Zero Time

by M. P. Swinnerton

  The desire for this Outlander woman was too strong for Zon to rebuff and he found himself wanting and needing her madly and deeply. He swiftly returned to her side and asked her to arrange the marriage as soon as possible. Stef reminded Zon that it was also one of their important traditions that he would have to go to her father's house and ask him if he would allow Zon to marry his daughter.

  Zon desperately wanted to make love to this temptress again, but she refused until her father's permission had been gained. “What kind of fool am I turning into?” Zon admonished himself. “Here I am, the Great Leader of this entire planet and I am reduced to groveling at this woman's feet in order to get her to allow me to love her.”

  Her power over him had become a huge worry to Zon's brother, Zerek, and one day soon after his visit to Stef's father, Zerek pulled Zon to one side and asked him what had happened to the great man he knew and admired.

  “You are allowing an inferior female to block your judgment, my dear brother, please think carefully about what you are doing,” Zerek advised Zon.

  Zon was a little alarmed by Zerek's venomous tone and, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders, told him that there was nothing to worry about: he was completely in command of the situation and nothing was going to usurp Zon from power and authority.

  “My dear brother, I have been missing my darling Uvarna so much that this is a distraction for me, and it was the only way that I could think of to rid me of the desolateness over losing my sweet Uvarna,” Zon assured Zerek. “I also have the answer now to a problem that has been niggling me for some time. My first son from Uvarna has changed from a tiny baby into a growing child. All our Zelite women have very little experience in raising babies and children, whereas this woman Stef has the required knowledge of it because her race still has babies. If I marry Stef Brown, this will ensure that she takes on the responsibility of raising my son Zarn until he is old enough to join us as an adult Zelite male.”

  Zerek sighed with relief. He had for some time been wondering about how Zon was going to go about solving the problem over the youngster, Zarn, who was still living with the Unos.

  He knew that the GM race would not be of much use or help in bringing up Zarn as they were produced from manufactured babies created in laboratories and as soon as they became children they were brought up in an institution governed by adult GM teachers. The Zelites did not actually have much contact with these GM children and consequently they had very little practical experience in bringing up any children.

  Zon carried on to say to his brother, “Also I have thought a lot about the situation regarding my triplets and after careful consideration, I have decided to allow the Unos custody of the two boys, but I wish to keep the girl. I do not wish this child to be raised by Stef Brown, but I want our sister, Zeileen, to raise the girl for me. If Zeileen is, as she wishes, made pregnant by the Uno male she fancies, she will have to raise children herself and I would trust her completely to treat my daughter, who is to be named Zamella, as her own until such time as the child is old enough to understand her parentage. I have made arrangements for Zarn and Zamella to receive the correct registration to ensure that they are enrolled as Zelite subjects and not Unos. I will lay no claim to the twin boys and they will become Uno subjects to be brought up by Uvarna's sister, Uvella. Also I wish you to know, my brother Zerek, that should any offspring ensue from my unification with Stef Brown, they will become Outlanders and not Zelites. Whether any of them will carry the gene necessary for immortality will depend on whether they will be endowed with enough of my body to ensure this, otherwise they will be subject to old age and death as any other Outlander. This is my will and I do not want to interfere in any way with Stef's traditions.”

  The two men shook hands as acknowledgement that they both agreed to this, and Zerek promised to notify their other siblings of Zon's wishes. Zerek had pointed out to Zon that the GM bank was still producing babies and, should Zeileen require any assistance in learning about the upbringing of children, then they could make arrangements for her to visit the GM Children's Institution whenever she wished.

  Zerek went on to describe how he often visited this establishment himself, as he was particularly interested to see how the children were taught at the schools within the institution. He described how fascinating it was to see these little folk learning all about the ancient histories of Planet Zero. He explained how they all seemed to love the story about the beautiful fairytale princess of England, Princess Diana, and how no exact plausible explanation was ever given about the true nature of her death in a car crash. Zerek also mentioned that these children were also totally fascinated about the ancient history covering the Presidents of the USA, and in particular about the shooting of President Kennedy.

  Zon had previously never taken much interest in these little people, but now made up his mind that he would take a visit himself soon to the GM Children's Institution to see what and how they were being taught.

  Although these GM folk only lived for a limited amount of time, the knowledge they accumulated was immense and very useful to the Zelites. Their memories were amazing and they were able to accumulate knowledge of the history of Planet Zero from way back since history was first recorded.

  The Zelites relied on this knowledge being imprinted on the GM memories because the Zelites themselves did not have the capability to amass such a historical knowledge. This was because of the huge length of time that the Zelites actually lived, and their brain capacities were compromised if they endeavored to store such an immense amount of data in their own brains.

  Any historical knowledge was always available to them on computer memories and in written form in their archives, but it was so much simpler to verify the facts with a GM rather than to have to look them up in a history book or log on to some boring computer site.

