Monark Starstalker

Monark Starstalker
Story and art by Howard Chaykin .
Prologue;it is always winter on stormking.a small world of rock and ice,she’s the most remote of the frontier planets.the federal starship ‘’host of the air’’out of istabul,terra,is her only link with the inner planets.carrying tools,drugs and hardware,the ship rarely bears passengers.thus,today is a rare day indeed.his name is Emanuel shaw,3rd vice president,triplanetary metals,inc.he hopes his arrival will be met with pleasure.
But he hopes in vain…for,in the abortive war for frontier independence,many sons of stormking died under federal guns.and those who returned,beaten..have no desire for federal handouts..much less federal representative.
Well,well.
Shaw;Young man—can I help you?
Look at that
Yeah
Another traveler steps from the starliner.he is an entrepreneur..a hunter..some call him jackal..vulture..viper.but,his name is Monark Starstalker.
Get em boys
Unngh!
The wharf rats attack..yet,with eyes apparently everywhere,in dark clad man takes the offensives
Fending off blows and delivering them mercilessly until..
Bob hightower;Hold it!
S’right clown—hold stil
‘means you,too,clown!
Observe;the vortex pistol was developed for crowd dispersal during the famine riots of’03---
It causes instanteous blindness and vertiginous nausea…and within the radious of fire,all are eaffected—shaw,his companions,the wharphrats—all but Monark Starstalker.
 The weapons’s effecta is short-lived,and the the beaten thugs crawls off to vent their unspent anger on the bargirls in town,as—
88‘’I’m Sheriff hightower,mr.shaw,please pardon--
Monark Starstalker;momento,sheriff—
87;sir,my thanks
Monark Starstalker;Emanuel shaw,TMI?
87;At your service-my aide,miss siebold.
86;Charmed
Monark Starstalker;My card.
87; Monark Starst..my word—the vigilante.I—I--
88;Wonders who hates you more-federals or frontiersmen--
Monark Starstalkerand you hightowers?
88;I just like quite.enough chit chat—what do you want here?
Monark Starstalker;a jobs..I’ve tracked my uarry to this Mega IV outpost.
He’s a local boy—know im?
88;Kurt Hammer!!Why?
Monark Starstalker’’Oh killed six people on TYcho…three weeks ago.And my ship leaves for Mesa IV day after tomorrow.
88;’’hmmmm.look..I want no trouble,as long as you’re in New Canaan.You’ll check your weapons..
Monark Starstalker;Sure.They’re yours.All I want now is a hot meal.
In New Canann’s only restaurant,there is a table reserved for offworlders,which protects her citizens from undesirables,so..
85;must we eat at the same table,Emanuel?
86;hush brigid.we must make do.
Monark Starstalker;I understand why we’re segregated here,miss Goodfreind—but you—you’re native.
66;my dad was federal—and,I guess like father,like daughter.But..
Bob Hightower says you’re going after Kurt Hammer—true?
Monark Starstalker;True!know him?
66;Uh huh.For him,the war just legalized murder.
Put a few medals on the pig and forgot his sadism.
44;you shut up,robin goodfreind.your goin’ after kurt,huh?
Monark Starstalker;That’s right.
The man pushes his drink in Monark Starstalker face.
44;C’mon crowbait—get up an’fight?I heard’bout wha’happened by the port—
Aother man is behind Monark Starstalker swinging his fist
Monark Starstalker;I don’t fight drunken children.
43;Well,I ain’t drun—oooowww
Monark Starstalker;Get down miss goodfreind. Monark Starstalker pushes the man into the table,cracking his face.Then Monark pushes another with left and then back fists another his right.


Somebody get bob
Hey stop!
His every motion is casual,apparently unconsidded..but he is the eye at storms center,surrounded violence,his face is serene..and there is no fury in his half closed eyes.
Blast it,Starstalker,I said no trouble!

