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even in the lifelike hologram. Kane realized Thrush had used a flesh-colored
cosmetic on his face. His short, crisp hair was so neatly cut and combed he
obviously wore a wig.
The general consensus was that C. W. Thrush was some kind of genetically
augmented creation of the
Archons, possessed of an exceptionally long life span, but still human. Now
Kane wasn't so sure. He couldn't even be certain Thrush was alive, as he
defined life. In his funereal black with his cosmetics and
wig, he reminded Kane of a cadaver who had decided to get up and leave the
undertaker after the embalming process.
The pain in Kane's head returned with a throbbing vengeance, and at the same
time a surge of irrational
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rage and hatred filled him. His extreme emotional reaction confused him. He
prided himself on his ability to deal calmly and coolly with any sort of
crisis, and such intense fury was new to him.
Kane had exchanged hostile fire with smugglers, Roamers and even a
self-appointed ruler of the solar system, the mad Sindri. He had never lost
his temper, viewing his adversaries as tactical problems, not personal
enemies. But Thrush's appearance, his manner, his voice triggered such a
combination of wild emotions in Kane that he experienced the insane urge to
leap up and throttle the image of the black-clad figure.
The thin lips of the hologram stirred, and he said softly, "This is a historic
day. Nearly two hundred years in the building. A long time for all of you, I
suppose, but merely an eye blink to the Directorate."
Thrush's voice had an oily, whispery quality. "In that eye-blink interval, the
Directorate has decided to return to reclaim Earth, to hold it as it did in
the dawn of your days. We no longer observe the pact."
Garstark did a poor job of biting back a groan of dismay, and Kane did not
really blame her. Thrush's quiet, speculative tone carried far more menace
than blustering threats.
"You who are the governors of the so-called colonies can either stand aside
while we work our will, or you can display your allegiance to the Earth
government and be swept away along with them. The choice is yours, but we
would be remiss if we did not warn you."
Khotan Khan swore in a guttural tongue.
Thrush continued. "The two demonstrations we provided you should leave
absolutely no doubt who
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is in the superior posture. We can overcome your defenses and eliminate your
weapons. The dreadnought that destroyed your warship can appear anywhere, and
lay waste not only to Earth but to your colonies.
"The brief era of human arrogance has come to an end. We hope you enjoyed it
while it lasted. You would not have progressed so far except that we allowed
it. For two centuries, you have believed that the pact was a decisive victory,
resulting hi the end of our power on Earth. It was merely a rearguard action,
covering the further consolidation of our agenda.
"You saved the Directorate considerable time and effort by tapping into the
solar system's abundance of natural resources. Now we intend to reclaim them."
Thrush seemed to take a step closer to the conference table. Kane cringed
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inwardly as he sensed a remote, malign intelligence, and felt the hate emanate
from the image in almost tangible waves. "We are old. When your race was wild
and bloody and young, we were already ancient. Your tribe has passed, and we
are invincible. All of the achievements of man are dust they are forgotten.
"We stand, we know, we are. We stalked above man ere we raised him from the
ape. Long was the earth ours, and now we have reclaimed it. We shall still
reign when man is reduced to the ape again. We stand, we know, we are."
The black figure of Thrush dissolved. Angry, frightened eyes turned to Salvo.
Khoto Khan demanded, "What about the Directorate base on Europa? Why hasn't a
combined force
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of the navy ships and the Delta Guard been sent there?"
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