  CHAPTER 20

  Some of the more regular visitors to Planet Zero included a race of winged people from Planet Pegasus, a small minor world. These people had developed flying skills many years ago by using DNA from birds to enable them to grow wings on their backs. Other than having these feathered appendages, these unusual people were identical to human beings in every other respect. They were affable and friendly people and loved to visit Planet Zero just for sociable and companionable reasons.

  Of course they could only fly at restricted heights and when traveling from planet to planet they were obliged to use more sophisticated modes of travel. During their visits to Planet Zero they could zoom above the crowds, flying along the covered streets and passageways, but they never flew outside the safety ceilings.

  Zon had befriended their leader, Pelias, on one particular occasion when he was paying a visit to Planet Tre. Pelias had been playing a game of chess with one of the young Treite men in an interplanetary competition, and was definitely getting the upper hand in the game when the Treite man began to get agitated and started cursing and shouting abuse at the Pegasonian.

  The Zelite Leader who had been a judge at the competition saw what was happening and quickly stepped in to invalidate the game. He did not want to accuse the Treite of bad behavior and very tactfully managed to stop the fracas by ruling that the time limit had been exceeded, and therefore the competition had to be ruled null and void. He suggested to both the men that a replay could be organized for some time in the future, while inviting them both to join him for some refreshments.

  The young Treite man was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious at his outburst and apologized to the Pegasonian. So all ended fairly civilly. As Zon went to take his leave of the two men, the Pegasonian man invited him to join him on the return journey to Pegasus. He assured Zon that he would be given a hero's welcome and would be very pleased with his reception there.

  Zon had heard about the jovial nature of the Pegasonian race and decided it would be a pleasant break for him to visit one of the minor worlds and keep in touch with the rest of the Universe outside the nine major planets. It was decided that Z
on would travel as a guest in the Pegasonian's space travel machine and so he left his own Space Shuttle parked securely on Planet Tre.

  On their arrival, Zon was delighted to see that flocks of winged Pegasonians were accompanying their leader to the landing zone. They were all waving and cheering and gave welcoming smiles to Zon as he stepped out of the space machine. The Pegasonians had already been notified of the arrival of the two famous men, and had also been made aware of the fact that their leader wanted them to put on a special show for Zon.

  During his visit to Pegasus, Zon enjoyed the most wonderful and entertaining time he had experienced for a long time. He was waited on hand and foot and he was even fitted with a make-believe pair of artificial feathered wings to try and make him feel more at home. These wings were mechanized and he was able to fly under his own steam for short distances. He loved trying them out and he and Pelias had quite a sociable time, laughing and chatting whilst flying between various meetings and gatherings of the friendly Pegasonian people.

  When Zon decided it was time for him to return to Planet Tre to pick up his Space Shuttle, the Pegasus Leader pulled him to the ground and they sat down in the specially modified chairs, which enabled them to fit their closed wings comfortably into the backs of the seating. The Pegasus man thanked Zon for his companionship, telling him that he would be forever welcome there. Zon reciprocated the thanks and invited the Pegasonian to visit him on Planet Zero. “You can be certain that we will show you a good time and I do hope that you will take up my offer and we can become good friends,” he assured the Pegasonian.

  Zon knew that these winged people did not have the facility of continual life and wondered whether he should divulge their power to these lovely people. It would be such a shame to make friends with them, only to have to say goodbye so soon when they died. He discussed the matter with his siblings and main staff and, after weighing up the pros and cons, it was agreed that the Pegasonians should be given the choice and the chance to have everlasting life, should they wish.

  When the Pegasonian Leader paid a courtesy visit to them soon after Zon's trip to Tre, Zon detailed their idea and said it would be a token gift to seal their eternal friendship and hoped the Pegasonians would be happy with this gift. The Pegasus Leader shook Zon's hand and, laughing, patted Zon on the back saying, “I can pat you on the back, eh? But you would have difficulty in doing the same to my back! What a fantastic offer, Zon my dear friend, it would be the most brilliant thing anyone has ever given us and we shall be forever grateful and, of course, forever friends. You realize Zon, that we can only offer you the procedure for growing wings, but you are all most welcome to that knowledge, should you so desire.”

  Eventually the Zelites passed on their knowledge regarding the way to everlasting life, but turned down the offer of growing wings as they could see they would be more cumbersome than useful. There was always deep warmth and joviality among the Zelites and the Pegasonians and both races always made each other welcome and looked forward to visits from one another. There was a chance that the Zelites could transfer to go and live on this planet, but the actual space available there was very limited and would not have been conducive to both races living comfortably together, so Zon had dismissed this as an acceptable alternative world for them. He respected and liked the Pegasonians and would have hated to upset them.

  Zon had been busy with all the various important events happening on Planet Zero when one day while he was talking to his right-hand man, Zenith, the subject of the Pegasonian Planet came up in the conversation. Zenith had reminded Zon that they still had to find an alternative planet for the Zelites and perhaps they should take one more in-depth look at Planet Pegasus to see if there could be a possibility for them to transfer there, even for a transitionary period of time whilst the Zelites found somewhere else to reside permanently. Zenith reminded Zon that the situation on Planet Zero was becoming extremely dangerous and it had now become a matter of urgency for them to solve.

