipe out the rebels and regain their pride after being beaten so resoundingly in the past. Of course, this time would be different. No small group in battle armor, but the entire Church force with no armor, hand weapons only, and a new battle drug the Church had been dying to try out on somebody. The troops would have liked to look at each other to see how everyone else was taking this, but the Jesuit commandos were still prowling, so everyone stared straight ahead.

"Battle armor was a mistake," Kassar admitted, standing still for a moment so he could stare commandingly at his troops. "There's not enough room to maneuver down in the tunnels, and the built-in disrupters are all but useless. Armor just weighs a man down and gets in his way. This time you travel light, move fast, strike at will. The new battle drug was created in our own Church laboratories. It fires a man's faith, makes him faster, stronger, meaner. His strength is as the strength of ten because his heart is pure. A pure man with this battle drug in his veins could slay an entire army, armed only with the jawbone of an ass. And you will be very well armed. Those hell-damned Rejects won't even know what hit them.

"My friends, we must win this battle. Not just because the Empire depends on us for its security upon this factory's stardrive production, but because our enemies at Court and beyond are using our previous defeat here during the rebel attack for their own propaganda, to force us from our rightful place at the Empress Lionstone's side. We must regain our pride, whatever the cost. Remember, those who die fighting in the Church's name are sure of a place in heaven. If we fail, if our faith is found wanting, then those who survive will be recalled to Golgotha for debriefing by the Church interrogators. I know you would all rather die than see us return in disgrace."

He paused to look out over his flock and nodded with pride to see them staring unflinchingly back at him. "The Jesuit Fathers will move among you now, distributing the new drug and giving each group its orders. Assemble back here in half an hour, full field kit and weapons, ready to take the drug at the Fathers' commands. Regretfully, I cannot be with you. I have other pressing duties here. But I will be with you in spirit. Make me proud of you. Make the Church proud of you. Descend into the darkness below and kill every living thing you find. For the glory of God and the Empire, kill every rebel man, woman, and child, until none remain to spread defiance on this world."

Down below, in the honeycomb of tunnels and caverns carved out of the many layers of metal far below the surface of Technos III, rebel life went on as normal. The people lived in shifts so that progress was never slowed and they might never be caught napping. The Rejects had many enemies, from the world above to the wild creatures far below, and they had learned to be constantly prepared. Jack Random, Ruby Journey, and Alexander Storm were being taken on yet another tour by Specter Alice, to impress upon them the need for outside support.

"We can feed and clothe ourselves, and we raid the upper world for whatever else we need, but there are always shortages," said Specter Alice. "Ours is not a life of comforts. We are born into the struggle, give our lives to it, and die for it in the end. Few of us live to old age. Unless they're crazy, like me. We are fighters, first and foremost. Even in our deepest, most protected places, there is little time for leisure. The tunnels must be maintained, food hunted and preserved, our territory protected. We have schools. We tap into the factory computers. We're not barbarians. But the struggle must always come first. We take it in turn to man the trenches and endure the changing weathers of the world above. You say you need our help to stop the factory's work. Then send us fighters and energy weapons. We'll do the rest."

She broke off as Ruby Journey stopped abruptly. Everyone else stopped and looked back at her. The bounty hunter had made little attempt to hide her boredom, only there because Random had insisted, but now the sour blankness had left her face. She looked straight ahead, her dark eyes far away, seeming huge in her pale, pointed face.

"Someone's coming," she said softly. "A large force from above."

Storm looked quickly about him. "I can't hear anything."

"I can feel it," said Ruby. "Jack?"

"Yes. I feel it, too. One hell of a large force, headed this way. They've already broken through into the upper tunnels. Alice, sound the alarms. I have a strong feeling we are in a world of trouble. Ruby, lead the way."

She was off and running, sword in hand, almost before he'd finished speaking. Jack charged after her, leaving Storm to hurry along in his wake as best he could. Soon men and women of the Rejects were joining them from side tunnels, running effortlessly beside them with all kinds of weapons in their hands. They had no time or breath for idle chatter. It was enough that the tunnels were under attack. They knew what to do. They'd trained for it all their lives. They ran silently, the only sound the growing thunder of the pounding of their feet on the steel floors. The thunder rose as more and more joined the charge, heading relentlessly toward the upper tunnels. Until finally they came upon their enemy, the Faithful, cutting a bloody path through the outnumbered defenders. The Rejects howled their fury and threw themselves upon the Church troops. Steel clashed and blood spilled, and soon the tunnels were packed with struggling fighters.

The Faithful pressed steadily forward, screaming their chants and war cries, their eyes wide and fierce in their taut faces. The battle drug burned in their veins and fired their minds. They were more than human now, unbeatable emissaries of God, performing a holy duty. Victory was inevitable. They slammed into the rebels, swinging swords and axes, their drug-fueled strength beating aside the weapons of their enemies. There was neither room nor time for individual duels. Both sides fought where they could in the milling mass that seethed this way and that, spreading slowly out through the great maze of tunnels and caverns. Blades rose and fell, and men and women fell and were trampled underfoot. Some rebels tried to flee with the youngest children, but the Faithful seemed to be everywhere, blocking the exits with drawn swords. And the drug that burned within them showed no mercy to woman or child. There was running and fighting in the corridors, war cries and screams, and blood splashed the metal walls and floors. The air in the underground grew hot and oppressive and thick with the smells of sweat and blood and the stink of ruptured bodies.

Random and Ruby fought back-to-back, surrounded by eager enemies like so many snapping dogs. Storm had been carried away in the press of fighting, and Random couldn't spare the time to worry about his fate. His enemies pressed forward from every side, searching for a moment's hesitation or weakness so that they could drag him down. He swung his sword as best he could in the confined space, putting all his strength behind short savage arcs and sudden thrusts. His enemies fell, but there were always more. Random boosted, calling on the ancient Deathstalker secret he'd acquired from Owen; and on the edge of his mind he felt Ruby boosting, too. New strength flooded through them both, more than enough to counter the alchemical strength of the drug that burned so fiercely in the veins of the Faithful.

And above and below and all around, in the many tunnels and caverns and living quarters of the rebels, the Faithful and the Rejects fought and died, equally matched in savagery and determination, unable to advance and unwilling to retreat, no matter what price was paid in blood and death. Tunnel floors and doorways became blocked with the dead and the dying, and men had to clamber over corpses to get at each other. Rebels saw their families die, women and children cut down without pity or quarter, and fought the more savagely. There were screams of rage as well as pain, and the din grew deafening.

Random and Ruby fought on, held where they were by the sheer press of fighters, taking wounds as well as giving them simply because there was no room to dodge or duck. Random cut and hacked with cold precision and knew that for all his new youth and strength, and the added powers of the boost, he still wasn't going to win this one. There were just too many Faithful fighting like berserks, uncaring of what wounds they took or whether they lived or died, as long as their enemy fell before them. More Rejects were coming, running from miles and miles of underground tunnels. In the end there'd be enough to outnumber and overpower the Church troops, but not until too many men, women, and children had been butchered by Church steel and innocent blood stained the tunnels forever.

It came to Random that he was going to die, trapped in the cramped confines of the dimly lit tunnels, far from sky and sun and open air, and the thought infuriated him. There was so much he'd intended to do, inspired by his second chance at life, and so much he'd left undone, because he'd been so sure there would be time in the future. Now time had run out. He was going to die, not through any failure of strength or spirit, but simply because he was outnumbered. And Ruby… Ruby would die, too. That thought fired him as nothing else could. He mourned the undoubted loss of his old friend Alex and the failed hopes of the Technos rebels, but in the end it was the thought of Ruby Journey lying dead and broken on the bloody floor that flared up in him, consuming all else in a need for retribution and revenge.

His mind burst free of its self-imposed restraints and reached out to touch and join with Ruby's. Their thoughts slammed together, merging and melding, becoming a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. A brilliant light flared up around them, blazing hot like the sun, devouring those around them who couldn't retreat fast enough. The Faithful burst into flames, burning like candles, their flesh running like hot wax. The heat consumed the Church troops in seconds, melting their swords and body armor, spreading out through the tunnels in a traveling wave of spontaneous combustions. Only the Rejects were untouched, though the heat of the burning bodies drove them back, arms raised to protect their faces. The Faithful screamed and died, and suddenly the survivors had turned and were running back toward the surface and sanity. The wave of killing heat swept after them, snapping at the heels of the slowest and setting their hair alight. Horrid shadows danced along the metal walls as the Faithful fled, screaming in horror as though the devil himself pursued them. And perhaps he did.

The surviving Church troops grabbed men, women, and children and held them close, to prevent the hellfire setting them alight. The tactic worked, and more and more hostages were taken until the Faithful reached the upper levels and there were no more Rejects. They burst out onto the surface, clinging desperately to their struggling captives, and the hellfire followed them no farther. Men came running to help them and were greeted with tears and panted curses and hysterical laughter. Of the six thousand Faithful who went down into the underground, only four hundred and seven returned, not all of them in their right minds. They brought with them three hundred and twenty-seven captives, mostly women and children. And that was the end of Cardinal Kassar's great offensive against the Technos rebels.

Deep down in the rebel tunnels, Random and Ruby stood alone in a dimly lit corridor. The fire was gone, and they had fallen back into their own minds again. Smoldering bodies surrounded them for as far as they could see, and the air was thick with the stench of burned meat. They looked at each other, just a man and a woman again. Or so they hoped.

