“Because you belong to me. From the day of your birth, you have belonged to me, as did your father and grandfather.”
Kane didn’t dare look around, but now that he remembered that other people were present, a bit of his fear ebbed. “Who am I to Baron Cobalt?”
“I offer you the chance to be one of my chosen ones.”
“Why?” he asked quietly. “Chosen for what?”
“To hear the truth, to serve the truth, to protect the truth. And in doing so, protect all of humanity and what we have managed to build here from the ravaged ruins of the Deathlands.”
Kane didn’t understand. He just stood there, cringing inwardly, knowing he was the focal point of critical stares from the shadows behind him. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing, and he was afraid to speak. He waited for the baron to explain.
“Do you wish to hear the truth?”
He hesitated only half a heartbeat. “Yes.”
“Be warned, then, Kane. Once you hear it, you must swear to serve it and protect it with your life. If you do not, then you die. Do you still wish to hear the truth?”
Even with his reason clouded by fear, Kane knew that he was in too deep to back out. An audience with Baron Cobalt was an event that had swift repercussionsit meant either a swift reward or a swift demise.
Kane lifted his head, cleared his throat and announced, “Yes, Lord Baron. I wish to hear the truth.”
And the baron spoke
“They are here among us. They have always been here, apart and remote, yet guiding us whenever the opportunity arose. Now their numbers have increased in preparation for the final step in the development of our species. Though mistaken for gods in many religions, they are not gods but our superiors in every wayspiritually, intellectually, technologically. Records of their presence can be found in the texts of vanished civilizationsin ancient Egypt, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Greece and Sumer. The knowledge of their presence, their goals, their many accomplishments, was preserved by certain secret societies throughout humankind’s history.
“We are the latest in a long line of societies entrusted with the knowledge of their intentions and objectives. Therefore, we call ourselves the Trust.
“I see confusion in your eyes, Kane. Who are ‘they’ the lord baron refers to in such tones of awe and reverence? you wonder.”
“To be completely honest, we do not know for certain where they come from or when they first came among us. This event is lost in the mists of antiquity. We call them the Archons, and since they do not object to such an appellation, we continue to use that term. It is appropriate in many ways. In ancient texts, Archons were identified with the Supreme Being and angels and the law of Abraham. We do not know their origins, and in predark days, there was considerable debate whether the Archons were extraterrestrial, interdimensional or pan-terrestrial.
“Don’t look so startled, Kane. Yes, a few predark peoples knew of the Archons. Secret covenants were struck with them by many governments and military bodies.
“Many predarkers saw their advance guard in the skies, flashing through the ether in their traditional disk-shaped vessels. They were called many thingsChariots of the Gods, flying saucers or Unidentified Flying Objects. A minority of our ancestors knew they were the vehicles of the Archons, and knew them as friends. They have constantly aided us in our process of spiritual and scientific development.
“However, when humankind achieved the means to destroy itself, the Archons offered not only a way of preventing the destruction, but also a path to establish an era of enlightenment upon the earth.
“As was their custom, their directive, the Archons contacted a chosen few, endeavoring to pass on their knowledge to save us from ourselves. This is part and parcel of the Archon Directorateafter a period of turmoil, to assist a civilization to recover, then withdraw to see what humanity would do with its newly acquired knowledge.
“The last great period of turmoil before the nukecaust was World War II. The Directorate’s primary thrust was to protect the planet from the new threat of nuclear annihilation. Working through their government and scientific intermediaries, the Archons provided the basic data and technology for the undertaking known as the Totality Concept.