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Thousands will die.
 No, Franklin said, with a certainty that surprised even him.  Notif we can
bring all of the human resistance groups together,not if we can cement an
alliance with the Ra  Na,not if we move quickly enough.
 That s a whole lot of  ifs,  Smith said hollowly.
 And a whole lot of power for the man, woman, or fur ball who winds up at the
head of the unified resistance movement, Farley added flatly.  And who might
that be?You, perhaps?
Smith looked at his friend and back to Franklin.  Don t let George bother
you he 
 Hehas some legitimate concerns, Franklin put in.  An honest question
deserves an honest answer. Yes, I think I m the logical choice, but not at the
expense of the movement. If either one of you has a desire to lead, then say
so now. I will not only step aside, but throw my full support behind you.
There was a long, drawn-out moment of silence. Farley was the first to speak.
 No way. I d rather ram red-hot pokers through both my eyes.
 I wouldn t go quite that far, Smith allowed dryly,  but George is right. I
know next to nothing about politics, and I don t plan to learn.
 So, Farley put in,  I guess that settles it: You re elected.
 Well, notelected,  Franklin said wryly,  appointed.Later, as we attempt to
bring more groups into the fold, the issue will come up again.
 Good, Smith said intently.  You build the alliance and we ll back you.
Don t let us down, though . . . .
 Orwhat?  Franklin asked, challenging the other man to say it.
 Or, Farley repeated heavily,  bodyguards or no bodyguards, one of us will
put you in the ground.
HELL HILL
Bone tired after the long, dangerous trip back from Hilman, not to mention
two days spent waiting to penetrate the heavily guarded wall that encircled
the hill s base, the White Rose was finally home. A rather strange word to
apply to a death camp. But it was the one that came to mind.
It was dawn, just before the shift change, and a good time to move around.
There were literally thousands of humans trudging along the paths, many more
than the Kan up in the observation towers could ever hope to keep track of,
and that made for excellent cover as Ivory, Marta, Parker, and Boner climbed
steadily upward.
None of the slaves noticed them at first. And why should they? Tired,
ragged-looking humans were a dime a dozen.
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But many still possessed copies of the slick  talkies distributed two days
before, wanted posters that not only described the failed assassination
attempt but also included video taken by the Kan. One such clip included a
shot of the swastika on Jonesy s chest, and a surprisingly good shot of
Ivory s face.
Nobody knew exactly what the humans had done, only that they had the guts to
attack the chits and that the aliens were pissed.
But that was enough to fill heads with hope and get people excited.
That being the case, it wasn t too surprising that someone noticed, pointed,
and whispered to the person next to him.
Ivory, who walked head down, didn t notice at first, but it was only a matter
of time till someone spoke more loudly.  Look! It s him! The one on the
poster!
Heads swiveled, people looked, and a man echoed the cry.  Look, it s them!
The ones the bugs are after!
Ivory and the others looked up, grabbed the weapons hidden beneath their
rags, and prepared to defend themselves.
Marta swore as the crowd closed around them, Ivory nearly fell as someone
slapped him on the back, and Parker accepted the poster that a woman jammed in
his face. The skin took one look, saw Ivory s face, and tapped him on the
shoulder.  Hey, boss! Take a look at this!
Ivory accepted the poster, managed to read it as people continued to pummel
him, and felt his spirits soar. The assassination attempt had failed, but,
because of their less than perfect understanding of human psychology, the
Saurons had provided the movement with the very thing it needed most:
publicity. Now, thanks to the chits and the ever-faithful Yahweh, the White
Rose was legitimate.
No longer tired, careless of what the Saurons might see, they marched like
heroes through the streets of Hell Hill. Here, like the imaginary scenes hung
at Racehome, was a moment of victory.
But even as Ivory luxuriated in the unexpected acclaim, he knew it to be
false. The muds were gaining traction he couldfeel it.
What the movement needed was some sort of new relationship, an alliance that
would catapult the White Rose to the next level and secure their hard-won
victory.
But with whom? The group called  Deacon s Demons ? No; word had it that the
muds had infiltrated the organization. The Star Com? No; same problem. It
seemed as if the remnants of the ZOG were everywhere, and that being the case,
there was no
And that was the moment when a milk-white Sauron appeared in the intersection
up ahead, paused to examine some incomprehensible graffiti, and jumped onto a
cube.
It was in that brief moment that Yahweh spoke. Therewas a group to whom Ivory
and his followers could turn, a potentially powerful group, and one they
should have looked at before:the Fon.
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