Their minds had followed along with the flames, and they knew what they had done. Alexander Storm and Specter Alice found them standing together, staring into each other's eyes, as they came stepping carefully over the charred bodies that covered the tunnel floor. They stopped a safe distance away and waited to be noticed. Random and Ruby finally turned to look at them, and Storm had to fight down an impulse to fall back a step. They both looked younger, fiercer, more than human, as though the terrible heat they'd generated had somehow burned away the impurities in them. Looking into their eyes was like looking into the sun.

"They're all gone," Storm said harshly. "We've started clearing out the tunnels, but it'll take some time. There are a lot of bodies to shift."

"The survivors took prisoners with them," said Specter Alice. "We don't know who or how many yet. We'll have to sort through the dead first. God knows what the Wolfes will do with their prize. They've never taken captives before."

"Don't worry," said Random. "We'll get them back." As he spoke the fire slowly went out of his eyes until he was just a man again. "Spread the word. When the force Screen goes down for the ceremony tonight, we attack in force. All of us. We'll free the clones and the prisoners, disrupt the ceremony, and trash the stardrive assembly lines. All on live holovision. That should make it clear to everyone who really rules here."

"Jack, that's a hell of a lot easier said than done," said Storm. "The Rejects have tried mass attacks before, but it never worked."

"They didn't have Ruby and myself to lead them," said Random. "We'll make all the difference. Where's your spirit, Alex? You and I will be right in the forefront, leading the attack. It'll be just like old times."

"I hope not," said Alexander Storm, meeting Random's eyes unflinchingly. "Dear God, I hope not."

The ceremony was still two hours away, but Daniel and Stephanie Wolfe were already preparing themselves for the show. The right outfit was so important for such occasions. They were in Stephanie's quarters; Daniel had been having trouble tying his cravat and had come to his sister for help. She shook her head, unsurprised, and pulled the cravat into place with short, controlled tugs. Daniel stood patiently as she fussed over the rest of his formal outfit and looked around Stephanie's quarters. More luxuries per square inch than most people saw in a lifetime, but Stephanie still considered her quarters to be particularly spartan and said so loudly on every conceivable occasion. She was, after all, a Wolfe and accustomed to the very best of everything. Daniel felt much the same way, but couldn't be bothered to make a fuss. He had other things on his mind.

"You know, I shouldn't still be doing things like this for you, Danny," said Stephanie mildly as she stepped back to admire her work for a moment. "I know you don't like servants getting this close to you, but Lily is supposed to be looking after you these days. She is your wife, after all."

"Don't know where she is," said Daniel. "She's never around when she's wanted. Not that I give a damn. Her endless prattling drives me crazy. Not a word of sense in her. I sometimes think Dad wished her on me for a joke."

"I know what you mean," said Stephanie. "Michel's no better. Nice build, but there's nothing between his ears but his appetites. He's always forgetting errands and appointments, and then he has the nerve to sulk when I yell at him. He's good enough in bed, but he has all the personality and charisma of a soft boiled egg. We should never have agreed to marry them."

"No choice. You saw the will; go through with the marriages or be disinherited. And we did need the businesses that came with them."

"We've got their businesses now. There, that's finished. Don't touch your cravat again under any circumstances. Got it? Good. You're quite right, of course. Our respective spouses are about as much use as… Oh, I don't know. Name something really useless."

"Lily and Michel," said Daniel, and Stephanie had to smile, if only briefly.

"Right," she said dryly. "I'd divorce mine in a minute if I wasn't sure he'd take the opportunity to soak me for every credit he could, in lieu of retaining any interest in the Family businesses. We should have insisted on prenuptial arrangements, but with dear Daddy's will they had us over a barrel, and they knew it. Either way, it's my business and my money, and he's not getting any of it. I'll see him dead and rotting in the ground first."

"Now, there's an idea," said Daniel. Stephanie looked quickly to see if he was picking up on her hint, but she could tell from his preoccupied face that he was just being polite, and had already moved on to something else. "Steph, after the ceremony, how much longer do we have to hang around here?"

"Danny, we've been through this. At least two months, maybe three. Even with the little surprise we've got planned, it'll still take that long to wrest control of the factory from dear Valentine."

"You don't need me here for that. You don't need me here at all. 1 need to get away; there's something more important I should be doing."

"Danny…"

"Our father is still out there, somewhere. With the Wolfe resources behind me, I can find him, I know I can."

"Danny, our father is dead. He died in the hostile takeover of Clan Campbell. You saw the body. What you and I saw in the Court that time was just a Ghost Warrior: a corpse with computer implants to keep it moving and talking."

"No! It was him. He recognized me. He's still alive, trapped in that decaying body. I have to find him, free him, one way or another."

"Let it go, Danny! Our father, whatever state he's in now, is the past. We have to look to the future. He never cared for us, except to carry on the Family genes. I need you. I need your support, here and at Court. I can't tear down Valentine and run this Family on my own. I need you, Danny! I always have, you know that."

"Why? So I can stand at your side and look good? Fight duels over your honor? Hold your hand when things get a bit rough? You've got Michel for that, or if he's not up to it, you can always hire someone. The only real battles are over politics and money, and I've never understood either of them. I have to go, Steph. Daddy needs me. No one else will help him. Most people are glad he's dead. I'm all he's got."

"Our father is dead! How many times do I have to tell you? Get it through your thick skull; what we saw was just a Shub trick, and you fell for it!"

"I thought you at least would believe me! You think I'm crazy, too!"

His face went all red and puffy, and he started to cry like a child. Stephanie sighed, stepped forward, and took him into her arms. He held her tightly, his face buried in her neck.

"I can't let him down," he said muffledly. "He never needed me for anything before. And he went and died before I could say good-bye. Before I could tell him I loved him."

"Forget Daddy," said Stephanie. "You don't need him anymore. You've got me now."

And she pushed him away from her a little and kissed him on the mouth with far more passion than a sister should show for a brother. Daniel put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently but firmly away from him.

"No. This isn't right, Steph."

"We're Wolfes, Danny. We can do whatever we want. We decide what's right."

"Not this. Wolfes have never gone in for… this sort of thing. Even we have to follow some rules, or there'd be no point to anything. Besides, if word got out, and you know it would eventually, we'd lose all respect among the Clans. If we're too weak to control our own desires, then we're too weak to control our Family. That's what they'd think, and they'd be right. I love you, Steph, and I'll always love you—as a sister. I'll stay with you for as long as you really need me, but then I'm gone. Don't try and stop me. I love you, but he's my father."

"Let's go," said Stephanie, not looking at him. "We have to meet with Cardinal Kassar and Half A Man before the ceremony begins."

They all ended up in the main reception hall again. Some optimistic soul had put up colored trimmings and streamers, and servants in full formal dress were preparing a buffet of little snacks and munchie things. There were also wines and champagnes in great quantity, if not quality. Cardinal Kassar seemed to be drinking most of it. Word had quickly reached him of his troops' fate in the rebel tunnels, and though he was loudly declaring it a great success to all and sundry, it was clear he wasn't fooling anyone, not even himself. Daniel and Stephanie looked on impatiently as Kassar blustered on, angrily brandishing his glass as he shored up his arguments with details that had more and more of fantasy in them. Half A Man's thoughts were hidden, as always, and the Investigator at his side kept a diplomatic silence.

"Slaughtered the rebels in their hundreds," Kassar said loudly. "Maybe even thousands; hard to tell without dragging the bodies to the surface. All right, we lost some good men, a lot of good men, but we're the ones that ended up with prisoners. Your people never managed that before. We got three hundred and twenty-seven. I've decided to have them all executed at the end of the ceremony. Make a nice finish to the show, and make it clear to everyone who's in charge here."

"I've seen your prisoners," said Stephanie. "Mostly women and children and a few wounded men. That's going to make a great impression on the watching billions. Would you like us to supply you with some puppy dogs and cute little kittens to kill as well, to complete the picture? I mean, children! What's the matter, Kassar, couldn't your people find enough cripples and retards to make up the numbers?"

Kassar glared at her. "A rebel is a rebel. The executions will be a sign of authority and strike a major blow to the rebels' morale."

"Can't say I agree," said Daniel. "I mean, killing women and children in cold blood. It's not done, you know."

"We're not playing your decadent Court rituals here, boy," said Kassar, his ruined face dangerously red. "This is Church business. Don't try and interfere with the executions, or I'll have my troops run you off."

"So much death excites you, doesn't it, Kassar?" said Stephanie. "You enjoy the thought of such slaughter."

"And you don't?" The Cardinal sniffed contemptuously. "I thought you Wolfes had more guts."

"We're in the same room as you, aren't we?" said Daniel.

Kassar started to reply to that, and then stopped as he caught the glint in Daniel's eye. He knew of Daniel's reputation as a duelist, and his men were a long way away. Half A Man and his Investigator were supposedly on his side, but…

"I've heard a few reports of my own," said Stephanie, "about what happened, down in the tunnels. According to my sources, the rebels drove you off with some new kind of esper weapon."

"Rumors," said Kassar coldly. "Exaggerations. You should know better than to listen to gossip. The Rejects have no espers, let alone esper weapons."

"But they do have Jack Random," said Daniel.

"So they say," said Kassar. "I'm looking forward to hanging him. I mean, he's hardly a real threat anymore. Just an old man, worn down by time and failure, desperately trying for one last success. The Empire kicked his ass on Cold Rock, and my people will kick it again here. No one can stand against the Faithful. Just as no one can stand against the Church."

And he smiled, thinking of the explosives he'd had placed in the factory. Not enough to do any real damage, but more than enough to disrupt stardrive production, make fools of the Wolfes, and lay the groundwork for a Church takeover of Technos III. And then no one would care about a few troops lost in an unlucky venture.

