Zero Time

by M. P. Swinnerton

  He was ushered straight in to Stef's private apartment and she greeted him with open arms. Zon held his breath as he gazed at this vision of loveliness. If she was aging, there were no apparent signs of this happening and he rushed over to hug and kiss her.

  “My darling, wonderful Stef, why did you ever leave me? I am still so much in love with you!”

  Stef smiled happily at this handsome man, her man!

  They hugged one another for a while and then sat down to exchange a bit of idle gossip until the ritual of coffee and cookies arrived and the pair of them tucked into the enjoyable spread. There were also the usual sandwiches and cream buns to enjoy. Zon was quite unaware that he had been eating animal flesh when he helped himself to the ham bagels; all he knew was they were exquisitely delicious and he wasn't going to query their provenance.

  When the meal had been cleared away, Stef took Zon's hand and asked him to come and sit with her on the comfortable old sofa that sprawled out in the sitting area. The couple were relaxed in one another's company and Stef knew that she would have no problem in putting her idea to Zon, but she realized that she might have a greater degree of difficulty in persuading him to actually agree to her suggestion.

  “Zon, I have been considering the future of the young girl that was raped by your son, Zarn, and I feel that the ideal solution to the problem would be for Zarn to be married to the girl and the progeny could then be a combination of Zelite and Outlander.” Now for her contentious idea! “Perhaps we could initiate a new race called the Litelanders or some such designation. Our own son, Ston, could be one of the head leaders of the Litelanders and maybe Zarn's child could eventually be another leader.”

  Both Stef and Zon had been aware that there had already been liaisons between members of the Zelite population and members of the Outlanders, and so far nothing had been done to give these people a proper identity. This suggestion by Stef would create a solution to the anomaly.

  “Let me think for a while about this, please darling; you know it will need a consultation with all the members of the Planet Council to allow a decree to be passed for such a law to be enacted?” Zon replied. He knew that even his son, Ston, was not truly a pure Zelite, although he would be accorded all the rights and trimmings of the Zelite race. This subject had been niggling at him for quite some time now. In the past when the death of a Zelite had occurred, the Zelite Leader and his brothers or sisters were allowed to produce additions to the Zelite race, but this had always been carried out with members of an equivalent rank to the Zelite race from other planets and not ‘inferiors’ such as the Outlanders from ‘Planet Zero’.

  The couple went for a stroll down the rather dim tunnels of the Outland City and visited the many strange shops and markets. Here, there were places that fascinated Zon as nothing of this sort existed in his own walk of life. If a Zelite man needed a replacement of food or clothing, it was manufactured and brought to him via a robot, and the Zelite males, who generally disliked ‘shopping’, did not in fact have to ‘shop’ for anything themselves. Quite a few of the Zelite women still liked the idea of shopping and meeting one another for chats, but even they really did not have to go outside of their own door to shop if they did not so wish.

  While they were strolling casually along the small boulevard on the approach to Stef's place, Stef suddenly gasped and, clutching Zon's hand, she pointed to the sky with her free hand. “Look, my darling, there, see it, a falling star!” she exclaimed.

  Zon, smiling lovingly at this dear woman, laughed and gently taunting her, retorted in a humorous fashion, “I see it, Stef, and I also see you haven't managed to catch it yet! Maybe one day, eh?”

  Stef retorted, “Why on earth should I want to catch a falling star?”

  Zon, realizing his mistake in confusing Stef's wishes with those of Uvarna, quickly changed the subject. They both laughed and carried on walking towards Stef's home.

  Eventually they returned to Stef's place and she took him to visit their son, Ston, who was busy studying in his own quarters. The young man looked startled when he saw his father enter the room and was feeling slightly apprehensive about the motive for his father's visit. “Was it his father's intention to try and take Ston to live with the Zelites? Otherwise what was Zon doing here now that his mother and father were separated?”

