duplicate? He looks and sounds the part much more than I do. The Empire had me captive for a long time; maybe they cloned me, and I'm the clone. It would explain why my memories are so patchy in places.'
'That was the Empire mind techs,' said Ruby. 'They could screw up anybody's mind. Everyone knows that. More likely this is the clone standing before us, sent to confuse us, like the Deathstalker said.'
'If he was, he's doing a damn good job,' said Hazel.
The older Random looked at Storm. 'You said we were together at Cold Rock, but I don't remember that. Were you there with me?'
'Yes,' said Storm. 'I don't see how you could forget that. We fought side by side, almost died together. You were taken, and I only escaped being captured by the skin of my teeth. I never saw you again. And now, I don't know what to think.'
'What we need is an esper,' said Hazel. 'Get the two Randoms together before a telepath, and let him sort it out.'
'That wouldn't necessarily work,' said Giles. 'They could both genuinely believe they're who they say they are.
Empire mind techs could make you believe anything, even in my day. No, what we need is a genetest. That'll reveal which one is the clone.'
'No problem,' said the young Random. 'I'm on my way to the Wolfling World to join you. You can run some tissue samples then. I'll be with you soon. And then I'll lead you all in a rebellion that will finally topple the Iron Bitch from her Throne.'
The crowd broke into loud applause. Many cheered. It was obvious they found it much easier to believe in the young, charismatic hero rather than the older, gaunt, and shabby man who'd previously claimed the legendary name. Though he hated to admit it, Owen could understand why. When he first met Random on Mistworld, he hadn't wanted to believe it, either. He'd wanted to meet a hero out of legend, too. Someone just like the man who stood before him now.
'I'll be here soon,' the young Random repeated as the applause finally died away. 'It'll then be up to you to decide who is really who, and how you can make the best use of me in the coming rebellion. It is a time for heroes, my friends. A time for men of goodwill and honor to side together against an evil that cannot be permitted to continue!'
He had to stop again as he was interrupted by more applause and cheers. He smiled and bowed, and then his holo was gone, and the applause died raggedly away. Silence slowly fell across the great Hall as one by one, all heads turned to look at the older Jack Random. He bit his lower lip and looked down at his feet. Ruby nudged him with an elbow.
'Say something!'
'I don't know what to say,' he said quietly, not looking up. 'I don't know who I am anymore. I'm tired. I'm going to lie down for a while.'
He stepped down from the platform and left the Hall, and nobody raised a hand to stop him, not even Owen,
The discussion that followed was heated and very confused, but there was no doubt the younger Random's appearance had galvanized the crowd into action in a way the older Random had been unable to. They'd needed someone to spark their enthusiasm and commitment, and now they were ready to fight. Giles and Owen and Hazel chaired the meeting as best they could, but as far as the crowd was concerned, the three of them didn't have the authority to make any binding decisions. Jack Random's name had brought them to the Last Standing, and they weren't prepared to be led by unknowns. In the end, Alexander Storm and the two Stevie Blues took over, as representatives of the Golgotha underground. They'd been preparing for an Empire-wide rebellion for years, but had lacked the funds and the following to put it into action.
The meeting slowly settled down, and some decisions were made. Everyone knew that in a straightforward war against Lionstone's forces, the rebels would inevitably lose. They didn't have the numbers or the discipline or the resources of Lionstone's army and fleet. Instead, the Golgotha underground proposed orchestrated risings on every planet in the Empire simultaneously, together with acts of sabotage and civil disruption, spreading the Imperial forces so thinly that they could be fought and beaten in individual battles.
However, four planets in particular remained vital. Whoever could control or hold them would win in the end. Only once their fates had been sealed would it be possible for the rebels to begin the final phase: the assault on Golgotha itself and the Imperial Palace. Whoever held Golgotha ruled the Empire. The four planets were Technos III, the base of Clan Wolfe's stardrive production; Mistworld, the rebel planet; Shannon's World, also known as the pleasure planet; and Virimonde, in charge of food and supply routes for most of the Empire. It was decided, almost unanimously, that Owen and Hazel would return to Mistworld. They had experience and contacts there.
'Oh, great,' said Owen. 'The last time I was there, it was all I could do just to stay alive, and I'm supposed to be an expert?'
'If you survived living in Mistport, that qualifies you as an expert,' said Hazel. 'And I do know a few people who could be useful. Which puts us miles ahead of anyone else here. Cheer up, stud. Maybe it won't be so bad this time.'
'It couldn't be any worse,' said Owen.
'Don't put money on it,' said Ruby Journey.
'I'm coming back in an urn,' said Owen. 'I just know it. Mistworld is the only planet I've ever known that made the Imperial Court look timid and restrained. Mistport isn't a civilization; it's evolution in action. If it was any more violent, they could sell season tickets to the Golgotha Arena crowds. It'd be a major hit on holovision. There's more sex, blood, and dirty dealing in Mistport than on your average soap. Maybe we should negotiate to buy the rights…'
'Owen,' said Hazel. 'You're babbling. If we survived the jungles of Shandrakor, we can survive Mistport.'
'It'll all end in tears,' said Owen.
He realized people were staring at him, and subsided, muttering. The meeting moved on to further things, but Hazel stopped listening. Behind what she hoped was a brave face, she was shaking inwardly. Leaving the Wolfling World for Mistworld meant leaving her supply of Blood behind, She could always stock up before they left, and she was sure she'd be able to find a new source in Mistport (you could find anything in Mistport), but it increased the chances of her secret being found out. She didn't care what the rebel Council might think of her. They'd already condemned her just for being a clonelegger. But Owen would be so upset with her. He wouldn't be angry—she could have coped with anger—but he would look at her with those sad, defeated eyes and be very disappointed in her. For some reason she couldn't or wouldn't name, Hazel couldn't bear the thought of letting him down like that. So he must never know.
She crossed her arms across her chest and hugged herself tightly. She could feel the weight of the vial of Blood in her pocket, tugging at her side like an impatient child. Her need was growing again, but she fought it down ruthlessly. She was still in charge for the moment. And perhaps… just perhaps she could use the trip to Mistworld as a way to break off from her Blood use. She'd be in a familiar place with old friends. The pressure would be less. She could do it. She was stronger than the drug. And all the while she thought this, she had to hug herself ever more tightly to stop herself trembling with her need for the Blood in her pocket.
She made herself pay attention to what was being discussed and found that Jack Random the elder, Ruby Journey, and Alexander Storm had been chosen to go to Technos III, as representatives of the rebellion. A lot of people still weren't sure about Random, but no one was ready to count him out yet, so sending him to Technos III seemed to be the best way to make use of him. The planet was a factory world, and had been for generations. Most of the surface had disappeared beneath an overlay of sprawling mile-long factories, construction sites, and mining equipment. The air was so polluted you could chew it, and the local ecology had long ago been poisoned into extinction. No one cared. Nothing really important had been lost. The factories worked on, and production actually rose a little after they didn't have to bother about side effects anymore.
These days it all belonged to Clan Wolfe and was given over to stardrive production. This was a long and complicated business, involving practically every resource on the planet, but since the Wolfes had Imperial backing, no one complained, or at least no one who mattered. The workers were clones and indentured servants, paying off family debts that went back generations. Given the current state of interest rates on old loans, you could be born and die in debt without ever affecting the original sum. Not surprisingly, there was a small but thriving army of rebels and discontents who'd scraped a precarious living among the discarded remnants of high tech and