Half A Man stood silently a little to one side, following the conversation, and what was said and what wasn't, but feeling no wish to join in. He made a stern, forbidding presence with Investigator Shoal at his side like a primed attack dog, and he knew it. People here had been getting too familiar just recently. They needed to be reminded where power really lay. And he felt a need to appear strong after his babbling to Shoal. He'd never spoken that much about his past damnation since his original debriefings, and he didn't know why he'd opened up so much to Shoal. Perhaps because the dreams had been so vivid just lately, or just because Shoal's grandfather had been such a good friend. Half A Man felt the need for a friend now more than ever. He didn't need to worry that Shoal might talk. She was an Investigator and completely loyal to the man who'd trained and shaped her life. He had no doubt of that. Which was why he'd had her oversee the placing of Kassar's explosives in the factory. He could trust her to do a thorough job.

Michel and Lily chose that moment to make their appearance, late as usual. They'd made some effort to dress up for the occasion, but not much. Their clothes were of the finest cut, but worn without the necessary élan to carry them off successfully. There were recent wine stains on Michel's cravat, and Lily's long silver wig was perhaps just a little off center. They were giggling together as they burst in, but tried to stop when they picked up on the cold formality in the room. They beamed around them innocently and headed straight for the wine. Daniel glared after them.

"What are you looking so damn pleased about? Any later, and you'd have missed the meeting completely."

"And wouldn't that have been a shame?" said Lily, not looking around as she poured herself a very large drink. "Don't worry, darling. I'm sure nobody missed us. And we're in plenty of time for the ceremony. Which is all you really need me for, after all. Personally, I wouldn't miss the ceremony for anything. I love a good ceremony."

And she and Michel shared another smile, thinking of the Chojiro-supplied explosives they'd placed in the factory. This would be one ceremony no one would forget in a hurry.

"We may have a problem with the ceremony," said Stephanie, and everyone looked at her sharply. "The presence here of Toby Shreck and his cameraman has proved something of an embarrassment. He was supposed to be here to provide useful propaganda, but apparently no one told him that. I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone here of the repercussions from his previous broadcasts. Unfortunately, he has viewers in very high places, including Lionstone herself, and as a result he has gained exclusive rights to a live broadcast of the ceremony. I had hoped to arrange a little accident for him at the last moment, but now that he's the only commentator available, we can't do without him. The ceremony must be seen, and by as many people as possible."

"Oh, it must," said Kassar. "All kinds of people will be watching."

"Don't worry," said Half A Man. "I'll have the Investigator stand right next to him. That should make him choose his words carefully."

"I take it the main aerial has been replaced?" said Daniel.

"Yes," said Stephanie. "Sometime ago. I do wish you'd read your memoranda occasionally, Daniel. The Cardinal was kind enough to supply us some of his technical people to help."

"Should bloody think so," said Daniel. "After he blew the bloody thing up in the first place."

"I have made my apologies," said Kassar frostily. "I have nothing further to say on the subject."

"That makes a change," said Daniel.

"You are always so full of opinions, young Wolfe," said Half A Man. "Perhaps you have some view on how the forthcoming war with the aliens should be fought, too?"

There was a pause, as everyone wondered where the hell that change in the conversation had come from. It wasn't entirely unexpected, given Half A Man's well-known preoccupations, but even so no one present was quite sure what had set him off this time. Still, they were all glad of an excuse to change the subject, for their various reasons.

"I'm not sure there will be a war," said Daniel after a moment. "The aliens have left us alone this long. I don't see why they shouldn't go on doing so. But if they do turn up, the answer's obvious. Draft every commoner in sight, dope them to the gills with battle drugs, and send them out to kick six different colors of shit out of the aliens. Casualties aren't a problem. We've got an endless supply of cannon fodder in the Empire."

"No," said Half A Man. "That's not the answer. It's never a good idea to give the lower orders weapons. They might start getting ideas above their station. Guns and commoners don't mix. Never have."

"So what's your great plan, then?" said Daniel.

Half A Man fixed him with his single cold eye. "Investigators. I've been training them for decades on the best way to deal with aliens. Let me train an army of Investigators, and I'll show you an armed force no alien attack could hope to overcome."

There was another long pause as everyone considered the idea of an army of single-minded, cold-blooded killing machines, answerable only to Half A Man. Investigators were scary enough on their own, but the thought of an army of them was enough to loosen anyone's bowels. Daniel for one thought he'd rather face an army of aliens stark naked, with both feet tied behind his back, but for once had the sense not to say so out loud. Everyone else was thinking hard as to why Half A Man had brought such a subject up now. Was it his way of saying that he had a power base that even mass-produced stardrives couldn't undermine? They were still thinking furiously when the door swung open and Toby Shreck hurried in, as full of bounce as ever. Flynn glided in behind him, a new holocamera on his shoulder. Everyone else moved instinctively together, to present a unified front against a common enemy.

"That's what I like to see," said Toby breezily. "Good grouping. Relax, people. We won't start broadcasting till the ceremony itself. Which I'm sure I don't need to remind you is going out live; so, Cardinal, watch your language. I hope you're all ready to begin, because everyone else is. All the factory staff and those Church troops not currently lying flat on their backs and moaning quietly have been assembled outside and are standing in neat ranks, boiling in the summer heat and no doubt praying fervently for the start of the monsoon season. The Cardinal's prisoners have been lined up and securely chained in place. They were making rather a racket, but some kind soul has dosed them with industrial strength tranquilizers, and now it's all they can do to stand up straight. The execution should make for a good show, Cardinal. The populace does so love its blood sports. Even if the prey this time are mostly women and children. What happened, Cardinal? Were all the rebel men off on a fishing trip, perhaps?"

"One of these days your tongue is going to get you into trouble you won't be able to talk your way out of," said Kassar, every word chipped out of ice. "And I just pray I'm there so I can rip that wagging tongue right out of your head."

"Don't ever change, Cardinal," said Toby. "It's part of your charm." He looked across at Stephanie. "May I suggest we get a move on? It's never wise to keep a mass audience waiting too long. Especially if it happens to include the Empress Lionstone herself."

The ceremony, it had been decided at practically the last moment, would be held outside the factory despite the weather, so that the impressive size of the factory complex could be seen and admired all the better by the viewing billions. One of the stardrive assembly lines had been extended out the main doors, so that the very first completed mass-production stardrive could come rolling out of the factory to be presented to the waiting crowds and the holo audiences. The waiting crowds in this case being the increasingly rebellious factory staff and Church troops, growing more and more ready by the minute to kill for a glass of cold water. Most of the Faithful had been ferried down from the Church ship in orbit to make up the numbers. They didn't look at all happy to be there. Deep-grained indignation seethed in the ranks, barely suppressed by the presence of the remaining Jesuit commandos.

Stardrive production was months behind schedule already, and everyone knew it. The Rejects had attacked so often that they'd actually managed to bring the whole process to a halt on more than one occasion. Though of course that had never been publicly admitted, even under the Campbells. The official line was "teething troubles," to be expected with the development of any new technology. Only a few people knew that the new drive was derived from only partly understood alien technology that had a disturbing habit of killing the clones who worked on it, and those people kept their mouths shut. Because most of them were dead, and the rest didn't want to be.

Toby kept Flynn moving, covering the ceremony from as many angles as he could get away with, without making the watching audience dizzy. He was careful to give each of the main players equal coverage, to avoid later claims of bias, and made sure Flynn kept a very safe distance from Kassar at all times. Luckily, Flynn's Union had been able to emergency express him a new camera in time for the ceremony. And if having a camera actually blasted off your shoulder by a disrupter didn't count as an emergency, Toby didn't know what did. Surprisingly, Flynn hadn't been that upset at the time. Hell, he said, I've covered Democracy Now protest marches. God, they're a vicious bunch. Nothing scares me after them. Toby smiled and shrugged, then and now, and got on with his job. He couldn't help wondering how much Imperial News must have laid out in payoffs to ensure his exclusive coverage. It wasn't really a major news story, but there were enough names and personages present, combined with memories of the rebel attack during the last live broadcast, to ensure a major live audience. Including the Empress. Which meant this broadcast could be a major feather in Imperial News' cap—if Toby didn't blow it. He was determined not to. At least partly because he had been told—quietly but very firmly—that if he did screw up, he shouldn't bother coming home again. Except in separate pieces.

So he worked his backside off, getting quick interviews where he could, combined with interesting shots of the crowds and the prisons and the factory complex, to liven up the long pompous speeches from anyone who was anyone—or thought they should be. He was a little upset he hadn't managed to get an interview with the legendary Half A Man, but Investigator Shoal had taken pains to keep Toby and Flynn at a more than polite distance. Toby had tried mentioning the importance of a free press and the Empress's name, but Shoal gave him such a look that he decided to go somewhere else very quickly before she decided to grab Flynn's new camera and insert it into one of his main body cavities.

Lily and Michel smiled for the camera when it was pointed their way, but otherwise stayed quietly in the background. The temptation to keep checking their watches was almost overpowering, and they both tended to jump at sudden loud noises. But even their excited expectation couldn't keep them awake in the face of the speeches. Michel began dozing with his eyes open, an art he'd perfected while forced to listen to long boring speeches at Court, and was actually close to nodding off completely when Lily elbowed him suddenly in the ribs. His head jerked up, and he glared at her as he rubbed his side gingerly.

"Don't do that! It hurts."

"Be quiet, you big baby. Pay attention. See that flunky carrying a tray full of drinks?"

