“It seems rather misogynistic, to me,” Alyce muttered. “What about a Winter Queen?”
“The Winter King may be either male or female,” Rell said patiently. “In Zieron society, both sexes are equal in every sense. Further, we do not believe it necessary to bestow different titles upon each sex, as if we judge any gender by different standards.”
Alyce nodded. That was one aspect of Zieron culture that appealed to her. Despite what anyone said, it seemed that the establishment of the Imperium still viewed female citizens as inferior. Some people even cited reasons for their belief in the inferiority of women, such as physical or emotional frailties. Perhaps the Zierons had addressed such genetic differences when altering the DNA of their species…
“Do you wish to observe the festival?”
Alyce and Glitz glanced at one another, then nodded. No human, as far as they knew, had ever entered this galaxy. How could they pass up on the opportunity of learning more about a species that was, by its own claims, enlightened? Even though Alyce was disturbed by some elements of the Zieron belief system, the festival sounded intriguing, and she was excited by the idea.
“Excellent,” Rell said. “Follow me.”
Rell led them gracefully out of the study, and into a long wood-panelled corridor. They reached the end, and stepped out into an expansive courtyard. Rell’s house was huge and grand, cast out of some kind of white stone. His garden was fit for Emperor Ferdinand himself, complete with a fountain and striking flowers.
“Zierons believe in rewarding achievement,” Rell said. “We still believe in the incentivisation of initiative. I received this house after solving a mathematical theorem that had tormented mathematicians for generations. However, such rewards are not purely financial. Society rewards pioneering individuals largely by bestowing honour upon them; you will see an example of this in the festival.”
They walked through the garden, crossed a bridge over the river, and Rell beckoned them over to a large silver box. It looked strangely incongruous sitting beneath a red-leaved tree, and Rell explained that it was a form of transport. They were communally-owned, and so could be used by anyone. They generated their own electricity using nuclear technology, and generated no pollution. Rell touched the surface, and an invisible door slid open, allowing access. The interior of the transport pod contained several rows of luxurious seats, and it was coolly air-conditioned. When they were all seated, Rell gave the computer instructions, and it began to move with a low whirring sound. Glitz had no idea what the box looked like from outside, but he imagined the cube to be simply moving along the street on its flat surface.
The vehicle stopped, and the concealed door slid open, allowing rays of sunlight to stream inside. Rell stepped out, signalling the others to follow him. They had arrived in a large open square, which was teeming with people. The sound of a high bell chimed in the air. The square was surrounded on all sides by rectangular pools of water; some children were sitting down, dipping their feet in the water, while the adults stood and talked quietly. The square itself was a large area of grass, surrounded by a perimeter of paved ground. Glitz was amazed by how well-behaved the crowd was. No one was cheering, arguing, or talking above a certain volume.
“I thought this was supposed to be a celebration,” Glitz muttered, as they joined the Zierons in the square.
“We do not believe in losing ourselves in good cheer, neither do we applaud forced joviality. The coronation of the Winter King is a distinctly dignified occasion.”
Glitz and Alyce stared out at the other Zierons, who were constantly arriving in the grey transport cubes. They looked remarkably like humans, except for their oddly straight-backed posture, and neutral expressions. Alyce couldn’t help thinking to herself that a Zieron man wouldn’t make a very good lover… She began to notice patterns in their dress. Some of the creatures wore nondescript grey robes, whereas others were attired in buttonless navy suits of the same design as Rell’s. What did all the variation in clothing mean?
When Alyce asked this question aloud, Rell explained that the Zierons organised their society by means of a sort of caste system, whereby all babies had their career path genetically predetermined from the moment of conception. In human society, Rell argued, many people were unhappy due to being genetically unsuitable for their jobs. Millions of receptionists craved a career as an artist, and millions of engineers secretly harboured dreams of becoming actors. The problem was, not enough of such jobs were available in human society to meet the number of people who desired them. Clearly, the most effective solution was to create people who would be perfect for their assigned jobs. For example, if the Zierons calculated a future need for another bookkeeper, they would produce someone with a feverish love of order and system. Genetic traits could be manipulated to such a precise degree that there were always the right amount of people for any vocation. Again, Alyce felt an instinctive loathing towards this policy of social engineering, but she could not seem to come up with a logical argument to oppose it.
