The Status Civilization

"The situation will be out of hand by then," the man said. "I'm sorry, Moera, we have to use Barrent immediately, or not use him at all." Barrent said, "Use me for what? Where am I? Who are you?" The man turned to the bed. In the faint light, Barrent saw a very tall, thin, stooped old man with a wispy moustache. "I'm glad you're awake," he said. "My name is Swen Eylan. I'm in command of Group Two." "What's Group Two?" Barrent asked. "How did you get me out of the Arena? Are you agents of The Black One?" Eylan grinned. "Not exactly agents. We'll explain everything to you shortly. First, I think you'd better have something to eat and drink." A nurse brought in a tray. While Barrent ate, Eylan pulled up a chair and told Barrent about The Black One. "Our Group," Eylan said, "can't claim to have started the religion of Evil. That appears to have sprung up spontaneously on Omega. But since it was there, we have made occasional use of it. The priests have been remarkably cooperative. After all, the worshipers of Evil set a high positive value upon corruption. Therefore, in the eyes of an Omegan priest, the appearance of a fraudulent Black One is not anathema. Quite the contrary, for in the orthodox worship of Evil, a great deal of emphasis is put upon false images--especially if they are big, fiery, impressive images like the one which rescued you from the Arena."