"Of course I can see him. I'm not blind."

"Then, keep watching. One of those glasses, the one with the crimson streaks in the stem, is headed straight for dear Daniel. And there's enough poison in it to see off a regiment of nuns."

"Are you crazy!" People turned to look at him, and he gave them a brief meaningless smile before lowering his voice. "Have you lost your mind, Lily? You'll get us both executed!"

"Relax, Michel. I know what I'm doing. Since the Chojiros said we couldn't actually blow up our respective spouses with their explosives, I've had to make other plans. The poison is completely undetectable, unless you know exactly what you're looking for, and by the time they can ship the body back to a civilized pathology lab, all traces will have disappeared. The waiter's working under a posthypnotic command. I told you my witchy gifts would come in handy. His mind will wipe itself clean of all memories of the incident once he's passed the right glass to Daniel. You see, I've thought of everything."

"Not quite," said Michel, fighting hard against an urge to take her neck in both hands and squeeze till her eyes bulged. "They'll know it was us anyway, because we're the only ones with a motive! The first thing they'll do is have an esper look inside our heads, just in case!"

"Nonsense. Daniel's death will be blamed on the rebels, just like everything else that happens here. And I will finally be free. If everything goes as planned, we can try the same trick on Stephanie later."

Lost for words, Michel could only stand and stare dumbly as the waiter carried his tray of drinks past the various personages, subtly turning his tray so that they took the glass nearest them and not the one with the poison in. Lily grinned broadly and squeezed Michel's arm with both hands. Which made it all the more heartrending when Half A Man ignored the glass he was supposed to take and reached across the tray to take the glass with the crimson-streaked stem. Lily's eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the squeals coming out. Michel thought he might faint. Killing Daniel Wolfe was one thing. Poisoning the extremely important and well-connected Half A Man was quite another. The Empress would move heaven and earth to find out who was responsible. Starting with a complete esper scan of everyone present, on general principles. And Sorry, it was a mistake wouldn't go down all that well as an explanation. But there was nothing they could do. They couldn't say anything without giving themselves away. So they just stood and watched helplessly as Half A Man raised the glass to his half a mouth and drank deeply.

"How long till it works?" whispered Michel.

"It's supposed to be instantaneous," said Lily. "Especially considering how much I put in. I'm surprised the glass didn't melt."

Half A Man emptied the glass and handed it back to the waiter. "Very nice," they heard him say. "Do you have anymore?"

Lily shook her head dazedly as the waiter went on to deliver a harmless glass of wine to Daniel. "I don't believe it. Half A Man doesn't drink. Everyone knows that."

"Maybe he's never been this hot before. I bloody haven't."

"Well, why isn't black smoke coming out of his ears—ear?"

Michel shrugged. "It would appear poison is just another of the long list of things that can't kill Half A Man. Cover for me. I'm going to find something to hide behind, and then vomit for a while." He stopped as Lily grabbed his arm again. "Now what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something bad is coming. I can feel it."

"Lily…"

"My witchy gifts are never wrong!"

"Of course something bad is coming! We planted explosives, remember? Now shut the hell up, before you start drawing attention to us! And let go of my arm. I'm losing the feeling in my fingers."

Lily scowled and turned her back on him. Michel sighed and was grateful for small mercies. The speeches droned on, lasting longer than expected, as speeches have a way of doing. Some of the prisoners and factory staff had passed out from the heat and were brought back to consciousness by varyingly brutal methods according to when the camera wasn't watching. Time was getting on. A lot of people had started looking at their watches. Toby looked at his and hoped the audience would stick with him, if only for the executions. He frowned despite himself. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand they were definitely rebels, criminals, but on the other, most of them were women and children. Toby Shreck had justified a lot of questionable things in his life, working for Gregor Shreck did that to you, but murdering children in cold blood was just a step too far, even for him. He'd thought a lot about what he could do, and it seemed to him that he only had one chance. A last minute, live, on-camera appeal for clemency for the children, direct to the Empress. The watching billions would eat it up, and Lionstone just might see the advantages of appearing warm and sentimental in public. Either way, it was the children's last hope. He couldn't save the men and women. The public had to have its blood.

And so everyone checked their watches again and again, making frantic calculations in their heads as they waited for their planned surprises to pay off. They were all so preoccupied that no one noticed Investigator Shoal quietly disappearing from the scene on a mission of her own.

Mother Superior Beatrice sat on a folding chair outside the hospital tent, savoring the fresh air and drinking wine straight from the bottle. Even the evening heat was refreshing after the claustrophobic charnel house stench inside the tent. There was more room to move inside now that the worse-off had died, but the tent was still crowded from wall to wall with human suffering. Beatrice sighed and took another long drink. She was saving more patients than she was losing, but only just. The door swung open behind her for a moment, letting out a brief rush of cheap disinfectant barely covering the stench of blood and pus and gangrene that lay beneath it. She shuddered, her hands shaking for a long moment after the rest of her had stopped. She'd seen so much death and pain, and she was sick of it. Let someone else cope for a while. She knew eventually her strength would return, and then she'd get up and go back into hell again, but for the moment it was just too much to ask. So she sat on her chair and drank her wine and looked sardonically down at the great ceremony taking place outside the factory. She'd been invited, but she was damned if she'd give them the satisfaction of attending. That would have been too much like endorsing their stupid bloody war.

Approaching footsteps jerked her out of her reverie, and she looked around to see Investigator Shoal trudging unhurriedly up the low rise toward her. Beatrice frowned. What the hell did Shoal want with her? Investigators tended not to acknowledge any wound that wasn't immediately life threatening, and they weren't great ones for visiting the sick. She studied Shoal as she drew closer. Grim-looking woman, but then again Investigators weren't known for their sense of humor, either. Shoal finally came to a halt before Beatrice, not even breathing hard after the climb. Shoal nodded briefly. Beatrice nodded back, but didn't feel like getting up.

"Nice evening for a stroll, Investigator. What brings you my way? Ceremony get too boring?"

"Something like that," said Shoal. She glanced at the tent entrance. "Keeping busy?"

"Always. There might be lulls in the fighting out in the field, but here the fight to save lives just goes on and on. Of course, you wouldn't know anything about saving lives, Investigator. Not your line of territory."

"No. It must be a hard job. Unpleasant at times. Having to make harsh decisions, about who you can help and who you can't, which ones you have to sacrifice so others can be saved. I can understand that. It's a lot like my job, sometimes."

Beatrice frowned. It was almost as though the Investigator was trying to explain something to her. She shrugged and offered the bottle to Shoal. "A quick drink, Investigator? Good for the soul, so they say."

"No thanks, Mother Superior. I don't drink while I'm working."

Beatrice made the connection even as Shoal drew her sword, and she threw herself sideways off her chair. An Investigator's only work was killing. The sword blade whistled through the air where she'd been a moment before, and Beatrice hit the ground rolling. She surged up onto her feet again and flailed out wildly with her bottle. The wine shot out of the narrow neck in a solid jet that hit the Investigator right in her eyes, blinding her for a moment. Shoal lashed out with her sword anyway, but Beatrice had moved again. She brought the bottle down on Shoal's head as hard as she could. It didn't break, but the Investigator slumped to one knee under the force of the blow, shaking her head. Beatrice hit her again, putting all her strength into it, and this time the bottle shattered on the Investigator's skull. Shoal fell forward and Beatrice turned and ran, still holding the jagged bottle in her hand. She ran, though she hadn't a clue where safety lay anymore. Shoal's orders had to have come from very high up, to risk upsetting the Sisterhood, which meant she had no friends here on Technos III. She'd offended practically everyone at one time or another. No. She still had one friend; with influence if not power. Toby Shreck. She sprinted down the hill toward the factory complex and the ceremony. If she could put out a plea for protection on live holo coverage, the Wolfes would have to protect her or face the entire Sisterhood's wrath. Beatrice ran on, pushing herself as hard as she could, the wine she'd already drunk swimming heavily in her head and stomach. And she tried not to hear the pursuing feet of the Investigator, not all that far behind.

Jack Random, Ruby Journey, and Alexander Storm moved silently through a newly cut tunnel, deep beneath the surface of Technos III. Up above, on the jagged metal surface, the Rejects had launched a surprise attack against those guards not attending the ceremony, to keep them occupied while Random's small party slipped unnoticed past the factory's outer defenses. The tunnel ran deep, undercutting Wolfe and rebel trenches alike, to emerge beyond the innermost of the circles of hell, inside the factory's perimeter. The Wolfe forces would detect the new tunnel soon enough once the attack was over, but by then Random and his force would be inside the factory, the tunnel collapsed behind them. In theory.

"I don't like this," said Storm. "I really don't like this. The Wolfe technicians must have spotted us by now. The guards could be down here any minute."

"Not so long as the Rejects are keeping them busy," said Random. "And I do wish you'd stop complaining, Alex. You're starting to sound like my fourth wife, may she rest in peace."

"She's dead?" said Ruby.

"No," said Random. "Just wishful thinking."

"I warned you about her, too," said Storm. "You didn't listen to me then, either. This scheme is crazy, Jack! It can't work!"

"You say that about all my plans."

"And I'm usually right."

Random sighed. "Look, forget all the if's and maybes, it's really very simple. The Rejects keep the troops busy, and while everyone else is occupied with the ceremony, and the force Screen is down for the broadcast, we slip in and free the clone workers and get them out before anybody notices. What could go wrong?"

"I've made a list," said Storm. "But I don't suppose you want to see it."