As the time neared for the ceremony to begin, Rell explained that he had to leave; as Keeper of the Seals, he was required to change into a special robe for the festival. He vanished in a flash of light. Glitz and Alyce observed the scene with curiosity; none of the Zierons paid attention to them, or tried to engage in conversation. They stood on the paved area with the creatures, right at the edge of the empty green square, waiting for something to happen. About thirty minutes later, the ceremony began properly. The gathered spectators watched quietly as a slow procession emerged from a domed hall and began to proceed across the grass. The members of the procession were all dressed in vivid robes; Alyce picked out Rell, who was donning a purple and gold cloak. There had to be around fifty participants in the ceremony itself. The members of the parade stopped on the grass, and conjured a large stage into existence. Then many long-winded formalities were carried out, most of which Glitz and Alyce found to be abstruse, even incomprehensible. The Zieron elected to be crowned as Winter King was a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes; from what Alyce gathered from the proceedings, she had genetically engineered a new fibrous plant for cloth-making that was easier to grow on the outer worlds of their empire. Alyce had noticed that all of the more educated castes in Zieron society—the ones wearing suit-like clothing of various colours—all had blonde hair and blue eyes. The worker castes all had dull brown or grey hair. This was yet another aspect of Zieron society which she found troubling.
The whole affair lasted for almost two hours, during which time both Glitz and Alyce began to lose patience. Finally, the ceremony was completed, and a garland of golden flowers was slowly lowered onto the head of the female Winter King. Rell approached them once his role as Keeper of the Seals was completed, and asked them what they thought of the ceremony.
“It was interesting,” Alyce said.
“I understand it may have seemed slightly tedious to a non-Zieron,” Rell admitted. “Many of the customs you observed can only really be understood by someone with a full knowledge of our culture and history. You must be tired. Come, I will show you to your lodgings.”
“There isn’t any need for us to stay.” Alyce glanced at Glitz. “There’s a war brewing back home. We should—”
“Nonsense! You must stay!” The old man’s eyes twinkled. “I promise you, Alyce, that if you stay the night here you will not regret it. I have a gift for you both, but it shall not be ready until the morning. Stay, I beseech you.”
Alyce shrugged reluctantly. “Well, I guess we can stay one night…”
Beaming, Rell led the two humans out of the square, through the city, and into what appeared to be a forest. They did not recognise the trees, but they had similarities with the ancient oaks and redwoods preserved on the planet Chase. As soon as they entered the forest, it was as if a thick blanket had fallen over them. The silence of the forest was broken only by the chirping of woodland birds and the rustling of small mammals. As they followed Rell through the tree
s, sunlight streamed through the faraway leaves, bathing them in a gold-emerald glow. Finally, they reached a small cabin, which was made of hewn logs. It was set in a small clearing in the forest. Outside, there was a small log pile next to an axe.
“Here?” Alyce said.
“It’s getting late,” Rell replied. “The sleeping hours are nearly upon us.” He pointed up; the bright sunlight was beginning to dim; the dusk was approaching. “You will find the cabin perfectly suited to your needs, I trust. Now, I must leave you. Good night!”
After that abrupt farewell, Rell disappeared in a flash of light before they could argue further.
“I really hate it when he does that,” Glitz muttered.
They stared at the cabin, and Glitz was the first to enter. It was a small, one-room affair, but nonetheless cosy. Fading light streamed in through two windows, and gently-burning candles provided additional illumination. There was a heady scent in the room; some kind of oil was burning over the flames. His spice trader’s nose decided that the scent bore a resemblance to vanilla and cloves. There was one noticeable problem with the cabin.
Alyce stepped inside, and noticed it immediately. “Only one bed.”