Monark Starstalker;Thanks Miss Goodfreind.
And you Robin,brawling like some COMMON TRAMP—
Starstalker,I want you out of this town…Now!
Monark Starstalker;Look,Sheriff—They attacked me—
88;Sure.and your presence aggravated ‘em.
Just take your guns and get out.
Monark Starstalker;But
Monark Starstalker;Ulysses is far more than a pet,Robin.
Seven years ago I was a rigger—my nervious system wired into my ship—on patrol,I was attacked by hostile purseute.’’
I looked in all directions,but my only escape was through the core of a nova.’’
Running,escaping if you wish,my soloar sails were bombarded by the star’s energy.It flowed through the sockets at my wrist and spine.incinerating my nervious system,my senses,my memory…A neural ship picked me up…doctors saw me and gave me up immediately…but the Technos,bless their ticking hearts,gave me Ulysses..an artificial nervious system,telepathically linked to me.
Yes,much more than a pet.
Say,are trembling in awe,or in disgust?
Robin;Neither…You’re rather longwinded,and I’m freezing!
Monark Starstalker;’’All right c’mon..I’ll race you inside!’’
Moments later
Robin;’’I haven’t laughed so in years.If you’d seen your expression—sliding butt first into a snowdrift---
Hey,I’m sorry,I had no idea you were so…sensi-mmph
Dawn.icy northern winds rattle the windows of the goodfreinds chalet,and within….
Robin;’’Wheather satellite says there’s a storm moving south..a big one.It should hit late this afternoon.And,of course,I need somethings in New Canaan.
I’ll be back in a few hours.Before the storm,I hope.
Meanwhile,even as its force field is being lashed by frigid,howling gust,a bit of heat is generated in New Canaan,by a non atomic sourse..
88;A big hand,gents…yes,she is lovely.
I have Spectroscopic Reports of what most of you already know—of the vast mineral wealth beneath STARMKINGS GLACIAL Crust .
Bring back the girl!
Gentlemen,listen!Triplanetary will give you new terranizers.In five years,you’ll have oceans..grazing land..livestock..
Civilization hell!
At what price,pig?
Bring back the girl!
You can take the Federation and—
Bunch of sloganeering moron..
Bob Hightower;Easy,Boys.most of you are too young to remember Stormking before our Terranizers ran out of jouice.But I remember…
I’m getting old…I could use a little summer now and then..
Kurt Hammer;’’Why,bob,I’m surprised at you!
Bob Hightower;’’Kurt Hammer!Let go of the girl,kurt!
Kurt Hammer;’’Move it,bob.I got business—with Mr.Shaw!
Kurt Hammer’s pistol speaks once and Emaneul Shaw drops dead instantly.
Good shootin”,Kurt!
That’s the way—
Kurt Hammer turns and fires another round into Robert Hightower
Hey!He shot,bob—
What the
Hammer then unloads a barrage of bullets into the crowd.
He’s gone crazy.
Get down!Don’t shoot—You’ll hit the girl!
Mother of god!
It is all over in seconds…in shock Robin mounts her winded mare and races back to the chalet,where Monark Starstalker is.
Robin;Monark.Kurt Hammer—He shot Shaw and Bob Hightower—grabbed the Siebolt girl as hostage--
Monark Starstalker;Slow down,Robin—give it to me strait’’
Breathlessly,the girl relates the days events…finally..
Robin;’’They’re congental idiots,these people—hooraying when Hammer cuts down Shaw,then shocked like kids—when he turned his gun on them.
They throw slogans around—freedom individualism!If that’d their freedom—I’ll lake leg iron.’’
Monark Starstalker;Shut up,Robin.I need a horse.
Dusk…and,as the ever continuing snowflakes fall,they catch the last red rays of a dying sun..swirling like scarlet embers in a frigid fire..
A silent wrath,he rides over the tundra in purseut of his quarry..
While up ahead..
Kurt Hammer;Andy—Andy—This is Hammer—Come in!
Nothing,damn this storm.
Brigid;’’Oh,Kurt—this is awefell.!
Kurt Hammer;’’Calm down,Brigid.We’d be in Vesalius now if we hadn’t hit this outcrop.
And don’t worry.By mornin’the storm’ll pass and I’ll get through to Andy.He’ll pick us up.
Brigid;’’Kurt—back there—did you have to act so---so barbaric?
Kurt Hammer;That’s all those rubes understand,honey.
They’re rid of shaw—an incompetent,with too much top security data in his head to simply fire..
And,they gain Stormking’s mining rights to boot.
I know these imbeciles.
Nothing moves ‘em like guilt.
They’ll beg Triplanetary to come in and rob’em blind..while you and me retire to some quite tropical paradice.But right now,we’d best find a cave to cozy up for the night..
Brigid;’’Aren’t you going to hide the sled?I told you about..
Kurt Hammer;Starstalker,yea,I hope he find it.Cause in this canyon he’ll be a siutting duck.
Noonrise…the android falcon’s sensors are confused by the raging blizzard,but relentlessly its master follows until..
Monark Starstalker;Found it just in time…any longer,and the engine would be frozen..
Monark Starstalker;Best send Ulysses-North,they might have been picked..
Monark Starstalker
Monark Starstalker;outcrop—only cover…!
Monark Starstalker;’’Ava-lanche!’’
ROAARRRRR
The huge snow bank covers Monark Starstalker.
In minutes,all traces of the hunter are gone…Save the continually spiraling pseudo falcon.
Kurt Hammer;’’Hah!I did it! Pure luck!I buried that creep…!
C’mon.I want to pick off that bird.Dig up the scooter,too
Minutes later..Kurt Hammer fires at Ulysses .KRAK
Brigid;’’Shouldn’t we unearth the scooter?
KRAK!KRAK!-Hammer give out two more shots.Behind Monark Starstalker is crawing out of the snow covered field.
 KRAK!KRAK!-

Brigid;’’Behind you!
Louder,doll—I can’t hear you!
Kurt Hammer;’’Huh?!Jes—NO>!!
Monark Starstalker simply belts him with left fist making him fall into the snow.He belts him with right
Kurt Hammer;’’uhhhhhhggghh!
Kurt Hammer;’’Well?I’m the same price dead or alive.Why don’y you Shoot?
Monark Starstalker;’’Gladly.
Monark Starstalker’’But your girlfriends would never make it back in this snow on foot—and I’m not carry her.Come on.It’s a long walk back to New Canaan.
New Canaan—3 days later.The aftermath of death is business of the day.
As one victum is launched on his last journey..and another is laid to his final rest.
Town asshole no#1;Hey!It’s the Bounty Hunter
Old Skull;He’s got the girl!
Monark Starstalker;’’She needs a doctor—fast.
Monark Starstalker;Died yesterday of Pneumonia.He’s staked out twenty miles north of here..
Monark Starstalker;’’See my claim is registered--
Monark Starstalker;;’And send a rider out to Miss Goodfreind for me.Thank her on my behalf.
Town Jerkoff;’’Look mister—we can delay takeoff’til tomorrow—give you plenty of time to see her yourself.Stay in town tonight-if you like.
Monark Starstalker;’’No,thanks.Just do as I say.
Monark Starstalker;’’Knowing you people as she does,she’ll understand.
With that Monark Starkstalker walks into the sunset of the planet of Stormking.