It was also voted and unanimously agreed that the Litelander race should be transferred to the South Americas as their home, as this land was now clean and suitable for habitation. They would be allowed to decide by their own democratic system whether they would follow the Outlanders’ way of life or follow the Zelite system. Or they could even create a completely new way of life, just as long as their rules and laws came under the overriding jurisdiction of the Zelites and, whichever decision they made, the Litelanders would still be under the overall controlling rule of the Planet Leader, the Mighty Zon.
The only thing left to do now was for Zon to sign the documentation giving the power to Ston to rule the South Americas and, as he carefully perused the paperwork, Zon felt a sense of sadness, for in his heart he knew the splitting up of the old system was now beginning and this could lead to nothing but trouble in the future.
Previously there had only been one acknowledged superior race, i.e. the Zelites. The Outlanders had been tolerated due to his affiliation with Stef and they had not ever really been considered as a threat to the Zelites, but Zon realized that his and Stef's son, Ston, by not being a pure Zelite due to his mixed-race genes, could prove to be a definite force to be reckoned with if any arguments arose. However, Zon had made this decision and he had to honor it now, and straight away made plans to inform Ston and Zarn of their future destination and the roles they were each to play.
When he visited Zarn and Natasha, he was pleased to see that the young couple appeared to be quite content and happy now. However, he felt a deep, hidden sense of foreboding when he explained to them what was going to be their destiny. He had guessed that Natasha would not be ecstatic about leaving Europe, but he had anticipated that Zarn would be delighted with the prospect of becoming one of the High Leaders of the Litelanders.
The young couple did not say anything for a few moments and then Natasha went towards Zon, kissing his hands and expressing her gratitude for the wonderful opportunity her child would now be able to envisage. Zarn, on the other hand, became drained of color and angrily accused his father of throwing him out of the Zelite family, saying, “Was this all the thanks he was going to receive for doing the right thing by Natasha? Being the eldest son, was it not his automatic right to become the Litelanders’ Head?” He shouted loudly and with some vehemence.
Zon was taken aback by his son's anger and tried to explain the benefits to the young man, but Zarn was too furious to think straight. He told his father to get out of his living quarters and to leave him and Natasha to their own devices. Zon was mortified to hear his son throwing accusations at him, but being the great man that he was, in a heavy voice he commanded his son to be quiet and to remember who had commuted his sentence and to accept the promotion with the pride that it should carry.
Zon instructed his son to report to the World Council meeting in a week's time to be ordained as Assistant-High Leader of the Litelanders and told Zarn to make arrangements for Natasha to go to South America before the child was born, as it was Zon's wish that their baby be the first Litelander to be born in the newly opened territory, which was to be known in future as Liteland. Any child born in the newly evolved Liteland still had to carry the letter ‘Z’ to initiate its individual surname as a formal identification on their space travel documents, but they were not to be called Zelites. Zon assured Zarn that he would still be entitled to the official surname of Zelite even though he would now become a Litelander. This would be a special dispensation for Zarn as he was still, after all, the son of Zon. The rest of the Litelanders would not be entitled to use the surname ‘Zelite’, but still had to incorporate a ‘Z’ as the first letter of their surnames. They could use any surname such as Zealander or Zitelander, but not Zelite.
Of course, when Zarn had time to calm down and think sensibly about the situation and talked it over with Natasha, he began to realize the importance that would be attached to his position as Assistant-High Leader. It did not take him long to change his attitude and so he spoke to his father over his private link phone line and apologized for his ridiculous behavior. He assured Zon that he would be at the important meeting of the Planet Council and promised that Natasha would be traveling with him to their new home and their baby would be born there.
Zon in his heart knew that the boy had inherited these independent genes from his mother, Uvarna, and secretly smiled to himself that his son had such a free spirit in him.
The meeting went ahead as planned and eventually, after much discussion, a decision was established to allow the Litelander race to be legally established. It was also unanimously agreed that Ston should become their High Leader, with Zarn being his assistant, but that Zon would have the ultimate responsibility to ensure that Ston led a good and peaceful race of people. It was also agreed that if Ston did anything at all to upset the balance of power that the Zelites held, then the Litelander race would be abolished and they would once again revert to being under the direct command of the Zelites. Ston was still relatively young to be saddled with the power of becoming the Leader of a new race of people, but when Stef explained the position to him, the young man accepted the challenge quite readily. Ston, rather demeaning, was not allowed to use the official surname of Zelite, because officially he was not of such a pure race as Zarn. Zarn was the son of Zon and Uvarna, who was considered to be of a race equally as pure as the Zelites, whereas Ston, although he also was the son of Zon, as the son of Stef Brown, was considered to be of an inferior race of people. Ston therefore was assigned the surname of ‘Zown’, a combination of Zon and Brown. His family name would now become Ston Litelander Zown and this surname would be handed down to future generations.
Most of the Zelite elders were slightly skeptical about the proficiency of Ston to handle such a massive responsibility and Zon himself was pretty uncertain about the feasibility of his decision to appoint Ston as the leader. He had not really had a great deal of contact with Ston, but had always found him to be a sensible and resourceful young man. Anyway the ruling had been made and they could only hope for the best.