At the end of the cabin, there was a decorative, gilded bed, with silver knobs. It was covered in a silken material, and scented rose petals—or something of the kind—were sprinkled over the surface. In the dim light of the candles, it seemed very romantic.
Alyce blushed. “I guess… I guess Rell thought we were a couple.”
Glitz stood next to Alyce, facing the luxurious bed. “Perhaps… but he did scan our minds. He should have known that we weren’t together.”
“Maybe that’s it,” Alyce muttered. “Maybe he saw more into our minds than he let on. Maybe he…” She tailed off. Feeling unable to complete the sentence, she avoided Glitz’s eyes shyly.
Feeling a rush of sensuality, Glitz took hold of Alyce’s hand. He looked directly into her eyes; the connection was maintained. Slowly, gently, he drew her towards him and kissed her gently on the mouth. She flushed, and returned the kiss. With slightly trembling hands, Glitz stroked his hand across the back of her pink dress, and then unfastened it, letting the dress fall to the ground. She was wearing no underwear beneath the dress, and he began to caress her breasts gently. Then he removed his own clothes quickly and silently, and they both descended to the bed. Glitz had always been somewhat of a rough lover; the women he had slept with in the past seemed to enjoy such treatment. But somehow, it wouldn’t have seemed right to treat Alyce in such a way. After almost an hour of passionate, sweet lovemaking, Alyce and Glitz fell asleep, under the starlight of unfamiliar constellations.
***
In the morning, Alyce and Glitz woke to the sound of birds singing. Fresh morning sunlight was seeping into the cabin. They sat up slowly, quickly realising that they felt none of the tiredness that usually accompanied mornings. For some reason—possibly the air was purer on Zieros, or maybe there was a higher level of negative ions—they awoke feeling perfectly refreshed and happy. Of course, it helped that they had both enjoyed a night of intense passion. Glitz realised that Rell must have left a single bed in the cabin on purpose; the man had recognised that they both had feelings for each other, and decided to give them a prod in the right direction.
“I hope last night was OK for you,” Glitz said softly, looking into Alyce’s eyes. Somehow, he had a feeling that he had left her very satisfied.
“It was perfect,” Alyce replied.
Glitz smiled, and conjured up a tray of coffee and pastries, courtesy of the nanobots that filled the air even in the forest cabin. They ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence, and then willed on a pair of clothes each. Glitz opted for a Vellorm jacket and plain trousers, while Alyce fabricated a comfortable black skirt and blouse. When they had dressed, there was a knock at the cabin. It was Rell. He smiled at them both.
“I hope you slept soundly?”
Glitz and Alyce both smirked, avoiding each other’s gaze with slight embarrassment. Rell was wearing a navy suit again. “I have a gift for you. It is something that may help you in your crusade against the Weerms.”
Alyce frowned. “I thought you said you couldn’t help us.”
“I said I could not build you a weapon. That is because Zierons have realised that there are invariably more intelligent ways to protect oneself against violence. I cannot build you a gun. But I have something for you of even greater utility.” He beckoned them to follow him with a finger.
He led them to another clearing in the forest, a quarter of a mile from their cabin. There was a raised platform on the leafy soil, which seemed to be made of a marble-like rock. Alyce gasped when she saw what was on top of the platform. It was a ship—but a ship like she had never seen before. The central part of the ship was reminiscent of a huge missile, and three nacelles attached in a triangular arrangement defined the shape. The material was white, with a strange sheen.
“This is the Deliverer,” Rell said proudly. “My son, Horran, is a spaceship developer, and the inventor of the fissionable forcefield. He produced this ship as a prototype for the Zieron Defence Force, but it was ultimately judged as unusable, due to the use of rare materials in its design. The hull is made from a type of polymer—it is stronger than any metal, and will withstand almost any attack. In addition, the ship has three layered forcefields, as well as a full auto-repair system. It has FTL technology, of course, as well as all other regular features. An antimatter drive generates unlimited power for the ship; there is never any need to refuel.