"Hold your noise," said Ruby. "Or I'll hold it for you. You're getting too loud, Storm. Someone might hear you."

"Who?" said Storm. "According to the master planner here, no one's around to hear us."

"There's always the chance some guard hasn't read the script and is hanging about where he shouldn't be," said Random. "Just because it's a really good plan doesn't mean there can't be… complications. Did you really never like my plans, Alex?"

"No I bloody didn't. They were always needlessly complex and extremely dangerous, especially for the poor sods who had to carry them out."

"I never asked my men to do anything I wasn't willing to do myself, and you know it. Hell, I lead those undercover teams as often as not. Anyway, if my plans were that bad, why did you keep volunteering to go along with me?"

"I was younger then. And you were my friend."

Random stopped and looked back. Ruby stopped, too, and instinctively moved in close beside Random as he studied his old friend thoughtfully. Storm looked almost defiant, the dim lighting putting shadows in his face. Or perhaps they'd been there for some time. For a moment. Random thought he was looking at a completely different person, someone he really didn't know at all. And, in a moment of insight, he wondered if that was how Storm saw him these days.

"You were my friend?" he said slowly. "As in used to be, but not anymore?"

Storm met his gaze squarely. "I don't know. I used to think I understood you, but you've changed, Jack. Look at you. You're younger, stronger, faster. It's not natural. I can't even follow the way you think anymore. What are you becoming, Jack?"

"Myself," said Random. "As I used to be. I'm back in my prime again. A second chance, to get things right this time. I'm sorry, Alex; I've grown young again while you're still old. That's what this is really about, isn't it? I'm the hero again, and you've been left behind. But none of that changes how I feel about you. It doesn't mean that I don't need you anymore. I just need you in different ways these days. Stay with me, Alex. Please. You remind me of who I used to be."

"And you remind me of who I used to be," said Storm. "A man I can't be anymore. Go on. Jack. You lead and I'll follow. Just like I always have."

"Oh, spare me," said Ruby. "Any more of this old comrades stuff and I'll puke over both of you. Can we get on? We are on a schedule, remember?"

"Ruby, dear heart, you have no sentiment in you at all," said Random, turning away to take up the lead again.

"Damn right," said Ruby. "It gets in the way of more important things. Like killing and loot. Now, get your ancient ass moving, Storm, or I'll kick it up around your ears."

Storm sniffed, but set off after Random. "You'll be old yourself one day, my girl."

"I very much doubt it," said Ruby. "And I am not your girl."

"That's for sure," said Random.

Mother Superior Beatrice ran across the uneven metal plain, her heavy robes flapping about her. She was boiling alive in the summer heat, and her breath was jerking painfully in her straining lungs, but she didn't dare slow down. Investigator Shoal couldn't be far behind her. There was fighting on the east side of the factory, another rebel attack by the look of it, which meant she couldn't get to the ceremony directly, as she'd planned. She'd have to enter the factory through the minor west gate and make her way through the complex to the east gate and the ceremony. That might actually be for the better. Shoal would be bound to catch her on foot eventually, but she might just be able to lose the Investigator in the complex's warren of corridors. She forced more strength into her legs and headed for the west gate.

Most of the guards were gone, called away to the ceremony or the rebel attack, but three Jesuit commandos in their dark formal gowns and hoods were guarding the entrance. They were dark and menacing figures, with guns and swords on their hips, but Beatrice didn't give a damn. Having an Investigator on your tail concentrates the mind wonderfully as to what's really important. Stark terror will do that to you. She stumbled to a halt before the Jesuits and held up a shaking hand to forestall their questions as she tried desperately to get her breath back. Since they hadn't started shooting the moment they recognized her, presumably they didn't know about the execution order on her head. And she couldn't tell them and hope for protection. They'd just assume that if an Investigator was after her, she must be guilty of something. Jesuits believed everyone was guilty of something.

"Someone's after me," she said finally. "Must be a rebel. You hold him off while I go inside for help."

"Hold it," said the most senior of the Jesuits. "We have our orders. While the Screen's down, no one gets in or out of the factory. No exceptions."

"But he's right behind me! He'll kill me!"

"Should have thought about that before you started treating rebels in your hospital," said the Jesuit. "Whatever's going on here, I've no doubt you brought it on yourself. If you like, we could take you into protective custody. I'm sure we could find a nice cell for you, until the Cardinal could get around to seeing you."

"Oh, hell," said Beatrice. "I haven't got time for this shit."

She kicked the senior Jesuit square in the nuts and brandished the broken bottle in the faces of the other two. They flinched back automatically as the senior Jesuit folded up with a low moaning sound, and she dashed past them into the factory. She ran on through the corridors, trusting to her memory of the few times she'd been there before, to beg for drugs and help from the complex's med lab. Now more than ever, she had to get to the ceremony. With an angry Investigator and three furious Jesuits snapping at her heels, her only safety now lay in front of Toby Shreck's camera.

She hurried, plunging down one corridor after another, heading deeper into the complex, afraid to look behind her. Her pursuers wouldn't risk a disrupter shot inside the factory; too many places where an unlucky ricochet could do some really nasty damage. And then almost stopped running as a sudden thought struck her. The factory complex had its own internal security system, with cameras everywhere. All Shoal had to do was use her clearance to plug into the system, and she'd know immediately where her prey was and where she was heading. Which meant Beatrice had to throw Shoal off her trail before she headed for the ceremony. She ripped off her wimple and used it to wipe the sweat from her face. Think, damn it. If you want to lose yourself… head for a crowd. And the nearest crowd was in the clone quarters. They wouldn't have been invited to the ceremony. So lose the robes, blend in with the crowd just long enough to muddy her trail, and then head for the ceremony at speed. It might work. It might. She took a deep breath and ran on, her hope growing smaller and more tentative with every step.

Investigator Shoal tapped into the complex's security systems through her comm implant, overrode the passwords, and scanned for moving life signs. It took only a few moments to track the Sister down, and a few more to work out where she was heading. Shoal smiled tightly, holding her anger within. The three Jesuits she'd dragged along with her musn't know that a Sister of Mercy had actually knocked down an Investigator. Even if said Investigator was suffering from a degenerative nerve disease. Her head was still ringing from the two heavy blows she'd taken, but she ignored it. It was just pain. She'd feel a lot better once she had the Sister stretched out lifeless at her feet. She glared at the three Jesuits, one of whom was standing very carefully.

"She's heading for the clone quarters. She must not know there's only one way in and one way out. Luckily for us, she's taking the long way there. You three go ahead and seal off the far exit. I'll go in after her and drive her through to you. Think you can hang on to her this time, or shall I call for the Cardinal to come and hold your hand while you do it?"

"We'll stop her," said the senior Jesuit. "If she even looks like trying anything, we'll cut her down."

"No you won't," said Shoal. "You'll hold her till I get there, and then I will kill her. This is Investigator business. No reason for the Church to be involved any further than necessary. Understood? Good. Now, get going. If she beats you to the far exit, I am going to be very annoyed with you."

The three Jesuits looked at each other briefly and then set off hurriedly down the corridor. Even a Jesuit commando had enough sense to be scared of an Investigator. Shoal smiled slightly and set off for the entrance to clone country. The prey had gone to ground, even if it didn't know it yet. All that remained was to flush it out.

The Jesuits hadn't got far when the senior Jesuit stopped suddenly and looked around him. The other Jesuits stopped with him, their hands dropping to the swords at their hips. The corridor was empty and silent before them.

"What is it?" said the most junior. "Do you need another rest? The Investigator really was most emphatic…"

"Shut the hell up about the Investigator and listen," said the senior Jesuit. "I thought I heard something."

"So you did," said Jack Random, appearing suddenly behind them from the corner they'd just passed. The senior Jesuit spun around, sword in hand, and Random kicked him squarely in the nuts. The Jesuit crumpled to the floor, and Random kicked him in the head. The Jesuit gave up consciousness with something like relief. Ruby Journey punched out the most junior Jesuit, and Storm clubbed down the third from behind while the poor fellow was still trying to figure out which direction to look in first. Ruby looked down at the three unconscious bodies and sniffed loudly.

"Jesuits. Didn't like them at school and I don't like them now. Let's kill them and fillet them into little pieces as a general warning."

"Maybe later," said Random. "Right now we need their robes, and I don't want blood on them. Besides, it's a good chance for you to exercise self-control. We don't need to kill these people. We just need their robes. Disguised as Jesuits we can go anywhere we like in the complex, and not have to bother about dodging the security cameras."

"I suppose you're going to claim you planned this as well," said Storm dourly.

"I expected something like this to come up," said Random airily. "I like to keep my plans flexible. Now, get those robes off them."

They grinned at each other and set about acquiring Jesuit robes for themselves. This involved a certain amount of swapping back and forth as they tried to figure out which robe fitted who the best. None were particularly comfortable, but they finally all ended up in something they could live with. Ruby looked down at the unconscious senior Jesuit and sniggered.

"So that's what they wear under these robes. I always wondered."

"I must admit it's been a while since I saw underwear of quite such a startling color," said Storm. "I wonder who gets to help do up the laces?"

"Save the jokes for later," said Random. "The sooner we free the clones and get them moving, the better. The rebels' agents inside this place risked their lives setting up the route we'll be using, and I don't want that to have been for nothing. Ruby, you've got the map. Lead the way."

Ruby looked at him. "I haven't got the map. You've got the map."

"No I haven't…"

"I've got the map," said Storm. "Dear God, how did you ever manage without me, Jack?"