Zenith had gone on ahead together with Ston to supervise the arrangement of comfortable quarters for the newly-weds and to instigate the setting up of the headquarters for the new Litelander State.
When Zarn and Natasha left for their new posting, Zon and Stef accompanied them to ensure that they were comfortable and had everything they required to start their new venture. Stef made sure that Natasha had sufficient nurses and doctors from her own background to allow the girl to be at ease during the birth, and promised Natasha that she would come and stay with her, together with Natasha's mother, when the birth was imminent.
After the initial arrival ceremonies to install the new leaders had been completed, Zenith called Zon aside and told him he had discovered that strange but wonderful things were happening on the Liteland Continent. Zenith had discovered that other parts of that great continent were also returning to their preglobal warming state. Investigations revealed that, apart from the Liteland Continent, parts of the African Continent were also appearing above the surface of the oceans and it was obvious that the seas were once again receding to their original status and allowing the rising land to be reclaimed.
This news was a tremendous relief to Zon, as before the meteorite bombardment, it had been decreed that no more children were to be born from liaisons between the Zelites and the Outlanders, except of course in the case of Zon and his siblings in the event of the death of a Zelite. Any Outlander female falling pregnant from any such intimacy was ordered to have a termination, and with the advent of the Outlanders arriving to live amongst the Zelites, the amount of terminations resulting from the fraternization of these two cultures had been worrying Zon.
Now it seemed that the problem had been solved, for the time being at least. Any Outland woman wishing to go ahead with her pregnancy could, in future, emigrate to Liteland, either alone or with her Zelite lover, and become a Litelander. Zon heaved a massive sigh of relie
f on hearing this fantastic news and he made a promise to himself that as soon as he returned to Washington, he would endeavor to ensure that his future role on the Planet Zero would be to guide people into a just, kind and good way of life.
After they had made certain that the newly-weds were comfortable and happy at the prospect of helping to rule the Litelander Race, Zon and Stef took their leave and wished Zarn and Natasha luck and happiness in their new venture.
During one discussion between Stef and Zon about the setting up of the leadership of Liteland, Stef had asked Zon if he did not wish to have one of his triplets to become one of the rulers instead of Zarn or Ston, or even to rule alongside them. Zon had wondered if this subject would ever be broached and he had his answer ready. “No, Stef, I have definitely decided that my triplets will remain as pure Zelites and will lead completely separate lives from my other children. I had planned this course of action for Zarn in the beginning, but due to his stupidity, I cannot now allow him to have this dispensation. He himself will be considered a pure Zelite, but his children and his wife will only be Litelanders. Ston on the other hand will remain as a Litelander, although this situation may change if he proves to be a successful leader for the Litelanders: we shall see.”
Stef decided not to make an issue of this snub to her son, although secretly she was quite annoyed.
CHAPTER 44
Zon had become completely besotted with Stef again. He absolutely adored her. Not only was he attracted to her physically, he was fascinated by the fact that she was able to discuss diplomatic matters with him on a level that he had always believed to be impossible for an Outlander to do. After all, they were a race of people that believed in the barbaric act of dying; they ate animal flesh and, in his mind, were definitely an inferior race. However, now that he had become involved with this terrific woman, he was beginning to re-think his attitude towards the Outlanders’ point of view.
Zon desperately wanted Stef to remain with him permanently. He tried in vain, over and over again, to persuade her to have the injections to ensure her longevity, but she always flatly refused, until finally Zon acted on selfish impulse and, one day when visiting Stef, he managed deviously to drug Stef into a stupor so that she had no idea what was happening to her. He then called up his medics, who he had cunningly brought with him to Outland and were staying nearby, on standby, and ordered them to extract some of his own genes and inject them into her to make sure she would survive death and therefore remain his partner for as long as he wanted her. Stef was completely oblivious to the fact that Zon had taken this utmost liberty with her body.
She had been aware, due to the nasty headache she was suffering from, that they had perhaps been drinking too much of the homemade wine she had kept in her cellars so that they might partake every so often whenever he visited her. They had, in fact, spent a very enjoyable day and evening, chatting and joking with one another and Stef just guessed she had fallen asleep after their eventual beautiful but arduous lovemaking session.
While she was reviving and the effect of the drug was beginning to wear off, Stef had a strange feeling that something was different. Had she become pregnant again, she wondered, or was it just purely a massive hangover?
Zon made light of her complaint that she had a wall-banger of a headache and told her that he would order her some of her herbal tea, assuring her that she would then feel fine again. After the refreshing tea and chocolate brownies, which Stef had taught the GM maid to cook, she did begin to feel a little better and asked Zon if he would like to go for a stroll with her to a Pleasure Dome. Zon was surprised to hear Stef asking for a visit to a Pleasure Dome, as she had her own private one that he had given her for her birthday.
“Are you sure you want to visit a public Dome, honey?” Zon enquired of her.