“But the really special thing about the Deliverer is the control system. The ship’s computer runs on an intelligent operating system, known as Seraph. The computer can handle all day-to-day operation, including flight, landing and defence.”
“So you’re… giving this to us?” Glitz said.
“Yes.” Rell smiled. “It is the least I can do. You have been very gracious guests, and I wish for you to win in your fight against the Weerms. All of your possessions from the Middlemarch have been transferred to the Deliverer. Of course, you may still take your other ship back to your galaxy if you wish.”
“Well, thanks.”
“I think I’ll leave the Middlemarch here, if that’s OK with you,” Alyce said. “I never was very fond of it.” She paused. “Aren’t you worried about being pestered by other humans? I mean, if people find out where the Deliverer came from, everyone will want one. It won’t be too hard for them to work out how to open the wormhole, I would imagine. Then you risk being inundated with people begging for a super-ship of their own.”
Rell nodded. “That would be a troubling thought. However, I’m afraid it will not be possible for humans to ever visit Zieros again.” He paused, a dark look coming into his eyes. “There is a darkness coming, something that threatens our entire empire. The chaos has been foreseen by every soothsayer, every prophet of the Zierons.”
“What kind of darkness?” Alyce breathed.
“We do not know. That is the terrible thing. We simply know that a great evil is soon to be visited upon this part of the Universe. The Zieron Council have agreed unanimously that our empire must be relocated. We have achieved immense power over the millennia, but it would be foolish to risk injury.”
“Relocate? I don’t understand.”
“The Universe consists of two types of space—creation and uncreation. This is an oversimplification, but close enough. The Universe is constantly expanding and changing; old galaxies die out and become emptiness, and new galaxies are born out of the chaos. We are simply taking control over this process. Our three galaxies will be shifted into another part of the Universe, an empty, creationless space called the void. We will then, I hope, be far from the reach of the great evil.”
Alyce shook her head, trying to comprehend the Zieron’s mind-boggling words. “So the wormhole will no longer lead to your galaxy.”
“I am afraid not.”
“So when do you pla
n to move?”
“Today. The effects on the inhabitants of the Zieron Empire will be minimal. Many will not even be aware of the change. All visible constellations will stay exactly the same. To all intents and purposes, our three galaxies will remain unaltered. They will simply exist in a different part of space.” He smiled at Alyce and Glitz. “If you like, you may stay to observe the galactic translation. We can still produce a one-time wormhole for you to return to your galaxy, once the process is over.”
Alyce glanced and Glitz, and smiled. “We’d love to see it.”
***
Glitz and Alyce were standing in a large underground cavern, surrounded by red-cloaked Zierons. As Rell had pointed out, red was the designated colour for engineers and scientists. It was these men and women of science that had developed the process to move the three galaxies. The great darkness had been prophesied by the Zierons nearly a century ago, and the time had finally come for the theory to be put into practice.
The cavern was located miles beneath the crust of the planet; Rell was unsure of the exact measurements, but believed it to be close to the actual core. Temperature-control devices maintained a habitable environment. The controls to shift the planet had to be located near the centre of the globe. Zieros was, quite literally, in the centre of the three galaxies. The calculations required for the matter translation process mandated the physical force to originate close to the centre of the empire.
“I am glad you came to witness this,” Rell said. “No human will ever be able to witness such an event again. You are both very honoured.”
Dozens of red-cloaked figures were checking devices built into the walls. A green island was located in the middle of the cavern, surrounded by a glassy blue lake of pure water. The cavern itself had to be at least a mile in diameter. Most of the engineers were working on machines at the periphery of the cave; the island seemed to be deserted. The whole place was illuminated by an artificial sun, which gave them the odd impression of being in daylight. Glitz swallowed as he observed the scientists. Now that the time was at hand, he was beginning to have second thoughts. What if something went wrong with the process? The idea of moving three galaxies across space sounded risky. What if the empire simply blinked out of existence? But it was too late now; the empire would be translated in less than thirty minutes.
Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) Page 17