Beatrice knew where the clone quarters were, but she'd never been in them before. Not many had. Clones were kept strictly separate from real people. But the entrance was unlocked, unguarded, almost as though they'd been expecting her. Or someone. The thought almost brought her to a halt; but in the end she pressed on. She had to. There was nowhere else she could go.

Beyond the barriers and the electric doors, clone country was stark and utilitarian. Beatrice had thought she'd known what to expect, from tales she'd heard from clone and rebel patients, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality. There were no rooms or living quarters. The clones lived in steel cages and pens, stacked together like some great battery farm. There wasn't an inch of spare space, apart from the single narrow central aisle she was walking down. There was a powerful, almost overpowering smell of bodies, packed close together. Beatrice was used to the medical stenches of the hospital tent, but even so she had to fight an urge to hold a hand over her mouth and nose.

As she passed the steel pens, faces came forward to watch her. Some were missing eyes or ears or noses. Some had no lower jaws, rotted away by the forces they worked with. They made quiet, mewling sounds like tortured kittens. Beatrice came to a halt, in spite of herself. There was nothing she could do to help them, and they couldn't help her. She couldn't blend in with them, which meant she had to get out of clone country before the Investigator found her. But she couldn't just walk on and pretend she hadn't seen this suffering. She looked around her, her hands clenched into fists, caught in a quandary that her conscience wouldn't release her from.

And then she heard approaching footsteps and gripped her broken bottle tightly, her heart racing. She'd hesitated too long. Shoal had found her. She looked wildly about her, but she knew there was no point in running. She was exhausted, and Shoal… was an Investigator. Beatrice swallowed hard and stood her ground. She knew fighting wouldn't get her anywhere, but she was damned if she'd go down without a struggle. She looked at the damaged faces of the watching clones and gestured for them to move back.

"Look away," she said quietly. "You don't want to see this."

And then the three robed Jesuits appeared suddenly before her and skidded to a halt, as though they hadn't been expecting to find her there. Beatrice showed them her broken bottle and tried hard to sound defiant rather than pathetic. "Well, come on then! You don't think I'm going to make it easy for you, do you? I'll make you kill me before I let you hand me over to that Investigator cow."

"There seems to be some misunderstanding here," said one of the Jesuits mildly. He pushed back his cowl to reveal a warm face with a kindly scowl. "I am Alexander Storm, currently working with the rebels of Technos III. Might I inquire who you are?"

"Mother Superior Beatrice," she said automatically. "Of the Sisters of Mercy. How do I know you are who you say you are?"

"Well," said Storm, "the fact that we haven't tried to kill you should be a point in our favor. Do you think you could lower that fearsome-looking bottle? I'm sure we'd all feel a lot safer." He gave her a smile of unimpeachable charm, and she slowly lowered the broken bottle. Storm nodded approvingly. "Allow me to present my two associates: Ruby Journey and Jack Random."

Beatrice blinked at the last name and watched intently as the other two Jesuits pushed back their cowls. The woman she didn't know from a hole in the ground, except by reputation, but everyone knew of Jack Random. He looked a lot younger than she'd expected, but it was definitely him. She relaxed suddenly, her breath going out of her in a rush as she finally felt something like safe again. "Dear Lord, it's really you. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Freeing the clones," said Random equably. "Would you care to help? I get the feeling you'd be a lot safer in our company."

"Damn right," said Beatrice. "I've got a bloody Investigator snapping at my heels. Someone high up wants me dead. But I can't help you. The Sisters of Mercy must remain neutral."

"If someone's sent an Investigator after you, I think we can safely assume your neutrality has already been compromised," said Random. "Besides, can you just stand by and let this horror continue?"

Beatrice looked at the watching clones in their pens, packed together like animals. "No," she said finally. "I can't."

"Good for you, Sister," said Storm. "And don't worry. We'll protect you."

"Is that right?" said Investigator Shoal. "Now, that I would like to see." They all spun around, to find her standing right behind them, her sword in her hand. She looked very relaxed and utterly deadly. "Good thing I tried to contact the Jesuits and smelled a rat when I couldn't get an answer. I started out after a rogue Sister of Mercy, and now I have three infamous rebels to kill as well, one of them the legendary Jack Random. God is good, sometimes, isn't he? Now, who wants to die first?"

Ruby looked at Random. "Let me have her. I didn't have time to enjoy killing that Investigator before."

"Sorry," said Random, "we haven't got the time now." He already had his disrupter in his hand, pointing at Shoal. "Say good night, Investigator."

Ruby glared at him. "Don't you dare, Jack Random. If you kill her, I'll never speak to you again. I've always wanted to go one on one with an Investigator."

Random started to shake his head, and Shoal's sword whipped around, the flat of the blade slapping the gun out of his hand. Random shook his tingling fingers gingerly, looked at the coldly smiling Investigator, and nodded to Ruby. "I never could refuse you anything, my dear. But make it quick. We've got work to do."

Shoal laughed suddenly. "I don't know what you people have been smoking, but I'm pretty sure it must be illegal. Nothing else could get you this far from reality. Let's do it, girl. Then, after I've killed you, I'll kill your friends, and take back Jack Random's head as a trophy."

"In your dreams," said Ruby. "Let's do it."

They slammed together, head-to-head, blades flying, no quarter asked or given. They stamped and lunged and their swords clashed together, sparks flying in the still air. They were both supremely talented, trained to great skill by harsh circumstances, and the speed at which they came together and sprang apart was exhilarating. Ruby laughed breathlessly, her sword everywhere at once. This was what she lived for, when she felt most alive. She could have boosted, but didn't. She could have called on unnatural strength and speed, but she chose not to. She wanted to beat the Investigator in a fair fight, to prove she was the best.

Shoal swung her sword double-handed in an arc that would have beheaded Ruby if it had connected, but Ruby ducked under it at the last moment. She took the fight to Shoal, pressing the attack as hard as she could, and Shoal just stood there and took it, not retreating a step. Their swords hammered together, drawing blood here and there from minor wounds, neither able to gain the upper hand for long. But Ruby was getting tired and just a little slower, and Shoal wasn't. Ruby was a bounty hunter, trained as a fighter in the hardest of schools, but Shoal, even with her illness, was an Investigator. And slowly, foot by foot, she began to push Ruby back. Shoal's blade drew blood again and again, and Ruby couldn't touch her. It slowly came to her that she'd finally found her better. And just maybe she was going to die if she didn't boost. The boost would give her the edge she needed. No, she thought furiously. I can do this. I can, not some gift from an alien device. Shoal swung her sword with unexpected strength and slammed Ruby off balance.

She staggered back, trying to recover, and Shoal drew back her blade for a killing thrust. And Ruby's blade shot forward, driven by boosted strength and speed she hadn't called for, and punched through Shoal's chest and out her back. Blood gushed from the Investigator's mouth, and she sank to her knees with a look of utter surprise on her face. Ruby jerked her sword out, and Shoal fell forward and lay still.

"No!" said Ruby. "No! I didn't want that!" She hacked at the body with her sword again and again, cursing and spitting. She hadn't called on the boost. It had come unbidden, unwanted. For better or worse, the Maze wouldn't let her be merely human anymore. She finally stopped herself and stood hunched over the mutilated body, panting for breath.

"Is she always like this?" said Beatrice.

"Not always," said Random. "Ruby? Are you all right?"

"No," said Ruby. "I don't think so." She sheathed her sword without cleaning it; then stopped, raised her head, and looked about her. "Hold everything. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place."

Random looked at her thoughtfully. He took her feelings seriously. He had them himself, sometimes. "You mean right here in the clone quarters?"

"No. More widely spread than that."

Storm looked around nervously. "Could there be guards on the way?"

"I don't know! Jack, join with me. We're stronger together."

Their eyes met and their minds joined. Their faces became blank masks as they concentrated, their minds leaping up and out to test their surroundings. Beatrice looked at Storm. "I didn't know they were espers."

"They're not," said Storm. "But don't ask me what they are."

Random and Ruby fell back into their heads and looked at each other incredulously. "I don't believe it," said Random.

"What?" said Storm. "Don't believe what?"

"There are explosives everywhere," said Ruby. "All through the factory."

"At least three main groupings," said Random. "Set to do maximum damage and timed to go off soon. Any one would have been enough to bring stardrive production to a halt, but God knows what this many will do. Right, that's it. We are out of here. Alex, use the codes we were given and get these pens open. We've got to get the clones out of here while there's still time."

"Wait," said Beatrice. "You do know they're executing your people at the ceremony?"

"Sure," said Random. "Don't worry. We'll get to them next."

"You won't have time. Their execution's been brought forward, to be sure of going out on prime time."

"Damn," said Random. "You can't rely on anyone these days. Right; Sister Beatrice, you and Alex get the clones out of here. Since they're in clear danger from the explosives, you can do that without risking your Sisterhood's neutrality. Ruby and I will take care of the prisoners."

"How?" said Alex.

"I'm working on it," said Random.

"Thrills, chills, and last-minute rescues," said Ruby. "Don't you just love being an outlaw?"

In the beating heat outside the factory complex, the ceremony was going well. Everyone had remembered their lines, Kassar hadn't hit anybody yet, and Toby Shreck and Flynn were covering it all, transmitting live to audiences all across the Empire. Important people were watching, not least the Empress, and everyone else was watching in the hopes of a major cock-up or rebel attack, like before. Toby kept up a murmured running commentary during the slow bits and suffered through the longer speeches. If they didn't get to the executions soon, people might start losing interest. A new stardrive might be just what the Empire needed, but it didn't actually make great viewing in itself.

