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little confidence in your plans."
"Because you don't understand," the Golden One insisted. "I want Troy to win because Troy will then
become the most important nexus in this phase of human history. The city will grow into a mighty empire
that spans Europe and Asia. Think of it! The energy and vigor of the Europeans combined with the
wisdom and patience of the East. The wealth of both worlds will be commingled into a single, unified Ilian
empire that will span from the British Isles to the Indian subcontinent!"
"What good will that do?" asked one of the other men. Like the others, he was as handsome as a human
face can be, flawless in every detail. "Your creatures will still have to face the ultimate crisis. Unity among
them may be less desirable than a healthy amount of competition."
"Yes," said the woman. "Remember the Neanderthal-dominated track that you sent this creature to
destroy. You ended by nearly destroying all ofus ."
The Golden One glared down at me. "That was a mistake that will not be repeated."
"No, not with Ahriman and his tribes safely in their own continuum now."
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"That is done and we survived the crisis," said the one I called Zeus. "The question at hand is what to do
about the particular nexus at Troy."
"Troy must win," insisted the Golden One.
"No, the Greeks should..."
"The Trojans will win," the Golden One stated flatly. "They will win because I willmake them win."
"So that you can create this Ilian empire that appears to be so dear to your heart," said Zeus.
"Exactly."
"Why is that so important?" asked the woman.
"It will unify all of Europe and much of Asia," he replied. "There will be no separation of East and West,
no dichotomy of the human spirit. No Alexander of Macedon with his semibarbaric lusts, no Roman
Empire, no Constantinople to act as a barrier between Asia and Europe. No Christianity and no Islam to
fight their twenty-century-long war against each other."
They listened and began to nod. All but the skeptical woman and the one I called Zeus.
It is a game to them, I realized. They are manipulating human history the way a chess player moves
pieces across his board. And if a civilization is utterly destroyed, it means as little to them as if a pawn or
a rook is captured and removed from the board.
"Does it really make that much difference?" asked one of the dark-haired men.
"Of course it does!" the Golden One replied. "I seek to unite the human race, to bring all the many facets
of my creatures into harmony and unity..."
"So that they can help us to face the ultimate crisis," said Zeus, almost in a mutter.
The Golden One nodded. "That is my goal. We need all the help we can get."
"I am not certain that your way is the best method," Zeus said.
"I'm certain it'snot ," said the woman.
"I'm going ahead with it whether you approve or not," the Golden One retorted. "These are my creatures
and I will bring them to the point where they can be of true assistance to us."
The others in the circle murmured and nodded or shook their heads. There was no unanimity among
them. As I watched, they began to fade away, to blur and dissolve until only the Golden One and I stood
facing each other against the all-pervasive glow of a place that had no location, no time, in any world that
I knew.
"Well, Orion, you have met the others. Some of them, at least."
"You spoke of us as your creatures," I said. "Do the others have creatures of their own, as well?"
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"Some do. Others seem more interested in meddling with my creatures than in creating their own."
"Then... the men and women of Earth you created them?"
"You were one of the first of them, Orion," he answered. "And, in a sense, you then created us."
"What? I don't understand."
"How could you?"
"You created the human race so that we can help you," I said, repeating what I had heard.
"Ultimately, yes."
"But while the others think you will bring us humans to their aid, you actually plan to have us help you
against them ," I realized.
He stared at me.
"And that will make you the mightiest of all the gods, won't it?"
He hesitated for a moment before replying. "Iam the mightiest of all the Creators, Orion. The others may
not recognize that fact, but it is so."
Now I felt my lips twisting into a sardonic smile.
He knew my thought. "You think I do this out of egomania? Out of lust for worship by creatures I myself
created?" He shook his head sadly. "How little you understand. Do you have any great desire for your
sandals to adore you, Orion? Is it necessary for your happiness to have your sword or the knife hidden
under your kilt to proclaim you as the greatest master they have ever known?"
"I don't understand..."
"How could you? How could you dream of the consequences that I am dealing with? Orion, I created
the human race out of necessity, truly but not the necessity to be adored! The universes are wide,
Orion, and filled with dangers. I seek to protect the continuum, to keep it from being torn apart by forces
that you could not even imagine. While the others dither and bicker, Iact . I create. I command!"
"And to accomplish your goal it is necessary for Troy to win this war?"
"Yes!"
"And it was necessary to destroy the starship we were riding? Necessary to kill the woman I loved? The
woman who loved me?"
For a moment he looked almost startled. "You recall that?"
"I remember the starship. The explosion. She died in my arms. We both died."
"I revived you. I returned you to life."
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"And her?"
"She was a goddess, Orion. I can only revive creatures whom I myself have created."
"If she was a goddess, how could she die?"
"Gods and goddesses can die, Orion. Tales of our immortality are rather exaggerated. As are the pious
recitations of our goodness and mercy."
I felt my heart thudding in my chest, the blood roaring in my ears. My head swam. I could barely
breathe. I hated this man, this golden self-styled god, this murderer. Hated him with every fiber of my
being. He claims to have created me, I told myself. Yet I will destroy him.
"I did not want to kill her, Orion," he said, and it almost sounded sincere. "It was beyond my control.
She chose to make herself human. For your sake, Orion. She knew the risks and she accepted them for
your sake."
"And died." A murderous rage was burning inside me. Yet when I tried to take a step toward him, I
found I could not move. I was frozen, immobilized, unable even to clench my fists at my sides.
"Orion," said the object of my hatred, "you cannot blame me for whatshe did to herself."
How wrong he was!
"You must serve me whether you like it or not," he insisted. "There is no way for you to avoid your
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