  “You know, Zenith buddy, come to think of it, I haven't seen any of our pals from Pegasus for some time, have you? Let's go and see if we can contact them on the Intergalactic communication system to find out if it is convenient for us to visit them.” Zon looked inquiringly at his friend and Zenith confirmed that he had not seen or heard from any of the Pegasus people for some time either.

  After trying in vain to get in contact with Planet Pegasus, the two men decided they would risk it being inconvenient to the Pegasonian Leader, Pelias, as they were sure they would be welcome anyway, and they made arrangements for an immediate flight there for the both of them.

  As they stepped off their Space Ship, a strange and weird sight met the two men. Pelias came hobbling towards them leaning on a pair of walking sticks. As he got closer, Zon was shocked to see the man's wrinkles and gray hair. He had always appeared to be such an agile and alert, youngish man on every previous occasion when the two had met, but now confronting Zon was a very old decrepit man.

  Usually when Pelias met them, he would fly using his own wings to greet them, so it was with dismay that the two Zelites saw this poor old man lamely walking towards them. Zon extended his hand to greet their old friend and said with alarm, “My dear friend, what on earth has happened to you, have you had a bad accident or something?”

  The Pegasonian gave a feeble handshake and turning his back to the Zelites, told them to look at what remained of his wings. The little that remained of the shriveled wings showed that they obviously could not be used for transporting the man around any more.“Come with me my friends and I will tell you what has happened to our race, but first let me take you to my palace and make you comfortable before I bore you with our problems.” The old man waved one of his sticks and a slow-moving automobile finally arrived to pick them up. The chauffeur of this vehicle was also old and decrepit.

  The two Zelite men glanced at one another, but did not say a word. They both felt it prudent to wait for an explanation from the Pegasonian Leader before saying anything. After they had been ensconced in their individual rooms and had time to refresh themselves, the two Zelite men made their way down the marble staircase and then into the main reception room, where they found Pelias waiting for them.

  Pelias offered the two Zelites some refreshments and Zon was astounded to see that the old man had to fetch the drinks himself. He managed to carry the glasses one at a time and Zenith, seeing the old man's plight, sprung to his feet and carried the drinks for him.

  Zon asked Pelias to explain what had happened and the old man described how, about six months previously, a strange thing had occurred on Pegasus. He explained how during a particularly heavy storm raging around their neighboring planets Andromeda and Pisces, their own planet had been suddenly covered in a yellow pollen-like substance, which they presumed had been blown on to them by the prevailing storm and winds reaching their own atmosphere from their neighbors.

  Pelias went on to tell them that from that day on, the Pegasonians people started to age rapidly and did in fact die pretty quickly. He told Zon that there were indeed now very few of his race left and he presumed that the yellow dust must have contained some highly toxic and poisonous material that had proved so lethal to the Pegasonian race that even their newly gained longevity genes could not combat it. The old man detailed the cleaning operations that the Pegasonians had carried out, and he assured the two Zelites that he was pretty well convinced that the planet was now safe, and even though it was too late for the Pegasonian race, the Zelites were not in any danger themselves from this pollution.

  He proceeded to tell them that he was bequeathing Planet Pegasus to Planet Zero to do whatever they wished. They might like to use it as a holiday spot, or maybe even an experimental zone. He had no idea at all that the Zelite men had come to visit him to seek his permission for the Zelite race to be their guests on Planet Pegasus until another suitable planet could be found.

  “My dearest pal, can we possibly do anything to help you? Will you com
e back to Planet Zero with us to see if our experts can come up with a cure for your aging problem?” Zon was so perturbed to see his poor friend in such a dreadful situation and tried his hardest to persuade Pelias to return with them to find a solution to his problem of aging.

  But the old man declined the offer, explaining that he would not survive the journey and it was now only a matter of days before he too would be dead. Pelias insisted that the two Zelites left almost as soon as they had received enough refreshments to last them on their homeward journey. He was adamant that he did not want them to remain to watch him die and, reaching into a drawer in a side table, he produced a wallet of documents, which he explained were the papers giving Planet Zero the total rights to Planet Pegasus. He wished the two men a safe journey home and thanked them for coming to see him and for their much-valued friendship over the past years.

  He would take no arguments from the two Zelites and asked them to leave while he still had enough breath in his body to accompany them to the landing site. It was with a terrible sadness that Zon shook his friend's hand for the last time and told Pelias that he would never forget him. Then, without a backward glance the old man turned away and limped back to his awaiting auto.

  Zon and Zenith discussed the terrible tragedy for some time whilst journeying home, and eventually they decided to leave Planet Pegasus for a while to remain as a memorial cemetery monument to those lovely, dear people. They would not allow this planet to be disturbed for some time.

  Both men knew that maybe they would have to return to use this as a temporary base for the Zelites at some time in the future, should their planet start to deteriorate rapidly, but for the time being it was decided to leave Planet Pegasus be.