Item Biography
"The Master Assassin of Mars-- Chapter 9: Betrayal!"
Under the blood-red sky of Barsoom, Dejah Thoris stands toe-to-to with a fifteen-foot Thark on the top deck of the Guild of Assassins air-barge. She stands little to no chance of survival. Even John Carter is powerless to help her, bound in heavy chains.
Thank Issus that this is no common-or-garden Green Martian, though! It is Tars Tarkas underneath the war helmet. John recognizes him in time before Tars makes a frightening lunge towards him with a huge broadsword. The Thark's sword shatters John's chains with one clean sweep. Time to get busy with redressing the balance.
Fighting in tandem the two hard, battle-scarred veterans mop the deck with the Guild. What caliber of assassins are these anyway? Dejah does her part in facilitating the trio's escape behind fire and explosions.
Only one occupant graces the flier as it speeds towards Helium to raise advance alarm of an intended coup attempt on the royal throne. Upon reaching Helium airspace, Dejah's craft is escorted to dock, but her duplicity works against her as the air patrol soldiers also believe she is Daria, the deceased assassin who sought John's death.
She is brought before Surbus, who pretends not to know her true identity. After his guards have beaten some civility into her, Dejah is taken down to a subterranean dungeon where the conniving turncoat leaves her chained, with only waning torchlight for company and the glowing yellow eyes of hungry Ulsios (Martian rats) growing brighter and nearer on the dark fringes of her cell.