All in all, though, things were going better than Toby had expected. As requested, Half A Man was staying in plain view and not retreating into the background as usual. He wasn't actually doing or saying anything, but his public appearances were so rare these days that any new sighting was an event. Toby had put as much effort into convincing Half A Man as he had into persuading Flynn not to wear his best party frock. Good ratings needed all the help they could get.

The Wolfes were standing right at the front, each with their own proper spouse, smiling and nodding and generally being nice to each other. People had won drama awards for less. There was an underlying air of tension among them, but that was to be expected and hopefully wouldn't show up on camera. Toby couldn't help noticing that they kept checking their watches when they thought no one was looking. Presumably, they were getting impatient for the executions, too. Toby smiled to himself. They didn't know about his planned dramatic plea for clemency.

The ranks of Church troops and factory security staff were still standing rigidly to attention and made a nice spectacle. Only a few more had fainted from the heat, and the audience wouldn't mind that. It added a touch of drama and made them more sympathetic to the audience. Toby had considered bribing a few to mock faint, but had rightly decided the heat would do the job for him. The prisoners looked like rabble. Animals in chains. Presumably, arranged quite deliberately. The Wolfes never missed a good propaganda opportunity.

Daniel Wolfe stepped forward to make the final speech, reading from a teleprompter with all the warmth and spontaneity of a particularly dense block of wood. Flynn moved in a little closer to frame the man's head and shoulders, to hide the fact that Daniel's hands were twitching nervously. Toby listened carefully, nodding now and again. It was a good speech. Almost as good as the stuff he used to write. He looked across at the ramp protruding from the factory entrance. The first finished stardrive was waiting in the wings, great ugly thing, ready to make an entrance on cue. Toby allowed himself a small glow of satisfaction. With work like this to his credit, he'd be able to pick and choose from among the very best journalistic assignments. It was a good show, if a little safe and uncontroversial, to end his time on Technos III. Pity it couldn't have had a touch more drama, though.

Jack Random and Ruby Journey, hidden and anonymous inside their borrowed Jesuit robes with the hoods pulled well forward, strode haughtily past the security cameras and the few guards left on duty. Most just nodded them through. You didn't argue with Jesuits, unless you wanted to spend your next weekend on some really inventive and humiliating penance. Random kept up a quiet muttering of what he hoped were suitably religious-sounding utterances, made broadly gestured crosses over anything that moved or looked like it might, and generally kept his head down. He'd always enjoyed those parts of his schemes that involved disguises. It appealed to the frustrated actor in him. Though he sometimes thought his whole life as the professional rebel had been his greatest role. Ruby just trudged along beside him, keeping her hands away from her concealed weapons and trying not to break into her usual long-legged stride. In her own way she was acting, too. Being quiet, calm, and subservient didn't come at all naturally to her. Much as he loved her, Random had to admit Ruby wasn't really what you'd call versatile. If you couldn't hit it, steal it, or sleep with it, she was often lost for an alternative.

They finally reached the main exit that would let them out into the ceremony and came to a dead halt as a Church trooper in full armor blocked their way. He was almost as broad as he was tall, armed with gun and sword, and had the happily obstinate look of someone whose orders allowed him to push around people who would normally have been his superiors. Random crossed him twice, with dramatic sweeps of the hand, but the trooper remained unimpressed.

"Sorry, Father. You know the rules. No one to be admitted once the ceremony is underway. You'll have to watch it on the viewscreens. Now, move on."

Random gestured for the trooper to lean forward, waited until the man's head was right next to his cowl, and said, very solemnly, "Did you know the Jesuits have their very own special handshake?" And he reached forward, grabbed the trooper's balls in his hand, and scrunched them. The trooper's eyes bulged, and though he sucked in air for a scream, he couldn't seem to get it out again. He sank to his knees, and Ruby took off his helmet and clubbed him over the head with the butt of her gun. The trooper fell forward, and Random solemnly made the sign of the cross over his unconscious body. "I'd have made a great Mason," he said wistfully.

They strolled unconcernedly out of the complex and took up a position on the edge of things. Kassar shot them a venomous glare for being late, but left it at that. Everyone else conspicuously ignored them. Daniel Wolfe was still making his speech. Badly. Random looked unobtrusively over at the rebel prisoners waiting for execution and scowled at the chains holding them in place. Heavy chains with thick steel links and blocky padlocks you couldn't hope to pick with anything less than a disrupter. Random's scowl deepened. No one had mentioned chains.

On the other side of the crowd, Toby Shreck was also studying the prisoners, taking in the details. Many showed the blood and bruises of recent beatings. Even the children. All eyes were glazed from heavy-duty tranquilizers, so they wouldn't be any trouble. Not enough to knock them out, of course. That would take all the fun out of the executions. Toby frowned and looked around as Daniel stopped speaking suddenly. His teleprompter had broken down, and Stephanie was glaring meaningfully at Toby. So, rather than have Daniel look like a complete divot because he didn't know his own speech, Toby gestured for Flynn to shut down his camera. They'd blame it on technical difficulties later. And it might be handy to have the high-and-mighty Stephanie Wolfe owing them a favor. Flynn moved over to join Toby, and they both looked at the prisoners.

"I can't believe they're going to kill the children, too," said Flynn. "I just wish there was something we could do."

"There is," said Toby quietly. "Once Daniel's finally finished his speech, I'll do an on-camera appeal for clemency, for the children, straight to the Empress."

"You've got a good heart, chief," said Flynn, "but it won't work. Kassar's got too much of his pride tied up in this, after his people got their heads handed to them down in the tunnels. He'll just say this is a Church matter. No one messes with the Church these days. Not if they're fond of breathing. And he'd probably have you executed, too, just for asking. No, boss, all we can do is film what happens and hope the audience's hearts will be touched enough to stop him doing it again. I wouldn't put money on it, though. They do so love their blood sports these days."

"I used to be a big fan of the Arena," said Toby. "Season ticket, good seat. But that was different. At least the gladiators had a fighting chance, mostly. This is just slaughter. And I've seen so much blood here. I don't know, Flynn. I never thought of myself as political, but this…"

"There's nothing we can do, boss. Just tough it out, do our job, and hope we end up somewhere more civilized for our next assignment."

"I wanted to cover a war," said Toby. "Because wars are where the stories are. I never expected anything like this."

"No one ever does," said Flynn. "That's why we have to keep covering them."

Someone got the teleprompter working again by kicking it somewhere sensitive. Flynn resumed filming. Daniel finished his speech, and everyone applauded politely. Daniel nodded to Kassar and stepped back to allow him to introduce the executions. The Cardinal faced the camera with a forbidding stare and smiled coldly.

"This day, 327 rebel prisoners will die, as an example to those who would stand against the authority of the established Church and Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress Lionstone XIV. The majority will be electrocuted through their chains, but first their leaders will be beheaded, one by one, as retribution for all the Faithful who have died in the struggle here. Stand forward, executioners, and do your duty."

"Oh-oh," said Ruby. "He's looking at us."

"No wonder no one wanted to mess with us," said Random.

"What are we going to do?"

"Walk forward very slowly and hope I come up with some plan before we get there."

"It had better be a bloody good one."

"It will, it will. I'm famous for my plans."

"You're also famous for getting your ass kicked, and there are a hell of a lot of heavily armed people looking right at us. Could we please walk a little slower?"

"Ruby, any slower, and we'd be in reverse. Kassar's already looking daggers at us."

"Oh, gee," said Ruby. "I may wet myself." They reached the low podium set up before the prisoners, bowed to Kassar, and then looked at the two heavy swords standing next to the two chopping blocks. The blocks looked like they'd seen a lot of service. Random looked at the prisoners, who stared back as defiantly as they could. Some of the younger children started to cry, not sure what was going on, but picking up on the charged atmosphere. For a moment that stretched and stretched, there was only the quiet and the tension. Kassar strode over to the podium.

"What do we do?" hissed Ruby. "Jack, what do we do?" "Proceed with the executions or we'll start with yours!" snapped Kassar, and then he stopped, grabbed Random's hood, and pushed it back to reveal his face. "You!"

"Me!" said Random, and punched Kassar in the mouth. He grabbed the dazed Cardinal, swung him around, and held him as a shield. There was uproar among the watching Church troops. Random smiled into Flynn's camera. "Long live the rebellion!"

"Oh, nice plan," said Ruby, throwing off her robes and drawing her sword and disrupter. "Really subtle. Couldn't have done better myself."

The Church troops broke ranks and ran toward the three figures by the podium, closely followed by the security forces. They all had swords in their hands. Ruby turned to face them, fire in her eyes. Some of the prisoners managed a ragged cheer. Random looked at his watch.

Toby Shreck turned to Flynn. "Tell me you're getting this!"

"I'm getting it, I'm getting it! It's all going out live. Is that who I think it is?"

"Don't know the woman, but the other's Jack Random all right. I should have known he'd make one of his patented last-minute rescues!"

"Hate to spoil your scenario, boss, but there's only two of them and hundreds and hundreds of everybody else. Hostage or no hostage, they don't stand a chance."

"What the hell," said Toby. "It'll make a great show. We are talking major awards here, Flynn… Where the hell did they come from?"