  Zon extended his arm to Ston, offering to shake his hand like a man, and smiled when he noted the hesitation appearing on the young man's face.

  “Hello, my son, this is just a social visit to see if there is anything you require. You know you only have to ask, don't you?”

  The boy was rapidly growing into a young man and was starting to look more and more like his father. He had the same physique, height and olive skin; the only difference between them was that Ston had the same green eyes as his mother and there was definitely a tinge of auburn in his curly hair. Zon felt a sense of pride when he looked at the boy and, smiling, ruffled the boy's hair and said goodbye.

  Stef wondered why Zon had not asked to see his first-born son, Zarn, and decided to suggest such a visit to him while Zon was here in Outland. There was a definite hardening of Zon's features when Stef suggested this, but after a little gentle persuasion, he agreed to go and see his other son.

  It was raining and, although the protective shield was high up in the air above them, the sound of the rain pelting down on the shield was enough to delete the loud, echoing sounds of their feet as they walked down the cobbled street. The effect was quite eerie and Zon, not being used to walking in what was the next best thing to an above-ground environment, could not help but feel the sense of freedom that the soothing patter of the water generated. He was sure he could even smell the earthy perfume of the dampness rising from the ground, and for a moment he remembered his long-ago childhood and wished he was in the fresh air of the old world with the wind and rain blowing in his face.

  They did not have to walk far before they arrived at a charming looking building, based on the old-world cottage-style living quarters. Whilst pausing in front of it, Stef took Zon's hand and, standing back to face him, explained that this was where the girl who had been raped by Zon's son, was living. Zon shrugged his shoulders slightly and confirmed that he would visit the girl eventually, but his program for now was to go and talk with Zarn.

  Stef nodded her agreement and led Zon on towards a rather ominous looking building with tiny windows and large metalclad doors. Speaking through the intercom entry system, Stef advised the inhabitants who she was. The door swung open immediately and an Outlander Guard ushered them into the interior of the building, pointing them in the direction of a corridor to their left. Stef again led the way until they reached a cell-like room with bars across the windows and a padlocked door, which could only be opened from the outside.

  Stef squeezed Zon's hand and said she would wait outside for him and would be in the hallway talking to the Guard whenever Zon finished his discussion with his son.

  Pushing the door open, Zon saw the young man leaning against the cell wall whilst gazing up out of the barred window. Zarn did not turn around; he assumed that it was one of the Guards bringing him some food and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his father's voice. Zarn spun around and fell on his knees in front of his father, crying, “Father, please pardon me, I have learnt my lesson and I realize what a terrible thing I did to that young female. Is there any way that I can earn her forgiveness?”

  It was not long before Zon had explained to his son that it was his wish that Zarn should unify with the girl and become a responsible citizen again. He told Zarn that he could not decide anything definite yet until he had spoken with the pregnant girl to see whether she would be happy with the solution they had thought up.

  Zarn was delighted with the proposition and assured his father that never again would he make his father ashamed of him, and he felt sure the girl would accept him as her unified partner.

  Zon told him not to be too sure about the girl's answer, as
from what he had heard about her, she was quite spirited and had a mind of her own. He also added that if the rape had caused an emotional or mental instability in the girl she would never accept Zarn as a partner, but Zon confirmed that Stef and he would try their utmost to persuade the young woman to accept the proposal, particularly for the baby's sake.

  The Planet Leader refused to go to the girl's domicile, but requested her to come and visit him at Stef's place, and arrangements were swiftly made for the girl to be accompanied by her parents to meet Zon the following morning.

  Zon was quite impressed by the girl when she actually arrived on her own without her parents. She was by now in the later stages of pregnancy and, although she was a little cumbersome, she was still a beauty. He could quite well understand why any boy would want this young woman; she was very desirable indeed.