“Yes, my honey, I know I have my own private little ‘Dome’, but I have heard so much about these new huge, sophisticated arenas that I am curious to see what I am missing out on.”
Stef pointed out that she did not actually want to ‘use’ the Dome; she was just inquisitive to see what went on in them. So the pair showered, dressed and transported themselves to the main Dome, which was situated fairly close to Zon's living quarters. Stef raised her eyebrows slightly when she discovered that Zon knew every step of the way to the Dome and casually asked him how often he visited this place nowadays.
She was a little distressed at his offhand reply, indicating that he was quite partial to a visit there now and then, and the Outlander woman realized then that these Zelite men were so very different from her own people. The Outlander men wouldn't dream of visiting such a place. If they were not satisfied with their own real live entertainment, they would do something physical such as gardening or building. Some of them took great pride in painting pictures and creating pottery or even sculpting. This was their own way of relaxation, but it was real and genuine and not false, as the Pleasure Domes appeared to be. However, Stef acknowledged that she really enjoyed her own private ‘Dome’ and quite often used this facility now that Zon was not with her permanently any more.
She had been lucky in that Zon had allowed her to take the mobile ‘Dome’ with her wherever she went.
As soon as the two great leaders entered the Dome, they were ushered to a quiet, luxuriously furnished, private section, away from the general public cushion, and then a pair of GM people asked them if they would like to stipulate their requirements and their needs would be fulfilled immediately; they only had to say.
“Would they wish to participate in any type of sport, or what about a visit to a tropical island?” they were asked.
Stef spoke, before Zon had a chance to reply, “Please send us in a couple of robots and give them instructions to attend to our every whim.”
“Certainly, Your Highness, we will deliver two of our most expert robots and all you have to do is tell them what to do and they will immediately obey. Just ring the communications bell, should you require any refreshments or a change of robots. We hope you will find complete satisfaction with our techniques. Our only desire is to completely pleasure you.” With that, the GM pair left the room and Zon turned to Stef and asked her what she had in mind. Before Stef had time to reply, the silk curtains, at the far end of the section, parted and standing there before them was a magnificent specimen of manhood—a replica of ‘Adonis’. He was followed very quickly by a beautiful ‘Aphrodite’ look-alike.
Both the robots looked so real. So alive! So human! These were not the ordinary run-of-the-mill robots: they were quite stunning looking and not at all like the regular, ordinary robots.
Stef indicated to the pair to advance forward and instructed them that it was her wish for her and Zon to be transported to a wonderful white, sandy beach lapped by an azure blue sea, where they could swim and afterwards picnic on a sandy beach sheltered by palm trees. She asked them to make sure that chilled champagne was provided and soft, gentle music had to be playing. The male robot asked Zon if this wish was to be granted and Zon, smiling to himself regarding this strange desire of Stef's, nodded in agreement, and within seconds the couple found themselves lying comfortably in the shade of a magnificent palm tree on a beach exactly as described by Stef. The pair of robotic people were sitting on the fringe of the beach within reach so as to be at the beck and call of the two clients. After a couple of hours of complete and utter bliss, laughing, swimming and generally relaxing, Zon kissed Stef and asked her if she was now satisfied with what she had seen and experienced, and he rang for some reviving and refreshing drink to be brought to them.
“Wow!’ exclaimed Stef, ‘that was certainly an amazing experience, and I think I am beginning to understand why you attend these Pleasure Domes from time to time.”
Zon assured her that he only visited a Dome because Stef insisted on living away from him, and promised her that he honestly did not need them, except sometimes to wind down and play his beloved football, albeit only as a fantasy. He shrewdly pointed out that if S
tef insisted on staying away from him and decided finally to go off permanently and die, he would have no other option than either to take another wife or to use these ‘Domes’ regularly. He knew too well that Stef would be jealous of either of these options and this perhaps was the ‘ace up his sleeve’!
After they had had a drink or two and were refreshed, the couple asked the robots to return them to the Pleasure Dome. In a flash, they found themselves back in the Dome and, following a short regenerating massage each, they left the Dome and then strolled hand in hand back towards Zon's quarters.
Suddenly a flash of lightening struck across the sky, visible to them through the overhead protection canopy, and Stef clung on to Zon's arm with fright. It was only a thunderstorm, Zon assured his lady, but inside his head he knew that there was something definitely odd happening to the climate again, and made up his mind to have a long talk with Zenith together with some of the weather experts to find out what was happening.
After returning to Zon's quarters, Stef mentioned to Zon that she had a strange feeling that something was different about her body. “I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know something has happened to my body. Perhaps I am pregnant again. Would you mind if I was, Zon?”
Stef had known for some time that Zon was trying not to procreate as the population growth was getting out of hand and he had to try and set an example.
She searched his face with trepidation, hoping that he would not order her to have an abortion, as she knew this could lead to a massive falling-out between her and Zon because her race of people did not believe in ending a life, which they believed was created by ‘God’, and although some of her race had been forced to have terminations under the Zelite law, Stef herself would never have agreed to undergo such a procedure. She would rather die herself.
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