They were the hundreds upon hundreds of rebels who were boiling up out of concealed openings at the edge of the factory perimeter. Random grinned. Bang on time. While their fellows had been keeping the factory's defenses concentrated on the other side of the factory, the rest had been tunneling like crazy to reach the perimeter before the executions took place. They swarmed across the uneven metal surface, brandishing guns and swords and yelling their savage war cries. The Church and security men reversed direction, forgot all about Random and Ruby and Cardinal Kassar, and braced themselves to meet the rebel forces. Disrupters fired, energy beams cutting through the air, blowing people apart in gushers of blood. And then the two forces hammered together, a heaving mass of bodies surging this way and that, and there was room only for sword-to-sword and head-to-head, and the bloody rage of clashing beliefs.

Ruby looked at Random. "I suppose you're going to say you planned that?"

Random laughed. "Of course. Though the timing was a bit close. Search Kassar's pockets; see if he's got any keys to the padlocks."

And that was when Half A Man came striding forward, sweeping men aside, heading straight for Jack Random with a sword in his human hand. Random pushed Kassar away from him, drew his disrupter, and snapped off a shot. Half A Man raised his energy arm to block it, and the energy beam ricocheted harmlessly away into the sky. And so they came together, two men touched and shaped by alien forces, neither of them wholly human anymore. The power of the Madness Maze burned in Random, but even so he was hard-pressed to stay in the fight. Whatever else the aliens had done, they had made Half A Man a formidable fighter. He'd been a warrior longer than Jack Random had been alive, and he never grew tired. Their swords clashed together, neither giving an inch.

Cardinal Kassar, meanwhile, had come out of his daze, and was fighting head-to-head with Ruby Journey. He'd started with contempt, but was quickly fighting for his life. He called on all his training and experience as an elite Church warrior, and found it wasn't enough. She drove him back, step-by-step, sweeping aside his defenses with ease and cutting him at whim. And though she could feel the boost surging up within her, she kept it down, refusing the advantages it offered. She was all she needed, all she'd ever needed, and she'd decide whether to use her extra gifts or not. She grinned into Kassar's sweating face. She could kill him at any time, and both of them knew it. But she wanted it to last. Ruby Journey was enjoying herself.

Daniel Wolfe drew his sword, ready to rush into the fray himself, and then stopped as he saw how frightened Stephanie was. She needed him to protect her. He glanced at the factory's main entrance, but there were already too many rebels between him and it. There was no safe cover anywhere. All he could hope for was not to be noticed. So he pulled his sister behind the teleprompter, made her crouch down, and stood protectively over her, determined that no one would get to her without having gone through him first.

Lily and Michel clung together, staring about them with wild eyes. A small group of rebels broke away from the main fight and headed their way. Lily pushed Michel away from her, glared at the approaching rebels, and called up her witchy powers. But all her weak esp could manage was a rushing wind that barely slowed the Rejects. One of them cut at Lily with his sword. Michel pushed her out of the way, and the sword cut into his throat and out again. Blood sprayed, splashing Lily's horrified face. Michel fell dying to the ground. Lily crouched over him, crying and screaming hysterically, until a rebel passing by on his way to free the prisoners cut her down out of reflex. Lily and Michel died together, a long way from home, two children in a violent adult world they never really understood.

Half A Man finally realized he couldn't beat Jack Random as easily as he'd thought, so he disengaged, turned, and ran. He had a better idea, and besides, with the rebels so close, the safety of the factory took precedence over everything else. He ran back into the factory, cutting down anyone who got in his way. First, he'd shut down the timer on Kassar's explosives, and then he'd raise the factory's force Screen again so that most of the rebels would be trapped outside it. Those left inside would soon fall, and the factory would be safe. He smiled with his half a mouth. Let Jack Random rattle his sword against an energy field and see what good it did him. There were better ways to win a war.

While Half A Man was disappearing into the complex, Alexander Storm and Mother Beatrice were leading the clones out. The clones took one look at the carnage and mayhem spread out before them, and froze in the doorway. Storm and Beatrice yelled for everyone to stay put and keep their heads down. While the clones huddled together, the rebel and the Sister studied the situation thoughtfully. Some of the attacking rebels were trying to free the prisoners, but the heavy-duty padlocks were slowing them down.

"They'd better be quick," said Beatrice. "As long as those chains hold, the Wolfes could still fry the prisoners at the press of a button. And anybody else who happened to be touching the chains or locks at the time."

"Good point," said Storm. "I'd better give them a hand. I was always good with locks. But then, everyone needs a hobby."

"You're a brave man, Alexander Storm," said Beatrice.

"Damn right," said Storm. "Jack isn't the only legend around here, you know."

Kassar backed away from Ruby, panting for breath, blood screaming from his wounds. He still held his sword, but it shook uncontrollably in his hand. Ruby went after him, still smiling. She'd had enough fun for the moment, and now it was time for the Cardinal to die. He saw the decision in her eyes and frantically held up his other hand.

"Back off, bitch! The controls for the prisoners' execution are wired into my glove. One step closer, and they're dead!"

"You're bluffing," said Ruby calmly. "If you could do that, you'd have done it by now, just for spite."

Kassar smiled. "Try me. What will your precious rebel friends think of you when they learn you could have saved the prisoners, but didn't choose to?"

Ruby shrugged, sprang forward, and brought her sword savagely down with all her strength behind it. The heavy blade sheared clean through Kassar's wrist, and his hand fell twitching to the ground. Kassar screamed breathlessly, dropped his sword, and grabbed the stump of his wrist, trying to squeeze it shut. Blood pumped past his gripping fingers.

"I've never given a damn what people think of me," said Ruby Journey.

"I'm rich," said Kassar, forcing the words past gritted teeth. His face was white as a skull. "Name your price."

"Now, that's more like it. How much have you got?"

"How much do you want?"

"All of it. Where is it?"

"In a safe. In my quarters. Gold. Payroll for the Faithful. Let me go, and it's yours."

Ruby thought for a moment. "Thanks for the tip, Cardinal. I'll check it out later. Now, say good-bye."

Her sword swung around in a long double-handed arc and cut off Kassar's head. It went bouncing and rolling away into the surrounding crush and was quickly lost to sight, kicked this way and that and trampled underfoot. Ruby smiled, satisfied. A good kill, and gold for afters. The day was looking up. She searched Kassar's pockets, found a set of keys, and went to help free the prisoners, humming a merry tune.

The fight went on, the rebels pushing back the Empire forces almost at will, until finally some security officer had the good sense to surrender. The idea caught on in a flash, and soon there were swords dropping and hands going up all over the place. And as quickly as that, the battle was over. Ruby and Storm freed the prisoners, and Beatrice ushered the clones out of the complex. There were cries of joy and relief as the rebel forces found their loved ones safe, and hugs and tears became the order of the day. Toby and Flynn covered it all, broadcasting live to an astonished Empire.

And that was when the factory blew up.

The first set of explosives to detonate set off all the others, and within seconds the whole factory became a great blazing fireball. The core of the building became a searing inferno, and blazing wreckage rained down on all sides. The outer walls blew apart, unable to contain the pressure, and the deadly heat ballooned outward, followed by a storm of flying red-hot shrapnel. There was nowhere the hundreds of people could hide—no cover anywhere. They were only seconds away from certain death when Random and Ruby reached out to each other, linked minds, and threw up a protective force field to hold back the flames and explosions. The firestorm raged against the shield, battering their minds, but still it held on and on until the force of the firestorm was spent and the shield was no longer needed. And only then did it disappear, and Jack Random and Ruby Journey sank to their knees, blood spilling from their nose and mouth and ears. They clung together, healing. The heat was devastating now, but bearable. The wreckage of the factory burned brightly, flames shooting up into the sky. After a while Storm came over to join them.

"Amazing. Is there anything you can't do?"

"Yeah," said Ruby hoarsely. "Save a whole safe full of gold bullion that just went up with that factory. Damn. I was looking forward to that."

Random was still laughing about that sometime later as he and Ruby and Storm led the rebels and clones back down into the tunnels under Technos III. The surviving Empire forces, disarmed, sat around and looked at each other and waited for somebody else to decide what they should do next. And out of the inferno, out of the blazing wreckage, out of the hell that was all that remained of the factory complex, came Half A Man, striding unhurriedly through the flames, untouched by the heat. He walked over to Daniel and Stephanie Wolfe, and shook his head slowly.

"Trained Church troops beaten like amateurs, and three Investigators dead. The factory utterly destroyed. Lionstone is not going to be pleased. If I were you, I'd start thinking up some really inventive excuses."

He strode off to bark orders at what was left of the Empire Forces. Stephanie stared mutely at the burning ruins of her factory. "All gone. Everything. We'll have to start again from scratch. If the Empress doesn't take the stardrive away from us for this fiasco."

"And both our spouses are dead," said Daniel.

"Ah, well," said Stephanie. "At least some good came of this." She glared into the leaping flames. "Our explosives couldn't have done all that. Someone else must have interfered."

"Probably," said Daniel. "Odds are we'll never find out what really happened here. It doesn't matter. It's over. I'm not needed here anymore. I'm finally free to go and look for Daddy."

And he strode away, without once looking back. "Danny!" Stephanie called desperately after him. "Come back! You can't just leave me here like this. I need you. Come back, you bastard!"

Flynn got that on camera, too. Toby Shreck stood beside him, grinning foolishly. "Live, Flynn. We got it all, live. We'll win every award going for this, and probably a few they'll make up specially. I haven't felt like this since one of the Family maids showed me what was what when I was fourteen."

"I don't know about you," said Flynn, finally lowering his camera, "but my hourly rate just went up. Way up."

"Damn right," said Toby. "I wonder what we should do for an encore…"

"Don't worry," said Half A Man, "I'll think of something."

Toby and Flynn looked at each other. "I don't know about you," said Toby, "but I think fame and fortune just got indefinitely rerouted."