  He motioned her to come and sit beside him and asked Stef to arrange for some tea and cookies to be brought to them. Stef asked the girl why her parents had not accompanied her, and the girl explained that her father was still so angry with what had happened that he could not bear to face the father of his daughter's rapist, refusing to come to speak with Zon, so naturally his wife remained loyal to her husband and also refused to visit Zon and Stef.

  The girl was quite polite and had obviously accepted the fact that she was shortly to become a mother at such a tender age. She could not be more than 17 time-years’ old. However, the young woman seemed to be quite proud of her ‘bundle’, for every so often she would run her hands across her abdomen and gently stroke it quite tenderly. “Right!” exclaimed Zon, “Now I want you to listen carefully to what I am about to suggest and I want you to give it a great deal of thought before you make a final decision. I have been very thoroughly assessing the situation regarding your circumstances. I readily accept that a wrong has been done to you and the perpetrator has been, I feel, sufficiently punished for his actions, but now I think the time has come for a final solution to be made regarding the future of my grandchild.”

  The girl grimaced slightly at this remark and retorted, “You may consider yourself to be my child's grandfather, but I do not acknowledge that. The child is mine and my people will help me to look after it, is that not right, Your Highness Stef Brown?”

  Stef smiled kindly at the girl and extended her hand to hold the girl's arm, replying, “Of course, Natasha, we all agree the baby is yours and always will be for as long as you want it to be, but we have a proposition to put to you regarding your future. You see our Great Leader, Zon, who you must accept has the final say in all our affairs, wishes to make the baby legal by having a unified father and mother to call its parents. This means that we want you and the father of the baby to get married in a proper and dignified procedure. We also then wish to create a new race of people to be called ‘The Litelanders’. Our Great Leader, Zon, and I have decided that our own son, Ston, would become the Main Leader of this race. Then upon your marriage, your husband would become his second-in-command. This means that the child you are now expecting could also eventually become one of the Leaders. We would appreciate your voluntary acceptance of our plan, but you must realize, of course, that in the end, if the Great Zon wishes it so, the marriage will take place regardless of your voluntary acceptance or not, and your child will definitely become a Litelander.”

  The girl stiffened visibly at this order and told Stef that, if this was the case, she might as well accept the proposition now, as it was pretty obvious she actually had no option in the matter. The girl added that the Zelites could organize a Unification ceremony, but she wished to make it quite clear that she had no intention of going through a proper Outlander Marriage ceremony with her rapist.

  Stef thanked Natasha and asked the girl if she wished to meet the father of her unborn child before they became unified so that they could get to know one another more amicably before the ceremony. The girl vehemently refused to have any contact with Zarn until it was absolutely necessary for her to meet him at the Unification ceremony.

  She then asked permission to return to her parents’ home to explain the position to them and she was escorted back to her own living quarters to await news of the planned Unification ceremony.

  Stef and Zon passed a happy evening together, following the rather stressful meeting with the distressed girl. They dined on a light supper of cheese and salads, Stef acknowledging that Zon did not like eating animal flesh. Then they supped quite a lot of Stef's homemade blueberry wine before retiring to Stef's bedroom where they spent a wonderful night together. When he prepared to depart, Zon asked Stef, once more, if she would consider having the longevity injections to keep her young, but again Stef refused, telling Zon that her beliefs were too strong to allow nature to be overruled and, smiling tenderly at Zon, she kissed him goodbye and assured him that she would let him know as soon as confirmation was received from the girl's parents acknowledging that the Unification would take place.

  Zon looked deep into her eyes and, through thought transference, told Stef that he loved her and needed her, and confirmed that he was sure that eventually he would persuade her to take the plunge with the injections so she would remain his woman for always.

  CHAPTER 42

  The Unification of Zarn and the girl, Natasha, was arranged for the following week and, although the ceremony was attended by very few Zelites, most of the main influential Outlanders were present, even though the actual ceremony took place in the Zelite Palace for Ceremonies in Paris.

  Zarn was resplendent in a pale blue, shining toga-like garment, and Natasha, at her mother's insistence, wore a pure white cotton dress, made to flow amply to disguise her state of pregnancy. She did look utterly stunning and walked towards the ‘altar’ with a dignity that surpassed all expectations. Her head was held high and as she wore a simple coronet of white roses around her head, her beautiful long brown hair floated majestically down to her waist.

  As the Great Master of Ceremonies beckoned the pair to step towards him, Zarn cast a sideways glance at Natasha and a wave of remorse swept through him. He whispered softly, “I am so sorry, Natasha, please forgive me. I promise you I will make it up to you and respect you for the rest of our lives together.”

  The girl showed no indication that she had heard him and just looked straight ahead at the Great Master, who picked up her hands and poured the sweet oils over her fingers. He carefully took Zarn's hands and placed them on top of Natasha's, pressing them together, gently massaging and entwining their fingers until they were completely saturated in the Unification Oils. Then, upon the specific instructions of the Mighty Zon, the Great Master placed a sign of the cross, in oil, on the foreheads of the young couple, adding a religious ‘Blessing’ which, although it was not an accepted part of the Unification ceremony for Zelites, had been specially added in acknowledgement and respect for the Outlanders’ own beliefs.

  The couple left to attend the small reception that had been arranged to include only the closest of the pair's relatives. Zon was pleased to see that Natasha seemed to be more relaxed now that she had the status of being married. He saw the girl looking shyly, but happily, at Zarn, and even her parents seemed to have accepted the situation quite affably now.

  Zon and Stef sat apart from the rest of the celebrating party and were quite content just to be together again for the time being. The partying went on for most of the rest of the day until Zarn came over to Zon, holding Natasha carefully by the arm, and told them that he and Natasha were going back to his quarters now, as he did not want his woman to become too tired by overdoing the celebrations. He thanked Zon and Stef for the magnificent buffet, which had been put together to combine the tastes of both the Zelites and the Outlanders, and this had worked out very well.

  Stef kissed the girl on the cheek and told her to keep in touch and to let her know when the birth of the baby was imminent and she would come personally to ensure that Natasha was taken care of properly. Zon shook his son's hand and, putting his arms around Na
tasha's shoulders, assured the girl that he would make absolutely certain that she had everything she wanted. After the departure of the couple, Natasha's parents also came over to Zon's table and made their excuses to leave, adding that they had faith that the Great Zon would look after their little girl.

  When the partying was over, Zon and Stef left for his quarters and spent another night of sheer bliss together. Zon tried his hardest once more to persuade his woman to remain with him and take the plunge to become ‘Permanered’, but again Stef flatly refused and curtly asked Zon not to keep pestering her about this request, as he knew full well what her thoughts were on the subject.

  The Great Leader sighed in frustration and told her rather threateningly that he might just have to take matters in his own hands. He immediately regretted his remarks and apologized profusely to Stef. He realized that he would not help matters at all by bullying Stef.

  CHAPTER 43

  During the period of organizing his son's Unification, Zon had not seen or heard from his dear friend, Zenith, and as soon as Stef left to return to Outland, he decided to seek him out and see what had been happening with the arrangements for Ston to become the leader of the new Litelander sect. He found Zenith at one of the Pleasure Palaces and, after they had spent some time together laughing and relaxing, Zon asked Zenith to come with him to the Council Chambers where he had arranged to meet his brothers and other prominent Zelites.

  The meeting was extremely important, as this situation would raise many ambiguities in the law. A vote had to be taken as to whether Ston, being younger than Zarn, could justifiably be considered legally the Head of the Litelander nation. After much discussion, it was agreed that even though it was true that Zarn was older than Ston, due to his past record of misconduct, Zarn should still only become the Assistant-Head Litelander for a trial period of one time-year. If it then turned out that Ston was not up to the responsibilities of the position, Zarn, as long as he was still considered reformed and repentant of his past history, would automatically become the Litelander Head.